Suck My Blood, Lily

Although the entire Eagle Cape Village was covered in "amber," it was as if the stars in the sky had been petrified and frozen...

But in reality, time continued to flow normally. It was like a once smooth roller that became jerky and bumpy due to the obstruction. Because of this, Iver and the others could not sleep peacefully in their normal place and could only quietly wait for time to return to the morning and reset everything.

After Merlin left, Ye Zhi was the only uninvited guest left here.

Iver was finally able to talk to Ye Zhi about the past.

They sat by the swamp, with Lily sitting beside them. Sherlock seemed to have something to tell Hai Na, and to prevent Hai Na from forgetting, he pulled Hai Na to get his notebook.

The swamp, which had been drained of the "Water of the Yellow Springs," now resembled a bottomless pit, like a funnel.

If they fell from here, they would probably end up in the Fairy Country. However, neither Iver nor Ye Zhi seemed to have any fear of it.

Iver didn't turn around to look at the werewolf, but calmly said, "You've come to see me, haven't you, Mr. Ye Zhi?"

This is not a question, but a statement.

"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Vivian Mathers must be the Lady of the Lake Vivian."

Iver had already been suspicious of the unusually mature girl.

The Half-Elf girl adopted by Bishop Mathers's sister was found in such a hasty manner. At the time, Iver thought that she might be the reincarnation of Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, but there was no evidence yet.

But with Ye Zhi as the logical lubricant, all of this makes sense.

Ye Zhi, being a werewolf, deeply loved Vivian. According to the nature of the Path of Love, Vivian should be the witch who granted Ye Zhi the power to become a werewolf. Vivian needed to collect different kinds of love, Ye Zhi should be the element that collected the "Master-Servant Love."

Ye Zhi knew Mathers and Jacob, and had even joined a mysterious society called the "Golden Dawn"—though Iver had never heard of the society, it was enough that he knew they had some connection.

Bishop Mathers accepted Julio Alexander 'Iver father, as his disciple, clearly because he was friends with Julio's father, Jacob. Mathers's ability to obtain definitive information about the "Sacred Entity" is most likely also related to the Golden Dawn, as this matter itself is directly connected to Jacob.

Jacob and Vivian had maintained a long-standing working relationship. This explains how Ye Zhi was able to connect with Vivian.

It was clearly no coincidence that Vivian specifically chose Bishop Mathers's sister as her foster mother after her reincarnation.

—All of this is connected.

I was already involved from the very beginning.

Facing the werewolf who didn't respond but just stared blankly at the dim yellow moon, Iver said softly, "But I think you should have some thoughts of your own."

"... not as Vivian's tool or pet, but hoping to gain a more proactive position. Even, to reverse the master-servant relationship between them."

Upon hearing Iver's words, Ye Zhi finally turned around.

He stared at Iver for a long time before finally speaking in a low voice, "Did I give myself away somewhere?"

"If I had to say," Iver, getting the answer he wanted, a slight smile playing on his lips, "It's because I'm too much of a genius."

"Whether you're a genius or not is hard to say... but you are certainly perceptive enough."

Ye Zhi slowly turned his head and looked down at the center of the bottomless pit.

His body leaned slightly forward, as if he were crouching down on a high floor of a building, making a dangerous movement as he gazed at the Fairy Hole.

The werewolf uttered in a deep voice. "Just as perceptive as him."

"Who?"

"Your grandfather, Jacob."

Ye Zhi replied, "As a 'fraudster,' I have never succeeded in deceiving him."

"This is the first time I've ever seen a con artist with all four limbs intact and a complete face."

Iver said sincerely, "It's a very rare profession."

"You know quite a lot," Ye Zhi finally laughed.

"Manipulating illusions and deceptions to mislead and bewitch others. They can usually catch them in casinos," Iver said softly. "Once they catch them, they break their limbs, treat them incorrectly, and cause their bones to grow crookedly. They also brand their faces with indelible marks to tell people that they are con artists."

