Chapter 50 – Fear the Night, Unsheathe the Saber, Thread the Fate (IV)

A middle-aged man was walking in the corridor of a luxurious mansion in the border city of Cali.

The middle-aged man’s pace, though hurried, was steady. His gaze was intimidating, and though many people passed by his side, nobody had the courage to look him at the eye.

Currently, he was walking towards the main hall of the mansion. Five minutes ago, he ordered for all the people in the mansion to reunite in the main hall. Everybody was supposed to be already there for now, waiting for his arrival.

Walking from a room in the third floor of the mansion, it took to the man another five minutes to reach at the main hall. Once there, he saw almost every man that the house sent this time for the mission.

When the people in hall saw the middle-aged man entering, they stood up immediately in reverence, before bowing their heads respectfully.

“““Greetings, elder Rouss””” Said them in unison.

Hearing the words of the people in the hall, the middle-aged man, Rouss Crow, waved his hand to indicate for them to sit, before looking around to the faces of all the people reunited.

An instant later, he frowned.

“Where is Ray?”

Nobody spoke after hearing the words of Elder Rouss. The middle-aged man waited a moment for the answer, but when he saw that nobody was answering, his frown deepened, and he inquired again with greater authority.

“Why Ray is not here!?”

Feeling the rage hiding inside the words, the crowd remained silent again, nobody daring to speak. But when the elder thought that nobody was going to answer, a middle-aged servant stepped forward, then, with a trembling voice, he spoke.

“T-The y-young master didn’t answer our calls, elder. H-He said us to not bother him tonight.”

“And what is he doing that he ordered it!?”

The servant remained silent after he heard that question, an expression of fear appearing in his face.

“Tell me!”

“H-He was w-with a g-girl.”

*Bang* A flower vase exploded after elder Rouss’s pressure filled the place. At the same time, all the people in the hall lowered their heads.

“So, you are telling me that he is playing with a girl after causing such a mess!”

Nobody dared to speak before the words of the man.

“When I learned that he sent three men to follow a pair of youngsters, I didn’t agree; but he told me that they wouldn’t cause a commotion, so I ended relenting! Look now! three of our men are causing a giant commotion in the town! Don’t I tell you to maintain a low profile during the mission!? Do you think that the city lord is a nobody!? It’s impossible to know what that crazy man is going to do now!”

Every member of the clan remained silent after hearing it. Not only because the words of the man were right, but also because he was the figure with the greatest authority in the mansion.

After all, though the young master had the power to order a great number of members of the house, his authority was far below being comparable to an elder. After all, every elder was at least someone at the spirit mutatingspirit sage stage. Their power was not something that mortals could imagine.

After a few seconds, a man finally broke the silence.

“Elder, shall we order for our men to return?”

“… No.” Answered Elder Rouss after pondering for a second. “The town hall probably knows already about the fight, so it will not change anything if they return now. Though I’m not sure why they had not sent someone to stop it, I’m sure that the city lord will retaliate against us independently of our actions.

“In such situation, it’s better if we take care of the situation with the fastest speed possible. Sean!”

“Yes, Elder!”

“I heard that you already broke through the peak of core-fusing, right? Go there and help our men! Make sure of eliminating the two kids, we don’t want someone speaking against us to the city lord!”

“Understood!”

“As for the rest of you, go and bring Ray to me! I need to speak with him!”

…

And old man was seated in a reclined chair inside a smithy, his eyes closed and a leaf inside his mouth. The scarce white hair remaining from his long years of life covered part of his forehead.

Despite the commotion in the town, the old man kept his eyes closed, apparently uninterested with the situation. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

After a few seconds, the shadows inside the smithy trembled. An instant later, a figure reformed in the room. It was another old man, around eighty years old. His identity was that of the current manager of Heavens’ Net in the town of Cali.

“Will you not interfere, old Brake?” Said the newcomer. “I thought you had taken the boy like your disciple.”

The old man sleeping in the chair didn’t answered immediately. Instead, he sighed briefly and shook his head for a moment. Then, after opening his eyes, he spoke.

“He chose that path, Old Felm. I would have helped if he decides to live like a normal human, but he decided in the path of cultivation, so he must to face the consequences of his choice.”

“But, are you fine with the boy dying? I know that you value very much the people around you.”

For a moment, the old man remained silent, then, after a sigh, he continued: “Perhaps it’s for the best if he dies. The path he chose is filled with thorns, and the probability of him succeeding is very low. Perhaps, dying will save him too much suffering.”

For a few seconds, the smithy stayed silent, only the sigh of the old smith resounding. But after a few seconds, Felm, the current owner of Heavens’ Net in Cali, spoke:

“Sigh, perhaps you are right. For someone like him, living like a normal human is probably crueler. If it’s so, then dying like a cultivator is perhaps better. But, are you not going to do anything then?”

“Nothing?” Sneered old Brake. “Do you think that I will allow to the members of the Crow family to attack my disciple and do nothing? Even if I allow for my disciple to die, it doesn’t mean that I will allow for the ones responsible to roam free! Once it ends, they will have to give me an explanation!”

“You are so stubborn like ever, old man.”

“Bah, you are not the one to speak, old Felm.”

Shaking his head, the old smith smiled inside his smithy, but after a few seconds, he made a serious expression again.

“I had ordered that nobody interferes tonight. If Aiden and Lia are able to pass this hurdle for themselves, then I will arrange for them to leave the town safely. If not, then such is their fate, there is nothing I can do.”

Saying it, the old blacksmith that taught Aiden for two years closed his eyes again. Apparently, he wasn’t interested in speaking again

“I don’t know if the boy was lucky or unlucky in getting your recognition, old man.”

Shaking his head, Felm Birntem laughed helplessly. Then, stepping in the shadows, he disappeared from the place in the same mysterious manner he entered.