Titan’s Shadow and a Daughter’s Legacy

The leader of the Bloodkin?

The Bloodkin have a leader?

Xiu Lan’s ears perked up.

A powerful surge of curiosity compelled her to awaken from her feigned death, prompting her to eavesdrop on the ensuing conversation.

As opponents for Xiu Lan after she awakened her [Life-Devouring Hound], the Bloodkin’s capabilities had proven to be merely passable.

While Irina possessed the power to stop time, her low offensive output meant she could only flee frantically when facing Xiu Lan.

Much like a game of Contra, she had but one life, whereas Xiu Lan, as the boss, commanded countless opportunities to counter and defeat her.

They shattered with a single touch, hardly worth a second thought.

Then there was Gang; despite lacking the augmentation of a gem, he undeniably displayed the professionalism of a seasoned veteran, his extensive experience allowing him to suppress Xiu Lan for a time.

‘Still, I clearly held the upper hand,’ she mused, ‘he was, at best, a barely adequate opponent.’

The grey-haired girl thought with a pleasant hum.

As for The Doctor, she couldn’t even be bothered to mention him.

He was a worthless braggart, certified as utterly incompetent.

Even without Old Wu’s assistance, she could have easily dispatched him using [Eye’s Reach].

“Are you saying this is Titan, the boss?”

Wu Liyun stared fixedly at the photograph, his face etched with disbelief.

The Titan in his memory was a demon king, perpetually clad in blood-red armor, exuding immense pressure even when merely seated.

He was certainly not this melancholic young man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

“Are these truly the same person!?”

“I’ve confirmed through special methods: this red-haired youth is indeed Titan, the leader of the Bloodkin.”

“More importantly, the last gem is also on him.”

“You all should be well aware of the power of the gems; this could very well be the Bloodkin’s turning point.”

“Therefore, on the day of the operation, Old Wu, you will depart with the gem and Xiu Lan.”

“Once you locate him, eliminate him as quickly as possible, just in case.”

“Is he really that strong? Strong enough to warrant such focused attention?”

Xiu Lan inquired, her curiosity piqued.

“He’s… quite… strong… I suppose.”

Yao Jing spoke with a hint of uncertainty, vaguely recalling The Doctor’s past assertion that Titan possessed strength comparable to a hero.

Indeed, his performance that night had managed to suppress the black-haired Vanguard.

Though, ultimately, he was shattered by [Light].

However, that Vanguard was, in essence, Xiu Lan, and could not be regarded as Vanguard herself.

Furthermore, if the black-haired Vanguard hadn’t used [Light], even Gang could have achieved the same feat as Titan, which utterly failed to demonstrate the ‘hero-level’ combat power The Doctor had spoken of.

Thus, the question circled back.

What, precisely, constituted ‘hero-level’ strength?

It was widely known that the Great Migration involved heroes leading survivors through mountains and rivers to establish the Association within the Inner Domain, and undoubtedly, many Blackblood species were fought along the way.

Moreover, according to Duo Shi’s classification of Blackblood species, even Yao Jing himself was confident he could defeat a lower-tier Bloodkin.

Therefore, heroes capable of completing the Great Migration would, at a conservative estimate, possess strength far surpassing that of a [lower-tier] species.

But what level of power did a [higher-tier] species, above the lower-tier, possess?

Yao Jing felt his head begin to spin.

As someone born and raised in the Outer Domain, he had rarely even seen a hero, let alone a high-tier Blackblood; asking him to assess the combat power of such beings was simply too demanding.

“Regardless, Titan is the strongest among the Bloodkin, and you’d best not approach a fight with him harboring any illusions of luck.”

“Did you hear me!”

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

Xiu Lan waved her hand, indicating her understanding.

More than the battle that might commence at an unknown time, her immediate concern was how to retrieve her phone.

A mischievous idea sparked within her.

Xiu Lan rested her head on her friend’s shoulder, wrapped her arms around her, and playfully blew into her ear, cooing, “Give it back quickly, won’t you please give it back to me?”

Villy blushed.

The girl’s warm breath continuously tickled her ear, and two soft mounds pressed against her arm.

Uncharacteristically, Villy, who was ostensibly heterosexual, found herself experiencing a strange desire for this individual.

Yet, a second thought flashed, and she instantly realized something was amiss.

‘Damn it,’ she fumed, ‘where did this girl, who spends most of her time presenting as male, learn such seductive tricks?’

‘So shameless, so…’

‘Eh?’

‘This feeling is…’

A peculiar sensation beneath her backside interrupted her thoughts.

Villy glared at Xiu Lan, her face a mixture of shame and fury; that mischievous girl had actually reached in and given her a squeeze just now.

“Hehe, got it back.”

The black-clad girl cradled the phone as if it were a rare treasure, and amidst Villy’s crimson face, she even took a deep, appreciative sniff.

“Ah~ my precious~”

‘Does this girl have no basic sense of shame left?’

