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 and training 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 and bones.

Slowly opening her eyes, Yi 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 otherworldly 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."

Ao Ruang felt a small amount of Ki flow out with the words he spoke as if instinctual.

As if someone had 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 decided that had to be correct since he noticed the small amount of Ki that laced his words to her. Ignoring his questions, Ao Ruang 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 its shell.

"I-I remember you biting me and I felt fear then passed out. I…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 there 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?

Yi 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. Yi 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. The fact was however Ao Ruang had never killed anyone and he wasn’t looking to starting now even if Da Qiao had died he hadn't verified and felt in his gut she was alive considering Yi Liling recovered so quickly from his attack as well.

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.

Walking over to his small pack he opened it up and tossed her small cloth “cover up that wound.”

Without giving her a chance to respond "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 uncontrollable mood swings” Ao Ruang thought to himself.

"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." Ao Ruang opened the door to let her out; his instincts told him she wouldn’t tell the inn manager.

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

He nodded to himself as Yi Liling left the room. Whatever the skill was it seemed he had some sort of sway over those who he had fed on. Suddenly he regretted leaving the village that had saved him. He was sure he could talk his way out of the situation with a sway over Da Qiao established like Yi Liling.

…

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. Yi 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?"

Yi 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 Yi Liling. Now that Ao Ruang looked closer he realized that Yi Liling was quite beautiful. Her beauty was more a traditional way, symmetrical features large eyes and soft but full lips.

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 sex.

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…" Yi Liling called out as we continued along a small pause of hesitation in her voice as she addressed him.

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

Yi 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 stay here with you and not take this horse and ride away in fear." Yi Liling said nervously.

"Honestly?" Ao Ruang said with a sigh "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. This...desire."

Yi 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?"

Yi Liling shifted uncomfortably in the saddle.

"You look at least sixteen! Have you looked in a mirror! To think I was trying to seduce a thirteen year old." Yi Liling said, exasperated "To think I was thinking you were some run away minor noble's brat I could hook."

"Err..sorry to disappoint you I guess?" Ao Ruang felt awkward as she talked about seducing him. He couldn't blame her though for non cultivators it wasn't easy to move up socieital ladders.

"Why would you think I was a noble?" Ao Ruang asked curiously.

"You didn't quibble over the price of the room." Commoners who are worried about money would have."

Ao Ruang nodded thenlogic was sound. Frankly money wasnt a major thing we traded in valuables and goods in his town.

"So you were human, but now what are you exactly? Part of the dark races?" Yi Liling said with no filter a slight hint of unease could be heard in her voice.

"That would be my best guess. Frankly, I am still working it out and 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."

Yi 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.

Yi Liling nodded "Alright, well if you need to feed again do it before you lose control and take too much and I think I will survive. If I am going to do this with you I will be in it for long haul. At the very least it gets me out of that dump."

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