Blood and Qi: A Vampire Xianxia LitRPG

John disliked that all the priests and clerks told him he was wrong about so much. They went by different titles now, such as doctor, historian, archeologist, and professor, but the new words meant the same as the old.

Priest had always meant wise, a learned man. That always happened to go hand-in-hand with also interpreting the will of the gods, and the meaning had changed not all that long ago.

A clerk was an intelligent and learned man that did not claim understanding of the gods, such as the old king now called Sargon. Before he became a ruler, it was said he was a type of clerk.

Many modern-day priests visited John too. The priests also went by many other titles, but all the titles still meant priest. He hated that everyone tried to complicate simple things.

For the story of where he was from, John still feigned ignorance and stuck to his old memories. A timeline was mapped out for his life. His NCS already had a better one. He let the priests and clerks make their own. They seemed to enjoy it.

During the time of the one called Siddhartha Gautama, John was mostly in Sparta, though he did travel far to the south of Nepal during that time, sticking to the coast of India, and again with Alexander not all that long after. During the time of the one called the Christ, he was mostly in Rome and Gaul. During the time of the one called Mohammad, he was in the Caucasus and the great plains of Russia with the horse tribes.

John didn’t meet any of those men, but he had met many famous historic figures, and his guests were interested to hear his accounts of them.

For Egypt, Moses, and Judea, the information Lilly had previously provided was given more weight than that of John’s, even though he went to Egypt long before she had been born and he didn’t lie about everything all the time or get some sick pleasure from wantonly killing innocent families.

That the priests and clerks argued with John about things he was certain of annoyed him. That anyone would claim to know more than he did about people he knew or places he spent a long time in certainly was aggravating, but his Lilitu did the same, and she was there with him for a long spell. He had no reason to lie about any of it.

John found it surprising how all the major religions of the current world became more popular after the Tree of Life. From what he understood of it, they all just incorporated the new information on God, how to attain Heaven, and ‘ascended beings’ seamlessly into their religion.

A few new religions formed as well, or were learned of and copied from the NCS, the largest two called Secular Spirituality and The Tree.

The priests and clerks visiting didn’t bother John too much. Since he mainly stuck to his warehouse, having guests broke up his routine and ensured he didn’t fall too deeply into darkness.

For the most part, the world began to forget about John. Amber and Hubaba were as popular as ever, as was the fearless Stretch. Every time he turned his phone on, he saw more news about Amber, or advertisements with her, stories about her dates, links to her Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Some other surprises were found on Earth. Surprises like the three witches in Canada. That John wasn’t asked to help with such events was angering. He only learned about them after the fact, on his phone.

Hubaba would visit John weekly, and John enjoyed the demon’s visits.

Much to his surprise, Amber visited John. It was a few weeks before the second invasion was set to begin. He steeled his mind and heart as her beauty was even more terrible than Lilly’s used to be.

“You know you don’t have to stay here, right” asked Amber.

John grunted in response.

Amber sighed before saying, “I just wanted to see how you’re holding up. I’m sorry for…for all that happened with Lilly. She did it to us too, you know? Me and Baba. I think she tried to make me hate you.”

John laughed. “Tried?”

“Oh my God! I don’t hate you, John! I never did. Please, just…we don’t gotta be like this. I…I miss you. I wish…I wish…ugh! It’s so hard to talk to you now. You’re being real weird rotting in this warehouse like a…like a little emo-girl.”

“I am nothing like a girl. And no one wants me out there.”

“I do! I miss you so much. We were…we were real close before. You’re the first guy I ever kissed.”

John snapped out, “The first?”

Amber stayed silent. John asked, “You’ve done kissing with other men?”

After scoffing, Amber said. “It’s just called kissing. You don’t do kissing. You kiss. And that’s none of your business. I’m an adult, you know?”

More darkness settled in the pit of John’s stomach. “I’d like you to leave, please.”

“John…come on. We…I…let’s just stop. Please, let’s just start over. Remember how much fun we’d have on our buddy-dates in the…the place-thing. What’s-it-called?”

