Return to Monharvest

Ch 07: Living Together

"Everyone, freeze!"

The female police officer warned again. This time her voice was louder than before, her expression serious. 

Earlier, she and several fellow officers had been searching for a fugitive suspected to be in this hotel. While checking the VIP rooms, they heard a commotion coming from one of them.

The policewoman looked beautiful with her tan skin. Her name was Ellie Scoot. Her copper-colored hair was tied in a single ponytail, giving her an elegant air the moment people saw her.

When her gaze tried to assess the scene, she was shocked to see men in black suits sprawled across the floor. She was even more shocked to see the young master of the Murph family and four young masters from business families kneeling before a man who was completely unfamiliar to her.

"What happened? Who is this man? How could he make the young master of the Murph family kneel like this?" Ellie thought, pausing for a moment. "From their battered faces, it looks like this man just beat them up."

Ellie then shifted her attention to Uncle Xiao. For a moment, she didn’t recognize the old man, only a sense of familiarity in her heart. But after trying to recall, her eyes widened slightly.

"Isn’t that Mr. Xiao from the Murph family? No. Did that man beat up Mr. Xiao too? He’s one of the great cultivators in Monharvest. This can’t be right. Who is this guy?"

"Miss? I want to file a report!"

In the middle of the silence, one of Shaun’s companions suddenly shouted confidently and rose from his kneeling position.

Uncle Xiao saw it and narrowed his eyes slightly. His expression seemed to say, What does he think he’s doing?

"This man." He pointed at Leon. "He attacked us and made us—"

Before he could finish, a dark-purple aura slammed down onto his body from above, creating a pressure that instantly forced him to his knees hard.

"That damn guy. Does he not understand the situation?" Uncle Xiao thought. 

He knew what the man was about to say, which made him immediately want to silence him. Even though the police were here, this wasn’t the time to do anything unnecessary.

The Murph family was a respected family. If they were processed by the law just because of a lowly-looking man like Leon, what would they say to the Murph family, the media, and the public?

"Aarrgh!" the man groaned. The overwhelming pressure made his skin feel like it was being sliced. But he knew who was behind it, so he quickly shut his mouth and didn’t dare lift his face again.

Shaun and his other companions fell silent when they realized Uncle Xiao had acted. Their courage, which had already crumbled earlier, couldn’t rise again.

Meanwhile, Bella was also startled. She turned to Leon and muttered, "Who exactly is Leon? Even when faced with a situation like this, he can turn it around. He looks ordinary, but he’s actually incredible, enough to force Mr. Xiao to act for him."

Uncle Xiao then fixed his expression. He turned to Ellie and acted cordial.

"Ahaha. Sorry, Miss. This isn’t what you think. It all started from a misunderstanding. We just had a small argument and the problem’s already resolved. You don’t need to worry."

Ellie narrowed her eyes slightly upon hearing that. The room was already in shambles—how could that be called a small argument? 

"Mr. Xiao? I’m someone who respects the Murph family. This incident isn’t simple. Look, how much damage has the hotel suffered from this chaos?" Ellie replied. "I know this loss is nothing to the Murph family. However, I need you to cooperate."

The woman then turned to her colleague. "Check the CCTV for evidence."

After that, she redirected her attention forward. 

"For the rest of you, come with us to the station. Explain the chronology there." 

Uncle Xiao snorted harshly upon hearing that. He didn’t want this, but he had no choice but to follow the legal procedures. 

This room was a VIP room specifically for guests who wanted to dine with family, so there were CCTVs in two corners. As for private rooms, they provided those elsewhere. 

With CCTV present, Uncle Xiao couldn’t be sure whether his action of using spiritual energy to attack Leon was recorded or not. He guessed the CCTV was likely damaged from the energy blast he released earlier. But that wasn’t certain. Maybe it wasn’t.

...

ONE HOUR LATER.

Leon and Bella walked out of the police station. After examination, they were declared innocent. Meanwhile, the CCTV in the room was indeed damaged, but Shaun, Uncle Xiao, and several others were still being questioned further regarding their actions.

Bella let out a tired sigh. She truly hadn’t expected to experience such a tense day.

From the police station until now, Bella hadn’t spoken a single word to Leon, making Leon feel awkward.

When Bella opened her car door and was about to get in, Leon stopped her.

"What is it? Why are you acting so cold?" Leon asked bluntly.

Bella closed her eyes, trying to control her emotions so they wouldn’t explode. She took a patient breath, then turned around.

Her eyes were serious as she stared at Leon’s handsome face. She took a few steps forward and immediately kicked Leon’s shin hard.

