On the seventh day after leaving the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, Linley and Wharton encountered a merchant caravan on the main road to Blackstone City.
More than thirty carriages carried grain, cloth, and ironware, guarded by nearly a hundred mercenaries. The caravan leader was a plump middle-aged merchant named Harold. Seeing the brothers traveling alone, he called out to them, "Where are you two young men headed? The roads aren't safe. Why not travel with us? We can look out for each other."
Linley glanced at Wharton and nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, then."
They were placed in the middle of the caravan, sharing a flatbed wagon with several lone travelers. Besides the brothers, there was an old woman clutching a bundle, a bespectacled bookkeeper, and a taciturn swordsman.
The swordsman was in his forties, with a scar on his face and a scabbard at his waist worn shiny. He glanced at Slaughter on Linley's back and Wharton's Mountain Suppressor, said nothing, and closed his eyes to rest.
The caravan moved slowly onward. The main road had fallen into disrepair, and its potholes made the wagon jolt badly. Wharton dozed against the cargo while Linley watched the mercenaries around them.
Their equipment was ordinary, but their discipline was good. They maintained a vigilant formation as they traveled. Their leader was a burly one-eyed man riding a piebald horse, with a broad-bladed axe at his waist. His aura was around the seventh level.
"That's 'One-Eyed Snake' McKinley," the swordsman suddenly said, his eyes still closed. "The most famous mercenary leader around Blackstone City. He's ruthless, but he keeps his word. None of the caravans he's escorted have ever come to grief."
Linley nodded his thanks. "Thank you for telling me."
The swordsman said no more.
Toward evening, the caravan made camp in a valley. The mercenaries deftly lit campfires and set a guard, while the merchants began cooking. Linley and Wharton were given a bowl of meat broth and two pieces of hard bread. They had just sat down to eat when hoofbeats suddenly sounded in the distance.
Rapid and chaotic, from at least twenty riders.
McKinley immediately stood, a fierce glint flashing in his one eye. "Grab your weapons!"
The mercenaries dropped their bowls, drew their blades, and raised their shields, quickly forming a defensive formation. The merchants scrambled behind the carriages in panic.
The hoofbeats drew closer. More than twenty riders in black burst out of the darkness and surrounded the camp. Their leader was a burly bald man with a green snake tattooed on his face and a nine-ringed broadsword in his hand.
"McKinley, we meet again." The bald man grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Same rules as always. Leave half the cargo and get lost."
McKinley tightened his grip on his axe. "Black Snake, didn't you learn your lesson last time?"
"Last time was last time." The bald man called Black Snake grinned viciously. "This time, my big brother is here."
Behind him, a tall, thin man slowly rode forward. He wore a patch over his left eye, while his long, narrow right eye was cold and sinister. A rapier hung at his waist. The moment he appeared, McKinley's expression changed.
"One-Eyed Snake... McKinley?" The tall, thin man's voice was shrill, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "I hear you killed my third brother."
McKinley took a deep breath. "He tried to rob my cargo first."
"I don't care who started it." The tall, thin man-One-Eyed Snake McKinley, who shared a name with the robber leader but was clearly not the same person-drew his rapier. "Today, either you die or all the cargo stays."
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Wharton asked Linley quietly, "Brother, are we getting involved?"
Linley watched the scene. The caravan's mercenaries had the advantage in numbers, but they weren't as capable. Of the twenty-odd men opposite them, One-Eyed Snake was at the eighth level and the others were all at the fifth or sixth, but they radiated killing intent and were clearly seasoned robbers. If a fight broke out, more than half the mercenaries would be killed or wounded.
"Let's watch a little longer," Linley said.
McKinley and One-Eyed Snake had already squared off.
One-Eyed Snake thrust his rapier, quick as a venomous snake striking, straight at McKinley's throat. McKinley swung his axe to block. Axe and sword collided, sending sparks flying. Both were at the eighth level, but One-Eyed Snake's swordsmanship was more devious and vicious, targeting vital points. After a dozen exchanges, several bloody cuts had appeared on McKinley's body. They weren't deep, but he was in a sorry state.
"Boss!" The mercenaries tried to help, but the other robbers blocked them, and a melee broke out.
Blades flashed and screams rang out one after another. The mercenaries had greater numbers, but they lacked training and soon fell into a disadvantage. The merchant Harold hid behind a carriage, his face deathly pale as he murmured a prayer.
