The Hunting Plan

Mo Fan found it a little odd — Huang Xingli, who was practically Ding Yumian's shadow, was nowhere to be found.

Ding Yumian was searching for books. Few people ever came up to this top floor, and it was clear she was looking for magical texts rarely found in more accessible parts of the library. Mo Fan watched from behind a bookshelf as she retrieved a volume bound in flame-red covers...

Suddenly she turned around. Those bright, electrifying eyes found Mo Fan's exact position, and clashed with his dark gaze head-on.

"It's you." Ding Yumian recognized him almost immediately.

Then again, there wasn't a single person in all of Fire Hall who didn't know Mo Fan anymore. After all the commotion he'd stirred up lately, he had more than earned back his title of Great Demon Lord.

"What a coincidence," Mo Fan said with a smile.

In all honesty, this was his first proper look at Ding Yumian's face.

She deserved her reputation as the department beauty. Setting aside the porcelain smoothness of her skin and the delicate precision of her nose, those captivating eyes alone were enough to make a man lose himself entirely.

Whether it was the influence of the Fire Element or simply who she was, she gave off a serene, lotus-like stillness — and yet beneath it shimmered a beguiling, untouched allure. He had little doubt that her smile would be something truly breathtaking.

"Are you here looking for books?" Ding Yumian asked.

She had actually sensed a pair of eyes on her some time ago. At first she hadn't paid it much mind, but when the staring dragged on too long she decided to call it out — and found herself looking at none other than the Great Demon Lord Mo Fan, whose name had been circulating everywhere lately. For the past while, the name she'd heard most often whispered in her ear was his, courtesy of Huang Xingli...

"I am," Mo Fan said. "Problem is, I'm not here very long and I can never find what I'm looking for."

"What are you looking for?" Ding Yumian asked.

"Books on Vampires," Mo Fan said. Judging by how naturally she had moved through the shelves earlier, she clearly came here often.

"Let me help you," Ding Yumian said.

Mo Fan was a little surprised. He'd always heard she kept people at arm's length — so why was she being so forthcoming on their very first meeting?

*Could it be that the unique charm hidden beneath my roguish exterior had already won her over?*

Ding Yumian knew the shelves well. Before long she returned with an armful of books and set them down in front of Mo Fan.

She said nothing more — just glanced briefly at Liu Ru, then left.

Mo Fan hadn't managed to exchange another word with her about life or dreams. He watched her go and felt a quiet twinge of regret.

He and Liu Ru divided the books between them. Every volume Ding Yumian had brought was exactly what he needed — several contained historical records of famous Vampires, with detailed accounts of their strengths and their weaknesses.

Historical records proved that Vampires were not afraid of garlic, crosses, or wooden stakes. What they truly feared was holy water with powerful purifying properties — and that so-called holy water was no sacred relic of any religion, but simply a liquid infused with Light Element energy.

Simply put, Vampires were creatures of darkness. Sunlight didn't bother them in the slightest, but Light Element magic was another matter entirely. It had a pronounced suppressive effect on them.

Beyond that, the other option was to obliterate them with raw magical force.

Any living being — Undead included — had no chance of survival if reduced to dust. So when Light Element wasn't available, brute violence would have to do.

As for how to restrain a Vampire, the books covered that as well.

Among Intermediate-Level magic, the strongest binding technique was the Shadow Element's Giant Shadow Nail, capable of restraining both body and mind. The problem was that Vampires were themselves masters of the Shadow Element — and given that they likely cast no shadows at all, Giant Shadow Nail was essentially useless against them.

More effective options included Water Element binding traps, as well as Light Element and Lightning Element techniques.

Mo Fan was nowhere near that level yet. No matter how he turned it over in his mind, taking down this Vampire was going to require backup.

When it came to the Light Element, the first person who came to mind was Zhao Manyan — a Mage whose primary element was Light, with Water Element as a secondary, both of which were highly effective against Vampires.

Mo Fan tracked him down, and Zhao Manyan agreed without a moment's hesitation.

In the past, he would have haggled — too dangerous, not worth the trouble. But after everything they'd been through together at Jinlin Desolate City, Zhao Manyan had come to regard Mo Fan as a true brother. His word was his bond.

Their outrage ran along exactly the same lines. Once Zhao Manyan learned that Vampires specifically preyed on women, exterminating this one became non-negotiable.

Good women were already scarce enough — far too many men chasing far too few. And now some half-human Vampire abomination had the gall to make things worse? That was simply intolerable. He would act on Heaven's behalf and see justice done.

"I don't know if I'm just imagining things, but I keep feeling like that creature is nearby," Liu Ru said, visibly frightened. She told Mo Fan everything. "I walked past a corridor and there was a silhouette lurking in the shadows beneath it. I looked up at the height of the academic building and felt like something was standing at the edge of the rooftop terrace. I walked through the grove and it felt like the trees had eyes..."

While Mo Fan had been off finding Zhao Manyan, Liu Ru had been moving around campus alone. The moment he returned, she rushed to tell him about the dread that had been building inside her.

"Nightmare," Mo Fan said. "The books mentioned it — it's one of a Vampire's abilities. They plant a psychic seed in a person's mind, leaving them either obsessively drawn to the Vampire or paralyzed by fear of it."

"Or the Vampire itself is the one obsessed with Liu Ru," Lingling said matter-of-factly. "Apparently many Vampires develop fixations — once they've set their sights on prey, they rarely let go."

"Either's possible," Mo Fan said, laying out his plan. "So for now, we let Liu Ru move freely — and have Zhao Manyan protect her under the guise of being a suitor."

"Can your roommate actually be trusted?" Lingling asked pointedly.

"Hard to say," Mo Fan admitted. "He's a playboy. Honestly, he might be just as dangerous to Liu Ru as the Vampire."

Lingling had nothing to say to that.

Liu Ru, standing nearby, was equally at a loss for words — but as long as she could avenge her sister, she would cooperate with Mo Fan's plan wholeheartedly.

Mo Fan returned to his apartment, while Lingling kept watch over Liu Ru in her own way.

Since Liu Ru had indicated that the Vampire might already be infiltrating the campus and exerting psychic pressure on her, Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan's plan was to lay a dragnet across the Main Campus of Pearl Academy and close the trap there...

Pearl Academy was, after all, a sanctuary for Mages. Fighting the Vampire anywhere else risked innocent bystanders — and who could say what carnage a cornered Vampire might unleash?