After the banquet ended, Linley returned to his guest room.
Jenny, Keane, and Lambert were staying in the courtyard on the other side.
Keane was still grumbling quietly about Lady Weide. Jenny kept urging him not to act rashly, while Lambert sat beside the door, his longsword still at his side.
Linley did not rest.
Outside the window, a group quietly left the castle.
Lady Weide led them.
She had changed into a black robe. Two middle-aged men and more than a dozen city guards followed her. The two men bore some resemblance to her and were both nobles of Chier County City.
Standing on the roof, Linley glanced into the distance.
Doehring stood beside him.
"What is she planning to do?"
"Go to Holmer's estate," Linley said.
"To confiscate his property?"
"Looks like it."
"Are you going to follow her?"
Linley nodded.
"Let's take a look first."
He leaped off the roof.
Wind essence supported his body, and Linley landed lightly on a rooftop outside the castle. Bebe squeezed through the gap in the window and jumped onto his shoulder.
Haeru stood beside the courtyard gate, looking up at Linley.
"Stay here," Linley said. "Keep watch over Jenny and the others."
Haeru gave a low growl.
It did not follow.
Linley and Bebe raced over the rooftops and soon caught up with the group.
The night in Chier County City was quiet.
The city guards carried torches, and hoofbeats echoed continuously through the streets. Ordinary people retreated into their homes. No one dared approach at a time like this.
Holmer's estate was in the western part of the city.
The estate's gates were shut tight, and an apothecary's sign still hung above them.
Lady Weide raised her hand.
"Break them down."
Two city guards hefted a wooden ram and slammed it hard against the gates.
Bang!
The gates burst open.
Lights immediately appeared inside the estate.
Several servants ran out of their rooms. Their expressions changed the moment they saw the city guards.
"My lady, what is this...?"
"By order of the provincial capital, we are confiscating Holmer's estate," Lady Weide said coldly. "Everyone, gather in the courtyard."
An old servant said in a trembling voice, "Lord Holmer has already gone to hunt those people down. Why are you confiscating this estate?"
A cold gleam flashed through Lady Weide's eyes.
"Holmer is dead."
The old servant shuddered.
"That's impossible."
"There's nothing impossible about it," Lady Weide's elder brother said. "That black panther was too powerful. Holmer was no match for it."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" a servant asked frantically.
Lady Weide did not answer.
She raised her hand.
The city guards immediately rushed forward and pinned the servants to the ground.
"My lady!"
"Dispose of them all," Lady Weide said. "We cannot leave anyone alive who knows about this."
The servants' faces instantly turned deathly pale.
The city guards dragged them toward the rear courtyard.
Linley stood on the roof, watching everything clearly.
Bebe's claws lightly gripped the roof tiles.
"Boss, should we act now?"
"Wait a little longer."
Linley's gaze settled on Lady Weide.
Doehring said gravely, "You already know she's the mastermind."
"I want to hear her say it herself."
"You aren't trying to confirm it. You're looking for a reason to act."
Linley fell silent for a moment.
"If she were only confiscating Holmer's estate, I wouldn't touch her."
Doehring glanced at him and said nothing more.
Chests were carried out of the estate one after another.
Gold coins, Magic Crystal Cores, medicinal herbs, and all sorts of strange bottles soon filled the courtyard.
Lady Weide's two elder brothers stood nearby, their faces full of smiles.
"Holmer lived for more than three hundred years. He certainly accumulated plenty of good things."
"Send all of this to the castle," Lady Weide said. "No one is to breathe a word about tonight."
One of her elder brothers said quietly, "Big Sister, what about those two little bastards? Mr. Lei has a Level Nine Magical Beast with him. Ordinary assassins probably can't handle them."
Lady Weide's expression turned cold.
"They've already entered the castle."
"The castle is full of our people."
"But that black panther is there too."
Her other elder brother said, "We just need to find a way to lure that magical beast away, kill the two children first, then deal with that Mr. Lei."
"We cannot fail again," Lady Weide said icily. "Holmer is already dead. If the clan learns that we sent someone to assassinate the heir of the main line, none of us will survive."
At those words, Linley's gaze turned utterly cold.
Bebe said quietly, "Is that enough now?"
"Enough."
Linley dropped from the roof.
The instant his feet touched the ground, Lady Weide noticed the movement.
"Who's there?"
Linley did not answer.
He took a step, and his body was already in front of the middle-aged man who had spoken.
The heavy sword Edgeless dropped from his back into his hand.
The man's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly drew his sword.
His sword had barely left its sheath when Edgeless came cleaving down.
Clang!
His longsword broke in two.
The heavy sword continued unchecked, smashing straight into the man's chest.
Bang!
