Chapter Twenty-Five: Lotus of Origin

After a burst of jubilation, Lei Yan’s feet finally touched solid ground. He walked slowly to stand before Cui Ba, and said respectfully, “Godfather.”

“Well done!” Cui Ba patted Lei Yan’s shoulder with a broad smile, then turned to Lu Kai and instructed, “Check the casualties.”

“Yes!” Lu Kai replied dutifully, heading into Long Ba’s crowd. Not long after, he returned, grinning with excitement. “Cui Ba, it’s a miracle—the Leopards have been wiped out. We only lost one brother, and just three are seriously wounded, with a dozen more lightly injured!”

Cui Ba nodded, feeling a strange surge of excitement. He had never dared to imagine such results before. After a moment’s thought, his ambition was ignited. “Leng, search Feng Shuang’s body.”

Upon hearing the command, Old Leng immediately began searching. A moment later, he stood up looking disappointed. “Cui Ba, there’s nothing at all on Feng Shuang.”

“Nothing at all?” Disappointment flickered in Cui Ba’s eyes. He had always coveted the Leopards’ territory—not only was it well hidden, but it seemed to harbor secrets. In the past, he’d hesitated for lack of strength; now, with such a golden opportunity, he found nothing.

Lei Yan read all the changes on Cui Ba’s face. Though he didn’t know the reason for Cui Ba’s disappointment, he could guess it had something to do with Feng Shuang’s corpse, especially since the disappointment appeared after Old Leng’s search. Clearly, Cui Ba had hoped to find something on Feng Shuang.

With that, Lei Yan’s gaze fell on the corpse at his feet, as though he wanted to see through it. In his previous life as an assassin, Lei Yan knew many ways to hide something: physical objects could be swallowed or hidden in teeth, and information could be encoded in writing. But Lei Yan didn’t know exactly what Cui Ba sought, nor could he ask directly, since Cui Ba’s mood was already soured by the fruitless search.

So he asked tentatively, “Godfather, last time you said the Leopards had few members. Didn’t they send everyone this time?”

“That’s right! The Leopards went all in. What a pity to miss such an opportunity,” Cui Ba replied with regret.

Lei Yan was almost certain now. He walked to Feng Shuang’s body and began searching anew. Suddenly, he noticed a patch of color on Feng Shuang’s arm. Tearing open the sleeve, a leopard tattoo appeared—at first glance an ordinary leopard, but upon closer inspection, the patterns on its body formed a series of lines.

“Is this… a map?” Lu Kai blurted out after a moment.

Cui Ba’s eyes lit up at the sight, then glanced at Lei Yan. Smiling, Lei Yan said, “Human memory is never reliable.”

Cui Ba nodded, agreeing. Memory could be undependable; if they hadn’t recorded it, they’d easily get lost. He squatted down to study the pattern in detail. “Yes, this must be it!” He then used his dagger to cut out the patch of skin, handed the bloodied piece to Lei Yan, and said, “Lei, take Old Leng and some men—go seize the Leopards’ territory!”

“Yes!” Lei Yan respectfully accepted the bloody skin.

Night fell, with heavy clouds obscuring the moon. Over a hundred of Long Ba’s men moved through the Poison Miasma Forest. Their murderous silhouettes rose and fell under the dim moonlight, lending an eerie air to the scene. Lei Yan led at the very front, flanked by Old Leng and Lu Kai. Lu Kai was brimming with excitement, wishing he could sprout wings and fly ahead, while Old Leng’s eyes also gleamed with anticipation—they had long eyed the Leopards’ domain.

As the crescent moon shifted, they reached a sinister part of the Poison Miasma Forest. Not a blade of grass grew on the blackened earth, which looked as if scorched. Dead branches littered the ground, many entwined with brilliantly colored small snakes. The breeze carried a stench, and beneath the dark soil, faint skulls could be seen.

Lu Kai strode boldly ahead, Old Leng close behind. Life in the Poison Miasma Forest had made them accustomed to such sights. Lei Yan studied the tattoo in the faint moonlight, then cursed under his breath. “Damn!” The lines on the tattoo ended here—proof of the Leopards’ cunning. They hadn’t worried about the map being discovered, for they’d kept a card up their sleeve.

“Leng, tell the men to halt,” Lei Yan called.

Old Leng frowned, displeased by the new title, but didn’t bother to correct it. He barked, “Halt!” and the entire group stopped at once.

