Crimson Lotus

"So… it was successful in the end?" Yanwei’s voice was laced with amusement, but his eyes held something far more dangerous. He let out a low chuckle, tilting his head as if savoring the moment.

"Heavens, oh heavens," he murmured, lifting his gaze to the endless sky. "You dared to stand in my way… and now you offer me this golden age?"

A deep, chilling pressure filled the air. Even the wind seemed to hesitate. A lone bird, caught in his aura, trembled violently before fleeing into the distance.

Yanwei's lips curled, his fingers tapping against his wrist like a hunter waiting for his prey to move.

"The sons of heaven, the so-called chosen ones of this era… How many of them will I tear down?" His voice was calm, almost playful, but the weight behind his words sent a shiver through the air.

He exhaled slowly, as if already savoring the hunt. "No need to rush. I’ll take my time."

His eyes gleamed in the dim light, sharp as a beast lying in wait. "After all, games like this are best enjoyed slowly."

Then, without missing a beat, he turned to the nearest passerby. "What sects are nearby? I need information."

….

In a bustling marketplace, two young cultivators stood near a tea stall, speaking in hushed tones.

“Hey, you know about that demon everyone’s afraid of?”

The other shuddered. “Who hasn’t? They say the heavens punished him, and in the end, he took his own life. Blew himself up and nearly wiped out billions—including our entire human race.”

“That’s insane,” the first cultivator whispered. “No wonder the heavens punished him. But if he survived a catastrophe, why would he kill himself?”

The other hesitated before answering. “Who knows? That demon was so unpredictable that no one could guess his next move.”

He glanced around nervously, then lowered his voice even more. “But now that he’s dead… do you think the other races will take this chance to destroy our race?”

“Why are you even worrying about that? That’s the higher-ups’ problem, not ours. We just follow orders.”

He sighed “That’s right..”

…

“Yo you two, can i ask what’s the near sect around here and when are they accepting rouge cultivators??”

One of the cultivators gave Yanwei a slow once-over, his lips curling. "Tsk. And here I thought beggars weren’t allowed in town."

“But he still said with a straight face “The nearest sects in this Divine sword sect, Cloudveil sect, and Gentle Breeze sect.”

“They are going to start recruiting after a month” The other cultivator said outside, but at the inside he said “This Peasant is really daring to even dream so high.”

“I see, thank you two friends, i hope three of us would meet again!” he smiled and stated then he threw one spiritual stone.”

The spiritual stone is the currency in cultivation world, Medium spiritual stone is equivalent to 10 low level spiritual stone, and 1 large spiritual stone is equivalent to 10 medium level spiritual stone but no one would use large level spiritual stone to exchange for the middle one unless there’s special occasion.

It can be used for arrays, recovering energy, etc. Yanwei, who was about to leave raised his eyebrow “For one stone i got targeted??”

then he laugh

"I need to fix my habits… I’m not invincible like how i used to.”

He left the town and entered the nearby forest, walking at a leisurely pace. Then, without turning around, he spoke.

“My two friends, why are you following me? Do both of you want to sip tea with me?”

The two cultivators froze.

One of them sneered. "Friends? A damn backwater rat like you doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as us."

The other one laughed mockingly. "That’s right. Do you even own a mirror? You’re nothing but a stray dog begging for scraps."

Yanwei smiled.

“I see… If you’re not here for tea, then you must be here to die.”

Before they could react, a dagger flashed through the air. It went to the first cultivator and he dashed to the second cultivator at the same time.

The first cultivator barely had time to register what happened before a cold, sharp pain pierced his forehead. His body twitched—just once—before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

The second cultivator’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

"What the—?! This guy—he’s experienced!"

Panic seized him. Without thinking, he turned and ran, not even sparing a glance at his dead companion.

 @@novelbin@@

But Yanwei’s dash was a feint.

The instant the fool thought he had escaped, a second dagger was already waiting for him—a cold, glinting fang in the night.

He didn’t even get to scream.

A sharp gurgle, a shudder, then silence.

Two corpses, no regrets.

Yanwei sighed as he cleaned his blade. “A stray dog should know when to bite and when to kneel.”

Then, without another word, he disappeared into the darkness.