Villy sighed, turning her head away, too exasperated to engage with Xiu Lan further.

Thus, beneath their subtle sparring, Yao Jing’s lengthy exposition finally drew to a close.

“The Supervisory Bureau’s operation will commence in the coming days.”

“Remember to stay in contact after you return, and notify me immediately of any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Especially you, Student Xiu Lan, do not presume to act on your own just because you possess some strength.”

“Pfft, pfft, I’m hardly one for solo combat.”

‘How strange, why is this person always staring at me?’

‘Didn’t I single-handedly defeat those three Bloodkin?’

‘He should worry more about himself; with his meager strength, he might just get himself killed by something walking home at night.’

Muttering silently to herself, Xiu Lan walked up to Villy and tugged at her sleeve.

“Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

“No need, you go on ahead.

I still have something to discuss with Senior Yao Jing.”

Her friend’s reply caused a flurry of question marks to appear above Xiu Lan’s head.

She tried to discern if there was any secret affair brewing between them, but alas, whether due to her underdeveloped observational skills or their exceptional facial control, she failed to glean any useful information.

“Don’t worry, once our discussion is finished, I’ll escort Student Villy back.”

Though he wasn’t sure what Junior Villy wanted to talk about, Yao Jing knew that without a guarantee, this girl wouldn’t leave.

“Oh, alright then… you two take your sweet~ time~ chatting~.”

Realizing she was the one being excluded, Xiu Lan gritted her teeth as she spoke.

Then, under everyone’s gaze, she pushed the door open and exited.

****

With the principal finally gone, Villy began to describe the changes she had observed in Xiu Lan.

“I don’t know what happened, but I feel like her body has been getting lighter.”

Silence enveloped the three individuals in the living room.

“Lighter?”

Chewing on the implications of her words, Yao Jing leaned back languidly on the sofa.

One troublesome incident after another had left him mentally and physically exhausted in recent days.

Ever since meeting Xiu Lan, he had spent nearly every day and night in anxious apprehension, fearing that one morning he might wake to find the entire city blown sky-high by some unknown force.

“We’ll look into that later.”

After another sip of black tea, Yao Jing managed to gather his spirits, then turned to Wu Liyun.

Meeting Wu Liyun’s puzzled gaze, he urged, “Old Wu, you first.

Kindly confess everything.”

“Brother Yao, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“Xiu Lan’s identity, Xiu Lan’s origins… Heh, I recall that photograph in your bedroom was of Xiu Lan, wasn’t it?”

“If I were to tell her that someone close to her had been secretly meddling, that person would surely meet a terrible end, wouldn’t they?”

‘How did you know?!’

Wu Liyun was utterly terrified.

If Xiu Lan truly discovered this, he wouldn’t live to see the sunrise tomorrow.

“Xiu Lan’s… photograph?”

Villy was drawn in by that particular phrase.

She asked curiously, “Mr. Wu… Mr. Wu, could I see it? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“A word of caution first.”

It was Yao Jing who spoke, his tone serious: “That child’s identity is rather unique, and it could potentially bring you trouble.

Are you sure you still wish to know?”

Villy nodded.

Under their watchful eyes, Wu Liyun, knowing there was no escape, could only pull out his phone’s photo album and place it on the table.

“Let me see.”

Robin’s curiosity had already exploded due to their strange behavior.

She picked up the phone, meticulously examining the grey-haired girl in the photograph.

‘Eh, she’s not a loli after all.’

‘And, she really fits my type (TL Note: ‘XP’ is a Chinese internet slang term, originating from ‘Experience Points’ in games, used here to mean ‘personal preference’ or ‘fetish’).’

‘However,’

‘Why does she look a bit familiar…?’

“Bang!”

Slapping the phone screen onto the table, Villy looked at her two teammates with a terrified expression, seeking their gaze, only to receive their unspoken assent.

Even in her wildest dreams, she would never have imagined that Xiu Lan’s true identity was this person; no wonder Yao Jing and Wu Liyun had been so evasive.

‘What on earth should I do?’

Just the thought of potentially having countless rivals filled Robin with a wave of despair.

“Based on Old Wu’s and my own conjectures, Xiu Lan is, in all likelihood, the daughter of the long-rumored Vanguard within the Association; otherwise, her strength and personality simply wouldn’t align.”

‘Vanguard?’

‘Daughter of Vanguard?’

“Eh?”

Robin pulled out her own phone, searched for photographs of Vanguard, and compared them to the pictures of Xiu Lan she had just seen.

Aside from the difference in hair color, the disparity in their temperaments was considerable; Xiu Lan’s somewhat bewildered appearance was akin to the gap between a country bumpkin and a saintess.

‘The Daughter of Vanguard, then?’

‘While it might mean dealing with a troublesome elder, it’s surely easier than handling Vanguard herself, right…?’

Temporarily suppressing her thoughts, she knew a more pressing issue demanded her attention.

“Old Wu, tell us everything you need to.”

That was Yao Jing’s urging voice.