“What’s wrong now?” Lu Kai hurried over and asked.

“The map ends here,” Lei Yan said, passing the tattooed skin to Old Leng. Meanwhile, his supernatural perception spread out, scanning the area inch by inch.

Old Leng and Lu Kai exchanged looks, thinking Lei Yan was deep in thought, and left him undisturbed. Lu Kai muttered, “What’s there to think about? Just have the brothers search.”

Lei Yan ignored him, continuing his search. Suddenly, a massive boulder caught his attention. He shook his head; the stone was too obvious, standing several meters tall like a giant tombstone. His senses probed behind it and discovered a cave, deep enough that his ability couldn’t fully reach its depths. Snapping his eyes open, he said, “Follow me!” and strode toward the cave. Old Leng and Lu Kai hurried after him. Though they had no idea what Lei Yan was up to, as Cui Ba’s adopted son, they had no choice but to obey.

Lei Yan led them in several circles to the giant stone. “Lu Kai, try moving this boulder.”

“You’re not messing with me, are you, Young Master? We’re here to find the Leopards’ base, not to move rocks!” Lu Kai complained. But Old Leng, seeming to catch on, urged, “If Young Master says move it, just move it. Less talk, more action!”

“You win!” Lu Kai glared at Old Leng. The emphasis on ‘Young Master’ was clear—refusing would be disrespectful to Lei Yan, and by extension to Cui Ba, which he dared not risk. He rolled up his sleeves, spat twice for luck, rubbed his hands, and heaved at the stone. With veins bulging in his arms, the boulder shifted, and within moments, Lu Kai had rolled it aside.

“Here…” As the stone moved, Lu Kai was stunned. Before them yawned a cave entrance, taller than a man and seemingly very deep.

“If I’m not mistaken, this is the Leopards’ base,” Lei Yan said with a smile.

Even without him saying so, the others could guess as much. But Lu Kai couldn’t fathom how Lei Yan, with just a moment’s closed eyes, had led them straight here. A thought struck him—was the Young Master some kind of immortal? No, no, he quickly dismissed that. “Young Master, you’re incredible! You always know things with your eyes closed—it’s like magic. Could you teach me? Young Master, please…”

Before he could finish, Lei Yan had already entered the cave, with Old Leng shooting him a disdainful look before following. “Fine, don’t teach me. I’ll learn on my own!” Lu Kai muttered, shutting his eyes and blundering forward. Having no sense abilities, he walked straight into a wall—squarely hitting his nose. Tears sprang to his eyes as he cursed, “Seeing with your eyes closed—what nonsense…” Rubbing his nose, he hurried after Lei Yan, keeping his eyes open this time.

The cave was deep. Lei Yan kept his powers extended to guard against ambushes as he made his way inward. But after a long trek, not a single soul appeared. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—his senses detected a new space deep within the cave. He quickened his pace.

All at once, their surroundings brightened—they emerged into an open area, at least several miles across, encircled by sheer cliffs as if the heart of a mountain had been hollowed out. Strangely, the plants clinging to the cliffs glowed, bathing the place in daylight brightness. Dotted about the cliffs were many caves—likely the Leopards’ dwellings. Lei Yan’s senses swept the area and found no one. He couldn’t help admiring Feng Shuang’s desperate resolve.

“Lu Kai, lead the men in!” Lei Yan ordered. “Old Leng, run back and bring word to Godfather—have him bring everyone. This is an excellent place!”

“Yes, Young Master!” The two left at once.

Lei Yan walked down into the clearing. The open ground was full of flowers and plants, and at the center seemed to be a pool, faintly fragrant.

“Primordial Lotus!” At the pool, Lei Yan nearly shouted. He recognized the plant at a glance. The Primordial Lotus was even more precious than the Five-Colored Dust Nectar. Every forty-nine days, it produced a crop of seeds—forty-nine per lotus. Taking one a day for forty-nine days could fully open all the body’s meridians, reaching the Innate Realm—a foundation even more stable than that provided by Five-Colored Dust Nectar.

“What a waste! Such ruin!” Lei Yan looked around in anguish at the destroyed lotuses—all clearly ruined by the Leopards. Even the pool had been polluted. Once a treasure for nurturing the Primordial Lotus, now the water was tainted, and the last surviving lotus, battered and incomplete, might not survive at all.