Chapter 18: Schemes and Save Me!

The next evening.

Su Qing had just opened his eyes when he saw Selinna clinging to him like a little lamb, her jade-white face still flushed with last night's sweetness.

Recalling everything from last night, Su Qing felt as if he were dreaming, but the smooth sensation beneath his hand reminded him it was all real.

Suppressing certain thoughts, he lifted the covers, carefully slipped free of Selinna's jade arm, jumped out of bed naked, and walked into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later.

After taking a refreshing hot shower, Su Qing changed his clothes and returned to the bedside.

Seeing Selinna with her head covered by the blanket on the bed, he chuckled, sat down beside her, and reached through the blanket to stroke her back as if petting a cat.

"I'm going out to run some errands; I'll be back soon."

"Hmm."

From under the blanket came Selinna's shy yet caring reminder: "Be careful."

"Got it, you rest well!"

Su Qing replied softly, got up, left the room, locked the door, and departed the inn.

On the large bed in the room, hearing his footsteps fade away, Selinna poked her head out from under the blanket, brushed her forehead hair aside, gazed at the closed door, her eyes flickering with a gentle smile.

Meanwhile.

After leaving the inn, Su Qing walked to the street, which was just a short distance away.

He didn't even need to raise a hand; within a minute, a sharp-eyed coachman drove his carriage up and stopped beside him.

Once he was seated, the coachman asked, "Sir, where to?"

Su Qing found the voice somewhat familiar; looking up, he realized the driver was the very coachman who had taken him for a sucker the previous night.

But his carriage and horses—hadn't he bought them? How did they end up back, and now they're out plying for hire again?

"Hey, didn't you sell me your carriage and horses?" Su Qing greeted the coachman. When the man turned his head, Su Qing saw he'd changed drastically since last night: his eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks hollowed, as if he'd suffered a great shock, looking dazed and lacking his earlier sharpness.

Had he been robbed by bandits, losing all his possessions?

Or had he fallen into the Coiled Silk Cave, where a female spirit drained his essence and vitality?

"Sir, it's you." The coachman turned his head, saw it was Su Qing, and a spark lit his eyes; his emotions became extremely agitated as he lamented in a sorrowful voice: "How did I end up like this? I sold my carriage and horses last night, went to a bar to drink and celebrate, but on my way home from the bar I ran into bandits."

Hearing this, Su Qing's eyes showed that he had expected as much.

Before he could offer comfort, the coachman's face flashed with terror as he gritted his teeth and said, "After the bandits took my money, I thought they'd leave, but I never expected that guy to be a pervert—forcing me, forcing me..."

He paused, his expression shifting between shame and rage, unable to continue.

Su Qing, listening intently beside him, couldn't help but ask when the coachman suddenly stopped: "What did they force you to do?"

"Sigh!" The coachman fell silent for a moment, then unable to hold back his urge to confess, he stammered, "That bastard stole my money, then started groping me, and finally pinned me to the ground and... assaulted me."

"Holy crap!" Su Qing exclaimed, shocked that the coachman, a man in his forties or fifties, had lost his dignity in his old age, being robbed of both money and virtue.

Perhaps because the circumstances were very similar, Su Qing instantly recalled his own experience at the mine.

However, he had killed the pervert in self-defense, whereas the coachman had been overpowered by the pervert.

It was simply tragic!

Seeing the coachman's haggard face, a flicker of sympathy arose in him, and he began offering toxic chicken-soup comfort: "Money's gone, money's gone—at least you're still alive, and as long as you live there's hope..."

He hadn't finished speaking when the coachman painfully closed his eyes and moaned, "The bandit said he'll come back for me tonight."

"How ruthless—he won't even let you go!" Su Qing stood there, stunned.

Then he heard the coachman continue: "That bastard also threatened me, saying I must not flee, or he'd kill my whole family."

"Alright."

Su Qing didn't know how to describe it.

That bandit who robbed both money and virtue really had a unique taste, clinging to a forty‑ or fifty‑year‑old coachman and refusing to let go.

