"You know them?" Hector Lennox asked.

Leigh Miles replied respectfully, "They’re friends from the Battle for Glory esports team."

"Do you want to join them?"

Leigh Miles glanced at Aurora Sinclair.

But she just shook her head. "Uncle Hector, we’ll sit over there."

Arthur Lockwood, sitting next to Alvin Morgan, nearly spit out his drink.

’He came all this way to ’accidentally’ run into her, and she still shut him down.’

Alvin Morgan’s expression stiffened, and the smile on his lips faded slightly.

Elias Lennox grinned and waved a greeting, then led the group down another aisle to a table far from the others.

A waiter came over to set the table, thoughtfully placing chopsticks and spoons in front of Aurora Sinclair and Leigh Miles.

Hector Lennox glanced at Alvin Morgan, who wasn’t far off, and said to Elias Lennox with a stern face, "I told you to take care of them, but it seems an outsider is doing a better job."

Elias Lennox turned to look, then gave a sheepish, shameless grin. "It’s fine. He’s more than happy to look after them."

Hector Lennox stopped looking at him and turned to Aurora Sinclair and Leigh Miles with a kindly expression. "Order whatever you like. It’s my treat today."

Although Hector Lennox looked a bit stern, he was actually quite talkative. He told Aurora Sinclair and Leigh Miles many amusing stories about his and their master’s childhood when they were learning martial arts.

But Aurora Sinclair’s face remained devoid of any smile. Only Leigh Miles forced back her discomfort and managed to squeeze out a few laughs in response.

Meanwhile, Arthur Lockwood noticed Alvin Morgan kept glancing over at Aurora Sinclair, his expression darkening. He couldn’t help but nudge him. "How’s it feel to be ditched by your wifey?"

Alvin Morgan took a sip of his coffee, shot him a sideways glance, and said nothing.

Arthur Lockwood had spoken quietly, but to High Rank Martial Artists like Hector Lennox and Aurora Sinclair, his voice wasn’t quiet at all. Both of them heard the question.

A smile touched Hector Lennox’s eyes as he teased, "So he’s Dawn Miles’s boyfriend! Elias, have him come sit with us..."

Aurora Sinclair stiffened. Leigh Miles’s eyes went wide as she followed Hector Lennox’s gaze to Alvin Morgan, and she quickly shook her head in a panic. "No, no, he’s our boss! We just work for him to earn money."

"Work for him?" A hint of interest appeared on Hector Lennox’s face.

"Mhm! My senior sister works as a bodyguard, and I’m a research assistant. We make 200 a day," Leigh Miles said, gesturing as she spoke, a brilliant smile on her face.

Seeing her money-grubbing ways, Hector Lennox shook his head. "Your temperament is the exact same as The Radiant Sect’s."

Leigh Miles giggled. "Well, I was taught by my master, wasn’t I?"

After the main course and side dishes, while they were having dessert, Hector Lennox seemed to sigh with emotion. "It’s been over thirty years in the blink of an eye since I left the mountain. The past is the past. Back then, I was too stubborn, just holding on to my pride. But thinking back on it now, I was just young and impetuous. By the way, how has your master been lately?"

Aurora Sinclair swallowed a mouthful of cake and nodded. "Master is in seclusion."

"Seclusion? So he finally decided to get serious. He used to be the one who hated training the most. Our master often had to chase him with a stick to get him to practice..."

Hector Lennox’s eyes were full of nostalgia, and his smile seemed tinged with a hint of sadness.

Aurora Sinclair wiped her mouth and said in a deceptively calm tone, "He was ambushed during his duel with the Lowell Family. He needs to be in seclusion to recover from his injuries."

This was the official story that Alvin Morgan had told them to use.

Hector Lennox’s face fell. "Then how is he? Why didn’t you tell me something so serious happened?" As he said this, he shot a look at Elias Lennox.

Elias Lennox looked helpless. "My junior sisters didn’t tell me..."

"It’s not that serious. He just needs to rest and recuperate. It coincided with his breakthrough, so he needs to consolidate his new level," Aurora Sinclair said, her expression perfectly composed.

"That’s good, then." Hector Lennox suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but his brows remained tightly furrowed, his expression still unsettled.

"This year, Crestland has a Martial King participating in the competition, but Veridia’s new Martial King has been crippled. This isn’t good for Veridia’s international standing. Does your master have any other plans?"

Leigh Miles pointed at Aurora Sinclair and said in a low voice, "My senior sister is going to compete."

At these words, both men at the table froze. Elias Lennox’s gaze grew particularly intense, and he asked in an excited voice, "Junior Sister, are you really...?"

