Chapter 123: Shameless Teasing

Rhain slipped back into the Silvercrest estate just as the sky began to lighten.

He had already removed the Faceless Emperor Mask miles before reaching the gates, returning to his true appearance.

He pushed open the doors of the Moon Courtyard, expecting silence.

Instead, as soon as he entered, he saw a delicate figure running towards him.

"Rhain!" She called out, her silver-blue hair swaying as she rushed toward him. "Where have you been? I woke up and you were gone, and then the entire city started shaking, and there was that horrible light in the sky, and I heard the explosions, I was so scared...and I didn’t know where to find you..."

Her words tumbled out in a breathless rush.

Rhain looked at her flushed, worried face and felt a warmth stir in his chest

"I’m fine," he said with a smile.

Seris scanned his body intently, searching for any sign of injury. Finding none, she let out a shuddering breath.

"Rhain...where had you gone in such dangerous times," Seris spoke with a tone of dread, "You know...Ashvele Clan... they are gone!"

Rhain’s expression didn’t change, he just nodded. "I heard about it just now."

Seris looked at his composed face, and she looked at Rhain with a suspicious expression as she continued, "Liana told me what happened. She said Silverctest and Solari forces attacked together, but they couldn’t breach Ashvele Clan’s ancient barrier. And then... a mysterious Grandmaster Alchemist appeared in the sky, riding a massive blue eagle. He commanded nine Core Formation experts and shattered the barrier as if it were made of paper."

She paused, her purple eyes locking onto his with piercing intensity.

"And then the Grandmaster summoned a massive fireball — so enormous it looked like a sun — and dropped it directly onto the Ashvele estate. It obliterated evrything!"

Rhain spoke with an unbothered tone, "That sounds like quite the tragedy."

Seris stared at him for a while. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Then she spoke, her voice quiet but absolutely certain, "It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the Grandmaster Alchemist."

Rhain tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips. "What makes you think that?"

Seris took a step closer, her voice lowering slightly. "Because the rumoured blood-red sun sounds exactly like the one you used to defeat Hayden back at the Azure Cloud Sect! Coupled with the fact that you have been displaying such shocking alchemy skills these days... I am almost certain it must be you. Besides, who else would be willing it destroy Ashvele Clan?"

"You caught me," Rhain chuckled, and admitted it, "Yes, it was me."

Even though she had already deduced the truth, hearing him admit it so casually still made Seris’s heart skip a beat.

The towering titan of Mirravele City, a clan with centuries of foundation and multiple Core Formation experts, had been entirely erased by the young man within a month.

Seris looked up at him. "Now that the Ashvele Clan is completely destroyed... what are we going to do next, Rhain?"

"We leave Mirravele City," Rhain replied. "We are going to join Stormveil Academy, and head to the Inner Province."

Seris nodded her head. She had already mentally prepared herself for the day they would leave the Outer Frontier.

Wherever Rhain went, she would naturally follow.

But as she thought about leaving, a subtle pang of sorrow flashed in her pale purple eyes.

"Inner Province..." Seris whispered, her expression somewhat lost, "I will have to say goodbye to Liana as well."

The thought of leaving her behind right after they had grown so close filled her with sadness.

Seeing her dejected expression, Rhain’s dark grey eyes softened.

"Don’t be sad," Rhain said gently. "I won’t let you leave your friend behind with worries. Before we depart for Stormveil Academy, I will leave Silvercrest Clan a gift."

Seris looked at him curiously. "A gift?"

"A new pill formula," Rhain explained. "Not just a suppressant like the ones I have been refining over the past few days. I will give them an Epic-Grade formula that can permanently cure their Earthfire Toxins with a single pill. With that, Liana and her clan will be safe forever."

Seris’s eyes lit up.

The sadness that had clouded her delicate features vanished, and a radiant smile bloomed on her beautiful face.

"Rhain..." Seris looked at him with starry eyes. "You are very kind."

Rhain smirked.

Without any warning, he reached out his hand, wrapping his strong arm firmly around her slender waist.

With a swift, smooth motion, he pulled her directly against his chest.

"Ah!" Seris let out a soft, startled gasp as she fell against him, her hands instinctively pressing against his dark robes to steady herself.

The sudden proximity was overwhelming.

She could feel the steady beating of his heart, and the masculine scent of his robes enveloped her completely.

"Obviously I am kind," Rhain whispered, his handsome face hovering dangerously close to hers, his dark grey eyes staring deeply into her pale purple ones. "But I am only kind to them because of you."

