Aria couldn't really see what the person in the car looked like. But she was a doctor. So, she was very sensitive to the scent of herbs. She smelled the faint fragrance of herbs when the window was rolled down. Aria was well-versed in the "Traditional Herbs Almanac". She was well aware that there was a high chance that someone with a chronic illness would be photophobic.Troy urged, "Mr. Miles, don't you want to go see Mr. Landon first?"Miles was distracted. He said to Aria, "Miss, please stay here and wait for me. I'll be back soon."Aria nodded.Miles dashed toward the car.Troy stayed behind and handed Aria a card. "Thanks for saving Mr. Miles, Ms. Carver. This is a gift for you. Please accept it.""You know my last name? That means you know who I am." Aria smiled meaningfully. "It doesn't feel like you're thanking me. It feels like you're trying to distance yourself from me."Troy froze for a second. "You're mistaken, Ms. Carver.""Doesn't matter." Aria glanced at Mile
"Since you know the person who saved Miles, pick something out and send it to her." Landon coughed lightly as he looked at Troy deeply. "I'll pay her a visit with Miles in a few days."Troy started to sweat under Landon's gaze. He didn't dare to look Landon in the eye. He replied nervously, "Yes, boss!"He figured it wouldn't be hard to track down Aria. After all, she used to be part of the Kent family. She would probably tell them where she was. But he was clearly being too optimistic. He didn't know that Aria didn't want to see the Kents at all. They were an eyesore to her, but they kept showing up before her—just as what was happening at the very moment. Aria had sent Miles back to his family. She was planning to get on the shared bicycle she was using and ride it home. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang next to her. "Why are you here?"The person who spoke up was her adoptive mother, Karen Layne. The disdain in her voice was clear. She didn't even want to utter Aria's nam
Aria, who was holding herself steady on the bicycle with one leg, looked at the Kents nonchalantly. She had a very commanding presence that was hard to ignore. Marshall glanced at her. Suppressing his annoyance, he handed her a card. Then, he said in a low voice, "Aria, take the money, thank us, and go."Lily was about to be accepted as Salome's pupil that day. He didn't want anything to go wrong. Aria was sitting on the bicycle seat. There were no emotions in her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile when she heard what Marshall said.50,000? Help her out? Take the money, thank them, then leave?The Kents were really trying their best to pin the image of a poor relative on her. Just as everyone thought she would take the card and leave, she threw it right back at them. She did it in one swift motion. Everyone was dumbfounded. Karen couldn't hold in her anger anymore. She shrieked, "What are you doing? We're helping you out of the kindness of our hearts. Don't you dare pus
Lily said softly, "Miss, I'll apologize on my mom's behalf. Since you don't want the money, you shouldn't stalk us anymore. You're completely capable of making a living on your own. I just don't want my mother's rash actions to hurt your pride again."Her words were very respectful and dignified. People around her looked at her with approval. The crowd looked at her, then at Aria. They felt like these two people were worlds apart. Lily was kind and magnanimous like a goddess. On the other hand, Aria was petty and hateful.The people walking behind Salome were shaking their heads in disapproval. Aria smirked when she saw them. It was like her clear eyes could see through everything.Lily evaded Aria's gaze. For some reason, she felt a little afraid of this completely unpredictable "sister" of hers. Was she trying to get revenge against the Kents because they kicked her out? Three months ago, she was still very docile, unlike the way she was at that moment. It was like she h
Marshall's demeanor shifted upon realizing no one else was around. "From now on, we'll completely cut ties with you. Don't you even breathe a word of how you used to be part of the Kent family." Aria didn't respond. She truly didn't want to put up with the Kents anymore. Joel, who came to look for Aria on a scooter, was unhappy with how Marshall was talking to Aria. He said with a frown, "Sir, how can you be so rude to Doc... I mean, Aria?"Aria had always kept a low profile. She told everyone in Elmer district to address her by her name when they were outside. Joel almost let it slip because he was distracted. Marshall got the wrong idea. He looked at Joel and said, "Is this your father? He commutes with a scooter?"Upon noticing Joel's completely out-of-fashion frock coat and unassuming scooter, Marshall made a snap judgment. Now he understood why Aria was in such a state—her father couldn't even afford a car. People from the countryside were truly pathetic.Marshall'
"I thought they wanted you to provide treatment," Joel muttered. Aria didn't think too much about it. She just took out her phone and rejected the York family job. There had been quite a lot of people going to Elmer district to seek treatment. Many of them were from neighboring cities and counties. So, it wasn't weird for Joel to think the visitors were there to do the same. After all, they came all the way from Uludon."Mr. Hayes, let's head back. We wouldn't want Mr. Kane and the others to wait for too long.""Sure thing." Joel nodded with a smile. She didn't say too much, and he didn't ask too many questions. Thus, a misunderstanding formed. …The Carvers were very anxious as they waited outside the Elmer district. The Carver brothers had to work. So, they had no choice but to leave. Warren sat in the car with a frustrated expression. "Didn't the intel show that my granddaughter is here? Why is everyone saying that they haven't seen her before?""I… I'll go look into
