Chapter 167: What Does Sarah Shelby Thinks

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: What Does Sarah Shelby Thinks

Connor nodded.

"I think I’ve found him. There’s an A-rank member in the Valemont branch of the Extraordinary Department named Xavier. He’s suspected to be a master alchemist. I’m almost certain he’s the person we’re looking for."

He paused and brought up another piece of information.

"His name has also appeared on the Shadow Ring website. According to the report, he recently killed a Star Sea Realm assassin named Nightfall."

Mark’s eyes widened slightly.

"So he’s a master alchemist?"

The discovery surprised him, but it also made him rather pleased.

No wonder Xavier had been so generous with his pills. He had treated fifth-grade and higher-grade pills as though they were ordinary items that could be handed out without a second thought.

A master alchemist was naturally wealthy.

Mark exchanged a look with Connor before suggesting something.

"Let’s pay him a visit and teach him a lesson."

"Of course!"

Connor laughed.

The two men were very much alike. They had a habit of taking advantage of others, and murder and robbery were hardly unfamiliar to them.

"That man is already connected to a Shadow Ring assassination contract," Mark continued. "Once we take everything valuable from him, we can also complete the assassination mission. That way, we’ll collect two rewards from the same target. Isn’t that wonderful?"

Connor considered the idea before raising a concern.

"Assassinating him won’t be that simple. Didn’t you see the information on the dark web? It says Mira Sinclair may have a Divine Power Realm expert protecting her."

Mark wasn’t worried.

"What’s there to fear? You’re a formation master. If you prepare the formation in advance, even an eighth-star Divine Power Realm martial artist would have a hard time escaping."

Connor nodded, satisfied with the confidence his companion showed.

"That’s reassuring. A master alchemist’s wealth is enough to make both of us rich."

"Hahaha!"

The two men burst into laughter.

They had already made up their minds.

Mark was especially pleased. In his imagination, he could already see himself recovering his lost treasures and taking revenge on Xavier.

Groundcrest.

At a luxurious estate on the outskirts of the city, a vast property covering more than ten thousand acres stood behind tall walls.

Liam Shelby hurried through the estate toward his father’s room.

He didn’t bother with small talk when he arrived.

"Dad, do you know where my eldest sister’s daughter, Maya Knox, is? I want to bring her back to the Shelby Family!"

Liam was a straightforward man. Once he had made up his mind, he preferred to act immediately rather than waste time discussing it.

He still didn’t understand why Major had been so concerned about the Shelby Family’s attitude toward Maya.

In Liam’s eyes, the matter was simple.

Maya was his niece. She was a member of the Shelby Family, yet she had been living outside the family for years. Regardless of what had happened in the past, he believed she should be brought home.

His father, Charles Shelby, looked up in surprise.

"Maya Knox?"

His expression quickly turned displeased.

"Why are you bringing up that unlucky girl?"

Charles was surprised for a reason. He knew his youngest son very well.

Liam was a martial arts fanatic who rarely paid attention to anything outside his cultivation. He spent nearly all his time practicing swordsmanship or looking for someone to fight.

He was already approaching forty, yet he hadn’t even found a partner.

Whenever the family urged him to settle down, he would come up with ridiculous excuses. Sometimes he claimed he wasn’t interested in women. Other times, he said that getting married would only slow down the speed of his sword draws.

Charles had long since given up trying to reason with him.

What displeased him even more was the mention of Maya.

That girl had left a terrible impression on him.

Eighteen years earlier, Charles had personally escorted his eldest daughter back to her husband after she had given birth. He had seen the baby once, when she was barely a month old.

The child had been covered in boils from head to toe.

To Charles, it had been an ominous sight.

And the fact that the girl had been born from his daughter’s relationship with a farmer had only made him more resentful.

More than two weeks ago, news had arrived from the Lindsay Family’s territory, which had since been destroyed. According to the report, Maya Knox might have awakened the Calamity Poison Body.

At the time, Charles had considered bringing her back to the family.

However, no further information had arrived since then. As the days passed, he gradually stopped thinking about the matter.

He certainly hadn’t expected his youngest son to suddenly bring it up.

"Dad, she’s your own granddaughter. How can you speak about her like that?"

Liam frowned.

"If she’s unlucky, then what does that make you?"

He spoke quietly, but his words still reached Charles clearly.

Seeing his father’s expression darken, Liam quickly returned to the matter at hand.

"Just tell me where my eldest niece is. I’ll go and bring her back myself!"

"You insolent brat! How dare you speak to your father like that?"

Charles was so angry that he nearly stumbled.

Liam scratched his head.

He genuinely couldn’t understand what the problem was.

Wasn’t he simply asking about his niece?

Since his father wasn’t answering, he decided not to waste any more time and repeated that he intended to bring Maya back.

Charles gritted his teeth.

He knew his youngest son’s temperament all too well. Over the years, trying to teach Liam a lesson had been like talking to a wall. The more he tried to reason with him, the more stubborn the boy became.

There was also another problem.

Even if Charles wanted to discipline his son, he no longer had the strength to do so.

Liam was already a Divine Power Realm martial artist, while Charles himself was only at the Spirit Platform Realm.

Trying to teach such a son a lesson would be an excellent way to get beaten up instead.

