"I did not ask for a lecture on danger, Elder Yan," Alistair replied, his golden eyes glowing with a faint, chilling light that caused the spirit-incense burning in the corner to flicker out. "I asked for the ledger. Name your price, or explain to me why the Beggars Sect has become a shield for human traffickers."Elder Yan’s expression darkened into a scowl as he stood up, his silk robes rustling angrily. "Mind your tongue, boy! You may have ten million dollars, but you are standing in the territory of the Beggars Sect! We do not answer to arrogance!""You answer to gold, don't you?" Alistair remarked with a dry, pitiless laugh, standing up smoothly to face the elder. "You traded your martial pride for silk and elevators. Now tell me what I want to know before I decide to audit this entire branch myself.”Elder Yan’s face twisted in indignation, his flushed cheeks trembling with a mixture of shock and suppressed rage.For decades, no one had dared to walk into the sacred sanctum of t

Fiona hesitated, glancing sideways at Alistair. Seeing her internal struggle, her friend pressed harder. "Bring a friend if you're worried! Just get out here, Fiona. Live a little!"Blinking in surprise, Fiona lowered the slate slightly and looked up at Alistair, her expression a mix of hesitation and sheepish hope. "Alistair... my friends are asking me to join them at a club downtown. I... I usually never go to places like that, and I'd feel awkward going alone. Would you... would you be willing to accompany me? Just for a little while?"Alistair regarded her for a brief second before giving a slow, unconcerned nod. "If it pleases you, Miss Fiona. Lead on."Relief washed over her face.She quickly confirmed into the slate, "Alright, I'll come. I'm bringing a friend with me. See you in twenty minutes."The Gilded Veil was one of Valenhold’s most exclusive subterranean clubs, hidden behind a sleek, obsidian facade in the upper-middle district.Thumping, heavy-bass rhythms vibrated thr

"B-Boss Zoro!" a frantic voice squeaked from the speaker. "We're at the Willow Rest Inn, but... but the girl isn't here! Old man Joe says she went out with someone, and we can't find her anywhere in the neighborhood!"Zoro's grip on his crystal glass tightened so hard the thick glass shattered into fragments, spilling dark liquor across the low table."You absolute, worthless piece of trash," Zoro growled into the receiver, his gravelly voice dripping with raw malice. "I gave you one job tonight. Find her right now! Search every street, every market, and every club in this district! If you don't bring Fiona to me before midnight, I'll skin you alive myself!"He slammed the cellphone onto the table, shattering it completely.Carl and the surrounding subordinates flinched, shrinking back in fear as Zoro stood up, his towering figure radiating a dangerous, bloodthirsty aura."Boss?" Carl stammered nervously, clutching his bandage-wrapped ribs. "W-What happened?""The girl isn't at the in

Zoro snatched a heavy tactical coat from the rack, pulling a pair of spiked iron knuckles over his fists. "We're heading to that lounge right now. Move out!”The heavy oak doors of the private VVIP room swung open as Zoro marched out at the head of his private army, his heavy boots clattering against the polished marble floor of the upper balcony.Behind him, more than thirty hardened syndicate enforcers poured out into the hallway, weapons drawn, spirit-suppressors hissing softly as they charged their internal mechanisms.The club's patrons below gasped in sudden terror, scattering in all directions as the armed thugs swarmed the stairwells and corridors, completely locking down The Gilded Veil.Up on the upper mezzanine, the pulsing music suddenly distorted and ground to an abrupt, screeching halt.The club's resident DJ cut the tracks, and the flashing neon lights snapped to a harsh, blinding white as the panic rippled through the crowd.Inside Lionel’s VIP booth, the relaxed, cele

"So that's why you're so cocky," Zoro growled, a dark, sinister grin returning to his scarred face as he flexed his spiked iron knuckles, his own low-grandmaster internal Qi violently surging to life. "You think a few parlor tricks make you a master? Let's see how much magic you can use when your Dantian is choked dry!"Zoro whipped his head around to his remaining thirty enforcers. "Don't hold back! Fire the spirit-suppression rounds! Crush him!"The enforcers instantly raised their heavy, military-grade suppression rifles, locking their sights onto Alistair's position.Alistair sighed softly—a sound of profound, bottomless exhaustion."Too much noise," Alistair murmured, his golden eyes flashing with a blinding, celestial brilliance.He didn't draw a sword.He simply raised his left hand and swept his palm gently across the air in a sweeping arc.A silent, ethereal wave of spatial Qi washed over the room like a ripple across a pond.Fwump.In an instantaneous flash of golden light,