Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 26 Cursed Blood
The corpse of the ominous demon gradually turned to ashes and vanished, leaving only a pitch-black crystal lying quietly on the ground.

Lu Mingfei bent down and picked up the jet-black crystal. The crystal refracted an eerie halo in the sunlight, its sharply defined facets so perfect they seemed like a natural creation.

"Could this be the prop to take me home?"

Lu Mingfei examined the crystal repeatedly.

"But... how do I use it?"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

"Open sesame?"

Lu Mingfei called out to the crystal, but when it didn't respond, he changed his posture a few more times.

"Prajnaparamita!" "Grant me power! I am She-Ra!" "Balala Energy!" "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

He smashed the crystal on the ground:
"Whatever!"

The crystal bounced twice on the ground but remained intact.

Since it was produced in the border region, Lu Mingfei had already tested it. This thing was harder than a diamond, otherwise he wouldn't have dared to throw it on the ground.

"Looks like I'll have to ask a professional."

Lu Mingfei sighed.

To be honest, the only fellow Faded One he knows right now is "Emiya Shirou." This guy is a really nice person; he seems to leave his mark in various places to help newbies.

He had previously promised Lu Mingfei that he would help him defeat the evil omen demon, and could be considered one of his guides.

But why didn't he show up?

It wasn't that Lu Mingfei was arrogant enough to think he could take on demons and ghosts single-handedly; it's just that he's been out of contact lately.
Ever since Emiya taught Lu Mingfei how to use the Finger Severing Blade, the Faded Hook, and the Faded Old Finger, Lu Mingfei would occasionally use the Faded Old Finger to communicate with Emiya, and Emiya would generally answer all his questions.

But just before Lu Ming was about to begin his training, he suddenly lost contact, catching Lu Ming off guard.

With one of his thick, hard thighs gone, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go alone to fight the ominous sign.

"That old Wei guy."

He muttered:

"Could it be that they've run into some kind of trouble?"

Thinking of what Shirou Emiya said during their last contact:
"I'm going to help a friend. Wait for my news."

Lu Mingfei didn't take it seriously at the time, but now so much time has passed.
After much hesitation, he took out the small golden statue, first locating Shirou Emiya's world coordinates, and then using the faded old finger to write a message on the ground:

"Brother Shirou, I have defeated the demon. What should I do next?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Mingfei didn't have to wait long before a familiar golden talisman appeared on the ground!

He knew, of course, that this was Emiya's seal, so he touched it without hesitation and pulled the person over.

With a dazzling golden light, a familiar figure dressed in full Kalia knight armor slowly appeared.

"Brother Shirou!"

Lu Mingfei rushed forward and gave him a bear hug.

"Long time no see! I'm so glad you're still alive!"

Emiya Shirou was knocked back half a step, and patted Lu Mingfei on the back with a wry smile:
"Lu Jun."

He hesitated, then stopped himself, finally letting out a sigh:
"I'm sorry, I should have."

Lu Mingfei quickly waved his hand to interrupt him:

"Hey, hey, what's the big deal? I know you were really tied up. Besides, I only died twenty-three times before winning, and I didn't suffer much." Shirou Emiya was taken aback by his words and carefully examined his old friend. When they last parted, Lu Mingfei was still a rookie who couldn't even get through the coastal caves, but now he could stand on his own.

"So, what have you been up to lately? I haven't even heard from you?"

Lu Mingfei looked at him curiously.

Emiya Shirou forced a helpless smile:

"We went together to help a friend named Kaneki Ken."

“Wait a minute,” Lu Mingfei’s eyes widened, “I remember him. Didn’t you say he was an intruding spirit and told me to be careful? How did he become friends with me?”

Emiya Shirou sighed and said:

"Kaneki-kun is actually a very gentle person. I've known him for a while now, and he has a good reputation among the Faded Ones. It's just that he recently fell into the Blood Finger Path."

Logically speaking, there's nothing wrong with a bloody finger.

As he spoke, Emiya removed his gauntlet and extended one of his fingers, the skin of which slowly turned red.

It's just a symbol, a qualification for entering the Blood Dynasty. As long as you don't invade, it doesn't matter at all.

"The Blood Dynasty is a perfect place to acquire runes. Since its discovery, we Faded Ones have all gone there to explore and train."

"When you arrive in Lienia, you will encounter the white-masked 'Vanley' again, who will tempt you to join the path of 'blood'."

All you have to do is play along with him, then trade items with other Faded Ones to complete the invasion mission, and then do some easy errands to gain the qualification to go to the Blood Dynasty.

Emiya Shirou said with a hint of melancholy:

"Kaneki-kun seemed to have encountered something urgent in reality and desperately needed power. So he did it too."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head:
"It sounds like there's nothing wrong with it."

Emiya sighed again:
"But unfortunately, Kaneki's inner essence resonated with the cursed blood. Coupled with his already unstable mental and emotional state at the time, he was tricked by the white mask into directly entering the path of 'cursed blood,' and then his mind was inadvertently corrupted."

"Cursed blood?"

Lu Mingfei was somewhat puzzled.

“Yes, cursed blood,” the red-haired boy explained, “just like the ‘Radiant Stone Magic’ I wield, and the ‘Dragon Feast’ you asked me about before, it is a kind of original path, belonging to the inherent power rules of the border region.”

"In addition to these, there are the Golden Law, flames, and black flames. Some people choose not to come into contact with these powers and instead strengthen and train themselves, which is also a path."

"These paths all have their flaws to varying degrees. For example, the Dragon's Feast path you're taking, Lord Lu, is one that no one has ever attempted before, because the risks are too great."

"And the same goes for 'Cursed Blood.' Because it's so mysterious, no one knows about it. Kaneki-kun is the first person qualified to learn about it and practice it."

"So," Lu Mingfei had completely understood, "this so-called 'cursed blood' actually has the side effect of affecting one's mind. And Kaneki-kun just happened to be affected, right?"

Emiya Shirou nodded, then shook his head:

“The side effects of ‘cursed blood’ are not that powerful.”

He rubbed his temples wearily.
"Kaneki's situation is very special. His constitution resonated with the cursed blood in an astonishing way, and with the White Mask's help, it grew too rapidly. In addition, Kaneki was indeed emotionally unstable at the time, which is why he was taken advantage of."
Only recently did we find a way to help him regain his senses from the Bloodfinger hunter 'Yura'.

Emiya Shirou paused, then asked Lu Mingfei:

"Lu Jun, since you were able to defeat the 'Ominous Demon' so quickly, I assume you've already received the 'Dragon's Feast,' right?"

Lu Mingfei nodded.

“Then,” Shirou Emiya said earnestly, “Please be careful, Mr. Lu.”

(End of this chapter)