The wind howled through the jagged peaks of the Yānlín highlands like a grieving widow. Thick, perpetual mist clung to the ancient pines, swallowing the narrow dirt road that wound upward toward the unseen horizon. Lín Xuěyáo pulled her threadbare cloak tighter around her shoulders, her fingers numb from the cold. Each step sent a fresh wave of exhaustion through her body, but she kept walking. She had no choice.
Behind her, in the small village of Liúshuǐ at the foot of the mountains, her grandmother lay dying.
Grandmother Lín's frail form had grown thinner with every passing moon. The village healer had shaken his head weeks ago. "The sickness eats her from within. Without expensive spirit herbs and proper medicine from the capital… she has maybe two months."
Two months.
Xuěyáo's blue eyes—unusually bright and clear for a girl from a poor mountain village—hardened with determination. Those eyes had always drawn unwanted attention. Men in the village called them "demon eyes" behind her back. Women whispered that they brought bad luck. But right now, they were the only thing she had left that might save the one person who had ever loved her unconditionally.
A crumpled notice fluttered in her pocket, the paper already soft from being read a hundred times.
**"Black Orchid Estate seeks one hundred virtuous and beautiful maidservants for one year of service.
Generous compensation.
Special candidates chosen for personal service to the Master will have all medical debts of their family cleared in full."**
The Black Orchid Estate. Even the name sent chills down the spine of every villager. Perched high in the mist-shrouded highlands, its gothic spires were said to pierce the clouds themselves. No one who entered ever spoke of what they saw inside. Rumors swirled like the fog: the Master was a reclusive noble who never showed his face, a demon who drank the blood of the unworthy, or simply a madman who collected beautiful women like porcelain dolls.
Xuěyáo didn't care about rumors. She cared about the debts piling up like snow in winter—the cost of Grandmother's treatments, the loans from the greedy village lender, the herbs that grew more expensive by the day. If she could secure that special position… the debts would vanish.
She would become whatever the Master required. A servant. A shadow. Even prey, if that was what it took.
By the time the sun dipped low, painting the mist in bruised purples and golds, Xuěyáo reached the massive iron gates of the estate. They loomed over her, wrought with twisting black orchids that seemed to writhe in the fading light. Two silent guards in dark uniforms inspected the line of young women who had answered the summons. One hundred hopefuls stood shivering in the cold, all dressed in their finest (or least ragged) clothes. Some were clearly from wealthier merchant families, their silks gleaming. Others, like Xuěyáo, came from nothing.
A stern woman in a severe black gown moved down the line with a clipboard. Her eyes were sharp, assessing each face like a butcher judging livestock.
"Name and reason," she barked at the first girl.
One by one, they answered. Some spoke of adventure. Others of escaping poverty. A few whispered of catching the Master's eye for a better life.
When the woman reached Xuěyáo, she paused. Those striking blue eyes drew her gaze immediately.
"Name?"
"Lín Xuěyáo, from Liúshuǐ Village."
"Reason for applying?"
Xuěyáo lifted her chin, voice steady despite the pounding of her heart. "To serve the Master with all my heart… and to clear the medical debts of my only family."
The woman's lips twitched, almost a smile. "Honest, at least. Step forward for inspection."
Xuěyáo was prodded, turned, measured. Her long raven hair was tugged to check its luster. Her face tilted toward the lantern light. The woman noted the delicate features, the porcelain skin flushed from the cold, the slender yet graceful figure beneath the worn cloak.
"Acceptable," the woman finally declared. "You will proceed inside with the others."
Relief flooded Xuěyáo, but it was short-lived. As the great gates creaked open with a groan that echoed like a warning, a strange hush fell over the group. Beyond the threshold lay sprawling gardens shrouded in eternal twilight mist, stone paths lined with black orchids that glowed faintly under the moonlight. The main manor rose like a dark cathedral—tall arched windows, ivy-covered towers, and an aura of ancient, watchful power.
They were led into a grand hall lit only by hundreds of flickering candles. The flames danced in crystal chandeliers, casting long shadows that seemed almost alive. The air carried a faint, intoxicating scent—something dark, spicy, and dangerously alluring.
A deep, velvet voice suddenly filled the hall, smooth as aged wine yet edged with something primal.
"Welcome, my beautiful candidates."
Every head turned.
At the top of the sweeping staircase stood a tall figure cloaked in black. The Master.
Yè Júnhào.
Even from a distance, his presence stole the breath from the room. Jet-black hair fell across his forehead in careless strands, framing a face of devastating, inhuman beauty. Sharp jawline, pale skin that seemed to drink in the candlelight, and eyes… those eyes were a stormy gray that bordered on crimson when the light caught them just right. He moved with predatory grace, descending the stairs without a sound.
Xuěyáo's heart stuttered.
As his gaze swept over the hundred women, it lingered.
On her.
For one heartbeat, their eyes met. A strange heat bloomed in her chest, followed by an instinctive shiver of fear. It felt as though he was not merely looking at her—but *inhaling* her. As if some invisible thread had suddenly bound them together.
Yè Júnhào's nostrils flared almost imperceptibly. A scent—sweet, pure, and maddeningly unique—wrapped around his ancient senses like silk chains. For the first time in centuries, the eternal hunger inside him stirred not just for blood… but for something far more dangerous.
He descended the final step, voice low and commanding.
"Tonight, one of you will be chosen as my personal maidservant. The rest will serve the estate in other capacities."
A ripple of nervous excitement passed through the women.
But Xuěyáo felt only the weight of that gaze, heavy and unrelenting.
Little did she know, the ancient vampire had already made his choice.
She was no longer just a desperate girl from the village.
From this moment, she was... prey.