Written in Blood

Learning on the Go 2

Ao Ruang hadn't slept the entire night. The last thing he needed was for the girl to go running down stairs as she woke and panicked telling the owner. There was legitimately no way Ao Ruang would be able to explain why he bit a lady's neck and drank her blood so it was better to handle her when she woke.

"Uhh." a groan came from beneath the blanket Ao Ruang's eyes opened up from the long night of cultivating he had done. Taking the opportunity to observe the changes the red mass made to his body. As all cultivation methods not just spiritually impacted someone they also biologically changed them normally starting with the muscles.

Slowly opening her eyes, Ding Liling sat up and looked around until her eyes landed on Ao Ruang who was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, his crimson eyes no longer masked or closed from her massage; she clearly saw the crimson color.

Ao Ruang saw her eyes widen and her mouth open to let loose a likely bone chilling scream.

"Silence." Ao Ruang said sharply with a tone of authority behind it his crimson eyes flashed "You will not scream. You will not move."

As if someone has grabbed her throat she made the smallest of squeaks like a stuck rat. Ao Ruang was surprised when she listened, a hint of surprise on his face. 'Perhaps I've gained some sort of ability to manipulate her?" Ao Ruang ignored his questions and rose up slowly to take a good look at the woman in front of him.

"Now...you are going to speak slowly and quietly, telling me exactly what you remember." he said with a stern tone he had no idea if he came across threatening or not, but he needed to keep the act up.

As if the hand that grabbed her throat was lifted she immediately rubbed her neck. Stretching it as if she was a turtle peeking from it's shell.

"I-I remember you biting me and I felt fear and euphoria then passed out. I feel compelled to listen to you." she said her voice was shaking as she recalled what had happened. Crimson was a distinct memory even if their was a lack of spilled blood.

Nodding Ao Ruang felt it was natural for her to remember something so traumatic. Frankly if he was honest with himself it was quite traumatic for him as well. Yet at the same time he felt a weird instinctual pressure get released when it had happened. What it was he still wasn't sure. In his studies he never remembered reading about something that fed on blood before.

"Are you afraid of me?" Ao Ruang asked curiously?

Ding Liling brows scrunched "Yes, but also no… I don't know what to think about it."

Reaching out to her he checked the wound which was almost completely healed oddly enough. Ding Liling recoiled slightly, but then the tension in her shoulders relaxed as he released her.

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that." he said remorsefully.

Ao Ruang wasn't sure how long his sway over her would last, but knew he couldn't stay here long. Nor could he allow her to remain here to tell everyone once whatever sway he had gone away. Especially since it wouldn't be hard for them to glean his name.

So his options were limited to killing her or bringing her with him. He already made the mistake of leaving a loose end and if this hunger was going to be a regular thing he was going to leave behind many victims or just bring someone with him who he held some sort of sway over. Looking at the young women who couldn't be older than twenty, he decided in his heart he didn't have the stomach to kill her so his only option was to bring her along since he needed someone more familiar to the land anyways.

"Have you been to Firedawn city?" Ao Ruang asked again trying to be stern even after he had just apologized 'I must seem like a madman with uncontrol able mood swings.'

"Yes, I grew up there as a little girl." she nodded her face filled with questions.

"Good, pack what you can, you are coming with me. Meet me outside the inn in no more than fifteen minutes."

"Okay." she nodded without thinking. With little to no resistance as if it was her plan all along she ran off to go pack.

'Hmm this skill will prove useful. I guess I need to experiment more with it in the future.' He nodded to himself as Ding Liling left the room.

…

Outside the Inn Ao Ruang waited with his horse. It was only one more minute to the time limit he gave and if she passed it by even a second he would leave. He didn't want to risk her telling others and setting a trap for him.

"I'm here." A soft voice came from the side. Ding Liling emerged with a cloak and a pack with various items and clothing. It looked like she packed most of her belongings which didn't seem like much.

"Good let's be off. Do you own a horse?"

Ding Liling shook her head causing Ao Ruang to sigh before helping her onto his own. Immediately leading the horse onto the main road he walked alongside Ding Liling. Now that Ao Ruang looked closer he realized that Ding Liling was quite beautiful. She wasn't an earth shattering beauty, but she still had charm with long black hair that was braided into a ponytail and smooth unblemished skin few men would find fault in her and fail to be seduced by her, unfortunately for her Ao Ruang was still slightly too young to care deeply about the opposite s*x.

Ao Ruang still wasn't sure what he was going to do with her since he had no idea if his influence over her would last. Now that he thought about it he still didn't know anything about the dark race that he had inherited their legacy from. In fact all he knew so far was that he needed blood for food and also it somehow also allowed him to cultivate. If he tried cultivating normally it would result in nothing happening.

"Young master…" Ding Liling called out as we continued along.

Ao Ruang looked up from his thoughts "You can call me Ao Ruang. I have no noble title or lordship."

Ding Liling hesitated "Yes, Ao--- Ao Ruang. If you don't mind can I ask you a question?"

Ao Ruang nodded.

"What exactly are you? I can feel whatever happened to me before fading, but I still have this lingering desire to say here with you and not take this horse and ride away in fear." Ding Liling said nervously.

"Honestly?" Ao Ruang said "I don't know what is going on either. Less than three days ago was an average thirteen year old boy from the mountains. Now I have this...ability."

Ding Liling stared at Ao Ruang in horror "yo-you are only thirteen?"

Ao Ruang looked at her puzzled "yes? Of course I am! Why would you think otherwise?"

"You look at least 16! Have you looked in a mirror! To think I was trying to seduce a 13 year old." Ding Liling said exasperated.

"Err..sorry." Ao Ruang felt awkward as she talked about seducing him. Thirteen wasn't ignorant of what goes on between men and women, but few if any actually participated in this until marriage.

"So you were human, but now are what part of the dark races?"

"That would be my best guess. Honestly I don't know what I am going to do once I am in Firedawn city. I just know it is my best bet to get some sort of answers."

Ding Liling looked at the young boy next to her and felt a tinge of sympathy "Did you take my blood because you had no other choice?"

"Many reasons. I felt desire, power, temptation, hunger...unimaginable hunger." Ao Ruang felt a sense of guilt cast a shadow over him.

Ding Liling nodded "Alright, well if you need to feed again do it before you control and try and not take too much and I think I will survive. If I am going to do this with you I will be in it for the long haul. At the very least it gets me out of that dump."

Ao Ruang smiled, he didn't think Ding Liling would be so understanding. As the sun began to descend down the Sky Ao Ruang felt that his luck had turned around slightly meeting Ding Liling.