Golden Scaled Monster?

On the way back home, Hillman and Moke chatted as they traveled: "The vacation period hasn't started yet; will you be in trouble for coming back like this?"

"It's fine. The school's management is very relaxed; we don't have to attend classes, and no one keeps track of us."

Moke replied, then asked: "When was Father injured?"

"Yesterday."

Hillman spoke quickly: "When I returned yesterday, I discovered your father was injured, and that very evening, he took Wharton to perform the bloodline test."

"Your father likely feared that if he encountered danger later, he wouldn't have the chance to test your younger brother's bloodline," Hillman sighed.

"Is the injury serious? Just broken bones?" Moke asked again.

"His arm and sternum are fractured, and his internal organs seem to have been shaken as well."

"Those are all external injuries; they're manageable," Moke felt a sense of relief.

"Uncle Hillman, let's pick up the pace. I want to see Father as soon as possible."

Moke reminded him with a smile, and his own speed increased several times over.

"Hm?"

As a Level 6 Warrior, Hillman was instantly startled by Moke's speed.

It wasn't that Moke was incredibly fast—the boy only possessed the speed of a Level 6 Warrior, roughly equivalent to Hillman's own full speed.

However...

"Not even ten years old, and a Level 6 Warrior?" Hillman's eyes were filled with shock.

Young Master Moke... just how much has he been hiding from us?

Hillman widened his eyes, the shock in them replaced by pleasant surprise.

Today, he had truly been shaken to his core.

The sky grew dim as night fell, and the residents of Wushan Town closed their doors.

"Wushan Town?"

Four men with red spider tattoos on their arms stepped into the territory of Wushan Town.

Trailing behind the four men was a beggar in tattered clothes, his hair disheveled and face filthy.

The leader among them looked at the beggar beside him with cold, stern eyes: "Are you certain that the person who killed Hall is the Lord of Wushan Town?"

"Absolutely certain, absolutely certain!"

The beggar hurriedly explained: "When they were fighting, Lord Hall seemed to be injured, but his desperate counterattack also wounded that man and tore the human-skin mask right off his face!"

"I was under the bridge arch at the time; I saw it clearly!"

"Then how are you certain that the man is the Lord of Wushan Town?"

The leader asked again.

The beggar hurriedly said: "Because many years ago, he brought a woman to the Holy Capital. That woman gave me a lot of food, and I remember it clearly—she was the woman with the clearest eyes I have ever seen! I, James, could never remember that wrong!"

"They seemed to be a married couple, and the woman was about to give birth at the time!"

Seeming afraid that these men wouldn't believe him, the beggar James added a few more details.

"Oh?"

The leading man suddenly smiled, revealing a playful expression: "That woman showed you kindness, yet you treat her man like this?"

The leader had already confirmed that Hogg was the person they were looking for.

After all, he had been one of the participants in capturing that woman back then.

To think it was because of this. Still, it's quite a feat for him to have tracked it back to us, the leader sneered dismissively in his heart.

A Level 6 Warrior was someone he could crush with a flick of his hand.

"I, I, I," the beggar stammered, unable to find the words.

Was he supposed to say he was greedy for the 10,000 gold coin bounty they had offered?

10,000 gold coins!

That was enough for him to buy a plot of land in the countryside and a beautiful woman to live a good life for the rest of his days.

"Pfft!"

A flash of cold light flickered, and James's head was severed by the leader's sword. The headless corpse collapsed powerlessly as blood sprayed out.

James's head flew through the air, his eyes wide open and bloodshot, his lips even twitching slightly.

However, within a few seconds, he lost all signs of life.

"10,000 gold coins—I really need that bounty money, too."

The leader chuckled: "It'll be enough for me to spend a long time enjoying myself at Azure Water Heaven."

"Let's go!"

With a wave of his hand, he led the three men quickly toward the Baruch Mansion.

The leading man had never expected that such an important matter would be witnessed by a beggar, let alone that the beggar would dare to come and demand a reward.

One could only say that even the heavens were on his side.

"Moke, we are almost home. You must absolutely not say that it was I who told you."

Hillman urged him repeatedly, "You must say that it was your own keen observation that led you to notice something was wrong, and that you insisted on following me back."

"Something wrong!"

Listening to Hillman's nagging for the umpteenth time, Moke's expression suddenly turned cold.

"Hm? Who are those people?" At this moment, Hillman also suddenly held his breath.

He saw four figures quietly scaling the side wall of the Baruch Mansion.

"Thieves?!" This was the first thought that flashed through Hillman's mind.

"No!"

"They scaled the wall with too much ease; their strength must not be weak!"

Hillman's expression turned solemn instantly: "Are they Duke Patterson's men?"

He immediately associated this with the fact that Hogg had been injured only yesterday, and now people were infiltrating the Baruch Mansion.

"Uncle Hillman, wait here." Worried about the safety of Hogg and Hiri, Moke gave a quick instruction before darting toward the Baruch Mansion.

"Moke, wait, I'm coming with you!" Hillman hurried to keep up.

Moke didn't bother with Hillman; with him there, it was impossible for anyone to get hurt anyway.

"Who's there!"

Hogg, who was reading in the living room, suddenly looked up!

He then discovered that four masked men had infiltrated the mansion without him even noticing!

Reaching under his recliner, Hogg drew a long sword and stood his ground.

"Who are you people?" He frowned.

Hogg believed he had killed Hall in such secrecy that no one should have discovered it, so he did not immediately suspect these men were from Duke Patterson.

"So you are the one who killed Hall?" The leader removed his mask.

The other three also took off their masks.

"It's you?!"

Hogg's expression changed drastically.

He recognized this man; he was the vice-captain of Duke Patterson's guard.

Luke, a peak level seven warrior!

"Lord Hogg!"

At this moment, Hiri the butler, having heard the commotion, also appeared with a sword in hand.

"Uncle Hiri..." Seeing Hiri, Hogg felt no joy, only a soft sigh.

From the moment these four appeared, he knew he would not survive the night.

Because that was a level seven warrior, and the three men beside him were all level six warriors.

Against such a terrifying lineup, there was no way he could win.

If Hiri hadn't appeared, there might have been a chance to survive.

But now that Hiri had appeared as well...

"No, Wharton is still in the house!" Thinking of his son Wharton, Hogg's face turned pale.

Then, he shot off in the opposite direction like an arrow released from a bow.

Even if he were to die, he had to lure these people away!

"Trying to run?"

Luke tapped the ground lightly, his speed several times faster than Hogg's!

In two strides, he was behind Hogg, a violent blade strike aimed directly at Hogg's head.

"A peak level seven warrior—is this the strength of a peak level seven warrior?"

Hogg's heart sank into despair: "The level seven warrior I killed back then was only one suffering from severe poison. The gap between me and a true level seven warrior is just too vast."

Feeling the gale force wind from behind, he knew he probably wouldn't even be able to block a single strike.

"Ah!"

However, the expected blade strike did not land; instead, a shrill scream came from behind, and by the sound of it, it was Luke.

Hogg turned his head in astonishment, only to see a figure covered in golden scales, looking both holy and terrifying, standing behind him.

This figure with golden scales seemed to have snapped Luke's tempered steel blade with a hand, grabbed the man's wrist, and crushed it to pieces.

"Young Master Moke..." Hillman, who had followed closely behind Moke, stood frozen in shock as he looked at the golden-scaled monster Moke had become.