It had been a relatively peaceful day at the Payne estate. The servants went about their business and as it happened occasionally an argument broke out among two servants with varying ideas about the family values

"I still think selling him into selling him into slavery was a tad bit extreme. At the end of the day they are of the same blood" argued a porky servant vehemently

"What do you know? Master Gregory must have had his reasons. In fact..." A beanpole servant began before shaking his head and stopping abruptly

"In fact what?" Servant porky was curious

"I heard he had a congenital disease that did not allow him to cultivate" Servant bean pole revealed

"So?" Servant porky was now confused

"Well, those can be contagious can't they? If he had stayed here we would all have been infected" servant beanpole said

"So what? You don't cultivate anyway" servant porky snorted

"Well I'd like to know I could. That is a source of pride for me isn't it?" Beanpole was indignant

The argument would most probably have continued if not...

Boom!!

...for the sound of desolation that sounded.

...

Gregory and Lillian's Bedroom

The couple had decided to sleep in, After making certain plans early that morning, Gregory had retreated to the bedroom and soon got Lillian excited and they had spent hours going at it hard and as a result decided to sleep in.

The activity allowed Gregory to relieve a bit of stress and for Lillian to scratch a little of the itch that never seemed to go away completely.

"So it failed huh?" Lillian sighed

"As I knew it would" Gregory said sitting up

"Well this must be a sign to take a step back"

"I don't know if it's a sign but I do have more Important things to worry about that now?"

"Like what?" She asked

"I have been trying to set up a meeting with the Alchemist, but he has been ignoring me"

"Could he have allied himself with other families?"

"According to my spies he has denied the other Great families an audience"

"What of the Plebeian Families"

Other than the Four Great Families who were the top Echelon of Salmon city, there still remained a number of Plebeian Families who had considerable wealth and were above the common man but they were almost totally powerless when faced with the great families. However all that could change if the Alchemist decided to align with one of them. But that seemed unlikely, why build a family from the ground up when you could join an established one.

Alchemy happens to be one of the most prestigious of occupations. It's products helped in advancement of cultivation not to mention other numerous effects their pills had. However just like any prestigious it had preconditions, the most important of which was possessing Di-Astral sense which was paramount in the refining of pills. The profession was so prestigious that while pills were imported into the city, the city did not have an Alchemist of it's own. They came in once in a while but unlike Runemasters, they never settled in Salmon city. But all that for another time.

"No I don't think we have to worry about that. The Alchemist won't stay that long we only need to make a deal with them before they leave" Gregory had no other choice except to be optimistic.

Boom!!!

"What was that?" Lillian sounded worried but a calm bellow...

"RAD PAYNE, YOU DISGUSTING COWARD. SHOW YOURSELF!!"

...would soon follow

"What the...?" Gregory it on his clothes in a rush and ran outside to face the scene of his guards sent backwards with cosmic energy released from the casual wave of of a dainty hand.

The hand belonged to a lady in a tight-fitting lotus patterned dress. The dress emphasized her ample chest and her other eye catching curves. Her face was smooth and perfect with beautiful full lips, trying to determine her age through her face proved impossible (more impossible than usual) for the face that used to look to be in it's early thirties now seemed much younger and mature simultaneously. The woman's entire body exuded a sexual charm.

Not unlike the young man beside her who looked to be 17, his face which should have been recognizable to all those present was however a tad bit different. They had not seen the face in a mere two weeks and would have ordinarily claimed the face's current look was impossible but it was right in front of them, The face was even more handsome, the eyes brighter, the skin lighter and smoother looking and the body of a male sexual predator.

He looked to be a model as opposed to his calm and seemingly casual posture which still made it seem like he was there for combat.

The lady was naturally Melinda and the young man was Hal. All the refining of Hal's essence had done more than just improved her cultivation and she was aware of it.

While most men gawked at her Melinda continued to wake her hand and knock down fences, walls and the occasional guards who stopped gawking at her and actually made an attempt to attack her.

Hal just watched from the sidelines. The guards were mostly at the energy sensing realm and were not a threat to him however what was the point of losing the element of surprise.

Been back in the estate roused feelings in him, mostly pain and rage, a residual of the one who owned the body. He took a deep breath and faced Gregory who had come running out out of his mansion

*Bang*Bang*Bang*

More guards thrown backwards by more casual waves. 'Why are they still running forward? It should have been obvious that I am well above their level. It must be stuidity' she decided

Melinda had decided to shed the facade she usually portrayed, just as she was going to ruin the Dane family textile enterprise in salmon city, she was finally going to live for herself. And for her man.

"What is going on here?" Gregory asked in a seething voice as he stared at demolished part of the estate

"Hello Father, did you miss me?" Hal asked adding as much spite as he could into 'Father'

Others finally showed themselves among them was the the butler and Gregory's right hand man, Burt. After him Rad would show up and a look of surprise would cross his face before he would hurry up to smoothen his face and empty it of emotions. Walking behind was Rita with her head bowed

'Master, it is done' she would tell him telepathically

'Well done'

"Miss you? Why would I? You are no son of mine" Gregory said in a tone that could be mistaken for calm

"But I still consider you my father" Hal said emotionally while Melinda rolled her eyes internally

The crowd of servants began to mumur while Gregory's eye twitched at the obvious horseshit but Hal was not done...

"That is why it hurts so much that my brother, my own flesh and blood would actually try to kill me" Hal continued in a tearful voice and yet his eyes remained dry

Gregory was about to flare up when he decided to play along

"Oh really?" He asked

Hal nodded and moved forward to withdrew three spatial pouches and upturned them to release the bodies of the five assassins which had remained trapped in stasis in the inventory and the spatial pouches. He dropped the pouches beside them as well, he had no use for them anymore.

There were some retching as the bodies were revealed covered In blood and one of them was even without it's head.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gregory asked undisturbed

"This are the bodies of the assassins my brother sent after me, I kept them to use to prove my case"

"And what proof do you have that Rad did this" Gregory was still undisturbed. He could not possibly have any evidence

Rad however was beginning to feel a cold chill as Hal withdrew something from his clothes pocket

"He paid with this. Is this enough as proof?" Hal asked raising the Payne crested Ring at viewing height

Silence...

Who in the estate would not know that a ring with the Payne family quest was damning evidence.

However the Silence will not prevail for long as a voice would yell...

"I will kill you!!!"