“Hey, kid, did you bring those herbs I asked for?” Crimsonlotus stood at the cell door, grinning at Cassian.
His hair hung down in a wild white mess, looking like a dried-up corpse.
One side of his face held some shriveled flesh, the other was bare bone.
He was creepy as hell.
Cassian nodded and handed over the herbs.
He raised a brow.
“Only four?
What kind of trick are you planning?
Gonna make me a pill?”
Crimsonlotus took them with that odd smile.
“These aren’t for you.
They’re for me.”
Cassian stiffened.
“What?
Didn’t you say this was supposed to be a surprise for me?
You playing me?”
None of these herbs were too rare-except that Eightfold Fruit.
He’d nearly died getting it.
No way he felt good handing it over for this.
“Easy, kid,” Crimsonlotus chuckled, waving his hand.
“The point of these was to let me recover a bit.
Once I have strength again, then the real surprises can start.”
And with that, he just tossed all four herbs into his mouth and swallowed them whole.
Suddenly, blue smoke poured from his nose and mouth.
His brittle body started cracking like dry wood, and his back even straightened a bit.
“Ahhh, much better.” Crimsonlotus stretched and rolled his neck with a low groan.
Cassian stared, jaw dropping.
“What the hell kind of move is that?
You swallowed them whole?
Aren’t you worried about…
I don’t know, clogging your gut?”
Crimsonlotus laughed.
“Relax.
I was refining them internally.
I’ve barely regained a sliver of strength, but just enough to whip up something fun.”
Cassian frowned.
“And what’s this surprise?”
“Hold on a sec.”
The old freak then reached into his crotch, fiddled around for a moment, and finally pulled out a tiny black pellet, no bigger than a fingernail.
Gritting with satisfaction, he held it out towards the cell bars.
“Here.
Consider this my welcome gift.”
Cassian’s face twisted.
His stomach churned.
“You gotta be shitting me.
That came out of your crotch.
That’s not a pill-that’s filth!”
“Ahem.” Crimsonlotus cleared his throat.
“You’re clearly lacking in alchemical insight.
This is called the Grime Pellet.
Only a pill sovereign like me, who’s lived countless eons, can forge it.
One swallow, and you’ll break past the spiritblade realm into spiritcore realm, just like that.”
Cassian stared at the foul little thing and sneered, “You’re kidding, right?
You expect me to believe this miracle pill came from anything but decades of dirt packed under your balls?”
“Kid, if you’re gonna doubt me using your own logic, then I’ve got nothing more to say.” Crimsonlotus’ tone was honest as can be.
“How about this-if this pill doesn’t help raise your cultivation, you can ignore me from now on.
Fair deal?”
He added with a smirk, “You’re the warden of this place.
We all rely on you to survive.
Why would I trick you like Bloodfiend?
You’ve seen what happened to him.”
“Old freak, can you stop using me as an example?!” Bloodfiend snapped, completely fed up.
He didn’t want to talk to that shameless bastard, yet here he was, dragging him in again.
“Oh, what, you got a problem with me using you as an example?
It’s because you’re worth it!” Crimsonlotus’ tone turned sharp.
“Want me to expose your little scheme right here and now?”
“You…” Bloodfiend had been seething with rage, but that one line choked it all back down.
Bloodfiend’s scheme?
What did he mean?
Hearing that, Cassian raised a brow and turned to Crimsonlotus.
“Speak, old man.
What the hell else is Bloodfiend hiding?
Be straight-if you’re honest, I’ll swallow this pill right now.”
“It’s not really an evil scheme per se,” Crimsonlotus said, shaking his head.
“He just wants more of your blood.
That’s why he messed around with those cultivation methods-told you to learn this or you’ll die, all nonsense.
Those so-called Grand Spirit Devour and Grand Soul Devour techniques?
No side effects whatsoever…”
Cassian’s expression finally eased a bit, the weight on his chest lifting.
So that bastard Bloodfiend had just been tricking him to squeeze out more blood.
“Crimsonlotus, you son of a-”
Bloodfiend nearly kicked the cell bars off.
That damn geezer had just sold him out completely.
“So, let me get this straight,” Cassian said, turning around slowly, now standing tall and sharp.
“You did all this just to get some daily blood donations from me?
Was calling me your ‘kid’ part of your grand Magus Emperor image?”
Now, Bloodfiend dared not throw a fit anymore.
He dropped to his knees before the cell gate, voice trembling.
“Boss, I was wrong.
Please, forgive me, I won’t ever pull this again.”
“You’re still thinking about next time?
You damn scammer!” Cassian shot back, expression cold.
“Yeah, yeah, boss, you’re right to scold me.
But at least I never actually tried to hurt you, right?” Bloodfiend sounded pitiful, though try as he might there weren’t any tears to back it up, just a desperate smile.
“Boss, you’re a big man, just let this one slide…”
“Forgive you?” Cassian scoffed, grinning faintly as a thought crossed his mind.
“How about this-call me ‘daddy’ and we’ll talk.”
Asking a proud Magus Emperor to call you daddy?
That was definitely over the line.
But given what Bloodfiend pulled, Cassian wasn’t about to let it go easy.
He was the boss in this Forbidden Prison.
His authority had to mean something.
“Daddy!
Please, daddy, forgive little Bloodfiend, alright?!”
Cassian froze for a second.
He hadn’t expected Bloodfiend to ditch all shame so fast.
He actually said it-and loud, clear, and so damn sincere?!
Even Cassian got goosebumps.
He held up a hand, signaling for a pause.
“Alright, alright.
If you teach me the Grand Blood Devour Art later, I’ll let it go this once.”