One-Eyed Snake drove McKinley back with a thrust, then sent his rapier darting like a venomous snake toward his heart. The strike was too fast. McKinley had no time to block and could only close his eye and wait for death.
But the sword missed.
A dark red blade had caught the rapier.
Linley had appeared on the field at some point, holding Slaughter in his left hand and effortlessly blocking the strike. He looked at One-Eyed Snake and said calmly, "Robbery is one thing, but killing is going too far."
One-Eyed Snake narrowed his right eye. "Kid, meddling can get you killed."
"Try me," Linley said.
One-Eyed Snake thrust again, faster this time. His sword tip flickered into seven cold points of light, striking simultaneously at seven vital points: Linley's face, throat, shoulders, heart, and lower abdomen.
McKinley cried out, "Look out!"
Linley didn't move.
Only when the sword tip was three inches from his body did he move. Not backward, but forward. He took a step, and his blade flashed like a blood-red moon rising into the sky.
It was a simple strike, a straight downward chop.
But as he struck, the space around them seemed to freeze. The wind stopped, the campfire flames stood still, and even the people fighting in the distance slowed for half a beat.
The blade fell.
The rapier broke in two.
One-Eyed Snake remained in his thrusting pose as a line of blood appeared from his forehead to his chin. It rapidly widened, and then his entire body split down the middle and fell to either side. His entrails spilled across the ground, and the stench of blood was thick enough to choke.
The entire camp fell deathly silent.
Even the robbers forgot to fight, staring blankly at their boss, who had been split in two.
Linley sheathed his blade and looked at the remaining robbers. "Get lost."
A single word, cold as winter ice.
The robbers came to their senses as if waking from a dream. They threw down their weapons, mounted their horses, and fled, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.
The mercenaries looked at Linley with awe. McKinley came over with a hand pressed to his wound and bowed deeply. "Thank you for saving my life, my lord."
"It was nothing," Linley said with a wave, returning to Wharton's side.
Wharton handed him the bread he hadn't finished earlier. "Brother, your Drifting Blood Momentum has improved again."
"Mm." Linley took the bread and bit into it.
After that day, everyone in the caravan looked at the brothers differently. The merchant Harold was eager to bring them all his best food, and McKinley even offered them the lead carriage, but Linley politely declined and continued riding in the flatbed wagon.
Three days later, the caravan reached Blackstone City.
The city walls were built from massive black stones and stood about a hundred feet high. A long line stretched from the gates, where the guards carefully inspected everyone entering. Linley and Wharton paid the entry tax and entered without trouble.
The city was more prosperous than they had imagined. Broad streets were lined with shops, pedestrians thronged the roads, and vendors' cries rose and fell. The brothers found a clean inn and settled in, planning to rest for two days before continuing north.
That evening, while Linley was eating in the inn's main hall, he overheard several merchants chatting at the next table.
"Have you heard? Something happened in Chier County City."
"The city lord suddenly died of illness, and his legitimate son also died in a hunting accident. Now the inheritance has fallen to his youngest son, who's been living away from home."
"What accident? Anyone with eyes can see Lady Weide was behind it. A ruthless woman like her, letting her predecessor's children live?"
Linley's chopsticks paused.
Chier County City... it seemed to be close to here.
As he was thinking, footsteps sounded on the stairs. A girl of fifteen or sixteen came down, leading a boy of eight or nine by the hand, with an old servant following behind them. The girl had delicate features, but her face was pale and her eyes were worried. The boy held his sister's hand tightly, looking timidly at the people in the hall.
They sat in a corner and ordered the cheapest dishes. The old servant said something in a low voice. The girl shook her head and stroked the boy's head.
Linley looked away and continued eating.
But sometimes, trouble came knocking on its own.
Early the next morning, Linley was meditating in his room when he suddenly heard a faint noise next door-in Wharton's room. He opened his eyes and went out.
Wharton's door was ajar. Linley pushed it open and saw his younger brother standing by the window, holding a thin needle between his fingers. Its tip glinted an eerie blue.
"Someone shot it in through the window," Wharton said. "The targets were the brother and sister next door."
Linley took the needle and examined it. "Deadly poison. A scratch would kill. Who was it?"
"He got away. He was skilled, around the seventh level." Wharton looked out the window. "Brother, are we getting involved?"
Linley remembered the rumors he had heard the night before, and the siblings' pale faces. After a moment's silence, he said, "Since we've come across this, let's help."
They knocked on the door next door.
The old servant answered. When he saw the poisoned needle in Linley's hand, his face changed drastically. "Th-this is..."
