"The situation at the Montgomary Palace is unclear right now. Take care of yourself too." Natasha said something caring for once. "Losing an opponent like you would make life quite boring."
Dahlia seemed to laugh on the other end: "Don't worry. I certainly won't die before you."
"Hmph." Natasha let out a soft snort and hung up.
"What did she say?" Dustin finally asked.
"She said it was Mark Montgomary's doing, and warned me to be careful—the Montgomary Palace isn't stable right now." Natasha put away her phone. "She said unknown forces have intervened, and even she can't control things anymore."
Dustin's brow furrowed slightly: "Mark Montgomary... I remember him. Quite ambitious. But a force that even Dahlia finds troublesome is probably no simple matter."
"Yes, she said it might be connected to the 'special individuals' who've recently appeared in Stonia." Natasha looked out the car window. "Those two people you encountered in the park—could they be..."
"Very likely." Dustin nodded. "The abilities those two displayed are definitely not something ordinary martial artists could possess."
By the time they returned to the villa, it was completely dark.
Natasha stayed the night. The two made a simple dinner together and sat in the living room eating while watching the news.
The television was reporting a bizarre incident that had occurred that afternoon: a villa in the Stonia suburbs had suddenly caught fire. The blaze was extremely intense, and when firefighters arrived, they found the temperature at the fire's center was abnormally high. Moreover, the burn patterns were strange—unlike an ordinary fire.
Even more eerie, three charred bodies too badly burned to identify were found at the scene. The medical examiner's preliminary assessment was that the deceased had died before the fire started.
"This news..." Natasha frowned. "Could it be related to those 'special individuals'?"
Dustin stared at the television screen for a few seconds: "Possibly. But there's nothing we can do right now except watch and wait."
"Sigh, and here I was hoping for a few peaceful days." Natasha sighed, resting her head on Dustin's shoulder. "What do you think those people's backgrounds are? Why are they interfering in worldly affairs?"
"I don't know." Dustin shook his head. "But since they've appeared, it means something is about to happen."
The two talked until late into the night before Natasha went to rest in the guest room.
Dustin returned to his own room but had no desire to sleep. He stood by the window, gazing at the city in the darkness, a vague premonition stirring in his heart.
These peaceful days probably wouldn't last much longer.
Meanwhile, in a mansion on the other side of Stonia, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost suffocating.
This was the residence of the Wang family—a moderately prominent clan in Stonia.
The Wang family had some influence in the business world, with family enterprises spanning real estate and import-export trade. They were considered a respectable family in Stonia.
But at this moment, several dozen members of the Wang family, young and old, were all kneeling in the main hall, trembling, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Seated in the main position of the hall was a female cultivator who appeared to be around thirty years old.
She wore a flowing dress of pale purple, her long hair pinned up with a jade hairpin. Her features were beautiful, but her eyes and brows carried an air of harshness and malice.
With her legs crossed, she toyed with a jade cup in her hand, her cold gaze sweeping over the people kneeling before her.
Beside her stood a boy of about six years old.
The boy looked like a porcelain doll, dressed in an exquisite brocade robe, but his face bore an arrogance and cruelty unbefitting his age.
He held a leather whip in his hand, cracking it occasionally with a "snap, snap" sound, frightening the children kneeling in the front row into shrinking into their parents' arms.
"Old Master Wang," the female cultivator spoke, her voice icy, "is this how the Wang family treats guests? You can't even brew a proper cup of tea?"
The white-haired elder kneeling at the very front—Wang Mingde, the family patriarch—kowtowed repeatedly: "Please calm your anger, Immortal Lady! The servants are ignorant. I'll have someone brew fresh tea immediately!"
"No need." The female cultivator waved her hand. "From what I can see, your Wang family has nothing worthwhile to offer. If not for the decent feng shui of this residence, I would have left long ago."
She then turned to the boy beside her: "Lin'er, what do you think of this place?"
The boy called Lin'er pouted: "Mother, this shabby place isn't fun at all. There isn't even a decent toy. These people are all clumsy too. That girl who poured tea for me just now nearly scalded me!"
"Oh?" The female cultivator's gaze turned cold. "Which girl?"
The boy pointed toward a young woman kneeling in the corner.
She was about twenty years old, a distant niece of the Wang family named Wang Yurou, who usually helped with odd jobs around the household.
Being singled out now, she trembled all over with fear, tears immediately streaming down her face.
"Im-Immortal Lady, please spare me! I-I didn't mean to!" Wang Yurou kowtowed frantically. "I-I was shaking just now because I was too nervous..."
"Nervous?" The female cultivator sneered. "Pouring tea for my son makes you nervous? What, do you think my son isn't worthy of drinking tea poured by you?"
"N-no! Absolutely not!" Wang Yurou kowtowed so vigorously her forehead split open, blood seeping out.
"Mother, she got my clothes all wet!" The boy pointed at a small water stain on his lapel. Though it had already dried, he wouldn't let it go. "This robe is the dharma garment you brought back from Qingyun Mountain for me! She soiled it!"
The female cultivator's expression turned completely dark.
She slowly rose to her feet, walked over to Wang Yurou, and said coldly: "Since you don't know how to pour tea, those hands of yours are of no use!"
– Marinien
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