The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Let Me Introduce You

 

Nangong Wuyue shouted and left everyone stunned on the spot.

Hao Ren looked at Nangong Wuyue and turned around to look at Nangong, the demon hunter. Now, he noticed the connection between their names. Bewildered, he stepped aside, watching the siren sister walk angrily to the demon hunter. He asked, “This is your brother?”

“This is my brother! My crazy brother!” Nangong Wuyue stepped forward, punched him in the chest and asked, “Bro, why are you doing this again!? Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Can’t you see that I’m trying not to disturb you as much as possible…?” The demon hunter was hurt by the punch. He grimaced in pain and explained, “Besides, I’m worried about you… How did you meet these guys?”

Looking at the situation, Hao Ren knew that they were not getting into a fight today. He then waved at Y’zaks, and the big demon let go of Nangong and put him down. Vivian looked at the wonderful expression on everybody’s face. She was not sure if she should laugh or cry. Shortly after, she turned to Nangong and asked, “I just want to ask you, are you a human or demon hunter? Are you here to get us in trouble?”

“I…am considered a demon hunter.” Nangong looked at the non-human creatures strangely (unfortunately, Hao Ren was also considered one of the non-human creatures). He used to imagine what would happen if he was caught by unusual creatures one day but, he never thought it would be this way. “But…I didn’t know you guys were here… I’m actually looking for my sister.”

“Are you the one setting up spell cards on the streets?” Lily jumped out and shouted violently. “There are hundreds of them!”

“Yes, I’m the one,” Nangong said disconsolately. “It took me nearly two weeks to draw them, and then I spent another two days and two nights placing them around. However, I found them gone this evening… Did you guys get rid of them?”

Hao Ren suddenly felt a little pity for this guy. Such painstaking work and such a strict setting; it was all destroyed by the paparazzi of the Southern Suburbs. He was not really sure if he should tell this unlucky guy the truth. Vivian nodded thoughtfully and said, “I didn’t expect it to really be just one demon hunter… I wondered why no clues were found after searching outside for so long. Well, it’s really just you alone.”

“What else can I do. I’ve always been a loner.” Nangong spread his hands, looked at Nangong Wuyue timidly and asked, “Haha… Sis, so they’re harmless, huh?”

Nangong Wuyue turned her head and ignored him. Vivian was not angry. She smiled and said, “Hey, I never expected a demon hunter to say such words when facing a group of creatures. I’m really curious about what a freak you are… Come with us first. Let’s go home and clear up the situation. I won’t let you go easily even if you are Wuyue’s brother.”

“Don’t go, don’t go.” Nangong Wuyue quickly nodded.

“Well, I finally get to see my sister…”

Hao Ren slapped his forehead and wondered: That’s it! We were busy all night for nothing!

They came out in a mighty, ferocious manner but in the end, they went back embarrassed and speechless. Even Y’zaks looked awkward all the way. On the way back, only Lily, the simple-minded girl was feeling quite happy. To her, as long as she was not turned into stew by the demon hunter, tonight’s mission was considered a big success. The husky girl was walking in front of the team. One moment she ran around Hao Ren happily, the next moment she ran to the stray dog she met in the intersection, and they barked at each other for quite some time (she claimed that she arranged for her men to go back to rest). After that, she went into a some corner to pick a stone, and proceeded to play with it for quite a long time. Finally, when she carried a wooden stick and asked Hao Ren to play fetch with her, Vivian could no longer stand it. “Can’t you behave?! Usually, you kinda care about your image but, why are you so jumpy in front of the demon hunter today?”

Hao Ren sighed and relayed some information he found on the internet two days ago, “Huskies can occasionally be very excited when going out at night because, it’s quiet. They’ ll try to create noise to ‘entertain themselves’ especially, in the presence of strangers. It’s probably due to a desire to express herself. Lily, put the stick down. If you really want to play, I’ll buy you a frisbee in the next two days…” Lily then bitterly threw away the small stone and stick she picked up along the way. She tried to calm down, and pretended to be a quiet girl, muttering next to Hao Ren, “Stop complaining about me, Battie. You think I don’t know that you’re flying out every night. Nobody’ s more excited than you are at night… No matter what, I’m still a dignified worker…”

Hao Ren was speechless.

He knew that Vivian had a habit of going out for a spin at night but, he had no idea that she was so keen about it.

Vivian turned her face away in embarrassment and explained, “I’m just exercising. It’s to prevent my flying skills from being neglected due to the easy life.”

“Then you don’t have to harass the migratory birds. It doesn’t mean anything even if you win a competition with a bunch of swallows, okay?”

“…”

Forget it. Everyone had their own way of living. We should just let it be and stop digging any further. She has always been able fly anyway. So, let us just pretend that she was a fan of long-distance running among the vampires.

