Naturally, the other Turnbulls were less than friendly toward Frank.Other than Vicky, they all had looks of a constipated person whenever they glanced Frank's way.He was a real piece of work, but they could neither snap at him nor chase him away.Hurt him? They were still counting on him to cure George!All they could do was to defame him in private, even blaming him for George's condition when he contracted it six months ago.Frank did not care at all—it was the last day of treatment for George and the day of the Turnbulls' annual dinner.Starting from the morning, luxurious cars were driving into the Turnbull estate, with men and women striding in as they attended the prestigious banquet.They were all family or regional executives, all of them embodying the might of the Turnbulls as one of the Four Families of Morhen.Naturally, Frank could see that not the entire family was gathered just yet.-At the center of the dazzling banquet hall, countless servants were hurrying
Frank took a sip of wine after clinking glasses with Titus but soon noticed something as the liquid slid down his throat."What…" He frowned, glancing at the dark-red wine."Problem?" Titus asked. "That's a special grade Romanee-Conti, imported from Franconia. They produce less than 400 barrels each year, but 200 of those have been brought here expressly for this banquet." After his commentary, Titus made a look of dramatic realization. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Lawrence—I've forgotten that hillbillies like you never get to experience such fine wine, let alone relish the exquisiteness in its taste."Nearby, Yonca hid her laughter behind her palm, while other Turnbull family members frowned at Frank too.Who was he? Why had they not seen him around before?His very presence was a polar opposite from the glitz and glamor of the banquet hall, so they couldn't help being curious.Still, Frank wasn't frustrated, even smiling and nodding. "Hehe… There really is something special about t
"Haha! Walter's back too? Terrific!" Frank turned and spotted a pair of familiar faces entering the banquet hall just then.Naturally, it was Vicky's parents, Walter Turnbull and Susan Redford.It seemed that they had to attend this banquet even though they lived in Riverton.Glen Turnbull was on hand to receive them, though his eyes soon widened in surprise and he looked around, searching. "Where's Les and Neil? Aren't they not coming back?" he asked."They're…" Walter was left making an awkward face, unsure what to say.Susan nudged him on the back, clearly wanting him to speak up."Ahem."Walter cleared his throat, and took out two reports, handing them to Glen as he explained exasperatedly, "Les was conspiring with our enemies and stole the recipe for the Beauty Pill which Vicky spent a fortune to acquire… He was killed during a fight thereafter.""What?!"The bombshell left Glen freezing, his lips trembling.Les was his second son… and he got killed in Riverton?!
Glen straightened himself, suddenly cold and authoritative again as he stared fixedly at Walter. "A child of our family must not die under such mysterious circumstances.""Exactly," Zac growled, repressing his rage. "I can't let my son's death go unanswered. And I want to know why!""Naturally, I've come prepared," Walter said, pulling out a stack of documents compiling evidence of Les Turnbull and Neil Turnbull's crimes, including photo evidence."Hey. Look," Susan noticed Frank sitting in a corner without a care just then and nudged Walter to look.Walter and Frank's eyes just so happened to meet just as Walter turned.With that, Frank got up and walked slowly through the crowd to reach them. "Mr. Turnbull, Mrs. Turnbull. We meet again." He smiled in greeting.However, both of them appeared awkward since Frank's name was in the documents they had just handed to Glen and Zac.There was no hiding it now.Walter cleared his throat and asked with an edge an elder would use, "Wh
The banquet hall erupted in an uproar at Glen's outburst."What?! Someone killed Les Turnbull?""No way, he's dead? And that brat killed him?!""That's the son of the family head we're talking about… Who the hell let him in here?"Frank could feel everyone's eyes on him.He glanced coldly at Walter in turn and said calmly, "Yes, I killed him.""How dare you!" Glen bellowed, clearly unable to retrain his own wrath.That man had killed his beloved son and would strut on his own turf freely like it was nothing?!How would he hold his head high if word got out?Nonetheless, Frank was laughing out loud and shaking his head. "Then did you read the part on why I killed him? You're a real failure of a father."Everyone swore they could hear Glen's teeth gnashing.Frank ignored him, however, and turned toward Walter, sighing in disappointment. "Shouldn't you be standing up to explain the facts? I remember how you bravely volunteered that you'd speak with your own brother personally…
Unlike Les, Neil was highly regarded in the family.It was unacceptable to see Frank, the murderer, to stand among them without a care!That was when the flamboyantly dressed Marit flashed a fearless smile. "Could he be the South Sea Crow?" "What?!" "The South Sea Crow?!"The name left every Turnbull on edge, and it was only natural since it was a nightmare that had hounded them constantly for three years.And everything would certainly make sense if Frank was that villain… and she was allegedly peak Ascendant rank too!"So that's it…" Zac growled viciously at Frank, his eyes flashing. "That's why Father was suddenly stricken with some bug. And you're in Morhen by sheer coincidence, on hand to prove that you're the only one who can treat him. The way I see it, you probably bewitched Vicky with some foul enchantment so that she is obsessed with you. But you're not getting away now that you've been exposed! Retainers!"The glass dome overhead shattered at Zac's bellowed, and
"When did you…" one of the Ascendant ranks growled through his teeth.It was only yesterday that he came under the Turnbull's payroll, and he never ate from their table.So how did he catch the bug like the others?"Darling…" Vicky was clutching her belly too, clearly taken ill as well."Come here, take this antidote and direct the vigor I infuse into you to clear your bowels," Frank said, passing Vicky a black pill.Vicky took the pill without hesitation and sat in meditation as she accepted an iota of vigor from Frank, directing it throughout her own body. She was a martial artist who had lost her cultivation due to poisoning. However, with Frank's vigor as a catalyst, her body felt like a broken dam, and her vigor kept gushing away from her meridian nexus, swiftly purging the bug."Vicky… Don't trust him…" Glen actually tried to stop Vicky from taking the pill, only to be left staring as Vicky was soon on her feet.And judging from the look on her face, she was cured and
Who knew? Frank might even clap and launch some fireworks and celebrate the moment the South Sea Crow massacred the Turnbulls.After all, they had never treated him fairly ever since he came to Morhen, and he was not one who maintained grace in the face of grief. They had constantly harassed him while posturing themselves with the superiority as one of the Four Families of Morhen, even breaking promises.As such, how was Frank supposed to play nice with the likes of them?However, while he got tough in the face of injustice, it was really 'what you see is what you get' with him.In other words, Frank could be a softie at times."Urgh, whatever…" His shoulders slumped feebly after Vicky tugged on him and pleaded for a long while.Having suffered this much grief, what was a bit more, and for Vicky's sake at that?Whipping out the two remaining antidote pills, he handed them to Walter and said, "These won't be enough, and I don't have time to cook more… Get a bucket of water and di