Chapter 88: The Negotiations Fail

Ye Feng and the others had no idea what the outcome of the negotiations would be. Ye Feng felt it might not be safe to take the little creature with them, so he wanted to leave it in a room alone.
Although the little creature still had its eyes closed and sat on Ye Feng’s shoulder, seemingly asleep, as soon as it left Ye Feng’s body, it started chirping nonstop, frantically flapping its tiny wings that couldn’t fly, expressing strong protest.
After several attempts, Ye Feng finally gave up on leaving it in the room and put it in the inner pocket of his coat where he usually kept his wallet. Only then did the little creature calm down and stop making a fuss.
“That little guy has a really bad temper!” Long Tian curled his lips, clearly envious.
“There’s nothing we can do. If I had known, I shouldn’t have brought it out in the first place!” Ye Feng, as its owner, seemed even less capable than a nanny.
At 9 a.m., the four of them got into a business vehicle.
The driver was the middle-aged man from the previous day—a man who was very quiet. This could be seen from his simple and straightforward invitation the day before, and he didn’t say a word throughout the journey.
As a result, the atmosphere in the car became dull. Ye Feng occasionally checked if anything was unusual with the little creature in his pocket, Luo Li secretly watched every move Ye Feng made, Long Tian slept with his hands behind his head, and Hank stared thoughtfully out of the window without saying a word…
After about an hour’s drive, the speed gradually slowed, and they stopped in front of an ancient castle.
Ye Feng had only taken a quick glance at it during his night visit last time; this time he finally got to see the castle properly. The castle covered a large area, looking as if five or six castles had been compressed together, with one emerging at the center and standing tall as the main building. The buildings on all sides had different construction styles, likely built in different eras, but their colors were generally harmonious. Over time, exposed to the elements, they had taken on a similar grayish tone, resembling several elderly survivors huddled together in disaster, indistinguishable at first glance. The most astonishing thing was that it seemed to be integrated with the rocks, as if it had grown from them.
The middle-aged man led everyone along a path in the lawn into the castle.
The grand hall had a huge chandelier with a diameter of nearly two meters hanging from the ceiling—the only light source in the room. Under the golden light, everything in the hall was clearly visible.
In the center were a double sofa, two small footstools, and a wooden coffee table.

On the coffee table stood a pot of fragrant tea, with a faint wisp of white steam rising from its spout. Five exquisitely crafted ceramic teacups lay upside down on a porcelain saucer. On the other three sides of the coffee table were four single wicker chairs, clearly prepared for Ye Feng and the others. At that moment, calm footsteps came from the spiral staircase on the left side of the hall, and Ye Feng and the others looked up. “I am Count Nicholas, the vampire count! Welcome, esteemed guests!” A young man in a suit stepped down slowly from the stairs. “Serve the guests tea!” Nicholas glanced at the middle-aged man before gesturing for Ye Feng and the others to sit down. After they sat down without hesitation, Nicholas picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip. “Longjing tea from before the Qingming Festival—Mr. Ye and Mr. Long, who grew up in City H, should surely appreciate it!” Ye Feng picked up his teacup, looked at the green tea inside, and inhaled its delicate fragrance. It was indeed Longjing tea. He also took a small sip. “It’s good tea! But our urgent mood today might spoil the atmosphere for savoring it. How about we settle our personal matters first and then have a few drinks with you later on an auspicious day?” “Hehe, young people are just impatient!” Nicholas wasn’t angry. He glanced at the others and said, “Of course, we need to resolve these matters! First, let’s drink tea. It wasn’t easy for you to make this trip!” “I want to see Long Yue first!” Long Tian, who was beside them, ignored Nicholas’s words and looked displeased. This time, Nicholas said nothing and simply nodded at the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man somehow produced a remote control and pressed a button above and slightly to the right of the sofa. With a “beep,” a white screen slowly descended from above, and a projection appeared on it, not far behind the sofa. Ye Feng and the others clearly saw Long Yue’s limbs bound by metal restraints, preventing her from moving. Fortunately, her clothes seemed tidy, and she appeared energetic, seemingly unharmed. Only then did they feel relieved. After the projector was turned off, the atmosphere in the hall became tense again. Hank, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke up. “Count, I am Hank, the elder of the hunters. I believe you already know my identity and the purpose of our visit.” “I know,” Nicholas replied, without denying it.

“Then, Mr. Nikola, could you show some consideration for our Hunter Organization and spare Mr. Ye Feng’s friend? After all, this incident started because you killed Mr. Ye’s companion. And the victims were all hunters; as an elder of hunters, it’s my responsibility to mediate!” Hank continued to pressure him. “Of course, the goal of mediation is to help both sides resolve their differences peacefully and avoid violence as much as possible.”
“I wonder if Mr. Ye still remembers Calby?” After a brief silence, Nikola’s voice sounded again; he didn’t pick up on Hank’s words.
“That baron?” Ye Feng’s heart skipped a beat.
“That’s right!” Nikola nodded. “Mr. Ye, could you tell me how he died?”
“I killed him!” Ye Feng knew it was impossible to hide such a thing, so he chose to tell the truth.
“Oh, no wonder I couldn’t sense his presence!” Nikola didn’t seem surprised at all. “I knew that fool would end up like this someday…”
“He’s your…?” Ye Feng frowned slightly.
“He’s my brother! Just a stupid idiot who’s been a baron for hundreds of years without any progress!” Nikola cursed bluntly.
“So you killed William and the others to take revenge?” Ye Feng glanced at Hank nearby. He had once told himself that vampires were heartless creatures who wouldn’t engage in revenge.
“Wrong!” Nikola smiled and shook his head. “I killed them not for revenge, but for Miss Kelly! After that fool Calby disappeared, I found your team to see what kind of person Ye Feng really was. Then I met the beautiful Miss Kelly, and my heart was instantly captivated by her. I decided to marry her. But that guy named William got in the way, so I killed them!”
“Then why did you capture Long Yue?” Long Tian couldn’t help but speak up.
“Because I heard Miss Long Yue was a beauty, so I brought her back. But later I realized she wasn’t my type, so I planned to exchange her for Miss Kelly! I invited you all here today to discuss this matter!” Nikola said with an air of certainty.
“Marry her?” Ye Feng clenched his teacup tightly. “You want to turn her into a vampire too, right?”
“What’s wrong with that? Vampires have endless life and incredible strength… The experience of claiming a soul as a vampire is a hundred times sweeter than first love… She’ll love becoming a vampire…” Nikola boasted about the advantages of becoming a vampire.

“That’s just your own delusional opinion! You can’t force others to like you, nor do you have the right to force them to become vampires!” Ye Feng interrupted Nikola’s narcissistic speech.
“I still say the same thing: if you want Long Yue, give me Kelly back! If you can’t do that, then stay here!” The teacup in Nikola’s hand suddenly shattered.
Ye Feng and the others immediately stepped back, as a fierce battle was about to break out!