Nangong and his sister both walked behind them. Along the way, Nangong looked for opportunities to explain to his siren sister why he was there. However, Nangong Wuyue just ignored him. The brother and sister seemed to have some long unresolved conflict. Hao Ren was very curious about what happened to them but in the end, he was too shy to ask. It was almost midnight when they reached home but, what happened that night left them sleepless. Everybody circled around Nangong Wuyue and the demon hunter. Evidently, the brother and sister had no choice but to make it clear.

“As I said earlier, this is my brother.” Nangong Wuyue pointed to Nangong, the demon hunter. “My biological brother.”

“Hello everyone.” Nangong nodded timidly. He no longer looked dashing and confident like when they first met in England. He wiped his cold sweat away, pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and said, “Sorry for disturbing… Want a smoke? Oh, you don’t smoke. How about this macho guy… You don’t smoke as well? And ladies… Forget it. I think I better explain the situation honestly. As you can see, I’m a demon hunter, and she’s a siren. Both of us are real. We inherited this from our parents. My father is a demon hunter but, my mother is a siren. I know it’s unbelievable. In historical records, there’s only one case of marriage between a demon hunter and a supernatural creature. Those are our parents.”

“Is that so…” Vivian looked at Nangong Wuyue in disbelief and asked, “You’ve really just mentioned that your mother’s a siren but, you’ve never mention anything about your father… He’s a demon hunter?”

Nangong Wuyue nodded, feeling ashamed. She then said, “Sorry, I knew this topic was too sensitive. I was afraid that you would mind so, I didn’t mention it.”

“How could this have happened?” Vivian finally exploded. “How could a demon hunter be together with a creature like us? Even if the siren is a special species, that’s not near enough a reason for the demon hunters to marry them!”

Nangong Wuyue sighed and said, “My mother’s flirting skills were superb.”

Everybody had nothing to say.

“Yes, majority of the sirens that stayed in the human world after they landed were coy with humans but, my mother was the only exception: she chased after a young demon hunter.” Nangong Wuyue covered her face with her hands and continued to explain, “When my mother was still alive, her favorite hobby was telling us the story about dad and her… Brother, I can’t continue anymore.”

Nangong coughed and looked at Nangong Wuyue awkwardly. However, when he saw that everybody was staring at him with curious eyes, he could only sum it up concisely. “It was a dark night; My mother was drunk, my father was young and ignorant… That’s the whole thing.”

The entire living room was silent. Hao Ren finally understood that the most powerful creature of all time was probably Nangong Wuyue’s legendary mother. During a precarious era, when most unusual creatures were being killed by demon hunters, when most of the sirens were coy with humans, her mother flirted with a demon hunter instead…

The brother and sister did not seem inclined to discuss the topic that had a high volume of information. They just roughly explained their parents’ situation and stopped there. Hao Ren had a lot of questions but, he did not know where to start. Finally, Vivian broke the ice. She looked at Nangong and asked, “Since we already know quite a lot, you don’t have to hide anything from us. What’s your full name? If you want to show your sincerity, start from here.”

However, Nangong was still unwilling to reveal his real name. He was hesitant, and refused to tell them more. In the end, after Nangong Wuyue pinched him, he sighed. He spread his hands and said, “My name is Nangong Sanba*.”

Chapter 157: The Nangongs’ Past

 

In the living room, Nangong Wuyue and Nangong Sanba sat on the couch while the rest were directly opposite them. The atmosphere felt a bit like a court proceeding. It was awkward.

However, the most awkward thing was the one with the flashy name, Nangong Sanba…

“Okay, laugh all you want.” Nangong Sanba sighed. He noticed the expression on their faces. Y’zaks had no clue what was going on because he was from a foreign world. “It’s not the first time I wanted to change my name.”

“It’s your real name, huh?” Hao Ren tactfully expressed his surprise. “It doesn’t matter what name you’ve got. If you look on the internet, you’ll find tons of people with even funnier names like Hammer Wang, Dog Egg Lee and etc. But, I’ve never heard any demon hunter with this name.”

Of course, he did not express all this thoughts: while Nangong Wuyue had a beautiful name—poetic as well as elegant, her brother’s name was the anti-climactic Nangong Sanba. Being a demon hunter, he had to be one of the dark forces’ major bosses. Antagonists always had bossy and bombastic names. Yet, this guy before him was a Sanba or a fool! The name suggested that he would not make a good demon hunter—it was like a demon with ‘noble’ in its name.

However, he kept the thought to himself; he did not want to further upset Nangong Sanba and also Y’zaks about his not-so-happy past.

