Jennifer had lost too much blood. It took four or five bottles of Holy Water of Light before she felt some of her strength return, but she still needed someone to support her to walk.

She watched the golden-haired priest supporting her from the corner of her eye, her expression shifting as if lost in thought. Tang Qiu noticed Jennifer’s probing gaze but didn’t mind, allowing her to look freely.

After leaving the dark storeroom, Tang Qiu helped Jennifer sit down to one side and then took out her Staff of Light. A faint white glow lingered at its tip. She gently touched the staff to the forehead of the nearest Holy Knight and softly chanted an incantation. White light enveloped the knight, and a moment later, he slowly awoke.

Tang Qiu repeated the process, waking the other Holy Knights one by one.

Jennifer watched her quietly, then suddenly asked, “Where did you get your staff?”

Tang Qiu replied nonchalantly, “I happened to get it during my training.”

“Happened to get it…” Jennifer was quite dissatisfied with her dismissive attitude, but she just pursed her lips and ultimately refrained from saying anything else sharp.

The aura of vampires was approaching. Tang Qiu lifted her eyes and glanced toward the entrance. Jennifer, at her side, instantly grew nervous. She opened her mouth to speak, but when she saw Tang Qiu raise a finger to her lips to signal for silence, she swallowed the words she was about to say.

The vampires who had gone out to hunt returned one after another. A faint aura of light at the entrance made them look puzzled. They put down their prey and exchanged glances. The only seventh-generation vampire among them stepped forward and shoved the door open. Several Holy Knights were lying on the open floor of the hall. He froze for a moment, then said excitedly, “William just said there was a surprise here. I thought he was lying.”

He and the few vampires behind him strode inside, failing to notice a halo of light suddenly appearing above their heads. By the time the aura of light enveloped them, only the seventh-generation vampire managed to escape by a stroke of luck.

He saw Tang Qiu holding the Staff of Light and chanting an incantation. His expression changed, and he crashed straight through a nearby window. Just as he was about to flee, he was blocked by a red-haired vampire who had appeared out of nowhere.

The dark red eyes proved the red-haired vampire’s status was higher than his. Before he could feel any joy, the red-haired vampire had already grabbed him by the collar and thrown him back inside.

A halo of light caught the seventh-generation vampire perfectly. To Jennifer, it looked as if the vampire had been pulled back by Tang Qiu’s light magic.

She was somewhat astonished that Tang Qiu’s light magic had actually reached such a level.

It was more than just as Jonas had said-that her power of light had broken through the threshold of a priest. In her eyes, the only thing separating Tang Qiu from a true priest was the ability to practice intermediate light magic.

Seven or eight vampires were bound tightly by the halos of light, the aura of light invading their bodies. The vampires screamed repeatedly, their exposed skin looking as if it had been scorched. The Holy Knights, who had been feigning death on the floor, quickly rose, drew the swords from their waists, cut off the vampires’ arms, and then tied them up with special ropes.

Worried that the brown-haired, sixth-generation vampire might suddenly return, Jennifer kept urging them, “Let’s take them and report back to the Holy See first.”

“Wait.” Tang Qiu gave a Holy Knight two bottles of Holy Water of Light and instructed, “Go check the back to see if there are any other survivors. Bring them out.”

Jennifer paused for a moment, then understood. She watched the Holy Knight take the holy water and hurry away.

If a sixth-generation vampire were approaching, Lucille would surely have warned her, so Tang Qiu was in no hurry to leave. She healed the vampires’ new prey one by one and, with the Holy Knights, rescued several more humans who were on the brink of death. Seeing the sky beginning to lighten, she finally considered it and said, “Let’s go.”

Jennifer had recovered most of her strength, but helping Tang Qiu rescue the blood slaves had made her vision go dark again. She sat down to rest for a while before nodding at Tang Qiu in agreement.

When she arrived, two priests had stood behind her. On the way back, only one remained-and it wasn’t one of the original two. Due to her blood loss, Jennifer’s face was pale, and her eyes were filled with regret and self-blame.

After handing the rescued people over to the knight squad, Tang Qiu and Jennifer were about to take the captured vampires back to the Holy See when a priest hurried past on the street they were on. Her eyes lit up upon seeing them, and she ran over, saying anxiously, “Priest Linda… something’s happened.”

