Thea, who was disguised as Tobias, asked, “Was James the one who called?” “Yup.” Maxine nodded and said, “James asked us to return to Cansington at once. He’ll be there shortly. He must be worried that we might be seen by the Blithes, which would certainly complicate things.” “In that case, we should leave.” Thea nodded. “Alright.” They headed to the airport. Meanwhile, James headed to the suburbs. After finding a desolate place, he removed the human mask on his face. Then, he took off his jacket and put on a vest before returning to the city. He bought a plane ticket to Cansington. At the same time… At the Cadens’ mansion in the Capital… Tobias was sitting in a lotus position in a cultivation room in the courtyard. A voice came from outside. “Patriarch, there’s news from Mount Littleroot of the Western Border.” “Speak.” Sitting in a lotus position, Tobias opened his eyes. “Maxine appeared at Mount Littleroot. However, someone impersonating you appeared and

“It really isn’t me, Grandfather. Besides, although the secret of the painting has been unraveled, I still don’t know how to cultivate it.” Bennett nodded his head slightly. “Yes, I had a look at it too. Indeed, it’s impossible to cultivate. Let’s not be too engrossed in deciphering the painting. Perhaps the Prince of Orchid Mountain was just trying to fool us all. With so many varieties of martial arts in the Caden family, each of them, when mastered, is extremely powerful─especially the Thirteen Heavenly Swords. If you can master the Thirteenth Sword, you’ll be undefeatable.” “Understood.” Tobias nodded. “You’re dismissed.” Bennett waved his hand and returned to the bamboo house, slamming the door shut. Tobias stood at the doorstep, lost in contemplation. “Did Grandfather manage to reach the eighth rank?” he murmured. He knew that Bennett had reached the seventh rank decades ago. Since he had been in closed-door meditation for so long, theoretically, he should have succ

No way. They could not believe James’ luck. Maxine said with an envious look on her face, “You’re certainly lucky, James. However, you only managed to withstand the potent True Energy because you opened up your meridians in advance.” James asked, “By the way, why didn’t Tobias show himself? What happened?” Hearing this, Maxine fell silent. She had been left to her own fate. Between her and the Cadens’ best interests, Tobias had chosen the latter. “Grandpa had no choice.” She sighed. “As the patriarch of the family, he can’t put the family in harm’s way just because of a single individual. If I was in his position, I would have done the same thing.” Though Tobias had abandoned her, she chose to stand on his side. Originally, she went to the Western Border prepared to die. The fact that she survived was already a miracle. “So, what do you plan to do next?” James asked. Maxine shook her head. She had no idea and had not thought of returning the moment she left the Cade

James asked, “Are you alright? Do you need me to take your pulse?” Maxine waved her hand and said, “No need, I’m fine. I only need a few days to rest up.” She looked at James and spoke in a gentle tone, “James, I plan to return to the Capital.” “The Capital?” James frowned. “Tobias has already given up on you. You were lucky to survive this. If I hadn’t received the inheritance of the Blithes’ Grand Patriarch, you would have been dead at Mount Littleroot. And you…” He turned to Thea and rebuked her, “Why did you act so recklessly? That’s the patriarch of the Blithes we’re talking about! He’s a sixth-rank martial artist. He could have easily killed you.” “I-I was worried about you. It’s also partly your fault for not telling us that you escaped. I was worried sick, you know!” “I was curious to see if Tobias would come to my rescue. I also wanted to see what the Blithes were up to.” “Stop right there, you two.” Maxine interrupted their conversation and said, “James, Thea was

Quincy burst into tears. However, unwilling to let the others hear, she buried herself under the blanket. On the balcony of another room… Wearing a thin set of pajamas, Maxine was staring at the pitch-black sky, daydreaming. Although there was another room between hers and James’, she could hear the commotion in his room. After all, a martial artist like her possessed good hearing skills. Her expression was calm. In fact, there was even a slight hint of relief. Pensive, she stood on the balcony and stared at the sky. The night passed silently. It was an eventful night for many. James, on the other hand, slept soundly. By the time he woke up, it was already morning. Thea was still sleeping. Looking at the woman laying beside him, a smile crept up on James’ face. Though he carefully tried to get up, he still woke Thea up. “You’re awake, Darling.” Thea opened her eyes. “Mhm.” James said as he was getting dressed, “I have to return to the Capital as soon as possible