Chapter 22 An Assassin Appears
âTill take longer to heal if you choose to take medicine, but the risk is much lower than undergoing surgery,â said William. Iâll write you a prescription now. Take it once every morning and night.â
He left after giving the prescription, and Genevieve saw him to the main entrance.
Did you find the culprit?â he asked casually as they walked.
âWe have.â The young woman nodded. âBut Grandpaâs heartbroken.â
To that. William said. âYou have to keep yourself safe too, Miss Welby, Call me if you need my help. Iâll be at your beck and callâ
âThank you!â Genevieve thanked him from the bottom of her heart, then assigned a chauffeur to take William to the train station.
He couldnât delay returning home anymore, for Melisennaâs treatment couldnât be set aside for too long.
It was already in the afternoon by the time he arrived home, and to his surprise, Gwendolyn was studying math questions with Mia in the living room.
âMr. William.â Gwen stood up and greeted him with a smile.
âWilliam. Miss Gwenâs here to help me with my homework,â said Mia.
It was then William remembered Gwendolyn said she could guide Mia on the Math Olympiad. With that, he hurriedly thanked her, âI appreciate your help. Miss Zuch.â
âDonât worry about it, Mr. William,â said Gwendolyn. âPlease, call me Gwen. Oh, Iâve already asked the principal to transfer Mia to another classroom. She can go back to school in a few days. Though the Math Olympiad is important, she canât neglect her other subjects either.â
Just then, Melisenna came out. âWilliam, Gwen is a really sweet girl. You have to appreciate her,â she said. with a smile, causing William to roll his eyes. However, he couldnât be bothered to refute it anymore. âMom, get cooking, will you? Iâm starving.
âOkay, okay. Right away. Melisenna smiled, then went into the kitchen..
Following that, William turned to Gwendolyn and asked, âGwen, do you know where in Halivaara can I get some rare medicinal herbs?â
âIâm not sure about Halivaara,â Gwendolyn answered after some thought. âBut there are a few places in Kreim. What are you looking for specifically?â
âMainly a wild ginseng over 150 years old,â said William, to which Gwendolyn nodded. âIâll ask around for you, but
centuryâold wild ginsengs can be quite expensive. Itâs likely to cost at least 150,000 Igneus Talons.â William ached for his wallet after hearing Gwendolynâs words. The Limseys didnât look like folks who could fish out that much money. But he was a doctor, and he couldnât neglect a dying person. Hence, he pondered for a moment and asked, âPlease get one for me. My budgetâs at 300,000.
He had earned a pretty decent income lately: the Zuchesâ 70,000, Svensonâs 45,000, and the Welbys 150,000. Coupled with his savings, he now had a little over 300,000 Talons.
Chapter 22 An Assassin Appears
Though the price for the herb was a little high, it was still better than undergoing a kidney transplant. Given the current medical technology, patients who underwent kidney transplants not only had to consume antiârejection medication longâterm, but they also lund to face a 20 percent death rate within five years, which would only increase to 50 percent in ten years.
Colleen was only in her forties, and it wouldnât be a future she could face.
âAlright, Iâll check with them in a bit.â Gwendolyn nodded.
1l go over to your place after dinner,â said William gratefully for all that Gwendolyn had done for him.
Gwendolyn understood at once that William was implying heâd guide her grandfatherâs cultivation. Elated, she agreed at once. âSure!â
Dinner had just been served, and William hadnât even had the chance to grab his cutlery when he received news from Aidan telling him the Lloyds had sent their men to inspect Prosperity Villa, and everything went smoothly. As such, both parties agreed to sign the contract and make it official the next day.
After that, the Lloyds would invest 300 million and broker the sales of Prosperity Villa. Given the Lloydsâ strong influence, they wouldnât have to worry about selling the units at all.
William was genuinely happy for his buddy, as the guy could reclaim his ârich kidâ status very soon.
Meanwhile, inside Lloyd Residence at Justford, Turner beamed at his precious daughter, saying, âYou really are something. Tia. To think you can resolve Prosperity Villaâs issue. Weâll be able to earn at least 800 million Talons once we sign the contract.â
To that. Tia snorted. âWe still have to keep an eye on First Grandma. Keep the news under wraps for now, lest they intercept us.â
âDonât worry,â Turner reassured. âThe entire 300 million are loans from my friends. I didnât ask for a single penny from the Lloyds.â
Tia nodded in response. âDad, letâs take a trip to Stone Gamble Town after we sign the contract with the Wrights. Iâll introduce you to a friend in the meantime.â
Turnerâs eyes lit up at once. âIs it William Barrett? Sure, Iâve been dying to meet him.â
âLetâs go the day after tomorrow,â said Tia. âWeâll head to Stone Gamble Town first thing in the morningâ
Tia, I remember you said something about his extensive martial arts background, Turner asked, to which Tia nodded in affirmation. âHeâs certainly a master. As for how proficient he is, I canât tell. Oh, ask Septem to join us at Stone Gamble Town. Heâs a disciple of the Tribal Summit and is claimed to be the third most powerful fighter in Justford. Have him check out William for me.â
âSure. Turner nodded.
Meanwhile, back in Halivaara, William followed Gwendolyn back to the mansion after dinner, and because Walter had been waiting at home since receiving the news, he came out to welcome them as soon
as the car entered.