“It was my mom,” said Nangong Wuyue as she helplessly glanced at her brother. “She wasn’t an educated woman. She named us based on the month we were born. My brother was born on 8th of March so, she named him Nangong Sanba (Sanba—’three eight’ literally means 8th of March in Chinese but, it also carries another connotation: foolish). As I was born in the middle of May the following year, she wanted to name me Nangong Wuyue Shiwu (Wuyue Shiwu means 15th of May in Chinese) but, it sounded too wordy so, she decided to simplify it to Nangong Wuyue… It’s that simple.”

Hao Ren glanced at Nangong Sanba. “Hey…’Sanba’ isn’t really a bad word after all. But, it’s weird to call a master like you ‘Sanba’. You can always change your name. Maybe you should.”

Nangong Sanba’s face turned solemn. “We were born to our parents, and we will live with our given names. How could I go against the wishes of our parents? When I said I wanted to change my name, it was just a thought. I’d never do it.”

Hao Ren was astounded. He looked at the demon hunter and thought: a demon hunter should have a good name that matched his stature. A good name would go a long way, and was so much cooler than the crap he had just uttered.

“My brother’s as stubborn as a mule.” Nangong Wuyue let out a sigh as she said, “Relax, Sister Vivian. My brother isn’t like other demon hunters. He wouldn’t find trouble with you because he’s no match for any of you after all, except Rollie. Oh, speaking of which, Rollie hasn’t slept yet.”

The black and white cat was meandering around the living room when it heard its name being mentioned. It halted in its step, meowed and stared suspiciously at Nangong Sanba as if it was studying the new tenant. Vivian waved and signaled the cat to come to her. She cuddled and caressed it in her arms. At the same time, she looked up and glanced at Nangong Wuyue. “Is it because he’s a mixed-blood so, he doesn’t possess the full ability of a demon hunter?”

During their trip to England, Nangong Sanba was already known to them as a half-baked demon hunter. Vivian presumed that he was a normal person with some demon-hunter knowledge. However, Vivian was wrong. He was the real deal albeit a mixed-blood demon hunter.

“Lineage is one thing. Another reason is, there was a break in inheritance during my dad’s time.” Nangong Wuyue was not hiding her past anymore. She bared it all. “As you may have already known, demon hunters and humans are different. They’re different yet, they share similarities. Demon hunters live as long as the other-kind. They marry only their own kind. Newly-born demon hunters receive the gift and injection of power from their parents.. Then, they start to train under their parents and fight weaker evil spirits as well as demons on their own when they turn 12. When they become 16, they leave their parents and learn from other senior demon hunters for a further three to five years. They are introduced to other demon hunters at the same time. After that, they are finally integrated into the community, recognized and accepted as one of their own. This was always the case up to my grandparents’ generation.”

“But, when it came to my dad’s generation, something went wrong: both my grandparents passed away in an accident when my dad was just 13 years old. In that same year, an organized revolt of the other-kind erupted in Asia. The demon hunter community was in chaos. My dad was still a child and before he was even introduced to the other seniors, he was separated from them, losing all contact with the demon hunter community.”

Vivian nodded as if she was in deep thought. “Thirteen years old… Still a rookie, not very obstinate yet. He probably doesn’t have a strong prejudice against the other-kind. A demon hunter is after all also a creature with feelings and emotions.”

With her arms open, Nangong Wuyue said, “So, that’s the story. From my dad’s generation onwards, we’ve had zero contact with the demon hunter community. After living as a vagrant for a few years, my dad met my mom. Then, ‘something’ happened and they were together.”

Once Nangong Wuyue began talking, the floodgates opened and she let out everything about her past; good and bad. Perhaps, she felt better this way after she hid her past previously. Although Hao Ren did not mind, Nangong Wuyue obviously took it to heart.

Vivian finally understood all about the unique couple and the half-baked demon hunter: he was not just a mixed-blood but, he also did not have a complete set of abilities.

“The inheritance was broken since my father’s time.” Nangong Sanba smiled awkwardly. “After my mom and dad married, contacting the demon hunter community became a taboo. They lived a hermit’s life in the forest to avoid being detected by other demon hunters or the other-kind. I learned my skills from my dad. The most complete set of skills he taught me were runes and these—”

As he said that, he flipped his jacket open and revealed a small crossbow, some strange blades, bottles of drugs, wooden sticks, etc., all hidden inside. “Sorcery props. These were the things my dad was good at. I can make these things but, I’m not familiar with their usage. Most props need mind power to work. I never learned it because dad didn’t know how to teach it to me.”

“What do you think of the other-kind?” It was one of the subjects Vivian felt should be made clear upfront.

“I’d be faking it if I told you I’m a lover of peace, who’d like to see a united world.” Nangong Sanba extended his arms. “But, let me tell you frankly, I don’t see the other-kind as enemies unless they come to me looking for trouble first.”

