On the other side, Yuan Wenyue and others, led by the experienced Ya Fengyu, had infiltrated the heart of the vampire world.
Ya Fengyu consulted the map, looking at the ancient castle before them. "This should be it. If nothing unexpected happens, the vampires who attacked you earlier should be from the Ventrue clan."
"This is precisely what I'm worried about. Shi Lin killed many Ventrue in his youth. Now that he's fallen into enemy hands, I fear he's not having an easy time," Wei Mu said with a worried expression.
"Do you see that palace over there?" Ya Fengyu pointed to a conspicuously prominent building, sighing with emotion. "That is the legendary residence of the Vampire King. When we were here last time, the palace was not yet completed. Now it is finished."
Yuan Wenyue remained quite calm. "Captain Ya, what is your plan?"
Ya Fengyu revealed a proud smile. "Our Vampire Guild has been at war with them for years. We have considerable knowledge of each clan's strengths, the castle's layout, and its mechanisms. I happen to know a secret passage of the Ventrue clan."
Meeting their questioning gazes, Ya Fengyu motioned for them to follow him and explained, "It was a coincidence, really. A sensible member of the Ventrue clan fell in love with a vampire hunter from our guild. To be able to meet her beloved more often, she personally carved out this secret passage."
"What happened afterwards?" a young man couldn't help but ask.
Ya Fengyu smiled. "What aftermath could there be! In the end, the two were caught red-handed during a clandestine meeting and executed on the spot."
"Ah! That's too cruel!" a woman exclaimed.
Cruel? Ya Fengyu asked himself. If he had seen it, he would have acted without hesitation. Perhaps the two could have overcome societal prejudice and been together for a time, but when two beings who were meant to hunt each other found their feelings waning, they would have destroyed each other without anyone else's intervention.
Rather than that, it was better to nip their intentions in the bud from the start.
This was not Ya Fengyu's first time using this secret passage. In his eyes, it was unlikely that this passage had remained undiscovered for so many years. The most probable scenario was that whoever discovered it harbored the same intentions as the previous person and deliberately concealed it.
However, this was good news for them. The passage was not short, and they walked for half an hour before entering the castle's interior from a hidden corner.
Ya Fengyu, familiar with the route, continued to lead them towards the Ventrue clan's prison. After this mission, this secret passage would likely be unusable.
The prison was heavily guarded. Fortunately, they were all hand-picked elites. They silently knocked out the guards and slipped inside.
Yuan Wenyue had been frowning since entering the castle. Strange, the bloodline tracing spell had clearly guided them to the castle's interior, but as soon as they entered, it lost its efficacy.
However, seeing the excited crowd, she hesitated to speak. Perhaps there was something within the castle that interfered with the bloodline tracing spell.
The blood race prison was exquisitely crafted, even divided into different sections. The group headed directly for the area where the vampire hunters were held. Apart from Yuan Shi Lin, all other survivors were there.
Although they had sustained some injuries, they were alive. Yuan Wenyue scanned the surroundings, not finding her father, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes, yet she felt a sense of inevitability. After all, her father was a duke, and it was only natural that he would be under strict guard.
While Wei Mu and the others were rescuing the others, Yuan Wenyue walked towards the section where the blood food was held. Since they were here, she might as well save as many as she could.
The prisoners in the cells looked at Yuan Wenyue's figure, their previously dazed eyes instantly clearing. They rushed to the cell doors, pleading with the clearly human Yuan Wenyue for help. "My lord, please save me! I don't want to die!"
"Save me, I have some wealth at home. If you are willing to save me, I will offer all my family's fortune."
"My lord, my grandfather is an Imperial Elder. If you are willing to save me, he will surely reward you handsomely."
Those who had finally seen a glimmer of hope were going mad, shouting incessantly. Human nature was laid bare before Yuan Wenyue at this moment.
If she could, Yuan Wenyue would have loved to take everyone with her. But looking at the sea of humans, she felt utterly powerless. With so many people, they certainly couldn't be safely escorted away.
Even if they managed to escape the castle, how far was it from the empire? Along the way, the vampires would surely swarm them like rabid dogs upon sensing their presence.
At this moment, Wei Mu turned around, noticed his niece was missing, and came looking for her. Seeing Yuan Wenyue's complex expression and the imperial citizens who looked like lambs awaiting slaughter, he stood beside her and said softly, "We came for your father. They cannot be saved, nor should they be."
A few tears trickled down Yuan Wenyue's face. "Uncle Wei, do you know? This is the first time I feel how unfortunate it is not to have the talent of a vampire hunter. If I had talent, could I protect them and let them live safely and happily, instead of becoming vampire blood food like now?"
"Survival of the fittest, the strong survive! You must understand this. In fact, the existence of the vampire race was created by our empire," Wei Mu sighed, revealing a secret to Yuan Wenyue.
Just as Wei Mu was about to explain the cause and effect of the matter to Yuan Wenyue, he was stopped by Ya Fengyu, who had rushed over upon hearing the cries for help.
"Lord Wei, some words should be spoken with caution!" Ya Fengyu warned. Then he urged Yuan Wenyue, "Little Duchess, why are you standing here instead of using the bloodline tracing spell to find the Duke's whereabouts?"
"But they..." Yuan Wenyue said with some hesitation.
"We are powerless! Unless the empire becomes strong enough to eradicate vampires one day, even if you could save them, you couldn't save other imperial citizens," Ya Fengyu said with a heavy tone. In his youth, he had also sworn an oath to protect a region, but he was human, not a god, and could not see every corner of the world.
Yuan Wenyue nodded with a somber expression. Finally, she looked back and saw the people's eyes becoming dazed again. They probably knew that they had been abandoned by everyone.
Yuan Wenyue cut her index finger with a knife again, letting out a drop of blood. The blood floated in the air for a moment before pointing towards a corner.
Ya Fengyu's expression became grave. "I'm afraid we won't be able to save the Duke this time! That direction leads to the residence of the Ventrue clan leader, Ventrue Marg. It seems the Duke is being personally guarded by him."
"But there's no need to worry. The Duke has not met with any misfortune so far, which suggests the blood race wishes to make a deal with us. Since it's a deal, there will be a time when they state their conditions. Perhaps we should leave here first and make plans," he added.
Although Ya Fengyu was confident in his own strength, he did not consider himself invincible. If it were only Ventrue Marg, he would be confident in rescuing the Duke. However, this was the blood race's territory. A single blow from another could kill him. This matter could only be planned carefully.