Princess Ceni was both shocked and more than a little horrified after hearing that. She had absolutely no idea that anything like this was possible.
"That's why you need to not only look your best and be the best version of yourself that you can be before the transition. Now, what do you know about your bloodlines? The Lycan and ours, did someone tell you the Dos and Don'ts yet?"
Cao Jie's expression became quite grave the moment she mentioned that.
"No, not really."
*Bam*
Cao Jie punched the table so hard that it left an imprint of her fist.
"What the hell are those other useless thick-skins doing? I heard the 'Mean Eaters' had you before right? I always knew they were stupid but this-I swear the next time I see those scaly..." she didn't even wait for Ceni to answer and continued muttering to herself for a good 20 seconds before realizing where she was.
"Listen here, the first and most important thing you need to know is that you should never ingest Lycan blood, ever! Especially if you haven't finished the transition yet. Do you understand?!"
She looked right into Ceni's eyes and all she could do in return was meekly nod in confirmation.
"But why? Is it poisonous to us?" Ceni inquired in a low voice.
Cao Jie picked up the wine glass before emptying it in her mouth in one go. After gulping down another two full glasses she relaxed a little and responded.
"The relation between Lycan's and Vampires goes a long ways back. You don't need to know all the history but understand that for us, Lycan blood is both a gift and a curse. It has the ability to greatly increase our combat power and other abilities but in return, we become addicted to it."
"And it is not the kind of addiction that can be overlooked so easily. Lycan blood, just like ours, has magical properties. And when a vampire drinks it, he or she becomes completely infatuated with the Lycan. Have you heard of blind love? That's how that expression came to be."
"Lycan blood tastes like the sweetest wine, the most delectable meal, and every heavenly sensation you can possibly imagine. We become obsessed to the point of madness and more often than not, end up killing each other."
"And for someone like you who hasn't even finished her transition, it will be even more potent."
"When a vampire drinks for the first time, their fate is sealed. The being from whom you drink for the very first time is called 'Progeny'. The relationship between a Progeny and its Vampire can be as close as that of a parent and child, a loving husband and wife, a brother and sister all combined into one. In our culture it is considered as the most precious relationship we can ever have.
"That's why the Progeny must be someone that you care about deeply because you will create a lifelong bond with them. And unless that bond breaks, you will never be able to love anyone else as much as you love them."
"Now there are two schools of thought that come in at this point. Some of us, including me, believe that the Progeny must be your fated mate. We are joined to each other in body and soul and spend the rest of our extremely long lives together so it is only right that it be should be done properly."
"The other group believes that a Progeny is a vampire's last trial. That if a vampire managed to kill its progeny with its own hands, its power will increase by many tens of folds. I don't associate much with vampires like that since they are shunned and considered little more than outcasts but the rumors say there is some truth to it."
"If you can kill your progeny, you will break free from the chains that hold you down and gain absolute power to awaken one of the ancient bloodlines that have long since been lost. The only person in recent times to have achieved that is none other than your father. Although no one knows if he used that method."
"So do you understand now? Drinking Lycan blood, especially for your first time is nothing short of a death sentence. A life like that is not worth living."
"Master Eres told me you have some feelings for this Lycan. I will help you get him, even mate with him if that's what you want. But you can never drink from him. Understand?"
"Keep him as a pet to have some 'fun' with until you find a proper Progeny, maybe a noble from the inner world. When you find someone to your liking, you can then complete your transition. All previous attachments will naturally be severed and then you can dispatch the animal as you see fit."
Cao Jie stood up and walked around the table towards Ceni. She gently patted her shoulder, in complete contrast to before.
"Don't worry, I will help you with every step of the process, you have nothing to worry about."
Meanwhile, all Ceni could think about was the first time she had tasted Hao Xuan's blood. It was back when they were still on the ship. It happened by complete accident and since then she had kept it hidden from everyone else but only now she understood why she couldn't resist him.
'So we were meant to be together from the start?'