In the Cadens’ courtyard.
A group of people scrutinized an unconscious James.
Tobias furrowed his brows and asked, “Who sent him here?”
The guard said, “They were wearing a mask, so we couldn't see their faces clearly. After leaving James
In front of the gate. they simply left without a word.”
At that moment. Maxine exclaimed in an alarmed voice. “Grandpa, I've just received news that the
Johnstons are claiming that I went to the Jonnstons’ headquarters along with men from the God-King
Palace and took James away.”
Tobias hissed in irritation, “Looks like someone is trying to pin this incident on the Cadens.”
Maxine asked, “What should we do then? Should we save James?”
A conflicted look formed on Tobias’ face. Then he responded flatly. “Although he’s no longer a Caden
since his grandfather betrayed the family. the fact remains that Caden blood still runs through his veins.
In any case, we should take him in for now.”
A few guards walked over to James and carried him into a room. Tobias inspected his injuries carefully.
Maxine leaned in to get a better look. “How is he, grandpa?”
Tobias’ replied bleakly, “Hades’ cruelty knows no bounds. James had finally managed to cultivate True
Energy and attained the power of the first rank. However, the True Energy within his body was
forcefully expelled, and his meridians were utterly destroyed as a result. Fortunately for him, he
reached the pinnacle of External Martial Arts. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived this. To make
things worse, there’s also Gu venom inside his body. Curse the Gu sect... They just keep crawling out
of nowhere like cockroaches.”
Maxine held her breath when she heard the extent of James’ injuries. “Can he be saved?”
Tobias nodded. “Yes, he definitely can. Unfortunately, he'll completely lose his martial art skills. It'll be
next to impossible for him to cultivate True Energy once again.”
He stood up and walked toward a table. He then wrote the names of a few herbs on a piece of paper
and handed it to Maxine. “Go get some medicine for him. It should take a couple of months for him to
recover completely and finish recuperating.”
“Got it.”
Maxine nodded and left with the prescription.
Tobias got up and walked toward James’ bed again. He helped James up and made him sit in a lotus
position. Sitting behind James, he raised his wrinkled hands and pressed his palms against James’
back.
He channeled his own True Energy into James to treat his internal injuries.
After some time had passed, Tobias was completely drenched in sweat.
Then, he slowly laid James back down on the bed. After that, he took James’ pulse. As he was
assessing James’ condition, he grit his teeth. “It's a miracle that he was able to survive the fire ten
years ago. What an unfortunate child... He’s been through such a tumultuous life. Although he returned
to us a cripple, the family won't take this lying down.”
At the same time, in Peace Mansion...
The King and Mr. Lee were locked in a game of chess.
Gloom walked over to them.
The King asked without taking his eyes off the board, “Do you have any updates for me?”
Gloom nodded and began to deliver his report in an organized manner. “The God King Palace does
indeed belong to the
Cadens. This evening, Maxine Caden brought a few highly skilled men from the God- King Palace to
the Johnstons to retrieve James. The Johnstons complied with Maxine’s requests. However, Hades
made sure to wound James irreparably before the God King Palace took him away.”
“As expected...” The King took a sharp breath. “What are the Cadens up to?”
Turning the chess piece around his hand, Mr. Lee looked up at Gloom and urged him, “Tell us more
about the specifics.”
Gloom gave a detailed run-down of the events that had taken place at the Johnstons.
“Was that really Maxine Caden?” Mr. Lee pressed his lips together.
“Affirmative. The God-King Palace’s men even briefly fought against the Johnstons’ four experts.
Though the Four Great Protectors are slightly weaker, they stand a fighting chance against the Four
Experts if they put their lives on the line.”
“How curious...”
Mr. Lee tapped his finger on the chess piece.He was well acquainted with Tobias Caden. In fact. they
were both good friends with each other. He was extremely aware that Tobias was a man who would
rather stay on the sidelines in order to avoid any involvement with the affairs of the External Realm.
So where did the God-King Palace really come from?
After some brief contemplation. he opened his mouth. “By the way, is James currently at the Cadens?”
Gloom nodded. “Yes.”
“Got it. You're dismissed.” Mr. Lee waved Gloom away.
Gloom bowed and made his way out of the room.
The King looked at Mr. Lee and cocked his eyebrow. “What should we do next?”
Mr. Lee gave the question a lot of consideration before replying. “Let's pay a visit to the Cadens
tomorrow. We shall see how James is doing while looking into the Cadens'’ position at the same time. If
the Cadens are willing to align themselves with me, it'd be fantastic. Let's hope that they don't have
plans of their own.”
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