Vampire Progenitor of the Immortal World

Chapter 76: Chapter 59: A Quiet Change(1)

The question of what else the Blood Seed could refine did not leave Ethan’s mind. It simply stopped demanding his attention every moment of the day.

After several days of trying different kinds of blood, Ethan had learned enough to slow down. He knew ordinary animal blood could be used. Spirit-beast blood was better. Human blood worked as well, though there was something about it he still couldn’t quite understand. Even the small amount of cultivator blood had produced a stronger result.

And then there was the problem of mixing different kinds together.

That one could wait.

Ethan wasn’t interested in wasting resources just to satisfy his curiosity. For now, he had more practical things to deal with.

His money, for one.

The thought alone was enough to make him close his journal.

"Everything wants money."

He glanced at the containers beside him. Blood, food, lodging and also cultivation resources. Funny enough even curiosity had apparently become expensive. Ethan laughed quietly and began packing his things.

This place had served him well, but he couldn’t stay there forever. He still needed to return to the city from time to time, and he had no intention of letting his life become nothing but sitting beneath a rock and staring at blood. There was more to living than cultivation. At least, he hoped so.

By late morning, Ethan was back on the road. His horse followed behind him, its hooves striking softly against the packed earth. The road wasn’t particularly busy, though there were enough travellers coming and going that Ethan rarely found himself alone for long.

He walked at an easy pace.

His thoughts wandered.

The Living Blood had given him another way to grow, but it wasn’t a shortcut. That much had become obvious. If he wanted more, he needed more resources. And if he wanted better resources, he needed more money. That meant work.

Ethan sighed.

He had once dreamed of becoming a vampire. Now that it had actually happened, he was already worrying about how to afford being one. Ethan couldn’t help but smile.

Ethan’s Blood Perception spread through the area, and the familiar traces of life came into view. Merchants moved about nearby, mixed among ordinary people, while two cultivators passed through the gate. Their presence was a little clearer than the rest, but nothing seemed out of place. Ethan let the ability fade and continued on.

Ethan let the ability fade. The city gates were busier than they had been when he left. A line of carts waited near the entrance, and several guards were checking goods before allowing them through. Ethan slowed as he reached the back of the line.

One of the guards glanced at him then at his horse as his eyes looked at the containers tied to its saddle.

"Carrying goods?"

"Nothing special."

Ethan tapped one of the containers lightly.

"Mostly food."

The guard looked at him for another moment before stepping aside.

"Go ahead."

Ethan nodded and continued. He didn’t think anything of it. A few streets later, he stopped at one of the merchants he had dealt with before. The man was arranging several bundles of dried herbs when Ethan approached.

"You’re back."

"Looks like it."

The merchant chuckled while Ethan glanced over the goods.

"I need some of this."

He pointed toward a bundle. The merchant reached for it. While he was tying it together, his eyes briefly moved over Ethan’s face.

He hesitated.

Then he asked,

"You look a little different."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Different?"

"Paler, maybe."

Ethan touched his cheek.

Again?

He’d been hearing that more often lately.

"I’ve been getting that a lot recently."

The merchant gave him a curious look.

"Everything alright?"

"I’m fine. Probably just a side effect of cultivation."

The merchant studied him for another moment before shrugging.

"If you say so."

Ethan smiled faintly.

"It’s nothing serious."

Ethan paid him and picked up the bundle.

"See you next time."

"Don’t disappear for too long."

Ethan smiled.

"I’ll try."

He left the shop without giving the conversation another thought. The merchant watched him go for a moment before returning to his work.

Ethan had already forgotten about it by the time he reached the next street. There were more interesting things to think about.

He had been wondering whether his Blood Perception could become useful for hunting stronger beasts. Not because he wanted to fight them. That would be foolish.

But if he could sense them before they sensed him, he could decide whether to approach or leave. That alone was useful.

