The scene was silent, the atmosphere awkward.
Lovira’s gaze slowly shifted from Lin Hong’s face to the unconscious stranger he was holding by the collar.
The stranger had clearly been beaten savagely.
Half of his right hand had been cleanly severed and was still bleeding profusely, a horrifying sight.
Lovira looked at the man, then her eyes returned to Lin Hong, meeting the boy’s calm gaze.
She remained silent, a storm of emotions churning in her chest—confusion intertwined with a strange calm, countless questions bubbling up.
Was her brother still her brother?
If he was, where did his power come from?
Also taught by that mysterious teacher?
How could he be so calm yet so cruel, inflicting such grievous wounds on this man?
If he wasn’t, where had her real brother gone?
That lazy, pain-averse Evan who used to whine about basic physical training… where was he?
But precisely because she had too many questions, they all clogged her throat, leaving her momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, Lin Hong felt a familiar sense of frustration.
How many times was this now?
Always caught at such moments, where explanations were inconvenient, or even if given, would sound like excuses.
He still hadn’t detected Lovira’s arrival, and the reason was, once again, that damned ‘safe range’, which had caused his usually reliable perception to fail him several times now.
Was this the power of familial bonds?
It was enough to make one cry.
At the same time, Lin Hong was calm.
He had been mentally prepared for this day to come eventually.
He knew deep down that he was not the young Evan after all.
Memories could be inherited, habits could be mimicked, but some fundamental things were difficult to conceal for long.
Lovira was intelligent and perceptive, and she was Evan’s blood-related older sister.
It was only a matter of time before he slipped up in front of her.
If not this time, then the next.
Besides, the mysterious panel had explicitly informed him that the soul of the young Evan would definitely return within six months at the latest.
That thing might enjoy being cryptic, but so far, it hadn’t lied to him or set him up.
Its credit record was perfect, so he chose to believe it.
Of course, the main reason was his confidence in his own strength.
No matter how Lovira reacted next—shock, anger, even turning hostile on the spot—he had ways to extricate himself and ensure his safety.
However, having this confidence didn’t mean he was willing to break with the girl before him.
After all, so far, Lin Hong found Lovira quite agreeable.
If possible, he didn’t want to become enemies.
So, after thinking for a moment, he suddenly smiled.
“Sister, since you’ve already seen, I suppose there’s no point in pretending anymore.”
Hearing this, Lovira’s heart tightened violently.
Was her worst fear about to be confirmed?
Was she about to face a cruel truth?
How should she respond?
Was her brother okay?
How would she explain this to their parents?
Or… would she even get to see their parents again?
Lin Hong pointed at Bazi in his hand, his expression serious and full of lingering fear.
“This person… just as I was returning to the gate, he suddenly fell from the sky and knocked himself out right at the entrance. His hand was half gone too. It was terrifying. I almost cried.”
“…Huh?”
Lovira was clearly taken aback.
Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions—bewilderment, a sense of absurdity, and speechlessness.
‘Are you taking me for a fool?’
She almost blurted it out but managed to hold back.
But she had to admit, this little act did ease the stiff atmosphere in the courtyard.
Having achieved his goal, the smile faded from Lin Hong’s face, replaced by his usual calmness.
He no longer looked at Lovira.
Instead, holding Bazi, he turned and walked naturally into the house.
Soon, he returned with the old army knife that had accompanied the old butler for most of his life.
Holding the knife, he walked back to Lovira and spoke with a faint smile.
“Sister, don’t you have any questions?”
Lovira raised her eyes to meet his gaze.
At this moment, the sense of unfamiliarity she felt was stronger than ever.
The boy before her was worlds apart from the brother in her memories.
Yet, she found herself calming down.
She let out a long sigh and admitted frankly, “Yes. Many. Or rather, because there are too many things I want to ask, I don’t even know where to start.”
Lin Hong chuckled.
“Then there’s no need to ask. After all, even if I answered you now, would you believe me? I doubt it.”
“So, it’s better for you to observe and think for yourself. I remember my sister has always been clever. I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon enough and make all the necessary preparations. We can talk then.”
As he spoke, Lin Hong pressed the army knife into Lovira’s arms.
“Since you’re back, sister, I’ll trouble you to give this knife to our two older brothers. Also, tell them—any reason will do—but they must not stop the medicine.”
“Tonight, I want to try… to save the old man. I think I should be able to succeed.”
Lovira was stunned again.
She felt a bit foolish herself.
But could she be blamed?
The topic had shifted too abruptly, and the information was overwhelming.
One moment, she was pondering the meaning of his previous words, and the next, she heard such news.
The boy claimed he was going to treat the old butler, whom the Chief Priest of the Imperial Palace had personally declared beyond saving, and said he should be able to succeed.
The massive leap in topics made her thoughts stutter.
Her mind raced furiously as she stood there frozen, lips slightly parted.
She wanted to press for answers, but the boy was already gone, disappearing around the street corner with the man in tow.
….
At that moment, Lin Hong, carrying Bazi, wound his way through several alleys to a remote, deserted spot.
He dropped the man, then promptly delivered two solid punches to wake him up.
Coldly, he asked, “How many of you are there? What’s your purpose? Tell me everything you know from start to finish.”
