Ruru Rosa stood rooted to the spot, her breath caught in her throat, shock rendering her speechless. Lordi Payne's palm blade hovered at her neck, its bloody aura a silent threat.
Their eyes locked, and a strange thought wormed into Ruru Rosa's mind, a cold realization slithered through her rage, unsettling her further. "This male cultivator... he's only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement, a full cultivation realm below me. Yet he overpowered me in just three moves? His battle talent was undeniable, a rare spark that could indeed catch the discerning eye of Kim Simona, who was lofty selective about her Dao Spouse. Could he truly be Junior Sister Kim's intimate partner?"
Lordi Payne's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, firm and unyielding. "Senior Sister, I kindly ask you to leave. Don't disturb me and Simona-chan for now please."
Simona-chan. The intimate address struck like a slap. "When did Junior Sister Kim get so close to this man?!"
Ruru Rosa's nails bit into her palms, heart churned with a mix of anger and betrayal. She and Kim Simona were as close as kin sisters, their bestie bond forged through years of shared struggles. Even Shaun Zet, Kim Simona's persistent suitor, treated Ruru Rosa with respect and care because of it. Yet Kim Simona had kept this man a secret now, hiding him completely. "But why? If she'd told me this, I'd definitely stood by her side to keep it from Senior Brother Shaun Zet," Ruru Rosa thought bitterly. "Was it necessary to shut me out so tightly? Or... did Junior Sister Kim never truly see me as a bestie?"
Her face flickered between suspicion and hurt, her emotions a tangled storm. With a sharp flick of her sleeve, she flung Kim's sect nameplate to the ground, the metal clinking against the stone. Without another word, she turned and stormed toward the courtyard's exit, her steps heavy with resentment.
Lordi exhaled, relief washing over him—only for Ruru Rosa to halt abruptly after two steps. She spun back, her eyes narrowed. "Then what about the task of Hanz Clan Estate? Would Junior Sister Kim still participate it with us?"
Lordi's mind snapped to attention. Hanz Clan Estate?
The task name ignited a vivid memory, pulling him back to the chaotic day after he'd cut down Miu Toanh, Lee Sagwon, and Chou Ease. That same day, fleeing the fallout of those murders, he'd rushed to the Task Division on Ghost Shade Peak, desperate to join any sect squad with a task leaving the sect's borders.
[Quoted Recap from Chapter 0024: No $tone, No Go.]
[Task Name]: Unravel the Hanz Clan Estate's Grim Enigma
[Description]: Whispers swirl like vengeful wraiths around the Hans Clan Estate—a once-proud estate now a tomb of silence. A month past, every soul within—nobles, servants, even the guard hounds—dropped dead overnight, their faces frozen in rictus screams, eyes bled to black. The sect's elders want answers: was it a curse woven from spite, a rogue cultivator's qi-poison, or some eldritch beast's feast?
His heart leaped—he was ready to grab it blindly—until he caught the terms.
[Term]: One month. Open only to disciples at Qi Refinement Sixth Layer or above.
After a brief mental review, Lordi Payne recalled the details of the task.
With an 800 D$t reward, it had stood out among the sea of low-paying Outer Sect tasks—enough to leave a lasting impression. The requirements were clear: Minimum cultivation power at the sixth-layer Qi Refinement Stage or higher. Investigate the Hanz Clan's mysterious annihilation. Deadline: One month.
Yet by his calculations, that deadline should have already passed. So why was the task still open for registration? Was there something wrong with this Outer Sect task?
He buried his unease, keeping his face impassive. "Simona-chan hasn't been well these past two days. She won't be going," he said smoothly, sidestepping the truth that Kim Simona was barely clinging to life—how could she possibly participate?
Ruru Rosa's eyes narrowed, her pupils contracting like a predator's. "Not going?" Her voice dripped with suspicion. "The Hanz Clan Estate holds the Alchemy Formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill and a key ingredient Junior Sister Kim desperately needs. She'd never pass that up. And I've already promised Senior Brother Garrick Blackthorn her participation—how am I supposed to explain her absence to his squad?"
Lordi Payne's stomach twisted. Damn it. He'd thought he'd dodged the issue, but it seemed Kim Simona had already committed to the task. His carefully spun deception teetered on the edge of unraveling.
No time to falter. No room for hesitation.