The blush that exploded across Seris’s face was instantaneous and devastating.

She pressed her palms flat against his chest, but she didn’t push him away.

"You... you are becoming more and more shameless," Seris stammered shyly, entirely unable to look him in the eye. "You weren’t like this before..."

Instead of letting her go, Rhain leaned in even closer. His lips were mere inches from her ear, his breath lightly brushing her skin and sending a shiver down her spine.

"Oh?" Rhain teased in a low voice, "Do you like it? Or did you prefer the old me?"

Seris felt as if her entire body was going to catch fire.

For one precarious second, she stayed perfectly still, her lashes trembling, her lips slightly parted.

""I—I hate you!"

With a surge of flustered strength, Seris shoved his chest, forcefully breaking out of his grip.

She didn’t dare to stay a single second longer.

Covering her burning face with her hands, she turned and practically fled across the courtyard.

Rhain watched her retreating figure, and laughed joyfully, a laugh that perhaps no one else could see.

"She didn’t say which one she preferred."

_______________

Over the next few days, the outside world of Mirravele City was turned upside down.

With the sudden, apocalyptic destruction of the Ashvele Clan, the power dynamics of the city underwent a drastic shift.

Solari and Silvercrest Clans quickly stepped up to fill the massive power vacuum, completely taking over the commercial districts.

The one that benefited most from the destruction of the Ashvele Clan was undoubtedly the Solari Clan.

Without their ancient rival to contest them, Solari Clan rapidly annexed all of the Ashvele Clan’s former herb plantations, trade routes, and remaining pill shops that hadn’t been destroyed in the crossfire.

Alchemist Guild, under Aldric’s strict command, also naturally favored the Solari Clan in their business dealings now that the Ashvele alchemists were expelled.

In just two days, Solari Clan became the undisputed kings of the Mirravele City elixir market, their wealth and influence skyrocketing to unprecedented heights.

But Rhain paid no attention to the political unrest outside.

He spent his days secluded in the Moon Courtyard, sitting before his cauldron, meticulously refining vast batches of pills.

Seris and Liana quickly became his frequent assistants.

The two girls would often sit by the side, quietly sorting through massive bundles of Rare and Epic-Grade spiritual herbs, helping Rhain in organising them so he wouldn’t have to break his focus during the refinement process.

Sizzle—!

In the center of the courtyard, Rhain sat cross-legged before the Epic-Grade cauldron.

A few paces away, Liana was kneeling by his side, sorting a batch of Moon-Petal Extracts.

Seris was on the verge of a breakthrough, so it was only Liana helping today.

The blazing heat emanating from the cauldron finally subsided.

Rhain let out a slow exhale, wiping a faint bead of sweat from his forehead.

A porcelain cup suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

"Here," a soft, elegant voice spoke.

Rhain turned his head.

Liana waa holding out a freshly brewed cup of tea.

Rhain accepted the cup with a nod. "Thank you."

"Seris told me that you two are leaving soon." Liana asked softly.

Rhain nodded. "In a few days. Once the Stormveil Academy envoys arrive, we will depart."

Liana lowered her head, her beautiful silver eyes dimming slightly.

"I see..." Liana murmured, her voice losing all of its usual energetic cadence.

After a while, she looked up again, her gaze meeting his with profound sincerity.

"Rhain," Liana spoke, her voice carrying a heavy weight of gratitude. "I don’t think I have properly thanked you enough. Not just for teaching me, but for everything. For exposing the Ashvele Clan’s poison, for pulling us out of the dark, and for saving my family from a fate worse than death."

She bowed her head deeply, her beautiful hair cascading over her shoulders.

"Our Silvercrest Clan owes you a debt we can never repay. And I... I will never forget what you have done for us."

Rhain’s expression remained perfectly calm.

"I already told your father, and I will tell you again," Rhain replied. "I stepped in because you are Seris’s friend. There is no need for you to keep thanking me as if you owe me something."

Liana forced a small, fragile smile. It didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"I know," she whispered. "But I still had to say it."

She slowly stood up, but her movements lacked their usual flawless grace, looking somewhat stiff and hurried.

"I... I should go now. Excuse me."

Without waiting for his response, she turned around and left.

Her slender back looked distinctly lonely as she hurried through the doors, pulling them shut behind her with a soft thud.

Rhain watched her retreating figure disappear, and shook his head.

"She must be feeling down because Seris is leaving soon,’ Rhain thought inwardly.