Chapter Nineteen: The Beginning of the Killing

The man in black dared not make a rash move, unable to discern what poison Lei Yan had used, and most importantly, unsure whether he himself might suddenly lose consciousness.

"Didn't the person who sent you tell you I have some knowledge of medicine?" Lei Yan appeared utterly unconcerned that the other might attack suddenly. He lightly adjusted the sheet around him to settle into the most comfortable position, looking calmly at the man in black opposite.

The man in black was momentarily taken aback by Lei Yan's composure, but then his surprise quickly turned to anger.

"You're not afraid I'll kill you right now?" the man in black threatened viciously.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," Lei Yan replied with a smile. "It would be no different from suicide."

"Hmph!" The man in black snorted coldly. He didn’t know whether Lei Yan was telling the truth, but he was certain that numbness was spreading rapidly through his body. He suddenly noticed faint blue smoke curling from the oil lamp opposite; it was so subtle that he might not have noticed if he hadn't looked closely.

"You're just stalling for time!" The moment he saw the smoke, the man in black seemed to realize something and immediately swung his blade down at Lei Yan.

The blade came swiftly, but under Lei Yan’s supernatural focus, it seemed slow and heavy. Lei Yan merely shifted slightly, avoiding the deadly strike with ease.

With a crack, the old wooden frame at the edge of the bed splintered under the blade, and the thin dagger sang as it was withdrawn, humming in the stillness.

"You know martial arts?" The man in black was genuinely stunned now. His information said the target was a useless boy with no martial skill. He began to wonder if he was in the wrong room.

"No, I don't," Lei Yan answered unhurriedly. He pointed at the oil lamp and added, "No need to be so nervous. The oil lamp contains nothing but regular oil. A little smoke is normal."

"Hmph!" The man in black snorted again. Whoever this boy was, mistakes or not, he couldn’t be allowed to live. He raised his blade, ready to finish Lei Yan, but suddenly his vision darkened. Instinctively, he braced himself with the blade against the floor, steadying his stance. "What have you poisoned me with?" he roared.

"I told you, it’s just medicine. You’re simply not used to it," Lei Yan replied, edging further onto the bed to keep his distance. The man in black had only been dosed with ordinary anesthetic, and if he realized it, he would likely go berserk and kill Lei Yan without a second thought.

"Why am I getting worked up over a child?" muttered the man in black, feeling increasingly deranged and murderous. "Fine! I admit it’s medicine! Now tell me, what the hell did you use on me?"

"Alright, alright, I’ll tell you," Lei Yan shrugged. "The numbness is caused by a simple anesthetic, which came from the oil lamp. The dizziness you’re experiencing is from the nearly burnt-out incense stick. Normally, sandalwood incense sharpens the mind, but catalyzed by the anesthetic, the effect is quite different."

"Kid, you clearly don’t understand what an innate realm martial artist can do," the man in black sneered.

Lei Yan’s words finally put his mind at ease. Such drugs could be ignored by someone at the innate realm. He summoned his inner energy, and a visible dark-blue liquid began to seep from his pores. He’d been fooled by Lei Yan’s calm into not using his inner strength out of fear the toxin would be driven deeper into his heart.

"So, even enhanced anesthetics are useless against an innate martial artist," Lei Yan thought to himself, watching the dark liquid ooze from the man’s skin. But this wasn’t his true aim; his attention was on the wood shavings clinging to the man’s shoulder—that was his real target.

"The crucial thing isn’t the medicine, but the wood shavings on your shoulder," Lei Yan said with a smile, pointing them out.

Lost in self-satisfaction, the man in black glanced down at his shoulder. He didn't recall when those shavings had gotten there, though he’d noticed a faint earthy smell. Carefully, he brushed them off with his blade, not daring to use his hand.

"It’s too late now," Lei Yan said with a cold smile. "Those shavings came from the box of the Soul-Chasing Incense gifted by Bai Yu, and the incense itself is also Soul-Chasing Incense!"

A strange smile curled on the man in black’s lips as he lifted his blade and stepped toward Lei Yan. "Remember this in your next life: never let anyone know your secrets again."

Lei Yan’s brow furrowed as the man in black drew closer. Something was wrong—the poison should have taken effect by now. Why was his attacker still moving freely? And why hadn’t the Lei family guards noticed the commotion?

"Die!" the man in black roared, hacking wildly with his blade. Each swing thudded heavily, but he simply couldn’t strike Lei Yan, who was now gasping for breath, slumped against the wall. Lei Yan couldn’t fathom why the poison hadn’t worked, or why no one had come to his aid.

"I really underestimated you," the man in black snarled. For an innate martial artist to miss a defenseless child had pushed him to the brink of fury.

Lei Yan knew things were dire; his body had reached its limit. Several times, he saw the blade’s path but couldn’t move in time, escaping with only shallow grazes. If he kept relying on drugs, he realized, he would never be able to contend with a true cultivator.

He drew a dagger from his right sleeve, pressing another hidden one with his left hand as he leaned against the wall, panting. He knew he had only one chance—to kill with a single strike, waiting for the perfect moment.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

"Wild Goose Fourfold Slash!" The man in black’s blade flashed four times in the air.

With a tearing sound, the edge of the blade easily slashed through Lei Yan’s thin shirt, leaving four long, shallow cuts that bled crimson. This was already the best Lei Yan could manage; a real fight against an innate martial artist was simply beyond his current physical limits, even with his supernatural abilities.

The man in black burst out laughing as he saw blood drawn, drunk on his own arrogance.

"Now!" Lei Yan, having waited for this very moment, flung his throwing knife at the man’s brow.

The laughter stopped abruptly as the man brought his blade up, knocking the knife aside with a metallic clang. "You little—" he began, but before he could finish, a flash of cold light caught him. He felt his breath catch in his throat. Instinctively, he reached for his neck, but blood was already spurting out between his fingers. Staring at Lei Yan’s cold smile, he simply couldn’t comprehend how the boy had reached him so suddenly.

"You… you…" was all he could utter before collapsing with a crash.

Lei Yan, gripping his blood-soaked dagger, gasped for air. He hadn’t rushed over immediately; instead, he’d waited for his chance, dashing forward the instant the man’s vision was blocked by his own blade. It was a gamble, betting his body could endure long enough to kill his foe while he was distracted. Had he failed, he would have resigned himself to fate—but victory was his.

After a long moment, Lei Yan finally caught his breath. He walked over and prodded the body with his foot; the man in black was stone dead. Only then did Lei Yan search him. He needed to know why the drug had failed against an innate martial artist—this mistake had nearly cost him his life, and he couldn’t afford to repeat it.

"So, he was prepared all along! How foolish of me—not to realize that if Bai Yu could give me poison, he’d surely have the antidote as well." From the man’s belt, Lei Yan found a small bottle. Uncapping it and taking a whiff, he understood: his drug had been rendered useless because the man had already taken the antidote. From now on, Lei Yan knew he could no longer rely on his old formulas.