—————
The Serpent's Garden had become more than a restaurant.
I had designed the establishment with multiple purposes in mind, but the intelligence-gathering function had exceeded my most optimistic projections. The dining room's layout, the kitchen's positioning, the private rooms arranged for wealthy patrons—every architectural choice served surveillance as much as hospitality.
And my enhanced senses made that surveillance comprehensive.
Absolute Perception extended fifty feet in all directions, capturing every conversation within its sphere. Essence Trace analyzed the chemical signatures of patrons, revealing stress levels, recent activities, even the faint traces of substances they had handled. Silent Passage's vibration sensing detected the subtlest physical cues—nervous tapping, concealed weapons, the minute tremors that accompanied deception.
The restaurant's customers believed they dined in privacy. They discussed business arrangements, cultivation secrets, political maneuverings—all within range of senses they could not perceive and would not have believed existed.
I listened to everything.
—————
The intelligence accumulated across months of operation painted a picture of Heaven Dou City's hidden currents.
Spirit Hall's influence extended deeper than surface observation suggested. Their representatives appeared at noble gatherings, merchant negotiations, even Academy administrative meetings. The organization functioned less as a cultivation institution and more as a shadow government, their tendrils touching every significant power center.
The noble clans maintained complex webs of alliance and rivalry that shifted with political winds. Marriage negotiations, resource competitions, territorial disputes—the aristocracy's concerns rarely intersected with common Spirit Masters, but their outcomes shaped the environment in which all cultivators operated.
And beneath the formal structures, I detected whispers of something else entirely.
Rare cultivation resources. Immortal herbs. Treasures that could transform Spirit Master development in ways that normal advancement could not match.
The conversations were fragmentary—merchants discussing rumors, minor nobles complaining about missed opportunities, traveling Spirit Masters sharing tales from distant territories. But patterns emerged from the accumulated data.
The most significant source of rare herbs in the Heaven Dou Empire was controlled by a single individual.
Dugu Bo. The Poison Douluo.
—————
I researched the name extensively through the information networks my restaurant position provided.
Intelligence Assessment: Dugu Bo
Cultivation: Rank 91+ (Title Douluo, Poison attribute) Location: Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, approximately three weeks' travel from Heaven Dou City Notable Features: Maintains an extensive garden of rare and poisonous herbs, including several classified as immortal grade Personality Assessment: Irascible, territorial, known for violent responses to perceived intrusions Threat Level: Absolute under direct confrontation
The Poison Douluo represented exactly the kind of power I had spent years learning to avoid. A Title Douluo could annihilate Spirit Emperors with casual effort. Direct confrontation meant death regardless of my concealment capabilities.
But direct confrontation was not my intention.
Dugu Bo's herb garden was legendary among cultivation resource circles. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—a natural formation that combined extreme temperatures in ways that should have been physically impossible—created growing conditions that produced herbs found nowhere else on the continent.
Immortal herbs. Resources that could transform cultivation trajectories. Treasures that the main plot's protagonist would eventually claim through circumstances I remembered only fragmentarily.
Tang San. The Blue Silver Grass wielder whose destiny involved the Poison Douluo, whose development had benefited from those rare resources, whose rise I had been carefully avoiding for years.
What if those resources were no longer available when he came seeking them?
The thought was dangerous in its implications. I had established a policy of non-interference with the main timeline, recognizing that the plot's eventual outcome—while costly—was generally favorable. Disrupting that trajectory risked consequences I could not predict.
But the resources themselves were valuable beyond calculation. Immortal herbs could enhance my physical development, strengthen my team's capabilities, provide advantages that might prove critical when the timeline's major events finally arrived.
And there was something satisfying about the notion of denying the protagonist treasures that fate had seemingly reserved for him.
The serpent's nature did not forget old survival imperatives. I had spent a hundred thousand years accumulating power through consumption of others' resources. The habit was not so easily abandoned.
I began planning the most ambitious operation of my existence.
—————
The intelligence gathering intensified over the following weeks.
