The events at the Johnstons had also reached the ears of Mr. Gabriel.
Mr. Gabriel now knew with surety the God King Palace was affiliated with the Cadens and that Maxine
Caden was the one who demanded James’ release.
Mr Gabriel had a similar plan to Mr. Lee's. He also planned to visit the Cadens and discern Tobias
Caden’s thoughts on the recent events.
At the Cadens
Tobias had left the room after using his True Energy to treat James’ injuries.
Not long after, James slowly regained consciousness
The moment he woke up. all he could feel was excruciating pain throughout his body.
He felt as if his heart had been pierced by a thousand swords. James’ face was twisted into an
agonized grimace as he tried to bear the pain
To make matters worse, the Gu venom within his body was actively moving around. He was keenly
able to feel the sensation of numerous bugs squirming around his body and slowly eating away at him
from the inside.
“Argh His body throbbed and his skin became slick with sweat. Creak...The door opened quietly.
A young lady in a white dress with long curly black hair walked in.
She was holding a bowl of medicine in her hands.
“I see you're finally awake”
James glanced sideways and saw Maxine’s face.
Upon seeing her, James remembered that it was her who saved him from the Johnstons.
He tried getting up. However, he found that he could not exert any strength at all. Even the smallest
movement sent excruciating pain coursing through his body.
Maxine walked over to a chair beside the bed and gently caressed James’ hand. “You're gravely
injured. You need to rest.”
James’ face was ashen, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked at Maxine and opened his
mouth. His words were carried by a feeble voice. “Th-Thank you for saving my life.”
“Unfortunately, you’ve got it wrong. I wasn’t the one that saved you.”
“H Hub?”
James froze in disbelief. He took a moment to clear his throat before he attempted to clarify things with
her. “Wasn't it you who headed to the Johnstons and saved me?”
Maxine shook her head firmly. “No, I didn’t take a single step outside the Cadens manor when the
incident occurred. Someone impersonated me and saved you from the Johnstons. Then, they left you
at our front door. It was my grandfather who used his True Energy to save you.”
“Am I at Caden manor?”
James’ jerked his body away abruptly. He wanted to get up. He wanted to leave this wretched place.
He recalled the Emperor’s words.
The Emperor told him that the Cadens were behind the destruction of his family ten years ago They
were the real masterminds behind the deaths of his grandfather, father, and other family members.
James’ sudden movements caused blood to ooze out from his wounds.
Maxine’s face scrunched up in anger as she reprimanded him, “What's wrong with you? I told you that
you've been gravely injured. You shouldn't move about like this.”
The exertion made James pant. He spat out in an accusatory tone, “Was it the Cadens who burned my
family to the ground ten years ago?”
Maxine pressed her lips together in silence.
She was but a young girl ten years ago. How would she have known anything about past events?
All she could recall was her grandfather saying that the Cadens had eliminated some traitors to the
family. As for the specifics, she was still very much in the dark about it.
James yelled at her rabidly, “Say something!”
Maxine clenched her jaw and gave him a flat response, “I don’t know. You'll have to ask my grandfather
about what happened. Any way you spin it, the fact remains that Thomas wasn't exactly a good guy. He
deserved what he got.”
Something had snapped inside of James. “How dare you speak ill of the dead?!"
He tried getting up to refute her claims.
However, he only managed to lose his balance and crashed to the floor. He gasped at the shock and
shrieked in pain.
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