"Someone just shot it in through the window. You were the targets," Linley said bluntly. "Who have you offended?"
The old servant hesitated. The girl's voice came from inside the room. "Uncle Fu, please invite our guests in."
The room was small, and the siblings sat on the edge of the bed. The girl rose and bowed. "I am Jenny. Greetings, gentlemen. This is my younger brother, Keane. Thank you for saving our lives."
Linley waved it off. "It was a small effort. Who are you? Why are people trying to kill you?"
Jenny bit her lip and finally told them the truth: they were the children of the city lord of Chier County City. Their mother had died young, and Lady Weide, their father's principal wife, had persecuted them since childhood, leaving them to drift to Blackstone City. Now their father and legitimate elder brother were both dead, and under the law Keane was the rightful heir, but Lady Weide had sent people to kill them and eliminate them for good.
"We want to return to Chier County City." Jenny's eyes reddened. "But there have already been three attempts on our lives along the way, and all the guards Uncle Fu hired are dead... We don't know who else we can trust."
Keane hugged his sister tightly around the waist and whispered, "Sister, I'm scared."
Wharton glanced at Linley.
Linley sighed. "We're heading north, and we'll be passing through Chier County City. We can escort you there on our way."
Jenny stared at him. "Sir... why are you helping us?"
"I can't stand people who bully children." Linley turned away. "Pack your things. We leave in the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
After leaving the city, Linley immediately noticed they were being watched.
Three groups were following them from different directions. One consisted of six black-clad assassins, around the seventh level. Another consisted of eight people dressed as mercenaries, led by an eighth-level fighter. The last group was the best concealed, looking like an ordinary merchant caravan, but Linley could sense magical fluctuations within it-there was at least an eighth-level mage.
"Brother, how do we fight them?" Wharton asked quietly.
"Let's get farther from the city first and find a suitable place," Linley said. "Haeru, scout ahead."
The Black-Striped Cloud Leopard gave a low growl and vanished into the woods beside the road as a black shadow.
The caravan-now two carriages, one for Linley and his brother and one for Jenny and hers-continued along the main road. After about five kilometers, they entered a hilly area, with dense thickets on both sides of the road.
This was the place.
Linley called for the caravan to stop. "We'll rest for fifteen minutes."
The carriages stopped, and Jenny and Keane got out for some air. Uncle Fu watched their surroundings warily.
The first group of assassins made their move.
Six black-clad men charged out of the thickets, thrusting their longswords straight at Jenny and Keane. They worked together seamlessly, in two groups of three, cutting off every escape route.
But they didn't see how Wharton struck.
The heavy sword Mountain Suppressor swung up and swept through them like a black whirlwind. Three black-clad men were smacked flying, their chests caved in. They died in midair. The other three tried to retreat, but Linley's throwing knives had already arrived-three knives for three throats.
Six corpses fell to the ground. Less than three seconds had passed.
Only then did the second group of assassins, dressed as mercenaries, rush out. At the sight, they stopped in their tracks.
Their leader was a burly, scar-faced man, an Eighth-level Warrior carrying a broad executioner's blade. He looked at Linley and Wharton, then at the bodies on the ground, his expression changing repeatedly.
"How much did Lady Weide pay you?" Linley asked.
The scar-faced man gritted his teeth. "Why must you meddle, sir? Outsiders who get involved in Chier County City's affairs won't come to a good end."
"I asked, how much did Lady Weide pay you?"
"...Ten thousand gold coins."
Linley smiled. "Are your lives only worth ten thousand gold coins?"
Before he had finished speaking, he moved.
He charged not at the scar-faced man, but at the group of assassins disguised as a merchant caravan. They had just lifted a carriage curtain, revealing the magic formation inside-a binding spell, prepared to capture Jenny and Keane alive.
But before the magic formation could activate, Linley's blade had arrived.
Slaughter swept through the carriage, splitting it in two. The mage inside looked up in shock, and then his head went flying. Three other guards tried to draw their swords, but Bebe and Haeru had already pounced-one bit throats, the other tore open bellies. In three seconds, they were all dead.
The scar-faced man watched, sweat breaking out on his forehead.
"Now," Linley said, turning and pointing his blade at him, "it's your turn."
The scar-faced man's throat went dry. "Retreat!"
The mercenaries turned and ran. But Wharton's heavy sword had already come crashing down-not on them, but on the ground. The blade slammed into the earth, and a terrifying shock wave spread out, blasting all eight mercenaries off their feet. When they landed, half their bones were broken, and they rolled about, howling.