I identified merchants who had traded in Dugu Bo's territory, listening to their conversations about the Poison Douluo's patterns and preferences. I cultivated minor Spirit Masters who had attempted to acquire herbs from the region, extracting information about the garden's defenses and the Title Douluo's behavior.
The picture that emerged was both encouraging and terrifying.
Dugu Bo spent most of his time in seclusion, cultivating in areas where his poison attribute could develop without harming others. His territorial patrols were regular but predictable—he checked specific points at consistent intervals, his movements governed by cultivation routines that had not changed in decades.
The herb garden itself was extensive, covering several acres of the unique terrain surrounding the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. The plants grew in careful arrangements that maximized the location's unusual properties, their value accumulating with each year of cultivation.
Most critically, Dugu Bo's security relied primarily on his reputation.
A Title Douluo's presence deterred almost any intrusion. What thief would risk confronting a cultivator who could poison an entire city with a thought? What force could assault a position defended by someone whose combat capability approached divine?
The security was reputation. Not barriers. Not detection systems. Not guards or formations.
Just fear.
And I had spent my entire existence learning to be invisible to those who should have feared me.
—————
The operation required three weeks of preparation.
I announced a "cultivation retreat" to explain my extended absence—a pattern I had established often enough that it prompted no unusual questions. The restaurant would function adequately under Huang Mei's management. The team's Academy schedules would continue without my direct involvement.
The journey to Dugu Bo's territory took the full three weeks I had allocated, traveling through increasingly remote terrain that discouraged casual visitors. The poison attribute of the region became detectable long before the Yin Yang Well itself came into view—my Essence Trace registering toxic compounds in the air, the water, the very soil beneath my feet.
An ordinary Spirit Master would have suffered severe complications from mere presence in this environment. The accumulated poisons would have degraded their physical condition within hours, forced retreat within days.
My Venom Mastery made me immune.
The thirty-five-thousand-year ring had transformed my relationship with toxins entirely. Poisons that would have killed Spirit Kings passed through my system without effect. The environmental contamination that protected Dugu Bo's territory registered as minor irritation rather than threat.
I was perhaps the only cultivator below Title Douluo level who could operate in this region without protective equipment or spiritual countermeasures.
The irony was not lost on me. The Poison Douluo's defenses were specifically calibrated against cultivators who could not tolerate his domain. Against a serpent spirit with enhanced venom capability, those defenses were worthless.
—————
I observed Dugu Bo's patterns for four days before attempting entry.
My concealment suite operated at maximum effectiveness, rendering me invisible to the casual spiritual sweeps that the Title Douluo conducted during his territorial patrols. He passed within thirty feet of my concealed position on three separate occasions, his ancient senses detecting nothing unusual despite power that should have perceived almost anything.
The confidence this generated was carefully modulated. Title Douluo possessed capabilities that defied normal analysis. A focused examination, rather than passive awareness, might still pierce my disguise. I could not assume safety simply because initial tests proved favorable.
But the patterns I observed suggested opportunity.
Dugu Bo's cultivation routine included extended periods of deep meditation—eight to twelve hours during which his external awareness diminished substantially. During these windows, his response to intrusion would be delayed by the time required to emerge from meditative states.
The herb garden was located approximately two hundred meters from his primary cultivation chamber. The distance, combined with his meditative absorption, created windows of opportunity that might permit harvesting without detection.
Might. The uncertainty was irreducible. I was attempting to steal from a being whose power exceeded mine by orders of magnitude, whose perception could detect threats I might not even recognize as threats, whose response to intrusion had historically been lethal.
The serpent had survived a hundred thousand years through caution. This operation pushed against the limits of what caution could accommodate.
But the rewards justified the risk.
I waited for optimal conditions.
—————
The entry occurred on the fifth night, when Dugu Bo's meditation pattern suggested a twelve-hour window.
