Evander smiled faintly, unbothered by Elowen’s indifference, and followed after her. Just as he was about to turn away, something seemed to catch his attention. His head shifted ever so slightly toward where Dustin stood.
Dustin’s heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged. He kept the same calm demeanor, his gaze sweeping casually over the chaotic scene before resting on the lake’s shimmering surface. It was as if he were just another bystander drawn by the commotion.
Evander’s gaze lingered on him for less than half a second. He saw an ordinary-looking young man in plain clothes with an unremarkable presence, standing by the lake watching the scene unfold. To him, Dustin just looked like other curious onlookers nearby.
The corner of Evander’s mouth curled upward almost imperceptibly, forming an ambiguous smile. In that expression lay indifference, superiority, and perhaps a trace of contempt for ordinary people. It was something even he might not have been aware of.
Withdrawing his gaze, he turned and followed Elowen at an unhurried pace. The two figures soon disappeared around a bend in the path on the far side of the park, as if they had never been there at all.
Dustin stood still, his gaze returning to the lake’s surface as his fingers brushed against something in his pocket.
“I want them to wish they were dead.”
Elowen’s words echoed in his mind. With just a gesture through the air, they had inflicted excruciating agony on others.
Dustin was aware that this technique went far beyond what ordinary martial artists or gifted individuals could manage. The casual way they’d drawn those symbols in the air looked like spellcasting.
Something about Evander and Elowen felt deeply wrong. Their clothing and demeanor seemed completely out of place in the modern world, and they regarded human life with cold indifference. The eerie abilities they wielded so effortlessly only added to the unsettling impression.
“Are they disciples of the reclusive cultivator families?” Dustin wondered aloud. He didn’t know much about them, but had only heard rumors in passing.
He used to dismiss them as fairy tales. But after witnessing the scene, he understood that this world really did harbor powerful cultivators. For ordinary people, such cultivators might as well be myths.
Ever since Dustin had broken through to the terrestrial immortal realm, he’d crossed the threshold from martial artist to true cultivator. Right now, he was in the nascent soul stage of mortal transformation.
“It seems another wave is about to sweep through Oakvale,” he muttered to himself. Once disciples from the hidden cultivator families emerged, they inevitably caused upheaval. But without his cultivation, there wasn’t much he could do about it. He felt that it was better to keep his head down and mind his own business.
At that moment, Evander and Elowen were already in the back of a luxury sedan.
“That guy by the lake earlier was interesting,” she said casually, toying with a small pinwheel she’d just bought.
“Oh? You sensed it too?” he asked, leaning back in the plush leather seat with his eyes closed. “I can’t quite put my finger on it Something felt off, but I couldn’t see anything special about him,” Elowen said with a shrug
She added, “Maybe I’m overthinking it. In these mundane lands where spiritual energy is lacking, what kind of person would even be worth noticing?”
Evander opened his eyes. A faint golden gleam flashed in their depths before vanishing.
“Better be cautious than sorry,” he said. ” But even if there is something unusual about him, he’s not a threat to us in this world.
“Our mission is to ensure Seamus takes the throne and controls Dragonmarsh’s government so our family can move forward with its plans. Anything else that doesn’t get in our way isn’t our problem ”
“Got it.” Elowen stuck the pinwheel out the car window and watched it spin rapidly in the wind, a childlike smile spreading across her face. She didn’t look like she had just casually decided another person’s fate back at the park.
The sedan pulled smoothly into Oakvale’s heavy traffic and disappeared. The park incident seemed minor and was quickly forgotten. But the course of events had already been set in motion.
By the time Dustin returned to his villa, the setting sun had painted the horizon orange -red. These past few days had been so peaceful they felt foreign to him, but he’d surprisingly found he didn’t mind it.
Without his cultivation, he’d become more focused on the details right in front of him. The aroma of coffee, the words in a book, and the way light and shadow shifted across the windowsill.
That morning, he came downstairs to prepare breakfast as usual, only to find something off in the kitchen. The milk carton that had been half-full last night was gone, several slices of ham were missing from the fridge, and an empty milk carton sat in the trash.
Dustin frowned. The neighborhood had excellent security, and there shouldn’t be any break-ins. Could Natasha have stopped by last night? But if it had been her, she wouldn’t have just taken the food.
He searched the kitchen carefully, then heard a faint noise coming from the pantry. Dustin walked over quietly and opened the door. A pair of amber eyes stared back at him from the shadows, wary and alert.
It was a small white fox, about the size of a house cat. Its right hind leg was curled beneath it, marked with an obvious wound. Dried blood had crusted into dark brown patches on the fur.
Its coat was pure white without a single marking, and its fluffy tail was wrapped tightly around its body. Traces of milk still clung to the fur around its mouth.
When it saw Dustin, the fox bared its teeth and growled low in its throat. But the injury made its defensive stance look awkward and vulnerable.
