Hands trembled as he gripped the reins of the horse. Ao Ruang made his way as swiftly as possible from Da Tribe village. He had no intention of waiting for them to discover his crime. 'What have I become? What did that thing do to me?' his mind raced. As the sun set in the background it had been a full day since he started his journey towards Firedawn and the moon rose rapidly into the sky. The cool moonlite evening started to feel much more comfortable on his skin. Everytime his skin got hit with direct sunlight he would feel an uncomfortable prickly feeling and became more easily fatigued.

Taking off the veil and storing it in his pack he let his crimson eyes absorb the night light. He saw as clearly as day time which took him a moment to mentally adjust. It was so clear that he felt some sort of benefit to this curse the decrypted body had bestowed on him, but is the price so high? Getting off the horse he led it off the main road for a bit until he found a comfortable place to lay down a blanket and rest. The horse was a workhorse used to moving large amounts of supplies so he wasn’t worried about traveling through the night, but he felt he was far enough away from Da Man and the village that he could rest for the night.

Ao Ruang needed to break into the Iron Warrior rank or he wouldn't stand a chance in the big city. He had only a couple bronze coins that Da Man had kept lying around in the house and besides that he was broke. Only Iron warrior realm cultivators could make a stable living anywhere let alone the big city. Unless he was willing to work for scraps doing less than savory jobs. Closing his eyes he started to chant the basic ki gathering chant his clan used, but nothing happened. 'What is going on?' He focused and searched his dantian for any sign of Ki gathering.

Focusing his energy on his dantian he focused his consciousness to enter.

As his consciousness entered he felt a surge of power that was foreign to his own, a swirling red mass that hovered right about his dantian. 'This must be what is causing the problem, but what is it?' Ao Ruang felt a sense of calm despite his hesitation.

Immediately he urged his body to probe the crimson mass. As soon as his consciousness did the crimson mass burst forth and began to pour into his dantian as a steady, but thin stream like a floating river of blood.

A surge of Ki the likes he had never felt before flooded into his dantian and began to nourish his muscles and bones throughout his body. As this happened his crimson eyes began glowing and he felt his dantian break through the first realm into the Iron warrior realm.

As red mass poured into his dantian and he felt almost euphoric as the process began. Soon the feeling disappeared as the red mass was dried up and consumed. Opening his eyes, Ao Ruang felt elated; it finally meant he could be considered a true cultivator. As he was cheering himself on a putrid smell wafted into his nostrils looking around himself a black sticky substance had coated all his skin.

Impurities were forced out by the dantian and Ao Ruang forgot this happened to all cultivators who broke through to a new realm. He had forgotten and now he had to smell putrid all the way to the city with no major water source nearby he simply wiped off what he could and closed his eyes for tomorrow.

…

The sun wasn't high in the sky giving it a dark violet hue. The air was still chilled, but not unbearable the southern region he was in must have had a warmer climate than in the mountains where he was from as it was still the edge of Ao Ruang decided to continue on his journey, but frankly he didn't have the patience and since breaking through he had tried to cultivate while riding several times and each time it was fruitless. On top of that, his hunger had started to scratch his consciousness again.

Blood… it had to be blood that fed him and allowed him to cultivate, but he had never heard of a cultivation method like this and furthermore...he didn't want to live his life like a leech! The only explanation is that the creature that bit him was that of a race besides humanity and in biting him transformed him, but into what...he didn't know.

Ao Ruang’s elders taught that most dark races retreated into the darkest corners of the world and all the continents were majority controlled by mankind. So very little was known about the dark races other than on occasion they would wage war against a smaller kingdom, but those kingdoms almost always called upon super powerful sects and clans to aid them. So the dark races never made major progress into human lands.

Now that Ao Ruang suspected he was the inheritor and based on what the haggard being spoke to him Ao Ruang was now the last of its kind...it put Ao Ruang into a tight spot to put it lightly. If he wanted to continue to gain power he would have to do so secretly especially if he wanted to remain within human territory.

The fact that his source of Ki energy was blood was not something the average person would be totally okay about. His mother had told him many stories of what happened to the dark race when they were caught in human cities. It was never pleasant and he was certain she sugar coated some of the stuff for him when he was younger.

There was no sense in fretting over it until he had more information as to what exactly he was turned into. The sun however was awfully uncomfortable compared to the night and he felt like the term dark races had more meaning than merely "dark" perhaps they thrived better at night. That would seem a bit simplistic though.

Most of the day passed without a problem despite this Ao Ruang felt the thirst growing ever stronger. It wasn't until he saw some lamps ahead and an inn sign called the Floating Cloud Inn that allowed Ao Ruang to sigh in relief the few bronze coins he had would be able to cover these tiny expenditures from a small inn far from any city.