Bazi was severely injured, weak, and terrified.
His heart pounded with fear of being killed.
Yet, he was strangely stubborn, refusing to answer, biting down hard.
“Heh… blasphemer… give… give it up! I’ll never tell you anything!”
“Well then, no need for talk.”
Lin Hong didn’t stand on ceremony.
He immediately channeled his spiritual energy, activating a soul-searching technique to forcibly read the man’s memories.
However, the moment his spiritual energy invaded Bazi’s mental sea…
A restriction, dark and filthy, suddenly erupted!
“Damn it—!”
Lin Hong reacted with lightning speed, severing the spiritual link and leaping backward.
Pfft!
Bazi’s head exploded like a rotten watermelon, spraying red and white matter everywhere.
[Congratulations, Host, for hunting a Tier 4 Heretic Cultist. Reward: 450 remaining Fate Points.]
[Current Fate Points Balance: 1000]
“What the—”
Lin Hong didn’t bother dwelling on it, though he was disgusted.
“Tch.”
This level of explosion couldn’t hurt him, but it was annoying.
‘Why do I keep getting blown up?’
However, he had been careless.
In his home universe, capturing prisoners alive often led to situations like this—self-destruction to avoid capture.
Neither their side nor the Evil Clan would allow themselves to fall into enemy hands.
But this guy was different.
The restriction was placed by someone else; he was just a pawn.
Bazi’s headless corpse twitched twice before going limp and motionless.
Lin Hong frowned, sensing the area, then sighed.
The restriction hadn’t just destroyed the brain; it had also annihilated any residual information in the soul.
It was done very thoroughly.
However, the aura of this restriction felt familiar, reminding him of a certain old acquaintance whose two soul fragments he had slain.
….
“Bazi is dead.”
At that moment, in a cave somewhere outside Rockstone Town, a man in dark red robes suddenly opened his eyes and spoke.
If Lin Hong were here, he would be thrilled.
This was precisely the old acquaintance.
Around the dark-robed man, over a dozen similarly dressed cultists trembled upon hearing this, their faces showing shock.
After all, Bazi’s strength within the cult was considered decent, having reached Tier 4 in combat aura.
Moreover, he was a local of Rockstone Town, familiar with the area.
How could he have died just like that?
How was that possible?
They had investigated thoroughly.
Rockstone Town had barely any cultivators.
Who could possibly challenge him, let alone kill him?
The Evil Priest didn’t offer much explanation.
His hands quickly formed a strange hand seal, and he began chanting under his breath.
Using the restriction he had planted deep within Bazi’s soul earlier, he activated a secret technique.
Soon, a blurry scene flashed before his eyes.
A black-haired, blue-eyed boy with a cold expression was pressing his hand against Bazi’s forehead.
Then, the restriction erupted.
“Isn’t this…”
The Evil Priest was slightly taken aback, recognizing the boy at a glance.
Wasn’t this the great enemy of all brothers and sisters of the Holy Church—the son of Duke Vane, Evan Wayne?
Previously, he had sent out two soul fragments, one of which targeted this very boy, intending to possess and control him.
But for some reason, not only did it fail, but both soul fragments perished one after another without even transmitting their memories back, causing him significant pain.
Now it seemed this young master was surprisingly strong?
Even Bazi had fallen into his hands?
One had to know, Bazi was truly not weak.
Below the Priest level, few were his match.
Could it be the boy had another expert by his side?
The Evil Priest pondered.
Originally, the plan was to proceed today.
But yesterday, outsiders had arrived at this remote town and stationed personnel outside, all of them strong.
Out of caution, he had ordered the operation to be temporarily suspended, sending Bazi—who was originally from Rockstone Town—to gather information and ascertain some details.
As a result, Bazi’s trip had cost him his life.
But his sacrifice had value because it had drawn out the young master of the Vane family!
This was an unexpected boon!
A blessing from the Lord of the Revelry Court in the unseen!
The Evil Priest slowly rose to his feet, an oppressive excitement and malice swirling around him.
Originally, in the plan, the Moment of Revelry was to be held today, harvesting the souls of the entire town as the prelude to the revelry, an offering to the Holy God.
But now, an unexpected big fish had appeared, swimming right into the net!
The young master of the Vane family had come, and he was clearly accompanied by strong guards.
But so what?
Before the grace and mighty power of the Holy God, these people were nothing but pigs and dogs, utterly insignificant!
This was practically a heaven-sent opportunity.
Not only could they complete the sacrificial rite, but they could also capture the offspring of Duke Vane—a prize of immense value!
The man in dark robes immediately issued orders, methodically:
“Pass down the order. The plan is temporarily postponed.”
“Send out a summons at the highest priority level to all surrounding parishes! Oh, never mind. I’ll go personally. The young master of the Vane family deserves that level of treatment.”
“You all stay here on guard. However, withdraw further away. Don’t get too close to the town to avoid detection.”
“Also, send out the summons as usual. Gather as many brothers and sisters as possible, especially those at the Court Guard level! All who aren’t on major missions must come! Assemble here at the fastest speed possible!”
“Those lowly creatures in that town, the young master of the Vane family, and the lowly creatures guarding him—not a single one is to escape! None shall get away!”