Chapter 102: The Dark Ledger

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: The Dark Ledger

Pat had forced his body beyond its normal limits, releasing a surge of power that allowed him to resist the spatial restraint temporarily.

For a brief moment, his desperate burst of strength had disrupted Xavier’s control. It had not been a failure of the technique so much as a consequence of underestimating the lengths to which an opponent might go when cornered.

An 8th-Level Spirit Platform Realm martial artist pushing his body to that extent would naturally be difficult to restrain.

The technique probably won’t be able to hold someone under those conditions unless I improve my mastery.

Xavier made a mental note to work on the Heaven Piercing Sixfold Finger when he had time.

If he could strengthen the technique further, he might be able to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future.

He returned Blood Explosion Technique to the spatial ring.

Despite its dangerous drawbacks, the manual was still valuable.

He would keep it for now. If he eventually discovered a way to mitigate the backlash, it might become a useful trump card.

After organizing the martial arts manuals, Xavier began putting away the remaining funds.

Ten million crowns sounded like a fortune, but money did not carry quite the same weight in this world as it did in his previous life.

With inflation and the high cost of cultivation resources, that amount was worth roughly as much as a 4th-Grade elixir. It was a decent bonus, but hardly the most important part of his harvest.

As he continued sorting through the contents of Pat’s ring, something unusual caught his eye. A thick notebook lay among the other belongings.

Xavier picked it up, initially assuming it was a personal journal. But when he opened it and glanced through the pages, he realized that it was a detailed ledger.

Curiosity prompted him to examine it more closely.

At first, he flipped through the entries casually, paying little attention to the names and figures recorded inside.

Then he noticed a few details that made him slow down.

He read the relevant entries again. His expression gradually grew serious.

This was no ordinary record of household expenses or cultivation purchases. The names, transactions, and carefully documented payments suggested that the ledger contained information far more sensitive than he had expected.

Xavier turned another page, his attention now fully focused on the notebook.

It seemed that Pat’s spatial ring had contained something much more valuable than elixirs, martial arts manuals, and money.

Xavier continued reading through the ledger, his expression growing colder with every entry.

One record immediately caught his attention.

April 3, Year 15 of the Spiritual Calendar: The Lindsay family had arranged a deal with the Bloodshadow Cult.

The Cult was to send a silver ranked assassin to eliminate a man named Marcus Webb.

A deposit of one million had been paid in advance. Four days later, the job was marked complete, and the remaining four million was transferred.

The next entry was dated June 19.

This time, the Lindsay family had worked with the Darkfire Gang, helping the organization establish new identities and secure a different headquarters.

The arrangement was completed two days later, earning the family thirty million.

Another entry recorded a deal made with the Bloodshadow Cult on July 8.

The Cult had been hired to wipe out the Hartley family, with a 4th-Grade dagger serving as the initial payment.

The remaining reward, recorded as having been delivered upon completion, consisted of four 4th-Grade weapons and five million in cash.

The ledger’s dates were inconsistent, however, with the completion date listed as June 24, earlier than the date the deal was made.

Xavier frowned briefly at the discrepancy but continued reading. The entries grew no less disturbing as he turned the pages.

November 11, Year 16 of the Spiritual Calendar: The Lindsay family had negotiated with the Heavenly Eye Cult to help its imprisoned vice leader fake his death and escape.

The operation was completed the following day, and the family received three Explosive Qi Pills in return.

Another record concerned a deal with the Bloodshadow Cult to assassinate Walter Finch, the commander of the Extraordinary Force in Redcliff City.

The operation was completed on December 30, and the payment was an arrangement to awaken the Fiery Body martial arts in a student.

There were many more transactions, each detailing an exchange between the Lindsay family and one underground organization or another.

Then Xavier reached the final entry.

February 2, Year 17 of the Spiritual Calendar: The Lindsay family had hired the Bloodshadow Cult to kidnap Helena.

In exchange, the family supplied two death row prisoners at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, along with a deposit of two million.

