After their conversation, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying went upstairs to the deck of the ship to join Youn and Ali, who were playing ball with some other youngsters. They spent their time there until evening. They played a card game and board games together. And they watched a play for children, which all the passengers were enthusiastic about.

In the evening, after taking a hot bath, they got ready for the celebration. There was to be a real ball and so they had to dress accordingly. Youn and Ali put on suits that Lan Zhan had bought before they left. The suits make Youn and Ali look almost like fine aristocrats.

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying preferred the traditional Chinese holiday attire. All made of the finest fabric and silk. With beautiful ornaments and matching shoes. Their hair was braided into a pigtail, which was laid lightly over one shoulder. Lan Zhan also wore a narrow headband with a silver seal of the Lan family attached to the center.

Even though Lan Zhan's family is long gone, he still wears the family seal on ceremonial occasions. Just as he still wears the jade amulet on his belt, which also has his family's seal on it. For him, it did not matter how long it had been since he had to leave his family and how the parting was. He will always wear the family seal with pride!

When they were finished, they picked up Youn and Ali from their cabin and went to the hall, which was festively decorated. A small band was sitting on the small stage and a few singers were rehearsing their performances. "Seems to me we're early." Lan Zhan said as the four of them sat down at one of the tables.

"Not just us." Replied Wei Ying, gesturing to another table where 5 people were seated. Five vampires!

"I know, I've already noticed them. The way they stare at me, it's also impossible not to see them."

"They know who you are. They sense that you are a vampire. And they sense that you are stronger than they are. That's why they'll want to attack you together tonight."

"I understand. But why do they have to attack right away? Couldn't we talk to them too?"

"Talk to them? No, rather not. Vampires who form, or have formed, a clan always keep to themselves. They would also never welcome other vampires into their clan. They turn humans to expand their clan."

"Strange. Wen Rouhan took me in. And he didn't turn me."

"Your mentor didn't form a clan. He takes in young vampires, helps them deal with their thirst for blood. Or trains them, like he trained you. The vampires don't stay with him. Unlike a clan, they leave after a certain time. So do you. But he takes care not only of vampires. But also people who need his help or protection."

"You know a lot about him."

"Well, when I visited you secretly, I watched him too. And I learned a lot about him. He looked at you less as his disciple and more as your son. That's why he always took so much time for you. You mean a lot to him."

"He means a lot to me, too. He was and is like a father to me, too. I certainly wouldn't have survived without him. He taught me so many things. But as it turns out, even he doesn't know everything."

"No one can know everything. But the good thing about our immortal life is that we have enough time to learn."

"I guess you're right Wei Ying." Replied Lan Zhan. Since the banquet was officially opened by the ship's captain, they interrupted their conversation. However, that didn't mean Lan Zhan took his eyes off the 5 vampires for even a moment because of that. And they also watched him intently. One of them even bared his teeth obviously.

Around midnight, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying decided to go upstairs to the deck. They knew that the 5 vampires would follow them. But just as they were about to leave the hall, they heard a loud scream. They paused in their movement and slowly turned in the direction from which the scream had come.

A woman was lying on the floor. She was heavily pregnant and blood stained her sunny yellow dress red at the white lace-trimmed collar. She was whimpering in pain and holding her stomach. "What is it? Is she having her baby?" Youn asked, startled.

"No. Youn, I want you to take Ali and you go back to your cabin. Lock yourselves in and don't open the door unless we are." Said Lan Zhan. Youn nodded and left the hall with Ali. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying went to the pregnant woman.

Wei Ying squatted down next to the woman and her frightened husband. "He just attacked her! He grabbed her and bit her neck!" Whimpered the man.

"What man? Is he still here?" Lan Zhan asked. Since the five vampires were also still in the hall and Lan Zhan didn't take his eyes off them for a moment, he knew they hadn't been.

"No. He bit her and ran away." Replied the man.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine soon. She needs to rest and drink lots of juice." Said Wei Ying. He gestured for Lan Zhan to follow him. And when the two had left the hall, he whispered to Lan Zhan, "We have a problem. There is a vampire here who has the ability to disguise his true identity. And there may be more of them."

"How?" asked Lan Zhan, listening to his thoughts. Wei Ying suggested something risky to him in it. Namely, a temporary alliance with the 5 vampires to be able to defeat the old vampire. Wei Ying simply asked him to play along, knowing that they were being followed and overheard by the 5 vampires at that moment.

"You can also disguise your identity. But you have to practice that. You can't learn that in a few hours. But we don't have that time to teach you now. I think the vampire is already very old and he must be very strong. We may need some help."

"Then why don't we join forces? Let's form an alliance and fight this old vampire together. After that, when we defeat him, we'll be happy to fight each other." Said one of the vampires. Just as Wei Ying suspected, they followed them and overheard them.

"Okay good. For now, a temporary alliance would be appropriate." Said Lan Zhan. He didn't know what else to say.

