Sonia’s follow-up question left Caden at a loss for words. He could not tell his disciple that the reason why he had chosen to stay in Aurous Hill was because he wanted to stay here to serve and follow Charlie. Therefore, he could only say to Sonia, “Sonia, I’ve already devoted myself to being a master in the Taoist Sect for so many years. Now that I’m older, I just want to relax. The scenery in Aurous Hill is beautiful, and it also has a pleasant climate, so it suits my preference very well. I plan to settle down here for a while and try to see if I can achieve a breakthrough in my cultivation.Sonia frowned and asked, “Master, you’ve spent more than half of your time living in seclusion for so many years. Weren’t you in seclusion when Lady Acker asked you to come out? Back then, you told me that you would go back to seclusion after rescuing Lady Acker’s family, but you then came to Aurous Hill without saying a word. Why do you suddenly want to give up your position as the leader o
Caden was even more embarrassed. He hastily coughed twice and blurted out, “Sonia, the reason why I invited Master Wade to come over is because he has a very deep friendship with me. Secondly, Master Wade also lives in Aurous Hill…” Sonia did not believe Caden’s words at all and said coldly, “Master, since I came in, I noticed that you’ve been very respectful to Mr. Wade. I believe that the reason why you want me to come to Aurous Hill is because you plan to pass the position as the leader of the Taoist Sect to me here and you want to prove your allegiance to Mr. Wade, right?”Caden did not expect that Sonia would hit the nail on the head. His face reddened as he said, “Sonia, to tell you the truth, I’ve devoted most of my life to the Taoist Sect, and I would like to do something that I want to do just for myself now. If you still regard me as your master, don’t make things difficult for me anymore, and stop asking me for an explanation. I will stay in Aurous Hill to cultivate after
“Medicine cauldron?!” Caden was stunned for a moment when he heard Sonia’s question. He was very puzzled as he thought to himself, ‘How did Sonia know about the medicine cauldron? Didn’t my master say at the beginning that this secret would only be known to the leader of the Taoist Sect and that this secret should not be told to anyone else? Why would he tell Sonia about this matter?!’As he thought about this, he deliberately beat around the bush and asked, “Sonia, where did you hear about this medicine cauldron? Why don’t I know anything about it?”Sonia frowned, and her tone sounded a little exasperated as she said, “Master, back then, your master told me that there is a treasure in the Taoist Sect. He told me that it’s a medicine cauldron with miraculous effects. He said that only the future leader of the Taoist Sect is qualified to inherit this treasure. Since you’ve already decided to pass on the position as the leader of the Taoist Sect to me, you should also pass the medici
Sonia said angrily, “Master, what’s the difference between you and a father who has lost his son telling his family ‘Let’s pretend that we never had a son’ after he goes home? Do you think it’s appropriate?!”Caden had an extremely embarrassed expression. He could only bite the bullet and say, “The medicine cauldron is indeed gone, and I have no way of getting it back. What do you want me to do?”Sonia questioned him, “I need to know where the medicine cauldron is and who has it!”Caden avoided her gaze and hesitated as he said, “Sonia… Since the medicine cauldron is already gone, what’s the point of you holding on and questioning me about it? What you should do now is to take the leader token with you and return to the Taoist Sect to carry out your duties as the leader of the Taoist Sect!”Sonia continued reasoning with him, “Since you’ve already passed the position as the leader of the Taoist Sect to me, it is my obligation to recover the treasure that has been passed down for th
“You!” Sonia did not expect that Charlie would reject her proposal so directly. Sonia, who had never been rejected by anyone before could not help but question Charlie with some displeasure, “Mr. Wade, I don’t know how the treasure of the Taoist Sect ended up in your hands, but I believe that you should not have gotten it through despicable means.”Charlie sneered and said, “Miss Letterman, it’s a little self-centered if you jump to conclusions without finding out what happened. Wouldn’t you know whether I obtained the medicine cauldron using fair and square means if you simply asked your master about it?”Caden, who was aside, hurriedly said, “Sonia, don’t be rude to Master Wade! Master Wade obtained the medicine cauldron in an upright manner! In fact, I was the one who gave it to Master Wade voluntarily!”Sonia was furious and asked him, “Master, the medicine cauldron belongs to the Taoist Sect, and you were just guarding it on behalf of the Taoist Sect! What rights did you have
When Sonia thought of this, she said immediately, “Mr. Wade, I won’t lie to you, but I can give you a very generous reward as long as you’re willing to sell the medicine cauldron to me. This can ensure that you will have no worries about your food and clothing for the rest of your life!”Charlie smiled and said, “Miss Letterman, you can try to make a bid. I’ll see if you’re really generous.”Sonia glanced at Charlie and said arrogantly, “If you are willing to sell me the medicine cauldron, I can pay you one hundred million US dollars on the spot!”In Sonia’s opinion, one hundred million US dollars was a huge sum of money for anyone. For most people, it was an astronomical figure that one would not even dare to dream of. Therefore, she thought that it was already an extremely sincere offer. However, after Charlie heard the offer, he simply smiled faintly and said, “Miss Letterman, I didn’t expect you to be quite generous.”Sonia said expressionlessly, “My offer is only valid for t
