Chapter 117: Keira’s Restless Emotions

Bang!

Keira turned and marched out, slamming the door hard behind her.

The heavy wooden frame shook from the force.

Derrick didn’t rush to leave after her.

He stood quietly near the bed, looking at the broken old man.

Reaching his hand out into empty space, Derrick pulled something out from his inventory.

At any other time, seeing someone pull an object straight out of thin air would have startled and amazed the general.

He would have questioned Derrick about such a rare ability on the spot.

But right now, General Chen didn’t even raise his head. He didn’t care at all.

Derrick walked up to the small table beside the bed and placed the plain wooden box on it.

“Ever since Keira got the call about your condition, she’s been going through hell,” Derrick said softly.

“She doesn’t show it on her face, but she feels more emotion than anyone else I know.”

“When she found a cure that could save you, she didn’t hesitate. She gave away everything just to get her hands on it.”

General Chen slowly shifted his gaze from the bedsheets to the wooden box.

“That pill will cure your disease,” Derrick told him. “And it should allow you to regain your power without turning into a beast.”

It was earth-shaking news. News that should have brought him overwhelming joy.

But now, it did nothing for him.

The general’s body trembled as tears continued to slip from his eyes. He didn’t even make an effort to reach out for the box.

Derrick turned to leave, but stopped as he remembered something.

“Oh! And…” Derrick looked back over his shoulder. “Avoid opening that box in an open space. It might cause a bit of trouble.”

Derrick had no intention of keeping the pill. Keira had spent her own money on it.

He knew she wouldn’t be able to bring herself to give it to her grandfather after what he had done, but he didn’t want her to live with any regret later on.

So he gave it to the old man in her stead.

Just as Derrick reached for the door handle, General Chen’s hoarse voice stopped him.

“Wait…”

The old man stared at the wooden box, his voice barely a whisper.

“Could you… tell Keira that I love her? Tell her I never meant to hurt her.”

Derrick stopped.

He pursed his lips and looked back over his shoulder, his face twisted as if he had just heard the most disgusting thing.

“She’s already heard way too many flowery words from this family,” Derrick said.

“She needs to see actual action instead of empty words, you idiot.”

He didn’t wait for a response. He opened the door and walked out, letting it click shut behind him.

General Chen sat frozen on the bed, staring at the empty doorway with a completely stunned look on his face.

Derrick walked outside into the quiet courtyard.

He found Keira sitting on the stone ledge of a fountain, her eyes staring blankly into the garden.

The water splashed gently behind her, but she was completely lost in a daze.

Derrick walked up and stopped beside her.

“What are you worried about?” he asked.

Keira didn’t look up. She straightened her posture, trying to put up her usual tough defense.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she muttered, looking away.

Derrick let out a small sigh.

“You know you can’t hide it from me,” he said softly. “So why bother trying?”

Keira pursed her lips tightly. Her fingers dug into the edge of the stone seat.

“My grandfather turned out to be no different than the rest of them,” she whispered, her sharp tone finally crumbling. “And I…”

She stopped, hesitating as if the rest of the thought terrified her.

Derrick looked down at her and finished the words for her.

“…and you’re worried you might turn out to be just like them as well.”

Keira froze, her silence giving away the truth.

“Let me tell you,” Derrick said, standing beside her in the quiet garden. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“How would you kno—”

Keira cut herself off.

She paused, catching the slight smirk on his face.

“You were thinking about a happy memory, weren’t you?” Derrick asked softly. “Probably with your mother. Did you use to play with her here?”

Keira snorted, crossing her arms tightly.

“So what? I might have hated my mother too.”

Derrick’s smile didn’t falter. He kept looking out at the peaceful garden ahead.

“When your father mocked her earlier, I saw a flicker of anger on your face before you hid it,” Derrick said quietly.

“Whatever differences you might have had with her… you loved her. And she loved you.”

He turned back to face her, his features softening into the warmest smile she had ever seen on him.

“And because of that woman… you will never be like them.”

