What It's Like Being a Vampire

Li Yang’s answer was expected by Xiang Kun, he then turned to the blind girl beside him: “Xiao Pingguo, what about you?”

Xiao Pingguo responded uncertainly, “It seems like I heard it.” Then she imitated a “drip” sound, asking, “is it this sort of horn sound?”

“Yes!”

Xiang Kun then addressed Li Yang: “Professor Li, you know that Xiao Pingguo’s hearing is much stronger than most people, but mine is similar.”

Unsurprisingly, Xiang Kun didn’t sense any significant astonishment from Professor Li or Xiao Pingguo. Instead, there was a kind of “unsurprising” realization.

In fact, from their previous encounters, Xiang Kun knew that Xiao Pingguo was aware of his exceptional smell and hearing. However, Xiang Kun did not care about this. In his interactions with others, he was careful with his language, never revealing the excess sensory information he received. But when communicating with Xiao Pingguo, he deliberately displayed a sensory information gathering ability that was similar or even stronger than hers. This made discussions about distinguishing bird calls more convenient.

While Xiao Pingguo knowing was one thing, Professor Li Yang knowing was not strange at all.

Xiang Kun pointed to his ear: “My keen hearing was not innate, I trained for it.”

“Trained for it?” Professor Li Yang became interested. He immediately remembered the first time they met Xiang Kun. At that time, his brother Li Sheng drove them to the mountains for an outing and ran into Xiang Kun on the way back.

At that time, Xiang Kun, walking barefoot alongside the mountain road, looked a bit ragged in appearance, but he seemed calm and composed, exhibiting an air of someone accomplished. After they dropped Xiang Kun off at the station, Li Sheng even speculated that Xiang Kun had intentionally went into the mountains barefoot for “training”, possibly because he was a practitioner. In the following encounters, Xiao Pingguo also told him that Xiang Kun’s hearing and smell were much stronger than the average person, almost on par with hers, which confirmed the earlier speculation. Thus, when Xiang Kun said he “trained” for his sharp sense of hearing, Li Yang didn’t question it. Instead, he was intrigued.

Xiang Kun said to Li Yang earnestly, “Professor Li, my training method may sound a bit mystical. I have never told others about it, because people may think I’m mad or engaging in some sort of superstitious activity. But for me, this method really works. So, I thought it might be beneficial for Xiao Pingguo to try it out as well.”

“What is the method? I want to learn!” Before Li Yang could speak, Xiao Pingguo excitedly chimed in.

Li Yang looked at his daughter and also asked, “What kind of method is it?”

“My exercise method is actually about focusing on an object and then imagining using this object to sense the surroundings. I know it sounds absurd, but it really works… Maybe it’s a certain psychological effect helping to activate potential…” Xiang Kun said cautiously.

“Then… what should we focus on?” From Li Yang’s tone, Xiang Kun could clearly detect his skepticism.

“Basically, anything works. It could be a stone, a tree, a blade of grass, a grain of sand, a chair. It probably varies for different people.” As Xiang Kun spoke, he took out a few coins from his pocket, chose a one-yuan coin seemingly at random, and first handed it to Li Yang, “For me, coins work the best.” Then he added with self-deprecation, “Maybe it’s because I’m poor and love money more…”

Neither Li Yang nor Xiao Pingguo reacted to Xiang Kun’s self-deprecating joke. Their attention was on the coin.

After a glimpse, Li Yang found it to be a normal coin and passed it to Xiao Pingguo, who carefully examined it in her hand.

Previously, with the help of the “emotion-infused” minions, Xiang Kun was able to perceive Xiao Pingguo’s dreamland. That unique mode of cognition was like a ray of light in darkness, showing him a different way to see the world, beyond the limits of ordinary sensory abilities. It gave him a completely new way of thinking.

The ability to create “Alice” was, to a large extent, due to this benefit.

Therefore, Xiang Kun had always wanted to find an opportunity to repay Xiao Pingguo, and there was nothing more meaningful for her than to be able to see again.

However, given Xiao Pingguo’s situation, the endeavor of fully restoring her vision is too difficult. At least with the current level of technology, and with Xiang Kun’s ability, it is temporarily impossible.

He often pondered during this period: Is there a way to use his ability to give Xiao Pingguo a sensory ability similar to vision?

Or even take a step back, let Xiao Pingguo be able to first “see” some scenes either in her dreams or on other levels of consciousness?

Something like allowing Xiao Pingguo to feel his dreams the way Xiang Kun perceives her dreams? To see what he sees, and to feel what he feels?

Although theoretically, even for imagination or dreaming, it requires relevant visual nerves to be able to “see” a normal view.

Xiang Kun had thought about using “Emotional Assimilation” and “co-manifestation” to project the scenes he sees to Xiao Pingguo’s consciousness. However, he soon realized this method wouldn’t work, because the prerequisite for either the original “Direct Eye Projection of Self-Fear” by Guo Tianxiang, or for the “co-manifestation” that was derived and changed by him, is eye contact —— even if it’s just for a fleeting moment, which seems to be a necessary condition for “transferring data”.

