Legacy of Hatred

In the end, neither the spirit stones nor the ingredients ever ran out. Liam didn’t earn or purchase them, but his Master always whipped out more of those from his space-ring, enabling uninterrupted training.

The Alchemy Elder also set a new rule for Liam’s routine. His shelves were full of all kinds of alchemical products, so the Elder forbade him from concocting in the hours between the weapon training and the night lessons.

With those breaks, the fatigue never returned. The Elder even cut his lesson short the night before the mission, allowing Liam to wake up before dawn, refreshed and full of energy.

The extensive, more complete, and prolonged alchemical training enabled preparations that Liam had never been able to arrange in his past missions.

In the past, Liam had been limited to poison, only adding Qi-Recovery elixirs to his single-minded arsenal. His wealth had still been outstanding for a foundation expert, but he could add a crucial aspect to that mix now.

That aspect was variety.

Being ready for any situation was key to survival, especially on a mission with unknown conditions, and Liam could finally implement that, even adjusting it to his wider knowledge.

The rank 1 Poisonous Cloud Pills were powerful and easy to deploy. Yet, unless used in huge quantities, they were only effective against foundation experts, which weren’t Liam’s target anymore.

Moreover, Liam had outclassed cultivators at his same stage, so he only took a handful of Cloud Pills with him, mainly seeing them as escape tools when things got rough.

Instead, the deadly poison applied to the needles and arrows replaced the Cloud Pills’ role, but Liam added a couple of flasks with the antidote now. Technically, killing was forbidden in the imminent mission, and alchemists were supposed to have fixes to their creations.

The high-grade circulation technique rendered the Qi-Recovery elixirs superfluous. After all, Liam’s core often lacked the energy to refill his body with the abundance it now demanded.

However, Liam still added two of those azure flasks to his pouch just in case, as well as the smoking powder, which was his main form of recovery. The elixirs could be useful, but only after he forced his dantian to produce more Qi.

Honestly, that condition was quite annoying, stemming from a stark imbalance between what Liam’s body could contain and how much his foundation produced.

Liam could endure the high-grade circulation technique due to his innate gifts, but his dantian couldn’t keep up, and only becoming a rooting expert would fix that.

Last but not least, Liam added three healing pills and an ointment meant for flesh wounds. With the Black Bow, his rank 1 knife, and his martial arts, he was virtually ready for everything.

The mission involved the Sect’s official businesses, so Liam ditched the black cloak and left his cave with an uncharacteristically emptier pouch.

Despite the more extensive and varied preparations, far fewer items went in the pouch, freeing him from the cumbersome state that had afflicted his previous missions.

The Sect was waking up, but Liam left The Three Peaks before anyone could trap him in time-consuming salutes. He had studied the mission in the previous days, so he reached the meeting point in the now-yellow forest, where two figures were waiting for him on the bed of fallen leaves.

Simon was leaning on a trunk, his arms crossed, his brown eyes pointed at Liam even before he came out of the trees. A scoff promptly escaped his mouth, but the other figure acted first.

The young woman with black hair combed into a fancy hairstyle that Liam had seen after returning from the Mutated Battlefield was also there, and she didn’t hesitate to approach him.

More of the woman’s features became evident in that short window. She had big black eyes, plump red lips, and flawless white skin. She was a beauty who, unlike Melissa, put effort into her appearance, highlighting all her enchanting traits.

Of course, Liam barely noticed that superficial trait, instead focusing on the tingling in his nape. The woman was not only a rooting expect. She felt no different than Simon or Maxwell.

"Senior Sister Anastasia," Liam greeted, cupping his fist to stick to the few pleasantries he knew. "It’s an honor to meet you."

"Junior Brother, indeed, we finally meet," Anastasia softly chuckled, her voice alluring, reeking of trained grace and intrinsic femininity. "Let me look at you."

