The Supreme Emperor Reborn as the Broken Servant

Ch 5

The small, dingy room smelled heavily of cheap alcohol and damp plaster as the radio on the counter buzzed static. Lucas stood by the cracked window, his eyes narrowing as his phone screen suddenly lit up. He had taken this burner phone from Richard’s fallen enforcer, and the local bounty board was now flashing deep crimson.

"Fifty million dollars for my head," Lucas murmured, his fingers tightening against the plastic frame until it groaned under his grip. "And they want Maya taken alive... Blair, you truly have no bottom to your cruelty." The mortal part of his mind trembled, but deep within his chest, the ancient, sleeping Emperor merely sneered.

He needed capital immediately to move her into a high-security private facility where Richard’s hired scum could never touch her. He grabbed a worn jacket, slipping out into the dark night toward the bustling, neon-lit alleyways of the Oakhaven night market. He spent his last few dollars on ordinary ginseng, withered lotus seeds, and common wild herbs.

Back in the dim room, he spread the cheap plants across a wooden board, his expression turning entirely solemn and focused. "The mortals in this era rely on machines," he whispered, extending his right palm over the messy pile as his golden eyes flared briefly. "They do not understand that the true essence of medicine lies in cosmic laws."

He closed his eyes, circulating a microscopic strand of true primordial qi down through his meridians and directly into his fingertips. A sharp, stabbing agony shot up his arm, making his chest heave violently as his weak physical body fought to contain the celestial energy. He ground his teeth together, refusing to break his focus as the raw qi began to spin.

The cheap herbs began to dissolve, their basic molecular structures breaking down and purifying under the immense heat of his invisible energy. Within minutes, the messy pile fused together, hardening into a single, plain, clay-colored pill that rested quietly in his open palm. It looked entirely like a piece of regular dirt, but it radiated a hidden wave of life-force.

"This Soul-Nourishing Pill will have to do," he muttered, wiping a trail of cold sweat from his forehead as he tucked it away carefully.

The Grand Dragon Auction House was a massive fortress of polished black marble, hidden deep within Oakhaven's exclusive financial district. Wealthy magnates walked through the heavy glass doors, their diamonds glittering under the massive chandeliers.

Lucas walked into the grand hall dressed in his faded jeans and worn jacket, instantly drawing sneers from the nearby security team. "Hey, look at that trash," a wealthy bidder laughed, nudging his companion as Lucas took an isolated seat in the very back row. "Did the auction house start letting the street beggars in to warm up from the rain?"

Lucas ignored the whispers completely, his face an unmoving mask of absolute calm as the heavy stage curtains swung open.

The auctioneer stepped up to the microphone, his voice booming across the room. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to tonight's special anomaly exhibition! Our first item is a unique submission from an independent seller... a traditional eastern medicinal pill."

A beautiful assistant brought out a velvet tray, holding the plain, dusty-looking clay pill directly under the bright, magnifying stage lights.

The entire room fell silent for a single second before bursting into a loud, mocking wave of unbridled laughter and jeers. "Is this a joke?" a major pharmaceutical executive shouted from the front row, shaking his head. "That's literal dirt!"

"Who allowed this garbage onto the stage?" another woman sneered, adjusting her pearl necklace with a look of profound disgust.

Right in the middle VIP section, Sterling Blair sat gracefully alongside Young Master Richard. They had come to this exclusive event specifically to close a major investment deal for their new corporate laboratory, having just issued the underground bounty on Lucas only hours prior.

Blair casually swirled her glass of expensive champagne, her eyes sweeping over the registration details displayed on the digital board until her gaze froze entirely on the seller's verified name. Her champagne glass slipped from her fingers, shattering loudly against the marble floor as her face drained of all color in pure, unadulterated shock.

"Richie, look at the monitor," Blair whispered, her hands shaking violently as she aggressively clutched his arm and pointed toward the rear seats. "That's impossible... how on earth does that worthless driver have the audacity to step into a secure venue like this while fleeing our bounty?"

Young Master Richard squinted into the dim back row, his jaw dropping in absolute bewilderment as he recognized Lucas's perfectly calm, unbothered posture. "What an effrontery," Richard hissed through his teeth, his knuckles turning white as his shock rapidly warped into deep financial fury.

"The bastard has the nerve to show up here," Blair sneered, her face twisting into a venomous mask as she stood up violently, her voice cutting through the hall. "Director, how did a bankrupt street rat manage to infiltrate this high-class venue to scam Oakhaven's elite with a lump of dirt?"

