"Yes!" Jenny nodded in acknowledgment.
"The medicinal potency of the Dragon Blood Flower bud has a very short shelf life, and my father's condition can't afford to wait much longer!"
"All right! I wish you a safe journey!" The smile on Weilin's face was extremely forced.
"Thank you!" Jenny fell a little silent.
"Well then! The Auguste family in the Eastern Capital — I'll come to visit someday!" Leilin took a sip of flower tea, extended his right hand, and made a welcoming gesture.
"If you could come, that would make Jenny the happiest person in the world!"
Jenny smiled and said, "Why not come back with me this time? My father would certainly love to meet you!" She glanced at Weilin beside her. "Of course, Big Brother Weilin too!"
The moment he heard those words, Weilin came alive instantly, staring at Leilin with eyes full of hope.
"Sorry! I have no desire to travel right now!" Leilin refused without hesitation, and Weilin's head drooped back down again.
Hearing this, Jenny's face dimmed, but she bowed gracefully before elegantly taking her leave.
"What's wrong with you? If there's nothing else, get to work already!"
Leilin barked at Weilin.
"Yes, Boss!!" Weilin answered listlessly, his entire demeanor looking utterly dejected.
"Heh heh… young people!!!"
Leilin chuckled silently to himself.
The Eastern Capital — he would certainly go there eventually. It was not only a political center for the mundane world but also a gathering place for wizard factions, and it even concealed large-scale wizard markets and the like.
However, going of one's own accord versus going at someone else's invitation were two entirely different propositions.
With Leilin's current strength, he could more than enough charge through on his own, but that would inevitably attract unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, before his injuries fully healed and he found a reliable method to treat the emotional instability of his bloodline, Leilin preferred not to draw too much attention.
Therefore, using the Auguste family's wizard connection to quietly enter the Eastern wizard world was the rational decision.
Through his earlier observations, Leilin had long guessed that Jenny's journey home would be anything but smooth. And clearly, she shared the same premonition, which was why she had come to invite Leilin to travel with her.
He understood deeply that what one cannot obtain is what one cherishes most. So he had to wait until she hit a few walls, came begging for help, and only then step in — creating the illusion he wanted.
Besides, he already had a ready-made excuse!
Leilin glanced at Weilin, who was quietly moping nearby, and a faint smile traced the corner of his lips.
A wizard who had grown weary of the dangers of the wizarding world and decided to retire into seclusion, only to be dragged back into the whirlpool through his apprentice's entanglements — hmm, that seemed like a perfectly good cover story!
As for the question of age? Wizards never judged age by appearance.
Leilin could even use his bloodline and endocrine adjustments to subtly alter his temperament, gaze, and physique, lending himself a few extra years of weathered gravitas — enough to fool most wizards.
…
Jenny's party left in a great hurry. Barely had they returned to the small town and said goodbye to Leilin at his shop before they set off again at a frantic pace.
"What's it? Want to chase after her?"
Leilin watched the carriage gradually recede into the distance while Weilin stood there like a statue, and he went over to mock him a couple more times.
Teasing this young fellow every day was one of the few amusements Leilin had outside of his cultivation and research.
"The Eastern Capital! I will definitely go there! But not now!!" A flame of hope seemed to ignite in Weilin's eyes.
"Boss! No — My Lord!!! Please train me even harder!!! I want to become a man renowned throughout the entire Eastern Capital! And then go to the East in glory to find Jenny!"
Weilin dropped to one knee, and in his eyes burned a fierce hunger for power and a towering ambition!
"Ha ha! Good! I like that look in your eyes! Don't worry — I will absolutely train you even more 'rigorously'…" Leilin's smile was anything but reassuring.
Under normal circumstances, this would likely turn into yet another tale of a small-town youth training for years, overthrowing the Eastern Capital, and marrying the daughter of a marquis.
But — whether unfortunate or exhilarating — not even Weilin himself could have imagined that his reunion with Jenny would come so soon!
That very night after Jenny's departure, Weilin — who had been tormented and abused by Leilin all day — had just climbed onto his shabby bed to enjoy a well-earned sleep when a furious pounding on the door jolted him awake.
"Weilin! Lord Leilin!" It was a woman's voice, filled with panic, and Weilin could never forget its owner.
"It's Jenny!" He sprang up instantly and threw open the shop door.
Outside, Jenny stood drenched in blood. On the ground lay Jamos — the poor old man had a gaping hole in his chest and several arrows lodged in his back. He didn't look like he would survive the night.