Entering the Inn it was only filled with a few random patrons and a small group of scantily dressed women who he assumed were the inns hired prostitutes.

"How can I help you boy?" An older man with unkempt hair and a belly that rolled over his belt bellowed louder than was necessary as all the eyes in the inn started him. Ao Ruang was already an odd sight to see a 13 year old traveling alone was not common even if he was close to 14 he didn't look much different besides his odd features like the veil he had put on over his eyes and his flawless skin and white hair...actually he probably stuck out extremely badly.

With a deep groan in his head he smiled "Sir I am just looking for some accommodations for the night is all... and a bath."

"That will be 10 bronze coins, 5 for the room and 5 for the bath." he grunted, his face no longer interested in the odd looking boy.

Ao Ruang smiled and set 10 bronze of the only 30 pieces he had taken from Da Man's home. This would be the last inn he stayed at on his journey to Firedawn city and he needed the rest for when he arrived.

Swiping the coins off the counter which swiftly disappeared into his pocket that was carefully tucked underneath his belly fat. Snapping his fingers one of the scantily dressed girls who appeared to be the youngest of them no older than early twenties came out.

Bowing to him she smiled "Let me take you to your room young lord."

"Err..thank you?" Ao Ruang didn't understand why he needed someone to escort him to his room in such a small worn down inn, but he wasn't going to make a scene to attract more attention than he already had.

"Young master my name is Yi Liling and I will be helping you with anything you will need." the young woman said her voice purring like a house cat as she opened the door. The tone of her voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up slightly and goosebumps fill his arms.

"Just hot water for the bath thank you!" Ao Ruang said without minding her seductive tone. His mother’s warnings about young seductive women was keeping his mind clear.

The lady gave a wicked smile before nodding and leaving. Ao Ruang quickly stripped down and wrapped a towel around his waist and waited for Yi Liling to return with the hot water. Soon, water began to fall from a small trough that steamed up the entire room. Ao Ruang immediately went into the bath that was large enough for two, maybe three people to fit into.

Taking off his veil that covered his eyes he hung it on the rack. With a sigh he closed his eyes and let the hot water slowly fill up to his chest. The sound of the running water lulled him to an almost hypnotic state.

*EEEERRRR* A creak came from the door into the bathing room

Ao Ruang looked to see Yi Liling standing there, her smooth skin nearly entirely exposed save for her undergarments. Ao Ruang was young, but he had heard about the opposite sex enough from his mother and wasn’t ignorant of the acts between men and women the older disciples of the clan had loose enough lips. At the time he didn't fully understand, but seeing the pretty lady in front of him he understood now.

"Young master, do you need a massage? You look exhausted and I am well known as someone who is good with my hands." Yi Liling winked at Ao Ruang and before he could speak she came over and began to rub his shoulders.

Unable to protest, Ao Ruang just accepted it and closed his eyes. Only a few minutes passed before a scent started to fill his senses he opened his eyes to see Yi Liling was in the bath as well her round peaks concealed by the now steaming water. She had begun to massage his arms and hands without him realizing.

*Badum*

The sound of her blood pumping filled his ears as he finally figured out what that sound that game from Da Qiao had been. It wasn't loud and unpleasant, it was hypnotic.

*Badum*

*Badum*

The hunger began to overtake him again, but this time he decided to embrace it. It was better to still have some wits about himself than to lose himself and possibly kill the poor girl. Moving forward he let his lips gently caress her neck.

"Young master!" she exclaimed not expecting his sudden advance, but did not reject his sudden move despite this. This was her goal after all in coming here.

As he let her scent penetrate his mind he let his canines extend out ever so slightly. He felt the points with his tongue and realized how sharp they were. They had nearly doubled in length and without further hesitation he grabbed the back of her head and plunged the fangs into her neck.

At first she was shocked and attempted to cry out, but slowly an almost euphoric feeling washed over her and she grabbed the back of his hair and pushed his head deeper into her neck. Ao Ruang was nearly losing himself in pleasure as he engorged more on her delectable blood.

After only a minute of feeding, Ao Ruang forced his unwilling body to detach. The wound on Yi Liling's neck was not particularly bad, but he still rushed and bound her wound up quickly to stop the bleeding. He had not taken too much, but he decided it was best to let her sleep on his bed tonight so no one grew suspicious.

After getting dressed and laying her on his bed he donned his simple tunic again while looking over the half naked woman before him. Without wanting to sleep next to her for fear of feeding more unwittingly, plus his mind kept flashing to his mother's warning about sleeping with women, he laid out a bed and quickly began to cultivate the new red mass of blood that floated above his dantian.

The amount was a good amount less than previously, but he also managed to control himself more this time. Taking his time to cultivate he also began to practice his hand to hand combat form that was the basics his clan had taught youth there.