There were many things Hao Ren still did not understood about the lone demon hunter. “Are you in contact with other demon hunters? You’ve been alone all this while? Do they know your existence?”

“Of course, I’m alone. To be honest, I don’t feel a thing about those pure-blood demon hunters. I know who I am—they’ll start coming to me looking for trouble if I get myself exposed,” said Nangong Sanba as he nodded. “The demon hunter fraternity is just a loosely organized community now. Although they’re slightly more close-knitted than the other-kind, it’s out of convenience for their call to hunt down ‘demons’. Other than that, they always act alone like a solo hunter. So, a lone-wolf demon hunter like me won’t stand out. Even if we bump into each other, I’d just look like any other demon hunter; when questioned, I always pretend that I’m from another zone, and I’m on a mission,” said Nangong Sanba as he he smiled. “They never suspect their own kind.”

Hao Ren nodded as if his doubts had been cleared up. But somehow, he felt that the Nangongs were still hiding something.

Vivian seemed to have the same thought. “You two aren’t wandering around just for the purpose of sightseeing, aren’t you?”

Chapter 158: Nangong Wuyue’s Thoughts

 

“You two aren’t wandering around just for the purpose of sightseeing, aren’t you?” Vivian looked at the two Nangongs, her eyes filled with suspicion.

Nangong Sanba and her sister glanced at each other, then admitted with a nod. “You’re right. For people like us, it’s best to keep our heads down and live in solitary. But, my sister was getting out, I had to follow and keep an eye on her.”

“I’m trying to locate my mom,” Nangong Wuyue confessed. “She must still be on this planet.”

Something crossed Vivian’s mind. “You’ve reminded me something! You said that your parents were dead but, sirens can’t really die. So, what’s going on?”

Vivian’s question struck Hao Ren too. He heard the story of the immortal siren but he did not give it a second thought. All the while, he never suspected Nangong Wuyue when she said her mom was dead until this very moment!

Nangong Wuyue began relay the untold story of her past. “When I was 16 years old, something happened to us—a raging spirit haunted the place where we lived. Dad let my brother and I escape. He said mom and him could deal with the monster alone. But, when we returned the next day, we found the whole house gone, and there were no traces of mom and dad…”

Vivian was stunned. “Raging spirit? There was a raging spirit?”

“What’s that?” Hao Ren asked curiously.

“It’s a freak…a kind of gloom-ridden monster if I had to put it into words.” Vivian frowned. “It’s said that raging spirits were wraiths from another spatial dimension. Some people say they are projections of negative emotions in another world that have been pulled into this world. They look like clouds, amorphous in shape. They hover between reality and fantasy without logic or rationality, incapable of communication. And, they will attack every living thing. The raging spirits aren’t just lacking any physical form, their combat abilities vary as well. Some can be killed with just amulets alone while some call for the intervention of demon hunters in a group. Due to the inconsistent quality among them, some people are of the opinion that raging spirits aren’t a race but a phenomenon. Raging spirits were more common in the ancient times during which the other-kind liked to build dangerous energy structures. These structures would attract the raging spirits. However, raging spirits seemed to quiet down since the Steam Era. They would only form in the wilderness, which was void of human presence. Additionally, their formation required a ‘bait’ of supernatural power in the surroundings. It’s now hard to find all the pre-requisites in one place.”

As Hao Ren nodded his head, Nangong Wuyue continued, “I can still recall what happened that day. Our entire house simply disappeared into thin air without a trace, leaving just a large pit in its place as if the whole place was blown up. My dad’s most likely dead but, my mom’s a siren. She must’ve resurrected somewhere else. For three years, my brother and I waited at the same place but, my mom never returned. I left and went on a journey to search for her while my brother was after me…”

Nangong Sanba smiled. “I was worried about her.”

“Then you shouldn’t trouble me all the time.” Nangong Wuyue swung her fist, hitting her brother’s back. “Because you’re so paranoid, I don’t want you to come along!”

They wondered how the two siblings got along all this while. Nangong Wuyue pointed at the rune cards that were left on the table; her cheeks were puffed with anger. “See that? Once he found me, he lay these cards everywhere, and then there’d be a fire or explosion near my location. There was even one time where a chapel, close to where I lived got struck by lightning 40 times in one night because he lay a lighting rune card near the lightning arrestor!”

“I was just trying to protect you.” Nangong Sanba defended his actions. “When dad was still alive he always reminded us about the dangers of the outside world. I know how to fight and I’m able to protect myself but, you haven’t learned any self-defence skills. What if you become a target?”

Nangong Sanba turned to Hao Ren and the rest, explaining with a smile, “There’s a reason for laying these rune cards. If any demon hunters come by, they’d skip the place when they see the cards. The rune cards are like saying that ‘this place has been taken care of.’”

