After stabilizing Hao — no, Greed — Ming led them through the forest again.
This time, not into darkness, but toward a place he remembered well.
The waterfall roared ahead, mist rising like a thin veil.
Behind it, the cave opened quietly… the same place where Ming himself first learned martial arts.
He stepped inside, the air cool and familiar.
His five followers stood behind him.
All of them carried the same dead emptiness in their eyes…
but beneath that emptiness now burned a new flame — vengeance.
Pride was the first to speak.
"My lord… how are you going to restore our meridians?"
The others turned to Ming instantly.
Gluttony.
Envy.
Wrath.
Greed.
Even Pride himself—
All five froze, breath caught in their throats.
Ming looked at them calmly.
"How sad," he said, almost disappointed. "You really thought I wasn't going to restore your meridians?"
Their eyes widened.
Shock rippled across all five faces.
Because this was the reason they followed him.
The reason they dared to hope again.
The reason they survived the Red Line.
They believed only Ming might know a way to heal their shattered meridians.
And now—
He confirmed it.
Ming smiled faintly, resting a hand on the cave wall.
"You kneeled before me for vengeance," he said.
"But I will give you something greater—"
His Death Qi flickered.
And the cave trembled lightly.
"—I will give you the strength to take it."
Ming folded his arms, thinking to himself:
I can't show them I use both Qi types. Not yet.
If they see that… they'll know too much.
So when he stepped forward, he only let Death Qi seep out — cold, dark, oppressive.
"I'm going to teach you a technique," Ming said.
"A technique that will give you a chance to learn martial arts again."
All five of them straightened instantly.
Then Ming asked:
"Tell me… do you know what Qi really is?"
Wrath was the first to answer — her voice firm, respectful.
"Yes, my lord. I learned this before my meridians were destroyed.
There are two types of Qi—"
She began explaining everything: Vitality Qi, Death Qi, their differences, how martial artists usually cultivate one depending on their body.
But Pride suddenly rolled his eyes.
"Tch. What's so special about this? I already know all that," he muttered, irritated.
Gluttony smirked.
"Are you angry because you couldn't answer first?"
"What!? Who said that!?" Pride shot back, flustered.
The others snickered quietly, all of them losing focus and watching Pride instead of Wrath.
Ming's expression darkened.
A silent pressure crushed the air.
His voice cut through them like a blade:
"If you don't want to listen…"
His Death Qi coiled, cold enough to stab their bones.
"…then get out."
Instant silence.
Every smile vanished. Pride stiffened. Envy swallowed hard. Gluttony lowered his head. Greed didn't even breathe.
Wrath continued speaking — and this time, all five listened with absolute focus and respect, not daring to look away.
Ming waited until Wrath finished her explanation, then stepped forward.
"As you all know," he said, "every one of you possesses Death Qi meridians.
But right now… all of them are blocked."
Envy raised his hand hesitantly.
"My lord… how are we supposed to open them? Humans have tried for thousands of years, but no one has ever succeeded."
Ming's lips curled into a small, confident smile.
"I know," he said. "But I also know this will work."
Envy frowned. "How?"
Ming lifted his palm.
A wave of pure Death Qi exploded outward—cold, heavy, ancient.
The ground cracked.
Shadows twisted around his feet.
Every one of his subordinates froze… eyes wide.
"I opened mine," Ming said calmly.
"And as you can see… I can use Death Qi freely."
Shock hit them like thunder.
They couldn't sense Qi before because of their crippled meridians—so this was the first time they had ever felt Ming's true power.
A human using Death Qi.
A feat no one had achieved in a thousand years.
Pride took a shaky breath.
Gluttony's mouth hung open.
Envy's hands trembled.
Wrath bowed her head deeply.
Greed stared at Ming like he was witnessing a god.
Their respect didn't just increase. It solidified.
Because only a monster… or a legend… could do what Ming just showed them.
Ming stood before them and raised his hand.
"Listen carefully," he said. "When I pour my Death Qi into your bodies, you must circulate it. The Birthing Technique I taught you will guide the flow. Together, it will open your Death meridians… and eventually your Death Origin."
Greed lifted his hand.
"But… how will we know how to circulate it, my lord? Vitality Qi flows naturally in humans. We don't need to think. But Death Qi… we have never used it. What if we circulate it wrong? What if we take the wrong path?"
A valid fear.
If Vitality Qi is a river, Death Qi is a blade—it cuts the wrong path and you die.
Ming nodded.
"A good question. Death Qi doesn't follow any natural route in the human body. You can't sense it. You can't guess the path."
He put a hand on Greed's shoulder.
"So I will guide you myself.
I will circulate the Death Qi inside your bodies from start to finish."
Their eyes widened.
Even Wrath looked shaken.
Ming exhaled slowly, a memory stabbing at him.
If only I had described the Birthing Technique earlier…
If only Master had known the real method… he wouldn't have died.
He tried to circulate Death Qi blindly—just like Lyssar did—and it tore them apart from the inside.
Death Qi is power…
But it is also execution.
Ming clenched his teeth.
They died because no one taught them the right path.
I won't let that happen again.
He looked at the five kneeling before him, their eyes filled with trust and fear.
"This time," Ming said quietly,
"I won't let anybody die."