I moved through the poisoned terrain with speed that my enhanced physical capabilities permitted, covering the distance between my observation point and the herb garden in minutes rather than hours. The toxins in the environment registered against my Essence Trace but produced no physiological effect—my Venom Mastery converting the harmful compounds into something my system processed without difficulty.
The garden itself exceeded my expectations.
Rows of carefully cultivated plants extended across terrain that should not have supported life. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well's influence created micro-climates that varied dramatically across short distances—frigid cold in one section, scorching heat in another, the extremes somehow coexisting in ways that defied physical law.
And the herbs growing in these impossible conditions…
My Essence Trace cataloged them with the comprehensive analysis the skill provided.
Immortal Herb Identification:
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass: Growing in the coldest sections, this herb's spiritual essence could enhance soul power purity. Estimated value: Priceless. Quantity available: Seven mature specimens.
Infernal Delicate Apricot: Thriving in the hottest regions, capable of enhancing physical constitution and fire resistance. Estimated value: Priceless. Quantity available: Four mature specimens.
Nine-Heart Begonia: A balanced specimen growing at the intersection of ice and fire influences, capable of harmonizing conflicting cultivation attributes. Estimated value: Priceless. Quantity available: One mature specimen.
Yearning Heartbroken Red: An herb of legendary rarity, capable of affecting soul structure in ways that normal cultivation could not achieve. Estimated value: Beyond calculation. Quantity available: One mature specimen.
Additional specimens: Dozens of lesser immortal herbs and rare medicinal plants, collectively worth more than most noble families' entire treasuries.
The garden represented wealth and power that could transform cultivation trajectories for generations.
And Dugu Bo simply left it growing, accumulating value, protected only by his reputation.
The serpent's nature did not hesitate at opportunity this significant.
—————
The harvesting required three hours of careful work.
Each immortal herb demanded specific handling—improper extraction would damage the spiritual essence, reducing priceless treasures to merely valuable materials. My Essence Trace guided the process, identifying optimal severance points and timing, detecting the subtle energy fluctuations that indicated safe harvesting windows.
I did not take everything.
A complete harvest would be immediately obvious, triggering investigation that might eventually point toward my involvement. Instead, I selected specimens strategically—taking the most valuable while leaving enough that casual inspection would not immediately reveal the theft.
The Yearning Heartbroken Red came with me. The Nine-Heart Begonia. Three of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. Two of the Infernal Delicate Apricots. A selection of lesser herbs that my analysis suggested would be most beneficial for my team's development.
The haul exceeded anything I could have acquired through normal channels, regardless of wealth or connections. These were resources that simply were not available through commerce—treasures that existed only in places like this, guarded by beings whose power made acquisition effectively impossible.
For anyone except a serpent who had learned to be invisible.
I stored the herbs in preservation containers I had prepared specifically for this operation, their spiritual seals maintaining the essence that made the specimens valuable. The weight was substantial but manageable for my enhanced physical capabilities.
The exit proceeded without incident. Dugu Bo's meditation continued undisturbed. The environmental defenses that protected ordinary intruders failed to detect someone whose very nature was poison transformed into power.
I was three miles from the garden when I permitted myself the luxury of a grin.
—————
The journey back to Heaven Dou City took two weeks of careful travel, my cargo too valuable to risk through speed that might compromise concealment.
I used the time to contemplate what I had done.
The main timeline's protagonist had, in the story I remembered, acquired resources from Dugu Bo through a combination of desperate circumstances, brilliant improvisation, and the kind of fate-favored luck that protagonists enjoyed. Those resources had contributed to his development, had provided advantages that helped him survive challenges that should have killed him.
Now those resources were mine.
Would Tang San fail without them? Would his trajectory collapse, his destiny unfulfilled, his eventual confrontation with Spirit Hall ending in defeat rather than victory?
I did not know. The future was not fixed—my very existence in this world proved that much. The protagonist might find alternative resources, might develop through different paths, might achieve the same endpoints through routes I could not predict.
Or he might not.
The thought should have troubled me more than it did. I had established non-interference as policy precisely because the timeline's outcome was generally favorable. Disrupting that trajectory risked catastrophic consequences that would affect everyone, including myself.
