Ah Yue washed the blood from his hands in the corner basin. The coppery scent of snake venom still clung to his nails, but no one paid him any mind. In the kitchen, everyone minded their own survival.
By now, the bruise-like lines of black qi threading along his right forearm had begun to twist more elegantly than before. After enduring the scorpion, the toad, and the snake, his body had begun transforming—slowly, subtly. The Five Poison Palm required five venoms, each one a trial. And now, three were complete.
The next step, he knew, would be the centipede.
---
The Whisper of the Well
Behind the kitchen storeroom, past the bamboo thickets and the waste compost pits, lay a sealed stone well. The lid had long since cracked, and moss grew thick along its rim. Some whispered it once supplied water to the inner court. Others said it was a grave for the disobedient.
But Ah Yue had heard something else.
One night, while carrying bones to the waste pile, he'd seen a thick-legged insect crawl from a crack in the well's base. Its body was a coil of orange and black. Its legs twitched like blades. And when a rat wandered too close, it didn't live long.
That was a centipede. And if it was nesting there, then the venom he needed might be close.
He waited until the moon rose high. The night was windless. Good.
He crept past the walls of the outer kitchen, hugging the shadows. His linen slave tunic flapped slightly, but he moved low and quiet like a beetle on stone. No one would notice him. Slaves did not speak unless commanded. They did not wander without orders.
He reached the well and crouched beside it.
The crack at the base had grown slightly wider since he last visited.
He picked up a dry twig and slid it inside.
No movement. No hiss. No legs.
He breathed in slowly. Then, from behind, he heard the faint sound of breathing.
Ah Yue's fingers tensed. His foot inched toward the tree's base.
But it wasn't a guard.
It was Cui Lian, drawing water from a second, smaller basin nearby. Her gaze met his for a moment.
She looked away, unbothered. Wordless, she turned and left.
As always, Cui Lian kept to herself. Like every other kitchen slave, she understood the rule: don't ask, don't help, don't involve yourself.
Ah Yue exhaled slowly and returned to the crack.
This time, he pulled the lid open slightly. With effort, he nudged it to one side, revealing a set of rotted stone steps spiraling down into darkness.
---
The Nest
The walls were damp. Slime clung to the edges. The well had not been cleaned in years. But thirty paces down, a weak blue glow reflected from pooled water below.
He lit a small grease candle from his sash, one he'd stolen from the drying room. The flame danced like a single eye, illuminating broken stones and an old wooden bucket.
Then he saw it.
Curled in the corner, beneath a stone outcrop, lay a massive centipede, nearly as long as his arm. Its shell was reddish-brown, and its head throbbed with a twitching mandible. Around it, dozens of smaller centipedes crawled along the floor, glistening wet and venomous.
He didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the edge of the bucket's rope, wound it into a noose, and slowly lowered it toward the largest one.
But the bucket rope creaked.
The centipede turned.
Then it lunged.
Ah Yue dropped the bucket and flung himself backward.
The creature struck his thigh, embedding sharp legs into flesh. Poison flooded the wound. His body screamed. Muscles clenched. Heat surged up his side.
He smashed its head with a stone.
Then everything blurred.
---
System Notification
> [Drawback System Activated]
Detected: Centipede Venom – Category: Neurotoxin – Effect: Paralyzes motor control, induces tremor, disrupts balance.
Reversing Drawback…
✅ Conversion Complete.
Gain: Heightened Reflex Loop – Muscular reaction time improved. Neural signals sharpened. Fine control increased.
System Note: This poison has been consumed. Progress in Five Poison Palm +1.
Current Completion: 4/5.
---
Ah Yue woke beside the well with his back against the cracked wall. The centipede's corpse lay curled near his leg, twitching.
His right hand buzzed slightly. When he moved his fingers, they flexed smoothly—faster than before. No stiffness. No delay.
He stood, wincing slightly, and tested his balance. Nothing sluggish. In fact… he felt sharper. Lighter. More connected to his limbs.
His fourth poison was complete.
---
A Quiet Return
By the time he returned to the kitchen, dawn had begun to lighten the sky. Steam rose from the rice pots, and the first bell had rung.
Cui Lian was already scrubbing roots by the water barrel. She glanced at him, then turned away again.
Nothing was said.
Nothing ever was.
He returned to his corner of the scullery and grabbed the firewood axe. His leg still throbbed, but it healed faster now. That was another side effect of the System—he noticed his body adapting more quickly than before.
When he lifted the heavy pot, his hands didn't shake.
When he cleaved wood, the pieces split cleaner.
No one noticed. Not yet.
But soon… someone would.
---
Overheard
That afternoon, as Ah Yue carried buckets past the side hall, he heard voices.
"…no, Elder Zhen hasn't broken through," one said. A man's voice. Sharp, irritated.
"It's the slaves. I saw one near the well two nights in a row," another voice replied. "We should clean the lower grounds before they attract rats again."
"I'll send someone," the first voice muttered. "Maybe Zhen Long. He's been too idle lately."
Ah Yue didn't look. He didn't pause.
But he remembered the name—Zhen Long. One of the inner family heirs. Arrogant. Cruel. And bored.
Ah Yue gripped the water bucket tighter.
He didn't have much time.
---
Night Practice
That night, under the open moonlight in the refuse yard behind the scullery, Ah Yue raised his right hand.
He moved through the first stance of Five Poison Palm.
The Qi in his meridians flowed smoother now. His movements carried a fluid venom—silent and sharp.
Scorpion Palm – Piercing Fang.
Toad Palm – Swelling Strike.
Snake Palm – Coiling Grip.
Centipede Palm – Flickering Lash.
Each of the first four forms completed with a crisp, refined edge.
He was one poison away from completing the technique.
Only the spider remained.
And that would be the hardest yet.