The scar-faced man barely managed to stay on his feet. He held his blade across his body, but his hands were shaking.
"I'll give you a chance," Linley said. "Go back and tell Lady Weide that Jenny and Keane are under my protection. If she wants to kill them, she'll have to get past me first."
The scar-faced man fled as though pardoned, scrambling away without even caring about his men.
Linley put away his blade and returned to the carriages. Jenny and Keane were pale, but reasonably calm. Keane asked quietly, "Thank you, sir."
"Haha, it was nothing." Wharton patted his head.
They continued on their way.
No more assassins appeared over the next three days. Lady Weide had clearly received the message and knew that a direct attack wouldn't work, so she changed tactics.
At noon on the fourth day, the caravan stopped to rest at a roadside tea stall. The stall owner was a kind-faced old man who warmly served them tea and pastries.
Linley picked up his teacup, sniffed it, and put it down.
"What is it, sir?" Uncle Fu asked.
"There's Soul Bewilderment Powder in the tea," Linley said. "The dose isn't large, but drinking it would make us sleep for twelve hours. That's enough time to do a great many things."
Jenny's expression changed.
Linley got up and walked over to the stall owner. The old man was still smiling. "Sir, is the tea not to your taste?"
The old man's smile froze.
The next second, a short blade slipped from his sleeve and stabbed toward Linley's heart. At the same time, he scattered a handful of green powder with his left hand-a deadly poison that rotted skin on contact.
Linley didn't dodge.
The short blade struck his chest and was stopped by his scales, without leaving so much as a white mark. As the poisonous powder drifted toward him, Linley opened his mouth and blew out a breath-the Wind Element spell Hurricane, which blew the powder back the way it had come.
Huomo screamed. The skin on his face and hands rapidly festered, giving off white smoke. He staggered backward and tried to take out an antidote, but Linley's blade was already at his neck.
"Where is Lady Weide?"
"At... at an estate outside Chier County City..." Huomo's voice was hoarse. "Don't kill me. I can help you..."
"No need."
The blade flashed, and his head fell to the ground.
On the evening of the fifth day, the caravan arrived at Chier County City.
Its walls were higher than Blackstone City's, and its moat was a hundred feet wide. The drawbridge slowly lowered. At the city gate, a squad of soldiers in ornate armor stood in formation to welcome them, led by a middle-aged civil official with a handlebar mustache.
"Miss Jenny, Young Master Keane, welcome home." The official bowed. "I am Kato, the city administrator. Lady Weide sent me to welcome you."
Jenny glanced at Linley. Only after he nodded did she say, "Sorry for the trouble, Lord Kato."
The caravan entered the city. Commoners crowded both sides of the street to watch, pointing and murmuring among themselves. Linley could sense at least dozens of gazes watching them from the shadows-some curious, some hostile, and some filled with killing intent.
The city lord's residence stood in the center of the city, an estate covering a vast area. In front of its gates, a woman in a luxurious gown waited with a group of servants. She was about forty and attractive, but there was a mean cast to her eyes and brows.
"Jenny, Keane, you've finally come home." Lady Weide forced a smile and stepped forward to embrace them, but Keane hid behind his sister.
Jenny bowed. "Aunt."
"Thank you for making the journey." Lady Weide looked at Linley and Wharton. "And these two are..."
"Mr. Linley and Mr. Wharton. They saved our lives," Jenny said. "Without them, we couldn't have returned."
A cold light flashed in Lady Weide's eyes, but her smile didn't change. "So we have honored guests. Please, come in. I've prepared a feast."
The feast was lavish, but the atmosphere was strange. Lady Weide welcomed them warmly and repeatedly urged them to drink, but Linley and Wharton didn't touch a drop of wine, and ate only dishes they had confirmed were free of poison. Keane stayed close against his sister, eating rice in small bites, not daring to speak.
After the feast, Lady Weide sent Jenny and her younger brother back to their rooms to rest, citing their weariness from the journey, but kept Linley and his brother in the sitting room.
"Gentlemen." Lady Weide dismissed the attendants, her smile vanishing. "Let's speak frankly. You escorted Jenny and Keane back for money, nothing more. Name your price. How much will it take for you to leave?"
Linley picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Do you think we need money?"
"One million gold coins," Lady Weide said. "Enough for you to buy an estate in the O'Brien Empire and live comfortably for the rest of your lives."