"Weilin! Find Lord Leilin! Save…"
The moment Jenny saw Weilin, the tension drained from her face, and she collapsed unconscious.
"Hey! Somebody tell me what's going on?!" Weilin stared at the limp, soft female body crumpled in his arms, his expression nearly cracking.
Wait a minute! This wasn't how the knight novels played out, was it?
Where was the dramatic reversal? Where was the patient waiting? Where was the grand reunion in the capital?
Weilin stood frozen, holding Jenny, his mind unable to process.
But then, a trickle of warm blood seeped onto Weilin's hand, finally snapping him back to reality.
"Lord Leilin!!! Something's happened!!!" The youth's frantic, hoarse voice echoed through virtually the entire Port Town.
…
Blood and fire! And the flash of steel, along with the brilliant glow of zero-level spells!
Those were the last things Jamos saw.
Though he had long known the depths of depravity of Jenny's two uncles, he never imagined they would have the audacity to ambush them right on the main road!
Under the sudden assault, the meager guards Jenny had temporarily hired were utterly useless.
If not for the magical item the Marchioness had secretly left him before their departure, he and Jenny might not even have managed to escape!
After that, fighting and fleeing as they went, they had made it back to Port Town.
Jamos had managed to tell Jenny to seek out that Mr. Leilin for help before collapsing unconscious.
"Where am I…"
Jamos opened his eyes, staring at the warm lamplight and the unfamiliar ceiling, his face blank with confusion.
"Master Jamos! You're awake!" Weilin, who had been standing nearby, rushed over and tilted a bowl of green liquid toward his mouth.
"Ugh…" Floating in the green liquid were all manner of tree roots and insect-like suspicious objects. A nauseating stench, like something from a sewer, hit him full in the face and nearly knocked the old man unconscious again.
"What is this stuff?!" After being forcibly fed two large mouthfuls, Jamos finally seized the chance to push the bowl away from Weilin's hands.
He swore that even in death, he never wanted to smell that stuff again!
"Lord Leilin told me to brew some herbs — they're very helpful for your injuries!" Weilin kindly pushed the bowl back toward him.
"No! I really must thank you for your kindness! In that case, we're at Mr. Leilin's shop? How is the young lady?"
Jamos asked quickly.
"Don't worry! Jenny is safe!" Weilin looked a bit puzzled. "But could you tell me what actually happened?"
He was very curious about what these people had been through, and he hadn't had the heart to wake the sleeping Jenny, so he was still in the dark.
"What else could it be?" Jamos smiled bitterly and gave a brief account of how Jenny's two uncles had arranged the ambush.
"Those bastards!" Weilin fumed indignantly, slamming his fist onto the table.
Crack! The burst of force shattered the wooden table into pieces.
The loud crash drew another person's attention.
"Mr. Leilin, I truly cannot thank you enough this time!" Upon seeing Leilin enter, Jamos struggled to sit up and bowed.
He knew full well just how serious his injuries were — they had been inflicted by a third-rank apprentice on the opposing side.
And the fact that Leilin could heal such wounds with a casual wave of his hand made Leilin's status self-evident.
"Jamos, you're still injured — let's skip the formalities for now." Leilin wore a warm, gentle smile and rapped Weilin on the head.
"We'll step out and let Mr. Jamos rest for a while…"
"Oh! Right!" Weilin, as if waking from a dream, stood up. At the doorway, he turned back to reassure him: "Master Jamos, just rest easy here — you're completely safe with us…"
"Of course! I have no doubts about that!"
Jamos replied. If a place where a full
More than that, if Leilin was willing to help them, then Jenny's two uncles and all the other covetous schemers were as insignificant as specks of dust.
"But what could I offer to convince Mr. Leilin to act?" Jamos fell into contemplation.
Through his recent observations, he believed he had gained some understanding of Leilin.
In his view, Lord Leilin was reclusive, proud, detested麻烦 above all else, and seldom appeared in public places. Material worldly things meant nothing to him — like passing clouds.
Aside from training Weilin each day, there seemed to be no other pastime in Leilin's life.
"Weilin! That's it! Weilin!" Jamos slapped his palms together, a strange light gleaming in his eyes…
"Go ahead. What is it?"
On the other side, Leilin looked at Weilin — who had been preoccupied all day and had followed him all the way to the training ground — and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"My Lord! I'd like to take some time off to escort Miss Jenny safely to the Eastern Capital!"