That night, all four of them got completely drunk. Eventually, they fell asleep together in a private booth on the second floor of the bar, tangled in each other's arms.
In truth, John could've chosen not to get drunk. With just a spark of his vital energy, he could have easily refined all the alcohol in his system.
But he didn't.
Instead, he chose to drink with his sisters—truly drink with them, without using any of his cultivation abilities.
Of course, as a cultivator, his physical constitution was far superior to his sisters'. So naturally, he was the first to wake up the next morning.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a long, snow-white leg draped across his face.
He muttered to himself, "Sister Alice, your sleeping posture is really something else."
Carefully, he lifted her leg off his face and got out of the room without waking anyone.
John made his way down to the first floor, planning to wait until his sisters woke up. But before that happened, his phone rang.
The caller ID showed Leo's number.
But the voice on the other end wasn't Leo's.
"You must be the cultivator who killed my junior fellow, Jim," the voice said, cold and malicious. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to get to the Glenn family estate. Otherwise, you'll be picking up this dog's corpse."
The call ended with a sinister click.
John's eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he rushed out of the Night Rose bar and headed straight to the Glenn family estate.
Leo might've been from the underground world, but he had helped John tremendously these past few days.
Now that he was in danger—especially danger brought upon him because of John—there was no way John would turn his back on him.
Less than fifteen minutes later, John arrived at the estate.
There was no sign of any other person. Only Leo lay on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
John immediately crouched down and pressed a needle into a critical acupoint to stop the bleeding.
Leo coughed, struggling to speak. "I'm sorry, King of Horizon. I couldn't hold out any longer… so I called you."
"Cut the crap," John said, his voice calm but commanding. "You called me 'King,' didn't you? That means you're my man. Anyone who lays a hand on you is humiliating me. Besides, they're here for me, not you."
Tears welled up in Leo's eyes.
Since the first day he'd met John, he had always kept his head low. He knew exactly how insignificant he was next to someone like the King of Horizon.
He was a man from the underworld—ruthless, feared, and dirty. Even though he controlled New York's criminal underground, his reputation was nothing to be proud of.
John, on the other hand, was a national hero. A public figure. A beacon of strength and justice.
Leo never believed he was worthy of being the King's subordinate. If not for a promise he made to his brother, he wouldn't have even dared to reach out to him.
Today, he'd been ambushed by three martial artists and, in desperation, had dialed John's number with little hope of a response.
But John didn't hesitate.
He came. And he said something that moved Leo to his core:
"You're my man."
At that moment, Leo felt it was all worth it—even the wounds, even the pain. Everything was worth it.
With tears streaking down his battered face, Leo warned him, "Be careful. There are three of them. They're hiding nearby."
"I know," John said, nodding.
From the moment he arrived, he had sensed three cold and sinister auras circling around him like shadows. But he wasn't fazed. Calmly, he finished treating Leo's wounds, then stood and called out to the empty space around him.
"I'm here. What are you waiting for?"
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three sharp gusts of wind split the silence. From the eaves above, three figures dropped down like specters.
They were pale and expressionless, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
One of them asked, "Are you the one who killed Jim?"
John gave them a flat look. "Do you even need to ask?"
A flicker of surprise passed between the trio.
Then John smirked, lifting the corners of his mouth in amusement. "Interesting. So you three came here… to deliver Chinese medicine to me."
He had already sensed it—each of them carried a distinct aura similar to the colorful centipedes he'd encountered before. In fact, their bodies reeked of venomous creatures.
With snakes and centipedes already accounted for, he only needed a few more poisonous elements to complete the Five Poisons recipe.
And the Five Poisons, once refined properly, weren't just lethal—they were valuable medicinal ingredients.
So, as far as John was concerned, these three weren't enemies. They were walking deliveries of raw materials.
But his words only enraged them.
Without another word, all three leapt at him at once.
John grabbed Leo and swiftly moved him to a safe spot before charging forward alone to confront the attackers.
"Die!"
The trio sneered. One of them waved a sleeve, and a dense green mist spread rapidly across the courtyard—a deadly poisonous fog.
It was a trap, carefully prepared by their master. This mist had been cultivated for over a decade, fed with the toxins of snakes, scorpions, and other vile creatures. Even a Heaven Master would perish without the antidote.
And John had walked into it voluntarily.
"How dumb can he be?" one of the men scoffed. "How the hell did someone like him kill Jim?"
"Probably caught him off guard," another replied. "Nobody expected a cultivator to show up in New York."
"Doesn't matter. We're here to avenge Jim. Don't forget—Master wants him alive. Don't go overboard."
"Yeah, yeah," the last one muttered as they all kept their distance, waiting for the poison to do its work.
A few minutes passed. Then they dispersed the fog.
But what they saw next made their hearts skip a beat.
The green haze cleared, revealing John standing tall and completely unharmed.
He didn't look injured.
He didn't even look annoyed.
In fact, he was smiling faintly, almost disappointed.
"I thought you three might actually put up a fight," he said coldly. "But I guess your level really is that low."
His voice was casual, but the words hit like a thunderclap.
Low capability?
The trio's expressions changed instantly.
Was this guy even human?
How could he walk into the poisonous mist and come out without a single scratch?
What the hell kind of monster were they dealing with?