The spoils must be divided fairly, thirty-two shares for each.

Luo Yu and Qin Yue crouched there, rummaging for quite some time before finally uncovering a blood-soaked storage pouch. The vampire named Lampes stood by, frowning and looking utterly disgusted, neither leaving nor speaking.

The two paid him no mind, opening the pouch to take inventory: inside were several jade bottles filled with Foundation Establishment pills, some bizarre elixirs that were clearly dubious in nature, over ten thousand spirit stones, a heap of miscellaneous herbs, materials for artifact crafting, a basic manual for Foundation Establishment cultivators, recipes for sinister concoctions, dual cultivation manuals for men, for men and women, energy-draining techniques, chamber arts—all sorts of things...

Luo Yu was elated: They’d struck it rich! No wonder so many people loved killing and looting—this was insanely profitable! If they grew stronger in the future, they wouldn’t even need to rob the innocent; just preying on other villains would be a perfect way to gain both fame and fortune!

Qin Yue quietly sorted out the useful items and stored them in her bracelet. Luo Yu said, “Take everything!”

Qin Yue shot him a glance. Luo Yu rolled his eyes. “What are you looking at? All knowledge can be useful. We should study everything, no matter what it is.”

Left with no choice, Qin Yue silently added even the sinister items to her bracelet.

After watching for a while, the vampire suddenly spoke: “Pardon my intrusion... I’ve heard there’s an Eastern custom called ‘those who witness share the spoils’. Yet, you seem to be taking everything—you appear to have overlooked my share.”

Luo Yu eyed him warily. “These things aren’t useful to you—what do you want them for?”

The vampire was displeased. “My dear sir, why would you assume that? I’m very much in need of a few of those items. If possible, please leave them for me.”

Qin Yue asked coolly, “Which items?”

The vampire’s eyes sparkled. “Ah, you know, I have a beautiful lover, and I’m in desperate need of the ‘Twin Dragons Dual Cultivation Technique’ and another book, ‘A Hundred Treasures of Garden Games’.”

Luo Yu was utterly flabbergasted—so he was a gay vampire!

Qin Yue was taken aback as well, but simply tossed all the men’s dual cultivation manuals to the vampire. He caught them as if they were priceless treasures, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished—who knew where he’d stashed them, but nothing could be seen on him.

Once the spoils were fairly divided, Luo Yu went to retrieve Lian Cheng and cleaned up the whisk to take it as well. Qin Yue looked around to make sure nothing was left, then set the heap of blood and flesh alight, burning it to ashes.

The two continued on their way, the vampire following along energetically. Qin Yue was conflicted but couldn’t shake him off, so she asked coldly, “Why are you still following us?”

The vampire protested indignantly, “You can’t treat me this way, dear one. Can’t you be a little nicer to me? I haven’t done anything to harm you—on the contrary, I helped you defeat that lecher.”

He wasn’t wrong, and Qin Yue was momentarily at a loss. “Thank you. But we’re heading home now. Don’t you have companions? Why not go with them?”

The vampire lowered his head in thought, then quickly put on an innocent, confused expression. “I’m lost—you know, it’s very easy to lose your way in a primeval forest like this.”

Qin Yue pressed a hand to her forehead—did he take them for fools? Why did it take so long to answer if he was lost?

Luo Yu, ever the fool, sympathized with the vampire. “Then come out of the mountains with us. We’ll take you to the city.”

The vampire gleefully sidled up to Luo Yu. “Oh, my dear, you are wonderful—just as kind and perfect as my beloved... May I ask where you’re from?”

Luo Yu replied with equal enthusiasm, “You can call me Luo Yu—‘Luo’ as in Luoyang, ‘Yu’ as in feather. My hometown is Qingning City. Have you ever been there?”

Qin Yue ground her teeth in frustration—indeed, fools attract fools!

The two humans and their vampire companion arrived at Wuyishan City, where the vampire courteously bid them farewell, offered his thanks, and hurried off.

Luo Yu was pleased with his attitude and praised him to Qin Yue. “See, there are good vampires too.”

Qin Yue was unconvinced, her tone cold. “Aren’t you worried he’ll latch onto you? If he has any ill intentions, you won’t be able to escape.”

Luo Yu grinned cheekily. “Doesn’t he have a lover? Or is the famous beauty Qin jealous? Relax, you’re the only one in my heart—I won’t be tempted by anyone else!”

Qin Yue snorted and said sternly, “Who knows if he’s telling the truth? From now on, don’t believe a word cultivators or monsters say.”

Luo Yu thought back to the silver-tongued Daoist from before and nodded obediently.

Early the next day, they caught a train, then a plane, and made it home just in time for dinner.

