Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1240: Younger Brother

The weariness was impossible to hide, but fortunately, as evening approached, her spirit began to revive.

When her fingers finally lifted from the black keys, the last note lingered in the room for a few seconds before fading away. The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the thick curtains, leaving only a dim, gray light behind.

Zhong Luoyue lowered her head, drifting from a half-dreaming state into full wakefulness.

Click— The lights came on.

The door opened, and Elizabeth, dressed in a white dress and carrying a small basket in her hands, entered the room barefoot.

“You’re awake,” Elizabeth said with a warm smile.

She was a woman most men would pursue without hesitation—if she weren’t a vampire.

Pale as snow, Elizabeth’s albinism, caused by chronic malnutrition, left her looking like someone born with a congenital defect—her hair, eyebrows, and even her lashes pure white.

Even after she broke her abstinence and drank fresh human blood, her condition didn’t improve. Yet, in Zhong Luoyue’s eyes, the white-haired, white-browed Elizabeth was extraordinary—like a work of art. Even as a fellow woman, she couldn’t help but admire such extreme beauty.

In modern times, unlike the Middle Ages, white hair and pale skin were not seen as demonic. In fact, some people found them fascinating.If Elizabeth’s ears had been a bit pointier, she could have been mistaken for an elf.

Zhong Luoyue remembered when she last returned to the Zhong Family estate and met her eldest brother—he was still unable to forget Elizabeth after a single encounter.

If it had been before her trip to South America, for the sake of family stability and the subtle rivalry between the two brothers and one sister of the Zhong Family, she might have accepted the idea, using it as leverage for greater benefit from her brother.

But now that she had been embraced and become a vampire, her interest in the family’s internal struggles had faded. These days, her thoughts were consumed with how to define the boundary between being human and being a vampire.

Perhaps in a hundred or even several hundred years, she would look back and laugh at her current worries—but it had only been a few months since her transformation. It wasn’t so easy to let everything go.

She’d heard that the holder of a black card could find a mysterious place where anything could be bought—she wondered if that included buying back a human identity.

During these months together, Elizabeth had devoted herself to teaching Zhong Luoyue everything about vampire clans—something every elder owed to their progeny.

Unfortunately, Zhong Luoyue’s sire had died in the underground palace of the Gambling God’s manor, and so the duty of teaching fell naturally to Elizabeth.

Thinking about becoming human again made Zhong Luoyue lose heart. Elizabeth had already told her that while humans could become vampires, vampires could never return to being human.

It was like an egg that had hatched into a bird—once hatched, it could never become an egg again.

Elizabeth now took several thermos flasks filled with refrigerated blood of various rare types from her basket. Zhong Luoyue had secretly gathered these rare blood samples from all over the country using her wealth and influence.

Soon, Elizabeth poured some into a crystal glass and handed it to her.

Having grown used to the smell of blood, Zhong Luoyue drank slowly, struggling against her vampire instincts even as she forced herself to sip.

To vampires, she was like a newborn baby—needing constant care. Being fed like this, day after day, felt almost like being nursed. Elizabeth made sure she drank three times a day, without exception.

“Today’s taste seems a little different.”

After wiping the traces of blood from her lips, Zhong Luoyue felt a faint change within her body.

Elizabeth smiled. “Starting today, you can begin drinking mixed blood. It’s a traditional vampire formula—combining two or more rare blood types to produce an effect closer to that of purebloods. It also reduces the toxicity that comes with rare blood types. The blood you acquired is quite pure, so before your first metamorphosis, you won’t need to use your first purification serum. Avoiding it before your first transformation will let your potential fully awaken. Once you complete it, you’ll reach the level of a noble.”

Baron, viscount, count, marquis, duke—and then the vampire nobility.

Newborn vampires were merely fledglings. Only after the first transformation could they be considered true vampires, though usually just commoners. A second transformation could elevate one to nobility. Those who achieved nobility after only one metamorphosis were considered elite among their kind.

Recalling what she had learned recently, Zhong Luoyue smiled sincerely. Her emotional investment in Elizabeth had clearly paid off.

“But,” Elizabeth suddenly said, “it’s best not to undergo your first transformation here.”

Zhong Luoyue nodded.

When she had still been human, she hadn’t noticed much, but lately she felt increasingly uneasy—as if the air in all of Beijing was pressing down on her, suffocating, like being trapped in mud.

That feeling was even stronger in the Zhong Family mansion. Moving to the Xiangshan estate had made it only slightly better.

According to Elizabeth, beneath the capital lay an enormous magic array containing terrifying power—far stronger than the ancient magic circles used in the Holy Blood Rituals of the vampire Thirteen Clans.

This hidden array seemed designed for surveillance and the suppression of evil. Even in seclusion at Xiangshan, they had to constantly restrain their vampiric powers, never fully at ease.

“I’ve made most of the arrangements,” Zhong Luoyue said, holding Elizabeth’s hand and sitting beside her like a close friend. “In a few days, we’ll leave here—first to the Aegean Sea, then straight to England.”

Elizabeth blinked. Having learned a bit about the Zhong Family, she knew it was one of the most powerful families in the mortal world. “But if you leave like that, won’t it cause problems?”

Zhong Luoyue smiled. “I graduated from a school in England. My excuse is to visit my alma mater and make a few investments there. Besides, there’s also an event my family is due to host, so I moved it to England—no one can object.”

“What kind of event?” Elizabeth asked curiously.

“The World Gambling Tournament,” Zhong Luoyue replied frankly. “My company’s representative won the championship last time, so by rule, we host this year’s tournament.”