“Who says I don’t know how to fight?” Nangong Wuyue spoke up with her arms akimbo. “I’m guessing, you can’t even fight me, can you? All this while, I was just refraining from hurting others. Besides, you know full well how capable sirens are.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here. I know you can’t do it so, I’ll do it. You can concentrate on looking for mom while I take care of the rest.”

“But, could you please do things the normal way? At least give me a heads-up before you go mad again! Don’t be like a freak stalker and lay your booby traps everywhere to only have me end up in one of them.”

“My identity’s a little special, and I’m also smarter than you…” Nangong Sanba tried to evade the wrath of his sister as he analysed things for her. “To make drugs, rune cards and all that, I need to go out there to get the ingredients. The risk of bumping into other demon hunters is high. I’d easily sneak by on my own but, not you. So, it’s safer for us not to be together.”

After listening to their arguments, Hao Ren now had the truth figured out. It seemed so plain and simple:

About a century ago, a siren and a demon hunter fell in love with each other. Because of the cross-species relationship, they became an outcast in their worlds so, they lived in solitary and soon they had their own babies—the Nangong siblings. However, life was a b*tch. The family was attacked and the parents disappeared after the battle but fortunately, the children survived. Nangong Wuyue believed that her mom resurrected and still remained alive somewhere. She could not just sit by and wait so, she decided to search for her mom. Even though Nangong Sanba did not agree with her, knowing his sister’s temperament, he followed her.

As a demon hunter himself, Nangong Sanba knew he would inevitably bump into or be noticed by other demon hunters. To keep his own sister safe and also out of worry, he used his own way to protect her from harm. His method was not stupid. It just seemed a little paranoid.

“Okay, that’s enough. Leave your quarrelling for another time you two.” Vivian had to cut them off as they had been arguing for an hour and a half yet, they still did not show signs of stopping. “May I ask, you haven’t gotten a lead on your mom’s whereabouts after all these years?”

“I’ve searched every corner of the world, including the Arctic and Antarctica.” Nangong Wuyue let out a heavy sigh. “As long as there’s water, I’ve been there except, the deepest sea. I’ve done everything I could and now, I feel like giving up.”

Hao Ren thought for a while. Then, everything suddenly became clear. “So, the purpose of you being here is so that we’ll help?”

“Well, more or less, yes. But, another reason is because I’m tired of hiding and running from the demon hunters. I need a place to stay.” Nangong Wuyue looked embarrassed as she nodded. “Actually, I wanted to tell you this but…thinking of my awkward family background and the fact that Sister Vivian seems to have quite a deep grudge against demon hunters, I choked.”

“How could I not?” Vivian scoffed. “After working my *ss off and finally having the money to build a tiny house at the upstream of the Rhine, the demon hunters came and burned it down just after two months of me staying there. From that moment on, I swore that demon hunters and I would be at daggers drawn for the rest of my life.”

Nangong Sanba’s face froze.

“Of course, your brother’s an exception.” Vivian glanced at Nangong Sanba. “I don’t consider him a demon hunter.”

Nangong Sanba mumbled. “Actually, I am…but I think now, I better not be.”

“Then, why didn’t you look in the deep sea?” Hao Ren asked. “Since you’ve been everywhere, why not the deep sea? I think if your mom’s still alive, chances are, she’d be back at the old home.”

“It’s one my biggest disappointments—I can’t go into the earth’s deep sea.” Nangong Wuyue frowned and seemed to be at a lost. “I’ve tried a few times, swimming to the bottom of the Pacific and Atlantic where legends of the City of Sirens existed. But each time, I would lose my direction and be sent to other places. At first, I thought it was my problem. However, after the trip to the foreign planet with you, I realized that it wasn’t my problem instead, there was something going on with the oceans on this planet. It appears that some places down there are off-limits.”

Forbidden places in the deep sea?!

Chapter 159: The Elders

 

What Nangong Wuyue said aroused Hao Ren’s curiosity.

“A forbidden territory in the deep sea?” He stared at Nangong Wuyue. “I’ve heard from Vivian that no one has ever found the location of the City of Sirens. Could this be the forbidden territory?”

“I suppose,” said Nangong Wuyue. “Maybe there’s some special way to get in there. The deep sea is a mysterious place and very little’s been explored by humans. Perhaps, normal sirens could dive in there. But, mom has never mentioned about her hometown. It was like she didn’t want me to go there. I don’t know why.”

“The possibility of mom being there is low.” Nangong Sanba shook his head. “If she’s there, then why hasn’t she come to find us? She’s gone to the surface once, she could do it again if she wanted to.”

“I’m going to carry on the search even if I fail to find her in the end,” Nangong Wuyue said softly. “For years I’ve been looking for her and it’s become a part of my life.”