Jennifer’s expression changed slightly. She frowned and said, “Speak slowly.”

“She’s trapped in vampire territory.”

Jennifer subconsciously looked at Tang Qiu. Tang Qiu’s eyes flickered. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “I’ll go take a look. You all head back to the Holy See and find Priest Monica.”

Jennifer was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up, “I’ll go with you.”

She had expected Tang Qiu to try and persuade her to leave, but to her surprise, the golden-haired priest just glanced at her and nodded readily, leaving all the arguments she had prepared stuck in her throat.

The vampire captives were escorted back to the Holy See by the Holy Knights, while Tang Qiu and the other two turned back and headed toward the vampire territory in the far north.

In the cold of winter, the trees had turned a withered yellow. Unlike the Fallen Crow Forest in Edry, there were no tall, massive trees here. The trees were only three or four meters high and as thick as water buckets, growing in a dense, crowded mass. A flock of red-beaked, white-feathered birds perched on the branches. Hearing footsteps, they all took flight at once, heading east with a rustle.

Tang Qiu followed the priest who had come for help into the woods. She deliberately paused her steps, falling a pace behind the two priests beside her. Tilting her head slightly, she saw Lucille’s figure appear right on cue from behind a tree.

A faint smile touched the corners of Tang Qiu’s lips. She decided to temporarily ignore the stinging pain that flared up from time to time on her wrist and arm.

The priest leading the way checked the markers left along the path as she led them deeper into the woods. After walking for about the time it takes to eat a meal, she brought Tang Qiu and Jennifer to a clearing hidden in the forest. Pointing to a simple, ancient castle ahead, she said with worry in her voice, “Priest Linda has been trapped inside for some time now.”

Another priest was trapped inside with Linda. The rest had been left outside, unable to open the castle’s main gate despite trying all sorts of methods.

“…How did Priest Linda get in?” If the castle gate was so hard to open, how did she and the other priest get trapped inside?

The priest who answered had a grave expression. “She was dragged in by a vampire.”

Her tone was a little uncertain. “I didn’t see the vampire’s eyes, so I don’t know what generation she is, but I can be sure she’s not an eighth-generation.”

Jennifer’s face turned grim. “It might be a sixth-generation.” The same one she had encountered.

The other priests were all startled. They turned to look at the castle, sorrow already filling their eyes. Linda was very popular in the Holy See, and those who had come with her were all very close friends.

Tang Qiu held her Staff of Light, sizing up the castle, eager to try. “Let’s get the gate open first.”

Jennifer, out of habit, was skeptical. “Can you do it?”

Not angered by the doubt, Tang Qiu gave Jennifer a small smile and said softly, “We can only draw a conclusion after we’ve tried.”

As an item every priest hoped to obtain, the Staff of Light’s amplification effect was undoubtedly powerful. Tang Qiu chose a light spell suitable for breaking down a gate and softly chanted the incantation. Light elements slowly gathered in front of her. Guided by the Staff of Light, they struck the castle’s closed gate. The gate creaked and groaned before finally giving way and collapsing inward.

A cloud of dust billowed out. The first thing they saw was Linda, standing inside the gate completely unharmed, a slightly surprised expression on her face.

She was also holding a Staff of Light and was using a Light Binding Spell to tie up a vampire lying on the ground.

“Priest Linda!” Several priests ran in quickly, crying with joy. “It’s so good that you’re okay.”

Linda softly soothed their emotions, her gaze sweeping imperceptibly over Jennifer and… Tang Qiu. A strange glint flashed in her eyes before quickly disappearing.

Tang Qiu put away her staff and stepped over the collapsed gate to enter. A dark figure dropped from the ceiling, brushed past her shoulder, and darted outside, its form instantly vanishing into the unevenly spaced trees.

Tang Qiu froze for a second, frowning as she turned back. She had just raised the staff she’d put away when Linda’s voice sounded beside her ear. “Ah, a seventh-generation vampire got away.”

Her tone was full of annoyance.

“Was it a seventh-generation?” Jennifer walked to Tang Qiu’s side and looked with her in the direction the vampire had disappeared, frowning. “I just encountered a sixth-generation vampire.”