He straightened, doubling down with forced confidence, plunging deeper into the lie. "Don't worry about it." he said, his voice steady despite the chaos in his mind. "I'll go in Simona-chan's place. If there's nothing else, Senior Sister, you may kindly leave."
Ruru Rosa's disbelief was palpable, her tone turning sharp and aggressive. "You?" she pressed, stepping closer. "If you take Junior Sister Kim's place, what about the two Foundation Establishment Pills promised to Senior Brother Blackthorn? He was clear—he expects two elixir pills. What? Do you think you can guarantee that on Junior Sister Kim's behalf?"
Meeting her gaze, Lordi didn't flinch. "Of course," he said, voice brimming with assurance. "For my bond with Simona-chan, that's a trivial matter."
A muscle twitched in Ruru Rosa's jaw as her lips compressed. The sheer audacity of this man - speaking on Kim Simona's behalf with such casual authority—left a bitter taste in her mouth, both irritated and uneasy. Her fingers tightened imperceptibly around her sleeve, the only outward sign of her simmering displeasure.
She felt a pang of betrayal, her closeness to Kim Simona suddenly cast in doubt. After a tense pause, she relented, her voice clipped. "Hmph. Fine. I'll explain this to Senior Brother Garrick Blackthorn. If he agrees, I'll find you tomorrow."
With a final, resentful glance, she turned and swept out of the courtyard, her floral lantern rising into the dawn sky.
Once certain Ruru Rosa had truly departed, Lordi Payne wasted no time. He donned a quick disguise, masking his features, and slipped out of the grotto courtyard. Fortune favored him—he encountered no further interruptions along the way.
Moments later, he returned from the Tower of Hundred Treasures, urgency driving his steps. From his storage bag, he retrieved a pigeon egg-sized elixir pill, its emerald surface shimmering with a soft, radiant glow. This was a Life Resurrection Pill, a rare Qi Refinement Stage elixir the tower's appraiser had described as a lifeline for cultivators struck by cultivation mishaps or sudden martial spell backlash. Features included mending ruptured meridians and stabilizing chaotic qi in dantian with its potent regenerative properties. Lordi knelt beside Kim Simona, gently prying open her cherry-red lips, and carefully placed the pill in her mouth, ensuring it slid down her throat.
Next, he poured two crimson pills into his palm. These Ghost Flame Pills were striking, their surfaces etched with intricate, eerie patterns—countless hollow, screaming faces that seemed to writhe under scrutiny. According to the tower, they served dual purposes. Taken orally, they required the user to channel Pyro Path martial spells to guide the pill's volatile energy, lest its aggressive potency scorch the lungs. Applied externally, however, the pills could purge cold miasma from the body, drawing out invasive chill.
Choosing the safer path. Lordi Payne crushed the Ghost Flame Pills in his hand, reducing them to a fine, ruby-red powder. With meticulous care, he sprinkled it across Kim's forehead, throat, and abdomen. The moment the powder touched her skin, a faint, mist-like chill rose, seeping from her pores as the miasma within her began to dissipate, curling into the air like ghostly tendrils.
He worked swiftly, his focus absolute. After tending to Kim Simona, Lordi leaned close, observing her condition. Her breathing, though still faint, had steadied, no longer the faltering gasps of before. The pallor of her face softened slightly, a sign of life returning. He wiped the sweat from his brow, exhaling a shaky breath of relief. She's seemed out of danger.
"She's stable... for now." Lordi exhaled, fingers tightening around Kim Simona's Sect nameplate. The metallic edges bit into his palm—a small pain to ground him. This wasn't over. Kim Simona's pale form still looked more corpse than common patinet, and the real danger was just beginning. Political storms kill quicker than qi deviations. He needed Kinson Wexford's guidance and protection. Now.
In three strides he was out of the grotto courtyard. The dispatch cliff loomed ahead, where a bored attendant disciple lounged against a skeletal cloud-steed. (A faster type of Corpse Cloud for individual use only.) Lordi Payne flipped a D-$tone through the air—the disciple caught it mid-yawn.
The skeleton horse's ribs rattled as Lordi vaulted onto its mist-wreathed cloud back. Then they were airborne, the wind screaming past like the ghosts of every mistake he'd made yesterday. Below, the Alchemy Peak's twisted rooftops blurred into shadows.