"This has to be kept a secret," Leigh Miles quickly shushed him, glancing left and right. She looked as cautious as if she were guarding a state secret.

Hector Lennox’s eyes lit up as he sized up Aurora Sinclair for a few moments, then exclaimed, "The rise of Sunstone is at hand! Come to my room in a bit. I have something for you two."

***

The dinner party ended, and everyone left the table.

Alvin Morgan watched the backs of Aurora Sinclair and Leigh Miles as they left with the others, his brows furrowing.

Seeing his friend’s expression grow darker and darker, Arthur Lockwood teased, "Morgan, looks like the in-laws don’t approve of you!"

Alvin Morgan shot him a look and said flatly, "We don’t need anyone else’s approval."

Arthur Lockwood glanced at the leftover steak on the table and snickered inwardly.

’He barely ate two bites of his food. Keep talking tough!’

Hector Lennox glanced at the group not far behind them and asked with a smile, "Are they staying here too?"

"They’re right next door. My junior sister is staying with them—"

Elias Lennox replied with a hint of grievance, as if he were a poor, abandoned soul.

Hector Lennox shot him a look. "Would it be convenient for her to stay with you?"

Elias Lennox was left speechless, feeling like he’d just taken 10,000 points of emotional damage.

Leigh Miles, walking beside them, was quite curious. ’My master and my senior brother are both extremely traditional. I didn’t expect our Senior Uncle to be so open-minded.’

"Senior Uncle, you’re not against us staying with them?"

"Are you sleeping in the same bed?"

Leigh Miles’s face turned red as she shook her head frantically. "There are three bedrooms! My senior sister and I share one."

Hector Lennox smiled and patted her head. "Then why would I object? Since you’ve come down from the mountain, you should integrate into this world. Live according to your own ideas; there’s no need to cling to so many rules. That’s the one thing wrong with Sunstone—too many stale rules and old-fashioned ideas..."

Leigh Miles thought she was beginning to understand why her Senior Uncle had a falling out with their Grandmaster.

「In the hotel—」

Hector Lennox took a handwritten manuscript out of his combination-lock suitcase. The edges of the pages were curled and wrinkled, a clear sign that it was read often.

"Don’t show this to anyone else. You two must study it diligently."

A trace of envy appeared in Elias Lennox’s eyes. He craned his neck to get a look, only to get a smack on the head from Hector Lennox.

Elias Lennox clutched his head and feigned misery. "Uncle, if you hit me again, I’ll go ask my Junior Uncle to be my master instead."

"If he’s willing to take you, you can have free rein of all my things," Hector Lennox snorted, loosening his collar and cuffs before sitting on a nearby sofa.

"Elias, both of your junior sisters have surpassed you in skill. Don’t you feel any sense of urgency?"

Elias Lennox gave a couple of sheepish laughs and rubbed his cheek.

"From now on, when you’re out, don’t tell people I taught you martial arts."

"..."

Aurora Sinclair flipped through a few pages of the manuscript. To her surprise, it contained the last three layers of the Radiant Void Boxing Manual, from the Seventh Layer to the Ninth Layer.

"This is the fruit of my research over the past few decades. I no longer have the chance to practice it myself, but you and Leigh Miles still have hope. The day you two achieve your breakthrough will be the day I return to Sunstone..."

Hector Lennox’s eyes held a complex emotion, as if he had something to prove.

Just as Leigh Miles was about to say something, Aurora Sinclair cut her off by performing a formal Ancient Martial Ceremony. "I will be sure to practice diligently..."

After the two of them left, Leigh Miles looked at Aurora Sinclair in confusion. "Why... Mmph..."

Her mouth was covered by Aurora Sinclair’s hand. Aurora glanced cautiously down the hallway behind them and whispered, "We’ll talk when we get back."

Leigh Miles nodded.

It was already past 10:00 PM.

The two used their keycard to open the door and were greeted by the pathetic sound of Arthur Lockwood’s voice from the living room: "Morgan, can you at least let me catch my breath before you thrash me again?"

Hearing this, the two of them hurried around the screen divider, only to see Alvin Morgan and Arthur Lockwood sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, game controllers in hand, playing video games.

The massive letters "KO" were displayed on the TV screen.

"Oh, they were just playing a game..." Leigh Miles immediately lost interest.

Arthur Lockwood asked amusingly, "Were you actually hoping I was getting beaten up? Not to brag, but even in ten years, your dear Morgan might not be able to beat me."

Aurora Sinclair pressed her lips together and said flatly, "He won’t need ten years. In two, you won’t be able to beat him."

Arthur Lockwood: ...

’Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration!’