Chapter Three: Gathering at the Town
Late at night, in Lin Lei's bedroom.
The sound of muscles and tendons vibrating kept emanating from Lin Lei's body, his skin rippling and bulging at intervals, sweat seeping from every pore across his frame—yet Lin Lei's expression remained perfectly calm.
At this moment, Lin Lei was cultivating the Dragon Blood Secret Manual.
The first time Lin Lei had awakened the Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline within him, he had catapulted himself directly into the sixth-level warrior realm. According to the Dragon Blood Secret Manual, at the very beginning of training, the Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline in the body was extremely dense, making progress astonishingly rapid.
But the further one went, the harder progress became.
Once one reached the ninth level, breaking through to the Saint Realm would likely take longer than all the training one had done before combined.
"The Church of Light values me now, and my identity as a master sculptor puts me above the ordinary. But my own strength isn't truly sufficient. They treat me with respect mostly because of my potential. If I want revenge, my own power isn't enough."
Lin Lei was very clear that his strength still fell short. After all, he couldn't just dragonify and go around killing people in his Dragon Blood Warrior form.
Unless it became absolutely necessary, Lin Lei had no intention of transforming into the Dragon Blood Warrior state. If anyone discovered that he could become a Dragon Blood Warrior, the consequences would be dire. The Dragon Blood Warriors were far too renowned.
Once a Dragon Blood Warrior stepped into the Saint Realm, they would absolutely be among the top-tier Saint-level powerhouses.
"Boss, you're pushing yourself too hard." Bei Bei lay sprawled on the bed, watching Lin Lei cultivate.
Not only Bei Bei, but Derinkoort had also materialized nearby. Derinkoort understood Lin Lei's state of mind all too well—his father's sudden death, and then the revelation that his mother hadn't died in childbirth but had been abducted. These two blows had fallen upon Lin Lei all at once.
Such an impact was far heavier than Alice's betrayal.
Derinkoort could sense the bottomless hatred and killing intent buried deep in Lin Lei's heart. He knew full well that if Lin Lei's hatred wasn't properly channeled and released, the boy could very well become a bloodthirsty madman down the road.
"I just hope Lin Lei gets his revenge soon. Otherwise, the longer he carries this weight, the more his nature will change." Even Derinkoort felt a measure of worry in his heart.
The next morning.
Within the Baruch Family estate, many servants were busily preparing all manner of food and ingredients. Having trained through the entire night, Lin Lei stepped out of his bedroom and watched the servants hurrying about.
"Lin Lei, the visitors today will likely be important figures. Are you really going to handle it like this?" Derinkoort appeared at Lin Lei's side.
Both Lin Lei and Derinkoort had guessed that the Church of Light's important figures, as well as the great nobles of Fenn City, would soon learn of Lin Lei's father's death. Nine times out of ten, they would come to pay their respects. Naturally, Lin Lei would need to receive them.
The ingredients Lin Lei had prepared were decent enough, but the cooks were lacking. They were simply two reasonably skilled cooks from Wushan Town.
"You're going to have two town cooks receive those dignitaries?" Derinkoort said with a faint smile.
"Let them taste our country folk's cooking. That should be good enough." Lin Lei finished speaking and went to eat breakfast. Afterward, he returned to kneel in the living hall to observe the mourning rites. When the morning clock struck around seven, the sound of horseshoes rang out from beyond the Baruch Family estate.
A luxurious motorcade pulled up outside the manor gates.
"Third Brother!" A familiar voice called out.
Lin Lei, kneeling in the living hall, turned to look toward the entrance. There were Yeru, Rein, and George, running in at the forefront. After suffering two devastating blows in such a short time, Lin Lei's mood had been unspeakably bleak. But seeing these three brothers whom he had grown up with at Ernst Academy, a smile could not help but surface on his face.
Once Yeru, George, and Rein entered the living hall, they all knelt on the cushions at the center and bowed their heads in respect.
"Third Brother, I got the news of your father's death last night, so I rushed to bring the Second and Fourth Brothers along immediately. I figured there'd be plenty of nobles coming today, so I brought several of Fenn City's top chefs and came through the night," Yeru said in a low voice.
"Thank you." Lin Lei could guess how hastily his three brothers had mobilized.
Assembling the chefs, organizing the motorcade—Rein and George had probably rushed from Ernst Academy to Fenn City, and then joined Yeru to travel through the dead of night to get here.
"Third Brother, don't be too sad." George gently patted Lin Lei's shoulder.
Rein stood at Lin Lei's side as well. "Lin Lei, no matter what happens, you've still got us three brothers. Don't let anything break you. Stay strong."
Lin Lei looked at Rein, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Rein, who was normally the most mischievous of them all, had said something like this. Lin Lei felt warmth well up in his chest. No matter what lay ahead, he still had three good brothers.
"Thank you all." Lin Lei glanced at Yeru. "Yeru, leave the matter of receiving the nobles to you. I don't have any experience with that."
Yeru nodded. "Don't worry. I brought plenty of people. The reception will be handled perfectly."
The quiet Wushan Town was no longer quiet today. Residents gathered in small clusters, buzzing with talk about the luxurious motorcade that had just arrived.
"That motorcade this morning had at least a hundred horses, and those carriages were fit for royalty. And those imposing knights… I've never seen anything so grand in all my life." An old man stared admiringly at the Baruch Family estate's entrance.
The surrounding residents nodded in agreement.
In an ordinary little town like theirs, they normally never had the chance to see such a lavish procession. Just a few days ago, when Lin Lei had returned with a cavalry escort, it had been the talk of the town for ages.
"Do you think Young Master Lin Lei has become a great noble out there?" a woman speculated. "A couple of days ago, I saw him arrive with a powerful cavalry squad."
All morning long, the residents of Wushan Town could hear people gossiping about it.
Then, around eleven in the morning—
The ground began to tremble. The residents of Wushan Town felt the dense, disciplined rhythm of hooves. The sheer volume of that thundering sound far surpassed the motorcade Yeru had brought earlier.
Gleaming armor first—a formidable cavalry force surged forward at the gallop. Behind them came two extraordinarily lavish carriages, each drawn by four magnificent steeds, with powerfully built warriors at the reins.
Behind these two carriages followed wagon after wagon loaded with all manner of gifts, and behind them yet another escort of cavalry.
The residents of Wushan Town looked up one by one.
The awe-inspiring presence of the Church of Light's elite knight corps struck every resident like a mountain bearing down upon them. Their hearts trembled, and the wave upon wave of splendid carriages left them utterly dazzled.
"Who are all these people?" The residents' minds reeled with shock and confusion.