Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 120 - 40: Home Delivery of Takeout

Chapter 120: Chapter 40: Home Delivery of Takeout

There was definitely something wrong with the Cloud Sea Academy.

The wizened poison master followed closely behind the Fox Demon girl as she led the way down the mountain path, abandoning any thoughts of escape completely.

This accursed place had long been shrouded in calamity—any minor movement might cost him his life, yet the teachers and students of the academy seemed to be unaffected by the misfortune, even blessed with luck instead.

In his limited understanding, he had never heard of anyone capable of setting up a barrier so vast and complex.

Neither Yin Die Organization nor the Imperial Court had this ability. If such a person existed in this world, they would have likely been targeted by the company and invited to "the heavens" long ago.

Why hadn’t the Extraterrestrials recruited such a Fox Demon, and why was she instead appearing in a place like Cloud Sea Academy?

The old poison master grew suspicious and also became intensely curious about the "Mr. Mingyuan" mentioned by the girl.

At the foot of the mountain, the Ghost Prison was located within a "cave" not far away.

A white-furred canine demon, several meters in length, was curled up at the entrance of the cave. Hearing footsteps, the demon dog’s pointed ears twitched, its eyes squinting open a crack. Seeing that the Fox Demon girl was approaching, the canine demon closed its eyes again and resumed napping.

The old poison master stopped at the door, finding that his visit to Ghost Prison came much sooner than he had anticipated.

As one of the first infiltrators, Ghost Prison was naturally an area he needed to pay close attention to.

It was rumored that a prisoner was locked up in Ghost Prison, entangled in enmity with the academy for hundreds of years. If he could somehow release this prisoner, it would surely lead to great chaos.

All along the way, the old poison master had thought of an excuse.

The essence of the Disguise Technique was not only changing one’s face but also perfectly integrating oneself into the assumed identity. From now on, he was a pitiable person who, because of a Family Secret Technique, had no choice but to sell his soul to the Imperial Court. He had long been dissatisfied with the Second Prince’s cruel rule, but the prince had coerced him with threats to his family, leaving him no choice but to comply.

He was willing to become a double agent voluntarily, revealing the movements of Yin Die to the academy and serving as a surprise force for the academy when Yin Die attacked.

If Duan Mingyuan were to inquire, he would have every detail accounted for.

Perfect lies are built upon truth, and the identity he had prepared actually existed.

It was a young man just over twenty years old, seemingly simple and honest.

Dissatisfied with an order from the Second Prince, he abducted an assassination target halfway through the mission and disappeared without a trace.

The young man had been sent to him already scared out of his wits, answering any question truthfully.

Recalling the scene, the old poison master hardly expended any effort to extract all the information from the youth, including that he had entrusted the assassination target to his aunt’s family outside.

To reward the young man’s honesty, he used him for an experiment for one night before putting an end to the young man’s life for good.

The old poison master advanced further into the darkness, a strange feeling surging in his heart.

It turned out that all those sent to his estate by the Second Prince had arrived with such trepidation and unease.

In the deepest part of Ghost Prison, the old poison master finally met Duan Mingyuan as he had wished.

Much younger than he had imagined. To his mind, those with such heaven-reaching abilities ought to be in their seventies or eighties,

with white hair and an appearance bearing the aura of a transcendent sage.

But Duan Mingyuan had none of the aura of an immortal; instead, he carried the air of an urbanite and looked more like someone you could see at any subway station during rush hour.

The old poison master also noticed the delighted look in Fox Lady’s eyes upon seeing Duan Mingyuan, like a little wife joyfully greeting her husband returning home, offering the lovingly prepared bento box with her own hands and considerately asking about her husband’s day at work.

Being by Duan Mingyuan’s side, Jiuyue seemed to have a touch of mundane warmth as if she was no longer the Calamity Fox manipulating disasters but a newlywed wife still in her honeymoon phase.

This so-called Mr. Mingyuan...

Could he be a kept man, living off a woman?

Perhaps, by some stroke of fortune, he charmed a Fox Demon and won her favor.

