Upon Her Lips - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mu Fei cast a cold glance at Yin Sili. If it weren’t for the fact that the other woman always spoke so erratically, she certainly would have made Yin Sili suffer a little.

Mu Fei disliked Yin Sili speculating about her inner thoughts in such a manner.

Although she could easily obtain portions of anyone’s thoughts through a mere touch, she found no interest in it. Those flowing, complex, and dark waves of thought were filled with bloated desires.

Only that girl was the clearest soul she had encountered in a very long time.

Undamaged and unconfined—though she was such an insignificant human child, she did not cause Mu Fei the slightest bit of loathing. One must understand that Mu Fei had always harbored a bone-deep dislike for humans.

“I am going on a long journey tomorrow, to the Sichao Manor,” Mu Fei said.

Yin Sili’s grey-gold eyes flickered, not quite understanding Mu Fei’s deeper meaning.

“If you have time, remember to come and look after my mansion in the evening,” Mu Fei added, her tone shifting as she enunciated every word.

Yin Sili immediately shook her head. “I have to go to the outskirts tomorrow night to handle some thorny business; I doubt I’ll be back in time. Besides, why do you want me to look after your mansion? This is your private domain.”

Mu Fei remained silent for a moment before saying, “There is an extra human in the mansion. With the mistress away, unpredictable things might happen, especially since the steward, Dao Lei, will be accompanying me.”

“You aren’t worried that your servants won’t be able to control their desires; they wouldn’t have the nerve.” Yin Sili still acknowledged Mu Fei’s loyal servants; at the very least, that Aunt Dai was quite capable.

Mu Fei was simply thinking of recent reports: some “stray” vampires had appeared near the edge of the Black Mist Forest, not far from her territory. Those people acted strangely, and their motives were impossible to guess; it was highly likely they were emissaries hired by the Camber family.

The Mu family had always been traditional and had no hobby of keeping human “blood bags,” so the mansion had shown no signs of human presence for many years.

The sudden addition of a human wouldn’t matter much even if other families found out; the outside world would at most say her habits had changed. However, if that morbid woman who pursued her madly, Camber慈 (Camber Ci), found out, she would certainly find an excuse to pay a “visit.”

That would be a massive headache.

“You should have a ring that hides scent. I remember you once gifted one to that human lady of yours.” Mu Fei’s red lips curled slightly into a smile, her tone brook no refusal. She signaled for Yin Sili to stop questioning; as long as the other woman didn’t speak, everything was pleasant.

Clearly, Yin Sili was not that sort of compliant character.

“That was over a hundred years ago! Wait, why would I have such strange things? Hiding a human’s scent is a very risky business. Those are rare trinkets refined by that old hag Saga—how could I get them so easily?”

With a cynical tone, Yin Sili miraculously made a dark ring manifest from her fingertips. Her beautiful grey-gold eyes looked at Mu Fei with a smile, but in the next second, the ring engraved with dark patterns vanished from her finger—to be precise, it landed in Mu Fei’s palm.

“Your behavior is no different from a bandit’s,” Yin Sili frowned slightly, accusing the other of her crude method of robbery.

Mu Fei let out a mocking chuckle. “I’ll credit you for this.” She held up the ring, which flickered with a gilded luster before quickly returning to its dull, ordinary appearance, and inspected it closely.

She had always been curious about how Yin Sili managed to obtain such strange, prohibited items from the black market. Truth be told, these rings imbued with forbidden incantations were rumored to be products left behind by blasphemous witches hundreds of years ago. They should have been destroyed, but were preserved by the Saga clan. Yet, there were always various thieves willing to pay a high price and take great risks to find things that shouldn’t remain in this world.

She wouldn’t ask how Yin Sili got it, because she indeed seemed to need this little thing—perhaps for later.

“This ring requires the heart’s blood of a pure-blood vampire. Moreover, not every human can wear it. They say it contains dark matter and recognizes its master. Are you going to give it to your little simpleton?” Yin Sili was curious about Mu Fei’s intentions.

If she just wanted the girl to serve her ordinarily in the mansion, there was no need for such a grand gesture. If she was going to put such a rare ring on that little thing, it was as if she were—

Ensuring the girl’s safety.

Mu Fei glanced at Yin Sili but did not answer. Instead, she closed her hand over the ring. “I’ll keep it for now. You don’t need it anyway.”

“So, it was either a coincidence that you knew I had the ring when I came today, or you only agreed to let me visit your estate because you wanted my ring, Honorable Mu Fei.” Yin Sili put on her white veil. Clearly, she knew that now that Mu Fei had what she wanted, she was showing the guest the door.

Mu Fei closed her eyes slightly, her red lips curving. Yin Sili just loved to ponder other people’s motives.

“We’ve known each other for so many years. You know exactly what I’m thinking,” Mu Fei said, putting on her gold-rimmed glasses and looking down at the border data handed over by her subordinates.

Yin Sili laughed, teasing, “It’s precisely because I know you so well that I find it strange. When has a cold-blooded, heartless woman like you ever shown kindness? Or perhaps you’ve changed your nature? It seems times have changed.” Before Mu Fei could get angry, she walked out of the study with a beaming smile.

Of course, she still wanted to confirm something, somewhat uncertainly. She turned her head and curiously sized up this noble lady who had been alone for centuries—a lonely old soul lacking in emotion.

In a friendly tone, of course.