"But this method didn't work."

Ye Zhi said softly and frankly, "For a con artist, making a human skin mask and impersonating someone else is the simplest of things."

Iver nodded. "I know. Those fools think it works only because those con artists act like they care. The more pained and terrified they are, the more people are drawn in, as if they care. But they never consider that the people in front of them are skilled con artists who manipulate lies."

At this point, he squinted at Ye Zhi and said, "It's like... your love for Vivian."

"—As a con artist, can you deceive your own heart?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhi remained silent for a long time.

"... maybe yes, maybe no."

He gave a vague reply, looking at Iver: "I thought you were going to ask me about Mathers."

"I can ask Bishop Mathers about that. I think he would be willing to tell me everything he can."

"Then what do you want?"

I want your 'lies'.

Iver replied, "The son of the Banquetor will be drunk on the feast, whether the cup is filled with blood or wine. Deception is the law of the Path of Adaptation, but the youngest celestial being on the Path of Love also holds the principles of honey and intoxication."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhi gave Iver a deep look.

"I can't do it."

He answered bluntly, revealing the essence of his profession. "You may be good at lying, but you don't understand the core of a con artist. The extraordinary ones on the Path of Love only see themselves, and even their deception is to deceive themselves."

"I really can't."

Iver looked at Lily: "And what about her?"

"She?"

Ye Zhi looked at Lily, a slight smile playing on his lips, "My young kin... are you a con artist too?"

"I am a witch."

Lily looked up and answered.

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhi was taken aback. "A witch?"

He then burst into laughter. It started as a low, whimpering laugh, which gradually turned into a wild, unrestrained laugh. He even laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"Well, witch... the dog trainer has become the hound. How ironic."

Ye Zhi wiped his eyes and said sarcastically, "But witches can't learn the trickster's skills."

"That's true."

Iver nodded. "But she is also the successor of the Gray Angel."

"The 'gray' of adaptation... things that are neither black nor white, words that are neither evil nor good."

Ye Zhi murmured, "It's that person."

He turned around and looked Lily up and down. "Then perhaps you can learn my skills."

"But you, Iver. I'm practically your elder, so I have to remind you a couple of things... Are you really so comfortable keeping a woman who's good at hiding herself, has a crazy streak, and is a master liar by your side?"

The werewolf rose, his back hunched, and looked down at the two of them, issuing a light warning. "The Path of Love is a cursed path. The deeper you go, the madness you become... Look at me, boy. I was once a boy like you."

"Of course I'm at ease."

Iver said without hesitation, "I trust her—and she can't live without me either."

"Hmph. A domesticated dog, huh?"

Even when Iver made the request, Ye Zhi knew this was the only answer he could get. Therefore, he simply scoffed, "That's for the best."

He reached out and touched Lily's forehead.

I don't know when.

It felt like an illusion, yet also like a long time had passed.

When Ye Zhi's hand touched Lily's forehead, it transformed into a ferocious wolf's claw. Ye Zhi himself became an incredibly terrifying and monstrous werewolf—not in the form of a gray wolf, but a giant wolf standing upright.

Its transformation was completely devoid of special effects and sound. It was as if he had always been standing there in the first place.

And within its scarlet pupils emanated a well-controlled madness.

"Come on, girl."

The werewolf spoke in a hoarse, low voice. "Let me see your most bloodthirsty and insane side."

"To learn how to lie, you must first understand your own heart. Only by knowing what is true can you deceive your own heart."

Lily's body trembled, as if she were afraid of something.

But soon, she opened her eyes, revealing those bloodthirsty vertical pupils.

She was breathing heavily, her breaths becoming increasingly difficult to control, and turned to look at Iver's back. She reached out and gently placed her hand on Iver's shoulder from behind.

Iver turned her head slightly, revealing her slender neck.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"Aren't you going to bite, Lily?"

Iver's gentle voice rang out.

His voice was clear and gentle. "I allow it, child. Suck my blood."