The Sovereign's Fury

Chapter 4

“I’m just a guy who knows nothing about the healing arts,” Leo replied, his voice dripping with dry sarcasm. He straightened his back, eyes flashing with a sharp, cold light as he stepped away from the medical monitors.

“Father!” Sarah and Monica rushed to the bedside, their faces streaked with tears.

“I thought the Underworld had claimed me,” the Governor gasped, his voice raspy.

“We thought so too,” Monica whispered. She kept her head down, too embarrassed to look Leo in the eye after throwing money at his feet like he was a common beggar.

“Thank you,” Sarah said, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and newfound respect. Leo simply shook his head, his expression unreadable.

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ve only put a temporary seal on the core. The toxin is aggressive—it’s a Sentient Parasite. If it isn’t extracted now, it will return with twice the strength and devour his soul,” Leo stated flatly, his tone devoid of any warmth.

“What do we need to do?” Sarah asked, her voice tight with desperation.

Leo didn't bother answering with words. He scanned the room and spotted a notepad on the far side of the lab table. He moved with a sudden, regal grace that made everyone in the room go silent, watching his every step. He scribbled a list of rare ingredients and slammed the pen down.

“I need these instantly. Go,” he commanded.

“I’ll get them myself!” Sarah replied. She vanished from the room, returning minutes later drenched in sweat, clutching a bundle of glowing Spirit Herbs.

“Here,” she panted, handing them over.

Leo took the herbs, his fingers moving in a blur as he crushed them into a paste and forced the mixture down the Governor’s throat. A second later, a shriek echoed through the room. A jet-black worm with glowing red eyes shot out of the Governor’s nostril, releasing a stench so foul it made the guards gag.

“What in the heavens is that?” a subordinate cried out, drawing his sword.

“A Void-Head Larva,” Leo remarked, watching the creature shrivel. “Thought to be extinct for centuries. Whoever planted this is a Master of the Dark Arts.”

The room was quickly sanitized, and Leo glanced at his watch. The sun was dipping below the horizon. He had stayed too long; he had to find his father.

“I’m leaving now,” Leo noted abruptly.

“Wait! Name your price,” Monica blurted out, trying to recover her shattered ego. “Money, spirit stones, a position in the Sterling Empire—just say it.”

“Keep your money. Just try working on your manners,” Leo responded effortlessly. He turned his back on the shocked crowd and walked out into the cool night air.

As he stood on the curb, reality hit him. He was broke. He had no transport to reach the capital where Uncle Chen had pinged the new location, and his pride wouldn't let him crawl back inside to ask for a ride.

“Now what?” he muttered, staring at the empty street.

Swift footsteps sounded behind him. He turned to find Doctor Harrison running toward him, gasping for air.

“Is there a problem?” Leo inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m… I’m so sorry for earlier,” Harrison panted, clutching his chest. “I was just trying to protect my reputation. You saved my career today, and for that, I owe you everything.”

“Forget it. I understand how the world works,” Leo replied.

“I want to host a banquet in your honor tomorrow night,” the doctor said. “As a sign of my gratitude.”

Leo wanted to decline, but he realized he needed allies if he was going to face the elders of his own clan. “Fine. I accept.”

“Is there anything else? Are you heading somewhere? My carriage is at your disposal.”

“Actually, I need to get to the Hopkins District in the capital…”

Before Leo could finish, Harrison whistled. A sleek, midnight-blue Aero-Porsche—a vehicle powered by high-grade mana crystals—pulled up to the curb.

“This is your driver. The car is yours for as long as you need it,” Harrison added with a bow.

“Thanks,” Leo said, offering a small nod.

“No, I should be the one thanking you,” the doctor replied, beaming as the driver opened the door for Leo.

Meanwhile, at the Vane estate, Madam Vane and Elena were busy preparing for their guest of honor: Young Master Silas.

Silas was a man in his mid-thirties with a powerful build and a reputation for ruthless business and even more ruthless cultivation. He walked into the parlor with the air of a king.

“Finally, we can be together without that shadow lurking around,” Silas said, kissing Elena’s hand with a triumphant smile.

They sat down for tea, but Silas’s eyes soon drifted to an ancient, silver vase sitting on a side table. It glowed with a faint, ethereal light.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, his voice turning serious.

“Oh, that? Leo brought it as a wedding gift years ago,” Madam Vane waved her hand dismissively. “We’re throwing it in the trash tomorrow.”

Silas walked toward the vase, his eyes widening. “This is an **Ancient Dragon-Soul Vessel**. It’s worth a literal fortune. It could buy ten companies like yours.”

The room went dead silent. Madam Vane’s face twisted in confusion. All these years, they had assumed Leo was a penniless beggar who brought them junk.

“How is that possible?” Marcus stammered. “He was just a courier!”

“There’s only one answer,” Silas narrowed his eyes. “He must have stolen it from a high-level vault. A loser like him couldn't possibly own something this sacred.”

“Of course!” Madam Vane nodded vigorously. “He’s a thief!”

She began to pace, a dark thought crossing her mind. “If he left this behind, what about that silver necklace he always wore? The one he refused to take off?”

“It must be the most valuable piece of all,” Sarah noted greedily.

“Then we have to get it back,” Madam Vane hissed. “He can’t leave our family with anything that rightfully belongs to us.”

“In the meantime, I have news,” Silas announced, reclaiming the spotlight. “My father spoke to the Rising Age Group

.Elena’s hall has been shortlisted for the new imperial Project”

Elena gasped, jumping up from the sofa to hug him. “I can’t believe it! This is my dream!”

“I love you, Silas,” she whispered, kissing him.

“And that’s not all. I have VIP tickets to their Gala next week. It’s the perfect place to cement your status.”

“Now that’s what a real man looks like,” 

Madam Vane chuckled, shooting a disgusted look toward the door Leo had walked through earlier.

Late that evening, Leo arrived at the capital's Private Sanctuary. He made his way to the VIP wing, his heart thumping against his ribs like a trapped bird.

He reached the heavy oak doors of the master suite and pushed them open. He expected to see his father gasping for breath on a bed of tubes.

Instead, his father was sitting on a plush leather couch, laughing loudly and drinking expensive tea with an old friend.

Leo froze in the doorway.

“Excuse me,” his father’s friend said, noticing the young man.

“Leo! It’s good to see you again,” his father said, rising swiftly with a wide, healthy grin. He walked toward his son with a spring in his step.

“Father?” Leo was paralyzed with shock. “You… you’re not sick?”

He noticed his father’s Qi was flowing stronger than ever. There wasn't a single trace of illness in his body.

“A small deception to bring my wandering son home,” his father laughed, his eyes glinting with a secret light. “We have much to discuss.”