The poor coachman, so old, still suffering such abuse...

He shook his head, gathered his thoughts, and had no intention of helping the coachman.

Although he now possessed a supernatural vampire bloodline, with bodily functions far surpassing ordinary people, before his transmigration he had lived in a peaceful society, never having fought a fight since childhood, completely lacking combat experience; rashly getting involved in the coachman's and bandit's dispute wouldn't necessarily get him killed, but why would he put himself in danger?

After all, he and the coachman were merely strangers who had met a few times.

Su Qing remained silent there, while the coachman showed no sign of stopping.

All he saw was the coachman, after finishing his tale of woe, speaking in an eerily calm tone: "Back then I knelt and begged the bandit to spare me, and in the end he agreed."

"He agreed?" Su Qing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, he agreed." The coachman's face hid in the shadow of his hat; his tone suddenly turned grim: "He said that if I bring him a fat sheep, he'll let me go."

Hearing that, Su Qing immediately understood.

He turned his head and looked around, realizing without noticing that the carriage had brought him to a secluded dead‑end alley.

The tricks of this city run deep—I'm never returning to the countryside again!

He sighed, rose to his feet, and stared fixedly at the coachman: "So you've set your sights on me!"

"Yes." The coachman turned, apologetic: "Sorry, I didn't want it to be this way, but we've arrived at the destination—I'm truly sorry."

Having said that, he jumped down from the carriage and shouted while running:

"I've brought someone."

As his words fell, a man stepped out from behind.

The man was very tall, about at least 1.8 meters, his head bald, his chin covered with a thick beard, giving off the rough, savage feel of a barbarian from a game—just standing there you could sense it.

At that moment, the man stood with arms crossed, staring fixedly at Su Qing, while the coachman stood beside him, speaking carefully:

"This guy looks fair and clean, and he's rich—the sixty pounds you stole last night were what he paid for my carriage."

He hadn't finished speaking when the coachman suddenly felt a chill in his chest.

He instinctively lowered his head and saw a large hand reaching out from his chest, clutching a beating lump of flesh.

The groom incredulously raised his head, but the man suddenly pulled out a hand stained with flesh and blood.

"You......"

The groom collapsed on the ground, spitting blood foam, wanting to say something but ultimately unable to utter a word, then fell silent.

After doing all that, the man spat at the groom, then disdainfully threw down the heart, turned his head to look at Su Qing, and let out a weird "ge ge" laugh, saying:

"Ge ge, I never expected that this idiot would actually bring back a filthy, stinking bat for me."

"I also never thought I'd meet a werewolf in this way."

Su Qing stood on the carriage, inwardly sighing at his bad luck.

This time out, he originally intended to inquire about the steamship, and incidentally gather news about werewolves.

Who would have thought that as soon as he left the door, he was tricked and sent straight to the werewolf's doorstep.

All I can say is, he didn't check the almanac before going out today!

"I smelled those guys on you." The man twitched his nose, excitedly saying: "I know, you're the stinking bat that escaped from the Dasons' hands the night before last."

"Haha, I'm really lucky; once I catch you, I'll definitely bring your head back to give them a good humiliation."

"These five bastards actually despise me." The man, as if recalling something, said angrily.

Upon hearing that, Su Qing narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked: "How many werewolves do you have in total?"

"We have seven……" The man answered instinctively, but halfway through he realized, angrily glaring at Su Qing: "I'm going to tear your mouth off."

After saying that, his expression twisted, then large amounts of brown fur frenziedly grew on his face, neck, hands…… his forehead bones protruded, his jaw bones wildly stretched and lengthened……

In three or four breaths, the man transformed into a terrifying werewolf with a ferocious appearance.

"Aooo……"

After the werewolf's transformation completed, it first let out a fierce howl, then strode forward with large steps toward Su Qing.

Facing the brutally charging werewolf, Su Qing sighed that his decision to choose the vampire bloodline was correct, then took a deep breath and shouted loudly:

"Selinna, save me!"