Chapter 85: Twenty-Four Poison Branches (2)
Becoming an adopted son (?)— it reminded me of something from my past life.
The process itself was simple: a single bow in front of the ancestral shrine and sharing a drink. However, the fact that this drink contained each other's blood made something in my memories flicker, just out of reach.
"Now, drink."
"Understood, f—father."
A single red drink was handed to me.
I carefully lifted the cup and poured it into my mouth.
—Gulp.
Immediately, I tasted the sharp burn of alcohol, something I hadn’t had since my reincarnation, mixed with the distinct metallic tang of blood.
As that bloody taste lingered in my mouth, the memory that had been teasing my mind finally became clear.
'Right! This is just like one of those gangster movies.'
It was eerily similar to the initiation scenes from old films—where new members drank blood to become part of the family.
But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. That was about joining a family, and so was this. The method was just... different.