Chapter Seventeen: Joining Dragon Dominion

"She is my woman!" Qingling had heard this phrase uttered by Lei Yan countless times. Each time, it had sparked a faint sense of irritation within her. Yet, for reasons she could not fathom, this time when Lei Yan declared it, she was not angry. Instead, she felt a trace of warmth, even noticing the pounding of her own heart echoing in her ears, and a blush crept across her cheeks.

Perhaps it was Lei Yan’s words, or perhaps the bond of being fellow disciples, but whatever the reason, Qingling now felt herself aligned with Lei Yan, as if they stood together on the same front. Pressing a calming hand to her unsettled chest, she rushed toward Lei Yan. Seeing her movement, Cui Ba signaled to Second Brother Leng, who immediately understood. With a swift motion, he struck Qingling’s neck with a knife-hand.

A dull thud sounded.

Now, Qingling was no different from any ordinary girl. Apart from her skill with poison, she had no means of resistance. Second Brother Leng’s speed was such that she had already lost consciousness before she could react.

"This boy is quite interesting," Cui Ba remarked, smiling faintly as he gazed at the two unconscious figures. He seemed utterly unconcerned about the poison afflicting him. Turning to Second Brother Leng, he ordered, "Go search that boy. See if the antidote is on him. Then go wake up Lu Kai."

"Yes," Second Brother Leng replied respectfully. He strode to Lei Yan’s side and began patting him down. But as soon as his hand touched Lei Yan’s chest, a sharp prick pierced his skin. The tiny, needlepoint wound was strangely powerful, drawing his blood with a voracious pull, sending it streaming toward Lei Yan’s chest. Even more bizarrely, the blood vanished as soon as it touched Lei Yan’s chest, as if swallowed by thin air. Though it was not much blood, the oddity of the event left Second Brother Leng deeply unsettled. He immediately took two steps back, and only then did the wound stop bleeding.

"What is going on?" he wondered, perplexed. He had never experienced anything so uncanny. With his curved blade, he lifted Lei Yan’s garment, revealing a vivid red flower writhing angrily on his chest.

"What’s happening?" Cui Ba, noticing the commotion, strode over. One glance revealed a living flower, lotus-sized, on the boy’s chest, its green leaves waving like arrows, as if fiercely defending Lei Yan.

Staring at the menacing flower, Cui Ba frowned. This was the first time he had encountered such an eerie phenomenon. The fear of the unknown stirred a flash of murderous intent in his heart. He ordered, "Go see if you can wake Lu Kai!" As the leader, he needed to analyze and decide, and he could not afford mistakes.

Time passed, but despite trying everything he could think of, Second Brother Leng could not revive Lu Kai. In theory, he should have used the medicine Lei Yan had given him, but he dared not—for Lei Yan’s words before fainting had warned him that mixing the two medicines would be fatal.

"Cui Ba, it seems this boy is indeed a master of poison. I can’t wake Lu Kai," Second Brother Leng reported as he returned.

Cui Ba turned back to Lei Yan, compelled to re-evaluate the unconscious youth. After a moment’s contemplation, he sighed and said, "We’ll have to try waking the boy instead." He knew that if Lei Yan did not wake, none of them might leave this place alive.

Soon after, Second Brother Leng returned, carrying a leaf the size of a meditation cushion, filled with water. He approached Lei Yan and splashed the water onto his face.

A cold shock jolted Lei Yan’s nerves, and he awoke with a start. The flower demon on his chest also shivered, shaking off the water that clung to it.

Upon waking, Lei Yan’s first instinct was to survey his surroundings. He found himself still beside the same earthen mound, with Qingling lying nearby. Relief washed over him.

Cui Ba said nothing, merely fixing Lei Yan with a cold, hard stare. Likewise, Second Brother Leng remained silent, standing respectfully at Cui Ba’s side.

"Little Lan, be good. Go to sleep," Lei Yan murmured, patting the flower demon on his chest. Obediently, it shrank into a tightly closed bud and retreated into his embrace.

"You seem quite confident," Cui Ba remarked with a casual smile, as if chatting with a friend.

Lei Yan returned the smile. "I’m very confident in my poisons."

"Very well. I admit you now have the right to negotiate," Cui Ba said, a flicker of murderous intent flashing briefly in his eyes. "Hand over the antidote, and I’ll let you all go."

Lei Yan nodded. Though he agreed aloud, inwardly he was far from convinced. He knew full well what sort of people bandits were; their word could not be trusted. Selecting a porcelain vial from his pouch, he handed it over with a smile. "There’s enough medicine here for all of you," he said, gesturing toward the back of the mound. "Including the more than a hundred men behind there." By saying this, Lei Yan was letting Cui Ba know he was fully aware of his numbers. And, after all, could Cui Ba really risk his brothers’ lives?

