Rewrite the myth and become the Taoist!

Chapter 309 Seed of the Demon, Source Blood and Steel, Strange Fog

[After that day.]

My life has changed.

Every morning, a maid would bring me snow-white bread and hot milk. At first, I dared not touch them, fearing that if I did, this dream would shatter.

But hunger ultimately triumphed over fear. I grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into my mouth. The soft, sweet flavor melted on my tongue, almost bringing tears to my eyes—so this is what real bread tastes like.

Miss Delilah bought us new clothes again.

After changing into new clothes, I was led to a full-length mirror.

As the servant led me to the bath, I stared blankly at the pool of hot water. Through the rising steam, I saw a strange face reflected on the surface—

The boy in the mirror was as thin as an unsharpened slender sword, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light, like the eerie glow of a wolf lurking in the shadows.

I reached out and touched the mirror, my fingertips trembling. I couldn't believe the person in the mirror was myself—that filthy little brat who used to roll in the mud and cower under the whip, now looking like a human being.

I grinned, and the boy in the mirror also forced a stiff smile, as if he wasn't used to such an expression.

So, this is what I look like.

[I saw my own reflection for the first time.]

Just then, I looked in the mirror and saw the maid behind me with a disdainful expression. I froze, and a sudden longing rose within me—I wanted to live a different life!

My brother and I are very grateful to Miss Delilah, but we both know that "there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Two weeks later, my older brother and I had fully recovered.

Miss Delilah doesn't need our help with anything.

[During this time, the stableman seemed to have strong objections, frequently mentioning our matter to Miss Delilah. The Black-Eyed Clan and the Augu Empire were at war, and the nobles were very wary of this topic.]

He looked down on people with dark eyes—this would inevitably affect Miss Delilah's marriage prospects when she came of age, and he had promised Miss Delilah's mother that he would take good care of her.

But the coachman was unaware of Miss Delilah's ambition. Living under someone else's roof, she calmly saw everything—those without value would be discarded; nobles were driven only by self-interest; and these supposedly civilized nobles clung tightly to barbarity.

[The true nature of nobility, hidden beneath its surface, is not bloodline, but—steel!]

Her family rose from humble beginnings as blacksmiths; her grandfather was a pioneering knight who built his fortune with three suits of steel armor, conquering the wilderness. Now, even the great nobles of the Augu Empire cannot underestimate Viscount Wilson.

This is the power of steel!

Viscount Wilson himself is a knight imbued with "source blood," backed by an imperial general, commanding five hundred elite knights and three thousand heavily armored spearmen in his territory. He can summon tens of thousands of troops with a single command.

[—Blood Knight.]

[With a body of steel and iron, impervious to swords and spears, possessing boundless strength, riding a mythical dragon-horse, and clad in eight hundred pounds of heavy armor, a single strike could cleave both man and horse in two—that is—Viscount Wilson, the Silver Eagle Knight.]

Silver Eagle Knight Wilson's most famous battle was single-handedly charging into an army of ten thousand, slaying generals and capturing their flag.

Legend has it that the silver-white steel armor was stained crimson, paving a path of glory, like a death knight returning from hell.

[He's a monster.]

[I always thought this was a story, but Miss Delilah said seriously that it was real, though not one person with ten thousand troops, but ten riders with a thousand troops: three full knights and seven reserve knights with three bloodlines.]

I'm asking you, what's the difference?

Of course, a normal Source Blood Knight isn't actually as powerful as a Silver Eagle Knight.

The reason Miss Delilah seeks a loyal "blade" is because she possesses the resources to become a "Blood Knight."

In the center of Miss Delilah's castle, in the stone hall, lay a tray with ten crimson fruits that shimmered like beating hearts with cloud-like patterns—these were none other than the Devil Seeds!

My body is gripped by instinct, yearning to swallow the demon seed whole!

Miss Delilah said that the Demon Seed, which the legendary knights of the Black-Eyed Clan call the Crimson Jade Spirit Seed, is a higher-grade seed than the Pure White Seed.

However, ingesting the "Demon Seed" is extremely dangerous; one's blood will ignite, resulting in either exploding body and death, or exceeding one's limits—a near-certain death.