But the serpent's nature was not easily suppressed. A hundred thousand years of accumulating power through consumption of others' resources had created instincts that transcended rational policy. When opportunity presented itself—when treasures waited unguarded—the predator took.
Tang San would need to find his own path to power. The universe had not promised him anything, regardless of what narrative conventions might have suggested.
I had what I needed. That was sufficient.
—————
The herb consumption began immediately upon my return to the capital.
The Yearning Heartbroken Red came first—the most valuable specimen, capable of affecting soul structure in ways I needed to understand before attempting with lesser resources. I prepared the consumption carefully, using cultivation cooking techniques to maximize the spiritual essence's integration.
The effects exceeded my projections.
Power flooded through channels that expanded to accommodate new capacity. Physical enhancement that should have required years of cultivation occurred in hours. The herb's essence merged with my existing structure, optimizing connections, strengthening foundations, elevating capabilities across every measurable dimension.
When the integration completed, my physical parameters had increased by approximately twenty percent across all metrics. Strength. Speed. Durability. Spiritual sensitivity. Every aspect of my combat capability had been enhanced to levels that approached the maximum my current cultivation could support.
I could defeat Spirit Saints without releasing my rings.
The realization crystallized through testing that I conducted in my isolated eastern house. A Spirit Saint—rank seventy-one through seventy-five—represented cultivators of genuine continental significance. They possessed power that should have required my full capabilities to contest, let alone defeat.
But my enhanced physical parameters, combined with my concealment suite and assassination techniques, created combat scenarios where my apparent level became irrelevant. I could approach without detection. Strike before awareness could trigger defense. Deliver venom that would incapacitate before spiritual techniques could be deployed.
A Spirit Saint who could not perceive my approach could not survive my attack.
The serpent had become something beyond what cultivation rank alone could measure.
—————
The remaining herbs were distributed across subsequent weeks.
The Nine-Heart Begonia enhanced my soul power stability, reducing the consumption rate of my concealment suite while increasing its effectiveness. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass improved my cold resistance and refined my thermal control capabilities. The Infernal Delicate Apricots boosted my heat tolerance and enhanced the potency of my venom's hemotoxic component.
Each herb contributed specific improvements that accumulated into transformative overall enhancement.
My cultivation advanced in parallel—rank sixty-one, sixty-two, sixty-three—each level coming faster than the last as the immortal herbs' essence accelerated my development rate beyond normal parameters.
By the time the consumption sequence completed, I had achieved Spirit Emperor of the third level while possessing physical capabilities that matched or exceeded Spirit Douluo. The gap between my apparent power and my actual threat level had become an abyss that no casual observation could bridge.
—————
I reserved the lesser immortal herbs for the team.
The decision reflected both strategic calculation and the genuine care that my human development had cultivated. Wang Tao, Xiao Mei, Chen Wei, and Huang Mei had proven their value through years of cooperation. Their advancement benefited my operations while also satisfying emotional investments I had learned to acknowledge.
The distribution occurred during a team meeting that I convened at the restaurant after closing.
"I've acquired some cultivation resources during my recent retreat," I explained, placing the preservation containers on the table. "Rare herbs that can enhance your development significantly. The consumption will require approximately three months to integrate fully. After that, you'll be ready to acquire your fourth rings."
The team's reactions varied according to their developed personalities.
Wang Tao's response was characteristically direct: "Where did you get immortal herbs? These are worth more than everything we've earned in three years of hunting."
"Sources I cannot discuss. Accept that the opportunity exists and focus on utilizing it effectively."
Chen Wei examined the containers with the analytical eye his logistics training had developed. "The preservation seals are professional quality. Whoever prepared these knew exactly what they were handling." His gaze lifted to meet mine. "Lin Xiao, what exactly did you do during this retreat?"
"Acquired resources. The details are not relevant to their use."
