Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

Another day passed, and Bao Bingqing continued to give Ye Ge the best hospitality, continued to show Ye Ge around his Dark City, introduced him to his subordinates, showed him his experimental results, and demonstrated his ambition and grand plan.

“The Ye family probably doesn’t want to be dependent on others forever, right?” Bao Bingqing said. “Although on the surface the tension between the royal family and the Ye family has eased, everyone knows that a broken mirror can never be mended.”

Ye Ge glanced at him: "What do you mean?"

Bao Bingqing's eyes were filled with ambition: "On the map of all races, there are countless high-quality territories waiting for us to conquer and explore! Your Ye family has the most powerful warriors, while I have the blood of darkness. We can completely establish our own lordship and create our own order, no longer subject to the constraints of the royal family!"

Ye Ge smiled faintly and said nothing.

That evening, Bao Bingqing booked a drinking party and introduced several of his trusted generals to Ye Ge.

This is the only tavern in Dark City, and its decor is quite rudimentary. The bar is just a few huge steel plates nailed together, and the tables and chairs in the tavern were salvaged by scavengers from the wilderness ruins. The only thing that's decent is the taste of the drinks.

The tavern walls are decorated with the heads of various dark creatures, usually hunted down by hunters. The rule in Dark City is that anyone who hunts a low-level monster and brings back its carcass can exchange it for a week's worth of alcohol and one hundred Imperial Coins at this tavern. Hunting a mid-level monster will earn you one Imperial Gold Coin!

Bao Bingqing had a total of five trusted subordinates, and Liang Kuan was naturally one of them, though he was more of a strategist.

Besides Bao Bingqing, he also had four other extraordinary warriors at the Thousand Soul Realm: Kuangtu, Yang Yin, Lao Gou, and Fei Long. These men all had a bandit-like appearance, rough personalities, and gruff voices—typical images of wilderness adventurers. It was said that they were originally from the inland areas, but later offended some nobles and couldn't make a living there, so they fled to the Great Wall and became bounty hunters, moving between various towns and villages in the wilderness. That's when they encountered Bao Bingqing.

Besides these few people, Bao Bingqing also had several hundred hunters under his command, all of whom were at the Yellow Realm to Hundred Soul Realm level.

Furthermore, the Dark Blood grants countless scavengers considerable combat prowess. Such a force is undoubtedly the strongest in the human wilderness! Even the Night Watch caravans tremble with fear when passing through the wilderness, constantly worrying about being hijacked.

Kuangtu and Yang Yin were not very friendly to Ye Ge at first, after all, they had fought Ye Ge in the Hundred Soul Forest before and suffered a loss, so they were still somewhat unconvinced.

Especially the madman, he never understood why the boss wanted to win over this brat from the Ye family, and even showed him all his family's wealth. Even if he was from a demonized family, he was still an aristocrat, and such an aristocrat could not integrate with them.

"boom!"

The madman slammed a large glass of beer, bubbling with white foam, onto the table in front of Night Song.

"Young Master Ye, I toast you." The madman snorted, "No matter how strong the liquor in our Dark City is, I wonder if your pampered throat can handle it!"

Ye Ge smiled slightly and picked up the handle of the beer glass: "One for me, you can have whatever you like."

"Hey, you're small for your size but have quite the big mouth!" the madman said dramatically. "No need! I'll drink as much as you drink!"

Half an hour later, the madman vomited.

The other hunters at the table were also lying on the ground, having mostly drunk their fill under the table. They had no idea how this seemingly shy and fair-skinned boy could hold so much alcohol.

Ye Ge sat calmly on the fishing platform, casually picking up a piece of fruit from the plate and popping it into his mouth, while Liang Kuan was the only one still sitting opposite him.

Liang Kuan smiled wryly: "I didn't expect Young Master Ye to have such abilities."

Night Song said, "My demonic bloodline makes me adaptable to many things. Wine is no different from water to me."

Liang Kuan: "...So that's how it is."

After that night, when Kuangtu and Yang Yin saw Ye Ge again the next day, their expressions were no longer defiant, but rather a complex mix of emotions. They probably felt it was quite shameful that a group of grown men had been defeated by a little brat.

In just a few days, Ye Ge had become quite familiar with Bao Bingqing and his group.

On the surface, Bao Bingqing did indeed confide in him.

But the more this happens, the more awake Ye Ge becomes.

Admittedly, Bao Bingqing's attitude over the past few days has been very sincere. He has told him almost all the secrets about the Dark Blood, and even took him on a tour of the entire Dark City, including the factories and laboratories. He has also revealed the number of his subordinates and all his true strength to him.

He has indeed done enough to reach a cooperation agreement with the Ye family.

But the more sincere Bao Bingqing appears, the more suspicious he becomes.

It's important to understand that Bao Bingqing is not a naive young man with only dreams and passion.

He's a cunning old fox, a seasoned tyrant who's made his way up in the underworld over the years! A guy who can command a bunch of hunters and superhumans in the wilderness could never be so naive. How could he be so open and honest with a partner he's only known for a few days? And even willingly reveal all his cards?

Ye Ge had learned many lessons in his past life, which made him someone who doesn't easily trust others.

He knew that trusting others too easily would inevitably lead to a lesson, and Bao Bingqing certainly knew it too.

That evening, Ye Ge went to Gao Shenxue and Xia Xiyao's room.

"Xue'er, what's the matter that you called me here for? Is there a result?" Ye Ge asked.

"Yes, we have a preliminary analysis report." Gao Shenxue handed a tablet computer to Yege: "Take a look for yourself."

Ye Ge took the tablet and carefully reviewed its contents.

"Is this a genetic mutation we've never seen before?" Ye Ge frowned.

"Yes, I think it's not just because of the demonic energy pollution, but also because she consumed the blood of darkness."

Gao Shenxue said, "Due to the pollution of demonic energy in this little girl's body, a very special mutated cell has formed. This cell is similar to that of a person suffering from demonic disease. Without the corresponding inhibitor, it will turn into a dark creature that has lost its mind, has a deformed appearance, and cannot be named within a week."

"However, the mutated cells in her body are slightly more advanced than those of people who have been afflicted with demonic disease. Even if she were to become a dark creature, she would definitely become a more advanced demon."

Ye Ge glanced at Gao Shenxue: "However, she hasn't turned into a dark creature yet."

“Yes, this is the effect of the Dark Blood,” Gao Shenxue said. “The Dark Blood is her inhibitor, allowing her to maintain her human form and sanity. However, this inhibitor has side effects. While maintaining the balance within her body, the Dark Blood also causes the already mutated cells in her body to evolve and mutate further. Moreover, over time, these mutated cells will evolve and become stronger within her body... until one day, her body can no longer withstand it…”

Gao Shenxue paused, glanced at Ye Ge, and said, "She will eventually become a dark creature, and possibly the strongest dark creature ever formed from human corruption, a creature that has never appeared in history before."