"That's right, Mr. Kent. They asked for that imposter by name and wanted to know where she is," said Alfred. Marshall thought about the person with the scooter. He said annoyedly, "No wonder she didn't want the money. She wants more. She wants to leech off our family.""They are so shameless! I'll send them off right away. I have ways to deal with leeches like these people," Alfred said viciously. Marshall replied, "Don't make too much of a scene. Our family has an image to maintain.""Don't worry, sir. I understand."Marshall hung up and went back to socializing with others. Lily was about to be accepted as Salome's pupil. With how influential the Gunthers were in the medical world, they were sure to be able to get in contact with the Yorks.This would be a great help for Marshall's career. It was a very crucial time for him. He didn't have the time to deal with Aria's destitute relatives. The notion itself was laughable. Not going home and meeting with Frank, who had g
Poe was just passing by the place when he saw the free clinic and decided to try his luck. He didn't expect to be healed. When he found out that Aria wouldn't take a dime from him, he had the urge to get on his knees and thank her.Aria stopped him and wiped his hands. "Sir, your condition isn't that serious. It was just a simple adjustment. Most traditional medicine practitioners would handle it like that.""A simple adjustment? But Dr. Gunther said I needed surgery. The surgery was too expensive. It was 100,000 dollars!"100,000 dollars? People around him frowned when they heard that. That was a catastrophic amount of money for the common folk. "Who is this Dr. Gunther? A bandit?" Maria was the first to voice her discontent. A lot of the residents in the Elmer district were government officials. They felt for the people. The other residents were angry as well. They said to Joel, "Joel, you need to look into this."Joel wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I… I'll try my best.
Although the crow was unsure of its owner's thoughts, it was indeed afraid of the dagger made out of Oracle bones.In fact, it wasn't made of ordinary animal bones. It was from the Oracle, one of the Four Perils. Most importantly, it carried spiritual energy from heaven and earth.Back then, the crow didn't expect the insignificant sect, which was consistently at the bottom of each tournament, to have the purest spiritual energy. Plus, all of their members were not to be underestimated. The crow would have never believed it if it hadn't come to live in the mountains with Landon. After all, Landon was bewitched to become the woman's boy toy. He stayed behind only because he liked the sect's spiritual energy. At that, the crow shifted its body and didn't continue to disturb Landon. Since Landon mentioned he needed the knife sheath, the crow would go and get it. Apart from the curved dagger in the wooden box, there was also a somewhat inconspicuous emerald and a turtle shell-lik
The box included a protective membrane. Carrying bones around would raise questions in modern days. Even Aria worried about inspections. Sometimes, Tobias acted just like those arcane seekers from Mount Dracotigris. When her fingertips touched it, heat surged through her bloodline. The blade felt like it belonged in her hands; even its tassel was exquisitely crafted. But she remembered something when she entered the manifestation and got the Soul-Summoning Plaque. She had been an arcane seeker in her past life, hadn't she? Could an arcane seeker use a blade? She had mostly seen them wielding swords, just like those TV shows with flying swordsmen. Perhaps she had to use a blade because she came from a smaller guild. As Aria traced the bone blade, her initial attraction grew into fascination. Tobias wouldn't leave her just any blade. Since she'd encountered it in the manifestation, it must be connected to her. "Do you like it?" Suddenly, Landon's voice came close. It was low,
Breaking the Eight Trigrams Manifestation required precision instead of force. The path led from the East Gate of Life through the Southwest Gate of Rest, finally striking through the North Gate of Opening. But this was not just about breaking a manifestation. The lock had eight marks—Life, Rest, Harm, Block, Vision, Death, Awakening, and Opening. These were the eight gates within the manifestation. As Aria studied the corresponding numbers, she was suddenly struck with inspiration. Following the sequence, she pressed them. The lock then opened with a click. She raised an eyebrow, recognizing the familiar combination. "0715, my birthday." Aria casually opened the box. "Typical of Mr. Revelare to choose that date." She knew she was born on Twilight Hallows, a day when parents would urge children home early. Owen had always believed Aria's birth signs were not the best, and he thought this was likely because of this day. People considered it the Day of Spirits. On this day, a