“Yes. Buddy-dates. How do they compare to all your many, many real dates with strangers? I see men can win dates with you too. How many men have you twisted up and discarded?”

Amber shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “It’s not like that. I…I couldn’t be seen by…by anyone. For so long. I accepted something and it…it ruined my life. Finally, finally I could be seen. It made it not so awful. It’s okay that I wanna enjoy myself a little. I finally gotta chance to enjoy myself a little. It’s not wrong.”

John asked, “Was being naked in commercials enjoyable? That’s not wrong?”

Amber’s brows furrowed for a moment. “Are you talking about the suntan lotion commercial? Oh my God! I was in a huge two-piece bathing suit from, like, the fifties. What do you want me to do? Wear a muumuu dress and hide in a basement? What do you think girls wear at the beach? Not one of my photos, videos, ads, commercials…any of it…was inappropriate. Not one.”

That Amber couldn’t or refused to see how wrong all of it was, how much like Lilly she was, caused more darkness to infuse John’s heart. “I would like to be left alone, please,” was his reply.

Amber sighed again. She didn’t leave. She said, “This isn’t going…good. Not how I thought it’d go. Please, John. I came here for…I came to tell you something. Can I tell you something?”

After some time passed without a response from John, Amber said, “This is real hard for me to say. I have…I know you have…feelings…some feelings for me. And…and I…I do too. For you. We can never…you know…but I was hoping…I was thinking…maybe…I think…we…we could…um…ugh! This is so hard!”

Long moments passed again without a response. “John, just…just say something. That wasn’t easy for me to say.”

Still, no response came. Both John and Amber sat in awkward silence before she said, “I came here to tell you that I…I love you, John. With all my heart.”

After far too much time went by without a response, Amber said, “Please say something.”

John, a look of disgust on his face, raised his head to look at Amber. “Love? You have no idea what the word means. I’ve seen these shows about what love is now. No one knows what it is anymore. Love is duty. Love is responsibility. Love is respect. It is a burden willingly borne and well worth it when two devote themselves to one another.

“Your head is filled with silly notions of what the word means. You think it’s only desire and nothing else. Just as in the shows, you tramp about showing off yourself to everyone, using and discarding men like cheap and dirty clothes, mindlessly going on your dates with strangers, doing kissing. I wish I could show you how painful it can be. If you could feel what I feel now, you’d never want it.”

Amber, crying said, “You think I don’t know? That I don’t hurt? Just because I smile doesn’t mean I’m happy. Or not hurting. Inside.”

“You’re just like Lilly, and you refuse to see it,” snapped out John. “You want to be desired by all. I just want one woman to love. One that loves me back. The right way. Someone that makes this life bearable. But I’m a great fool and only love women that want to destroy me and sneak around behind my back. That is my curse. It is far worse than your own.”

Holding her face in both her hands as she cried, Amber sobbed out, “That’s what I want! True love! Real love. That’s all I want too! I’m not like Lilly. I’m not. I just want one man that…that really loves and appreciates me and treats me real good. And I’d do the same and treat him real good too.”

Amber took out a tissue and wiped her eyes and nose. “Look, this…this is probably the best thing for us to do. Clear the air. Let’s just start over. I never kissed anyone else. Just you. I never did anything on dates. I was just…you’re the only man I...” Amber trailed off as she collected herself and her thoughts.

“Lilly said…she said you wouldn’t…you know, do that…for ten years. I was thinking if you didn’t mind waiting ten years for her that…that maybe…you wouldn’t mind waiting for me. It could be forever. I don’t think it’ll ever let me…do that. But I didn’t think I’d ever have access to my human form all the time. Or be seen. Now I can do both. So maybe that will change at…at some point. Just know that…that I’m nothing like Lilly. At all.”

More darkness entered John’s heart. He knew Amber was lying. She was just saying what she thought he wanted to hear. He was certain she did kissing with many of the men she went on dates with. She couldn’t even admit that being naked to sell skin-darkening ointment was dishonorable and wrong.