Wharton laughed. "My lady, do you think our lives are worth only a million?"
Lady Weide's face darkened. "Then what do you want?"
"What we want isn't important." Linley set down his teacup. "What matters is that Keane is the lawful heir. You should hand over power immediately and leave Chier County City."
"Leave?" Lady Weide sneered. "I married into the city lord's household twenty years ago. I've managed the household and its businesses. Even if I deserve no credit, I've worked hard. And now you want me to leave and hand everything over to a nine-year-old child?"
"That's the law."
"The law?" Lady Weide rose to her feet, her voice shrill. "In Chier County City, I am the law! Gentlemen, take my advice and stay out of other people's business. Take the money and leave tomorrow morning, and we'll all be at peace. Otherwise..."
She left the sentence unfinished, but the threat was unmistakable.
Linley stood as well. "Otherwise what?"
Lady Weide stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly smiled. "Fine. Very well. Just wait and see."
She swept out of the room.
Linley and Wharton returned to their guest room. Wharton shut the door and put up a soundproof barrier. "Big brother, that woman won't let this go."
"Of course not." Linley walked to the window and looked out at the city lord's residence in the darkness. "She's spent twenty years building her influence. Everyone in the household is hers. If she can't do it openly, she'll resort to underhanded means-poison, assassination, staged accidents."
"Then we..."
"We strike first." Linley turned, his gaze cold. "We act tonight."
At midnight, the city lord's residence lay silent.
Linley and Wharton changed into black clothes and slipped out of their guest room. Bebe and Haeru scouted ahead, avoiding the patrolling guards.
Lady Weide's bedroom was on the third floor of the main building. Two rank-seven guards stood outside the door, but for Linley, they might as well not have been there-two throwing knives, two throats.
They pushed the door open and went in. Lady Weide was reading account books by lamplight. She looked up at the sound, and her face changed drastically when she saw Linley. She tried to shout, but Wharton's heavy sword was already at her throat.
"Not a sound." Linley shut the door. "I ask, you answer."
Lady Weide trembled all over. "You... you dare kill me? My older brother is the county governor. He won't let you get away with it..."
"Your brother won't live through the night either," Linley cut her off. "Tell me, how many assassins did you send? Do you have any other plans?"
Lady Weide gritted her teeth and said nothing.
Linley nodded to Wharton. Wharton pressed down with the tip of his sword, piercing her skin. A bead of blood welled up.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Lady Weide broke down. "I... I arranged for deathsworn to poison breakfast tomorrow morning... And I bribed the commander of the city guard. If you force Keane's succession, he'll suppress you in the name of putting down a 'rebellion'..."
She confessed everything in one rush.
After hearing her out, Linley fell silent for a moment. "Where does your brother live?"
"The estate in the eastern part of the city..." As soon as Lady Weide said it, she realized something. "No, you can't..."
Before she could finish, a blade flashed.
Lady Weide's eyes widened. She clutched her throat and fell, blood gushing between her fingers.
Linley put away his knife. "Clean it up."
Wharton nodded, pulled a small bottle from his robe, and sprinkled some powder over the corpse. The powder ignited on contact with flesh. The flames were a strange blue, gave off no smoke, and burned at an extremely high temperature, reducing the body to ashes in seconds.
"Purifying Flame, a Fire Element spell," Wharton explained. "A little trick I learned at O'Brien Academy."
The two dealt with Lady Weide's older brother in the same way. The county governor was no good man either; over the years, he had helped his younger sister commit plenty of dirty deeds.
Before leaving, Linley set fire to Lady Weide's bedroom. The flames spread quickly, alerting the entire household. By the time the guards arrived to fight the fire, the main building was a sea of flames.
The next day, Chier County City was shaken.
Lady Weide, the city lord's wife, and the county governor had perished in a fire, their bodies burned beyond recognition. Jenny and her younger brother Keane were grief-stricken. With the help of the city administrator Kato-whom Lady Weide had suppressed for years, and who had long wanted to turn things around-they began handling the funeral arrangements and the succession.
Three days later, Keane formally succeeded to the position in the city lord's residence's main hall. Although he was only nine, the process went smoothly, with his older sister Jenny assisting him, the Linley brothers backing him, and Kato and a group of veteran officials supporting him.
After the ceremony, Linley handed Jenny all the wealth Lady Weide had amassed over the years-nearly ten million gold coins' worth of jewelry, antiques, and land deeds.