Legacy of Hatred

Horace’s condition wasn’t good, but he could suppress his injuries for a while, definitely long enough to return to the Pale Moon Sect.

In the night of the following day, Horace reached the Three Peaks, slipping unnoticed past the disciples departing to aid the Swallowing Forest Sect and their companions in the mess they had fallen prey to.

Despite the late hour, the Sect was fully awake and alert, which was understandable after such a crisis. Yet, luckily, no Elders were around to intercept Horace and delay what he had long since planned.

The second plateau was far calmer than the first. It was utterly silent, too, the inner disciples tasked with supporting the Swallowing Forest Sect having already departed.

Nevertheless, Horace knew someone was still there, secluded from the world due to her unique situation.

"It’s about Liam," Horace said after using the number carved under the brazier next to a specific boulder.

As expected, the boulder immediately opened, blowing steam so hot it felt like fire. The cold night quickly drew away that hazy, scorching mist, revealing a disheveled but stunning figure at the cave’s edge.

The expressionless Melissa appeared among the dispersing steam, her robe littered with sweat patches. Her face was also drenched in it, and her blonde hair, tied into an unflattering bun, had grown darker due to its wetness.

Yet, despite that untidiness, Melissa looked more gorgeous than ever, from her more perfect, almost glowing skin to her whole presence. Something profound about her had changed, elevating her innate qualities further beyond what mortals could possess.

Horace found nothing surprising in the scene. Breakthroughs rearranged the body to make it more suitable for the cultivation journey, expelling impurities and elevating cultivators to states that could only be described as otherworldly.

And Melissa had succeeded there. Her Qi undeniably put her in the rooting stage. Her whole existence had stepped further away from mortals, elevating all aspects of her being, her now-impossible beauty merely the most superficial of them.

’I was right,’ Horace thought, praising himself. ’I knew she was too fiery for ice.’

Melissa was still adjusting to her new strength and stabilizing her cultivation. In those phases, cultivators were at their weakest and most vulnerable, so they cut themselves off from the outside world to prevent distractions.

Melissa knew nothing about the crisis, but a single look at Horace told her that something was profoundly wrong. The Elder hadn’t changed, so his robe still carried evident signs of his terrible condition.

"Disciple Melissa," Horace called before Melissa could say anything. "I will now ask you some questions. You must answer honestly and as if your life depends on it."

Horace even released a tinge of his unstable presence, using it to press on Melissa and convey his seriousness.

Melissa was obviously startled. From Horace’s bloodied and torn robe to that pressure, she had no idea what was going on.

Yet, the Alchemy Elder was Liam’s Master, and Melissa respected that bond enough to push her confusion away and perform a slight not.

Of course, nothing could have prepared Melissa for the question that landed on her ears.

"Disciple Melissa, do you love Liam?" Horace asked.

Melissa’s eyes went wide. She lowered her face, hiding her embarrassment and the breaking of her emotionless mask. That topic was too private. It was something she had yet to discuss with Liam himself, but she knew the answer to that question.

"Yes," Melissa confirmed.

"And what love is it?" Horace questioned, his pressure unrelenting. "Is it brittle like a whore’s promise or as boundless as the Ancestral Phoenix’s?"

If it weren’t for Horace’s terrible condition, Melissa would have taken that as a test, no different than a father checking whether she was worthy of his son.

However, Horace’s condition was terrible, so a different kind of concern rose through Melissa.

"Alchemy Elder," Melissa called, lifting her face. "Where is Liam?"

"Answer me," Horace responded coldly, his aura echoing his sternness and alerting Melissa’s survival instincts.

Melissa shook and lowered her face again, this time trying to sort out her thoughts. Love wasn’t something that could be explained, but she could somehow manage when it came to her own.

"L-Liam is the only one," Melissa said, forcing herself not to stammer. "Everyone, the world, only sees and wants my beauty, but not him."

Melissa lifted her head, matching the Elder’s stern gaze with her timid but resolute eyes. "I could never live as myself, not fully. With Liam, I can truly live. Only when I’m with him, I can appreciate the fact that I’m alive, I can feel grateful for being born."

