Vampire Progenitor of the Immortal World

Chapter 77: Chapter 59 : A Quiet Change (2)

A few days later, Ethan returned to the market and found the merchant who had put him in contact with the supplier. The merchant noticed him and smiled.

"Ethan. Haven’t seen you in a few days."

"I’ve been around." Ethan gave a small shrug. "How have things been?"

"Same as always. Can’t complain."

After a brief pause, the merchant asked, "By the way, did everything work out with the last arrangement?"

Ethan nodded.

"It did."

The merchant smiled.

"Good to hear. Need anything else?"

"Actually, there is. I need something."

The merchant waited.

Ethan hesitated briefly before continuing. "Could you get in touch with the person you introduced me to before?"

"You need him again?"

Ethan nodded. "If he’s willing."

The merchant gave him a knowing look.

"I suppose the last arrangement went well, then."

"It did."

"I’ll see what I can do."

"How long do you think it’ll take?"

"A few days, most likely."

Ethan nodded.

"That’s fine."

"I’ll pass the word along when I hear from him."

"Thank you."

Ethan paid him and left.

He didn’t ask how the arrangement would be made. There was no reason to involve himself in the details. The less he knew about that side of the business, the better.

Ethan didn’t leave the market immediately. He moved with the crowd for a while, letting the noise of the stalls fade into the background. He had been coming here often enough that certain faces were beginning to feel familiar, even if he had never bothered learning most of their names.

The arrangement had gone smoothly just like the first time. If the merchant could reach the same person again, there was no reason to look elsewhere. It also saved him the trouble of asking too many questions.

On his way back, he passed several Azure Cloud Sect disciples. They spoke among themselves in low voices, their expressions more serious than usual. He barely gave them a second look. The sect had people moving through the region all the time. Still, one of the disciples glanced at him as he passed before quickly looking away.

Ethan didn’t notice.

That evening, he sat in his room and counted his remaining coins. When he finished, he stared at the small pile for a moment.

"Definitely too expensive."

The human blood had already cost him more than he liked. The cultivator blood had been worse. Ethan put the coins away and looked at them for a moment. He’d have to watch his spending. There was only so much he could afford.

His earnings were steady enough, but they weren’t enough to make careless spending meaningless. Cultivation already consumed part of what he made, and ordinary living wasn’t free either. The blood was becoming another expense on top of that.

Ethan rubbed his chin. If this continued, he would have to find a cheaper way to obtain what he needed.

There was another option though.

Hunting.

With Blood Perception, ordinary animals were much easier to find now, and even weak spirit beasts were within reach. The thought was tempting. But finding stronger prey was another matter. The moment Ethan sensed something beyond his ability to handle, the blood wouldn’t be worth the risk. He could always come back when he was stronger. For now, there was no need to gamble with his life.

The next morning, Ethan left the city again.

This time, he went farther than usual. The deeper Ethan went, the less often he heard people. The familiar paths disappeared behind him, replaced by uneven ground and thicker trees. Several traces of life appeared at the edge of his perception. Ethan noticed them without breaking stride. Most weren’t worth the effort. A few were worth remembering for later. He was beginning to understand how useful this ability could be. Hunting no longer meant wandering through the forest and hoping to find something

Then something stronger brushed the edge of his perception. Ethan slowed and turned his attention toward it. The presence was somewhere deeper in the forest, but from here he couldn’t make out what it was. He thought about following it.

Then again, what for?

Ethan glanced toward the trees before turning back. Whatever was out there could wait. He wasn’t short on blood, and there was no point risking a fight just to satisfy his curiosity. So he continued on.

On the way back, Ethan noticed a group of travellers coming toward the city. They looked like they had been on the road for some time. Dust covered their clothes, and one of them had a fresh bandage wrapped around his arm. Another kept glancing back toward the forest as they walked.

Ethan slowed as they passed.

"Trouble ahead?"

The injured man shook his head.

"Nothing we couldn’t handle."

His voice sounded tired rather than confident. One of the others gave a dry laugh.

"Tell that to the people who never made it home."

The first man immediately turned toward him.

"Enough."

The other man looked away, muttering something under his breath. Ethan’s eyes moved over them again. None of them looked like cultivators, and whatever had happened hadn’t left them eager to talk about it.

"What happened?"

The injured man hesitated.

"We don’t really know."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"You don’t know?"

"We were travelling the northern road. Everything was normal until we found another group had gone missing."

The man glanced toward the forest behind them.

"Then it happened again."

The other traveller lowered his voice.

"Three more."

"Keep your voice down."

Ethan looked between them. Three more. He couldn’t tell whether they meant three more people or another group entirely. The travellers clearly weren’t interested in discussing it further, and Ethan had no reason to press them.

"I see."

The injured man gave him a tired nod.

"Just be careful if you’re heading that way."