But since that “X” could bring about so many miraculous changes in Xiang Kun, perhaps it could work miracles on Xiao Pingguo as well.

As for how to have “X” affect others, Xiang Kun received inspiration from Little Fat Girl Liu Shiling.

If Xiao Pingguo, like Little Fatty Girl, has a special connection with objects that have established “super sensory contact” with Xiang Kun, maybe there will be some special perception?

After all, according to Xiang Kun’s previous conjectures and inferences, these items that have established “super sensory contact” and “emotional infusion” are like terminal devices to some degree. They can allow specific people to “borrow” some abilities of Xiang Kun through these “devices”, just like what Liu Shiling managed to do.

However, Xiang Kun also inferred from Little Fat Girl that to achieve this step, many necessary conditions are needed. For example, you have to win his heart, and you need to have an understanding and trust in these items.

The former is easy, but the latter is very difficult.

As a young child still reading in kindergarten with a particularly fondness for fantasy, and having a special trust and awe towards Xiang Kun, she witnessed some of his “magic” tricks, Little Fat Girl Liu Shiling was naturally easy to “fool”. She easily built a thorough “magic cognition” in her mind and wholly believed in it.

But Xiao Pingguo is not like that. Although she could not see since her infancy, she is considerably older, a girl with her own recognition and world views. Her father is a university vice professor, plus she herself is extremely intelligent, very smart, and knowledgeable. So using the same method to “fool” her as with Little Fatty Girl is difficult, unless Xiang Kun reveals his “supernatural” abilities, fully exposing himself. Even doing so may distract Xiao Pingguo’s attention; he still may not achieve his objective.

Therefore, Xiang Kun has made several plans for this, always feeling unsure, until Christmas Eve last night. He tried the reverse influence of “secondhand emotions” at Tang Baona’s house, he had a new idea and thought the possibility of success was not small.

Xiang Kun said to Xiao Pingguo, who was holding the coin, “We can try an experiment. You can first use this coin as a medium to try and imagine through it you can sense the surroundings, listen to bird songs, smell the grass, and feel everything in the park through it.”

Li Yang asked curiously, “How to use it as a medium? Is it just by imagining?”

Xiang Kun raised his finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture, then whispered, “Xiao Pingguo will figure it out herself.”

With that, he leaned back against the wooden chair, closed his eyes, appearing to be feeling the surrounding environment.

Li Yang couldn’t help but find this a bit amusing. He naturally found Xiang Kun’s so-called “method” to be quite childish—this idea of focusing attention on something. If he hadn’t already known Xiang Kun for some time, he’d have mistaken him for a charlatan or a lunatic.

However, what Xiang Kun mentioned—about sensing the environment, hearing sounds, smelling scents—happened to be something Xiao Pingguo loved to do normally. So he didn’t say anything, quietly sitting there accompanying the big and small, who appeared to be in a meditative state.

Li Yang thought Xiang Kun was also sensing the park environment. But in reality, his attention was on that wood carving designed like a CPU on Xiao Pingguo—the one he used as an example when teaching her some computer-related knowledge before lunch at her home. When he went to the kitchen to cook, he “conveniently” put it in his pocket, and then “suddenly remembered” it after they had left the house, and gave it back to Xiao Pingguo, so it was now in her trouser pocket.

Xiang Kun had known for a while that when Xiao Pingguo focussed attentively on her surroundings, she naturally entered a particular emotional state.

Through the CPU wood carving imbued with “Emotional Infusion,” Xiang Kun could real-time sense Xiao Pingguo’s emotions, and then latch onto her feelings, immersing himself in the same emotion.

Twenty minutes later, Xiang Kun slowly, through the connection with the CPU wood carving, immersed himself in the same tranquil, peaceful, and slightly joyful emotion as Xiao Pingguo.

For most people, it’s hard to empathize with this emotion, hard to put themselves in that state. Since this quiet state doesn’t have drastic ups and downs, it’s hard to even call it an ’emotion.’ For many, it’s more like a completely calm state without emotion.

However, having experienced Xiao Pingguo’s dreams multiple times, Xiang Kun was very familiar with her perception style. He also understood Xiao Pingguo’s love for merging herself with nature, as if she were a fish and the environment was water. With his senses of hearing and smell being even stronger than Xiao Pingguo’s, his perception of the surroundings was no worse than hers. Hence, after sensing her emotional change through the CPU wood carving, he gradually immersed himself, experiencing it bit by bit until he too was fully immersed.

Once Xiang Kun immersed himself in the tranquil atmosphere, his “Emotional Assimilation” ability started to affect his surroundings, rebounding to affect Xiao Pingguo.

Of course, Professor Li Yang, who was sitting beside him and starting to feel a little drowsy, was also naturally impacted. His sleepiness vanished, replaced by a sense of peace and tranquility. Even though his eyes were closed, he felt as if the winter sun had become brighter, warmer. Occasional bird songs brought him bursts of joy, and even the slightly chilly wind felt very comfortable. A faint, unidentified floral scent filled the air, an aroma he had never smelled before.