“Now, we more or less know what’s going on. You should’ve made it clear in the first place.” Hao Ren exhaled. He felt that the siblings’ story could make a drama series, 40 episodes at least. “Sanba, what’s your next move?”

“It’d be better if you called me Nangong.” A gloom cast over Nangong Sanba’s face. “I’m here for my sister. Now, I’m relieved she’s found herself a bunch of more-than-capable friends. But, I’m curious: are you lot a family?”

Nangong Sanba took a quick glance at everyone. It struck him as intriguing that Vivian and Lily—a vampire and a werewolf could get along with one another. At the same time, the 2.15-metre giant sitting opposite him had a scary grin, which implied he was anything but a normal human being. He just could not wrap his brain around it.

“Err…” Hao Ren remembered the statement of confidentiality he had signed. Before Nangong became one of them, he could not divulge anything. So, he went with his cover story. “This place is more like a shelter, a neutral and safe territory. We don’t care who, as long as one can live in peace and get along with others, one can stay.” Pointing at Vivian and Lily, Hao Ren continued, “Notice them? They live in peace with one another. You can stay if you want. Just pay some rental. But, I need to get a nod from from my superior.”

“It won’t be good for me to stay. I don’t want you to get into trouble.” Nangong Sanba declined the offer. “As a demon hunter, my job is not to stay in one place. An easy and comfortable life isn’t my cup of tea.”

Nangong Wuyue gave him a kick. “Brother, keep your head down. I’m serious.”

“Okay. I’ve got a job in Russia, helping a rich businessman drive out evil spirits in return for a handsome pay. No way I’m going to say no to that. I’ll go there in two days…”

So much for a demon hunter. Nangong Sanba was basically just a little better than a sorcerer, travelling around and driving out spirits for money. He would occasionally do things for free to collect information he needed, just as he did in England back then. However, he would not aim for the strong ones, like vampires and werewolves which could easily wallop him half dead. Nangong knew his limits. His targets were mostly those who were lower in the food chain like wraiths, or he would sometimes target curses and voodoo rituals. His idea was to be safe.

Nontheless, sometimes he would f*ck up just like he did in England. His venture to the ruins went terribly wrong when he stumbled unexpectedly into a swamp of wraith knights and a demon sealed in the crypts. He barely made it out alive thanks to Hao Ren.

Nangong Sanba recalled the incident. Then, he slapped the back of his head with his hand. “Ah, now I remember it. The crypt incident in England, it was you lot who saved my a**. You’re my saviour.”

“Hehe…you’re welcome.” Hao Ren waved his hand and played it down. Then, he yawned inadvertently.

Nangong Sanba read his signal. He tidied his shirt as he stood up. “It’s getting late. Before I go, I want to apologise for what I’ve done, which may have been offensive. If you need me, I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help. After all these years travelling around the world, I’ve got my own sources of intel.”

“You’re going now?” Hao Ren got to his feet. “If you don’t mind, you can stay here tonight.”

Then Y’zaks also pulled himself to his feet. His dull voice like thunder and his smile reminded one of a morbid, crying baby in the night. “Since you’re Wuyue’s brother, please feel at home. I have a spare bed in my room.”

Due to his over-sized body, Y’zaks had been sleeping on the floor all this while. Also, he did not want to inconvenice anyone. So, he left the bed unused.

Nangong Sanba almost freaked out as he stared at the 2.15-metre giant, whose smile was just shy from being intimidating. He stepped back inadvertently. “It’s so nice of you but, I’ve a rented place nearby. It’s late now and I’ll come over tomorrow, just to check on my sister. Hope you guys don’t mind.”

Nangong Sanba walked to the door as he spoke. Hao Ren wanted to persuade him to stay for Nangong Wuyue’s sake but, he also noticed the subtle expression on Vivian’s face. He realised Vivian still had strong feelings towards demon hunters. He walked Sanba to the door while Nangong Wuyue followed, nagging at her brother. “Don’t always bother others. You should’ve been wiser…”

Amid her grumbling, Nangong Sanba apologised profusely again. Wearing a black wind coat, he then quickly disappeared into the dark.

“You should have let him stay.” Hao Ren looked at Nangong Wuyue with an embarrassed smile. As a host, he felt it uncourteous to let her brother leave at this time of night. But, Nangong Wuyue was unfazed as she waved her hand, saying, “Don’t worry, he’s kind of stubborn. You wouldn’t have been able to talk him up. Anyway, he’s no kid. He’ll survive a night out there.”

As Nangong Sanba left, everyone went mute. Then Vivian broke the silence. “Haha, what a coincidence. The first time I heard the name Nangong Wuyue, I already felt something…but, never did I expect it to turn out exactly as I thought.”