Ethan glanced toward the road ahead.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

He stepped aside and let them pass. After a few moments, their voices faded behind him. Ethan continued toward the city, the conversation already beginning to slip from his thoughts.

The days passed quietly after that, but the city didn’t feel quite the same. At first, Ethan barely noticed the change. The city was busy as usual, and there was always some reason for people to come and go. But after a few days, the difference became harder to miss.

Azure Cloud Sect disciples seemed to be appearing more often. Ethan would see their blue robes near the city gates, then again along streets where they had rarely bothered to patrol before.

Some of the roads leading out of the city also had more guards than he remembered. They weren’t stopping everyone, but their presence was enough to make travellers slow down and think twice before leaving. Even the market had become a little quieter in places. Merchants still did business, but conversations about the roads tended to stop whenever strangers came too close.

Ethan noticed it all without paying much attention to any single thing.

The city hadn’t become dangerous. It simply felt more watchful than before. Whatever was happening outside was beginning to reach the city walls.

One afternoon, Ethan stopped by the meat stall as he usually did and bought a few containers of animal blood. The seller’s assistant took the containers from him and carried them toward the back while the seller checked the amount.

"The usual?"

Ethan nodded. "A little more this time."

The seller glanced at him.

"You must be using quite a bit lately."

"Something like that."

The seller gave a small nod and turned back to the stall. There were fewer people around than Ethan remembered, and the work seemed quieter too. Even the assistant kept glancing toward the street while arranging the containers.

Ethan noticed it but said nothing. After a moment, he glanced outside.

"The market seems quieter lately."

The seller followed his gaze.

"It has been."

He paused, then added, "People aren’t travelling as much."

Ethan looked at him.

"Because of what’s happening outside?"

"Seems so."

The seller’s eyes moved briefly toward the road before returning to his work.

"A few travellers haven’t come back. Then some others went missing after that."

Ethan was quiet.

"Still happening?"

"Seems to be getting worse."

The assistant returned with Ethan’s containers and set them down. The seller glanced at them before looking back at Ethan.

"If you’re still going outside the city, be careful."

Ethan picked up the containers.

"I’ll keep that in mind."

The seller nodded and went back to work.

Ethan left the stall without saying anything more. Behind him, the meat seller raised his head to watched him go for a few seconds before returning to his work.

That evening, Ethan returned to his secluded shelter. He put his belongings aside and settled down as the last light faded beyond the rocks.

His journal lay beside him. Ethan picked it up and slowly turned through the pages. The writing covered several of them now, the neat English words carrying thoughts that would have meant little to anyone in this world.

His eyes rested on one of the earlier pages.

He remembered when he had first started writing in the village. Back then, there hadn’t been much to record. Small observations about the place, the people, the things he encountered, and anything else he thought might become useful later.

He had kept writing even after leaving the village. At some point, those notes had shifted toward himself. His body, his cultivation then his blood.

Ethan paused there.

He remembered how strange it had been when he first noticed something changing.

Back then, even a small reaction had been enough to leave him guessing. Now, at least, he had something to compare it with.

His fingers moved across the page before he turned it. The writing continued in the same neat English, recording things that would have been little more than meaningless marks to anyone who found the journal. What had started as simple notes had slowly become something far more useful. Each answer seemed to lead to another question, and Living Blood was no different.

Ethan still didn’t know where its limits were. That bothered him. Not enough to make him reckless. But enough to know he would eventually have to find out. He reached a blank page and paused. There was still plenty of room. Ethan smiled faintly and closed the journal

Ethan found his thoughts returning to the city. The reports he’d heard came back to him; the missing travellers, the extra guards, the uneasy mood around the market.

He hadn’t ignored any of it. He’d simply been watching to see whether the situation changed. So far, nothing had. The people disappearing were ordinary travellers and villagers. The guards were watching the roads, not the city itself, and Ethan hadn’t noticed anyone paying particular attention to him. There was no reason to assume the trouble had anything to do with him. He wasn’t going to hide himself away every time something went wrong around him. If he kept out of trouble, there was little reason for trouble to find him.

And if it did, he trusted himself to deal with it.

He would keep an eye on things. That was enough for now. He still had his own matters to deal with. He needed food, money, and perhaps the merchant would have news about the supplier soon. Nothing that couldn’t wait until tomorrow.

Ethan stood and stretched. Before leaving, he paused at the edge of the shelter and let Blood Perception spread through the surrounding forest. Life appeared around him almost at once. Small creatures moved between the rocks and through the grass, while birds rested among the trees. Farther away, several human presences travelled along the road toward the city.

Ethan let his attention linger for a moment.

Nothing felt out of place. He let Blood Perception fade and started walking. The forest was quiet behind him as he followed the road toward the city. The road ahead looked much the same as it had the day before. He had no reason to expect tomorrow to be any different.

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