Chapter 629: Lucky

The man-to-man meeting ended with nothing finalized.

While more serious talks followed, Uriah eventually sent Liam away, and for good reason.

Uriah had much to digest and even more to sort out. He knew far more about the Aetacia region, the Great Quiet Desert, and the southern region as a whole, so it fell on him to decide the next best move.

Of course, Liam could help, but he also understood the need for privacy after his revelations. Uriah likely wanted to discuss things with his wife before involving him again.

Moreover, while Liam was basically headed toward a leadership position inside the Tribe, he didn’t know its actual capabilities. His input might just get in the way of making a plan.

Liam described his battle prowess, skills, and arsenal so Uriah could factor them into his decision before returning to his isolated quarters in one of the mine’s empty tunnels. Still, he didn’t arrange anything, leaving the place barren as he settled in a rocky corner.

The conversation had been heartwarming, with Uriah conveying his acceptance with both actions and words. Yet, Liam couldn’t shake off his jumpiness.

Superhuman senses or not, Liam could still be lied to. The cultivators’ long lives gave them plenty of time to perfect such skills, with politics often forcing their development.

Uriah didn’t seem the type for betrayals. His entire family wasn’t. It was why Liam liked them so much and had ended up in such a predicament, but he couldn’t deny the obvious.

Liam would hesitate to make a decision in Uriah’s shoes. Even if he had been genuine, a private talk with Amber could change his mind.

It was a tiny, unlikely chance, but ploys could be at work at that very moment to trap Liam in his quarters so the Tribe could trade him for its safety.

So, Liam did the only thing he could, which worked for both the worst and best case scenarios. Whether he ended up escaping or protecting the Tribe, he needed strength to do it.

Strength was always the answer.

Uncontrollable spasms took over Liam’s body. His pipe fell from his trembling hands as he choked on the white, half-transparent vapor leaking from his mouth, scorching lava having replaced the air in his lungs.

The violent paralysis broke Liam’s sitting stance, his back sliding down the rocky wall. Still, everything receded within seconds, his body calming as he reclaimed control.

Liam breathed deeply, coughs interrupting his first attempts, half-transparent, milky trails still escaping his throat. Naturally, that was no vapor. It was poison, namely his new smoking powder.

The violent reaction and temporary indisposed state defeated the purpose of the smoking powder. That product was designed for reliability, something Liam could use even mid-battle, but its current shape was anything but.

Things had actually improved after using that deadly substance for two months. Initially, Liam was left writhing uncontrollably. Building tolerance was reducing those unwanted effects, but they were still too debilitating for him to return to his old smoking pace.

Still, that forced slower pace didn’t imply less growth. The opposite actually. The product resulted from scorpions’ concentrate and poisons used as complementary ingredients, providing brief but meaningful improvements.

That was why Liam had grown seven branches in as little as two months and why he picked up the still-fuming pipe on the floor, bringing it back to his mouth.

Privacy and temporary safety allowed Liam to abuse himself, and he never shied away from the practice. He especially couldn’t refuse strength boosts now with so much uncertain and at stake, no matter how small.

Of course, Liam had no illusion that his privacy would be long-lived.

Liam didn’t know or care whether dawn had arrived. He had lost himself in his cycle of violent paralysis and recovery when he heard steps and tasted a familiar scent.

It didn’t take long for a beaming Rachel to hop happily into Liam’s quarters and adjust her behavior after seeing what he was up to, her eyes glowing with mischievousness.

Rachel didn’t interrupt Liam’s training but happily exploited his violent paralysis. Every time he lost control of his body, she seized his hand or whole arm, squeezing it tightly, often burying it in her ample softness.

However, the second Liam recovered, Rachel let him go and wore an innocent face, feigning complete ignorance to what she had just done.

Liam knew from experience that it was better to let Rachel do her thing. Trying to stop her would put him in a worse position without him even remembering how he had gotten there. Besides, the mood was still strange that day.

Of course, Liam wasn’t thinking about anything romantic or the riddle of making children without touching. His body was stuck in a torturous cycle of spasms and coughs, but his mind could delve into more profound topics despite the brief but scorching pain.

With the powder still being so intense, Liam eventually had to take a proper break. He had also just returned from a long trip, engaging in an alchemical demonstration and a heavy meeting right afterward, so rest, especially mental rest, was overdue.

Still, by the time Liam stored the pipe, the profound topics he had explored had arrived at a simple conclusion. Actually, the process had reiterated it.

’I’m truly incredibly lucky,’ Liam sighed internally, stealing a glance at the smiling beauty by his side before gazing at the dark tunnel ahead, lost in thought.

It sounded mental, but Liam genuinely felt bottomless gratitude. Except for a few brief periods, his life always featured meaningful bonds that kept him from the grim solitude his forbidden bloodline should have inflicted.

Cyrus, Adrian, Lucy, Joel, Melissa, Horace Rauret, Grace, Lancelot, Lucas, Troy, Elder Lee, the Demoness, and now Uriah, Amber, and Rachel were all important bonds that Liam realistically shouldn’t have been lucky enough to find, let alone receive their acceptance.

Even if the Dark Heaven Tribe ultimately decided that rejecting Liam was safer, his gratitude would remain. After all, it had blessed him with almost one year of support already. Its decision not to kick Liam out immediately after learning his secret was also more than he could have hoped for.

’Do these bonds already mean that I’ve learned from the Ancestral Wolf, too?’ Liam wondered. ’Do I need a pack first? Is it just about acknowledging it? Do I have to take?’

That reasoning had to do with Liam’s plan to transcend the Ancestral Snake’s Hatred. He was applying the Church’s idea of unifying those lineages, just on a personal level. As the Archbishop had said, he was a man, so he didn’t have to harbor just one.

’Hunger,’ Liam thought, pondering that still-unclear piece of the puzzle, glancing at the one who could theoretically teach him.

Naturally, Rachel’s thoughts were far less philosophical. Truth was, she was genuinely exploding, the events of that day having removed her last seal. The pipe was also gone now.

"Honey," Rachel called, lifting herself onto her knees, her palms landing on Liam’s arm. "Shall I be the one to undress you tonight?"

Rachel was talking about the usual massages, but Liam felt things would be much harder to handle that day. With his junk at stake, he did the most reasonable and totally courageous thing he could think of.

Liam summoned his black jade and sent Grace a mental message.