Linda gave a somewhat helpless smile. “If it were a sixth-generation vampire, how could I possibly still be standing here?”

Her words made sense; even Jennifer couldn’t refute them. Tang Qiu wasn’t one for pointless arguments either. She went inside to help Linda bind the remaining vampires with halos of light before handing them over to the Holy Knights.

The priest who had been trapped with Linda was unconscious, and Jennifer was leading others in casting healing spells on her.

There were six or seven vampires subdued by Linda, a number well within the capabilities of a priest wielding a Staff of Light. Her face was a little pale from overusing her light magic, and she seemed mentally fatigued. After handing the captured vampires to the Holy Knights, she drank two bottles of Holy Water of Light before recovering some of her energy.

“Jennifer encountered a sixth-generation vampire. It’s not safe here.” Tang Qiu came out of the castle and approached Linda, saying softly, “I suggest we return to the Holy See as soon as possible.”

Linda glanced at her Staff of Light with some surprise, then nodded. “A sixth-generation vampire is not something we can handle.”

“But before we leave, let’s destroy this castle first.” With that, she moved away from Tang Qiu and began directing the other priests to use light magic to destroy the vampires’ foothold.

Tang Qiu watched Linda’s back thoughtfully, her gaze lingering on Linda’s wrist and the side of her neck.

By the time they withdrew from the small town of Kafu, the sky was already bright. Neither Linda nor Jennifer suggested avoiding the town’s residents. Behind them, the Holy Knights escorted several captured vampires, parading them down the bustling streets.

The townspeople watched from a distance. A flicker of panic crossed their eyes as they saw the vampires, tormented by the aura of light until they barely looked human. But when they saw the noble and beautiful priests at the front, that panic turned into adoration and faith.

“I will believe in the Light Goddess forever!”

“I am a believer of the Light Goddess!”

“Your Excellency, I am willing to follow you!”

“Take me with you, Your Excellency! I’m willing to become a knight to protect you all!”

Edry had not established a branch of the Holy See. Although the people there weren’t hostile to priests, they were definitely not as fervent as the people here.

Tang Qiu looked around in some surprise, gaining a new understanding of the Holy See’s status on the continent of Statu.

They used the teleportation array to return. The Holy Knights went first with the vampire captives, and Tang Qiu fell to the back. She was watching the back of the priest in front of her, about to follow into the hall where the Holy See had set up the array, when a hand suddenly shot out from the side, grabbed her arm, and pulled her aside.

Jennifer, who had already reached the teleportation array, turned back but didn’t see the golden-haired priest. She subconsciously searched for her.

Linda looked at her in confusion and asked, “Jennifer?”

Jennifer shook her head, said nothing, and followed her into the teleportation array.

Tang Qiu was pulled by Lucille to the back of the hall. There was only a narrow, hidden, and dim path here, wide enough for just one person to pass.

The path was so narrow that the two women standing face-to-face were a bit too close. Tang Qiu shifted uncomfortably, moving half a step to the side, and looked up at Lucille in confusion.

Lucille raised her hand, habitually wanting to grab her wrist, but stopped halfway. “I encountered that vampire.”

“Oh?”

“She got away.”

Tang Qiu was a little surprised. “She’s a sixth-generation vampire?”

Lucille hesitated. “Probably.” In truth, the vampire’s aura was strange, more like something between a sixth and a fifth generation, but normal vampires wouldn’t have such a blurred boundary.

“She’s an Assamite.”

Assamite wasn’t the vampire’s name but referred to the clan she belonged to. Tang Qiu had a basic understanding of vampires and knew that the Assamite clan were assassins of legend. Vampires of this clan preferred to act alone and were natural-born killers.

Tang Qiu frowned and muttered to herself, “What is she doing here?” Was there something she needed in this small town of Kafu?

Vampires of the sixth generation and above generally preferred to live in the Blood Domain.

Of course, Lucille couldn’t answer the golden-haired priest’s question. She leaned against the wall, quietly watching the pensive Tang Qiu, a crimson tide surging in her eyes.

Tang Qiu looked up and met Lucille’s gaze. Seeing her silently avert her eyes again, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “I still don’t know what your clan is.”

