After the incident in S City was resolved, Liu Lei took Yan Fang back to Xi'an. He didn't return home immediately, instead heading straight to the villa in the Qinling Mountains. Yan Fang knew that the time had come for her to pay the "price," so before Liu Lei could speak, she asked, "Tell me, what is my price?"
Liu Lei, drawing on a hint of dark power, spoke in a voice that seemed to emerge from the depths of hell. As Yan Fang's eyes widened in fear, he revealed his fangs. Over the past few days, his mood had soured, and without realizing it, the dark power had taken hold of him, amplifying his negative emotions, thus causing him to threaten Yan Fang maliciously.
When Liu Lei withdrew his teeth from her artery, he noticed a silver necklace around her neck. "What is this?" Yan Fang, weak from blood loss, lay helpless on the ground. "This is what they've been searching for." Liu Lei tugged the necklace from her collar, revealing a heart-shaped pendant. Pressing gently on the pendant with his thumb, it emitted a soft click, opening to reveal a tiny axe the size of a peanut. "Is this it?" he wondered. As he removed the axe, a small photo of Yan Fang's family was found beneath it.
Seeing her deceased family's radiant smiles, Yan Fang, remembering her recent torment, could not help but burst into tears.
Liu Lei, moved by her grief, gently reassured her, "Don't cry. I don't care for the taste of human blood. Rest assured, I won't keep draining you. All you need to do is pretend to be my girlfriend—of course, it's just a facade, to please my mother. As long as you don't betray me, I don't care what else you do."
He had not turned Yan Fang into a vampire; she was simply a "blood servant," a practice that existed among the vampires, where humans were kept for a specific purpose in exchange for their freedom. Liu Lei did not need her blood, only her pretense as his girlfriend, and as a blood servant, she could not betray him. It was a practical arrangement, one that saved him the trouble of constantly seeking a real girlfriend. Yet, there was a lingering guilt within him for treating her this way.
Wiping her tears, Yan Fang took the mini axe from Liu Lei's hand, closed her eyes, and murmured a chant. The tiny axe immediately grew to its normal size, its ancient patterns adorning the handle, the blue blade gleaming coldly. "My father used this axe to have it appraised. Only our family knew its value. That's why, no matter how much pain he endured, he wouldn't let it fall into the hands of those who would use it for evil."
Liu Lei, however, did not respond. His attention was consumed by the axe. Unlike the common folk in Yan Fang's family, he immediately recognized it as a weapon used by practitioners of cultivation. But as the axe revealed its true form, Liu Lei understood its true nature. Gently taking it from Yan Fang's hands, he ran his fingers over the surface, recalling the ancient records in the "Demon God Cave": the Pangu Axe, one of the seven greatest divine weapons of the world, unmatched in attack power, capable of amplifying spell effects indefinitely, and even capable of tearing apart the fabric of space itself!
Not even the legendary Xuan Yuan Sword could compare to its destructive power. The Pangu Axe could enhance any spell cast through it, amplifying it to unimaginable levels depending on one's cultivation. Most importantly, it was said to possess the ability to tear through space itself. This was the true power of the world's greatest divine weapon, the Pangu Axe!
After some time, Liu Lei reluctantly returned the axe to Yan Fang, advising her cautiously, "Be careful. Do not let others see this weapon."
As they walked back home, Liu Lei suddenly asked, "When will you go back to school?" Yan Fang hesitated for a moment before answering, "I don't want to go back." Liu Lei sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. He should have been clearer with her from the beginning. After all, the price she had paid was too high. "Alright," he said. "I'll buy you a house, and arrange a job for you at the company. You can work there for now."
Yan Fang, who had been walking with her head lowered, suddenly looked up and said, "Actually, you don't have to feel guilty. Everything that's happened is my own choice. You saved me and avenged my family. I should be thanking you."
Liu Lei stared at her in shock, his gaze slowly softening. Finally, he saw past the hatred that had clouded Yan Fang's eyes, and glimpsed her inherent kindness.
When they returned home, his mother opened the door and, upon seeing him, burst into tears. "Son, you're back! Why didn't you call for over a month? Are you alright?" Liu Lei's parents had thought he was heartbroken and had gone off to travel, worried he might do something rash. His sudden silence and phone being turned off had scared them deeply.
Seeing his mother's tearful face, Liu Lei was overwhelmed with emotion. He smiled weakly and reassured her, "It's alright, Mom, Dad. I'm fine. Oh, and this is Yan Fang, your new daughter-in-law." Liu Lei's parents looked up to see Yan Fang behind him and quickly welcomed her in.
His mother studied Yan Fang carefully, nodding in approval. Liu Lei and his father resumed watching football, while his mother and Yan Fang chatted in the kitchen. After lunch, his father remarked, "You don't need to get a girlfriend just to please your mother."
Liu Lei was taken aback, and his father continued, "Although you've changed a lot, you're still my son. I can tell you've been trying to please your mother with your choices. From Qin Yunyi to now, you've been trying to make her happy."
Looking into his father's loving eyes, Liu Lei's stubborn expression softened. His father's voice was gentle as he said, "Though we don't know what you went through during those five years, as long as you can look yourself in the mirror and know that your actions don't bring shame to the Liu family, you will always be our son. Your mother and I feel that way."
Liu Lei's eyes glistened with unshed tears, and for the first time since becoming a vampire, he felt truly resolute.
"Dad, let's buy a bigger house. You should have a study."
"Alright," his father said with a smile, "Now that you're successful, your mother and I will enjoy your fortune too!"