Xavier’s eyes narrowed.

The spiritual energy revival had ushered in a new era, and the Spiritual Calendar had begun in that same year.

It was now the seventeenth year of the new era, meaning the earliest transaction recorded in the ledger had taken place roughly two years earlier.

Every page contained evidence of dealings between the Lindsay family and underground organizations operating throughout Valemont and the surrounding region.

Some transactions involved assassinations, while others concerned criminal operations, covert escapes, and the exchange of valuable cultivation resources.

Xavier could not immediately determine whether every entry was genuine.

Nor did he know why the ledger had ended up in Pat Marty’s possession.

Had Pat personally recorded these transactions, or was he simply acting on behalf of the Lindsay family, managing its secret dealings with the underworld?

At first, those questions had occupied his mind.

But after reading the final entry concerning Helena, he no longer cared about the answers nearly as much as he had before.

A murderous glint flashed across his eyes.

"The Lindsay family has really gone too far," he said.

He had known the family was unscrupulous, but he had never imagined its members would stoop to such depravity.

They had not merely associated with criminal organizations.

They had apparently used those organizations to eliminate their rivals, manipulate events for their own benefit, and carry out operations they would never dare conduct openly.

And Helena’s kidnapping had been part of the same pattern.

Before Xavier could examine the ledger further, his phone began ringing. It was the special communication device Minister Samuel Bush had given him when they first established contact.

Xavier answered.

"Mr. X, have you heard? Collins Lindsay and his protector, Pat Marty, were assassinated in public!" Samuel’s tense voice came through immediately.

"This is a serious matter. Pat Marty served the Lindsay family for more than twenty years and was one of its most trusted men. There’s no way the family will let his death pass without seeking revenge."

He paused only long enough to draw breath before continuing.

"And Collins was the son of the Lindsay family’s head. His death will provoke an even more violent response. The family will tear apart every lead it can find until it identifies the person responsible." Samuel’s voice grew heavier.

"Whether or not you had anything to do with the incident, your close relationship with Mira puts you in a difficult position. Collins’s interest in her was no secret to those who knew about their conflict. Once the Lindsay family begins investigating his death, they’ll inevitably look into Mira as well."

He let out a troubled sigh.

"Mira is a martial artist, but that doesn’t mean the family will believe she could have killed Collins and Pat. They’ll investigate everyone connected to her, and that includes you. Mr. X, I strongly advise you to leave the region for a while. Give the situation time to settle before you return."

Samuel didn’t directly asked whether Xavier was responsible. There was little point in doing so.

The moment the Lindsay family began its investigation, Mr. X would attract attention simply because of his connection to Mira.

Mira had neither the opportunity nor, in the eyes of most investigators, the apparent means to kill Collins and his powerful protector.

However, Collins’s hostility toward her gave the family an obvious reason to scrutinize their relationship.

Anyone who had helped her, especially someone as mysterious as Mr. X, would inevitably come under suspicion.

Samuel understood that. Mr. X was an alias, and the man behind it clearly had secrets of his own.

Even if he had played no part in the killings, the Lindsay family would have every reason to investigate him.

Samuel was simply trying to warn him before the situation became more dangerous.

Xavier felt a measure of warmth toward the minister. Samuel Bush really was a decent man.

Unfortunately, leaving the region was not part of Xavier’s plans.

He had considered the risks before making his move against Collins.

Mr. X was an identity he had created, not his real name. If necessary, he could abandon it and return to being an ordinary alchemy apprentice at Arcadia Academy.

Who would suspect a Body Tempering Realm apprentice of killing a peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, let alone a seasoned Spirit Platform Realm martial artist?

The gap between those levels of strength was enormous.

Without further evidence, the idea would sound absurd.

There was another layer of protection, too. Before the assassination, Xavier had disguised himself using Graham Cole’s appearance.

Anyone who had seen the killer would be searching for a different face.

Of course, he was not foolish enough to assume these precautions made him completely safe.