Lordi Payne skidded to a halt before the Withered Orchid Villa, the Corpse Cloud horse dissipating beneath him. The villa's towering doors were sealed tight, radiating an unyielding presence. A shimmering defensive ward enveloped the structure, its azure energy coiling like electric serpents, hissing and crackling as they slithered across the walls. At the entrance, two towering metal Dao Golems stood sentinel, their hulking forms glinting under the pale light, silent and immovable.
As Lordi approached, one Dao Golem stirred, its eyes flaring with a menacing red gleam. With a thunderous thud, it stepped forward, its metallic voice grating like grinding steel.
"Esteemed sect comrade, the Bloodline Lord has departed the sect. His honor shall not grace Withered Orchid Villa for some time."
Lordi's heart sank, his flickering hope dimming. Desperation clawed at him. "I have an urgent matter," he pressed, voice tight. "Can you inform Senior Brother Wexford and ask his honor to come back? He can't have gone far."
The Dao Golem's response was mechanical, inexorable. "Esteemed sect comrade, the Bloodline Lord has departed the sect. His honor shall not grace Withered Orchid Villa for some time."
Lordi's jaw clenched, a surge of frustration rising like bile in his throat. He swallowed it down and tried again, grasping at another thread. "Then do you know where Senior Sister Oen Shinae resides? I need to visit her."
The Dao Golem: "Esteemed sect comrade, the Bloodline Lord has departed the sect. His honor shall not grace Withered Orchid Villa for some time."
Rage boiled over, searing through Lordi's veins. He bit back a snarl, his mind screaming at the futility. "Oh shit... AwfulOS System, wake up. Come out and greet your mentally retarded kin."
~ Ding! *System Notification Chime*
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation System is at your service!
> One-click-cultivation, worry-free-ascension!
Lordi Payne, "Oh Fuck me..."
Gritting his teeth, Lordi muttered a string of silent curses under his breath, frustration simmering in his chest. With no other path forward, he turned back, resigned to retrace his steps to Kim Simona's grotto courtyard.
The grotto courtyard was quiet, save for the faint hum of residual ward energy. Lordi Payne stood over Kim Simona, his eyes tracing her face. The elixir pills stored in her chamber were of exceptional quality, their potency evident in her improving condition. After hours under their influence, Kim's breathing had steadied, and a faint flush of color crept back into her pallid cheeks, softening the deathly pallor that had gripped her.
But her recovery was a double-edged sword. The prospect of her awakening loomed like a gathering storm, threatening to unleash her wrath.
Lordi Payne's mind churned as he studied her still form. What now? He'd stolen her premium-level Jade Tempering Pill, a treasure born of her relentless toil. He'd commandeered her Nether Chill Spring, disrupting her critical body-tempering session and nearly costing her life. Worse, he'd bathed in the same sacred waters, an intrusion that would feel like a sexual violation. If Kim Simona awoke, her fury would be a force of nature—unforgiving, unrelenting.
Lordi Payne put himself in her place: if someone had snatched his hard-earned pill, mocked his efforts, and pushed him to death's door, forgiveness wouldn't be an option. The offender would be lucky to see another dawn.
Without a powerful ally like Kinson Wexford to intervene, this mess would never resolve peacefully. Reconciliation was a fantasy.
After wrestling with his options, Lordi reached for a jade vial from his storage bag. He tipped it carefully, letting a thumb-sized, jet-black pill roll into his palm. The Soul-Calming Pill exuded a bitter, herbal scent that sharpened the mind with a single whiff, leaving a strange clarity in its wake. According to the Tower of Hundred Treasures' appraiser, this rare elixir was a powerful boost for alchemists, calming the mind and nourishing the soul. Those who took it would sleep for a full month, their spirit energy and mental strength quietly fortified during the slumber. It was a prized treasure in the Qi Refinement Stage, and even Kim Simona, with her prodigious talent, possessed only four.
Lordi turned the pill in his fingers, his plan solidifying. "I'll give her one now," he murmured, "then I'll take her place on the Hanz Clan Estate task tomorrow. If the task is done and Senior Brother Wexford is back, perfect. If Bloodline Lord's still away, I'll give Senior Sister Kim another pill. Two should buy enough time for Kinson Wexford to return and clean up this chaos."
A flicker of relief warmed his chest. Kinson Wexford's influence was his lifeline. Without such a powerful backer, Lordi knew he'd be doomed, his fate sealed by Kim's inevitable vengeance. Carefully, he parted her lips and placed the Soul-Calming Pill in her mouth, ensuring it dissolved.