The Perfect Path To Insanity-Chapter 49: No More Family Reunion

Fei Ming stood firm. The polearm blade extended straight from his grip, point leveled at Lu Tian’s throat.

The metal caught faint light from the low sun, reflecting the man’s honey brown eyes.

Lu Tian shifted his gaze slowly from Fei Ming’s face down to the blade. The steel hovered an inch from his skin.

Tilting his head a fraction, he asked:

"You are immune to the plague, are you not?" He said.

"Anubis—or rather, General Bai—told me so." Pausing, his brown eyes examined Fateless’ look and he scrunched his face like he was deeply hurt.

"But baby brother, don’t you recognize me? I’m Lu Tian. Your elder cousin. From the maternal side. Your mother is my aunt. Oh, how big you’ve grown."

Fei Ming’s fingers tightened on the shaft.

He had a cousin? The name ’Lu’ rang a bell in his mind. It was the same name of the man who ordered the bounty on him. Lu Yuan, was it?

He never deeply knew the relationship between the large man he had killed weeks ago. So his very own cousin was a Krat leader?

To him, Lu Yuan was more like an elite who was a Krat member.

Fateless kept the blade steady on Lu Tian’s collarbone. "I don’t remember you. I don’t even know what my mother looked like. What the fuck do you want?"

His supposed ’cousin’ studied Fei Ming’s stance. His gaze moved over the grip, the angle of the arms, the spread of the feet. Then he hiccuped once, clearly drunk.

"No one taught you how to hold a weapon properly, baby brother?"

Reaching out with two fingers, he tilted the blade upward until the point rested against his own neck. "Hold the pole tighter. Raise it like this. That way, if your enemy tries a counter-attack, you can end them with one brutal strike—"

He pressed the edge and a thin vertical line opened on his skin. Blood welled up, slipping down his pale neck.

The cut sealed itself up in seconds. Vanishing, leaving no trace of an infected wound.

"But I’m not your enemy, baby broth—"

"Stop calling me that." Fei Ming cut in.

He lowered the polearm in one slow motion, point dropping to the dirt, meeting Lu Tian’s gaze.

"Have you come here to negotiate or not?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Humming, Lu Tian rubbed the spot on his neck where the cut had been. "Ah... I got too excited to see you. My apologies." His shoulders relaxed. "The bounty will be dropped, cousin dearest. I processed everything needed to cancel it."

Then his brows furrowed in slight annoyance as his cool voice raised up a bit higher. "How dare he raise a kill order on his own blood?"

"When? When will it be dropped?" Fei Ming asked. The faster this thing gets sorted out, the faster he’ll focus on what really mattered and walk freely.

Even thinking about this deeply, the bounty and the Krats was like a huge distraction to him.

"As soon as you give me a hug!" Lu Tian replied with a big smile.

Fei Ming blankly stared at the handsome drunk man.

"No."

"Aww..." The second son’s lower lip jutted out in a pout.

Shrugging, he added, "Ah... maybe next time then. But please do keep to your word that you provide the cure to the silly rat plague you caused. Big brother Tian Tian is not mad at you for being so clever!"

Recoiling back from the unwanted display of affection, Fei Ming took one beat too long to give an honest response. Then he answered. "I will."

Lu Tian’s gaze dropped lower to an orange cat crouched behind Fei Ming’s leg, half-hidden by the cloak hem.

The cat’s ears were pointed backwards. When his amber eyes met the man who appeared large and scary to him, he hid his face.

Fei Ming never took Justice as a shy cat...

Just then, Lu Tian crouched slowly and extended one hand, trying to pet the cat.

"Hey there, little one." His voice softened. "Does he own you?"

Justice sniffed the air. Lu Tian pulled a small dried fish treat from his sleeve and held it out.

The cat crept forward one step, then another.

His nose twitched. He snatched the treat in one quick bite, chewed fast, then rubbed his head against Lu Tian’s fingers. A low purr started in his chest.

Fei Ming watched them. ’What a prick. He never lets me touch his head without getting bitten.’

Then Justice looked up at Fateless and gave a smug smile. "Hmph!"

A bit irritated, Fei Ming averted his gaze away from the cheating cat.

Later, they turned together and walked back toward where the Krats camped at the Grey Zone borders.

The air grew thicker as they neared the post.

Many soldiers laid scattered on the ground, skin flushed red.