“It’s the pictures even more than the dates,” said John. “They prove it. You have the same illness coursing through your veins as Lilly did. You need all men to desire you. Just like Lilly, you’d find some way to justify sneaking behind my back, sending out illicit pictures, going on dates with any man making eyes at you. You’d never be satisfied with just me.

“I don’t know why you want to play this sick game and twist me up inside and bring me low. I never want to hurt you. I don’t understand why you want to hurt me, but it makes me unable to stand the sight of you. I know what your plans are. Please, leave me in peace or I’ll be forced to command you to leave.”

As John spoke, Amber began to sob loudly. And she continued to cry for long after he finished speaking and turned his back to her.

Once Amber stopped crying, she sat silently for a long while. Finally, she said, “You’re wrong about me. Completely wrong. You’re letting what happened with Lilly warp everything. I’m not like her. At all. But Yan was right about you. You’re dead set on being miserable. You could be happy. We could be happy. You don’t want it. You’re…you’re an…an asshole! Yeah, I said it, and it feels good. Asshole! Asshole! ASSHOLE!”

Amber got up and ran away, crying again.

Long after Amber left, softly, under his breath, John said, “Touché.”

John started to reject all his guests. All but Hubaba.

He wished he didn’t, but John missed his wife terribly, and loved her still. He believed he would always love her, just as he would always hate her. He looked forward to meeting her again in whatever new body she took just so he could kill her again. He secretly hoped he only met her once she was fully grown and in a woman’s body so he could bed her before killing her. He needed release.

Many reporters wanted to interview John. He had said no to all. He had told the G40 about the Peerless, but he was certain they hadn't taken his warning seriously. He also wanted to start a new city of warriors. To get the message out to the world about the Peerless and his new city, he knew he had to do an interview.

There was a reporter that relentlessly contacted John. He watched some videos of her. He thought she was beautiful and looked like his Lilitu from the old days. She also offered to have intercourse with him if he granted her an interview.

If Amber could play her games, John could play his own. He accepted the interview.

The journalist was not nearly as beautiful in real life as she was on video, nor was her real personality nearly as appealing to John. He still granted the interview. He focused on warning everyone that something worse than the invasions was coming, the Peerless, and giving information on the city he wanted to create.

John thought the interview went well, though the journalist had many strange questions about how his city would be run and the culture he wanted to create, how he wanted to make all its inhabitants strong and capable and that there’d be no peasants at all. Every citizen would stand proudly, fell and tall.

There were many questions about the age of John’s former wife he was happy to address. Many people thought he was a sick man and attracted to children, and he was glad to be given a platform to squash any such rumors directly.

Once the interview was over and it was time for intercourse, John couldn’t go through with it. Amber was far more beautiful and didn’t cover herself with so much makeup and such pungent and false smells. He was surprised when the journalist nearly forced herself upon him. She had too much Lilly in her.

Having a great desire to bed someone, John decided finding release with a common nightwalker was the best course. He couldn’t go through with that either. He couldn’t explain why. They all seemed too much like Lilly.

Many women contacted John in various ways through his phone. Many were very beautiful, or seemed so in their pictures. Amber was more beautiful, and all of them were far too much like Lilly.

Release also came in a far more appropriate form. John believed he could father children again. Any woman he married now would be for the true, correct, and traditional reasons for union. Marriage was never about desire. Marriage was about strength, prosperity, and raising strong children and heirs.

Any wife John considered would stand at a great height and be meaty and healthy, capable of birthing many strong sons. Her attractiveness wouldn’t matter one bit, so he wouldn’t have to compare a wife to Amber. Any wife picked for the right reasons would be physically as different from Amber as could be, as Amber was far too small and slender.

All the soldiers designated as John’s guards hung around in a large office within the warehouse. One of those guards was appealing to him. A woman that was broad of shoulder and stood many heads higher than John himself did. Her name was Shauna. She claimed to be a middling soldier and belonged to some sort of reserve force. She stated her true vocation was playing a sport called basketball.

