Back in Ren Manor.
Master Ren's attitude toward Fenric had become noticeably more respectful.
"Nephew, make yourself at home. If you need anything, just ask one of the servants!"
He used to call him Mr.—now it was nephew.
"Thank you, Master Ren," Fenric replied with a polite smile. But inwardly, he sneered:
This old man dares to test me? Just wait till I "educate" your daughter later...
Master Ren added, "Then I'll leave Tingting to you. Don't tire her out too much—make sure she gets some rest after her studies."
"I know, Father," Ren Tingting replied dutifully.
With that, Master Ren left.
The moment her father was gone, Ren Tingting turned to Fenric with sparkling eyes. "Teacher, you know so much. Can you teach me how to open a restaurant?"
Fenric smiled. "Oh? Done with learning foreign languages already?"
Ren Tingting shook her head quickly. "No, I still want to learn! But my family only relies on my father to support everything. I want to help him however I can."
She admired Fenric, and wanted to be as knowledgeable and capable as he was.
"If that's your wish, then I'll teach you," Fenric said. Then, with a subtle shift in tone, he added, "By the way, Tingting, I wanted to ask you something."
Hearing her name spoken so casually, Ren Tingting's cheeks flushed red. She looked down shyly and murmured, "What do you want to ask, Teacher?"
"I heard there's a very skilled Taoist in this town—goes by the name Master Nine?"
"Yes! Master Nine is amazing. He's great at feng shui, hunting ghosts, exorcisms—you name it," Ren Tingting replied proudly.
"I had a run-in with something evil before, and it piqued my interest. I wonder if Master Nine would be willing to teach me a few things?" Fenric asked deliberately.
Truly, this guy was shameless—he'd even use someone's innocent daughter to get what he wanted.
Ren Tingting's eyes lit up. "Teacher, you really want to learn Taoism from Master Nine? I can ask my father to speak to him. They're on good terms—he might be able to convince Master Nine."
Fenric was secretly pleased, but kept his expression hesitant. "Wouldn't that trouble Master Ren too much?"
"It's no trouble. My father has a lot of influence in Renjia Town."
However, she hesitated slightly and added, "But Master Nine is quite stubborn. He might not be willing to take on a disciple..."
"We'll see how it goes," Fenric said with a smile. "Anyway, today I'll teach you something about foreigners. If you ever open a Western-style restaurant, you'll need to know more than just the language—you'll need to understand the culture too."
His sharp hearing picked up on it—someone was eavesdropping outside the door.
It wasn't Master Ren.
It was that nosy cousin, Weiha!
Ren Tingting tilted her head curiously. "What are you going to teach me, Teacher?"
"It's a type of foreign dance—called social dance. Want to learn?"
"Yes! Teach me!"
Fenric smiled and walked over to her, gently taking her into his arms.
"Ah!" Ren Tingting gasped, startled by the sudden contact.
She had never been this close to a man before. Flustered, she stammered, "T-T-Teacher, what are you doing?"
"Teaching you how to dance," Fenric replied with a perfectly serious expression.
Outside the room.
Hearing voices inside, Weiha's blood boiled. He immediately tried to barge in.
But just as he stepped forward, Master Ren happened to pass by.
"Weiha, what are you doing here?"
"Uncle!" Weiha said urgently. "That guy Fen is a fraud—he's trying to take advantage of cousin Tingting!"
"What?!"
Master Ren was startled.
While he didn't object to his daughter spending time with Fenric, things had to progress gradually. If Fenric was rushing things, that was unacceptable!
Determined to protect his daughter's innocence, Master Ren immediately stormed into the room, with Weiha right behind him.
But what they saw inside left them speechless.
Fenric was standing at the front of the room, speaking seriously. "Good morning means 'good morning'—a common greeting used by foreigners."
Ren Tingting was sitting upright, listening intently.
None of the indecency Weiha had imagined was happening.
"Master Ren?" Fenric looked up with a surprised and confused expression. "Is something the matter?"
Embarrassed, Master Ren shot a glare at Weiha and quickly said, "Oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering if Nephew Fen needed anything from outside."
"No need, thank you," Fenric replied with a gentle smile. "The Ren residence has everything I need."
"Then I won't disturb you any longer," Master Ren said with a chuckle before closing the door.
Once he was gone, Ren Tingting stuck out her tongue playfully and snuck a glance at Fenric before quickly looking away, her cheeks red.
That hug from earlier... almost made me pass out from lack of oxygen!
It was… a wonderful feeling.
Outside.
Master Ren scolded Weiha harshly. "What the hell were you doing?!"
"Uncle, I swear I heard him trying to seduce cousin!"
"Shut up!" Master Ren snapped. "As the security captain of the patrol room, you've been skipping your duties every day. What are you doing, sneaking around here?"
He waved his hand impatiently. "Go back to work. Right now."
"But Uncle, I'm telling the truth!"
"Are you defying me now?!"
"N-No..."
"Then get back to the patrol room!"
With tears in his eyes, Weiha left the Ren residence.
That night.
Ren Tingting brought up Fenric's interest in studying under Master Nine. Master Ren agreed to speak to the Taoist priest about it the next day.
The following day.
Master Nine arrived at the Ren household with his two apprentices to discuss the relocation of the family tomb.
Inside the study—
"Master Ren, I still recommend cremating your father's body," Master Nine said solemnly.
He could sense something was wrong with the corpse—change was coming.
"No! Absolutely not! My father feared fire his whole life. Cremation is out of the question."
Master Nine sighed. "Then… very well."
Master Ren changed the subject cautiously. "Master Nine, have you considered taking on a new disciple lately?"
"Taking a disciple?"
______
[Translation Note: New Arc Starts
Rank 1st = The Whole Mr. Vampire Arc Chapters Updated
Rank 3rd = 5 Chapters Daily.
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Well, aside from getting access to advanced chapters and other ongoing stories, you'll also get to see illustrations — like the images placed alongside the text to help visualize scenes from the story.
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Ps: Cover Updated]