NOVPUB
Chapter 99: Time to Visit the Piercing Heaven sect
"The Fingers? That’s the name of the nine emperor-stage assassins in the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion," Xin Haotian said.
"They’ll send the Fingers if this assassination fails," Aldrian said, looking at the fainted man.
"It seems they’re determined to kill you, even if they have to use the Fingers. Congratulations on attracting emperor-stage assassins." Xin Haotian said, making a mock clapping gesture.
"They’re also targeting you and others, including the Yu family."
"..."
Xin Haotian was silent for a moment.
"Well, they’re asking for death if they come after us. Anyway, it looks like many are approaching this place, most of them at the king stage, and a few even at the emperor stage."
"Hmmm, they must be from the Thorny Flower Garden. I already told Miss Ji-Min to bring support," Aldrian said as multiple presences arrived, surrounding the Plum Blossom Tower.
Aldrian then greeted an emperor-stage cultivator outside his room—a black-cloaked woman at the middle emperor stage. She was the leader of the Rose Garden and one of the sect master’s right hands. Aldrian handed over the now-crippled assassin to her and glanced at Baek Ji-Min, who looked at him with concern.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Hmm, don’t worry. That man couldn’t even scratch me," he said, waving his hand with a smile. Meanwhile, Sylphia watched their interaction, narrowing her eyes. The way Baek Ji-Min spoke to Aldrian made her suspicious and uneasy, so she approached her.
"Don’t worry, Miss Baek. Aldrian is much stronger than you think," Sylphia said, her tone subtly hinting that she had known Aldrian much longer. Baek Ji-Min raised an eyebrow at Sylphia’s sudden approach.
"Although he’s strong, it’s still worrisome as a friend to see him face such enemies. Don’t you feel concerned when your companion fights with a cultivation lower than his?"
"Oh, you’ve already become his friend after just a few days?" Sylphia replied. "And of course I worry, but I believe in Aldrian and his ability to handle things."
"Is that so?"
Aldrian noticed the conversation and the rising tension between them. He took a step back, then turned and walked towards Xin Haotian.
"Trying to escape?" Xin Haotian asked with a smirk.
"No, I just want to take a walk to clear my mind," Aldrian replied.
"You’re trying to avoid problems, I see."
Sometimes, Aldrian felt the urge to punch Xin Haotian in the face just to shut him up—though, to be fair, what he said wasn’t complete nonsense. Still, the way Xin Haotian smirked while making his comments was incredibly irritating. Aldrian sighed.
"Let’s head to the Piercing Heaven Sect today. With the failed assassination attempt, they’ll send the Fingers. We’ll be safer in the Piercing Heaven Sect’s domain... well, I hope so."
"The Piercing Heaven Sect is located in the southern part of Demon territory. Its domain is more secluded, between high mountains. If the Fingers somehow learn you’re going there, I predict they’ll wait for you to leave. Everyone knows what happens to troublemakers inside the Piercing Heaven Sect’s domain," Xin Haotian said.
Aldrian spread his senses once more throughout his domain, scanning for any anomalies. He wanted to make sure there were no more assassins lurking in the area. Seeing the two women still in heated conversation, he decided to ignore it for now until things calmed down.
"Young master, you truly have fortune with women. It seems you’ll have no difficulties in the future," a sudden voice transmission from Eleine teased. He glanced at her, noting the playful expression on her face.
"You too, Eleine?" Aldrian asked.
"What, young master? I don’t understand," Eleine said, her grin widening.
"Lady Irene and Lord Aldrey will be proud of your achievements when they find out what you’ve done, young master."
Hearing about his parents suddenly made him miss them. It had been over three years since he last saw them.
"Father and mother... can I meet them?" Aldrian asked. Eleine’s playful expression faded, replaced by a solemn look.
"No, you can’t, young master. Not right now. Lady Irene and Lord Aldrey’s situation is... complicated. I know you’re strong, and in fact, I believe with your power, you could help with the issues between them. But this isn’t something that can be solved by strength alone, young master."
Aldrian sighed.