“Mu Fei.”

“Hmm?” Mu Fei didn’t look up from the data, giving only a perfunctory hum.

“Is there anyone you want to protect?”

Mu Fei paused for a few seconds before raising her eyes to meet Yin Sili’s serious gaze. She took off her glasses and looked at Yin Sili with her usual cold, indifferent expression.

“I, Mu Fei, have no need for such a person.”

As expected.

Having guessed the answer, Yin Sili merely laughed and went downstairs. After sleeping for decades, she woke up to find that this woman’s personality was still just as unlikable.

As she reached the foyer on the first floor, she saw the old butler, Dao Lei, that most loyal old servant.

“Honorable Yin Sili,” Dao Lei greeted her proactively.

“Your master’s mind is truly hard to read. It must be hard on you all,” Yin Sili joked fearlessly, speaking ill of Mu Fei to Dao Lei.

Knowing what she was implying, Dao Lei could only smile and explain, “If you don’t know, Honorable Guest, then we as servants know even less.”

Yin Sili arched an eyebrow and took a deep breath. Even in this weather where it had just snowed—cold and biting—it couldn’t block the sweet, fragrant scent of fresh blood.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Sili moved to the girl’s side in the back garden. Dao Lei realized immediately and followed close behind. He watched nervously as Yin Sili slowly approached the girl from behind, near a cluster of Red Lotus flowers.

The girl was squatting, her small body hunched over as she worked very hard and seriously at pruning dead branches. She was completely unaware of the black figure that had silently approached her.

Nearby, Fu Ya, the servant watching over the girl, saw that it was Duke Yin Sili. She immediately prepared to bow, but was stopped by a look from the other.

Yin Sili just tilted her head curiously, sizing up this unique yet somewhat ordinary human girl. Her gaze fell on the girl’s fair nape—slender and tempting. It seemed that with just a light bite, sweet blood would flow.

Yin Sili was only a step away from the girl. The two servants present could not judge what the Duke’s next move would be. Because she was a close friend of the mansion’s mistress and held a noble status, they could not stop any of her actions. Even if Yin Sili were to snap the girl’s neck in front of them, they couldn’t interfere—provided Mu Fei agreed.

Yin Sili was about to lean down toward the girl, but the moment she began to bend her waist, a pain like being pierced by countless needles swept through her entire body.

“Oh my, why so tense? I just wanted to say hello to the little one.” Yin Sili straightened up, her eyes—which had changed color instantly from the pain—looking back toward the mistress of the house in the tower above.

Standing by the window, Mu Fei watched everything outside coldly. She blinked, finally withdrawing the mental intent that could cause such agony.

Yuran, having heard the voice behind her, put down her small shears and turned around. Looking up, a black shadow blocked out all her light. She subconsciously thought it was Lady Mu Fei, but upon seeing the face clearly, she realized it was a stranger.

Yuran stood up in a bit of a panic, looking cautiously at Dao Lei and Fu Ya standing nearby.

“This is Lord Yin Sili,” Dao Lei explained from the side.

“L-Lord… H-Hello,” Yuran lowered her head, offering a respectful greeting. Because she was a natural stutterer, her voice sounded even more helpless.

Yin Sili was momentarily stunned, her curiosity deepening. The human child Mu Fei had taken in actually had such a defect.

“I am a friend of your mistress. I heard she kept a little pet and came to take a look.” Yin Sili’s bright golden eyes scanned the girl from head to toe. Though she had a nice appearance, she was still a very ordinary human. There seemed to be nothing special about her, and she even had a speech impediment.

How interesting.

Yuran lowered her head timidly. She could sense that this person named Yin Sili was very noble. She remembered Aunt Dai telling her that in the future, if she met anyone of noble status, she must not look them in the eye.

Yin Sili actually really wanted to touch the child’s skin. Having just woken up from a slumber six feet under, the instincts of an apex predator made her quite excited at the sight of food from the genealogy.

However, she did not miss the gaze from the tower—sharper than a blade—staring intently at her. It was as if the moment she took another step toward the little thing, that icy gaze would cut her into pieces.

“Is your mistress nervous about you? Then I won’t provoke her further.” After Yin Sili finished speaking, she looked back at the person at the window, put on her sunglasses, intentionally waved to the mistress of the mansion, and then left with a laugh.

Yuran watched blankly as this “Honorable Yin Sili” waved toward the tower. Her gaze followed, and in a single glance, she caught sight of the face behind the dark curtains on the third floor… the face of that Lady.

Lady Mu Fei?

So Lady Mu Fei had been above the garden this whole time, even watching her?

The moment Yuran thought of her clumsy movements in the garden and how she had just tripped in the snow, her entire face flushed deep red with embarrassment. Lady Mu Fei must have seen that scene.

Overwhelmed with awkwardness, Yuran quickly lowered her head. If steam could come off the top of one’s head, hers might have caught fire.

Mu Fei watched until Yin Sili got into the vehicle before shifting her gaze back to the people in the snow—specifically, to little Yuran, who was standing there with her head bowed.

Although she knew Yin Sili wouldn’t dare harm the human child in her presence, in that moment, she indeed hadn’t controlled her strength and had given her old friend a bit of pain.

She categorized her own behavior as simply not allowing anyone to touch her property.

Mu Fei glanced at the blushing Yuran in the snow, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her mouth. Then, she drew the curtains and returned to the shadows of her room.