Chapter 6: Returning With His Troops

For a long moment, everyone stood slack‑jawed. He had actually pulled the trigger? Taylor didn't even treat Roland like a person. In the old days, when the Jauncy family held power, no one would have batted an eye. But now, the Wokey family commanded tens of thousands of soldiers, and the Jauncy family had already been wiped out.  Was he asking for death? "You're that brat from the Jauncy family? You dare kill my grandson!" Roland finally realized who Taylor was and bellowed. "Just you wait. I'm returning to Nettle at once. I'll level the Jauncy family and have you drawn and quartered." "Good. I'll be waiting." Taylor gave a soft laugh and simply flung the phone away. Bang! The sharp report cracked the air, and the onlookers jolted as one. "Taylor, what's done is done. We should leave first and plan afterward," Laurel said, recovering from her shock. Taylor nodded. He looked down at Jacqueline in his arms; her face was streaked with blood. At last, a gentleness softened his eyes. "Jacqueline, I'm taking you home." "Taylor... am I going to die?" Jacqueline's lashes fluttered, her gaze unfocused. "Silly girl, not while I'm here." At that, she relaxed, nodded slightly, and drifted into sleep against his chest. They left Worldview Estate with a hundred eyes on them. Everywhere they passed, the crowd instinctively stepped back. Taylor had murder in his eyes, and Valia's foremost female physician walked at his side. Who dared try to stop them? Outside, Laurel asked, "Taylor, where do we go now?" "The Jauncy Manor isn't safe. We'll go to the Yare Manor and treat Jacqueline first." Laurel nodded, then worry crossed her face. "Better yet, take her to Alchemist's Haven and stay a while. Nettle is in chaos. It's not safe here." "No. I killed the Wokey father and son. Roland will come back for revenge. If I leave, I'll only drag Kieran and the others into it." His gaze hardened. "Besides, with the Jauncy family in ruins, people who want me dead will come out of the woodwork. I have to stay." Laurel sighed, helpless but resolute. "All right. Since you've decided, I'm staying with you." "Hm?" Taylor looked up at her. "Don't forget, I'm your wife." After what she'd witnessed, she no longer doubted his strength or his character. It only made her more certain about their marriage. How could a wife stand aside while her husband faced danger? "Huh..." He looked torn. He didn't want to drag her into this. "Enough. I respect your decision. You respect mine." She took his hand, her eyes unwavering. They carried Jacqueline to the Yare Manor. Kayden immediately cleared a room. Laurel, being Valia's foremost female physician, cleaned and dressed the wounds with practiced ease. They were surface cuts, yet on that pretty, youthful face, several scars had already formed. "Taylor, these scars will be troublesome. That idiot... Jacqueline isn't even eighteen, and he still did this." Fury flushed her cheeks.  Jacqueline was so young, with her whole future ahead of her. Kenneth had shown no trace of humanity. Taylor refused to wallow in rage. The Wokey father and son were dead; vengeance for Jacqueline was taken. All that mattered was her full recovery. After a moment's thought, he said, "There's a medicine called Rejuvenation Powder. It can restore her looks. The ingredients are simple, except for the Ebon Herb, which is rare." "Ebon Herb?" Laurel blinked, then said at once, "Alchemist's Haven has it. I'll go get a plant right now." "Thank you, Laurel." He exhaled, relieved. The Ebon Herb was hard to find. Sending people to hunt for it would waste precious time. If Laurel could bring one back from Alchemist's Haven, Jacqueline could be treated sooner. "No need to thank me. This girl will wake soon. Calm her when she does. I'll be back." She turned and left. ***** Meanwhile, on Nettle's eastern border, a mighty convoy rolled out from Highplain, the city that neighbored Nettle. At a glance, there were several thousand men. In the back seat of a military green extended Hummer sat an elderly man in a suit. His hair and beard were gray, his face set and hard, and a cold, murderous look was in his eyes. He was the head of the Nettle Tiger Legion, the true patriarch of the Wokey family, Roland. He had come to Highplain to borrow troops, hoping to cement the Wokey family's hold over Nettle.  Who would have thought that before he could even return with the borrowed forces, his son and grandson had been slaughtered? With matters unfinished, he turned the convoy around and marched back on Nettle, intent on wiping out what's left of the Jauncy family. "Damn it. I should've uprooted him back then and cut the little bastard down," Roland muttered. Inside the vehicle, he clenched his fists until the veins bulged at his temples. Just then, the convoy ground to a halt. "Hm? What's going on?" He rolled down the window and called out. "Mr. Wokey, the front just stopped. Looks like someone's blocking the road." "What the hell?" Seething, Roland shoved the door open and strode over to the head of the convoy. His troops were soldiers. What bandits would dare block their way? When he reached the front, he stopped short. On the yellow dirt road at the border, the wind whipped up grit, and in the blurred haze, a solitary figure stood. "Who are you? Why are you blocking my convoy?" Roland called. At his words, the figure slowly turned and walked out of the blowing sand, revealing a middle‑aged man's face. He wore a martial‑arts master's robe, his jaw rough with sparse stubble. One glance, and you could feel the cold, heavy killing intent, the kind of presence only countless killings could forge. "Mr. Sean..." Roland stared, then recognized him at once. He had come to Highplain to borrow troops from Magnus, a big shot from Moverby with sky‑high connections, with an army and a personal guard of his own. The man stepping from the sand was Magnus's top enforcer, the martial grandmaster Sean. Sean's face was unreadable. "My condolences, Mr. Wokey. Magnus already knows about Nettle. He ordered me to wait here." "Oh? I'm grateful to Magnus. I hate to trouble him." Learning that Magnus had sent Sean, Roland dipped his head respectfully. "Magnus also dispatched five thousand men to help you take revenge. They're at the garrison just ahead," Sean said. "What?" Delight lit Roland's face. He already had five thousand under him. With Magnus's five thousand, that made a force of ten thousand. With that, not only could he wipe out the Jauncy holdouts, he could cow the whole of Nettle. "Many thanks to Magnus. Mr. Sean, in that case, please get in." Roland bowed slightly and gestured him toward the car. Sean gave a faint nod. He strode over and climbed into the vehicle. Facing toward Nettle, a thin, cold smile tugged at Roland's lips. "You brat, I have ten thousand troops and Mr. Sean at my side. You're as good as dead."