"Paterson!"
Lin Lei mouthed the name silently. His mother had been abducted years ago on Paterson's orders, and over a decade later, his father had been hunted down and killed by Paterson's men while investigating her fate.
The killing intent buried deep in Lin Lei's heart was like molten magma lurking beneath a volcano—always there, always simmering, waiting for the day it would erupt.
"Boss, I'll kill that Paterson for you," the little Shadow Mouse lying beside Lin Lei transmitted through their soul link.
"Don't move around," Lin Lei snapped back telepathically.
Lin Lei himself remained kneeling in the main hall. One after another, nobles filed through the front door to pay their respects to his father's memory. He had skipped the banquet entirely that day, spending every moment kneeling in the hall in mourning. Many nobles had already departed Wushan Town that evening, heading back to Fenn City, though some still lingered.
Archbishop Gilmore, for instance. And Dilia, among others…
Mourning would last a full seven days.
That evening, Lin Lei ate a few bites of food and returned to his bedroom to resume his cultivation.
"So, Lin Lei, how do you plan to avenge your father?" Derinkoort appeared beside him, still clad in his moon-white robe.
Lin Lei glanced at him. "Grandpa Derink, I will absolutely take revenge for my father. But now that I know Duke Paterson sent the men who hunted him down, there's more I need to do besides killing him. I still have to investigate what happened to my mother—whether she's alive or dead…"
Killing Paterson would be simple.
But killing Paterson without anyone else noticing—that was the hard part. After all, Lin Lei needed to keep digging into his mother's fate, and that required staying under the radar.
Derinkoort nodded slightly. "The decision is yours. I just hope you don't act on impulse. Right now, you're still far too weak compared to the truly powerful. Even Paterson, when you add up all his forces, is more than a match for you."
Lin Lei nodded quietly. Paterson was克莱德's own brother—his subordinates numbered far more than a handful.
"Within a year, I should be able to advance from a sixth-tier warrior to a seventh-tier. I can't afford to waste time." Lin Lei sat cross-legged on the bed, and the Dragon Blood Dou Qi within him began coursing through every part of his body. Bones, muscles, tendons—all of them trembled and swelled with power.
Lin Lei's physique strengthened at a perceptible rate. Even the faint traces of Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline fused deeper into his muscles and bones, enhancing both their solidity and resilience. He had only just begun training with the Dragon Blood Secret Manual, but progress was truly remarkable.
Under this kind of training, Lin Lei lost all sense of time.
Around eleven o'clock at night—
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
A knocking sound broke through, along with a familiar voice: "Lin Lei, it's Dilia. May I come in?"
Lin Lei froze.
He took a deep breath, letting the vibrating muscles and bones settle back to normal. The Dragon Blood Dou Qi retreated once more to the dantian below his navel. He looked toward the door, a flicker of confusion rising in his mind. *What is Dilia doing here this late?*
Even as the thought crossed his mind, he spoke aloud. "Come in."
The door swung open, and Dilia stepped inside.
At the sight of her, Lin Lei's eyes brightened. Dilia had her golden hair swept up simply, with a few loose strands trailing down. Her pale violet dress lent her an air of quiet elegance. Lin Lei couldn't deny—Dilia was genuinely attractive.
As a direct descendant of the Laine Family, she carried a noble bearing that Alice simply didn't have.
"Lin Lei, are you alright?" Dilia asked softly, walking over to sit on the edge of his bed. Her gaze was full of concern.
Lin Lei felt a warmth rise in his chest and managed a smile. "I'm fine."
Dilia nodded. "I heard about your father when I was in Fenn City. I was worried. But… you're just as I imagined—strong, even now."
"Thank you."
Then Lin Lei added, "Dilia, it's late. Is there something you need?"
"Idiot," Derinkoort muttered under his breath beside him.
A girl comes to see you in the dead of night to talk, to comfort you, and that's how you respond?
Dilia flashed a slightly nervous smile, then quickly regained her usual composure. "What, can't I come talk to you without a reason? We've known each other since the first year at Ernst Academy. Since when did you start treating me like a stranger?"
"No, that's not it," Lin Lei said quickly.
Dilia broke into a pleased grin. Then she let out a long sigh. "Lin Lei, I came here so late because there's something I want to tell you."
"Go ahead." Lin Lei wondered what she might say.
Dilia looked at him helplessly. "You know it's already the year 9999 on the Yulan Calendar. In eight months, it'll be the year 10000. The first day of each year is the biggest holiday on the entire Yulan Continent—the Yulan Festival. And the Yulan Festival of year 10000… its importance goes without saying."
Lin Lei nodded.
But he didn't understand why Dilia was bringing this up.
"The whole continent takes the Yulan Festival seriously, but our Yulan Empire takes it the most to heart," Dilia continued.
Lin Lei understood that much. The first year of the Yulan Calendar was, after all, the year the Yulan Empire unified the entire continent. The Yulan Festival of year 10000 would be an occasion of extraordinary significance for the Empire.
"My family has issued an order—I must return home for this year's festival. The entire empire will celebrate together, and as a direct member of the Laine Family, I can't be an exception." Dilia looked at Lin Lei. "Lin Lei, the Yulan Empire is incredibly far from the Holy Alliance. The round trip would take close to two years, and I have to leave first thing tomorrow."