Chapter 3: At Least Ten Women!

Taylor Yale left the Yale family estate and headed straight out of the city. Once he passed the gates, he drove his carriage toward Azurehold Arcavis Academy. The Academy was not inside Azurehold at all. It sat hundreds of miles away, atop Azurehold Mountain. A teleportation array could have taken him there in less than half an hour, but he did not choose that. One trip cost ninety Spirit Crystals. A carriage ride cost fewer than ten. If he could save, he would. After about half an hour on the road, he reached a remote stretch where low hills rose on both sides and not a soul could be seen. He pulled the Path Sword from his waist and studied it in the dim light. The blade had been with him since childhood, wickedly sharp. He had used it once, deep in the mountains while gathering herbs. Back then, he had run into a Monster three realms above him, and he had cut it down with this very sword. Three realms. And he had felt, even then, that it still was not the sword's limit. A mysterious sword. A mysterious Spireprimus. Even his own origins felt wrapped in fog. He had asked Spireprimus who he really was. Spireprimus had refused to answer. Taylor put the sword away. When the road carried him over a stone bridge, he suddenly took every Storage Ring he had taken from Beau Zorn and the others and tossed them into the raging river below. Little Tower sounded puzzled. "What are you doing? I saw you count them. That was more than two thousand Spirit Crystals." Taylor did not answer. Three hours later, it was deep night. A bright moon hung on the Skyline, and pale moonlight spilled across the ground like frost. Taylor drove along the main road until he abruptly reined in the carriage. A bonfire burned by the roadside ahead. Beside it sat a woman in a moon-white robe, her long hair draped over her shoulders. Her beauty was striking, but it was the clarity in her eyes that held the gaze, bright with Spiritual Energy and quiet confidence. She carried herself like someone sharp and efficient, the kind of person who never wasted a motion. She was roasting a fish. Its skin had already turned golden, as if it had been on the fire for a while. She turned her head toward Taylor and smiled. "Come over. Sit." Under the moonlight, her face looked even more unreal, the kind that lingered in memory. Taylor did not linger on it. He jumped down from the carriage, walked over, and sat across from her. The woman rolled the fish over the flame and spoke evenly. "Yesterday, Beau Zorn of the Zorn family and people from Eldergem Spire disappeared. After an investigation, it was confirmed they're dead." Taylor picked up a twig and nudged the coals, saying nothing. She glanced at him. "I looked into Beau Zorn. Plenty of people hated him because of the forced demolition business. But the one with the deepest conflict with him was your Yale family." Taylor stayed silent. The woman lifted her gaze. "You did it." Taylor met her eyes. "Do you have proof?" She chuckled. "I'm guessing the Storage Rings they carried are on you right about now. Am I wrong?" "No," Taylor said. "If you want to search me, you'll need a legal warrant." Without a word, she produced a thick stack of papers and a pen. She wrote swiftly on one sheet. Moments later, she pulled out a small seal, stamped it, and handed the paper to him. "The warrant you wanted. I wrote it. If one isn't enough, I can write more. In all of Azurehold, I can search whoever I want." Taylor stared at the seal, shock tightening in his chest. Inspector. A terrifying existence out of legend. An Inspector toured the realm on behalf of the Inner Cabinet. In the provinces, they outranked local officials by a full tier and held the power to execute first and report later. He had not expected to run into an Inspector here, and one so young at that. To reach such a position at her age, she clearly had a powerful family behind her. Taylor took the warrant and said nothing. His left hand tightened around the hilt of the Path Sword at his waist. Her eyes flicked to the sword. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, but she did not comment. Taylor looked up at her. She spoke first. "If you confess voluntarily, I'll count it as turning yourself in. You'll have a slim chance of avoiding the death penalty," she said, voice calm. "Of course, you can also draw your sword and kill me to silence me. I sincerely advise you not to." Taylor's expression did not change. "Search me." He held out his Storage Ring and Little Tower. She did not take them. She watched him for a long moment, then said, "Seems I underestimated you." Taylor kept his gaze steady. "Can I go?" Her stare felt like it could peel the skin off a lie. "Beau Zorn abused his power to crush your Yale family. You had the motive and the reason to kill him." Taylor replied at an unhurried pace, "Proof." She rose slowly and leaned down, close enough that the firelight warmed her cheekbones. "I can arrest every last person in the Yale family right here and right away. Do you think their bones are harder than the torture in the imperial prison?" Taylor's eyes narrowed. His left hand clenched the Path Sword even tighter. The woman suddenly laughed. "I really don't have proof. You can go." Taylor frowned. For a moment, he could not read what she wanted. She