“The Moseys’ situation is unclear right now. You need to be careful too,” Natasha said, sounding concerned for once. ” Losing a rival like you would make life pretty boring.”
Dahlia seemed to laugh on the other end. ” Don’t worry. I’m not going to die before you do.” Natasha snorted before hanging up. Dustin couldn’t help asking, “What did she say?”
“She said Anders is behind it and warned me to watch out. Things at the Moseys have become dangerous,” Natasha replied, putting her phone away. “She said there are unknown factions involved now, and even she can’t do anything about it.”
Dustin frowned. “Anders… I remember him. He’s an ambitious guy. But if even Dahlia finds these factions troublesome, they’re no joke.”
“Yeah. She said it might be connected to those ‘special figures’ who showed up in Oakvale recently,” she said, looking out the car window. “Could the people you encountered in the park before be…”
“It’s possible,” Dustin responded with a nod. “The methods those two used are definitely not something ordinary martial artists possess.”
By the time they got back to the villa, it was completely dark outside. Natasha stayed over that evening. They made a simple dinner together and sat in the living room eating while watching the news.
The broadcast reported a bizarre incident from earlier that afternoon. A mansion in the Oakvale suburbs had suddenly caught fire.
The fire had been unusually intense. When firefighters arrived, they found the temperature at the center of the blaze abnormally high. The burn patterns were strange, unlike those of an ordinary fire.
Even more disturbing was that the investigators discovered three charred bodies at the scene, burned beyond recognition. The coroner’s preliminary assessment suggested the victims had died before the fire even started.
“This news…” Natasha frowned. “Could it be related to those ‘special figures’?”
Dustin stared at the screen for a few seconds. “It’s possible,” he said finally. “But there’s nothing we can do about it right now. We’ll just have to wait and see how things develop.”
“Great. Just when I thought we could have some peace and quiet,” she said with a sigh, resting her head on his shoulder. ” Where do you think these people come from? Why are they interfering in mundane affairs?”
“No idea,” he replied, shaking his head. ” But if they’re showing up now, it means something’s about to happen.”
They talked late into the night before Natasha finally went to the guest room to rest. Dustin returned to his own room but couldn’t sleep. He stood by the window, looking out at the city in the darkness. A nagging feeling settled in his gut.
Their peaceful days probably wouldn’t last much longer. Elsewhere in Oakvale, the atmosphere at the Weston family estate was so oppressive that it was almost suffocating.
The Westons were an upper-middle-class family in Oakvale. They had some influence in the business world. Their family enterprises covered real estate and import-export trade, making them a respected name in the city.
But right now, dozens of family members were kneeling in the main hall. They were trembling and dared not make a sound.
In the seat of honor sat a cultivator, Narcissa, in her early 30s. She wore a flowing dress of pale lavender, her long hair pinned up with an emerald clasp. Her features were beautiful, but her expression held a cruel edge
She sat with her legs crossed, idly toying with a crystal glass while her cold gaze swept over the people kneeling before her. Beside her stood a boy around six years old.
The child had delicate features and wore an expensive silk attire, but his face held a cruelty and arrogance that didn’t belong to someone his age.
He snapped the riding crop occasionally, each sharp crack making the children in the front row shrink back against their parents.
“Mr. Weston,” Narcissa said coldly. “Is this how your family treats guests? Can’t even brew a decent cup of coffee?”
The white-haired elderly man kneeling at the front was the family patriarch, Oswald Weston. He bowed his head low and said, ” Please forgive us. It was the maids’ fault. I’ll have them make a fresh pot immediately.”
“Don’t bother.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I can see your family doesn’t have anything worth offering anyway. If this estate wasn’t positioned on a ley line, I would’ve already left.”
Narcissa turned to the boy beside her. ” Kael, what do you think of this place?”
Kael wrinkled his nose. “Mom, this place is boring. They don’t even have any decent toys. And these people are all clumsy idiots. That woman almost scalded me when she poured me a drink earlier.”
“Oh?” Her eyes went cold. “Which one?”
Kael pointed to a young woman kneeling in the corner. She was in her early 20s, a distant niece of the Westons named Rachel Weston.
She usually helped with household tasks around the estate. Now, singled out, she trembled violently as tears streamed down her face.
“P-Please spare me. I didn’t mean to.” Rachel slapped herself hard across the face. “My hand slipped. I was just so nervous…”
“Nervous?” Narcissa sneered. “You were nervous serving my son? What, you think he’s not good enough to drink what you pour?”
“No. That’s not what I mean.” Rachel kept slapping herself across the face, each blow harder than the last. Her cheek swelled, her lip split, and blood trickled down her chin.
“Mom, she got my clothes wet” Kael pointed to a water stain on his shirt. Though it had already dried, he wouldn’t let it go. “This was a gift from Fallridge Haven. She ruined it.”
Narcissa’s expression darkened completely. She slowly rose and walked over to Rachel, her voice deadly cold.
“Since you can’t even pour a drink properly, then those hands of yours are useless.”