Miss Delilah possesses only ten Demon Seeds, far inferior to the genuine, pure white Heavenly Gift Seeds. Those are divine gifts, the family's heritage, never to be given to women, but only to her father.

Miss Delilah teaches us seven sharp blades—the "Thorn Breathing Technique"

She doesn't expect us to refine our blood through the "Thorn Breathing Technique," she just wants us to ingest the "Demon Seed" to slightly increase the success rate.

[A year has passed in the blink of an eye.]

[The tallest of us, Qi, was the first to pounce.]

The moment he swallowed the fruit, I heard a bubbling sound of boiling liquid emanating from his scarred body. His eyes suddenly bulged, and bright red, magma-like veins meandered beneath his skin—then burst open like a ripe pumpkin.

[Pieces of flesh and blood splattered onto the ceiling, hissing and burning a dozen or so charred holes.]

The rest of us were terrified. Some broke down in tears. The oldest among us was our eldest brother, who was just sixteen, and the youngest was only eight.

In the distance, Miss Delilah frowned slightly, her expression clearly showing discomfort. She reminded us of one thing—the will to survive!

If you cannot defeat the demon, you will explode and die!

The trembling blade in front swallowed the "Demon Seed," and unsurprisingly, exploded and died.

【"boom!"】

Flesh and blood exploded, shards of bone and internal organs were scattered everywhere, and steaming blood mist filled the air. Miss Delilah frowned slightly, quite disappointed with the result.

She didn't have any more demon seeds.

Soon, only my older brother and I were left in the stone hall.

We both have black hair and black eyes, which made us stand out among the group of blond-haired, blue-eyed "Blades," and as a result, we were pushed to be the last to try.

At that moment, Miss Delilah's gaze was fixed on us, and the air felt heavy, as if it were filled with lead.

My older brother and I stepped forward at the same time.

We exchanged a glance, neither of us speaking, but we both understood—our lives were like weeds in the mud, insignificant and meaningless; no one would care if we died. Since that was the case, we might as well die together.

Without hesitation, we simultaneously grabbed the "Demon Seed" and took a bite.

The moment the fruit peel burst open, an ancient hunger awakened from the depths of my bones, like a slumbering beast startled by the smell of blood. A low, inhuman growl escaped my throat, saliva poured out uncontrollably, and my teeth ground the fruit flesh involuntarily.

The next second, excruciating pain exploded.

[Thousands of red-hot steel needles pierced my esophagus, my internal organs felt as if they had been thrown into a furnace and were being burned. I knelt on the ground, my fingernails digging deep into the cracks in the stone.]

My older brother groaned beside me, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat evaporating into white mist as soon as it seeped through his skin.

I struggled to lift my head, and through my blurred vision, I saw my older brother clenching his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained fierce as a wolf's, fixed on the front, refusing to fall.

"I promised them I would take good care of you..."

"Hope is a treasure as precious as pigeon's blood."

"Don't give up... Luo Yi!"

[We survived, though we don't know how long it took.]

Before losing consciousness, Luo Yi looked up and saw Miss Delilah smiling brightly.

After regaining consciousness, Luo Yi and his elder brother felt they possessed boundless power, which was obviously an illusion. Luo Yi punched the ground, expecting an earthquake, but instead only cried out in pain.

However, when they practiced the Thorn Breathing Technique again, they could clearly feel their blood flowing, a warm current washing over their bodies, and the pain in Luo Yi's body quickly disappeared.

Miss Delilah said, "We have officially awakened, but before becoming 'Blood Knights,' we need to go through three stages: Blood Tempering Stage: First Blood, Second Blood, and Third Blood."

To make it easier for us to understand, she said the "Thorn Breathing Technique" is like a hammer, and the physical body is like an iron block. Through tempering and forging, impurities in the iron block are gradually expelled, eventually becoming—steel!

[We are currently in the first blood stage of the Blood Tempering phase—the Prospective Knight!]

[You only need to spend a few months familiarizing yourself with martial arts, spearmanship, and horsemanship to join the Silver Eagle Knights.]

Miss Delilah wouldn't be foolish enough to hand over her "sharp blade," especially one with such potential, to her father... You must understand that after the age of thirty, once one's vital energy declines, it becomes impossible to condense source blood and become a formal knight.