Luo Yu whipped out his phone to show off his photos to his grandpa and father, regaling them with tales of his adventures. The old man listened with rapt attention, longing in his eyes. “Next time, bring a camcorder and film it for me.” Luo Yu laughed and brought out a huge jar of wine he’d bought in Luofeng Town. “This is ‘Golden Branch Silver Ginkgo Wine’, a special spirit for you! It’s mild, full of spiritual energy, nourishing and beneficial—you can drink it too!”

The family enjoyed a lively meal, after which Luo Yu and Qin Yue slipped off to their room, taking out the stack of books to sort them.

As Luo Yu put things away, he said, “We should set up an alchemy room, a crafting room, and a study... Look at Dad—he has such a great setup for painting! I don’t want to fight him for the kitchen anymore!”

Qin Yue nodded. “You’re right. We’ll also need more storage pouches to keep materials organized. Let’s buy another house as a studio.”

Luo Yu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “My family has an old house right on this street—no one lives there! It’s much bigger than our current place. We just need to clean it up, and we can do whatever we want!”

Qin Yue was pleased. “Then we’ll work there during the day and come home for dinner at night.”

Luo Yu tossed the jade book aside and flopped onto the bed, hugging his pillow and rolling around. After a moment, he looked up. “Why don’t I take you to see it now?”

Qin Yue nodded. “Alright.”

While there was still daylight, the two borrowed the keys from Grandpa and headed to the old Luo family house.

Back in ancient times, Qingning City was known as Qingning Town. Though it couldn’t match the elegance of places like Zhouzhuang, it was not far behind. The Luo family had once been a prominent household, and their residence was famous, situated on the old “Rich Man’s Street” with a broad, well-paved stone avenue in front and several spacious courtyards within. At the entrance stood a pair of timeworn stone lions, so smooth with age that a few children were playing atop them as Luo Yu and Qin Yue arrived.

When the city government relocated and the new city was built, preserving the old town’s style was a priority, so the old houses were spared demolition. Now the old district was a tourist site, and those who’d sold their homes in the past deeply regretted it—too late for remorse. Fortunately, Luo Yu’s father had acted early, and the house, having been renovated, remained in good condition. Now, making further changes to the old houses was nearly impossible.

The main gate looked ancient and deserted, a little forlorn. When they pushed it open, it creaked loudly, revealing a scene straight out of a ghost story: everywhere was run-down and cobwebbed, the perfect setting for a horror film. Luo Yu marveled that he’d never felt afraid living here as a child.

They explored the front courtyard, which wasn’t too bad—Luo Yu’s family had kept it tidy before, though it was now dusty and webbed. The second and third courtyards were filled with smashed fragments of Ming and Qing furniture, even some huanghuali pieces. Luo Yu’s heart ached to see it—no wonder Grandpa had locked the doors and left it alone. For an antique lover, cleaning this up would be torture, likely leaving them bedridden afterward.

The first courtyard had six rooms—two on each side for servants in the old days, later used by the Luo family of three. In the center was a large open space with a spirit wall. Beyond that, there was a gate leading to another courtyard, again with two rooms on either side. The second courtyard was similar but had side doors—one leading to a garden with pavilions and winding corridors, though the pond was half-dry and the rocks dust-covered; the other to a side courtyard with guest rooms. Ahead was a flower hall with more rooms flanking it. The third courtyard, the rear residence, was less regular in shape, built to fit the terrain, with about ten rooms, rocks, withered trees, and a two-story embroidered tower once for the family’s young ladies, with a side door to the garden.

After showing Qin Yue around, Luo Yu was proud. “What do you think? I’m a proper landlord! Stick with me, and you’ll eat well and live well. There are plenty of rooms—tomorrow we’ll clean out two to start. Where do you want your workspace?”

Qin Yue thought for a moment. “The middle courtyard is more private. The two suites on either side are spacious—left for my artifact crafting, right for your alchemy. The side rooms off the flower hall can be our backups.”

“Great! We’ll need to get two gas stoves and some furniture,” Luo Yu said.

With their plans set, they locked up at dusk and headed home. On the way, they ran into Grandpa out for a walk with another old man.

As they neared the Luo house, they spotted a figure skulking suspiciously at the gate. Could a thief be targeting their home? Luo Yu was excited—should he use his powers to catch him? Would that reveal his abilities?

He signaled to Qin Yue, and they crept closer—wait, that blond hair... wasn’t it the vampire? Out and about before dark, and at their house no less—was he looking for Luo Yu? Could he really have taken a fancy to him and wanted to abduct him as some sort of “captive consort”?

Luo Yu grew nervous, hiding behind Qin Yue. But the vampire spotted them, his eyes lighting up as he strode over in full aristocratic elegance.

There was no avoiding it now. Luo Yu braced himself and demanded, “What are you doing here?”

The vampire beamed with sincere delight. “My dear, it’s been so long! I came looking for my lover, and ran into you by chance—what a coincidence!”

Qin Yue was furious, stepping protectively in front of Luo Yu. “Save it for someone who believes you! How did you end up at our house looking for your lover?”

[End of Chapter 32]