Both Cui Ba and Second Brother Leng were startled. They knew exactly how many men lay in ambush behind the mound, but how did this boy know? He hadn’t arrived until after the ambush was set. Realizing his men’s lives were at stake, Cui Ba’s expression darkened, his gaze turning steely. "Are you threatening me?"

"Not at all. I’m only trying to save my own life," Lei Yan replied with a wave of his hand and a smile. "Actually, I have a much better proposal."

"Speak," Cui Ba said coldly.

"I want to join you," Lei Yan declared, his words dropping like a stone in still water.

"You want to join us?" Cui Ba frowned, studying the youth before him. Lei Yan had surprised him again and again—not just with his mastery of poison, but with his composure in the face of death. Gaining such a man could only be a boon, but Cui Ba could not be certain of his motives, so he hesitated.

"That’s right," Lei Yan replied, reading the uncertainty in Cui Ba’s eyes. "You needn’t worry. My joining you will only bring benefits, never harm. If your men are hurt, I can heal them. If you need poisons, I can concoct them. What do you say?"

"If you want to join us, give me the antidote first," Cui Ba said, inspecting the porcelain vial. From Lei Yan’s tone, he didn’t believe it held the antidote—if anything, it likely contained poison.

Lei Yan hesitated. The antidote was his guarantee of survival; if he handed it over, there was no telling if they might kill him. After a moment’s thought, he said, "The antidote is in that vial, but you’ll need to dissolve it in water to verify it. If the water turns red, it’s poison; if blue, it’s the antidote." He was gambling that Cui Ba wouldn’t kill him. He also had a backup plan: the process he described would indeed distinguish the antidote, but it would also transform it into a slow-acting poison. If Cui Ba spared him, he’d have ample time to cure them; if not, they’d share his fate.

"Second Brother Leng, bring some water," Cui Ba ordered.

Soon, Second Brother Leng returned with another leaf filled with water. Cui Ba took a pill from the porcelain vial—luckily, the very first one he tried—and dropped it into the water. The color gradually turned blue. He glanced at Lei Yan, who nodded, then drank the water in one gulp.

A mouthful of black blood spurted from Cui Ba’s lips, leaving him pale. But as the medicine took effect, color returned to his cheeks. Second Brother Leng, seeing the blood, was about to strike Lei Yan, but Cui Ba stopped him. He knew the black blood was poisoned blood. A quick check of his internal energy revealed no remaining poison.

"Boy, what’s your name?" Cui Ba asked with a smile. Lei Yan’s display of sincerity had won him over.

"My name is Lei," Lei Yan replied, knowing his gamble had paid off.

"Good! From this day forth, Lei is one of us!" Cui Ba declared, laughing heartily. Gaining such talent delighted him. Turning to Second Brother Leng, he ordered, "Distribute the antidote to everyone."

"Wait!" Lei Yan struggled to his feet. "Use this vial instead. It’s all antidote—no need for the water test." He handed over another porcelain vial from his pouch. Now that everything was settled, he had no desire to detoxify a hundred men one by one.

"Smart boy, you really had a backup plan," Cui Ba laughed.

Before long, all the bandits behind the mound, along with Lu Kai, had taken the antidote. When Lu Kai awoke, he shook his massive head and cursed, "Damn it, it’s been years since I’ve been knocked out. Who did this?"

"Lu Kai, over here!" Cui Ba called.

"Coming!" The burly Lu Kai seemed oddly intimidated by Cui Ba. At his command, he immediately wilted, trotting over obediently.

"This is our newest member, Lei," Cui Ba introduced. "That’s Lu Kai, and that one is Second Brother Leng."

"Ha ha ha! Boy, welcome to Dragon Overlord!" Lu Kai boomed, his giant palm slapping Lei Yan’s shoulder.

With a resounding thud, Lei Yan, already weak and barely able to stand, was sent sprawling by the force of Lu Kai’s hand—a slap that, while gentle to Lu Kai, was as heavy as a mountain to Lei Yan. Everything went black, and he collapsed.

"What happened? Is this boy really so weak? I barely touched him!" Lu Kai was bewildered.

Second Brother Leng scoffed. Even he wouldn’t dare take a slap from Lu Kai. What Lu Kai called a light pat was at least a hundred pounds of force.

Cui Ba chuckled. "Lu Kai, you knocked him out, so you’re responsible for carrying him back. And the girl, too. Second Brother Leng, search the body of the dead man, then catch up with us. I’ll take the others ahead." With that, he headed off behind the mound.

"Why do I always get these chores?" Lu Kai grumbled, but obediently tucked Lei Yan under one arm, then did the same with Qingling, showing no trace of gentleness, and followed after Cui Ba.

"Because you’re the strongest," Second Brother Leng replied with a sly grin. He slipped past Lu Kai to Yuan Hou’s corpse, quickly rifled through it, and pocketed a stack of silver notes and a letter. Without a glance, he tucked them away and hurried after Cui Ba.

(P.S. Thank you all for your continued support. If you’re enjoying the story, please consider adding it to your collection!)