Sovereign Antique Shop, lounge area.James was still playing with Plants Vs. Zombies, but Thea’s appearance kept popping up in his mind.Maybe Cynthia was right about him. He did not let her pay because he wanted them to get Thea to come so he could see her.He had a lot of things he wanted to say to Thea, but he could not say a word after seeing her again.It all felt unnecessary. His heart felt contradictory and complicated.It was an unprecedented feeling.Cynthia was also very sensible and did not disturb him.Time passed by slowly.Ten minutes later, a few muscular men dressed in black suits approached him. One of them was carrying a black safe in his hands.“Sir, we’ve brought it.”Yuri nodded. “Alright.” He glanced at James and said, “Mr. Caden, let’s head up to my office to open it.”James stood up.“This way, please,” Yuri gestured to him upstairs and immediately walked in front to lead the way.Yuri led James and Cynthia to an office on the second floor.The
James held his breath.Cynthia also watched attentively.She was also curious about the contents in the chest that James was willing to spend 100 million to purchase. At the same time, she was also suspicious of why James had the keys to open the chest.Under Cynthia’s gaze, James gently turned the key.Click!A crisp and loud sound resounded.The bronze-colored chest slightly popped open.James' eyes were glued on the chest.Inside the chest was a folded scroll.He carefully took it out.The ancient scroll was made of unique material, keeping it well preserved. At the same time, it was relatively heavy.James unfolded it and spread it out on the table.The ancient scroll was enormous, reaching a length of one meter when it was unfolded.“W-What is this?”Cynthia glanced at the drawings on the ancient scroll and was puzzled.“Is this a scroll of meridians and acupuncture points?” she asked.James carefully observed the scroll.Eighteen little figures were drawn on the
Sol’s Capital, a courtyard house.This was the Emperor’s Mansion, the residence of the Emperor—the Five Commander’s leader and the commander of the Red Flame army.The Emperor had already returned to the Capital.In the courtyard, under a gazebo.A middle-aged man dressed in a black suit was speaking to a young man in his twenties.“Bobby, I haven’t seen you in several years. You were still in high school the last time I saw you. What brings you here today?”The middle-aged man in the black suit was the Emperor.“Mr. Johnston, to be honest, my family has received news that a chest from the ancient tomb of the Prince of Orchid Mountain appeared in Cansington. We’ve also been informed that Thomas’ descendant has his hands on it. Grandpa sent me here for two purposes. One is to retrieve the chest, the other is to kill the descendant of the family’s traitor, Thomas.”The young man explained his motives.He was a handsome man dressed in a white shirt that spoke calmly and with a co
The Emperor smiled and said nothing more.Soon, a man and woman walked toward them. It was James and Cynthia.The Emperor immediately stood up and opened his arms to hug James. “James, what a rare visitor!”James lifted his foot and kicked the Emperor as he said coldly, “Don’t put on an act. You know why I’m here.”The Emperor quickly dodged his kick and took a few steps backward. “What do you mean, James? I’ve no idea why you’ve come to see me,” the Emperor said with a puzzled expression.“You’re James?”A voice sounded.James heard the voice and turned toward the source.A young man in his twenties stood up. He was dressed in a white shirt, looking at him disdainfully.“Who are you?” James frowned. Bobby glanced at James and said calmly, “Bobby Caden.”James' brows furrowed deeper. ‘Who is this person?’The Emperor smiled and said, “James, let me introduce you. This is Bobby from the Cadens of the Ancient Four. His grandfather is your granduncle. Strictly speaking, h
“Haha!”Bobby laughed coldly as if he had just heard the funniest joke of his life.“What are you saying, James? How dare you ask me for the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside's Edge? The Cadens are the protectors of the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside's Edge painting. You’re the descendant of the Cadens’ traitor. You’re just a remnant of a family that deserved to die. You also deserve to die!”James' face darkened.He slowly walked toward Bobby.The Emperor quickly walked over and stood in front of James. “What are you trying to do, James? Do you know who he is? He is the direct descendant of the Cadens and the future head of the family. You’re just a descendant of the Cadens’ traitor. It’s already disrespectful enough that you didn’t kneel to greet the future head of the family.”“Get out of the way,” James roared.His voice sounded like the rumble of thunder, making the Emperor stunned.The Emperor was only able to regain his senses after a few seconds. In fact, he simply came to
Bobby said fearlessly, “James, you son of a b*tch, you’re a sinner. You better kneel to me right now! Or else, Thea is going to die.”James glared at Bobby. “Never. A man never easily gets on his knees. How could I kneel to a b*stard like you?“Thea used to be my wife, but we’re already divorced. You’re a fool to use her to threaten me.”“Slash her.”Bobby ordered through the phone.Cansington, a construction site.Thea was tied to a chair.The place was heavily guarded by men dressed in black.One of them held a sharp dagger against Thea’s face.When he received the order, he immediately slashed the dagger across her face.A bloody wound instantly appeared on Thea’s left cheek as the knife swiped across her face. Blood began to drip down her cheek, staining her white dress red.She felt severe pain in her face but could only whimper since her mouth was covered.Thea struggled to free herself but was to no avail.Bobby held the phone and shook it in front of James as he sa
The Emperor narrated the story of the Ancient Four’s origins.The Ancient Four dated back to a thousand years ago.“Prince of Orchid Mountain?”James frowned. There was no record of this person in history.He glanced at the Emperor and asked, “Who’s that?”The Emperor shook his head.He also did not know who the Prince of Orchid Mountain was.“How would I know about a person that existed a thousand years ago? Moreover, very little is recorded about him in the ancient scrolls of the Ancient Four.”“Mr. Johnston, why are you explaining so much to him?” Bobby said dissatisfiedly.The Emperor waved his hand and said, “Bobby, James is also a descendant of the Cadens. He should know about the history of his family. Plus, the things I’m telling him aren’t secrets anyway.”Bobby stopped interfering. His hand was broken, and he could not gather any strength in his arm.He waited patiently.When the people he arranged in Cansington to retrieve the chest unearthed from the Prince
“Really?” Cynthia was surprised.Bobby shook his head and said, “How would I know? It’s just a family myth. In ancient times, there were rumors of emperors searching the seas to search for immortal medicine and even offering sacrifices to the heavens to obtain immortality. The topic of immortality in Sol is endless.”Speaking of this, Bobby snorted coldly.“Why am I even sharing this with you guys?”Bobby sealed his lips and said no more.Meanwhile, James was deep in thought.He contemplated whether the Emperor and Bobby were telling the truth.The atmosphere grew tense once again.Time passed minute by minute.More than half a day had passed in the blink of an eye.At this moment, Bobby’s phone rang, and he answered the call.“We’ve retrieved the chest.”Bobby did not reply. He simply hung up the phone, stood up, and left.James stood up and blocked him. “You’ve got what you wanted. Let Thea go. Otherwise, I won’t let you leave this place today.”“You piece of trash, do