Xiao Mei's response carried the challenging edge that had characterized her recent development. "Not relevant? You disappear for over a month, return with treasures that noble clans would kill for, and expect us to just accept that without questions?"
"Yes."
The single word carried finality that even her newfound confidence could not easily challenge. But her expression suggested this conversation was merely postponed rather than concluded.
Huang Mei's response was different—quieter, more perceptive. "You took a significant risk. I can see it in how you're holding yourself. Whatever you did, it pushed against limits you normally respect."
Her observation was uncomfortably accurate. "The reward justified the risk."
"Did it?" Her eyes held concern that exceeded simple strategic assessment. "Rewards don't matter if acquiring them costs something essential."
"Nothing essential was lost. I remain intact. The resources are here. The opportunity for your advancement exists." I met her gaze with steadiness that I hoped conveyed reassurance. "Trust me."
"I do trust you. That's exactly why I'm worried."
The exchange carried undercurrents that the rest of the team could not fully perceive—the accumulated intimacy of years of developing relationship, the understanding that exceeded what words alone could communicate.
I would explain eventually. When circumstances permitted. When the truth would not endanger what we had built.
For now, the herbs needed to be consumed. The team needed to advance. The fourth ring hunts needed to be planned.
—————
The three months of herb integration passed with the team focused on internal development rather than external operations.
I monitored their progress through the regular coordination meetings that our structure maintained.
Wang Tao's Earth Hammer spirit responded dramatically to the herbs' influence, his already considerable physical power amplifying by margins that surprised even his optimistic assessments. His cultivation pushed toward rank thirty-six, approaching the threshold where fourth ring acquisition became optimal.
Xiao Mei's Silver Rabbit spirit gained speed enhancements that pushed her toward her species' theoretical limits. Her rank advanced to thirty-nine, her physical capabilities now approaching what professional assassins developed through decades of dedicated training. The herbs had enhanced what was already exceptional into something approaching extraordinary.
Chen Wei's support orientation meant his visible improvements were less dramatic, but the spiritual stability the herbs provided made his enhancement abilities more efficient and sustainable. His rank reached thirty-two, and his techniques could now maintain multiple simultaneous effects that previously would have exhausted him rapidly.
Huang Mei's Healing Lotus spirit benefited perhaps most significantly from the rare resources. Her healing capabilities gained depth and potency that approached what master-level support cultivators achieved after decades of development. Her rank advanced to thirty-eight, and her cultivation cooking expertise now incorporated spiritual sensitivity that exceeded even her father's legendary capabilities.
The team was transforming into something that exceeded mere capable students. They were becoming genuine Spirit Masters whose collective power could contest challenges that would have seemed impossible just years earlier.
The fourth ring hunts could proceed.
—————
I gathered the team as the integration period concluded, presenting the plans I had developed during their internal cultivation.
"Your fourth rings require careful target selection. The soul beasts you absorb will shape your combat capabilities for the remainder of your cultivation careers. We cannot approach this hunt with the opportunistic methodology of previous expeditions."
Maps spread across the table, annotated with information I had gathered through months of intelligence work.
"Wang Tao, your Earth Hammer spirit requires a ring that enhances either defensive capability or offensive force. I've identified a colony of Iron Mountain Beetles approximately four weeks' travel south. The dominant specimens approach four thousand years—appropriate for fourth ring integration while providing earth-attribute synergy."
Wang Tao nodded with the focused attention his combat training had developed. "Defensive enhancement would complement my current offensive focus. The beetle's shell techniques could provide options I currently lack."
"Xiao Mei, your Silver Rabbit needs speed or agility enhancement. The Windchaser Deer population in the eastern grasslands includes specimens of appropriate age and attribute. Their movement techniques are legendary among speed-type beasts."
"I've heard of them." Xiao Mei's expression carried interest that her challenging attitude could not entirely suppress. "Hunters say they're almost impossible to catch. Even dedicated speed cultivators fail more often than they succeed."
"Your current capabilities exceed dedicated speed cultivators by significant margins. The challenge is appropriate for your level."