Their skin were covered in angry red blisters which spread like rashes from the face down to the neck. Some coughed hard, spit dark flecks onto the dirt.

Walking forward, General Bai still leaned against a tent pole. His uniform soaked through with sweat, heaving loudly. He too, had the same symptoms, covered in red large pores.

Fei Ming stopped right in front of him. Looked down, and scoffed.

"Have you removed the bounty?" he asked.

Bai’s eyes flicked to Lu Tian. Lu Tian gave a small thumbs-up, mouthing the words "trust him."

Bai exhaled roughly. How could he trust a man like this? "Y...yes. Everything’s down. Wanted posters burned. N...no Krat soldier would... hunt you no more. I’m a man of my word."

Fei Ming turned. He walked to a nearby barrel and filled a bucket with water.

The liquid sloshed clearly in the plastic bucket.

A small potion bottle appeared in his palm.

[The ’Cure’ is being taken from your inventory]

He uncorked it and poured the contents in.

The water swirled gently, mixing with the potion. Then it turned white and bubbled to the surface.

He carried the bucket back and set it at Bai’s feet.

"Drink."

Bai stared into the bucket. He gulped. Letting a kid use him like this was a fate worse than death. Tension built in the air as Bai refused to drink. "How do I know this is the cure and not poison?"

"I’m a man of my word, General." Fei Ming’s voice stayed monotone.

Another Krat soldier coughed, catching their attention. Raising his swollen hand up, he volunteered himself. "I’ll test the cure, General!"

But Bai only averted his gaze away. "I am no coward, Jin. I will... take the risk m-myself. Rest."

Still hesitant, his hand shook. He then scooped a tin cup from the dirt, dipped it and brought it to his lips.

Drinking three gulps, and recoiling from the bitter taste, the cup clattered as he dropped it.

Rapid violent coughs tore out of him.

"G-general!" Soldiers around him flinched.

But what could they do? Every one of them have been inflicted with the plague. Not a single one was able to fight.

Then the coughing stopped. Bai dragged in a deep breath. The red flush on his skin faded patch by patch. Blisters shrank, and vanished.

His breathing steadied.

Clap!

Lu Tian clasped his palms together. "See? Settled. Just as expected."

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Bai offered a cup to Lu Tian. "You too. Drink. You’re infected, are you not?"

Lu Tian hiccuped again. A small smile curved his lips and ever so slowly, he averted his gaze away from the General.

Awkwardly, he replied, "Ah... that? I wasn’t."

Fei Ming’s fingers flexed once on the polearm shaft still in his hand.

He doesn’t care about the family that had once abandoned him. Even if this cousin of his had helped in a way, this would mark the end of any family reunion. This concerned him no more.

Now, he could finally focus on what mattered most. Absorbing as many cores as he could.

Bai looked between them. Gaze flickering from the bucket to Lu Tian. Sighing, he muttered, "cunning as always, I had forgotten—"

Propping himself up with his elbow, Bai sat straight up, adding, "you are immune to poisons."

----

Somewhere, inside a room, lamplight spilled yellow across the furnished wood floors. The curtains were closed.

A man sat in the carved armchair near the window, legs crossed at the ankle.

His white robe open loose across his chest. Silk fell in folds over his thighs. He held a clear glass wine cup in one hand, stem pinched between thumb and forefinger.

Red liquid caught the light inside, swirling as he tilted it.

On his bed behind him were two dead women. Fully naked. Throats slit open by his very hands.

Blood had soaked the white duvet in dark, spreading patches. One arm hung off the edge, fingers curled loose. The other woman’s hair fanned across the pillow, strands matted and red at the ends.

He lifted the cup to his lips. Taking a slow sip, wine coated his tongue. Then he exhaled and groaned loudly.

A folded letter was placed on the arm of the chair. Paper creased, ink smudged in places.

He had picked up, unfolded it and read the poorly written letter.

"That bastard," he muttered, voice low.

"There he goes again. Saving the family’s disgrace. Going against my orders. Using my power to carry out his own shit."

He groaned again, deep and irritated. Fingers crumpled the paper at the edges. He tossed it onto the side table, landing beside an empty decanter.

He set the wine cup down. Glass clinking against the wooden table. Then he rose from the chair.

Walking three steps toward the bed, he stopped, looking down at the bodies. Blood had begun to cool at the edges, thickening.

Humming and speaking to himself once more:

"Pray to Ymir, was it?" he scoffed. "Fine. I’ll pray to Ymir."