[For an average person practicing the "Thorn Breathing Technique," coupled with a pure white gifted seed, reaching the first bloodline at twenty years old would be considered genius. The second stage involves refining all the blood in the body, and the final three bloodlines are a purification process, preparing for activating potential and condensing source blood.]

Most knights reach the three-health mark by age thirty.

[Among the nearly five million people in the three cities and thirty-eight towns under the Viscount's jurisdiction, there are only three formal knights!]

Besides resource monopolies, the scarcity of talent is also a contributing factor.

Luo Yi is only eight years old, and Luo Feng is only sixteen; they are the future Blood Knights.

Miss Delilah personally taught Luo Yi and Luo Feng martial arts—basic spear techniques.

[Eldest brother Luo Feng's strength changed daily, and after a month he became a second-level Blood Knight, capable of wielding a 180-pound spear, making it impossible for ordinary people to get close to him.]

Miss Delilah was pleasantly surprised, guessing that this was because our bodies were still digesting the power of the "Demon Seed."

However, Luo Yi's power did not increase dramatically; it seemed to have been completely contained.

Time passed day by day.

Miss Delilah is fifteen years old and an excellent student. She has left Grey Pigeon Town to study in a big city.

As a parting gift, the Viper Gang has completely disappeared.

The leader of the Viper Gang was dragged before Luo Yi and Luo Feng like a dead dog, his limbs twisted at bizarre angles, broken bone fragments piercing his skin, dark red blood leaving long trails in the mud.

He gasped for breath, his swollen eyelids barely lifting, but trembled violently when they met the brothers' gaze.

Luo Yi and Luo Feng's eyes were icy cold; this was the man who had driven their family to their doom.

"This man is at your disposal," Miss Delilah said, standing beside the carriage.

Luo Feng did not answer.

Luo Yi crouched down, coldly staring at the leader of the Viper Gang. "Actually... I know the rules of Old Factory Street, which is why I'm willing to give you the silver coins. Why won't you give us a way out?"

"I...I deeply regret it!" The leader of the Viper Gang stared at Luo Yi, enunciating each word clearly. He knew he wouldn't survive; he regretted his high position and concern for the neighbors, failing to eliminate the threat completely.

Luo Yi paused for a moment, then said, "I understand."

He dragged the leader of the Viper Gang into the alleyway. The screams and pleas for mercy lasted for three minutes before abruptly ceasing. Luo Yi walked out of the alley, slowly wiping the blood from his hands. His face was expressionless; he had shed his naivety and grown up in that moment.

Miss Delilah frowned slightly.

[How could someone be so calm after committing murder for the first time? Most people would experience physical discomfort, and in severe cases, vomiting, fainting at the sight of blood, panic, and nightmares.]

The only difference between a new recruit and a veteran is that they've seen blood.

Luo Yi is a born killer!

"I'm sorry, we couldn't find any trace of your sister."

Miss Delilah looked at Luo Feng with a hint of apology in her eyes and said, "But I have a friend in Blackrock Town who will continue to help with the investigation. I'll let you know if there are any developments."

After Luo Feng became a Three-Blood Knight, Miss Delilah gave him a "Demon Seed" and arranged for him to join the army.

Luo Yi, being young and having read ancient books unearthed from the ancient ruins of Grey Pigeon Town, was literate and quick-witted. Therefore, he was fortunate enough to become Miss Delilah's servant, essentially her personal protector.

White Whale City, a jewel in the heart of the Augu Empire, is one of its three major cities and is hailed as the "Capital of Civilization and Music." It is currently experiencing a wave of artistic revival, with new inventions emerging every day.

Suzuran High School is located in the city's most expensive school district.

[Even the lowest-ranking scholar among them was a son of a knight.]

[The buildings are predominantly white and clean, but it's essentially the same as Grey Pigeon Town.]

Luo Yi was specially recruited by Suzuran High School as a sports student, and his black hair and black eyes attracted extra attention.

"Black-eyed Clan? That's rare..."

[A deliberately hushed murmur arose from behind a silk folding fan. Several noblewomen half-covered their lips with the fan ribs, yet their gazes brazenly surveyed Luo Yi.]