Before Liam knew it, Anastasia placed a finger under his chin to lift it. She was almost as tall as Liam, so his bow allowed her to look down at him, deep into his similarly black eyes.

"My, my," Anastasia gasped, inhaling in a way that sounded both surprised and sensual. "Such savagery. Such pristine loyalty."

Anastasia licked her lips, continuing. "What an irresistible mix. A ruthless beast only love can tame. You are every woman’s dream."

Naturally, Liam was oblivious to all of Anastasia’s sensual aspects. He saw her beauty and recognized something very womanly about her, but his brain didn’t trigger any attraction.

Liam didn’t even know it was possible to be attracted to multiple women or anyone who wasn’t Melissa. It was so inconceivable to him that he was completely lost about what Anastasia was doing.

"The blood of the Ancestral Phoenix is strong with Sister Anastasia," Simon commented. "Junior Brother, don’t gloat. Her lust is so out of control it’s more of an achievement not to catch her interest."

"Brother Simon, you are merely too distasteful," Anastasia gently said, retracting her hand, but continuing to look at Liam. "Junior Brother, instead ... Ah, the bliss he must deliver to Junior Sister."

’The Phoenix of Life?’ Liam wondered, only that detail standing out among that confusing interaction.

"But," Anastasia exclaimed, suddenly leaning down to look closely at Liam again, "Is that little, small girl enough to satisfy you? Can she endure your vitality without breaking?"

Anastasia pulled herself back and half turned, adding one last line while throwing a sideways look at Liam. "Or maybe she longs to be broken. I know I would."

"Whore," Simon snickered under his breath, but everyone on the scene heard him.

"Junior Brother, you must excuse Brother Simon," Anastasia chuckled, joining her hands under her sleeves. "He is a small man who can only see what he believes he is owed."

"And yet," Simon said. "I’m the only one who had the guts to attempt the breakthrough."

"Because you are inferior," Anastasia smiled at Simon. "You only see life in raw terms. You’d empty your sack and believe that’s all it should amount to. I pity the women who’ll accept that torture to earn your protection."

"Let me guess," Simon sneered. "Our local genius is superior instead."

"Hasn’t Junior Brother already proven how cultivation stages aren’t absolute?" Anastasia chirped. "Though I do wonder. Is the bitterness you harbor against him mere envy? Or was it born when you imagined the woman you fancied moaning in someone else’s arms?"

Simon’s face darkened, his eyes growing cold as his voice carried a threat. "Sister Anastasia, you are crossing the line."

"My, my," Anastasia chuckled, calmly meeting Simon’s glare. "And what if I cross it?"

Liam’s instincts rang the alarms. The atmosphere grew tense and oppressive while Simon and Anastasia looked at each other, as if something was ready to blow.

Nevertheless, Simon eventually relented, diverting his gaze and leaving his trunk.

"Let’s go," Simon ordered. "The road is long, and I won’t bear the blame if it turns out that Junior Brother can’t keep up."

Simon directly departed afterward, shooting through the trees. Liam felt the urge to follow him, but Anastasia resumed looking at him, her amused face lacking any trace of hurry.

"I hope Junior Brother won’t think poorly of me," Anastasia said, performing a slight bow. "Mine wasn’t meant to be an invitation. I am saving myself for our exceptional Head Disciple. He is the one I long to make mine."

Unlike almost everything else in the previous interaction, Liam understood that point, and only because he had faced a similar conversation with Melissa.

"Senior Sister likes Senior Brother Maxwell?" Liam probed.

"Indeed," Anastasia confirmed, bringing her hands to her cheeks. "He is so upstanding and noble. My legs tremble just imagining him begging to taste more of me."

Liam would have normally been ready to call all cultivators crazy, but he actually spotted something he recognized, something he believed he had experienced, too.

"Senior Sister," Liam called, diverting his gaze. "Is that lust?"

"I must sound shameful to you," Anastasia giggled, covering her mouth. "It is lust, but I am more susceptible to it. I may be only an illegitimate descendant, but I am of the Phoenix of Life, Love, and Passion nonetheless."