In the end, Charles could only suppress his anger and take a deep breath.

"Stay out of this matter!"

He spoke firmly.

"Your eldest sister and her husband have had a troubled relationship for years. They don’t even have a child together. If you bring Maya back now, you’ll only reopen old wounds and make things worse for your brother-in-law."

Charles paused before emphasizing the most important point.

"Remember, your brother-in-law is the son of the Mountain Venerable. Whatever your personal feelings may be, you must consider the future of the Shelby Family. You are not allowed to interfere!"

Liam curled his lip.

"So what if he’s the Mountain Venerable’s son? Does that give him the right to interfere in the affairs of the Shelby Family?"

He looked at his father without the slightest trace of fear.

"You may be afraid of him, Dad, but I’m not. I won’t stand by and let my niece continue living outside while her own family does nothing!"

Charles clutched his chest.

"Are you deliberately trying to drive me mad?"

Liam immediately shot back.

"You’re the one trying to drive me mad!"

His expression became firm.

"Little brother, that’s enough! Stop provoking Dad. You’re a grown man now, so try to act like one!"

"Please, my son! What if your father gets so angry that he falls seriously ill? What will become of me then?"

"Move aside! I’m going to beat this unfilial brat to death today!"

The Shelby family residence had descended into chaos.

Charles Shelby was struggling to break free, while his eldest son, Peter Shelby, and his wife, Eleanor Shelby, each held one of his arms. They were trying to calm the furious old man while scolding Liam for his behavior.

By the time they arrived after hearing about the argument, Charles and Liam had already come to blows.

Of course, Liam wasn’t actually fighting back. He simply stood there and allowed his father to hit him.

Even so, the difference in their cultivation was far too great. Charles’s punches and kicks barely felt like anything to Liam. They were no more effective than someone trying to tickle him.

But although Liam refused to raise a hand against his father, his mouth was another matter.

He kept saying things that made Charles even angrier. No matter how loudly his father shouted or how violently he swung his fists, Liam would calmly repeat that he was going to bring his niece home.

"What on earth happened? Why are you suddenly so determined to bring up that troublesome girl, Maya Knox?"

Peter looked at his younger brother in confusion.

Then he turned toward Charles and tried to reason with him.

"Little brother, Dad has lived much longer than you. He’s experienced things you haven’t even imagined. Do you honestly think he doesn’t know what’s best for the family? If bringing Maya back were possible, he would have done it already!"

He shook his head and continued.

"Our eldest sister made a terrible mistake when she was young. She ran away with a farmer and even had a child with him. If we bring Maya back now, what will people think of the Shelby Family?"

Eleanor also joined in.

"I’ve heard that girl brings misfortune wherever she goes. Once the clan leader and the elders learn about her, they’ll probably drive her out anyway. Why not just accept that she’s no longer part of this family?"

She looked at Liam as though she were trying to make him understand something obvious.

"And think about your brother-in-law, Desmond Hale. What would he think if we suddenly brought Maya back? Wouldn’t that be like deliberately reopening an old wound? Just leave things as they are. Pretend the girl never existed. Wouldn’t that be better for everyone?"

Peter and Eleanor had now learned why Liam was arguing with Charles.

Unfortunately, neither of them showed any concern for Maya’s situation.

They cared little about whether she was alive or dead. To them, her very existence was an embarrassment that the Shelby Family would be better off forgetting.

Liam had expected his older brother and mother to support him. Their response left him deeply disappointed.

"Big Brother, Mom, she’s your own niece and granddaughter! How can you talk about her like she’s some kind of disease?"

He looked between them, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Honestly, I sometimes wonder whether I’m really the one who belongs to this family. You two are the ones who seem to have forgotten what it means to be a Shelby!"

His words struck a nerve.

Charles clutched his chest, his face turning red with anger.

"You... You..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly collapsed to the floor.

"Charles!"

Eleanor immediately burst into tears and rushed to his side.

Peter was equally furious.

"Liam! What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Apologize to Mom and Dad right now!"

He pointed at his younger brother, his voice shaking with anger.

"If I were strong enough to beat some sense into you, I would have done it myself!"

Peter wasn’t weak by ordinary standards. His martial arts talent was even slightly better than their father’s. However, despite years of cultivation and the family’s investment in him, he had only managed to reach the Star Sea Realm.

Compared with Liam, who had already entered the Divine Power Realm, the gap between them was enormous.

There was no way Peter could force his younger brother to listen.

Liam scratched his head, still looking puzzled.

Had he really said anything wrong?

He reached into his spatial ring and took out a small bottle.

"Dad, this is a Prosperity Pill. It’s a fourth-grade healing pill. Don’t say I don’t care about you."

He placed the bottle on the floor before turning toward the exit.

"If none of you are willing to tell me where my niece is, I’ll find her myself. I don’t need anyone’s permission!"

"Liam! Come back!"

"Stop right there!"

His family shouted after him, but Liam didn’t even turn around.

He simply walked away as though he hadn’t heard a thing.

He might have ignored Maya’s situation in the past, but Major’s questions had made him reconsider everything. Now that he knew his niece was still out there, how could he continue pretending she didn’t exist?

He had already made his decision.