Chapter 8: I Want to Follow You

"Kevin Letherdale, you saw my illness at a glance last night. That means you have a way to treat it, right?" Ian Sowden clung to Kevin Letherdale's arm, his eyes shining with desperate hope. Grey Sowden hurried over too, voice cracking as he pleaded, "Kevin Letherdale, I'm begging you as well. Even if… even if it's for Faye Sowden's sake." The scene left Chandler Sowden and his wife and son staring at one another, stunned. This was way too dramatic. Last night, Ian Sowden had cursed Kevin Letherdale without holding back. The uglier the words, the more he spat them out. He had even been ready to hand Kevin Letherdale over to the Lashbrook family to be dealt with. And yet, here he was, begging Kevin to save him. No matter what, Ian Sowden was still his father. Chandler Sowden forced himself forward and asked, haltingly, "Ke… Kevin Letherdale. Can you really treat him?" Kevin Letherdale nodded. "I can. It'll just hurt." "It's fine, it's fine! What's a little pain? As long as it works!" Ian Sowden blurted out, the instant he heard it was possible. His eyes brimmed with a raw, animal will to live. Kevin Letherdale tilted his head as if thinking, then said on purpose, "But I still have to go with my sister to get divorced. After that, I'm supposed to go to the Lashbrook family and beg forgiveness." Ian Sowden's old face flushed. How could he not hear the barb? But with death breathing down his neck, pride meant nothing. He swore immediately, "Who said anything about divorce? Who dares send you to the Lashbrook family to beg forgiveness? I'll be the first to break his legs!" The shamelessness was almost impressive. Even Chandler Sowden, his own son, felt his cheeks burn hearing it. Still, Chandler could only grit his teeth and say, "Kevin Letherdale… since the old man has spoken, then… please. Help him." Kevin Letherdale glanced back at Faye Sowden. She gave him a small nod. Only then did he agree. "Fine. I'm doing it for my sister. Come to my room. No interruptions." "Oh, yes, yes, yes. Thank you, Kevin Letherdale." Ian Sowden's voice trembled. Tears spilled down his face as relief crashed over him. At least he wasn't going to die. He followed Kevin Letherdale upstairs to the guest room and lay on the bed exactly as instructed. "Grandpa Ian, it's going to hurt in a moment," Kevin Letherdale warned. "You can't move. If you do, it'll fail. Understand?" To stay alive, Ian Sowden behaved as obediently as a child. "Okay. Do whatever you need. I promise I won't move." Kevin Letherdale said nothing more. He stepped to the head of the bed and slowly raised his right hand, pressing two fingers together. If anyone else had been there, they would have been terrified by what they saw. A wisp of white energy seeped from his fingertips, then condensed into a slender needle about three inches long. Kevin flicked his fingers toward the crown of Ian Sowden's head. The needle sank in. "Hiss!" Ian Sowden sucked in a sharp breath, his mouth twitching uncontrollably. Kevin Letherdale didn't pause. Another needle formed from that same white energy, and he drove it in as well. Only after nine needles had been placed did he finally stop. Ian Sowden was drenched in sweat, groaning through clenched teeth. Even so, he endured it for the sake of living. He didn't move a hair. Kevin Letherdale found himself almost impressed. "All done. Sit up," Kevin Letherdale said. The moment he heard it was over, Ian Sowden felt as if a mountain had been lifted off his chest. He sat up at once and took a long, shuddering breath, forcing himself back from the edge of pain. He didn't even bother wiping the sweat away. "Kevin Letherdale, is my brain tumor cured?" "The treatment's finished," Kevin Letherdale said. "But it's probably only about one-third gone. The rest will fade on its own. Within a month at most, it'll disappear completely." To remove a third of a brain tumor in a single session was nothing short of heaven-defying. It was something modern medicine couldn't even dream of. What Kevin Letherdale had done was condense his cultivated spiritual energy into needles, send them into Ian Sowden's head, then use that energy to slowly absorb the tumor. That spiritual energy would remain inside Ian Sowden's head, constantly eating away at the tumor until it was fully absorbed. After a month, once the tumor was gone, the spiritual energy would dissipate as well. Hearing that, Ian Sowden finally relaxed. He hadn't seen how Kevin Letherdale did it, but he didn't dare doubt him again. "Kevin