Everything became a bit clearer. The first meeting with a fellow descendant of the Ancestral Beasts told Liam more about that world he had only studied or experienced by himself.

Liam was cursed with boundless Hatred, but so were the other descendants of the Ancestral Beasts, even if they didn’t share as much blood with them as he did. That lineage carried power, but even drawbacks specific to each legendary creature.

’For the son of the Dragon has disrupted the balance in his pride,’ Liam recalled Crazy Uncle’s words, finding a new, more human meaning to them now. ’His pride in his perfection turned into arrogance.’

"Senior Sister, how do you control your passion?" Liam asked, not forgetting what had happened with the butcher.

"Who says that I do?" Anastasia teased, bringing her hands back together. "Who says that I should?"

Liam felt puzzled, not knowing how to explain the matter or whether he should at all. He couldn’t ask about Hatred directly, but he still wanted a second opinion from someone who shared a similar curse.

Luckily, Anastasia read the conflict on Liam’s face and explained herself without needing additional questions.

"Wanton lust is demeaning," Anastasia explained, "Destructive even. It is the senseless impulse of a beast that only seeks to appease itself, no matter who gets hurt."

Anastasia threw a contemptuous look in the direction where Simon had departed, but avoided voicing whatever thought had caused it.

"However," Anastasia continued, "If there’s love, lust becomes good. I’d be appalled if the one whom I love felt no burning desire toward me. Humans might be profound in spirit, but we are also flesh, and flesh craves flesh."

Despite the complicated words, Anastasia made perfect sense. Liam could see all that in his own experience. Yet, she hadn’t replied to his question, and the Phoenix of Passion had Love as a counterpart, while his Hatred only had Envy.

"What about Fury and Might?" Liam questioned, the Ancestral Ape being the closest thing to the Ancestral Snake’s negative traits he could find.

"Would you claim it to be love if it didn’t blind you with fury when the one you hold dear is hurt?" Anastasia wondered. "With so much evil in this world, how would holding back the might to correct things be good?"

That felt correct, too, but Liam still felt unsure about his specific case, the one he couldn’t mention, which Anastasia did on her own.

"It’s the same with the infamous Ancestral Snake," Anastasia declared. "Envy is merely proof of desire, and hatred is love’s other face, a burning love that was ripped away."

Those words hit too much home for Liam’s comfort, startling him, but also delivering the enlightenment he had sought. At least, he believed he had got it right.

"So," Liam summarized, "It’s about how we pursue them and why."

"Such is life," Anastasia confirmed. "Such is to be human. Such is to be alive. We all have to navigate the storm of our emotions. How we channel them defines what we are, and whether they become mighty forces of good or ruinous afflictions."

Liam couldn’t help but grow pensive, his understanding of life expanding at that very moment, only for his focused expression to attract Anastasia’s teasing once more.

"Junior Brother, if you are asking this because of Junior Sister," Anastasia announced, "I have more useful advice."

Liam’s gaze snapped back at Anastasia, watching her draw near again and circling him.

"We women are capricious creatures," Anastasia giggled. "We desire, but don’t voice it. We crave, but feel shame about it. Moreover, we expect our silence to be understood and get angry when it isn’t."

Liam blinked in confusion, his eyes focusing on Anastasia when she stopped on his left.

"But make no mistake," Anastasia stated. "Junior Sister took your hand, which means she wants it to be soft and caring in the morning, and rough and passionate at night."

Anastasia seemed to have said something profound, but Liam blurted something she would have never expected. "Sister Melissa and I only see each other in the afternoon."

Anastasia’s face went blank, only for what seemed to be her first genuine laugh to escape her mouth, even making her lift her face in the process.

"You are adorable," Anastasia continued to laugh, slowly composing herself. "Shall we go now, Junior Brother? Before our spiteful Brother truly decides to leave us behind."