Lin Lei couldn't help but turn his head to look toward the hall entrance.
Gilmore, dressed in a crimson robe, stood tall with a cordial smile, though his gaze was sharp and resolute. Accompanied by two white-robed priests, Gilmore strode into the hall.
"Gilmore is already here. I hope Clyde comes a bit slower," Lin Lei thought with anticipation.
His only weak point in this plan was the possibility of Clyde arriving simultaneously with a ninth-level mage. After all, the Blood Dissolving Poison was ineffective against mages.
Lin Lei immediately stood up and stepped forward. "Lord Gilmore."
"Lin Lei, look at you, so pale. Please, sit down quickly." Gilmore hurried forward two steps to support him.
"Lord Gilmore, it's nothing. Although I injured my internal organs while cultivating Battle Qi, I can still move normally. It's just a pity that for at least a while, I won't be able to cultivate Battle Qi." Lin Lei sighed.
"You're still thinking about cultivation at a time like this?" Gilmore said with annoyance. "External injuries heal easily, but an internal injury is dangerous. If you don't recover properly, it could torment you for the rest of your life."
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Gilmore."
Lin Lei felt a certain goodwill toward Gilmore. He couldn't help but glance toward the hall entrance again. "I hope this Clyde arrives late."
Yesterday's heavy snow made Fenn City bitterly cold. The roads before the royal palace were still quite deserted. But now, a guard escort of over a hundred men was protecting a luxurious, entirely gold carriage as it emerged from the palace gates.
*Crunch, crunch~~*
The carriage wheels rolled over the packed snow.
"Lansum, open the door," Clyde commanded.
The carriage interior was spacious enough that five or six people could enter without feeling crowded. Lansum was Clyde's personal court attendant, and he immediately responded, "Yes, Your Majesty." He lifted the door curtain, and a blast of cold air rushed in.
However, neither Lansum nor Clyde feared this cold in the slightest. Clyde wore only an undergarment beneath his outer coat. Lansum, meanwhile, was dressed in the traditional attire of a court attendant.
"This Lin Lei, actually injuring his internal organs from cultivating Battle Qi. How remarkable," Clyde chuckled with a sigh.
Lansum whispered in agreement, "Young Master Lin Lei has achieved so much at such a young age. Even with great talent, it requires intense, diligent cultivation. For a warrior to cultivate Battle Qi to the point of internal injury shows just how hard he has trained."
The human body's limits might be very high.
But each time potential is pushed, it cannot be too extreme. Warrior cultivation benefits from diligence and hard work, but one cannot overtrain, overwhelming the body's capacity.
"Yes, this Lin Lei's future achievements will be limitless," Clyde nodded in agreement.
Lansum glanced at Clyde's expression, secretly amazed in his heart.
As Clyde's personal attendant, he understood his master deeply. Given Clyde's domineering personality, he was rarely so courteous to anyone. Yet with Lin Lei, Clyde had not shown a shred of discourtesy from start to finish.
"Such a pity that His Majesty back then... well, His Majesty knows he has no hope of entering the Saint Realm, which is why he values Lin Lei so highly," Lansum was well aware of Clyde's secret.
Although Clyde was a ninth-level powerhouse, Lansum knew... unless the Lord of Light bestowed divine power to aid him, Clyde would never enter the Saint Realm in his lifetime.
"Your Majesty, we are approaching Young Master Lin Lei's mansion," Lansum said softly.
Through the carriage door, the gates of Lin Lei's mansion were clearly visible ahead. At this moment, two burly, tiger-backed warriors stood guard at the entrance. These warriors were elite members of the Church of Light's Ace Knight Order.
*Screech!* The carriage came to a smooth stop.
Lansum was the first to descend, then respectfully waited for Clyde to step down.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," the two warriors at the gate bowed and said.
"Oh? Someone arrived before me?" Clyde noticed another luxurious carriage parked to the side, along with a group of Holy Knights from the Church of Light standing there.
"Yes, Lord Gilmore has already arrived," one of the gate knights respectfully answered.
"Lord Gilmore is here? Very well." Clyde glanced back at his retinue. "You all stay here. Lansum, come with me." With that, Clyde and his personal attendant entered the mansion gates.
At that moment, Lin Lei was still conversing with Gilmore, unaware that Clyde had already arrived at the gate.
"Gilmore still isn't leaving?" Lin Lei felt a twinge of anxiety.
If Gilmore continued talking like this, how long would it drag on? The longer this went on, the more troublesome it would become. Growing anxious, Lin Lei suddenly covered his mouth.
"Cough, cough!" Lin Lei coughed several times in succession, his pale face flushing red from the exertion.
"Lin Lei!" Gilmore was startled.
He hadn't expected Lin Lei's injuries to be so severe.
"Lin Lei, you must take the medicine I brought. It has a restorative effect on the internal organs," Gilmore said quickly. "Since you're unwell, you should rest early. I won't disturb you further." With that, Gilmore stood up.
After the coughing fit, Lin Lei's face was even paler, utterly devoid of color.
"Lord Gilmore, my apologies," Lin Lei said apologetically.
"It's nothing. You rest well; your health is most important," Gilmore repeated his instructions, then left the room accompanied by the two white-robed priests.
Just as Clyde and Lansum stepped through the mansion gates, they heard a call from behind: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Clyde turned in confusion and saw Mellite quickly jumping down from her carriage: "Your Majesty."
"Mellite, you're here too?" Clyde smiled and stopped to wait for her.
Mellite ran up to Clyde and said deferentially, "Young Master Lin Lei is injured, how could I not come? Your Majesty, how could you enter alone with only Lansum? It's not safe!" she urged.
When a king visited a subject's home, it was customary for the entire guard detail to accompany him inside.