Chapter 367: After the Riot

"This... this is the leader of the Dragon People?"

"I thought he could understand our grievances, but it turned out to be a trap!"

"They killed Zhou Dage!!"

The angry miners will never trust any word from Wang Chao again, and the one who killed the miners' leader was brutally beaten to death in a riot.

And he did nothing at all.

When the news of the riot reached Yan Buji, Wang Man laughed, "Look, it worked."

Yan Buji nodded, "They don't know how to wield power; truly believing in a win‑win for everyone will eventually be dragged down by the whole Dragon People."

Wang Man, of course, understood that they had been covertly acting for years, and although Wang Chao had sensed some of it and pre‑emptively cleared many things, at the crucial moment a grand performance was enough to shatter everything he had painstakingly built.

As the key figure of the riot, Xu Ying was signaled early by Wang Man to wait for the right moment. He not only slew the worker leader who sparked the strike with a single slash, but also drove a blade into Wang Chao's chest.

From then on, no one would trust Wang Chao and their group, and Yan Buji could immediately use this period to assemble his own team.

However, unlike him, Wang Chao remained extremely resilient and began dealing with the aftermath of the riot.

First, he forcefully suppressed those rioting miners and then held private talks with them for a long time.

After that, the miners obediently returned to the mine to continue work, as if nothing had happened.

As the chatter in the city grew louder, Wang Chao stepped forward, publicly tried a heinously corrupt official, and even though that person had once been a comrade, he mercilessly pinned all the crimes onto them, making them a scapegoat.

The aftershocks of the riot gradually subsided, but the seed of distrust had already been sown.

Wang Man looked at Yan Buji: "Shall we add more fuel to the fire?"

"There's still time, let me finish spreading the Dao first," Yan Buji laughed.

Wang Man raised an eyebrow, nodded, and said, "Speaking of which, what about Yang Long? Didn't he come back?"

"He was sent out on business, but…"

Yan Buji tossed Wang Man a pill bottle containing two pills: "These two Reversal Blood Pills, give one to Yang Long so he can work properly."

"Reversal Blood Pill... this is the Celestial Pill that lifts the bloodline curse?!" Wang Man exclaimed.

"A female Dragon Person can produce at most three Reversal Blood Pills. For the future of the Dragon People, all resources must be prioritized for female Dragon People so they can create more Reversal Blood Pills with minimal depletion of the source. Once this generation lifts the bloodline curse, the next generation will be free of it," Yan Buji said calmly.

Wang Man pressed his chin: "Is that so... what if those female Dragon People unite to seize power?"

"Kill."

"Alright, I understand."

Wang Man's abilities far exceeded Yan Buji's expectations; not only did he orchestrate the riot and the decisive slash that sparked the Dragon People's discontent with leader Wang Chao, but he can also flawlessly carry out any order Yan Buji issues.

Although Yan Buji is wary of Wang Man becoming too powerful, for him the stronger Wang Man gets, the better.

There are many things he prefers not to plan himself; with someone like Wang Man nearby, as long as he doesn't covet Yan Buji's position, he can be given anything else.

A ruler who becomes a despotic tyrant cannot last long; Wang Chao understands this, and Yan Buji knows it as well.

But as Wang Man said, he hopes Yan Buji can become the king of the Dragon People, not only because Yan Buji has strength but also means.

Having methods that Wang Man cannot achieve is what makes Wang Man wholeheartedly submit.

In the time that followed, the entire Dragon People fell silent.

Patrol squads multiplied in every street and alley, and even the low‑rank Dragon People dared not speak loudly at home for fear of being caught by patrolling Dragon People and thrown into prison.

Yan Buji continued his daily sermons, during which he discovered many gifted Dragon People and took them under his wing, teaching them diligently day and night.

That day, Yan Buji looked at the assignments of his five newly accepted disciples, nodded, and said, "Hmm, you have a solid grasp of basic cultivation; you may now try refining pills or forging artifacts on your own."

"Master, may I ask... with so much turmoil on Wang Chao's side now, what should we do?"

"Yes, Master, we have heard that your relationship with Wang Chao is poor. We don't say much, but now that we are your disciples, and... the atmosphere in Wanlong Palace has been strange lately."

"Strange?" Yan Buji laughed, "What exactly is strange?"

"Everyone... doesn't dare speak. Before, saying a couple of words was fine; at worst you'd be locked up a few days then released. Now, any unpleasant remark gets you grabbed immediately, and my neighbor still hasn't been released."

Yan Buji smiled, "I'm not exactly a good person either."

"Is that so..."

The disciples looked at Yan Buji, puzzled, and asked, "If you become the leader, what will you do?"

"I will first lead everyone out of the Boundless Rift, but that must wait until everyone lifts the bloodline curse. So aren't I teaching you now how to lift the bloodline curse?"

"Huh?"

"The way to lift the bloodline curse is simple: either cannibalism—devouring one's own kind to dissolve the curse; or, at the convergence of yin and yang, refine my unique Reversal Blood Pill to break the curse."

"Cannibalism?!" The disciples' faces turned pale, uneasy.

"The priests know this method, and Wang Chao probably does too. But that's not the issue now; keep honing your skills, and when the time is right I will teach you how to refine the Reversal Blood Pill. Heh, cannibalism is indeed too cruel," Yan Buji chuckled a few times.

Those words, once heard by the disciples, made a huge difference.

Could it be that those who were seized and vanished for so long were...

... eaten?!

That's terrifying!

"Master, if Wang Chao and his group... really used cannibalism to lift the bloodline curse, then we...?"

"Do the entire Dragon People have to turn on each other, with only a few surviving as the only way out? If Wang Chao weren't foolish, he wouldn't do this. Even if he does, it would be limited to just a handful of them."

Yan Buji squinted and laughed, "Alright, you may go back now."

"Yes."

The disciples left with heavy thoughts, while Yan Buji sat in the room awaiting Wang Man's arrival.