That evening, Lin Lei had dinner with the others in the castle's great hall.
"Keane, Jenny, come out for a moment." After finishing dinner, Lin Lei called out and walked out of the hall into the silent, empty rear garden.
Keane and Jenny exchanged a glance, then followed Lin Lei to the rear garden.
The garden at night was utterly silent. Lin Lei looked at Jenny and Keane and said with a smile, "Jenny, Keane, there's something I need to tell you."
Keane and Jenny both looked at him in confusion.
"I have an irreconcilable hatred toward the Church of Light."
Lin Lei's very first sentence left Keane and Jenny completely stunned. They knew Lin Lei was no ordinary person, but they never imagined he was actually at odds with the Church of Light.
The Church of Light — that was an absolute colossus.
Lin Lei lowered his voice. "Moreover, five years ago during our encounter, the Church of Light should already know that I'm in the O'Brien Empire. Five years ago, their people learned of the black panther's existence. Based on that, they should have been able to trace back to when I came to Chier City with you and your sister."
Back then, a mysterious powerhouse with a black panther had protected Keane and his sister, ultimately helping Keane obtain the position of City Lord.
This wasn't a secret. If the Church of Light couldn't find this out, that would be truly strange.
"I suspect the Church of Light must have planted many agents in Chier City," Lin Lei said calmly.
From the moment he decided to come to Chier City, Lin Lei had been prepared for this.
That Stettler had already fought him. After that battle, the Church of Light must have recognized his threat. If they didn't send people to eliminate him, then they really would be fools.
"What should we do?" Keane and Jenny were at a loss.
"Jenny, first I need to ask you — are you still willing to follow me?" Lin Lei looked at Jenny.
Jenny nodded without hesitation.
Lin Lei nodded slightly. "I'm worried there may be Church of Light spies in your castle too, which is why I'm telling you this now. I've decided... I'll leave Chier City alone tonight."
"What?" Jenny stared at Lin Lei in shock. "Brother Lei, you're leaving alone?"
"Don't worry — we'll just be traveling separately, one ahead of the other. I'll go on ahead to the provincial capital, Basil, and stay at the 'Nell Hotel' in the Eastern District. You can find me there when you arrive." Lin Lei was still confident he could handle the Church of Light's people.
But he couldn't bring Jenny, Keane, and the whole group along.
If he brought all of them, it would only put Jenny, Keane, and the others in danger.
"Nell Hotel in the Eastern District — that's a well-known hotel, I know it," Keane nodded. He had been to the provincial capital several times over the past five years.
Lin Lei had already planned everything out in his mind.
Whether or not he killed the Church of Light's people now didn't really matter. After all, those were just low-level operatives — killing them wouldn't affect the Church of Light's foundation.
If he encountered them, he'd kill them. If not, so be it.
And Jenny — once she reunited with the five Buck brothers and Cesler, with that whole group together, Lin Lei wouldn't have to worry about any schemes from the Church of Light.
"Well then, I'll be going," Lin Lei said with a smile.
"Leaving now?" Keane and Jenny were taken aback.
"If I leave now, the Church of Light's people won't find out," Lin Lei said with a smile. Then, alone, he transformed into a black shadow, gracefully and swiftly shooting off to vanish from the rear garden.
Almost simultaneously, the black-striped cloud leopard Heyu and Bei Bei darted away as well.
The twenty-meter-high walls of Chier City — three dark shadows flickered past, and they cleared the walls effortlessly. These walls were effective against ordinary warriors, but for someone of Lin Lei's caliber, they were merely a slightly high threshold.
Riding on Heyu's back, the night wind howled past.
"I've realized I love the feeling of traveling at night," Lin Lei said, feeling the cool breeze against his face, his whole being growing much more alert.
The moonlight shrouded the entire land beneath a veil, making everything appear dreamlike.
On this same night, someone else was also galloping at full speed on horseback — the messenger dispatched to relay word to Lan Dan. However, the small town where Lan Dan was stationed was over a hundred li away from Chier City.
Lin Lei had arrived in Chier City at dusk. The Church of Light's local person in charge didn't receive the news until after six in the evening, and by the time they dispatched someone, it was already seven.
Lin Lei had left Chier City just after eight.
At this point, the messenger was still on the road. Approaching nine o'clock, the man finally arrived, exhausted, at the small town where Lan Dan and the others were staying. There were lights flickering in the town, and after freezing for a full two hours in the November cold, the man finally felt a trace of warmth.
"Lan Dan."
The messenger rode up to where Lan Dan and the others were staying. Seeing Lan Dan standing in the doorway, he immediately leaped down. "Lord Lan Dan, important news — we've confirmed that Lin Lei has come to Chier City!"
Lan Dan, who had been standing there with cold indifference, her eyes instantly lit up.
"Lin Lei?" She was both shocked and delighted.
She had waited a full five years — to the point of growing numb. Tonight, this intelligence had arrived so abruptly.
"Saker, Saker! All of you, come here right now!" Lan Dan's icy voice rang out immediately, and the other five angels hurried over.
These six angels of Lan Dan's were all currently inhabiting human bodies. Their power had been restricted so that they could only manifest the strength of a ninth-level warrior.