"Chen Wei, your support orientation benefits most from rings that enhance your buffing or coordination abilities. The Harmony Crane flocks in the northern wetlands provide specimens whose abilities directly complement your existing techniques."
Chen Wei made notes with the organizational attention that characterized his approach. "The logistics for reaching three different hunting grounds in reasonable timeframes…"
"Huang Mei and I will accompany each hunt in sequence. Her healing ensures recovery from injuries. My tactical oversight ensures successful execution. The schedule allows approximately two weeks per operation, with travel time between locations."
The plan was comprehensive—three months of total operation time to acquire three fourth rings, transforming the team from capable students into genuine Spirit Ancestor-level cultivators.
"Questions?"
Wang Tao grinned with anticipation that combat challenges always generated in him. "When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow. Pack for extended wilderness operation. The hunts begin immediately."
—————
The operations proceeded according to plan with complications that intensive preparation had accounted for.
Wang Tao's Iron Mountain Beetle hunt required seventeen days total—four days of travel, eight days of tracking and engagement, five days of recovery and ring integration. The battle against the dominant specimen pushed his enhanced capabilities to their limits, the beetle's defensive techniques proving formidable despite our coordinated assault.
But the ring absorption succeeded. Forty-one hundred years of earth-attribute power integrated with his spiritual structure, providing defensive techniques that complemented his offensive focus exactly as projected.
Xiao Mei's Windchaser Deer hunt was the most challenging. The creature's speed genuinely approached the theoretical maximum for its species, requiring three separate engagement attempts before successful capture became possible. Her Silver Rabbit abilities, pushed beyond previous limits, finally achieved the positioning necessary for a killing strike.
Thirty-eight hundred years of speed-attribute essence joined her cultivation, enhancing capabilities that already approached extraordinary into something that defied normal assessment.
Chen Wei's Harmony Crane hunt was the smoothest operation—the support-type creature's lack of offensive capability making it vulnerable to coordinated assault despite its four-thousand-year cultivation. His new ring provided coordination and enhancement abilities that made his buffing techniques significantly more effective.
Each team member emerged from their hunt transformed. Fourth rings meant Spirit Ancestor level—genuine capability in the cultivation hierarchy, power sufficient to participate in matters of continental significance.
The serpent's team had become formidable.
—————
We returned to Heaven Dou City after three months of continuous wilderness operation.
The restaurant had functioned adequately during our absence, temporary staff maintaining operations under the distant oversight that Huang Mei's aunt provided. But our return brought renewed energy that the establishment had been missing.
I assessed the team's development during our first coordination meeting after the hunts.
Wang Tao: Rank 40, four rings, Earth Hammer spirit with balanced offensive and defensive capability Xiao Mei: Rank 43, four rings, Silver Rabbit spirit with speed approaching theoretical maximum Chen Wei: Rank 36, four rings, support specialty with enhanced coordination abilities Huang Mei: Rank 42, four rings, Healing Lotus spirit with cultivation cooking expertise approaching master level
The collective power exceeded what I had projected possible when I first began assembling this group during Academy days. They had grown from uncertain students into genuine Spirit Masters whose combined capability could contest challenges that regional guilds would hesitate to attempt.
And I had reached rank sixty-three during the same period, my own development continuing at the accelerated pace that immortal herb consumption and soul beast meat absorption permitted.
The foundations were strong. The trajectory was favorable. The preparations for eventual timeline events were proceeding appropriately.
But Xiao Mei's challenging attitude had not diminished during the expedition. If anything, her new power had amplified her confidence into something approaching arrogance.
"Now that we're back," she said during the meeting's conclusion, "I think it's time we had an honest conversation about where these resources actually came from."
"The topic was addressed. My answer has not changed."
"Your answer was evasion. You've been evading for years, Lin Xiao. Your cultivation that never seems to advance. Your mysterious retreats. Your connections that seem to exceed what a provincial Academy graduate should possess." Her eyes held challenge that her new Spirit Ancestor power made more credible. "We've trusted you blindly for long enough. It's time for truth."
