Taking Medicine

"What does this mean?" Aise looked at Ankula.

"It means... there are no abnormalities in your body at all. No lingering curses, no eroding diseases, and certainly no traces of demonic possession... It's surprisingly clean." Ankula frowned. "No wonder even Aina couldn't find anything."

Aise also furrowed his brows tightly. "Could it be that you failed to divine it, or that there's a problem with the divination result? Auntie Ankula."

"It's possible, but highly unlikely." Ankula gave Aise a deep look. "After all, when it comes to matters of the spirit world, no one can claim to be absolutely certain... but based on my knowledge and skill level, I don't think my results are wrong."

"Isn't it a good thing that there's no problem?" At this moment, Eni asked weakly, her fingers clutching the hem of her skirt.

"Do you really think so?" Ankula sneered. "We can't find the root cause of the illness, yet this kid has definitely been having episodes... What do you think that means?"

"What does it mean?" Eni still didn't understand Ankula's implication.

"If it isn't caused by external factors... then it means that bloodlust... to this kid, is simply a natural instinct, much like eating or drinking." Ankula's words made Eni's face turn deathly pale.

"How could... such a thing be?" Eni said in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't it? Some people are alcoholics, some are naturally lustful, it's the same logic..." Ankula paused for a moment. "However, Xia Lun described this kid's symptoms. For him to become like that is indeed a bit outrageous..."

Eni bit her lip lightly, lost in thought. Aise himself had little reaction, though an extremely faint trace of black mist flashed through his eyes.

"Of course, this is merely speculation." Ankula shrugged again. "We still can't draw a definitive conclusion on what is truly affecting this kid... but there is good news, isn't there? He can already control his urges, so there probably won't be any problems later on."

Eni's expression relaxed.

That's right, Aise's condition was already much better now, and it would only continue to improve in the future.

Ankula stood up and casually stretched lazily, revealing an extraordinary mature charm. Eni's gaze was immediately drawn to her, inexplicably feeling a sense of crisis.

"Alright, let's not talk about these things anymore. I am the host here after all, so let me entertain you and show you a good time."

...

Night.

The Manor.

"Aina... even though Aise is out right now, we still shouldn't indulge ourselves like this..." Xia Lun placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, stopping her next move.

The dancing firelight from the nearby fireplace cast a warm hue over Aina's silver hair, yet it could not melt away her innate aloofness.

Aina tilted her head, her beautiful brows furrowing imperceptibly as her fingertips brushed through a lock of hair falling by her ear. "Why?"

"Ahem... we are the lords of this land. We should focus our energy on benefiting the people of our territory, rather than merely seeking pleasure."

The reason Xia Lun gave did not quite satisfy Aina. In Aina's view, ever since Xia Lun took over this territory, the commoners here had already been living quite well.

"You always used to like it." Aina stroked Xia Lun's cheek, his stubble feeling a bit prickly.

Aina still retained the appearance of a young girl, while a few wrinkles had already crept onto Xia Lun's face. However, in Aina's eyes, there was no difference compared to before.

"I understand." A hint of realization suddenly appeared in Aina's calm pupils, her tone as placid as ever. "You're getting older, you can't do it anymore."

"What did you say?"

Xia Lun raised his eyebrows, laughing out of extreme anger. "Say that again?"

"You don't need to force yourself. Let's stop here for today." Aina got up from Xia Lun and prepared to put on her clothes, her plain white nightgown covering her delicate, exposed collarbones.

Xia Lun grabbed Aina's fair wrist and pulled hard, making her fall back into his embrace, causing the shoulder strap of her nightgown to slip down once again.

"It's too cunning of you to think about running away after saying those words."

Xia Lun fiercely locked Aina tightly in his arms, gently biting the tip of her ear as his fingers sank into her long, silver satin-like hair. "Watch how I deal with you."

Aina's cool, aloof little face suddenly gained a touch of enchanting charm.

A long time later.

Aina lay contentedly in front of Xia Lun, delicately and gracefully stifling a small yawn, allowing him to continue to playfully tease her.

"You've worked hard." Aina rested her forehead against Xia Lun's.

Xia Lun smoothed out a strand of Aina's long hair, a hint of dawning realization in his eyes.

Compared to when they first met, she seemed to not have changed at all.

And Aina also seemed to know what Xia Lun was thinking.

"Next time, I'll make you some tonics to nourish your health and strengthen your constitution," Aina said lightly.

Xia Lun's face stiffened again, a flash of irritation appearing on his face. "My body is perfectly fine, I don't need any tonics... Aina! Are you saying you want to keep going?"

"Not at all, I am very satisfied for today." Aina shook her head, stating calmly, "I am a vampire, and you are human... We are different, you cannot deny that. Right now you are indeed still robust, but you are no longer a match for when you were young. What about in ten, twenty years? You need to consider things for my sake."

Xia Lun opened his mouth slightly but couldn't find any words to refute her. His fingers rubbed his wedding ring for a moment, and ultimately, Xia Lun smiled a bit bitterly. "Then I'll leave it to you, Aina."

Alright, he had indeed reached the age where he needed maintenance... But it made sense, after all, Aise was already so grown up.

Aina suddenly rolled over and propped herself up above him, her silver hair cascading down like a waterfall. "Don't overthink it. I am the Demon Lord, and I will thoroughly squeeze out all your remaining value, Hero Xia Lun..."

Xia Lun stroked Aina's cheek and asked casually, "Then are you going to keep squeezing today?"

Aina immediately got off Xia Lun, turning her small face slightly away to avoid making eye contact with this guy. "No."

...

The next morning.

It wasn't until the sunlight spilled onto his face that Xia Lun slowly opened his eyes.

Training...

Ah, I slept too late last night and overslept a bit. I'll skip training this morning and make up for it in the afternoon.

Xia Lun instinctively tried to pull Aina into his arms, but found the space beside him empty.

A moment later, Aina entered through the door, pushing a dining cart.

"Why is it you today?" Xia Lun rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"I made the tonic for you. Some of the ingredients aren't suitable for the maids to see."

Aina brought over a bowl of thick, dark purple soup. Eyeballs and the tentacles of some unknown creature floated on the surface, emitting a rather bizarre and eerie smell.

Xia Lun's mouth twitched.

Aina: "Xia Lun, it's time to take your medicine."