Charlie smiled mischievously and said, “I’ll know whether you’re bragging or not once I try it.”Sonia frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”Charlie smiled and said, “Miss Letterman, why don’t you stretch out your hand so I can read your palm?”“Imbecile!” Sonia reprimanded Charlie sternly, “I didn’t think that apart from being a smooth talker, you also have such dirty thoughts!”Charlie smiled and said, “Miss Letterman, you misunderstand me. I’m not planning to take advantage of you. I just want to verify whether you are bragging when you say that you will never owe others favors!”Sonia snorted coldly, clenched her teeth, and said, “I will never brag about that!”Charlie nodded and said, “Miss Letterman, why don’t you stretch out your hand and we will know the results in a minute, then.”Sonia stretched out her hand in front of Charlie angrily and said, “I want to see what tricks you have up your sleeves!”Charlie smiled lightly and then reached out his hand and held Sonia’s
Sonia originally did not regain her senses from the reality of breaking through to the Great Perfection Realm of the Illuminating Realm in an instant, so she was still in a daze and could not figure out what Charlie meant when he said these words. Before she could react, Caden, who was aside, suddenly looked at Sonia and exclaimed, “Sonia… w-why did you become a five-star martial artist again?!”This cry of surprise was like a basin of cold water that woke Sonia up completely. Only then did she realize that her cultivation level had changed again within a very short period of time. She had regressed to being a five-star martial artist from being a Great Perfection Realm of the Illuminating Realm expert.Sonia was appalled and could not figure out how Charlie had managed to temper with her cultivation in the blink of an eye!It was also at this moment that she realized that Charlie’s strength was so powerful that it was beyond her imagination!She instantly felt extremely lost a
While Charlie was waiting for Claire at the airport, Jacob and Elaine were taken to the traffic police station.But even in the patrol car, Elaine did not stop lashing out at Jacob.As such, the traffic police had no choice but to call up another patrol car to bring them over separately.Charlie was hence left wondering what those two were up to this time as they were nowhere to be seen when Claire's flight was about to land and weren't answering his texts.Fortunately, Charlie never considered them reliable, so he was fine whether they showed up or not.If they did, they could all head home in the same car.If they didn't, he just had to take a cab home with Claire.It was past three when Claire's private jet landed, and Claire herself cleared the checkpoint in just half an hour, wheeling a trolley with her luggage.Seeing Charlie from afar, she couldn't help quickening her pace as she beamed.Charlie hurried toward her as well, and Claire shoved her trolley aside when they w
However, to Jacob's shock, Elaine wasn't misled at all as she growled icily, "Why would I ask anyone else?! If there's someone I must question, it's Matilda! She's getting married, isn't she? Good! I will be there and ask her why she hooked up with my husband!"Jacob turned pale right then.Matilda's son and even some of their old classmates would be attending her wedding.If Elaine went, he would be exposed, and he wouldn't be able to stay in Aurous Hill out of shame!His nerves gnawing at him, Jacob could only plead, "Please, just trust me this once! Anything else aside, she's getting married, anyway—there's no way that I'd have anything to do with her! That alone should prove my innocence!"Elaine snorted. "If Matilda returned when I was arrested, it means she has been back for a while! And you're saying nothing happened since? Hell, even if she's married, it doesn't prove that she wasn't up to some hanky-panky with you! Maybe while I was arrested and refused a divorce when you
The driver was left dumbstruck—this wasn't how it was supposed to go.Still, he blurted, "C-Crashing into a Cullinan? I might end up dead instead…""Fine! Then let's change cars, and you crash into ours—how about that?!" Elaine promptly retorted before continuing, "Or we could just stand right in front of your car while you run into us! I just happen to have a death wish, but if you don't kill me now, I'll kill you! Don't think about getting away either—I know your car plate! I'll sell this car and use the money to put a bounty on your head! I don't care what happens to me now! I'll claw my nails into the devil's face even if he shows up!"The driver was actually quite experienced, but even he had yet to meet someone as ridiculous as Elaine.Barely able to keep his hands steady, he threw them up as he apologized, "I'm so sorry, ma'am—I just lost my cool. I'm merely a humble driver of a Honda Civic while you own a Rolls. Hell, I spent fifty bucks buying that red emblem from Amazon,