Letherdale… I truly don't know how to thank you. Please, accept my bow!" Ian Sowden was so moved he started to kneel. Kevin Letherdale caught him by the arm. "No, no. Just don't make me divorce Faye Sowden." He wanted to stay. "No divorce. Absolutely not. Even if the whole world comes, you won't divorce!" Ian Sowden promised, thumping his chest. After a few more words, they went back downstairs. Chandler Sowden and the others rushed up immediately. "Kevin Letherdale, how did it go?" Before Kevin could answer, Ian Sowden cut in, grinning like a man reborn. "He said it's about one-third better. The rest will vanish on its own within a month!" "That's amazing! Kevin Letherdale, I didn't know you were this incredible!" Chandler Sowden praised. Grey Sowden said gratefully, "Kevin Letherdale, thank you. But… do you think we can go to the hospital and confirm it with another scan?" It wasn't that he didn't trust Kevin. It was just that curing a brain tumor in ten minutes sounded too unreal. He couldn't help feeling uneasy. "We can," Kevin Letherdale said. "But you'd better go to a different hospital. Otherwise you won't be able to explain it." "I understand. We'll switch hospitals." Grey Sowden couldn't wait. He took Ian Sowden and rushed out. After they left, Chandler Sowden looked at Kevin Letherdale with an awkward expression, not knowing what to say. He couldn't exactly push for a divorce anymore. All he could do was wait for the scan results and see what Ian Sowden decided. After all, the Lashbrook family situation still wasn't resolved. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. They checked the security monitor. It was the driver who had been with Zeke Lashbrook, standing outside and pressing the button. "Oh no… it's Zeke Lashbrook's driver." Chandler Sowden broke into a cold sweat. "Is he… is he here for revenge?" Kevin Letherdale had injured the man yesterday. The next day he showed up at their door. If it wasn't revenge, what else could it be? "I'll go explain," Faye Sowden offered, stepping forward. "Don't be scared," Kevin Letherdale said, already walking out. "I'm here." Chandler Sowden and the others hurried after him. Remembering Kevin's skills, they weren't quite as terrified anymore. They opened the villa's front gate. Only the driver stood outside. Zeke Lashbrook wasn't with him. Before anyone could even speak, the driver dropped to his knees in front of Kevin Letherdale and said respectfully, "Greetings, Mr. Kevin." "Uh…" Chandler Sowden and his family froze again. What was going on? Wasn't he here for revenge? Why was he kneeling? Kevin Letherdale frowned, surprised. "Why are you kneeling?" The driver glanced at Chandler Sowden and the others, then said, "Mr. Kevin… I want to speak with you alone." "Then you talk," Chandler Sowden said quickly. "We'll go back inside." If the man was kneeling, he clearly wasn't here to retaliate. Besides, Kevin had hurt him yesterday. The driver didn't have the ability to take revenge on Kevin anyway. Reassured, the three of them went back into the house. Once they were gone, Kevin Letherdale asked, "All right. What is it?" The driver bowed his head and knocked his forehead against the ground with a solid thud before asking, "Mr. Kevin… you're a Grandmaster, aren't you?" "A… Grandmaster?" Kevin Letherdale blinked, thrown off. He knew what a Grandmaster meant among Martial Artists. It was the pinnacle, a title soaked in awe and status. But Kevin wasn't a Martial Artist, so he wasn't a Grandmaster either. Even so, his abilities rivaled a Martial Artist Grandmaster, perhaps even surpassed one. Back on the mountain, Zane had warned him again and again: never let outsiders learn the truth about his cultivation. That was why, after coming down, Kevin could only disguise himself as a Martial Artist. Martial Artists were common enough for people to accept, and this driver was one too. Since the driver had already mistaken him for a Grandmaster, Kevin Letherdale didn't correct him. He simply nodded. "That's right. I'm a Grandmaster. I didn't think you'd see through it." The driver knocked his head to the ground again, trembling with excitement. "Mr. Kevin, I… I want to follow you. I'll serve you, do anything you ask. Please take me in!" Kevin Letherdale nearly choked. What the hell? This guy had fought him yesterday. Today he was here swearing loyalty. Was that really necessary? A darker thought crept in. Could this be Zeke Lashbrook's setup, sending the driver over on purpose, waiting for a chance to stab him in the back?