“I’ll give you time to think. If you’re willing, I’ll grant you eternal life; if you’re not, then nothing that ever happened between us will have ever occurred.” After Edward Lewis finished speaking, he quietly returned to his original state.

William Quinn was in a state of extreme shock. She had seen plenty of vampire movies, but never imagined she would actually encounter one someday. When she finally snapped out of her astonishment, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of terror. She had heard what Edward Lewis said, but could she really do it? Eternal life—how tempting. But how would others see her? How would her parents accept it if they found out? From then on, she would have to live in darkness, feed on blood for the rest of her life, and always be on guard against hunters and the church’s pursuit. Could she really endure such a life?

“I’m sorry…” William Quinn whispered. “It’s all right, this is the right choice,” Edward Lewis said hoarsely. “Loss.” A cloud of black mist rose between Edward Lewis’s hands, drifting slowly toward William Quinn. As the beautiful girl was enveloped by the black mist, Edward Lewis saw clear fear in her eyes.

“You’re only losing a memory, but I’ve lost the truth of my entire life,” Edward Lewis said to the girl in his heart. Even those who loved him deeply couldn’t accept who he was, and he couldn’t help but feel despair.

Chapter Eight

Edward Lewis returned home in low spirits and didn’t say a word. His parents noticed his expression; the two exchanged a glance, Mr. Lewis shook his head, and Mrs. Lewis sighed inwardly. Neither said anything. Edward Lewis washed up and went straight to bed—he understood his parents’ concern, but suddenly didn’t know how to face them, so he could only retreat to his room.

That night, Edward Lewis didn’t practice. He thought the whole night through, still unsure what to do. Early the next morning, seeing his parents’ worried faces and haggard looks, his heart ached, and he silently told himself, “Looks like I need another girlfriend.” After what happened with William Quinn last night, he still didn’t know what to do in the future, but he cherished his family even more now. Seeing his parents worry about him made him feel very sad.

Mr. Lewis and Mrs. Lewis hadn’t slept well the previous night either. In the past, Edward Lewis had always seemed a bit eccentric to them—reclusive, with few friends, even distant from them. After graduating college, he moved out on his own. But ever since returning from five years in the wild, he had become much more cheerful and filial, which warmed their hearts. They knew those five years couldn’t have been as simple as Edward Lewis made them sound—what kind of fieldwork would keep someone from coming home even once in five years? But they didn’t press him; as long as their son was happy, if he didn’t want to talk about it, they wouldn’t force him. Still, this blow worried them. As far as they knew, Edward Lewis had never really dated before, never experienced heartbreak. They just hoped nothing would happen to him this time.

After breakfast, Edward Lewis left for “work” and arrived at the old gentleman’s villa. He sat on an antique rosewood recliner, closed his eyes, and meditated. Where could he find another “girlfriend”? It was a headache. He stretched out lazily on the recliner, his mind spreading out like water, covering the entire Qinling mountain range, feeling the joy of all the life slowly growing on the mountains. His mood gradually improved: what could be more joyful than the rhythm of life itself? Edward Lewis lay quietly, enjoying a rare moment of peace over the past two days. But then, a murderous intent, like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake, shattered the calm. Anger surged in his heart, and with a thought, his consciousness was already near the source of the killing intent. On the ground, a girl was running frantically along a mountain path, with three burly men in hot pursuit not far behind. The men were agile and gaining on her. If nothing unexpected happened, the girl wouldn’t be able to escape. But they had disturbed Edward Lewis. He flipped his body, spread his wings, and flew out the window.

When he arrived in the mountains, the girl had already fallen to the ground, and the three men surrounded her. Edward Lewis floated silently in the sky; none of those below noticed the arrival of this unusual being. The man standing to the east, dressed in a black suit and apparently the leader, was questioning the girl: “Where is it? Hand it over and we’ll let you go.” The girl on the ground suddenly raised her head and glared at the man in the black suit, spitting at him fiercely and saying, “Dream on!” In that instant when she looked up, Edward Lewis saw her eyes—what kind of eyes were those, filled with resentment and hatred, with not a trace of vitality. What kind of experience could turn a young girl’s once-clear gaze into nothing but resentment and hatred?