The confrontation I had been anticipating had finally arrived.
"What truth do you imagine you're owed?" My voice remained level despite the tension the conversation generated.
"The truth about what you actually are. Because you're not a Spirit Grandmaster from a destroyed village. You never were." She stood, her enhanced physical presence lending weight to her words. "I've been watching you since the herbs. Your movements when you think no one's looking. Your reactions to things you shouldn't be able to perceive. You're hiding something massive, and I'm done pretending I don't notice."
The room had gone silent. Wang Tao and Chen Wei watched with expressions mixing confusion with concern. Huang Mei's face showed something else—understanding, perhaps, or resignation to a conversation she had known was coming.
"Xiao Mei," Huang Mei said quietly, "perhaps this isn't the time—"
"It's exactly the time. We just risked our lives on hunts he organized, using resources he mysteriously acquired. If there's something dangerous about him, about what we've become through association with him, we deserve to know."
The accusation hung in the air, demanding response.
I considered my options. Denial would be increasingly difficult to maintain as Xiao Mei's perception sharpened with her development. Partial truth might satisfy while preserving essential secrets. Full disclosure risked everything I had built.
But Xiao Mei was right about one thing—trust that I demanded but did not reciprocate was fundamentally unstable.
"What I am," I said finally, "is not something I can fully explain. What I can tell you is that my loyalty to this team is genuine. My investment in your development is real. Whatever secrets I maintain are not threats to you—they are protections. For me and for everyone connected to me."
"That's still evasion."
"It's the truth. Some things cannot be shared without creating dangers that currently do not exist." I met her eyes with steadiness that I hoped conveyed sincerity. "I am asking you to trust that I have reasons. That when circumstances permit, I will explain. And that everything I have done has been toward ensuring that we—all of us—survive what is coming."
"What's coming?" Wang Tao spoke for the first time, his expression troubled. "You talk like you know the future."
"I know that powerful forces are moving in the cultivation world. I know that the conflicts ahead will be more significant than anything this generation has experienced. And I know that strength—hidden strength, unexpected capability—will be essential for survival."
The words were true without being specific. The timeline I remembered included continental war, Spirit Hall's attempted dominion, confrontations that would involve Title Douluo and eventually gods themselves. The team did not need to know the details to understand the general warning.
"I believe you," Huang Mei said, her voice carrying certainty that exceeded what my vague explanation warranted. "I've always believed you. Whatever you're hiding, I trust that it's for good reason."
"Mei—" Xiao Mei started.
"I know him better than you do. Better than anyone." Huang Mei's voice held quiet strength that her developed confidence had cultivated. "If he says his secrets are protection rather than threat, I believe him. And I'm not going to demand he endanger himself—endanger us—by revealing things that should stay hidden."
The declaration shifted the room's dynamics. Wang Tao's expression relaxed slightly. Chen Wei nodded with the acceptance that his years of working with me had developed.
Xiao Mei remained standing, her challenge not entirely deflated. But the unified support from the rest of the team had isolated her position.
"Fine," she said finally, the word carrying reluctance rather than agreement. "We'll wait for your explanations. But I'm not forgetting this conversation. And I'm not going to stop watching."
"I would expect nothing less."
She sat, the confrontation concluded if not resolved. The tension in the room eased by degrees as other topics claimed attention—operational planning, restaurant management, the mundane concerns that structured our daily existence.
But something had shifted. The team now explicitly acknowledged that secrets existed, that trust was being extended without complete information, that their leader was not entirely what he appeared to be.
The mask was cracking. How much longer it would hold, I could not determine.
But for now, it remained sufficient.
The serpent endured. The secrets persisted. The accumulation continued.
And somewhere, in a village far from Heaven Dou City, a young boy with blue silver grass was awakening to a destiny that would eventually shake the entire world.
The timeline advanced. The storm approached.
I would be ready when it arrived.
—————
End of Chapter 14
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