Pov: Vik
I turned my head back at the old man and Silas, holding a small flame in my hand. This was the first time I was going to use my flame for an attack after the great forest fire incident. I hoped I wouldn't burn down the city by accident.
Facing the old man and Silas, the old man said, "I don't know who you are, but if you got here without being noticed, you're at least as strong as me. So why don't we talk like gentlemen? I think you know that our fight could destroy this city."
Silas looked surprised. He didn't expect the invincible old man to want to talk things out with me. I nodded because I didn't want to act aggressively in this crowded space.
Seeing my agreement, the old man spoke in a hoarse voice, "My name is Sword One. I am a retainer of the Lin family in Cloud City. May I know the name of my fellow cultivator and your purpose for coming here?"
I slowly raised my hand, took out my glasses, and stared at him. "My name is Vik. I am the master of Lu Xiaoran and Roman, whom you attacked and trapped this morning. I came here to demand justice for my disciples."
The old man laughed and said, "Haha, a puny Void Traveling Realm expert came to take revenge on us. Let me tell you something, mister Vik. Despite being a Void Traveling Realm expert like you, I am nothing but a servant in the Lin family, ordered to serve young master Lin Chen. So you understand the power the Lin family holds."
"In this backwater city, Void Traveling may be a legend, but remember there are oceans beneath oceans. For the normal world, this realm has the strongest level of Transcendence, but the truth is much deeper than you think. The background of the Lin family is far beyond what you can imagine. I advise you to forget you ever had any disciples and run away as far as possible. I'm sure our young master won't actively hunt you down, so go hide in some dark corner of this world. That would be best for you."
After hearing all this, I felt angry. He first said we would talk like gentlemen, then he humiliated me while bragging about himself and his young master, Lin Chen. I am not some chosen one or protagonist from those novels. In normal stories, there might be an epic face slap, but I'm not a normal guy. So, I did the face-slapping thing—literally.
SLAP!
A sharp sound echoed as my hand left a print on the old man's face. After slapping him, I thought I had done something wrong. I should have shown some tolerance toward an old man, but in my fit of rage, I struck him.
Before I could say anything or he could retaliate, a scream pierced the air. Sword One was clutching his face, crying out. There was a small flame on the left side of his cheek where I had slapped him. I realized I was still holding a small fragment of my original strange fire.
Because of my negligence, the old man's screams were chilling. Before I could will myself to stop the strange fire, he burned like a matchstick. In just a moment, all that remained was a human shape made of ashes in front of me.
Now it was just me, Pushpa, and Silas in the room. Speaking of Silas, he was silent—extremely silent. He looked terrified, his eyes focused on me. I tried to speak to him. "Hi."
But before I could say anything else, I heard the sound of water hitting the ground. It came from Silas, along with a rancid smell. Apparently, he had wet himself. He was extremely afraid of me, but I needed information from him. I smiled politely. "Silas, don't fear. I won't hurt you. Just answer my questions, and I'll be on my way, leaving you alone."
He gulped and fell to his knees. In a terrified voice, he said, "Please don't do anything to me. I'm innocent. It was Lin Chen and his father who framed me. I'm just working on behalf of Lin Chen."
"It was Lin Chen who is after the treasure of the Azure Mountain Range. This is a long-term plan of the Lin family."
I didn't understand what he meant, so I told him to explain briefly.
Silas replied, "Long ago, when Lin Chen was born, his father received a prophecy. It said their family's most desired treasure, the treasure of the Azure Mountains, could be theirs, but he had to raise his son in this city without any help from his family. He had to raise him like a commoner, even a poor orphan."
This information was new to me. If it was true, then Lin Chen's parents didn't disappear because of family issues, but as part of a well-planned strategy. This changed the game completely. I asked him about the villagers and Lin Chen's current plan, but he didn't know much about Lin Chen's parents or the Lin family.
I teleported out of his bedroom after gathering the information. I had to act fast because this was a more dangerous problem than I originally thought.
Once Vik disappeared from the room, Silas breathed a sigh of relief and looked fearfully at the ashes of Sword One. Gaining some courage, he stood up and opened a secret cabinet from his bed. Inside was a communication device meant to contact the Lin family. He had lied to Vik, but just as he was about to use it, Vik returned.
When I walked back into the bedroom, I said, "Sorry, I forgot my cat. Pushpa is still here."
Seeing me again made him so frightened that he fainted. I tried to wake him up, but then I heard the system's voice in my head.
"Host, he is dead. He died of a heart attack."
Hearing this, I immediately took Pushpa and teleported back to the mansion. Poor Silas. May his soul rest in peace.