Though Elizabeth often spent long stretches in hibernation to conserve energy, she always caught up on current events—especially anything concerning Gambling God Tu Shenyi, since he was the key figure behind the creation of ‘true blood’ among their seven allied clans.

“No wonder you wanted to find Tu Shenyi,” Elizabeth nodded. “He was the acknowledged Gambling God before he retired. I see—you planned to win again through him.”

Zhong Luoyue said, “Tu Shenyi had sworn never to compete again, but oaths can always change. And as it happens, his place of retirement lies within the territory of one of my rivals. If I didn’t go to invite him, she certainly would have.”

She shook her head. If she had known that seeking the Gambling God would lead to her losing her humanity, she never would have gone. Though she now possessed superhuman strength, she fully understood her situation.

From Elizabeth’s accounts of the vast Thirteen Clans, Zhong Luoyue realized how dangerous her new existence was. Even those far stronger than her lived in hiding, proving how much vampires feared humanity.

She had once been a proud heiress of a top human family, and now she had become a newborn vampire—nothing but a servant easily commanded by any adult vampire among the Thirteen Clans.

What a pitiful trade.

Now that the die was cast, she could only plan carefully for the life that awaited her.

As for Elizabeth, in the beginning she could only serve as a guide. Once the early stages passed, Zhong Luoyue had to consider whether Elizabeth was still worth further investment.

From the way Elizabeth spoke about her own past, Zhong Luoyue could tell that, in the world of vampires, Elizabeth was probably only at the level of a “child.” She was not part of the Thirteen Clans’ inner circle and lived in seclusion. Since her creation, she had spent most of her life asleep, had few friends among vampires, and could be described as a solitary figure.

“Your rival—is that the woman who’s always by Brother Luo Qiu’s side?”

Zhong Luoyue, thinking ahead while listening, nodded slightly. “Calling her a rival might not be exactly right. We’ve just had a few business conflicts. She’s about the same age as me and graduated from the same school. People often compare us. Rather than calling it fate, it’s more like a karmic bond.”

Elizabeth didn’t seem to care about such things. She lowered her head shyly and murmured, “I see… I wonder if Brother Luo Qiu will come when the time comes.”

Her voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, but Zhong Luoyue heard it clearly—and hearing it made her feel an ache in her stomach.

In the face of that kind of power, she always felt like the true child among them.

Better not to see him at all…

…

After finishing the visit to the grave, Ren Ziling drove Leng Feng back to his hotel.

That evening, Sir Ma finally escaped from the torment of a grueling investigation and came, with his heavily pregnant wife, to join their small gathering.

There weren’t many people there, and all were familiar faces. After drinking with Leng Feng for a while, Ma Houde began to complain endlessly, earning several sharp glares from his wife.

After dinner, Ma Houde was completely drunk. Since Mrs. Ma couldn’t move around much in her condition, Ren Ziling took the couple home first and asked Luo Qiu to accompany Leng Feng back to the hotel.

Perhaps it was a common trait among soldiers, but Leng Feng’s tolerance for alcohol was terrifying.

Back at the hotel, he acted as if nothing had happened and dragged Luo Qiu straight to the gym, where he started running hard on the treadmill.

Being a commander, Leng Feng often led soldiers in cross-country endurance training. He set the treadmill to a high-speed setting, showing no sign of strain.

Luo Qiu paced himself, running at a steady rhythm without increasing the speed. When he felt it was enough, he naturally stopped. Even at a moderate pace, he was soon covered in sweat—though entirely within his defined physical capacity of 5.5.

“Not bad, kid. Keeping up with my pace this long—new recruits usually need half a year of training to do that!”

“I’ll have to keep exercising regularly,” Luo Qiu replied with a mild smile.

Leng Feng was pleased. Though Luo Qiu had a scholarly temperament, he clearly wasn’t some frail bookworm—he took care of his body.

“You can head back now,” Leng Feng said, wiping his sweat. “Come again tomorrow. I’ve got an old friend to meet later—it wouldn’t be convenient for you to join.”

“Alright.” Luo Qiu nodded without asking further. After handing Leng Feng a glass of water, he said goodbye and left the gym.

After he was gone, Leng Feng continued running on the treadmill.

A short while later, another man arrived—around his early thirties, wearing a white dress shirt with his suit jacket off. He rolled up his sleeves and started running beside him.

About an hour later, Leng Feng finally stopped and said with dissatisfaction, “I ran for over half an hour first. You ran after me for half an hour—fine, I’ll count it as your win.”

The man turned off the treadmill and gave him a glare. “I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you.”

Leng Feng burst into hearty laughter. The two sat down together in a quiet corner of the gym.

There weren’t many guests using the hotel gym, and the room was quiet—perfect for a private talk.

“How long are you staying this time?”

“Four or five days,” Leng Feng replied casually. “By the way, has anyone come looking for you lately?”

The man thought for a moment, then shook his head. “You mean that woman surnamed Ren you asked me to keep an eye on last time?”

Leng Feng’s expression grew serious. “That’s my big bro’s widow. I only have one sister-in-law. I’ll be leaving soon for a classified mission—might be gone for who knows how long. Since you’re not busy…”

“Not busy?” the man gave a wry smile. “My younger brother’s gone missing, the old man’s furious, and my house is in chaos. You think I’ve got nothing to do?”

“Your brother?” Leng Feng blinked. “You mean Wang Yuechuan…?”

(End of Chapter)

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