"And how are we supposed to find the vampire if he can hide his true identity?" Asked one of the other vampires.

"I can handle that." Said Wei Ying.

"How will someone like you, an ordinary human, track down a vampire?" Wanted to know the leader of the vampire clan.

"You don't need to know that. He can and that is all you need to know for now. Wei Ying, please find him." Said Lan Zhan. Wei Ying nodded.

Wei Ying went into one of the toilet rooms and locked the door. Not even Lan Zhan was with him. He closed his eyes and gathered all the energy. He detached his spirit from his body and sent it out in search of the old vampire. Racing fast, his spirit flew through the ship. From cabin to cabin, deck to deck. And finally he found the vampire. He was hiding in the hold of the ship. And, Wei Ying recognized him!

Hastily, Wei Ying sent his spirit back into his body and informed Lan Zhan and the others. They ran downstairs to the hold. Once there, the old vampire was already waiting for them. "I knew you would come. Just like I wanted." Said the old one laughing.

"You're going to lose your laugh." Said the leader of the clan.

"You don't seriously think you can scare me. In my long life I have met many vampires who thought they could defeat me. But none has ever succeeded. Even 20 of them were powerless against me! I was created by one of the 5 children of the Lord of Darkness! I am stronger than you will ever be." Laughed the old vampire.

"Is that so Nagib? Are you really stronger than all of us? Think carefully about your answer. For I know you are not stronger than I am." Replied Wei Ying and stepped forward.

When the Old Vampire saw him, he fell to his knees. "My lord! Why are you here?" He asked.

Wei Ying secretly grabbed Lan Zhan's sword and walked towards Nagib. He swung the sword and plunged it into Nagib's chest. "Lan Zhan, now! Rip his head off!" Roared Wei Ying.

Lan Zhan jumped out and grabbed the old man's head with both hands. He gathered all his strength and ripped off his head. The Old Vampire immediately crumbled into dust. "What happened to him? Why did he turn to dust?" Asked the leader of the clan.

"Simple. With his death, his age caught up with him. He was many centuries old and that's why he crumbled into dust." Answered Wei Ying.

"Didn't you say it would be hard to kill him?" Asked one of the other vampires.

"Weren't you paying attention? He recognized him here. That means he's not human! He called him his Lord." Said one of the other vampires.

Wei Ying turned around to face the 5 vampires. His eyes glowed red and a bright glow appeared around his body. Lan Zhan had seen this glow before. When he saw Wei Ying for the first time. But at that time he believed that it was perhaps just a sensory illusion. Now, however, he saw this glow again and knew that it was not just a sensory illusion.

Lan Zhan was so mesmerized by the glow that it almost escaped his notice when Wei Ying tossed him his sword. "You know what to do!" Wei Ying shouted. Lan Zhan caught the sword and cut off the head of one of the vampires. He immediately lunged at the second, while Wei Ying ripped out the throat of the clan leader.

In one leap, Lan Zhan was at the third vampire, whom he also decapitated before lunging at the last of the 5 vampires along with Wei Ying. And as the dead vampires lay on the ground, Wei Ying said, "Take their hearts and drink their blood." Lan Zhan nodded and cut their hearts from their chests. He drank their blood and felt the vampires' life force pass into him, making him stronger.

Lan Zhan felt intoxicated by the heart blood. He couldn't help but grab Wei Ying, pull him close and kiss him. He was more excited than ever and couldn't hold back. He had to have Wei Ying, here and now. He pulled down Wei Ying's trousers and penetrated him and had wild passionate sex with him.

Only after they had indulged in their wild passion for over 2 hours did they go back and check on Youn and Ali. The two were sitting in their cabin reading. They then went to the pregnant woman's cabin to check on her bite wound and explain to her husband that the attacker was dead.

After also reporting to the captain of the ship that they chased the attacker and killed him in a fight and threw him off the ship, the two went to their cabin and only there did Lan Zhan ask, "It seems to me you had your own plans. You knew who the old vampire was and you knew he would never dare attack you, didn't you?"

"You're right. I knew who he was. But I wasn't sure if he would recognize me. I wanted to be sure, so I took the other vampires with us." Explained Wei Ying.

"I understand that. Still, I would have liked it if you had let me in on it."

"Sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"If you want to make it up to me, then tell me how he knew you."

"Still can't figure it out?"

"Yes I can, but I've decided to wait until you tell me yourself."

"My brother created him. He was one of the first vampires. Unlike the others, he obeyed my brother and had stayed by his side for a very long time."

"I see. And now? Will your brother feel that he is dead?"

"No. They didn't have that kind of connection. I'm not even sure my brother even knew that he was still alive."

"Okay. But I still don't think we should risk anything. I don't want your brother to find you and take you away from me. I don't want him to lock you up again."

"I don't want him to take me away from you either. But we shouldn't waste time talking about something like that now. Let's have some more fun instead." Wei Ying replied with a grin. Lan Zhan immediately agreed and the two fell over each other.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)