Elaine may have led a life as if she was above the rules, but beneath that tough exterior lay crippling insecurities and a horrific inferiority complex.She was always afraid of being belittled—but more than that, of being ostracized and betrayed.Over the years, the greatest source of her complexes could all be traced back to Matilda.After all, Matilda had been a star back in their school days. Because Elaine was a close friend of hers, many boys would get chummy with Elaine, but only because they were interested in Matilda.Being from a poor farmer's family, Elaine had been scorned plenty and therefore felt exceedingly inferior around Matilda.It was from that sense of inferiority that Elaine had inadvertently developed a one-sided rivalry against Matilda, and she believed her greatest triumph over Matilda in this life was the moment she had stolen Jacob from her.However, while Elaine presumed that she could hold that victory over Matilda's head, Lady Wilson had soured that v
Moreover, given Elaine's ridiculous temper, Jacob knew she would definitely go overboard and destroy him.He wouldn't even have a place to live at that point, and it would really be game over if she held a grudge and stormed the Calligraphy and Painting Association!Under such circumstances, he couldn't ask for a divorce—hell, he might even refuse a divorce if Elaine asked for one!However, that was when Elaine laughed coldly. "Oh, my… You're really not going to divorce me?""Come on—how long were we married?" Jacob quickly reasoned. "Getting divorced at our age? People would laugh at us."Elaine scoffed. "Now I'm curious… Matilda's quite old too, and she's a divorcee marrying again. Won't people laugh at her?""Technically, she's a widow—"Jacob blurted out, but soon turned pale, tensing up again not a second after he had just calmed down, asking gingerly, "W-Why would you suddenly mention her?'Elaine stopped pretending right then and snapped, "It's actually impressive that y
Horrified, Jacob promptly grasped the steering wheel and brought the Cullinan back under control while not hesitating to snap, "Are you crazy?! We're on the highway—that could have killed the both of us!"However, Elaine ignored him and seized the moment to open the armrest box, pulling out the large white envelope.As she opened it, she muttered, "So, it really was a wedding invitation… You really are a terrible friend, Jacob Wilson, hiding a wedding invitation like this! What's the point? Just look at that nervous face of yours—would I suspect you of having an affair with the bride-to-be?"She flipped open the card and was experienced enough to check the names first while disregarding the usual preamble. She wouldn't care about the venue or the time either, focusing solely on the professor who had somehow made Jacob very nervous.That was how Elaine found the names in less than a second: Yolden Hart and Matilda Hall.Matilda?!The name could well be knives stabbing Elaine in th
Jacob's brain blanked out, leaving only a dull hum as soon as Walker mentioned 'Professor Hall'.Already feeling nervous in the first place, he quickly said, "Okay, okay—I got it. Anyway, I'm hanging up if there's nothing else!"With that, he promptly pressed the button to hang up.Nonetheless, Elaine was soon asking in curiosity, "Who's Professor Hall?"If Jacob had any semblance of composure, he would have said 'a colleague at Senior University' as if it was perfectly natural, and the matter would have been forgotten.But the reality was that he didn't—in fact, he was the champion when it came to dropping the ball as a casual question from Elaine left him sweating all over his brow.Even as he slid nervous glances at her face, he stammered uncontrollably, "N-Nobody…"Elaine promptly noticed his strange reaction and frowned. "I'm talking about Professor Hall. What do you mean, nobody? Who are they? And what's this about an invitation? Inviting you for what?"Seeing that he was
Jacob had really had too much to drink and couldn't remember the later parts of what had happened last night—even how he had gotten home was a blur.Naturally, he also forgot that Walker had brought Matilda's wedding invitation, and therefore didn't hesitate to answer the in-car answer button.Over the phone, Walker was positively fawning as he asked, "Mr. Wilson? It's Walker. Why didn't you come in today? Had too much to drink last night?""Uh-huh," Jacob grunted, lethargic. "I did—my head still hurts now… Anyway, what's up? Trouble at the association?""No, of course not," Walker quickly said. "I was just worried you're still hungover, so I called to ask. If you need a driver or anything, you just need to ask!"Then, before Jacob could answer, he continued, "By the way, my wife is somewhat knowledgable in Oskian medicine, and she has recipes for brews that cure hangovers and nourish the liver. I'm sure you'll need the latter since you're always drinking at social events, so I as
Fortunately, Elaine and Jacob's bickering never escalated.Even though Elaine was winning, Jacob found it tolerable.After Jacob finished his lunch and cleaned up, he never looked up as he said, "Charlie sent a text, saying Claire's flight would touch down earlier at three. We will leave at two."Elaine grumbled. "Why leave so early? She's coming back from abroad, and there'd be checkpoints she has to clear—she'd be lucky if she could leave by half past three. I'm sleeping a few winks now, and we'll leave at half past two."As she left the dining room, she didn't even look back as she said, "Clean up for me too."Jacob had a million complaints but said nothing as he kept his head down, throwing Elaine's lunchbox in the trash can as well.With Elaine gone, he sat on the couch as her hangover slowly cleared while his mood soured with the lack of alcohol.In the end, the pleasure of being fawned over at the Diamond Room was but temporary—the pain of his beloved leaving with someone