waved him off. "Go." Taylor gave her one last look, turned, and drove the carriage away. Behind him, her voice carried through the night. "Taylor Yale. Remember this. My name is Haisley Norvin. I've got my eyes on you. Be careful." Taylor glanced back once, then urged the carriage forward until it vanished into the darkness. After he left, an old man appeared behind Haisley Norvin. He asked in a low voice, "My lady, why let him go?" Haisley narrowed her eyes. "Why would the Yale family kill? That needs to be investigated properly. Let's move." … Azurehold. A street at night. Haisley Norvin sat beside a small brazier on the roadside. Two fish lay on the rack above it, both roasted to a rich golden color, their aroma drifting through the air. Her eyes stayed fixed on them without blinking. Every so often, she turned them with gentle precision. Someone as stunning as her naturally drew attention, and plenty of passersby stole glances. None dared approach. Twelve guards stood behind her, each at least in the Realm of Myriad Laws. Not only that, the deputy city lord of Azurehold himself stood by her side, attending her personally. The deputy city lord looked to be in his forties or fifties. He wore a plain robe and held himself with careful deference. Haisley leaned in toward the fish and inhaled softly. A captivating smile bloomed on her lips. At that moment, a man in black hurried over, about to speak. Haisley cut him off without looking up. "After I finish eating." The man bowed and retreated to the side. Haisley picked up one fish and took delicate bites. She ate with effortless grace. She loved fish, and she often finished the meat while leaving the skeleton perfectly intact, like a piece of art. Everyone waited. No one dared breathe too loudly. After a long while, two complete fish skeletons lay before her. Haisley turned to the deputy city lord. The man immediately bent slightly at the waist, forcing an ingratiating smile. Haisley said, "Deputy City Lord Abel Showyer, as I understand it, the land around the Yale family was seized for demolition. Their ancestral shrine alone was worth at least fifty thousand Spirit Crystals, yet Eldergem Spire was only willing to offer eight hundred. How is that any different from robbery?" "Huh?" Abel's face filled with confusion. "That happened?" Haisley did not speak. She only gave him a sidelong glance. Abel knew he could not fool her. He turned to an old man standing respectfully nearby. "Who's in charge of that matter?" The old man stepped forward and bowed. "Reporting to the city lord, Eldergem Spire led the process. Our Academy only cooperated. The specifics are not something this subordinate knows clearly." Eldergem Spire. Abel looked back at Haisley, his expression strained. Eldergem Spire was nominally under the Academy's authority, but reality was never that simple. Haisley's smile held a blade. "You can't handle it?" Abel did not dare play games. "Of course I can. Please wait a moment, my lady. I'll summon Eldergem Spire's steward immediately." He shot the old man a look. The old man understood and withdrew at once. Abel bowed again. "Please wait briefly." As deputy city lord, he knew perfectly well what went on beneath him. But he would not take the blame for it. That would be Eldergem Spire's problem. Soon, a steward from Eldergem Spire arrived. He was also in his forties or fifties, extremely fat, his flesh jiggling with every step. He hurried to Haisley and bowed. "Greetings, my lady." Haisley asked, "Explain." The fat steward wiped sweat from his face. "My lady, it's like this. Eldergem Spire did lead the demolition, but we outsourced the work to the 'Anfan Merchant Guild'…" "The Anfan Merchant Guild?" Haisley asked. He nodded and lowered his voice. "A merchant guild founded by the Ades family of Azurehold…" The Ades family of Azurehold. Haisley's brows drew together tightly. That was a first-rate clan. Their ancestors had produced three Martial Gods. Their glory ran deep. The steward continued, "As far as I know, the Anfan Merchant Guild then outsourced it further to different minor clans. The Zorn family was one of them. They handled the Yale family's area… My lady, Eldergem Spire paid them according to market price, but after outsourcing layer after layer, the amount dropped from over ten thousand to eight hundred. And, of course, personal grudges played a part." Abel kept his head lowered, not saying a word. Haisley fell silent as well. Only then did she truly grasp how complicated this was. It entangled who knew how many forces. It was not something she could shake easily. Even if she wanted to, her family would not allow it. If she tried to force the issue, the other side could label it "factional struggle." At that point, not only her, but even the Norvin family could be dragged into disaster. Haisley sighed inwardly. She looked at Abel and the fat steward. Both kept their heads down, refusing to speak. They would rather die than take responsibility for this. To offend so many clans, and the Ades family of Azurehold on top of that, all for a Yale family with no ties to them? Only an idiot would do it. Besides, they could not move them even if they wanted to. Not even this Inspector could. Of course, no one would dare say that aloud. After a long silence, Haisley said, "Punish