Luo Yi ignored him, then suddenly heard someone imitating a rural accent: "That Delilah... she's just a barbarian from the north, daring to try and climb the social ladder, disgusting!"

Miss Delilah's face darkened, but upon seeing the blonde woman who stood out from the crowd, she recognized her as the Earl's daughter, and her expression quickly transformed into a fake smile.

[My days at Suzuran High School passed by amidst these strange looks.]

Luo Yi stood in the shadows, oblivious to the surrounding clamor.

Since his elder brother Luo Feng left, he had become even more taciturn. Every morning, while the noble students were still sound asleep in their velvet blankets, he was already practicing martial arts in the grove.

Luo Yi's martial arts skills are comparable to those of a retired military instructor. However, within the aristocratic circles of White Whale City, only music and art matter; martial prowess is merely considered barbaric.

[The following year, Luo Yi quietly became a Three Blood Knight.]

But she was practically invisible in class.

After school.

[Luo Yi only needed to silently follow Miss Delilah from ten meters away, and with her methods, he quickly made two close friends: Eve, the daughter of a musician, and Diana, the daughter of a viscount.]

The two girls couldn't compare to the already fully grown-up Miss Delilah. Thanks to ample nutrition, Delilah had developed a curvaceous figure, but her looks were rather ordinary compared to those of the beautiful girls at Suzuran High School.

However, their fair skin and subtle perfume made them an absolutely stunning sight in Grey Dove Town.

She is the dream lover of countless people.

Even though Eve and Diana knew that Luo Yi was a "first-blooded knight in training," they still looked down on him, treating him merely as Miss Delilah's servant, and refused to even speak a word to him.

[And these two girls were the "friendlyst" people Luo Yi had ever encountered at Suzuran High School.]

[Citizens of the Augu Empire are required to serve in the military at the age of sixteen, while White Whale City has not suffered from war for three hundred years. Noble children are exempt from military service, therefore, force is useless in the eyes of the nobles.]

[Until summer vacation, Eve suddenly invited Miss Delilah and Diana to a secret trip to the outskirts of Moby Dick City for research. This was quite a surprise for Eve and Diana, two obedient girls born into aristocratic families and raised with impeccable manners.]

The excitement of experiencing such a novel life is self-evident.

Miss Delilah showed no interest in this, but she glanced at Eve. Eve's father was a renowned musician throughout the Augu Empire, a guest of the Empress, and wielded considerable influence within the empire.

Being friends with Eve greatly helped her, the thirteenth daughter, in inheriting the title of viscount.

Miss Delilah hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed. For safety reasons, however, she secretly asked Luo Yi to accompany her.

The three women were filled with laughter and joy throughout the journey.

Eve makes an appearance in a town near White Whale City. Her conspicuous presence as an outsider attracts the attention of the local gang, the Rusty Nail Brotherhood. The lack of a family crest on her carriage suggests she's easy prey.

"Look, three lost and delicate little lambs..."

More than twenty burly men from the Rusty Nails Brotherhood had completely blocked the alley. Their bare arms were branded with rusty nail marks, and their mouths twisted into ferocious grins as their eyes roamed freely over the three women.

Eve's face was deathly pale, her fingers gripping her skirt tightly. The pride of being the musician's daughter meant nothing at this moment—and these thugs clearly didn't care about her noble status.

Diana was trembling all over, her lips were shaking, and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"No, don't come any closer... My father is Viscount Crest! You dare touch me—"

"Ha! Viscount?" Scarface paused for a moment, then burst into wild laughter, kicking over a wooden crate beside him. "In this alley, I am the king!"

He couldn't bear the viscount's revenge. It was just lust at first, a desire for something new, but now he had to be killed to silence everyone. Today's events must be erased forever!

Eve and Diana, realizing their backing had failed to intimidate the Rusty Nail Brotherhood, were plunged into despair. The thought of the humiliation they were about to suffer made their lives seem utterly ruined.

Miss Delilah remained calm; in fact, she was pleased to see this. The nobles should have realized long ago that the Empire needed the Silver Eagle Knights of the North—no, it needed her, the Silver Eagle Queen!