âThank you so much for coming over, Mr. Barrett, he quickly said while personally opening the door for the young man, who smiled in response. âDonât worry about it, Old Mr. Zuch. Gwenâs a friend, and Iâm more than happy to assist you.â
Chame 22 Ar Assassin Appears
At that, Walter invited William into the living room. âMr. Barrett, you said you could guide me on entering Qi State. How high of a chance do you think I have of succeeding?â
With my guidance, 100 percent, of course,â monotoned William, then beckoned Walter to sit. âThe thing about Qi State is condensing Qi within your body. You can already do that. Itâs just that you donât know the right way to do it.â
With that, he smacked the top of Walterâs head out of the blue, and as though having reached enlightenment, a warm current flowed down the latterâs Ren and Du meridians, opening them up
one by
âFocus. Feel the flow of your Qi meridian and the circulation of the microcosmic orbit,â said William as he tapped on the elderâs waist and abdomen tens of times, helping him build a Qi circulation.
Thanks to Williamâs guidance, Walter entered a meditative state very quickly. He could feel a ball of energy flowing in his Ren and Du meridians, circling again and again, growing stronger with each circulation.
At that, William signaled Gwendolyn to go outside, and after the two arrived in the courtyard, he asked, Who did you learn your Gentle Fist from?â
âItâs a part of the martial art sets passed down from my familythe Starry Fist and the Golden Dragon Fist,â revealed Gwendolyn. âMy grandfather practiced the Golden Dragon Fist while I took up the Starry Fist.â
âSo, youâre saying the Zuch is a prestigious martial arts family?â William asked, making Gwendolyn chuckle. âI wouldnât say weâre that. We just happen to have a bit of inheritance.â
now, so he probed, âBut your family is no
William believed he had become much closer with Gw small fry, or Halivaara Highâs principal wouldnât oblige to your request so easily.â
The young woman smiled at that. âMy dadâs the mayor, and my uncles have some power in Kreim. My grandfather, on the other hand, was in the business field in his younger years, managing two chemical plants and a few hydropower plants.â
âTo think Old Mr. Zuch managed so many businesses.â William smiled. âThe abled do more, as they say,â
That old man canât stay still, Gwen said. âThree years ago, he partnered with a few research institutions to plant fruits and vegetables in the desert using manâmade soil and underground watering techniques.
Suddenly, two icy gleams shot toward them; two throwing knives flew at breakneck speed. However, for William, it was still slow enough that he could capture their tracks.
He immediately dodged, throwing himself at Gwendolyn in the meantime. It happened so quickly and suddenly that the young woman was caught off guard, and the two dropped to the ground.
At the same time, the two throwing knives grazed their shirt before sticking themselves into the doorpost behind William and Gwendolyn. The impact was so strong that the entire blade jammed right into the doorpost.
William instantly looked toward the garden. As he had a superhuman vision, he could see through the many flowers and darkness to find a man in black getting ready to throw his third knife.
At that, William silently picked up a pebble the size of an egg and hurled it toward the attacker. The rock was thrown with such great force that it ripped through the air and hit the attackerâs head forcefully.
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Chapter 22. An Assassin Appема
The man in blackâs left eye ruptured, and his eye socket cracked. The impact was so great that he passed out immediately.
After that, William scanned the yard. Seeing that there werenât any more assassins, he heaved a sigh of relief before pulling Gwendolyn up.
A William threw himself at Gwendolyn with great force, the young womanâs chest hurt badly from being crushed by the impact. Though shocked and abashed, she still checked in with William. âAre you alright?â
The young man nodded, then frowned. âDo you guys have enemies?â
âI donât think so.â Gwendolyn was stumped too. âWhy would someone want to kill us? He even wants to kill youâ
With that, William went to the living room first to check on Walter. The man was still meditating and wasnât affected. Hence, he went to the man in black, who gradually came around after William patted his shoulder.
Immediately after regaining consciousness, he screamed in terror and pain. After all, he would inevitably be in pain when his left eye was busted and half of his face sunken in.
âWho are you? Why did you try to kill us? William monotoned.
The man in black grinned viciously at that. âTo think you two were able to dodge my knives, Lucky you. Not anymore, though!â
The next second, William pulled a few golden needles out and stabbed them into the manâs head. Instantly, his eyes stilled. The move was called the Soul Binding Needle, and those who fell into the hands of the move would be rendered muddleâheaded, answering every question asked.
âWho are you?â William continued interrogating.
âMy name is Axton Blade. The underworld knows me as the Reaper,â answered the man truthfully after a moment of stupefaction.
âWho hired you to kill us?â
âThe Shore ordered us to kill Walter Zuch. I saw that you two were a hindrance to my plan, so I decided to get rid of you first.â
âWhat is the Shore?â
âAn assassin organization. Iâm a member of it.â
âDo you know who paid you guys to kill Walter?â
âNo. I just received the order.â
William frowned in response. âWill the Shore continue to send assassins when youâve failed this time?â
âYes. It will continue until the mission is completed,â answered Axton. âUnless the client gives up the
assassination.
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Chapter 22 An Assassin Appears
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Just when William was about to press for more answers, Axtonâs face paled, and his eyes gradually closed. The man was dead!
It was a pretty powerful throw, and it was already a miracle the man could hold on for so long when he was suffering from a major intraparenchymal hemorrhage.
At that, William furrowed his brows. He was in such a panic earlier that he forgot to control his strength. Whoâd have thought he ended up killing a guy?! Letâs hope this wonât get me into trouble.
He had spent some time in prison and was now very much against breaking the law. On second thought, this is the right of selfâdefense, right?
Just then, a deep roar came from the living room, and William knew at once that Walter had advanced to
Qi State.
Sure enough, the elder came out moments later with a smile. Iâve advanced, Mr. Barrett! I will forever be in your debt!â
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