the Zorn family. Give the Yale family justice. Then we stop there. Any objections?" The fat steward opened his mouth to speak, but Abel cut in immediately. "No objections." Haisley nodded and turned to leave. After she left, the fat steward rounded on Abel in a fury. "No objections my ass. You know damn well that Zorn kid has already entered the Inner Cabinet of Azurehold and become Mentor Xu Qing's last disciple. He's practically guaranteed to represent Azurehold in the Arcavis Realm for the Myriadhold Competition. His future's limitless. If we come down hard on the Zorn family, we won't even know how we died!" Abel let out a low sigh. "Campbell, didn't you see how angry she was? If we refused, we'd be humiliating her to her face. If she snapped and decided to dig into this to the bitter end…" Campbell's face stayed cold. "If she wants to dig, let her." "Dig my ass!" Abel barked. "She's backed by the Norvin family, and she has support in the Inner Cabinet. If she insists on pursuing it, even if she loses to the Ades family in the end, she'll be fine. At worst, she gets removed from her post. But you and me? Will the people above need scapegoats? Think. Who do you think they'll throw under the cart?" Campbell's face went pale at once. Sweat beaded on his forehead. The answer was obvious. It would be the two of them. Abel looked into the distance and said quietly, "That Inspector is smart too. She knows this can't be investigated deeply. So she's stopping at the surface." Campbell asked grimly, "So what about the Zorn family… Do we really punish them?" Abel shook his head. "Of course not." They could not afford to offend that Inspector, but they could not afford to offend the Zorn family either. One person had risen, and the whole clan rose with him. Campbell hesitated. "Then…" Abel paused, then said, "We handle it cold. Play dumb. And you and I quietly look after the Yale family a bit. Leave a favor." Campbell frowned. "Why look after the Yale family?" Abel's voice lowered. "In this world, anything can happen. The Yale family is losing right now, but who dares swear they'll never rise again? Leave a way out today, and it might save our lives tomorrow." … Outside the city. Haisley Norvin rode a small donkey at an unhurried pace. An old man followed beside her with respectful steps. He asked in a deep voice, "My lady, are we really letting it go like this?" Haisley countered, "If you were Taylor Yale and the Yale family, and this happened to you, what would you do?" The man in black answered without hesitation. "Kill." He paused, then added stiffly, "But breaking the law is still breaking the law." Haisley shook her head. "Emotion, law, reason. There's what's fixed and what's flexible, what's light and what's heavy, what's urgent and what can wait. The world is vast, the Dao is deep. How could you measure everything with a single ruler?" After she spoke, she suddenly stepped forward. Just one step. Taylor was already standing before her. His expression changed instantly. His left hand locked around the Path Sword at his waist. In that moment, true killing intent rose in him. Haisley stared at him. "Taylor Yale. There are people like Beau Zorn in this world. There are people like you. And there are people like me. It depends on which kind there are more of. If there are too few of us, and too many of people like Beau Zorn, then the world will fall into chaos." Taylor watched her, still on guard. Haisley pulled out a thick stack of wanted notices. From it, she drew a single sheet. It was Taylor's. She pinched it lightly between her fingers. The paper ignited and burned to ash. Then she leaned closer and patted the hand gripping his sword hilt, light as a warning, gentle as a threat. "Taylor Yale," she said softly, "you and I both walk the road at night. We'll see who makes it to dawn." She turned. Space tore open as if it were cloth, and she vanished from right in front of him. She had ripped space apart by force. At least the Immortal Realm. Taylor's heart lurched. He stood there for a long time, then murmured, "Haisley Norvin…" Soon, he drove his carriage into the distance. His expression stayed heavy. He had realized something simple and terrifying. If Haisley Norvin had decided to act, he would not have had the slightest chance to live. He did not know why she had spared him, but he hated the feeling of his fate being held in someone else's hand. If it had been a different Inspector, would he still have walked away tonight? His life needed to be in his own grasp. And Roy Zorn had already been in the Realm of Myriad Laws before he entered the Inner Cabinet. With a famed mentor, plus the Academy's resources, Roy's strength was at least at the Minor Calamity Tier by this point, possibly higher. Cultivation. Taylor drew a deep breath. He took out his Cultivation Technique, Primis Fateweave, and began refining it again. Once he activated it, it ran out of control. That would not do. He needed it to surge when he wanted and stop when he chose. A thought suddenly struck him. He blurted, "The books say Spiritual Energy is only one kind of power in heaven and earth. There are all kinds of energies out there. If I can absorb Spiritual Energy, why can't I absorb other energies too? Lightning, fire, earth, starlight… I have to try." Little Tower: "…"