Chapter 33: Suspicion [R18]
At dusk, Chen Haunt's squad trudged back toward the jarl's sprawling mansion. Exhaustion clung to them. Sil Deshah, though, was the worst of the lot—swaying on the edge of collapse. Her face was ashen, drained of all color, and he slumped against Chen Haunt's broad shoulder, half-dragged, half-carried.
Nearly dropped the lantern as the guest courtyard's director scurried toward them. "Oh, holy sect above! Immortal Masters, what's happened to you all?" His voice trembled, caught between awe and terror as he wrung his hands. "Should I call Mister Steward? He could fetch a healer—or, or something!"
Chen Haunt waved a dismissive hand, his own expression carved from stone, though a faint sheen of sweat betrayed his fatigue. "No need for all that fuss," he rasped, pausing to gulp down a steadying breath. "It's just been a long, cursed day. Nothing we can't handle. Fetch us some fresh water and we'll wash the dust off ourselves." His dark eyes narrowed as he scanned the courtyard. "Wait—where's Junior Brother Payne?"
Their clamor had stirred the mansion's mortal staff. Surely Lordi Payne—a cultivator—couldn't have slept through it. Yet the courtyard remained silent, no sign of the young junior disciple anywhere.
Chen Haunt whirled on Chen Mave, his younger sister, who stood nearby rubbing her aching arms. "Mave, quit standing there go check on him! Junior Brother Payne might've caught some foul sickness."
Chen Mave groaned, her shoulders slumping, but she knew better than to argue with her brother when his voice took that edge. She darted off, her footsteps echoing through the arched stone corridors. When she reached the courtyard, the absence of Lordi Payne made her felt unease. She cornered a trembling servant girl and demanded, "Where's Lordi Payne? Speak up!"
The girl dropped to her knees, her hands clasped as if pleading for mercy. "I-I don't know, Immortal Fairy! He was here, then he... he wasn't!" Her voice quivered, barely above a whisper.
Chen Mave's face darkened, her delicate features twisting into a scowl. "You don't know? You're his attendant—your whole job is to know!" Her voice rose. Panic clawed at her chest, her mind racing with the worst possibilities. Chen Haunt's Summon Soul Banner was so close to completion. Months of grueling work, countless sacrifices... If Lordi Payne had slipped away now, it could all unravel like a thread pulled from a tapestry. "Useless cunt!"
"Enough, Mave." Arriving after hearing the fuss, Chen Haunt called as he strode into the courtyard.
He wasn't worried about Lordi Payne escaping. Over the years, he'd deceived and took away plenty of sect comrades to fuel his banner, always slipping through the Punishment Crypt's grasping fingers. His hands were stained, yes, but the evidence? Spotless. This trip to Lothgar City had been his choice for a reason. The vast mountains and forgotten valleys were a perfect stage for his dark craft.
This trip to Lothgar City hadn't been chosen at random. Chen Haunt had selected it with meticulous care, and for good reason. Nestled deep within the rugged, mist-shrouded mountains, the city was a fortress of isolation. Beyond its walls, the wilderness was a treacherous expanse teeming with demonic beasts and suffused with toxic miasma. Even veteran Qi Refinement cultivators would find it a death sentence to venture far on foot. For someone like Lordi Payne, a newcomer to the area? The idea of him escaping into that nightmare was laughable.