John knew Shauna had little if any Lilly coursing through her veins. She would give him many strong and healthy sons that stood a height greater than even her own, so he asked her to be his wife. She laughed at him and said, “Wife? Bro, come on. Look at me. Naw, I got my own girl waiting for me at home.”

John was surprised to learn that modern women that preferred women did not marry men. They always had from his recollections. He found many aspects of modern society confusing, such as being told all men and women fornicated without being married, or considering themselves married, or even ever wanting or planning to be officially married to the person they constantly fornicated with. They just did it, and it was somehow acceptable.

What John found the most confusing was Shauna knew how strong and wealthy he was. She also knew there could be no greater protector and provider for herself and her children. She still had no desire to marry for such protection, nor did she have any desire to have children of her own.

Shauna did tell John there was something called a nightclub where he’d be able to find many suitable women to court. She even helped dress him, letting him borrow a black leather hat with a large and full brim that had two golden Gs embossed on it. She said it was very expensive and stylish and went well with the black leather armor he wore. He also shaved, as women often believed a man with a beard was hiding a weak chin, and his chin was strong.

It took John no time at all to run to the nightclub, and he found the place quickly.

There were only two men outside the establishment. Both were large men, and both wore dark clothes. As John approached, one of the men smiled widely, and the other said, “Hey, buddy, lesbian-cowgirl night is Tuesday. S&M biker night is Wednesday.”

John had no idea why the man thought he’d care anything about that. He ignored the comments and headed for the entrance. The smiling man moved into his way after letting out a laugh, and the other man said, “Slow down, kid. ID.”

John said, “Yes. ID.”

The two men continued to look at John as they blocked his way to the door. He wondered if ID was another word for some form of currency the men were attempting to rob him of.

The smaller man, the only one to have talked so far, said, “Look, kid, just because the world’s turning to shit doesn’t mean there’s no rules now. I need an ID.”

John almost asked what an ID was before figuring it was most likely something related to a phone. He handed his to the man.

The man, instead of taking the phone, looked annoyed. “Funny. Now turn around and get out of here before you get tuned up.”

John asked, “Does this not have ID?”

“You wasted enough of my time. Just turn around and walk away. I was just humoring you anyway. I know there ain’t no way you twenty-one.”

John took off his hat. “Years of age? I’m much older than that. Much older. I’m unsure of what an ID is, and I’m unsure if you’re attempting to rob me, so I’d rather not harm you at this point. I assure both of you, I am entering this nightclub. Please remove yourselves from my path.”

The smiling man lost the smile on his face. He looked toward the smaller man and said, “Is those real horns? Look at his hands. Hey, this is that guy. The guy from the…that fought all the shit. The vampire guy.”

Both men wanted pictures with John. They promised not to inform anyone he was at the nightclub, as he wanted to be incognito. They also told him the hat he wore was made for women, and that wearing a tight and black leather outfit wasn’t something guys interested in women commonly wore.

Though there weren’t many patrons of the nightclub until hours and hours later, many women did arrive, and many of them were very large. But the large women were large in the wrong way, and John thought every woman there was completely and utterly unsuitable to be a wife or mother.

John did have to kill some men that night, and though the men deserved it, the government saw things differently, as did journalists.

Many negative articles were written about John and what had transpired at the nightclub.

One article written about him was titled ‘In Case of Emergency Break Glass.’ It had a cartoonish picture of John in a box with a glass cover, blood dripping down from his mouth and claws, and on the glass were the same words as the title of the article, written in large red words.

The article stated John was unfit and too dangerous to live in society and needed to be caged until and unless there was a threat to Terra he could help with, but only under strict supervision so he wouldn’t commit more murders or war crimes.

The author claimed John was only good for one thing and one thing only – killing. His savage mindset was incompatible with civilized society or understanding some sort of social contract the author claimed everyone agreed to abide by at birth.

It disheartened John to see how many people agreed with the article and to read the terrible lies they said about him in the comments, including lies about him being attracted to children. He wondered why the author assumed he would continue to fight for a planet whose people despised him.

For John, the worst part was that the article gave only a silly pseudonym as a name, so he had no way to find and kill the author for disparaging him so.