Earlier, Aria had really wanted to keep some family ties for Georgina. After all, Georgina had given Aria all the love meant for her granddaughter, Lily. When the Kents drove her out, Aria had seen Georgina staring at a pair of handmade baby booties. She had made them herself and wanted to give them to Lily. But Karen had scorned them and did not even allow her to see the child. Aria knew Georgina still yearned to see Lily. Blood ties were different. Aria could approach everything else with logic, but not Georgina. When everyone else abandoned her, Georgina stayed. She always said, "We can't let Aria go hungry. Of course, she needs school. Whatever Aria wants, we'll save up for it. The same goes for Sam." Everyone had their weak spots, and for those they loved, anyone would surely lower their defenses. After all, they still held on to hope. Though Georgina never said it, Aria understood she'd held hope for Lily. That was why Aria had not been harsh enough with Lily. But tha
Lily definitely had not learned her mistake—there must be more to it. Though Aria had investigated, nothing turned up. Now she understood why Lily kept coming here. Aside from using Georgina's connections, she was after what was in the box. "Grandma, the first layer wasn't locked. Do you know what was inside?" Of course Georgina knew. "When the old priest gave me the box, he said anyone could read the books about medicine and the arcane in the first layer, especially you. They were all rare copies." Everything suddenly connected in Aria's mind. No wonder Lily's skills seemed endless; this explained it. Aria turned to Georgina. She preferred to be direct, so she said, "Grandma, I think I know who took them. Recently, a few people visited your place, but there was one you knew well—Lily. She's been using these medical texts to treat people. "Her medical skills are fine, but I worry she's misusing the arcane books for personal gain." Georgina swayed slightly at these words. Li
"Christian was your whole world back then, so it wasn't strange you wanted to give him gifts." Though Georgina preferred not to mention him, this particular item must have been precious for Aria to consider giving it away. After explaining, her mood lightened. "I'm glad you realized what you wanted and didn't let the Kent family engagement bind you. I planned to give this to you on your first day of university since that's what the priest requested. But I feel now's the right time." Georgina had wanted to mention this during their last meeting. But Aria had looked so exhausted then, so she'd wanted to let Aria rest. By morning, Aria had already left. With Aria's upcoming trip to Ludwiten and not knowing when they would meet again, Georgina's main concern was returning these items. Aria was really curious about what they might be. Since Georgina said it was left by the old priest who used to visit her, Aria was sure it was from Tobias. She never knew he had left anything for her
"Seeing Aria like this brings me so much joy." Georgina set down her fan and took a pill, her breathing gradually steadying. Landon observed her condition without surprise. He certainly saw more than Aria did. But fate's secrets were not meant to be revealed; everyone had their own path. All he could do was ask, "Should we tell her about your condition?" "And have her worrying about me while handling everything else?" As she spoke, Georgina waved dismissively. "Managing the Carver Group means there are countless employees depending on her. "Last time I saw her, she was falling asleep sitting up. She already worries too much about me, and I know why. It's because of my granddaughter Lily." Georgina lowered her gaze, smiling. "You know the situation with the Kents. I couldn't survive in Southbury then with everyone pointing fingers and calling me a wicked mother-in-law. They said I had blood on my hands. "But Aria stood by me without judgment. Only then could I come to Janovi
No one really knew how pitiful Sam had been back then. Nobody would have connected that filthy, weak, and skinny child to Chaos. Even now, only the skillful arcane seekers could recognize Sam as Chaos. That's because he had not fully awakened yet. Besides, his round, childish face showed no hint of threat. When Georgina first found him, it was raining. He looked less like a child and more like a stray cat, huddled miserably in a corner. He did seem fierce since he was watching everyone with dark, suspicious eyes. Some even suspected he was mentally ill and called the police. The police confirmed he was an orphan, with no records in any database. They planned to handle it as a case of missing a child since no orphanage would take him. Sam hadn't always been like this. He appeared quite dangerous and could not speak a word. He would stare people down intensely, so it was understandable that people would be afraid of him. He even bit the police officer who tried to take him. If
Aria glanced at Landon, impressed. His lie was far more polished than hers would have been. His face alone made the story believable, and she noticed how he showed no signs of deception at all. He even gave her a casual glance, showing how he was totally at ease. Sure enough, Georgina believed it. "I've heard of Mr. Bond. Sam is so lucky! Tell him to study well up there. I'll visit him in a few days!" "Of course. I'll go with you later." Aria did not want to upset Georgina. With her upcoming trip to Ludwiten, Aria insisted on having a meal at the mansion. She only provided occasional guidance on the clinic's direction now. She had left daily operations to professional managers. Even when she had lost her senses, Georgina had never given up on her. Even when she had not been herself, Georgina had not abandoned her. Aria knew the Kent family wouldn't change, especially Marshall, with his greed. She just wanted to ensure Georgina's twilight years weren't spent worrying about unw