Stefan hid behind a rock, waiting for them to change shifts. He knew the security would be the weakest at that time. He'd heard from Neil that their guards had a ritual—they would perform a Dragon Dance, their ethnic dance, when they wanted to change shifts.Soon, the six guards at the cave and the other six guards who were taking over started dancing, and Stefan took that opportunity to sneak into the cave through a side door. The cave was small but deep, and there was only one lamp in the dark cave. It was a karst cave with unique stalactites that were shaped like the 12 zodiac animals—pig, dog, chicken, goat, tiger, and so on."I'm sure there must be a dragon here since it's one of the twelve zodiacs." Stefan eagerly walked into the deepest part of the cave. He could hear the sound of running water from time to time, and it sounded like the cry of a dragon. The deepest part of the cave was the highest part of it, and there was a stalactite there more than ten meters high. It w
Unexpectedly, Stefan had successfully snuck into the memorial chamber, and he'd even climbed onto the dragon's neck and taken the dragon's saliva, which was the clan's treasure. Neil was shocked, and felt like he was about to pass out."Neil, you came just in time! Help me take this." Stefan held the cauldron with one hand and clung to the dragon's body with the other. The climb down wouldn't be easy, and he was also afraid of spilling the liquid in the cauldron, so he was relieved to see Neil."No, I don't want to." Neil looked up at Stefan and squatted there arrogantly. "I can't do such a thing to betray my clan. They'll kill me if they find me out.""I know you'll help me." Stefan handed the cauldron to Neil. "If not, you wouldn't have given me the map or risked coming here. I'm begging you—please take good care of this cauldron and give it to my assistant. My wife's life depends on it." Stefan seemed to have realized that he wouldn't be able to escape, and knew he could depend o
A day had passed, and the atmosphere in Everheart Manor was tense. Everyone in the manor looked solemn."Today is the last day. Where's Stefan?" Owen looked up at the calendar on the wall in the living room, and a worried sigh escaped him."It's hard to tell." Quinton clenched his fists, then scoffed, "I've always said that he's just an incapable pretty boy. Don't count on him—we have to come up with something else."Owen hung his head in regret. "If I hadn't told him about the four herbs, he wouldn't have risked his life searching for them, and things wouldn't have ended up like this. We didn't get the herb, and now he's missing." "It's too late to say that now!" Xavier slammed his fist on the table and snarled, "What kind of a doctor are you? Are you trying to save lives or end them? Stefan wanted to dig people's eyes out because of your words, and now, thanks to you, we don't even know if he's alive!" He stood up and grabbed Owen's collar fiercely. "Tell us the truth—who the he
Quinton staggered back in shock. "How... could you...""What?" Xavier demanded stubbornly. "We aren't related, so I can say what I want! Don't think that I'll feel sorry for you—you're just an outcast, and if it wasn't for Stefan, I would have dealt with you ages ago!""That's enough!" Leia had been keeping silent, but she couldn't take it anymore. She got to her feet and pushed Xavier away. "You're upset because your first love has suffered—we get it.. Just stop taking out your frustrations on innocent people! Yes, others might not know about the conflict between Quinton and Stefan, but as Stefan's friend, you should know better. There's no right or wrong between them—just defeat or victory. If Quinton was still harboring a grudge against Stefan, don't you think he would have let him die when he saw him drowning in the Southern Sea?" Xavier looked at Leia, and calmed down a little. "I don't know about that, but I would never forgive someone who blinded and nearly killed me." "Bu
"I'm not, but you are!" Leia snapped furiously. "You're wrong—I'm the smart one who calls out lovestruck fools!" Xavier sneered.Both Owen and Quinton automatically took a step back and watched their fight. Honestly, it looked like a lovers' quarrel… and it was rather sweet.At that moment, a servant hurried into the room. "They're back! They're home!""They're back?" Both Leia and Xavier immediately stopped arguing, then childishly rushed to the door, each trying to outrun each other."I knew Stefan could do it! He could even find a mythical item… What a guy!" As Stefan's first fan, Xavier easily outran Leia and was the first to reach the door to welcome them.However, to his confusion, only Elijah and a stranger were walking towards them slowly. "Mr. Stuart!" When Elijah saw Xavier, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. He looked exhausted, and anyone looking at him could tell that things had not gone smoothly for them. "Where's Stefan? I don't… see him." Xavier looked aro
Leia could tell that something had happened to Stefan, but their priority right now was to detoxify Renee. "That's enough! Let go!" Leia pulled Xavier's hands off Elijah's collar, then told Neil and Elijah, "Go give the dragon's saliva to Dr. Wagner.""Okay!" Elijah turned around and gave Xavier a look, then sighed and rushed into the manor with Neil.When Owen saw the dragon's saliva, he was in disbelief. It was practically an elixir in medical textbooks and was rumoured to bring people back to life, and Stefan had actually found it. "Great! We have the items—Ms. Everheart can be saved!" Owen didn't waste any time and immediately went to his laboratory to make the antidote for Renee.After a day of research, he finally came up with the antidote and gave it to Renee. After a while, Renee felt much better. Her pain had lessened, and she didn't feel so weak anymore. "It's magical... I feel like I've come alive!" Renee leaned against the head of the bed, her eyes bright. Before this,
Thankfully, they had managed to fool Renee.After Renee chatted with them for a while, Owen suggested that they let Renee rest. "There are three courses of treatment that she'll take over a span of two weeks. She'll get better with each treatment, but she also needs to rest. Let's not disturb her." "Okay, let's go then." Leia immediately stood up and asked everyone to leave Renee's room.When they reached downstairs and confirmed that Renee was asleep, everyone called Neil and Elijah over and asked them to explain what had happened.Neil had wanted to set off for Dragos immediately with the remainder of the dragon's saliva, but decided he owed them an explanation. Taking a deep breath, he said to everyone, "In order to get the dragon's saliva, Mr. Hunt climbed our dragon statue, the most sacred thing in my clan. What he did infuriated the villagers, and if they're going to punish him by clan laws… They'll cook and eat him, sacrificing him to the ancestors to pacify the dragon's wr
Neil lowered his head, trembling in fear. He glanced at Elijah pleadingly. "Mr. Young, please help me. I did what you all told me; I didn't do anything wrong." "Mr. Stuart, it was my decision, not Neil's. Punish me if you want, but leave him out of this." Elijah closed his eyes, preparing for Xavier's attack. He had expected such a reaction when he made that choice. Stefan and Renee had both been on the verge of death, and Elijah had chosen to save Renee because he knew that was what Stefan would do. If he chose to save Stefan and lost the dragon's saliva, he would have lost the chance to save Renee, and Stefan would have suffered even more. Elijah didn't want to see Stefan have such regrets."Elijah, you're Stefan's most trusted subordinate. How could you betray him? Why?" Xavier's fury turned into confusion. He knew Elijah's loyalty towards Stefan was stronger than Xavier's friendship with Stefan; Even if everyone had abandoned Stefan, Elijah would never do such a thing. "I did