Lucille was silent for a moment, then looked at Tang Qiu with deep meaning in her eyes and said in a low voice, “…Gangrel.”

Gangrel… a vampire with the blood of beasts in their veins.

Tang Qiu was still recalling the characteristics of the Gangrel clan when Lucille suddenly spoke. “In three days, it will be a full moon night.”

Tang Qiu looked at her, puzzled.

“Come find me here.”

Tang Qiu looked skeptical, a half-smile on her face. “…Was the payment not enough?”

Lucille looked at the slightly teasing curve of Tang Qiu’s lips, and her throat felt parched. She tore her gaze away from the golden-haired priest’s face, her voice cool. “Don’t you want to know what those monsters we encountered in Fenlin Town were?”

Tang Qiu’s expression turned serious. The monsters in Fenlin Town-half-human, half-beast, with bizarre appearances. The cruel way they had killed the villagers was somewhat similar to the methods of the arsonist who burned down the Gosse Church.

She lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

After parting with Lucille, Tang Qiu entered the teleportation array alone and returned to the Holy See.

Monica already knew what had happened in Kafu. The injured priest was taken to the back for treatment, and she sent for the other priests to discuss the matter of expelling the sixth-generation vampire.

The captured vampires were locked in the Holy See’s dungeons, a place specifically for imprisoning creatures of darkness. After being eroded by light elements, these vampires would eventually turn to dust and dissipate.

The entire Holy See became a hive of activity, but that didn’t include Tang Qiu. After returning, she went straight to her room, closed the door, and took off her priest robes. Looking at the blood-streaked teeth marks on her arm, she sighed helplessly.

I really can’t let Lucille keep doing whatever she wants.

She gently washed the wound with Holy Water of Light. Seeing the bite mark gradually swell down but still refuse to heal completely, she could only put her clothes back on and patiently wait for time to heal it.

“This is getting a little obvious…” Tang Qiu murmured to herself, looking down at her wrist.

Ever since Erin discovered it last time, she had been wary of this spot. It was just that this sudden encounter with Lucille had made her overlook the issue.

There was a soft knock on the door. Tang Qiu pulled down her sleeve, opened the door, and looked at Linda outside with some surprise. She asked in a gentle tone, “Aren’t you going to rest for a while?”

Linda held up her hand, showing the ring in it. “Priest Monica asked me to give this to you.”

Tang Qiu stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in, but Linda refused. She handed over the ring and said with a smile, “The reward for this time.”

It was a light ring of excellent quality. Tang Qiu put it on her index finger and said softly, “I will go thank Priest Monica in person.”

“It’s what you deserve.” Linda didn’t leave. She stared at Tang Qiu for a moment, then suddenly said with a smile, “Jennifer gave all the credit to you.”

Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

“She said you were the one who saved her.”

“I was just lucky enough to find where Priest Jennifer was being held.”

“Your luck really is good. To even get a Staff of Light during your training.”

Tang Qiu sighed faintly and said with regret, “If my luck were really that good, I wouldn’t have gone out for training in the first place. I would have been taken to the Central Church.”

The smile on Linda’s lips froze. The person before her was outstanding. The only reason she hadn’t made it to the Central Church was bad luck, unlike them, who had never been qualified from the start.

She had no desire to waste any more words with Tang Qiu. She turned to leave, but as she looked up, she saw Jennifer staring at her with a displeased expression.

Linda gave Jennifer a small smile and walked past her as if nothing had happened.

Jennifer watched her leave with a cold gaze. Then, as she passed Tang Qiu’s room, she paused. “…I gave you the credit only because it belongs to you.”

“Don’t you dare think I’m trying to flatter you.”

“And don’t think I’m grateful to you.”

“I just don’t like taking credit for other people’s achievements.”

She rattled off several sentences in a row, leaving Tang Qiu no room to interject. Tang Qiu waited patiently for her to finish, then nodded and said softly, “I know.”

Jennifer snorted coldly. “Good that you know.”

She left that icy remark and walked away quickly, returning to her own room.

Tang Qiu poked her head out and watched Jennifer’s back disappear through her doorway. She shook her head and chuckled. What a priest who says one thing and means another.