As he turned down a quieter street, he passed a group of cultivators gathered around a stall. Their conversation was loud enough for him to catch pieces of it.

"...another one?"

"That’s what I heard."

"Where?"

"Near the villages along the river."

Someone lowered his voice.

"People are disappearing."

Ethan’s steps slowed for half a breath.

The river.

He had heard similar rumors before. The conversation quickly moved on to something else. Ethan continued walking. He didn’t know whether the disappearances were connected to the demonic cultivators people had been talking about recently, and he wasn’t particularly interested in finding out.

There were always problems somewhere. The important thing was making sure those problems remained somewhere else. Ethan had no intention of volunteering himself.

He returned to his inn later that afternoon. The familiar room greeted him with the same plain furniture and narrow window. He put his belongings away, washed the dust from his face, and sat down.

For a while, he simply rested. The city sounded different from the quiet hills. Carts rolled past outside as voices drifted in from the street, mixing with the occasional argument between a shopkeeper and a customer. Somewhere in the middle of it, a child’s laughter rang out before an adult quickly called them to quiet down.

Ethan leaned back against the chair. He had grown accustomed to these sounds. They were ordinary sometimes even comforting.

He closed his eyes and let his breathing settle. The Living Blood moved quietly through him, its warmth lingering beneath his skin. He no longer had to reach for it or guide his attention toward it. It was simply there, steady and familiar.

Ethan smiled.

At least this part was getting easier.

He opened his eyes and looked toward his journal. His hand reached for it, then stopped.

"No."

He pushed it aside. He’d spent enough time thinking about blood for one night. There was no need to fill another page. Instead, Ethan lay back and let himself rest.

The following morning, he went to work.

Nothing unusual happened. And strangely enough, that began to feel like a good thing.

The days settled into a steady pace. Ethan cultivated when he could, worked when he needed to, and made the occasional trip to the market. Every so often, he left the city for a while, sometimes returning with a few containers of ordinary animal blood, other times spending a little more on spirit-beast blood.

He never bought much at once. There was no reason to draw attention to himself, and his money wasn’t endless. Better blood had its uses, but paying for every question that crossed his mind wasn’t going to work. So he took his time.

When ordinary blood was enough, he bought it. When he had the opportunity, he hunted instead. Hunting was becoming easier than he’d expected.

One afternoon, Ethan was making his way through the forest when something suddenly cut through the air. His attention snapped toward it.

An arrow.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow down. He saw the arrow spinning toward him, close enough that he could make out the rough feathers at its end. Ethan turned slightly and caught it between two fingers.

He looked at the arrow, then toward the trees ahead. An hunter’s arrow, it seem Someone had been hunting.

He waited.

A few moments later, hurried footsteps came through the undergrowth. A man appeared, moving toward the spot where the arrow had been fired. He stopped the moment he saw Ethan.

The man’s face went pale.

His eyes quickly moved over Ethan’s clothes, then he dropped to his knees.

"Forgive me, senior. I didn’t know anyone was here."

Ethan looked at him. Through Blood Perception, the man was nothing more than an ordinary human. His blood was weak, and the things hanging from his waist told Ethan the rest. A few rabbits along with several small animals, a hunter indeed.

Ethan glanced at the arrow in his hand. The man must had simply mistaken him for prey.

"Get up."

The hunter looked up cautiously.

"You’re not angry?"

"You made a mistake."

Ethan tossed the arrow back to him.

"Just be more careful."

The man hurriedly caught it and bowed several times.

"Yes, senior. Thank you, senior."

Ethan waved him off. The hunter disappeared into the bushes, moving with the hurried steps of a man who had just been given another chance at life. Ethan watched him leave for a moment before turning away. It was hardly worth thinking about.

He continued deeper into the forest.

Ethan continued deeper into the forest, gathering what he needed along the way. Nothing else interrupted him, and by the time he turned back toward his shelter, the sun was already beginning to sink.

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