“Let’s get some shut-eye.” Hao Ren started to yawn again. He glanced up the clock on the wall; it was 2.30am. “We’ll discuss further tomorrow, I’m too tired now.”

After everyone got back to their rooms, the living room quieted down. Just when Hao Ren was about to leave, he discovered Lily was still on the sofa; she had been fighting her own biological clock the whole night until she was completely taken over by the sleep bug. She was now snoring away.

Hao Ren pulled her tail in an effort to wake her. She would have bounced to her feet under normal circumstances. However, this time, all Hao Ren heard was mumbles of sleep talking. He sighed. He was thinking of getting help from Vivian or Nangong Wuyue but the timing was not the nicest. Why not carry her to her room himself, he thought. Well, as much as he liked the idea, he was wary of being bitten. After all, it had happened before so, he thought better of it. He took out a quilt and put it on her before yawning all the way back to his room.

It was a peaceful night, and Hao Ren only woke up at ten the next morning.

He was awakened by Lil Pea, who was slapping him on the face with her tail.

He opened his eyes and saw the little mermaid jumping on him. He hated it especially when he was sound asleep. He mistook her as Rollie and almost flung her out of the windows. As he grabbed the little mermaid and sat up on the bed, he saw a trail of water from the writing desk to his bed. He instantly recognised it.

Obviously, the little mermaid did not understand his instructions about not getting out on the floor yesterday.

Hao Ren shoved Lil Pea back into the pot and carried it out into the living hall. Vivian was sweeping the floor while Lily was lying on the sofa with a blank gaze. Her head was tilted in such a funny posture. When she saw Hao Ren, she waved at him. “Good morning, Landlord…”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I’ve got a stiff neck.” Her head tilted at a 45° angle. “It’s painfully sore…”

“…”

He regretted not carrying her back to her bed, even if there was a possibility of being bitten.

“You hungry?” Vivian asked as she walked past Hao Ren with the broom in her hand. “You can have some buns if you want. Since everyone’s still sleeping in, there’ll be no breakfast. I’ll prepare lunch.”

“Okay.” As Hao Ren strode into the kitchen, a loud knock was heard on the front door.

He shoved Lil Pea back into the pot. Then, he let Nangong Wuyue bring her to the bathroom and lock her in there—just in case it was the utility guy from the power or water company, or the aunty from the resident’s association pulling up. As he opened the door, two large foreign men stood in front of it.

One of the men said, “Is the countess here?”

Chapter 160: Blu-what?

 

The two middle-aged men outside had typical Caucasian looks; sharp noses and pronounced eyes. Their blue-grey eyes carried with them an unspoken sense of pride. Their hair was a shade of greyish-brown and they were at least 185cm tall. Their build was strong as well as soldierly, and they were clad in fitting, black suits. The suits were supposed to make them look smart and dignified instead, they looked more like goons from the underworld. It was hard not to imagine them having tattoos all over their body as well as a few battle scars here and there.

Both of them looked almost alike; both in physique and appearance, almost like a pair of twins. One of them had a scar near his eyebrows that probably served as a differentiation. As they saw Hao Ren open the door, both of them spoke almost at the same time, “Does the countess live here?”

Hao Ren was perplexed for a moment, and he wondered why were there so many foreigners in this ungodly part of the Southern Suburbs. The word “countess” did not immediately click and he asked, “Perhaps you’ve gotten the wrong address? We only have nor… Wait! Are you looking for Vivian?”

He suddenly recalled that there was indeed a countess at home but, her current situation did not even come close to being worthy of the title.

“Seems like following the bats was the right choice.” The two strangers glanced at each other. The one with the scar then smiled at Hao Ren, baring his fangs. “You look like the owner of this shelter. We heard from our younglings about you. We are the Ebbens. You could say, we’re old ‘friends’ of the countess. Is she home to meet us by any chance? She may still recognise us. Oh, and of course, we come in peace today. Please, do relay our message to her.”

The Ebbens! Hao Ren had almost forgotten about them. When Casar and Ewan left, they mentioned that they would be reporting what had happened here, and the Elders would be visiting if it was possible. But, he never thought that they would pay a visit this soon, and the Elders of the tribe were these two middle-aged foreigners?

“Mr. Landlord, who’s at the door?” Vivian asked as she noticed that Hao Ren had been standing by the gate for a good while. She then walked up to see what was going on. “Is it for the utility bills… Uh…you two… Why do you look so familiar?”

“Forgetful as always, Countess,” The scarred stranger said as Vivian showed up. An alarmed look flashed across his face as the vampire spoke but, he quickly hid it behind a hearty laugh. It was as though he was just visiting an old friend. “You really don’t remember us? The Ebben Twins, the ones you had taken so much care of.”