Besides, the old poison master really couldn’t see what was so special about this young fellow. Considering the Fox Demon’s powers, the two elite operatives who had fallen at the hands of the Messenger could well have been killed by the Fox Demon’s barrier.

The old poison master remembered how frightened the young man had been upon seeing him, his legs starting to tremble. The moment he stood before Duan Mingyuan, he spontaneously confessed his crimes. "It was the Second Prince who forced me to do it—he told me to lace the academy’s food supplies with a sleeping drug, if—"

"Once the deed is done, you’ll be free to dispose of thirty people within the academy at your will."

It was a very calm tone, yet it left the old poison master utterly terrified.

Mind Reading Technique?

No, even with the Mind Reading Technique, it wouldn’t be possible to directly access his memories!

Within the Yin Die Organization were people who specialized in mind reading and soul capturing; to prevent organization information from being exposed in the event of a mission failure, each operative underwent specialized training.

The old poisoner could only pretend not to hear, continuing in a frantic tone, "The Second Prince used my family as a threat..."

"You have a deep interest in poisons, taking pleasure in injecting the venom you develop into the victims and observing the changes up close."

Similarly, Duan Mingyuan did not respond to the old poisoner either, their conversation seemingly unrelated, as if each was speaking to nobody in particular, "Though it’s mostly useless knowledge, I still appreciate you making the trip."

The old poisoner said no more, clueless as to how Duan Mingyuan had seen through his Disguise Technique and laid bare even his dealings with the Second Prince.

The sensation of being completely seen through sent chills down his spine.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

The old poisoner’s brain worked furiously, the situation developing far beyond his expectations. Even after seeing through his true identity, Duan Mingyuan’s expression remained unfazed, showing no interest in negotiating or threatening his life.

This is bad!

The way Duan Mingyuan looked at him reminded the old poisoner of some extremely extraordinary beings.

The close guards of the high-ranking Extraterrestrials.

He had once worked with one of them; during missions, they had that same expression, treating the taking of a life as casually as picking up a pebble.

"I admit I am one of the Second Prince’s men, I know many things about him..."

Duan Mingyuan interrupted the old poisoner, "Everything you know, I already know."

"About the plan to infiltrate the academy, I can help you intercede—"

"It’s not necessary."

The old poisoner opened his mouth, but ultimately no sound came out.

The depths of Ghost Prison once again fell silent, save for the faint sound of a pebble dropping to the floor.

The old poisoner’s life could be described as full of ups and downs, from a marginalized nobody, he had risen step by step to become a favorite of the Second Prince—a journey destined to be out of the ordinary.

However, no matter how skilled a person is in the Disguise Technique, they cannot change the color of their Life Energy.

When the old poisoner appeared before him, the air seemed to fill with a vile stench.

So severe that it affected one’s appetite.

In the process of communing with Life Energy, Duan Mingyuan couldn’t avoid viewing the "scientific experiments" the old poisoner so dearly loved.

The latter’s greatest interest in life was to use various venoms to torment others, seemingly deriving some unfathomable pleasure that Duan Mingyuan couldn’t understand.

Duan Mingyuan and the old poisoner did not share the same pastimes.

When he decided to act, Duan Mingyuan would certainly not draw out the evening, taking pleasure in the victim’s agony.

His gaze didn’t linger on the dropped pebble; instead, he picked up the lunch box that Jiuyue had carefully prepared for him.

According to his schedule, it was time to enjoy the lovingly prepared lunch box from his wife. If some unclean thing spoiled his mood, it would be a waste of Jiuyue’s efforts bustling about the kitchen all afternoon.

Opening the lunch box lid, the usual fragrances wafted out.

The sauce on the chicken pieces was rich, enticing with the garnish of green and red peppers.

"This person is rather unique, I thought you might like him," Jiuyue said as she came to the side of the pebble, looking down at it before she kicked it deeper into the shadows.

"He is rather unique," Duan Mingyuan agreed. "But there’s no need to pick up every piece of trash."