"At least tell me about my father and mother’s families. I want to know who they are." He already knew about his father’s family from the sword his father had given him—the description from his Eyes of the Heaven revealed his father’s family name. But when it came to his mother, he knew nothing. The only clue he had was Eleine herself, his mother’s aide.
Obviously, he couldn’t just search her memories—that would hurt her, be disrespectful, and taint their relationship.
"I’m sorry, young master, I can’t tell you just yet. Knowing your personality, I know you’d plan a visit. I know you miss them and want to help, but please bear with me. The time will come when you can meet them," she said, attempting to bow as she forgot their ’roleplay’ but Aldrian gently held her shoulders.
"Forget it, Eleine. I believe in you. You don’t have to feel guilty. The important thing is that father and mother are safe and sound. I can meet them in the future," he said softly through a voice transmission, his tone reassuring.
Eleine looked at Aldrian’s face, her guilt evident. Truthfully, she felt sad for him. She knew how much he wanted to see them after this journey, and if she had told him, he would have gone without hesitation. Knowing her young master’s nature, she could imagine what he might do if Lord Aldrey’s and Lady Irene’s families opposed their relationship.
Forget about the war between the two families or even the two empires. With her young master’s capabilities, Eleine feared it would turn into a bloodbath on all sides. The politics within the empires, combined with the families’ positions as guardians of the border with the Devil Territory, meant many would take advantage of any instability within the Rivas and Flamecrest families.
The devils, too, would seize the opportunity to strike if there was any weakness. Aldrian wasn’t someone who would take this lightly, and that’s why she feared it could escalate into widespread bloodshed.
Aldrian then looked at his group.
"I think we should head to the Piercing Heaven Sect today. It’s better to leave as soon as possible. This assassin group will likely send even stronger assassins."
The group stopped to listen to Aldrian, nodding in agreement with his decision, though one of them seemed saddened. Sensing her mood, Aldrian sent a voice transmission.
"Don’t be sad. I’ll visit this place again after I’m done at the Piercing Heaven Sect."
Baek Ji-Min’s mood lifted at his words, and she simply nodded. After talking to the group for a while, Aldrian returned to his room.
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In a room at an unknown location, two people sat facing each other. The space resembled a library, filled with scrolls and books. One was an old man with white hair, his face marked by the experience of countless battles, scars scattered across his skin. The other was who had spoken with the leader of the Golden Swan Commerce, the First Finger.
"Still no news?" the old man asked.
"No, nothing yet," the First Finger replied.
"Then we can consider it a failure."
"It seems we’ve encountered a particularly strong target this time."
"Well, that’s the risk of this line of work. The Golden Swan Commerce really wants them dead, so we’ll have to carry out what we agreed upon."
"Our target is truly mysterious. Their cultivation level is likely fake, and now I’ll have to mobilize the Fingers to deal with them. To make things more complicated, Thorny Flower Garden is furious and has increased their surveillance. It’s going to be much harder to kill them within their domain. The Yu family is also under heavy watch by the three great sects, with many experts around. It seems they’re still worried about the devils," the First Finger said.
"Who would’ve thought the City Lord’s Manor of Dual Peak Horns City would be in league with the devils," he added.
"It seems the devils have already spread to parts of the continent. If they’ve infiltrated both the Ivory Empire and the Demon Territory, we can safely assume they’ve spread across the entire continent. This mission also feels strange to me. Want to hear my thoughts?" the old man suddenly asked.
The First Finger looked curious. "What are you thinking?"
"I believe the Golden Swan Commerce may have ties to the devils," the old man added.
The First Finger was shocked. "What makes you say that?"
"The mission to kill the Yu family and this unknown group is directly linked to the devils and the City Lord’s Manor. Why would the Golden Swan Commerce want them dead? In every sense, they’re victims of the devils. Doesn’t that seem strange to you? It feels like the Golden Swan Commerce is trying to hide something."
The First Finger solemnly pondered for a moment, nodding. It made sense. If this was true, could it mean they were indirectly helping the devils?
"I’ll take action myself this time," the old man suddenly announced.
The First Finger was shocked again. "Why? You don’t need to get involved."
"I just need a bit of exercise. We have a nice target, so why not take advantage of it?" the old man said as he began walking away.