Something slowly dawned on Vivian as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Ohhh… Ohhhhhhh… You two! We fought before. I remember now. What are you two doing here? Trying to get beaten up again?”

The two Ebbens looked at each other with a slightly dumbfounded look. The one without the scar then spoke, “Some time back, the younglings of our tribe told you that the Ebbens would be sending the Elders to visit the countess so, here we are. No plans to fight this time.”

Vivian furrowed her brows, “You two are elders now? Both of you are barely a thousand years old, right? Where have those ancient ones gone? Jaeger and uh…Akry if I’m not wrong?”

The scarred one’s face turned dark in an instant. “Elder Jaeger was assassinated by demon hunters 500 years ago. The other one is Ackeriy not Akry… Elder Ackeriy tried to look for the sirens a hundred years ago and he has disappeared without a trace. So now, both of us are the ranking members of the tribe… Sigh…well you are indeed an old acquintance of the Ebbens, no harm telling you that.”

“Things have gotten that bad?” Vivian was surprised. She softly nudged Hao Ren by the shoulder and said, “Mr Landlord, let them in. They are guests after all.”

As the Ebbens stepped into the house, Hao Ren locked the gate and the door shut. He was conflicted. This scene where Elders of the strongest werewolf tribe visiting one of the oldest living vampire… it happened so unceremoniously. There wasn’t even a letter. The werewolves were dressed up like businessmen to keep their cover, the clothes totally at odds with their feral self. They even took an illegal taxi to their place. As they walked in, Hao Ren caught sight of a rickety junk at the far end of the street. This was supposed to be a monumental event but, it was so…abrupt; very unlike a meeting of two werewolf titans. From this scene alone, one could tell how far the supernaturals on Earth had fallen.

The two strangers caught Lily’s utmost attention. As she stared at the duo, she started jabbering with her head slanted, “I heard that you two are werewolves from the Ebben Family? We are distant relatives then…”

She was still insisting that she was a special type of werewolf.

“This is…” the scarred werewolf gave Lily, who was in a funny pose a weird look. Noticing it, she quickly popped her ears and tails out. “I’m a werewolf too! A special type!”

“Oh, so you’re the one Casar was talking about. Funny how they almost lost their lives for you. Lily, right?” The scarred one had a slightly surprised look on his face. He then whispered to his partner, “I remembered Casar only mentioning that she’s an idiot. I never heard she had issues with her neck?”

“Perhaps, he missed it that time?”

“Looks pretty obvious to me…”

“What are you two mumbling about?” Vivian muttered as she stared at the two werewolves whispering to each other, displeasure written on her face. She placed a pot of tea on the table. “Here, have a drink. This is my first time serving tea to a werewolf. Take it as my sincerity to talk business.”

Lily perked up instantly, “You always make tea for me though…”

“Quiet, that’s milk tea, you milk-tea-drinking simpleton.”

The two werewolves were expectedly surprised by the scene. They never thought the ruthless countess would treat them with any courtesy at all. Vivian then pointed towards her companions. “This is the landlord, Hao Ren, the one over there is Lily, an oddball werewolf, and this is Nangong Wuyue, a siren. The one sitting by the window with the papers is Y’zaks, a demon. These are the people living in this place.”

“Wait up!” Hao Ren said as he ran into the room and brought a pot out. Lil Pea was draped on the side of the pot, looking at the two strangers curiously. Hao Ren pointed at the little mermaid using his chin. “This is Lil Pea, a mermaid.”

“A mermaid? Isn’t she a siren?” The scarred werewolf looked on in surprise. There were no pure-blooded mermaids on Earth, and stories of mermaids came from the sirens hence, the question. He then pointed to himself. “Let me introduce myself. I’m one of the Elders in the Ebben Tribe’s Elder Council. You can call me Bluphlei Ebbens…”

Hao Ren had just placed Lil Pea on the table, and almost dropped the pot in his hand when he heard the name. “Blu-what?!”

“Bluphlei Ebbens,” the scarred werewolf said seriously. “What’s wrong with the name?”

It took Hao Ren a lot of effort to not go, “Pffft”. He guessed only the Chinese would know what “Bluefly” actually meant. It was probably a very common name overseas so, he quickly composed himself. “Ugh, nothing… And the guy over there?”

“Blushedt Ebbens,” the unscarred one answered.

“…”

Bloody hell, after a Bluefly, comes a Bluesh*t?

Years later, Hao Ren could still remember how much effort he took to keep a straight face. If it was not for the fact that these two werewolves were almost a thousand years old, he would have really thought that the two were just testing him for laughs. Who the bloody heck names their child, “Sh*t”?

Then again, these werewolves were already ancient by human standards, and there was even one named Farquer… Hao Ren decided that it would be better if he did not ask any more questions about their names.