"That item belongs to Lucas, a desperate driver my family fired hours ago for severe incompetence and theft," Blair announced loudly, her tone dripping with calculated, high-society venom. "He is entirely broke and clearly rolled some laboratory waste into mud just to scam people for money to treat his godforsaken sister!"

The crowd erupted into fresh murmurs of scorn, turning their heads to glare at Lucas with deep hostility and collective mockery. Young Master Richard stood up right beside her, smoothing his tailored suit jacket as he gave a patronizing bow toward the stage assistants.

"Miss Sterling is entirely correct," Richard added loudly, his face full of arrogant satisfaction as he glared down at the back row. "The man is a common criminal fleeing a police investigation. His pathetic presence here is an absolute insult to every respectable investor in this room."

Lucas had sat perfectly still in the dark, his hands resting lightly on his knees, his dark eyes staring directly through Richard’s theatrical display without showing a single trace of fear or agitation.

"Your understanding of medicine is as shallow as your intellect, Young Master Richard," Lucas said, stepping up into light, his onslaught of calm words cutting through the murmurs with a strange, heavy authority. "You spend millions on synthetic formulas, yet you cannot even see the raw, natural essence of healing sitting right in front of your faces."

"Shut up, you worthless dog!" Richard snarled, his face flushing crimson as he slammed his hand down on his armrest. "Security, throw him out!" Suddenly, the heavy, reinforced double doors at the main entrance of the auditorium crashed open with a powerful, deafening thud.

A dozen elite, heavily armed corporate soldiers marched into the room, quickly establishing a flawless, impenetrable security perimeter around the aisle. The mocking laughter in the hall died instantly, replaced by a suffocating, terrified silence that gripped every billionaire in attendance.

Walking slowly down the center aisle was the undisputed queen of Oakhaven's economy: Sarah Cole, the legendary CEO of the Horizon Group. She wore a custom, sharp silver business suit, her posture incredibly straight, radiating an aura of absolute, unassailable majestic power.

But as she walked, her pale fingers gripped a white lace handkerchief tightly against her lips, her chest heaving with shallow, painful breaths. Lucas’s heart violently slammed against his ribs, his breath catching completely in his throat as his entire vision suddenly locked onto her.

Deep within his chest, his ancient immortal soul let out a silent, agonizing roar of pure, unadulterated recognition that shook his spirit.

Chloe... his mind screamed, the phantom smell of celestial blood and falling stars rushing back into his senses with terrifying intensity.

She was right there, standing mere feet away from him in the mortal dust, her beautiful, cold eyes scanning the room with absolute indifference. But as Lucas secretly circulated a trace of primordial qi into his eyes, his divine vision pierced through her corporate exterior.

His eyes narrowed in profound shock as he realized the tragic, horrific truth hidden deep within her beautiful, fragile physical frame. Her mortal body was actively rejecting her vast divine soul, her cells slowly tearing themselves apart from the inside out in agonizing silence.

She was missing the absolute core fragment of her spiritual essence—the very piece his celestial traitors had stolen during the ancient coup. She had zero memory of him, her pale face showed she was living in constant, excruciating chronic pain, and she was entirely dying.

Sarah Cole took her seat at the central VIP table, her face completely expressionless, entirely closed off to the world around her. The auctioneer cleared his throat nervously, his hands shaking as he looked toward her. "CEO... CEO Cole, we were just about to discard this item."

"There is no need," her voice cut through the room like a blade of pure ice, cold and entirely devoid of any human warmth. She didn't know why, but the moment she entered the room, a strange, violent tremor had shaken the deepest foundations of her soul.

Her brilliant, icy eyes slowly drifted away from the stage, tracking across the dark rows until they locked directly with Lucas’s golden gaze. A sudden gasp escaped her pale lips, her fingers instantly tightening around her handkerchief until her knuckles turned stark white.

An overwhelming, terrifying wave of ancient sorrow and unexplainable familiarity burst through her heart, making her mind spin out of control. Lucas stood up slowly from the back row, his worn jacket swaying as he stepped out into the main aisle of the grand auditorium.

"The pill on that tray is the only thing in this world that can save your life, CEO Cole," Lucas stated calmly. His deep, resonant voice echoed through the massive hall like a divine bell, freezing every single billionaire bidder solid in their seats.