The man's breastbone caved in. His body flew backward, smashing through the stone wall behind him.
"Second Brother!"
The other man roared and charged.
Azure battle-qi lit up around him, and his saber slashed toward Linley's neck from the side.
Linley did not turn.
Violet light flashed.
The Purple Blood Soft Sword curved around the saber and swept past the man's wrist.
The saber fell to the ground.
Clutching his severed wrist, the man was just about to retreat when Edgeless swept toward him.
Bang!
His body slammed into the courtyard wall, and his skull shattered on the spot.
It had taken no more than two breaths.
Lady Weide stood rooted to the spot, her face deathly pale.
"Mr. Lei."
She forced out a faint smile. "This is all a misunderstanding."
Linley looked at her.
"You just said you would kill Jenny and Keane first."
Lady Weide's lips trembled.
"I didn't..."
"You sent Holmer."
"No."
"You sent the assassins in Blackstone City too."
Lady Weide kept backing away.
She reached for the dagger in her sleeve and suddenly hurled it at Linley.
The dagger had barely left her hand when Linley caught it.
Linley flicked his hand back.
The dagger pierced Lady Weide's throat.
She clutched her throat with both hands, blood flowing between her fingers.
"You..."
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Lady Weide collapsed to the ground.
Every city guard in the courtyard froze.
They stared at Linley. Not one dared move.
Bebe jumped down from the roof and stood beside Linley.
"Boss, should we kill them too?"
"No need."
Linley looked at the city guards.
"Put down your weapons."
The clatter of weapons hitting the ground rang out one after another.
No one dared resist.
Just then, a sudden crash came from the rear courtyard.
Bang!
Immediately afterward, flames burst from one of the buildings.
Linley turned to look.
The servants who had been dragged away were already lying on the ground, and the wooden chests beside them were engulfed in flames. The potion bottles Holmer had left behind burst one after another, and the fire spread rapidly.
Doehring descended from the roof and glanced into the depths of the estate.
"There are quite a few dangerous things piled up in there."
Linley nodded.
He did not move to extinguish the fire.
The medicinal ingredients, potions, and various poisons stored in the estate were soon ignited by the intense heat.
Boom!
The entire estate shook violently.
A pillar of fire shot into the night sky, sending broken stone and wood splinters flying everywhere. The city guards fled outside, screaming, and the courtyard walls collapsed in the explosion.
Linley grabbed Bebe and leaped onto a rooftop with the aid of wind essence.
Doehring followed beside him.
Linley looked down at the sea of fire.
Lady Weide and her two elder brothers had already been swallowed by the flames.
"That certainly saved me a lot of trouble."
Linley turned and left.
When he returned to the city lord's castle, dawn had yet to break.
Haeru was still guarding the courtyard where Jenny and her brother were staying. Seeing Linley return, it stood up. Only after confirming that Linley was uninjured did it lie down again.
"Is it over?" Bebe asked.
"Over for now," Linley said.
"What about Lady Weide?"
"Dead."
He walked to the door of the guest room where Jenny and her brother were staying.
Jenny and Keane were already awake, and Lambert was standing at the door.
"Big Brother Lei, where did you go just now?" Keane asked.
"Out for a walk."
Linley glanced at the distant sky.
To the west of the city, fire had stained half the night sky red.
"Holmer's estate is on fire," Lambert said.
Linley nodded.
"Perhaps a potion exploded."
Lambert asked no more questions.
He had already guessed the answer.
Jenny was also watching the flames. Softly, she said, "Auntie, she..."
"She won't send anyone after you again," Linley said.
Jenny trembled.
She understood what Linley meant.
Shock first appeared on Keane's face, then slowly gave way to joy.
"Auntie is dead?"
"And her two older brothers."
"Then can I inherit the city lord's position?"
"We still have to wait for the clan's confirmation," Lambert reminded him.
Keane clenched his fists.
"I will definitely become the city lord."
Jenny said nothing, only bowing deeply to Linley.
"Big Brother Lei, thank you."
Linley stepped aside to avoid her bow.
"No need to thank me. Your position isn't truly secure yet."
Linley glanced at him.
"Lady Weide had already decided to act tonight."
"So that's why you made your move."
"Yes."
Doehring said no more.
In the distance, the flames in the west of the city were still burning.
After daybreak, news spread through Chier County City.
While Lady Weide was leading men to search and confiscate Holmer's estate, the potions inside had suddenly exploded. Lady Weide and her two older brothers had died on the spot, and most of Holmer's estate had burned down.
No one knew what exactly had happened last night.
Only a few people in the city lord's castle knew.
The greatest obstacle in Chier County City was gone.
And all that stood between Keane and truly taking over as city lord was a written order from the Jax Clan.