Life had been a constant struggle for Melissa for reasons she had no control over. The world had never allowed her to explore herself. She had only survived, focusing on getting stronger so that she could protect herself.

But that had changed with Liam. He allowed Melissa to be just Melissa. With him, she could experience life for what it was, not for what the world and her curse forced it to be.

"If I lost Liam," Melissa declared, "I’d rather take my own life than go back to how I lived. I would find no point resuming just surviving now that I know what being alive truly means."

The Alchemy Elder sighed internally. That was a good answer, a really great one spoken without an ounce of deceit, which complicated everything.

Truth be told, the Elder knew that what his disciple and Melissa had was genuine. He had seen them together after all.

However, young hearts were naive and subject to change. Melissa was barely a grown woman. Her feelings could wither and vanish as years and decades passed, leaving her as a liability in Liam’s life.

Now, the Elder was aware that Melissa didn’t know much, but that could still be too much against the monsters Liam would face. The best option would be to remove her altogether, cutting the thread that might lead to Liam’s secret.

Nevertheless, Horace couldn’t bring himself to resort to such harsh methods after that heartfelt answer. His restraint wasn’t even out of care for Melissa. Everything was about his disciple.

Liam’s life would indeed be difficult and full of dangers. Actually, it would be an impossible journey that had no room for happiness or loved ones. The latter would only be weaknesses.

Yet, there was more to life than grim survival. Horace knew it, and Melissa herself had mentioned it now. Liam was resolute, but everyone had a breaking point, and removing what could be his only shot at happiness might make him lose any desire to attempt overcoming the impossible challenge.

Liam might still fail. He might still give up, crushed by the challenges he would face. He might still be unsuccessful at finding happiness in that cruel journey.

Still, the Elder wouldn’t be the reason for that. He didn’t want to be the one to remove his disciple’s opportunity at a happy life, even if the alternative was more dangerous.

Besides, Liam had made the great Horace Rauret proud. The Elder not only believed that his disciple wouldn’t give up. He also trusted that Liam might very well achieve the impossible.

Everything else was about giving Liam a shot, and the Elder could do just that. It would be an immensely tiny opportunity, but one he had prepared for.

"Liam left," Horace revealed. "I ordered him to leave."

Melissa’s emotionless mask fully crumbled now. Evident shock, sadness, and more invaded her, overloading her so much that no words escaped her parted lips.

"He would have never left you if it weren’t for me," Horace specified. "That fool might not know the word, but he loves you, too. He also made sure to kill Disciple Simon despite the mess he was in."

Melissa was speechless, unable to muster thoughts or words at the revolutionary news that reached her ears.

"My disciple will have a difficult life," Horace declared. "His journey will be bloody, afflicted by never-ending danger for reasons that I won’t tell you. He will have to become a monster just to hope to survive, and succeeding will put him against the entire Kingdom."

Liam had mentioned his secret without specifying it, but Melissa had guessed its profound, grim nature. It wasn’t just from how he looted corpses and killed. Melissa simply believed Liam would have told her if it weren’t something huge.

"He will never be safe," Horace explained, "Never. He won’t have time to bring you flowers since he’ll be collecting corpses. His hands will forever carry the stench of countless lives, even if he finds moments to hold yours."

Horace was telling the truth. At least, he hoped it would be the truth. Liam wouldn’t survive otherwise.

"I can only grant you a vague opportunity to meet my disciple again in the future," Horace stated. "The chance is minimal, no less than a delusion. Knowing all this, will you still take it?"

"Yes!" Melissa said, almost shouting, not even taking a single second to process what the Elder had listed. She had no need to.

"Then, you must depart, too," Horace ordered. "Immediately. I made preparations with an old acquaintance of mine. She’ll take you under her wing and train you, if your performance is satisfactory, that is."

The news took Melissa aback, but she quickly suppressed whatever hesitation she experienced in front of the revolutionary demand. That was about Liam, so it didn’t matter where she was as long as she could see him again.

Still, the destination could affect Melissa’s preparations, so she uttered a last question.

"Alchemy Elder, where am I going?" Melissa wondered.

"The Inner Circles," Horace revealed.