The Thorne of Destiny-Chapter 126: New Residence

The rest of the group furrowed their brows in confusion. Before they could ask, the group began to explain.

"The City Lord is looking for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator, right? Our target is also in the same realm. If he is truly in this city, then it shouldn’t be a problem for them to find him.

All we need to do is sit back and have them find him for us. Then we’ll simply swoop in and nab him."

His words enlightened the rest of his team, whose eyes gleamed with understanding.

"Fufu, now that you put it like that, it seems this new development isn’t so bad after all." The woman said with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, let them do all the work. We aren’t even sure if he’s in this stupid city anyway. It’s all still speculation."

"Hmph. If we can get them to do the work for us, I suppose it would save us a lot of effort." The three of them voiced their support for this plan.

The mood in the room gradually relaxed, and all four individuals began to drink and chat merrily.

Adrian, who was unaware that he was being targeted on two different fronts, made his way back to their rented manor. When he got back, he saw Jayson and Olivia practicing their sword techniques.

This time, instead of observing them, he quickly made his way towards them. When they noticed Adrian approaching them, they both stopped and ran towards him.

However, before they could greet him, his words caused them to stop dead in their tracks.

"Pack your belongings. We’re leaving this place today." His tone was a bit stern, indicating that his decision was final.

"W-What. Big brother, what do you mean we’re leaving?" Jayson asked, puzzled. The last thing he and Olivia were expecting was for their big brother to say that they were leaving.

"Yeah. Where are we going?" Olivia asked. She didn’t really want to leave. Even though they had only lived here for a few months, she had grown a bit attached to the place and didn’t want to just up and leave just like that.

"Calm down, both of you," Adrian said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. He could see that both kids were getting agitated, and that was something he didn’t want.

"The City Lord has organized a search party looking for a rogue Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. I’m pretty sure it’s me they’re looking for."

"Why would they be looking for you?" Jayson asked with a questioning look on his face. Adrian took a deep breath before explaining what had happened between him and Julian and how they had also been searching for him at the entrance of the Misty Mountains.

"So you think this disciple of the War Machine sect is using the City Lord to find you?" Jayson asked in a questioning tone. He didn’t doubt his brother, but his hypothesis was a little hard to believe.

Now that Adrian heard it out loud, he also began to think it was too far-fetched. Just as he was thinking that he was being paranoid, Olivia suddenly spoke up.

"Big Brother, do you know the name of that disciple from the War Machine sect?" She asked. Both Adrian and Jayson furrowed their brows, wondering why she wanted to know.

Still, Adrian didn’t ignore her question. "His name is Julian. Yes, that’s what one of those guards called him when he was inspecting people at the entrance to the Misty Mountains."

Olivia’s face changed when she heard the name. This change didn’t go unnoticed by both Adrian and Jayson, who were still wondering where Olivia was going with this.

"What’s wrong, Liv?" Adrian asked worriedly. The little girl hesitated for a bit, wondering whether she should speak or not. After a few seconds, she made up her mind and decided to tell them what she knew.

"One time, when Jayson and I were going out, I overheard some of the merchants talking. They were talking about the City Lord and how lucky he was to have a son who was talented enough to join the War Machine sect.

I couldn’t hear much, but I heard they call him Julian." The courtyard fell silent when Olivia finished explaining.

It all finally clicked together. The reason why that bastard Julian was able to do all of this was simple. He was the City Lord’s son. Adrian realized he was never going to be safe in Stonehold City. Not with that bastard around.

Suddenly, the manor they were staying in didn’t feel so safe anymore. Without hesitation, Adrian told both of them to pack their belongings. The kids, now knowing the gravity of the situation, didn’t delay any further.

They rushed into the house and quickly went to pack their stuff. After an hour. These four individuals were now ready to leave. They quickly left the inn and began making their way to the outskirts of the city.

According to the plan, they would pay for a caravan that was leaving the city and hitch a ride with it. However, Adrian quickly dismissed that plan when he heard some conversations that were going on the street.

From the bits and pieces he was able to hear, he found out that the security at the gates had become stricter. The guards were scrutinizing every carriage and inspecting everyone thoroughly.

The realization made him scrap his plans and devise a new one immediately. He took them all to an inn that was on the outskirts of the city. There, with the help of the Veil of a Hundred Shadows, he booked three rooms for them.

The three people were surprised when they saw his appearance suddenly morphing into that of a middle-aged man. However, he told them not to question him for now and that he would explain everything later.

With his new identity as an initial-stage Golden Core realm cultivator, he was able to smoothly book the rooms. In his mind, this temporary measure should buy them some time.

After all, they were looking for a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator. He should be able to avoid scrutiny with his new identity. Adrian ushered Jayson, Olivia, and the silent masked woman into their rooms at the inn.

The room had a cheap soundproofing formation which he activated immediately. It wasn’t a grand one, being only a bronze rank formation, but it was still better than nothing.

Once inside, Adrian took off the Veil of a Hundred Shadows and reverted back to his normal form.

"Whoa, that’s so cool. How did you do that, big brother?" Olivia asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"It’s just a little trick, nothing to be too surprised at," Adrian responded. He didn’t really see the need to tell them about the Veil of a Hundred Shadows. Knowing about it won’t do them any good and could even bring harm to them.

"Anyways, we’ll stay here for the time being. When I’m not around, you guys shouldn’t go too far from the inn." Adrian said, changing the topic.

He then went over some important things with them for a while. Even John was included in this briefing session and was not left out. Moving around was definitely not convenient, but it seems it wasn’t a moment too soon.

A few hours after they left the rented manor, A group of soldiers stormed into it. Along with them was the manager of the inn that had initially rented the manor to them.

However, he was not alone. Beside him stood Julian. Julian furrowed his brows when he saw the empty manor. He glanced at the inn manager before speaking.

"Why is this place empty? Didn’t you say you had rented it out to a group of people?" He questioned. His aura erupted from his body, pressing the man.

The inn manager, who was in the initial stages of the Golden Core realm himself, couldn’t help but start trembling slightly. Sweat pooled on his forehead, and he began stuttering.

"Y-Young Master, I wasn’t lying. There was indeed a Foundation Establishment realm cultivator staying here. He even had two young kids with him as well as a slave."

"Then where are they?" Julian asked, his tone turning colder.

"I-I don’t know. Their lease is still active for a few more months. I don’t know why they left early. Please, believe me, Young Master. I would never try to fool you."

The inn manager said while bowing his head. He was starting to regret his decision to report this individual to the authorities. He thought he would be rewarded if he were to hand over a ’suspicious’ looking cultivator.

Now it seems like he had only invited trouble to himself. If the man in front of him thought he was wasting his time, he couldn’t imagine what fate would befall him.

Julian narrowed his eyes in contemplation. This man in front of him didn’t have the balls to lie or trick him. He had to be telling the truth. Then, where were the people who were supposedly living here?