An Understated Dominance

 The night wind carried a bone-piercing chill, sweeping over the smoke and blood above the Wang family residence. Immortal Lady Yuxia clutched her gravely injured, unconscious son as she fled Stonia in disarray under the escort of several trusted subordinates, temporarily hiding in a secluded stronghold deep in the mountains. It was an abandoned ancient Daoist temple, left derelict for years. Among the crumbling walls, a few wing rooms remained relatively intact. Moonlight filtered through the broken window lattices, falling upon her twisted, pale face, making her appear even more sinister. "Mother... it hurts..." The boy Lin'er murmured in his unconsciousness, his small body curled up in pain. Immortal Lady Yuxia carefully laid her son on a decrepit bed cushioned with thick blankets, examining his injuries. Though Bai Qingxue's palm strike hadn't directly taken Lin'er's life, the frost spiritual energy had invaded his meridians, causing severe damage to t...

 "Arrogant!" The female cultivator shouted in fury, forming hand seals as a bolt of purple lightning shot from her hands, striking directly at Bai Qingxue. Bai Qingxue neither dodged nor evaded. She simply raised her right hand, and a white light shield appeared in her palm. The purple lightning struck the shield with a tremendous boom, yet failed to move it even slightly. "How is this possible?" The female cultivator's expression changed. "You were clearly badly injured—how can you still have such power?" Bai Qingxue didn't answer. Her form flickered, and she was already in front of the female cultivator, palm striking out. The palm strike seemed light and airy, but the wind it generated contained tremendous spiritual power. The female cultivator didn't dare take it head-on and retreated hastily while continuously waving her hands, sending out blade after blade of purple light. Bai Qingxue's figure weaved through the light blades like a ph...

No—!" Before Wang Yurou's scream could fully escape, the female cultivator had already raised her hand and waved. A flash of purple light, and Wang Yurou's hands were severed at the wrists. Blood gushed forth. She let out an agonized scream and fainted. Suppressed gasps and sobs filled the hall, but no one dared cry out loud, fearing they would be next. "Take her away." The female cultivator waved dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. Two Wang family servants trembled as they stepped forward and dragged the unconscious Wang Yurou out, leaving a glaring trail of blood on the floor. "Anyone else object?" The female cultivator surveyed the room, her gaze sharp as a blade. Everyone bowed their heads deeply, not daring to meet her eyes. But the boy was still unsatisfied. He walked over to a young woman kneeling nearby. It was Wang Jing, Wang Mingde's granddaughter, who had just started university and was home for the summer to help out. She was pretty ...

 "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." Nat...

 "Don't worry, I've been keeping a low profile lately. I hardly show my face anymore. I've already assigned people to handle company matters." Natasha smiled. "That's good." Dustin nodded. In the days after Bai Qingxue left, Dustin's life returned to tranquility. Natasha came to the villa more frequently now. She no longer carried that constant sense of urgency from company affairs, instead deliberately making time to enjoy ordinary daily life with Dustin. This day was a weekend, and Natasha arrived early in the morning carrying bags of all sizes. "The weather's so lovely today—let's go on a picnic!" She said with a beaming smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation: "I had the chef prepare bento boxes, plus fruits and desserts." Dustin looked at the indeed bright sunshine in the courtyard and nodded: "Sure, where to?" "I know a place not far from here. There's a particularly beautiful meadow, and y...

 The woman looked toward Little Snow, who immediately came over and affectionately nuzzled her hand. A flash of tenderness appeared in the woman's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced once again by cool detachment: "Thank you. Once my injuries improve, I will leave and trouble you no further." "There's no rush. Focus on recovering. May I ask the lady's name?" Dustin inquired. The woman was silent for a moment, then said softly: "Bai Qingxue." Over the following days, Bai Qingxue recuperated at the villa. She spoke little, spending most of her time meditating to regulate her breathing. Occasionally she would stand by the window, gazing at the distant mountains, lost in thought. Dustin noticed that her recovery speed was astonishingly fast. Injuries that would have kept an ordinary person bedridden for months were already mostly healed in just a few days. One afternoon, Dustin was trimming the plants in the courtyard when he suddenly hea...

 Dustin didn't approach, simply standing at the doorway and speaking gently: "It's alright, I won't hurt you. If you want to eat, you can come anytime." The little white fox continued to stare at him warily, its amber eyes glimmering with an intelligent light in the dim surroundings. Dustin backed out and retrieved more food from the refrigerator. A few slices of ham, a small bowl of milk—he placed them in a corner of the kitchen, then returned to the living room and pretended to read, while keeping watch on the kitchen from the corner of his eye. After about half an hour, the little white fox finally limped out of the storage room. It first surveyed its surroundings warily, and only after confirming that Dustin posed no threat did it quickly snatch the food and scurry back to the storage room. Over the following days, Dustin left food in the kitchen corner every day—sometimes sliced fruit, sometimes cooked chicken, sometimes specially purchased pet treats. The li...