But Leon didn’t react at all. Instead, Bella was the one who felt pain in her foot, which she tried to hide.

"Damn it!" she complained, turning her face away from Leon.

"Hey? What’s wrong? Why did you kick me?"

"You!" Bella shouted loudly. "You weird man! Who even are you? Are you an alien in human form? Why is your leg as hard as steel?"

Leon, who instantly realized he should act like a normal human, widened his eyes slightly. He quickly changed his expression and shouted as if in pain.

But the expression Leon showed only made Bella even more annoyed. Her face flushed, her hands clenched tightly.

"Uggh! Forget it! I wanted to scold you for acting recklessly! You know, today you almost got me killed from worry," Bella said, her voice loud. "You know, the Murph family is a respected family. When you acted arrogant in front of Mr. Xiao, I was already imagining seeing your corpse lying pitifully in front of that old man."

"Are you crazy? That’s what kept running through my head. I don’t know how strong you are, enough to beat Mr. Xiao easily. But you’re new to this city. The cultivator world is something we can’t even imagine."

"So, stop acting arrogant with your strength. Today you might get away. But next time, when you meet a strong cultivator, I can’t guarantee it."

As Bella ranted at length, Leon only focused on the beautiful woman’s expression. He smiled faintly while watching Bella, finding that this woman had never changed. 

He was instantly reminded of the time Bella scolded him when they were seven, when he cried after falling from the peach tree in his house’s yard.

From Bella’s scolding, which clearly showed she was worried about him, Leon instead worried about Bella’s safety after this. With Shaun’s attitude like that, they definitely wouldn’t stop here.

"Hey? Hey? I’m scolding you. Hey?"

Bella waved her hand in front of Leon, snapping him back to focus on her. 

"You weird guy! Are you even listening to me?"

"I heard you. You don’t need to talk so loud to me."

Bella bit her lower lip softly, showing an annoyance that couldn’t be explained.

"Huh... Forget it. Besides, why should I keep worrying about you?" Bella then reached into her bag and took out a black-gold card from her wallet. "Since you did your job well, this is your pay. There’s fifty thousand dollars in it, no PIN. Use it however you want."

Leon accepted it hesitantly. Would this make his relationship with Bella turn into strangers again? No. This wasn’t what he wanted. 

"Now you don’t need to follow me anymore. I don’t need to worry about you either. I’m going. Be careful." 

After saying that, Bella turned around and was about to get into her car. For a moment Leon was silent, then immediately stopped Bella.

"Bella?"

Bella stopped and turned around. 

"Sorry. I don’t know how to use this," Leon said, handing the card back to Bella. "I’ll return it to you. But can I stay at your house for the next few days? Um... I’m not familiar with places here yet. I also don’t have a phone to contact anyone. So, in return, can I stay at your place?"

Bella was silent for a moment. Leon’s words felt acceptable without much thought. Pity arose in her heart, as if the man in front of her was someone she’d been with for a long time. In reality, she was the type who didn’t easily give men access, even coworkers. Her closeness with male coworkers was purely professional and formal. 

Was it because Leon looked like Leon Vint? That was the question that couldn’t answer her current feelings.

"Get in! Just for a few days, okay. I’m not a caretaker who has to look after you at my house," Bella said. "For the card, I’ll teach you how to use it. No need to return it."

Leon could finally breathe in relief after hearing that. By staying at Bella’s house, he could easily ensure the woman’s safety. 

... 

A few hours later, Ellie sat in her office rewatching the CCTV footage from earlier. She was quite curious about Leon, who had only a small spiritual aura, yet could silence Uncle Xiao, a peak Foundation-stage cultivator.

She watched Leon take down nine bodyguards in a short time and said, "The Murph family’s bodyguards are former special forces soldiers recruited to be prepared as cultivators. With that many, at least someone who could handle them would be a practitioner at the mid or peak Awakening stage. But how could someone like him take them down so easily?"

Ellie then remembered her senior named Patrick. She immediately sent the video footage to him, and a moment later the message status showed as read.

Patrick was a special forces member in the Red Wolf Squad. At his base in the snowy mountains, he began watching the video.

At first, he looked indifferent. But he furrowed his brow after realizing the men in black suits were the Murph family’s bodyguards.

He started watching seriously. He observed every movement Leon made, making his curiosity grow stronger.

At the same time, he received another video from Ellie. Without hesitation, he opened it. That video was the fight between Uncle Xiao and Leon, which immediately shocked him.

"Wait. This is...," he muttered, trailing off.