Delilah remained standing quietly, her gaze passing over the thugs and fixed on the alleyway entrance—

—There, a dark figure silently descended.

【Whoosh! 】

A flash of cold light suddenly tore through the night!

The outermost Rusty Nail gang members didn't even have time to scream before a stream of blood spurted from their necks, and they collapsed heavily to the ground.

"What—?!" The scarred man whirled around, his pupils shrinking sharply.

【Da, da, da...】

The heavy footsteps echoed on the stone path.

A man wearing a black conical hat slowly stepped into the alley. Beneath the wide cloak, a long, narrow, unsheathed sword was vaguely visible. Shadows obscured the upper half of his face, revealing only his cold, stern jawline and a chillingly indifferent curve.

More than twenty thugs rushed forward simultaneously, their spiked clubs, machetes, and chains gleaming coldly in the moonlight—

The blade in the man's straw hat traced a chilling arc, and the three burly men at the front instantly clutched their bleeding throats and knelt down. His movements were so fast they were almost a blur.

"Ah! My hand—!"

"Monster! This guy is a monster!"

The screams of the Rusty Nail Gang members rose and fell, but the man in the straw hat never stopped. He was like a black hurricane, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

Eve and Diana snapped out of their daze—the man in the straw hat began wiping the blood from his knife, then nodded slightly to Miss Delilah.

Eve was still shaken.

[Gazing at the corpses strewn across the ground, Diana broke down, crying and screaming as she ran home.]

Miss Delilah's summer vacation is over.

[After the summer vacation.]

Eve's opinion of the knight changed after she learned from Miss Delilah that the man was Luo Yi.

Eve developed a strong curiosity about Luo Yi and began to secretly observe his figure wielding knives and guns in the grove. To repay his life-saving grace, she often secretly gave Luo Yi gifts while at Suzuran High School.

Luo Yi frowned slightly, choosing to avoid Eve.

Eve returned home disappointed. Late at night, she trembled, hugging her knees, her nails digging into her arms—the snarling grins of the rusty gang, their stench, and the rough hands tearing at her skirt from her dream remained vividly clear and nauseating.

But every time... every time in the most desperate moment—

She closed her eyes, and the image of a blade cleaving through the darkness flashed in her mind. The man beneath the bamboo hat descended like a demon, blood blooming like flowers at his feet.

For this sense of security, Eve mustered the courage to pursue a relationship with Luo Yi.

Luo Yi ignored it.

After Eve confessed her feelings three times, she had no choice but to go find Miss Delilah.

Upon learning of Miss Delilah's request, Luo Yi couldn't refuse, but he hoped to exchange it for food and exotic beast meat, as this would greatly help in condensing "Source Blood."

Eve immediately agreed, offering to provide meat from a rare animal called "Snowfield Deer," and then she began to call herself Luo Yi's girlfriend.

Luo Yi enjoyed the beast meat and continued practicing the Thorn Breathing Technique. However, a young girl had appeared in the grove where he practiced. Eve sat beside him, hugging her knees, her chin resting on her crossed arms, her gaze fixed on him.

Once Luo Yi activates his "Source Blood," he will become a formal knight—a formal knight under sixteen years old! However, this hurdle blocks nine out of ten people. Source Blood is formed by refining three types of blood to their limit to activate the body's potential.

This process could take a lifetime.

With the help of the alien beast meat, Luo Yi was only one step away. He knew this was the effect of the "Demon Seed," which he had taken at the age of eight, and the process of activating its potential was already mostly complete.

Miss Delilah only knew that Luo Yi was a second-tier Blood Knight.

This is the surprise he prepared for Miss Delilah!

On the last day of summer vacation for Suzuran High School, a strange fog suddenly descended upon the city.

The fog thickened; initially, visibility was still possible up to 100 meters, but within three meters, people and animals became indistinguishable.

The fog spread at an eerie speed.

Luo Yi squinted and realized that no matter where he was or how he adjusted his breathing, the white fog in his vision remained unchanged—this was definitely not naturally formed fog.

[A strange roar and a deafening scream echoed from Suzuran High School—]

"A monster?!"

……

(End of this chapter)