Chapter 8, Vampires

Angel thought for a moment and said: "Second-generation vampires are afraid of sunlight; their skin can be severely burned by ultraviolet rays. We are now able to resist sunlight, but we cannot be exposed to it for too long. As for crosses and garlic, they no longer harm us; they merely evoke extreme aversion. Most other legends are true. By the way, what exactly is the situation with the old corpses in China?"

I have just arrived in North America, as there will be an academic seminar on Olmec writing at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Professor Joyce Marcus, an archaeology expert from the University of Michigan and a specialist in the Sabatka language, will be coming to Vancouver, and I must meet him said Angel.

The vampire with Western features had tears welling up in her large eyes

Angel was trembling all over, her teeth chattering with a "clattering" sound

***

I observed the vampire before me, a foreign woman, with skin as delicate and white as flour. Under the reflection of the moonlight, her pupils glimmered faintly red, yet I could not tell if she possessed elongated fangs suitable for biting.

The Son of God, Cain, was consumed by jealousy and killed his brother Abel with a stone. He later wandered near the Red Sea, where he encountered Lilith, the Night Witch. The two fell in love and gave birth to 13 third-generation vampires, who are the ancestors of the modern vampire clans. They waged a holy war against the second-generation vampires and killed all of them. After completing the holy war, the third-generation vampires seemed to have entered a state of dormancy. In the years that followed, occurrences related to vampires became scarce. It was not until around the 14th century that the Christian Church publicly acknowledged the existence of vampires and utilized the Inquisition for large-scale extermination.

***

Are you interested in the mysterious Maya civilization of Mexico I asked

"Hello, I have seen some movies and read some books about vampires, which record that vampires are afraid of sunlight, and exposure to the sun will turn them to ashes. They fear crosses and garlic, and have no reflection in mirrors. Additionally, they have the ability to transform into bats, wolves, or mist at night. Is that true?" I asked curiously.

The origin of vampires first appeared in the Christian Bible

Chinese people place great importance on geomancy. After a person dies, they must be buried in a location with good feng shui, hoping for blessings upon their descendants. Little do they know that the better the burial site, the stronger the geomagnetic field, especially in dragon veins, which can preserve the body from decay. Over time, the human biological magnetic field merges and coexists with the Earth's natural magnetic field, catalyzing the development of a living entity that can survive independently without relying on organ functions. Their organs have nearly atrophied to the point of disappearance, yet this does not hinder other functions. This is what is known as an old corpse.

"It's a long story, so I can only give a brief introduction." I noticed that Old Cai was also keenly leaning in to listen, and his hand naturally rested on Angel's thigh.

I know that vampire blood lacks red blood cells and cannot produce them on its own, thus it can only sustain life by consuming fresh blood or by entering a state of dormancy

Are you cold? I asked with concern

Vampires are an ancient and mysterious race. They have no heartbeat or pulse, do not breathe, lack body temperature, and are immortal. However, they possess their own thoughts, can think, converse, and move about, and can even be injured and die. It is believed that once a person has their blood drained by a vampire, they will become a vampire themselves; this is a misconception. In fact, those who have been drained by us may die, but they will not turn into vampires. If a vampire intends to turn a human into a vampire, they must offer their own blood to the other person. The drained individual must accept the vampire's blood, and only through the fusion of the two bloods can one potentially become a vampire. This phenomenon of blood fusion brings the drained individual a completely marvelous sensation, a process referred to as 'The Embrace.' After the Embrace, the drained individual becomes the progeny of the vampire. According to the laws, vampires cannot indiscriminately create their progeny, and a vampire must be responsible for the actions of their progeny.

It turns out that the fate of the ancient Chinese corpse is also so tragic, I truly hope I can help you. Angel is a kind vampire

Female corpses are generally quite beautiful, with the more famous ones being the 'Four Corpses of China'. They are: the Yue woman 'Xi Corpse', the departing 'Bei Corpse' Wang Zhaojun, the 'Nan Corpse' Mei Chaofeng, and the 'Dong Corpse' Lü Xiulian

I replied: "Old Dong, his name is Old Cai." I pointed to the bitter melon face that reeked of chemicals

I shook my head

Ah! Old Master Cai was greatly astonished

The gentle patter of rain began to fall again, the moon hidden within the clouds, and darkness once more enveloped the entire Keshilan Cemetery

Joyce Marcus is the world's leading authority on the study of ancient Maya script She explained when she saw my confusion

I grasped Angel's shoulders and gently said, "Suck my blood, An..."

After this catastrophe, the vampires suffered heavy losses, nearly facing extinction. The few that survived by chance are hiding in ancient castles reminiscent of the medieval period in Europe, led by Count Dracula, known as the "Father of Modern Vampires." Vampires are typical nostalgists and generally do not venture across the ocean to North America, unlike our Chinese ancestors, where loyal bones are buried in every green mountain.

"Unfortunately," I sighed deeply and continued, "the old corpses are all incapable of martial arts; they are merely erudite and frail scholars. After the unprecedented decade-long catastrophe—the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution—there are hardly any old corpses left. I escaped to Vancouver, using a restaurant as a cover, searching for what I had waited decades for, and finally encountered one old corpse, Cai."

The pale face of the foreign girl revealed a look of pain. After hesitating for a moment, she lowered her head and gently said, "Can I trust you"

"Which generation of vampire are you? Did you leave Europe for North America to escape danger?" I asked sympathetically

Angel solemnly said: "For thousands of years, there has been a prophetic holy book among the European vampires known as the 'Book of Nod.' The 13 clans of vampires have engaged in mutual slaughter for centuries over this book, and in the 14th century, Christian guilds also joined in this bloody massacre. Ultimately, the 'Book of Nod' fell into the hands of my grandfather, Count Dracula.

Thank you, the two of us arrived here tonight originally intending to seek the female corpse, but unexpectedly encountered you, which is also a matter of fate

My name is Angel. My grandfather is Count Dracula, and people in Central Europe refer to me as the 'Vampire Angel.' You can just call me 'An.' Angel stared at me and finally agreed with my opinion, 'What is your name?'

Mr. Dong, have you heard of the "Book of Nod"

It is entirely possible. Neither of us is human; we are ancient Eastern corpses, hunted by the world for centuries. Our circumstances are the same. We share the same plight; why can't we join hands and overcome this hardship together?

No, I haven't drunk blood for a long time, and my body is about to give in, Angel murmured

No, because the Book of Nod is written in Olmec, and even my grandfather, Count Dracula, does not recognize it

Old Cai quietly withdrew the hand that had been resting on Angel's thigh

The ancient corpses have lived for a thousand years without dying, experiencing the vicissitudes of life, which has endowed them with extensive knowledge and rich social experience. At the same time, they possess a strong sense of social responsibility, being both lonely and kind-hearted. Historically, several renowned ancient corpses have made significant contributions to society. For instance, Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, known as the 'Immortal of the Corpse,' greatly enriched the cultural life of ancient China. In modern times, Hong Xiuquan of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and Zeng Guofan, the commander of the Xiang Army, were also ancient corpses. Unfortunately, they were unaware of each other's existence at the time, leading to years of needless mutual slaughter.