Under the influence of Xiang Kun’s “Emotional Assimilation,” Xiao Pingguo’s original emotion amplified. In the exceptional state of ultimate peace and calm, her senses became more acute.

This acuity was different from the enhancement of sensory functions in Xiang Kun; it was more like a “software enhancement,” eliminating more interferences and noise, enabling her to concentrate more on the sounds and scents she wanted to hear and smell.

When the three of them emerged from their emotional state, unknowingly over an hour had passed. Professor Li Yang, somewhat surprised, glanced at Xiang Kun, then at his daughter, who was still somewhat spellbound while holding the coin. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, said nothing.

After a while, Xiao Pingguo expressed her surprise excitedly, “Uncle Xiang, I think I’ve found that kind of sensation you mentioned, focusing attention on the coin. It seems like I can hear farther than usual now!”

Good that you found it…

Xiang Kun breathed a sigh of relief; he wasn’t completely certain it would work. Ultimately, all he could do was “guide,” “enhance,” and “assist.” Essentially, it was still up to Xiao Pingguo to find the feeling herself.

Xiang Kun checked the time and stood up with a smile, “It’s probably because your hearing is naturally strong. An average person might not be able to find this feeling even after a hundred tries. In the beginning, you can practice with the coin, and later try focusing your attention on other objects.”

Li Yang, who sat beside him, wanted to say, “I’ve found the feeling too,” but he felt that he had not focused his attention on anything before, so maybe his feeling was different?

After chatting with Li Yang and Xiao Pingguo a while longer, Xiang Kun bid them farewell with “Glitter Gold” and left, he still had to buy a ticket at the station.

His objective had been achieved. Next, if Xiao Pingguo could establish a kind of connection with the coin like Little Fatty Girl did, and what she could gain from this connection, depended on her fate.

The coin in Xiao Pingguo’s hand was naturally the one that had established a “super sensory contact” with Xiang Kun. The whole series of actions just now were intended to plant in her subconscious the idea that she could “enhance her sensory abilities through this coin.”

Xiang Kun did not tell Xiao Pingguo or Li Yang that the coin was special, nor did he demonstrate its uniqueness to them as he had to Little Fatty Girl. Even when he took out the coin, he deliberately made it seem as though he had chosen it randomly from several coins.

This was because he understood Xiao Pingguo. If he told her that the coin was unique and magical, she would only try to understand why it was magical and what was the cause of its uniqueness and the underlying principles. Letting her gradually discover the uniqueness of the coin unconsciously, and letting her “fill in the blanks” with the corresponding magic, would make her believe it more and more as she tried it out.

Moreover, this approach would not irritate Professor Li Yang. After all, unlike Little Fatty Girl who was still in kindergarten, telling Xiao Pingguo about “magic” and “lucky coin” might make Li Yang think that Xiang Kun is out of his mind.

He was also confident that Xiao Pingguo would definitely not abandon that coin and use other objects to practice focusing her attention. This was because when she had been influenced in reverse by Xiang Kun’s “emotional assimilation,” she was trying to focus her attention on the coin. If she used other objects to focus her attention, it would be difficult to get an equivalent feedback.

With Glitter Gold, Xiang Kun took the return bus and still sat by the window pretending to sleep, but he was building a cognitive model of this bus in his head and practicing his new cognitive pattern.

As soon as he got on the bus and confirmed the type of bus, he had already looked up all kinds of information about this bus on the internet, so now he could construct a cognitive model more accurately based on the actual sensory feedback.

Just like how he used to go to cafes, subways, and various places to practice his sensory skills, and how to let his brain subconsciously process the sensory information and make basic judgments, Xiang Kun was now using every opportunity to practice his ability to establish a new cognitive model, constantly trying and training. After drinking blood, his body would naturally evolve and adjust accordingly.

However, shortly after leaving the station and before entering the expressway, Xiang Kun suddenly realized something and hurriedly rolled down the window to look at the cloudy sky in the distance.

“Could you close the window, it’s so cold,” complained another passenger nearby.

“Sorry, I’ll close it right away,” Xiang Kun replied after closing the window. However, he picked up the birdcage he had covered with a coat, walked through the aisle to the driver’s seat, and told the driver, “Master, I just remembered something important that I haven’t done yet, I can’t go. Could you find a place to drop me off ahead?”

These kind of inter-city long-distance buses would naturally concede to such requests, as long as Xiang Kun did not ask for a refund or kept the driver waiting.

After driving for a while, the bus slowly pulled over to let Xiang Kun off.

Xiang Kun gazed at the gloomy sky in the distance for a moment, took out his phone to check the map, then immediately hailed a cab and gave a place name.

According to Xiang Kun’s intuition, or rather his cognitive model built from various environmental factors and atmospheric electric fields, he predicted that a thunderstorm would occur in the city soon.

Such weather phenomena are not common in winter, and since Xiang Kun came across it, he did not want to miss it.