Liam, Emerald, and Xavier sat down to eat at the dining table for the first time in their lives, sharing a lovely moment.
The food on the dining table was brought straight from the kitchen, its hotness accompanied by an enticing aroma.
However, the trio didn't start eating immediately. Instead, they began conversing happily, with their main concern revolving around Liam's whereabouts during the three days he was missing.
Liam did not tell Emerald about the emergence of a bloodline soul or anything else that had been happening during those days. He crafted a simple, believable lie that he had been asleep the entire time. This made Emerald and Xavier wonder if he had found himself in a place with calming cherry blossoms that had lulled him to sleep.
"Alright, my little sunshine. I'm sure you must be very hungry. Let's eat."
Liam nodded before grabbing the chopsticks. However, just as he was about to take a bite of rice porridge, a sharp pain invaded his head once more, causing his hands to lose strength and the chopsticks to fall to the ground.
He grabbed his head, feeling the same aching pain once again.
"Liam."
"Little brother!"
Xavier and Emerald immediately noticed this and rushed to support him from losing consciousness.
At the same time, Liam noticed the system window in front of him, which was now blood red, indicating danger.
[Warning: Lethal substance detected in the food host is about to consume]
Simultaneously, he heard the voice of his bloodline soul.
["Are you so dumb or something? You can't even notice that your food is poisoned with such a lethal poison."]
'What... poisoned,' Liam's mind was a mess after that.
He felt his hand being pulled by someone; he guessed that the pain he felt was visible to his family, and they had quickly come to his aid.
He felt a touch, and he decided to make Emerald and Xavier feel his touch as well.
"Mom, big brother Xavier, the food... it's poisoned."
This was the first time he had called Xavier "big brother" and the first time he had also called Emerald "mom." That was his reward, but his words contained a bigger reward.
"Little sunshine, are you alright? Should mama feed you?"
"Little brother, you must be seeing things."
Initially, they did not believe him.
"I'm telling the truth. The food is really poisoned."
Liam repeated himself, his baby voice more serious than ever this time.
Emerald tried her best to believe him and finally did, although she was shocked. She did not say it out loud.
"Peterson!"
"Yes, my lady."
A guard dressed in complete steel armor, with a sword attached to his back, entered the room and bowed.
"Get the family food consultant. Tell him to come immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Peterson hurried out of the room. Ten minutes later, he returned with a middle-aged man, Elder Rice Ball, nicknamed due to his large build.
Elder Rice Ball had a lens on one of his eyes. If it weren't for his robe and build, one might mistake him for a pirate or treasure thief.
Elder Rice Ball rushed to the table, greeted them, and then bent down to examine the situation through his lens.
After that, he brought out a test tube containing a fluid from his pocket. He ground a stalk of rice on a small, clean, white plastic plate he had with him.
As soon as the liquid mixed with the ground rice, it turned golden yellow, releasing a yellowish gas. Along with it came a cold yin energy that spread through the room in just a few seconds.
Elder Rice Ball's eyes furrowed in shock. He began walking backward as if afraid and then finally let out his shock.
"Lady Emerald, this is a very strong cold yin poison. I couldn't even detect it at first glance until I carried out the most proficient experiment on it. How were you able to find out?"
"My heart didn't accept this meal, so I had to call for you. It's nothing but my instinct."
She knew it would be unwise to let strangers know who had truly discovered it, so she covered up her involvement.
She politely asked the others to leave before questioning Liam. He didn't give the true answer and instead told them it was just a guess.
"Don't worry, sunshine. I'll personally prepare your meals from now on. I won't let anyone hurt you in the future."
Emerald left the room to prepare dinner for all of them. Meanwhile, Liam was alone with Xavier.
To prevent him from asking unnecessary questions, Liam began bombarding Xavier with questions about cultivation, which Xavier happily explained, thinking Liam was asking for fun.
Emerald returned with her personally prepared meal, which turned out to be far more delicious.
Liam really enjoyed himself before going to bed. Due to the insecurity, he now had to share a room with Xavier. Emerald tried her best to stay awake all through the night to watch him sleep, while Xavier worked on increasing his essence cultivation to the 1st level of the human realm.
But she fell asleep just a few hours before sunrise.
Liam's eyes abruptly opened. His blue eyes were calm, while his red eyes seemed to release a tad bit of killing intent.
The others in the room were preoccupied, giving him the perfect opportunity to sneak out and take care of some personal business.