Chapter 95: A Favored Guest
"What? You—"
Ruru Rosa stood rooted to the spot, her breath caught in her throat, shock rendering her speechless. Lordi Payne's palm blade hovered at her neck, its bloody aura a silent threat.
Their eyes locked, and a strange thought wormed into Ruru Rosa's mind, a cold realization slithered through her rage, unsettling her further. "This male cultivator... he's only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refinement, a full cultivation realm below me. Yet he overpowered me in just three moves? His battle talent was undeniable, a rare spark that could indeed catch the discerning eye of Kim Simona, who was lofty selective about her Dao Spouse. Could he truly be Junior Sister Kim's intimate partner?"
Lordi Payne's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts, firm and unyielding. "Senior Sister, I kindly ask you to leave. Don't disturb me and Simona-chan for now please."
Simona-chan. The intimate address struck like a slap. "When did Junior Sister Kim get so close to this man?!"
Ruru Rosa's nails bit into her palms, heart churned with a mix of anger and betrayal. She and Kim Simona were as close as kin sisters, their bestie bond forged through years of shared struggles. Even Shaun Zet, Kim Simona's persistent suitor, treated Ruru Rosa with respect and care because of it. Yet Kim Simona had kept this man a secret now, hiding him completely. "But why? If she'd told me this, I'd definitely stood by her side to keep it from Senior Brother Shaun Zet," Ruru Rosa thought bitterly. "Was it necessary to shut me out so tightly? Or... did Junior Sister Kim never truly see me as a bestie?"
Her face flickered between suspicion and hurt, her emotions a tangled storm. With a sharp flick of her sleeve, she flung Kim's sect nameplate to the ground, the metal clinking against the stone. Without another word, she turned and stormed toward the courtyard's exit, her steps heavy with resentment.
Lordi exhaled, relief washing over him—only for Ruru Rosa to halt abruptly after two steps. She spun back, her eyes narrowed. "Then what about the task of Hanz Clan Estate? Would Junior Sister Kim still participate it with us?"
Lordi's mind snapped to attention. Hanz Clan Estate?
The task name ignited a vivid memory, pulling him back to the chaotic day after he'd cut down Miu Toanh, Lee Sagwon, and Chou Ease. That same day, fleeing the fallout of those murders, he'd rushed to the Task Division on Ghost Shade Peak, desperate to join any sect squad with a task leaving the sect's borders.
[Quoted Recap from Chapter 0024: No $tone, No Go.]