A suffocating, heavy silence descended upon the House of Serenity, a silence so thick that it seemed to compress the very air within the room. The Old Marquis sat motionless, his gnarled hand tapping his mahogany cane rhythmically against the cold, uneven stone floor. Each dull, repetitive thud echoed through the chamber like the steady, unforgiving heartbeat of the anxiety he kept so tightly locked within his breast. He understood with a brutal, undeniable clarity that the Vance family were no ordinary travelers passing through Silverstream. They were famished wolves, descending upon these lands to tear the flesh from the wounded body of the Valerius clan. His rivals had spent years lurking in the periphery, watching, waiting with predatory patience for the precise moment when the family’s spine would finally snap following the catastrophic loss of their greatest warriors, all in the desperate, greedy hope that they might feast upon the spoils of their legacy.The Old Marquis sighed,

With Solomon by his side, Leo naturally could not truly beg him for help. However, the grievance in his pair of eyes revealed nothing but the word "pitiful." Seeing his appearance, Caelum could not help but laugh inwardly, though he gave him a subtle look. He then bowed respectfully, greeted Solomon, and sat at the stone table. Solomon naturally saw their "eyelash communication" and, knowing Leo's current thoughts, had to temporarily stop his previous "preaching," saying with a smile: "Caelum, I am here today to bid you farewell."Caelum was not surprised. Long ago, Solomon had revealed his intention to go to the capital. He had thought he would depart shortly after the Duke of Qian, Terence, left, but he had not expected nearly a month to pass before he prepared to set out."Have you decided, sir?"Solomon glanced at the ignorant Leo and sighed, nodding: "I have already sent a letter to my wife and son explaining the situation. Tomorrow, they will pack their bags. Once I return, I wi

Why choose The Noble House from The Northern Territory? The reasons were calculated and precise. Firstly, a member of this prominent house had recently met a tragic end in Silverstream following a brutal conflict with the Valerius family, creating the perfect shroud of legitimacy for Caelum’s impersonation. Secondly, the chief agent of this family had a long, albeit checkered, history of collaboration with Black Tooth. They had schemed together twice before—once to plunder the medicinal herbs of the Valerius family, and once to launch a calculated assault on the local pharmacy. Though both attempts had ultimately ended in failure, Black Tooth had walked away with a significant sum of silver, lining his pockets at the expense of others. Precisely because of these past failures, this specific identity was now a weapon Caelum could wield with lethal efficiency.With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Caelum prepared for the night. He secured the silver notes he had hidden in his chambe

After Black Tooth and Vesper finished their preliminary probes, they began to discuss matters related to the deal. However, most of the information was already known to Caelum through Silas or his own clandestine observations. Among the details, only two things truly mattered to him.The first was news regarding the other major financier. Although Black Tooth was vague, Caelum deduced that the person was likely a local from the region, probably a scion of a prominent family. It matched his previous suspicions, though without more evidence, he could not pinpoint which house they hailed from. The second piece of news concerned the other rogue martial artists participating in the heist. Beyond Silas, there were four mid-tier experts and two high-ranking masters. Black Tooth, however, remained tight-lipped about their identities.Throughout the meeting, Caelum kept his focus on Vesper. Aside from her role as a secret agent, he wanted to imprint her characteristics into his memory so he co

In fact, at Spring Rain Pavilion, Caelum intended to wait until he received his reward before leaving. However, everyone else left, and he did not receive the reward either. He then realized that Black Tooth and Vesper were watching him and Silas. The same applied to his departure from Spring Rain Pavilion. He appeared to be walking at a leisurely pace, but in reality, he remained vigilant. Simultaneously, he secretly sprinkled Divine Intoxication and Gentle Breeze Intoxication along the way. However, upon arriving at Black Tooth's territory, he saw no movement whatsoever. How could he not know the intentions of those who had come? After much deliberation, he decided to eliminate his pursuers here. Only in this way could he and Silas's hideout remain undiscovered.Vane was naturally unaware of his thoughts, but he heard his curses and his eyes grew even colder. "You have insulted me three times in a row. Do you really think you can defeat me with your Great Perfection of Sword and Fis