The Thorne of Destiny-Chapter 124: Search The City

The quiet mewl from inside the house was followed by the soft pattering of paws as Storm trotted out into the courtyard, blinking sleep from his eyes. His silver wings fluttered slightly as he leaped onto a low stone bench, yawning wide enough to show off tiny, sharp fangs.

Olivia followed behind him moments later, still in her nightgown and rubbing her eyes. "Storm woke me up," she mumbled, then blinked when she saw the two boys. "You’re sparring without me?!"

Adrian laughed, tossing the wooden sword to the side. "Didn’t want to wake you. Come join us. We’ll have breakfast later," He glanced at their servant John, whom they had bought some time ago.

Adrian had also given him a cultivation technique, allowing him to embark on the journey of cultivation. He was only at the first level of the Qi Condensation realm, meaning his talent was just ordinary. Still it was already much more than he could have asked for.

He nodded his head, indicating he understood Adrian’s words as he left to go about his duties.

"You promise?" she asked with mock suspicion, already grabbing a third wooden sword from the rack beside the wall.

"I swear on Storm’s tiny wings."

Storm let out a huff as if it was offended.

The three siblings played and sparred in the courtyard until the sun fully rose. It was peaceful, something Adrian hadn’t known in a long time. And for a brief moment, it felt like the world outside didn’t exist.

That was how they spent their day, wishing it could continue on like that. Of course, life wasn’t so simple.

As the sun rose the next day, Julian finally returned back to Sonehold City. While other disciples were making their way back to the sect, Julian was doing the opposite.

Normally, disciples of sects that come from noble families couldn’t return to their families easily. Most sects were usually located far from normal cities and were placed near important regions.

However, for the War Machine sect, which was filled with battle maniacs, being near the Misty Mountains where they could fight to their hearts’ content was a no-brainer. And since Stonehold City was the closest city to the Misty Mountains, the distance from the sect to the city couldn’t be considered much.

For Julian and other sect disciples who resided in Stonehold City, traveling the distance was a piece of cake. That was why he was able to receive proper support from his family.

This time, however, he wasn’t coming here for fun; he was here to perform a task an important task given by an important person. And he wasn’t alone. He had returned with the two women from the House of Vyre.

Since they had returned, Bella had lost interest in continuing the exploration of the Misty Mountains. Her interest now lay in the mysterious cultivator that had managed to elude their inspections. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She didn’t want to enter that dangerous place again, especially after the news she received the next day. On the day of the failed inspection, they were preparing to depart when they heard some interesting news.

A group of Elders from the War Machine sect that had gone hunting deep inside returned. When they learned that Bella and Elder Glenda were around, they went to offer their greetings. That was when they informed them of something bizarre.

According to them, the beasts seemed to be retreating back to their original habitats. They were already making their way back when they noticed some of the more powerful beasts moving deeper into the Misty Mountains.

At first, they thought it was an isolated incident, but as they made their way towards the exit in the outer regions, they saw more and more beasts retreating. Different from the frenzied manner in which they used to charge, they were now moving back in a more docile manner.

It was as if the reason for the beast tide was no longer present, so they could go back home. Bella and Elder Glenda were surprised at this development and decided to wait for one more day.

After gathering testimonies from other cultivators that confirmed the statements of those Elders, Bella, and Elder Glenda were finally convinced of the truth of those Elders’ words. However, Bella was not one to remain passive in these types of situations.

She sent out the eight cultivators that came with her from the Vyre family. Their orders were to investigate the beast’s movements and to try to find out what was causing it. There was only a slim chance they would find anything, but Bella didn’t want to simply leave without doing anything.

That was why it took them an extra day to return to Stonehold City. Since there were only a few individuals this time, there was no fanfare to welcome them back. In fact, only a few people from the City Lord’s mansion knew that they had returned.

The three individuals just made their way to the City Lord’s mansion, where the surprised City Lord Richard hosted them with a banquet.

"Young Mistress, I apologize for the shabby display. If I had known you would be returning so soon, we would have prepared a more elaborate banquet." City Lord Richards said as they sat around the assortment of dishes that the City Lord had called "shabby".

Bella waved a dismissive hand, her sharp hazel eyes scanning the banquet hall with mild disinterest. "No need for formalities, City Lord. We aren’t here for a celebration."

Richard’s smile faltered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Of course, of course. Then, may I ask what brings you back so soon? I had assumed your investigation in the Misty Mountains would take longer."

Bella took a sip of her drink before replying. "The situation has changed. The beasts are retreating; returning to their territories as if the disturbance that drove them out has vanished."

Richard’s eyebrows shot up. "That’s... unexpected. Does this mean the beast tide is truly over?"

"For now," Bella said coolly. "But we don’t know what caused it in the first place, nor do we know if it will happen again." She leaned forward slightly, her gaze piercing. "Which is why I’m here."

She said while glancing towards Julian. Richard was confused when he witnessed this and was about to ask before he was interrupted.

Julian, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat. "Father, we need to look for a mysterious cultivator. Outwardly, he appears as a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, but it is probably just a disguise.

He is someone we suspect is involved in this situation. He might even be the one that caused the beast’s strange movement."

City Lord Richard frowned. This situation was not what he was expecting at all. He had a lot of questions, but he knew now was not the time for them. He could always ask his son later.

"I understand. We’ll search the city from top to bottom. If he is in Stonehold City, then we’ll definitely find him."

Bella nodded in satisfaction, and the banquet continued for a while longer. After a while, some maids escorted Bella and Elder Glenda to their rooms, where they would be staying during their time in the city.

After they left, City Lord Richard turned his attention towards Julian who had been standing like a background character all this time. His gaze was filled with questions that he was expecting Julian to answer.

Julian, who already knew what his father wanted to ask, didn’t waste time and informed him of everything that had happened. After hearing the full story, the City Lord remained quiet for a while.

He was contemplating the whole situation. After a few minutes, a smile appeared on his face, confusing Julian who was still standing nearby.

"This- This is good." He said while muttering to himself. Julian was now the one who was confused. He couldn’t help but ask his father what he meant.

"Ahh son, you don’t get it? This is a good opportunity.

If this matter is handled well, we could use it to deepen our relationship with the House of Vyre. Instead of the surface-level relationship we have now, we could become a trusted aide of theirs."

City Lord Richard said as his smile widened.

"But father, that’s only if we are able to find this cultivator. If we can’t find him, or worse, if he’s not even here..." Julian didn’t complete his sentence. He didn’t need to. His father already understood what he wanted to say.

However, the smile on City Lord Richards’ face widened even more.

"No one can hide from me in this city. Isn’t it just finding a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator?

Besides, even if that person is not here, that doesn’t mean we can’t find a substitute.

There are countless Foundation Establishment realm cultivators in the city. We can just find one and make him the scapegoat.

Aren’t you the only one that has met this cultivator? Whoever you point out is the person we are looking for."

City Lord Richards said with a sly smile on his face.