Bai’s whole body stiffened for a moment.
She turned her head, pretending to be clueless as she said, “Tuition? What’s tuition?”
“Ha, it’s too late to play dumb now. I don’t teach Magic for free, you know.”
Lilith narrowed her eyes, her gaze slowly sliding down from Bai’s cheek until it stopped at her slender, fair neck, where two Blood Holes could be vaguely seen.
She’d wanted to try this little one’s Blood for a long time.
She admitted, this child was very much like Lian—frighteningly similar, even—but she absolutely didn’t believe the child’s Blood would taste the same as Lian’s!
Oh no! She’s after my Blood! Bai cried out in her heart.
So that’s why this bad woman is so eager to teach me Magic—she wants my Blood!
Bai struggled desperately, trying to twist her body or shout out to Yalbera, but no matter what she tried, her body felt completely alien, as if it didn’t belong to her at all, and she couldn’t muster even a bit of strength.
“Stop wasting your energy. The Magic in your body is already used up. If you could still move, your willpower could rival the Demon King. Rather than making yourself suffer, why not close your eyes and enjoy the moment?”
“Magic… exhausted… When Bai uses Healing Magic, even if she runs out, she only gets weak, how could she be completely paralyzed…”
Bai said with all the strength she could muster, but her weak voice sounded like she was talking to herself.
Lilith laughed again.
“Then let me explain more. The consequences of running out of different types of Magic aren’t the same. Healing Magic uses your life force, so you’ll feel weak when it’s gone. But Gravity Magic is different. The energy it uses is something you can’t feel, but once it’s depleted, you can’t move at all.”
“You… bad woman! Bai just thought you were a good person. Bai was wrong about you.”
Bai cursed with all her might, but her voice sounded more like she was flirting.
Lilith raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly: Lian said that same thing too.
Then, she leaned in close to Bai’s neck, sniffing as if testing a delicious dish.
Her voice came by Bai’s ear: “What a pity. Looks like you’ve already been tasted quite a few times. If only I had been the first. But, heh heh, it doesn’t matter.”
She opened her mouth, her two fangs flashing with a terrifying light.
Bai, frightened, closed her eyes, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
But just as the fangs were about to sink in, Lilith suddenly paused. She grabbed Bai and leaped backward several steps.
In the next moment.
BOOM!!!
The ceiling suddenly burst open, Black Flame pouring down from above, instantly engulfing the entire room.
At this moment, the room seemed to have transformed into a terrifying hell.
“That was quick, Black-Faced Woman. I thought you hadn’t noticed.”
Lilith said with a smile.
Standing within the Black Flame was a familiar figure—it was Yalbera.
Her face was frighteningly dark, even scarier than when Bai had seen her earlier.
“Should I say you’re brave, or just have a death wish? Doing this sort of thing in my Domain—you’re just the same as a thousand years ago.”
Yalbera’s icy voice rang out.
“So stingy. Can’t I just have a taste?”
“Heh, you used to say that too. But every few days you’d sneak out of here to find my Lian. Or maybe ‘stray cat’ suits your True Ancestor title better?”
As Yalbera spoke, she raised her hand and the Black Flame surged, black waves roaring toward Lilith.
The latter hurriedly dodged, but the flames still brushed dangerously close to her face.
“You’re really not afraid of hurting this little one, huh? If your Black Flame even grazes her, she’ll be gone.”
Yalbera snorted coldly, teasing, “Compared to this Blood Servant, right now I’d rather see you turned to ash.”
Bai: ? What about me?!
As she spoke, Yalbera raised her hand again and fired, the Black Flame directly reducing the Bed behind to ashes.
“Then you’ll be disappointed. This lady isn’t that easy to kill.”
Lilith’s body was as light as a feather, always able to dodge the Black Flame with perfect precision.
Even the cramped room couldn’t hinder her in the slightest.
Suddenly, she threw Bai toward the incoming Black Flame.
Yalbera’s face changed, and she hurriedly dispersed the Black Flame.
Bai’s body, out of control, crashed into Yalbera’s arms.
Lilith smashed the window, crouching on the sill like a bat, a look of regret on her face.
“What a shame. I didn’t get to taste anything. But next time, I’ll be sure to try, heh heh.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
Yalbera said coldly.
“Heh heh, you say that every time, but I just love watching you try to stop me and fail.”
Lilith said mischievously, then glanced at Bai, who was lying in Yalbera’s arms.
“Bye-bye, little one. Next time we meet, you’ll still have to pay that tuition.”
In the next instant, her figure leapt down, transforming into black mist and disappearing within the Domain.
Yalbera looked out the window, snorted coldly, then snapped her fingers.
Instantly, the Black Flame in the room disappeared.
That ugly stray cat. Back when Lian was here, she would barge in from time to time.
On the surface, it was to play with Lian, but in truth, she was always looking for a chance to taste her fresh Blood.
Yet her Magic was powerful precisely because of her Domain.
She could always find a way to slip into her territory without a trace…
She lowered her gaze, her face cold as she looked at Bai in her arms.
Bai gave an awkward smile.
“Um, Master’s arms are really warm, hehe.”
She reached out her finger, sliding from Bai’s cheek down to her neck, her voice utterly emotionless: “Disobedient children need to be punished.”
“It’s not Bai’s fault! Bai just fell into her trap, mmph.”
Bai tried to argue, but Yalbera didn’t listen at all.
She bared her fangs and bit down without hesitation, greedily drinking Blood.
Bai closed her eyes.
She’d thought she wouldn’t be bitten, but in the end, it didn’t matter who came—sooner or later, she’d be bitten anyway.
The stabbing pain at her neck lasted only a moment.
The draining of Blood made her heart go cold, but this time, Yalbera didn’t intend to suck her dry—after a few sips, she stopped.
At that moment, Bai found that she could move her body again.
“In the future, stay away from that woman. If I see you with her again, it won’t be just one bite.”
After leaving these words, Yalbera snapped her fingers again.
The mess in the room started to return to normal—the scattered clothes and even the Bed that had been burned to ash all restored themselves, as if time was flowing backward.
Bai stared in shock at everything.
When she came back to her senses, Yalbera was already gone.
On the table, the Book still lay quietly.
The scorched floor was unscathed, and even the fragments and juice from the previously smashed Apple were back on the floor.
Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
Bai felt as if she’d lived through another lifetime.
“You really can’t blame Bai for this.”
Bai muttered aggrievedly.
She lay straight on the Bed, letting out a long breath.
Too much had happened today—cleaning the courtyard, learning Magic, and all that.
I’ll leave the rest for tomorrow.
Bai closed her eyes in exhaustion, her faint, even breathing echoing softly in the room…