Chapter 12: The Onset of the Fiery Poison

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Ever since his medical examination report had been made public, the women who had once flocked to him had all become false and hypocritical—eager to curry favor with him, yet terrified of getting too close. It was utterly ridiculous.

Because he was frequently injured, he had often returned to work before his internal wounds had healed. Over time, fire poison had accumulated within his body, growing increasingly potent. Though it had granted him certain abilities—his very blood could burn—it came at a cost.

Any savage beast that wounded him and drew his blood would suffer the consequences in turn. It seemed powerful, but it was also affecting him every moment of every day.

He could clearly feel that over the past few years, he had become restless and irritable, sometimes even afflicted by inexplicable agitation.

Fortunately, his willpower was formidable, allowing him to endure for many years. But at the beginning of the year, a routine medical examination finally exposed his hidden affliction to the world. The once-coveted candidate for a son-in-law had been cast aside overnight.

According to the physicians’ analysis, any woman who had intercourse with him would inevitably be harmed by his fire poison. In mild cases, her skin would be burned away; in severe cases, she would be reduced to ashes.

Even Xing Haotian found the conclusion absurd.

He had no desire to harm anyone, and he did not need women. The problem was that his self-control had been deteriorating lately. At times, he would even suddenly lapse into madness.

The fire poison was growing stronger, eroding his reason and leaving him agitated and unsettled.

Xing Haotian truly had no patience for women like her.

“Those are my affairs. They have nothing to do with you!” Li Meiyu snapped, furious that Xing Haotian had exposed her so bluntly and refused to show her any consideration.

“Heh. Weren’t you the one who wanted to admire the scenery?” Seeing that Li Meiyu had been provoked, Xing Haotian shifted her attention elsewhere. He truly had no desire to watch a shrew make a scene.

Li Meiyu drew a deep breath and looked out through the window of the war chariot.

Outside was still the wilderness. A huge wild hound roaming the wasteland was tearing into a deer, ripping open its belly as blood sprayed everywhere—a vivid display of the wasteland’s cruel law.

“Ah!” Li Meiyu’s eyes widened in terror.

She had grown up in the Imperial Capital and rarely ventured outside. She had never witnessed the brutality and bloodshed of the wilderness. Seeing such a grisly scene from so close, she was so frightened that her legs went weak.

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Only then did she realize how imposing Xing Haotian was, and how safe she felt standing beside him.

Li Meiyu softened.

“General Xing, I’m a little frightened. Could we go back to the Imperial Capital?” she asked pitifully, her eyes moist.

Inwardly, however, she resented him for having no sense of romance. She had told him to take charge and find somewhere scenic, and he had actually driven them outside the city. What scenery was there here? Nothing but barren wasteland—and terrifying savage beasts besides.

Xing Haotian frowned almost imperceptibly. He disliked delicate, helpless women. How could a woman who had never even seen the wilderness be someone with whom he could spend the rest of his life?

Of course, he had brought her here precisely because he knew she would be afraid. It would be enough to make her retreat on her own.

“Oh? Weren’t you hoping to see somewhere beautiful? I think this place is quite lovely. Why don’t you get out and take a look?”

With a spring of his legs, Xing Haotian leapt effortlessly from the war chariot. His movement was graceful, clean, and decisive. Years of battle had left not a single flaw in any of his actions.

The chariot was still two meters above the ground.

Li Meiyu stared dumbfoundedly. How was she supposed to get down?

Besides, the wild hound that had just killed the deer was still nearby. It looked terrifying, and she had no desire to climb out at all.

“I think we should go back,” Li Meiyu said. “We could watch a movie or have coffee instead. What do you think?”

Biting her lower lip, she looked pitiful. In her heart, however, she cursed Xing Haotian for being so ungrateful. Once his report had been released, agreeing to marry him was already a favor. Yet he still had the audacity to give her attitude and make things difficult for her.

“Why don’t you go back by yourself? You can use the vehicle however you like,” Xing Haotian said coldly.

Judging by his appearance alone, he was an exceptionally handsome, youthful, and valiant general. Unfortunately, his personality was thoroughly unpleasant.

He was far too cold and hard. Though he was a fire-aligned mystic, with long, blazing-red hair and twin eyes that burned like flames, he gave off no warmth at all. Instead, he resembled a block of ice, keeping everyone at a thousand miles’ distance.

Xing Haotian activated the silver communicator on his wrist and altered the war chariot’s intelligent control system, transferring its operating authority to Li Meiyu.

Then he walked calmly toward the wild hound gnawing on the deer. He raised one hand, and a thick beam of fire shot out, piercing straight through the beast’s skull. With a mournful howl, it crashed to the ground.

At that moment, Xing Haotian suddenly let out a roar. His body curled in on itself and began to tremble violently.

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“General Xing… are you all right?” Li Meiyu stammered, her lips trembling and her legs shaking with fear.

She couldn’t possibly be this unlucky, could she? Had she really encountered the moment when this man’s fire poison flared up and robbed him of his reason?

Although she knew he was dangerous, she had still harbored a sliver of hope while associating with him. They might never be able to share an intimate relationship, but having such a man as her husband would still bring her immense prestige. In the past, Xing Haotian had been one of the men she desired most. Yet he had always stood far above her, utterly beyond her reach. Her father had arranged this opportunity, and although she had complained about it, she had not been entirely unwilling.

Besides, Xing Haotian was now a man no one else dared to marry. If she became his wife, it would be his honor. He would surely treat her like a queen.

But this terrifying Xing Haotian was far beyond what Li Meiyu could endure.

She would die!

He was an S-class mystic. Countless S-class savage beasts—creatures capable of destroying an entire city the moment they appeared—had already died at his hands. Killing her would be as easy as crushing an insect.

At that moment, Li Meiyu felt that the Grim Reaper was standing right beside her. Terror spread through her, jolting her into action. She slammed the chariot door shut, leaving Xing Haotian outside.

Through the narrow gap in the door, she saw him clutching his hair with both hands. His blood-red eyes glared furiously, the whites veined crimson. He raised his head with a roar and fixed his gaze directly on Li Meiyu.

Li Meiyu screamed. Every last trace of hope vanished from her mind as she hurriedly activated the war chariot. She was immensely relieved that Xing Haotian had just altered the vehicle’s authority and given her access.

The chariot roared and sped away. Li Meiyu had not even sat down properly before she was thrown into the rear seat, where she landed with a battered and bleeding face.

Still, being injured was better than being dead.

Only after the war chariot had vanished did the redness recede from Xing Haotian’s eyes. A trace of mockery curled at the corner of his mouth.

With a cold expression, he spat out two words:

“Idiot.”

Everything that had just happened had been an act.

“Once I eliminate the fire poison in my body, why should I pay any attention to these people? I alone am a great clan. I alone am royalty!” Xing Haotian sneered.

At that moment, the imposing presence of a soldier that had always surrounded him was replaced by another kind of aura—an arrogant, domineering spirit that seemed determined to conquer heaven and earth.

Yet just then, Xing Haotian suddenly frowned.

A surge of energy erupted from within his mystic core and slammed into every limb and bone, making his entire body burn with heat.

A trace of black spread across his fiery-red eyes. Black runes seemed to flow beneath the surface of his skin. His lips darkened as the fire poison began to spread.

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