Keira sat completely still, staring up into Derrick’s eyes.

His words struck her mind like a roar of thunder.

CRACK!

She couldn’t pull her gaze away, entirely captured by the quiet warmth of his smile.

Thump-thump.

Thump-thump.

A sudden, intense heat rushed straight to her cheeks, burning red.

Her heart began to race wildly in her chest, pounding louder and faster with every passing second.

“You are an idiot!” Keira snapped, her face turning bright red.

She swung her hand to smack him right on the head, desperate to force away the strange feelings rising in her chest.

Whoosh!

Derrick moved like a spider, dodging her palm in a split second.

He let out a light laugh at her sudden attack.

The moonlight fell softly across his face, highlighting his easy, relaxed smile.

“So,” Derrick asked, leaning back slightly. “Should we head back, or stay the night?”

“We are definitely going back,” Keira answered instantly.

She turned away, crossing her arms.

“I am not spending one more night where my tyrant father lives than absolutely necessary.”

Derrick chuckled, shaking his head.

“Your father sure is a little weird and dubious,” he said with a grin.

…

At the same time, deep inside the dark basement of the estate, a heavy iron door creaked open.

CLANG!

The heavy sound of metal chains dragged along the cold stone floor.

Guards shoved Feng Yuan forward into the middle of the room.

His hands and feet were bound tightly in heavy iron shackles.

The guards kicked the back of his knees, forcing him down to slam hard onto his joints.

Chen Feng sat on the only chair in the center of the room.

Cold moonlight filtered through a high window, illuminating only half of his face.

The other half remained buried in pitch-black shadow.

He sat in total silence, staring down at the kneeling alchemist.

Chen Feng did not say a word for a long moment.

He just stared down at the kneeling alchemist with cold, unblinking eyes.

“Leave us,” Chen Feng commanded.

The guards hesitated for a fraction of a second.

“My Lord?” one guard asked nervously. “His energy is sealed, but he is still dangerous—”

“Out,” Chen Feng repeated, his voice dropping into a chilling quiet.

The guards bowed quickly.

“Yes, my Lord!”

They backed out of the dark room and pulled the heavy iron door shut.

CRACK!

The heavy lock slid into place from the outside.

Now, only Chen Feng and the bound alchemist remained in the pitch-black room.

Chen Feng slowly leaned forward, the cold moonlight catching his sharp, merciless eyes.

“By the blessings of the sacred Hand,” Chen Feng whispered softly into the silence. “Let’s talk about your mistakes acolyte Feng Yuan.”

“Huh?” As if hearing something he possibly could not have in this place, Feng Yuan snapped his head up and stared at Chen Feng in disbelief. “How do you know that term—”

Whoosh!

Chen Feng ignored his question and waved his hand to seal the room from the outside.

Not even the sound of wind could go in and out.

“You have not only failed your mission but you have also compromised your identity.” Chen Feng started speaking and the udder the horrified gaze of the Cultist Alchemist, the back of his hand started to change.

A familiar mark started to fade into existence.

The mark was awfully similar to his own.

But unlike his mark which had four chains binding it, his hand only had 2 chains binding it.

Panic disappeared from Feng Yuan’s eyes replaced by resignation and reverence.

He planted his head into the ground and kowtowed to the man before him with voice trembling with fervent awe, “Acolyte Feng Yuan greets the honorable Disciple Chen Feng.”

“You know what will happen next, don’t you?” Chen Feng asked coldly.

“This lowly one does not have any fear. I am saddened to know that I failed to fulfill the mission the hand has bestowed upon me.” Feng Yuan raised his head, tears streaming down on his face.

And yet…

There was no sign of fear in his eyes.

“Then, be on your way.” Chen Feng nodded and waved two fingers in the air.

Swoosh!

A strong gust of wind appeared from the left and touched Feng Yuan’s head before it instantly disintegrated into drops of blood and got flown away with same wind that killed him.

Thud!

Feng Yuan’s headless corpse kowtowed once more before going still.