Chapter 3: Origins

Reid Quinny's eyes flew wide. The girl in front of him had her hair hanging loose in a tangled curtain, hiding her face. He could not make out her features. But that voice… He had dreamed of it day and night. It had been carved into the deepest part of his soul, something time could never erase. "Sister!" "It's me. It's Reid Quinny. I'm back!" "Brother…" "Brother, where did you go these past three years?" "Do you have any idea how much I missed you? W-Waaah…" Destiny Quinny lunged forward and crashed into his arms. Her whole body shook as she sobbed, loud and unrestrained. "Don't be scared. Don't be scared," Reid murmured, patting her back in slow, steady strokes. "I'm back. Your brother's here. From today on, nobody gets to bully you again." Even as he soothed her, two clear tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. After three thousand years, he had finally seen his family again. "Destiny, don't cry yet," he said, forcing his voice steady. "Tell me what happened. Who are those people outside?" Destiny pulled away, wiped her cheeks, and spoke in broken gasps. "Brother… Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad were taken!" "I don't know who those people are. They kicked me out of the house, chased me everywhere, and forced me to beg…" Boom! A cold, towering killing intent surged from Reid, shooting straight up like a blade. "How dare they!" He drew a gentler smile across his face and guided his sister down onto the couch. "Destiny, sit. I'll drag those people in from outside." "I'll make them tell me why they did this." Destiny grabbed his arm in a panic and shook her head hard. "Brother, don't! There are too many of them. You can't beat them!" Reid smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I learned martial arts from an expert these past years. They're not my match." He turned toward the door. The instant his back faced her, the smile vanished, replaced by a murderous chill. The door suddenly swung open. Three burly men in black suits stood outside. The one in front had a long scar across his face. He stared, startled and suspicious. "Huh? Kid, who the hell are you? How are you in here?" Reid's mouth curved. "You'll find out in a second." He reached out and grabbed the man, hauling the nearly two-hundred-pound brute inside as if he weighed nothing. "Tanner!" "Kid, let Tanner go!" The other two men roared, faces twisting with rage. Tanner dangled upside down in Reid's grip, head down and feet up, his face pressed close to the floor. "You little punk! You lay a hand on me and you're dead!" "Go ask around! In Greenveil, who doesn't know me, Scarface Tanner!" Reid let out a quiet, icy laugh. "I don't care if you're Scarface Tanner or Bald Tanner. Answer a few questions honestly, and I'll let you die quickly." He carried Tanner into the living room and flung him down. Thud! "Aaagh!" Scarface Tanner screamed as he hit the floor. Destiny saw him and jerked back with a frightened gasp, ducking behind Reid. "Brother, it's him!" The two lackeys rushed in, trying to help Scarface Tanner up. Reid kicked once, then again, each boot driving into a stomach. "Aaagh!" Both men doubled over and rolled across the floor, clutching their guts. "Fuck you!" Scarface Tanner scrambled up, cursing, and threw a punch at Reid. Reid flicked his hand as if brushing away dust. Crack! Scarface Tanner's arm snapped cleanly. A moment ago, all three had looked like vicious wolves. In the blink of an eye, they were sprawled on the floor, wailing. "Brother… how did you get so strong?" Destiny stared at him, stunned, joy bursting through her tears. Reid gave her a small smile, then turned back to Scarface Tanner. "Talk. Who put you up to this?" If these men had wanted to kill Destiny, a young girl, it would have been effortless. But they had only driven her from home and forced her to beg. They had not done it for fun. Someone was pulling their strings. Scarface Tanner glared up at Reid, face twisted with spite. "Kid, I'll admit I lost today. But don't let me see you in Greenveil again, or I'll kill you!" Reid's expression did not change. He stepped forward and planted his foot on Scarface Tanner's other arm. Crack! That arm broke too. Cold sweat poured down Scarface Tanner's face as he howled. "Aaaah! You little bastard! Just you wait! When I get out, I'll call my brothers over and peel you alive!" "Still running your mouth." Reid pressed down harder, grinding his boot on the broken arm like he was snuffing out a cigarette. "Aah! Stop, stop! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!" Scarface Tanner was the type of thug who looked ferocious, but it was all bluff. He could bully the weak, sure. The moment he met someone stronger, he folded. Reid lifted his foot and stared down at him, blank-faced. One word fell from his lips. "Speak." "It… it was Mr. Looske!" Scarface Tanner blurted. "He told us to do it!" "He said not to hurt the girl, but we had to make her suffer. He wanted to push her until she chose to die on her own." Boom! A freezing killing intent swept through the entire living room. How dare he! What kind of hatred did that man have against their family to torture a little girl to this extent? Scarface Tanner shuddered violently and flattened himself against the floor, trembling. His back was soaked through with sweat. It was terrifying. That ordinary-looking young man in front of him felt like a primordial beast. One bite, and he could chew a person into paste. Reid had no cultivation base anymore, yet as a Tribulation Immortal Emperor, even a thread of his aura was more than ordinary people could endure. "Who is this 'Mr. Looske' you keep talking about?" Reid asked coldly, his voice stripped of human warmth. Scarface Tanner shook his head frantically. "I don't know! I only know he came from the Imperial Capital. That's all I know!" "But… but my gut tells me Mr. Looske is a big deal. The kind you can't afford to offend!" Reid could tell he was not lying. He truly did not know the man's identity. Reid clasped his hands behind his back and said one word, slow and flat. "Get out." Scarface Tanner looked like he had been granted a pardon. "Thank you, thank you, hero, for sparing my life!" "Move! Hurry!" The three of them fled like stray dogs. They only had a few hours left to live. That kick Reid had delivered earlier had already used spiritual energy to shatter their heart meridians. They were only accomplices, but they had dared to torment his sister. How could he possibly let them keep breathing? "Brother… I think I might know who told them to do it." Destiny looked up at him, fear and grief swimming in her eyes. Reid stared at her, confusion knotting in his chest. "Destiny, what happened to our family?" "Tell me. Everything." Destiny cried as she spoke. "Brother, it's a long story. But the truth is… our family was never ordinary…" It turned out Reid's mother, Michaela Looske, was the Fourth Miss of the Looske family, the foremost of the Four Great Super Families in the Imperial Capital. His father, Alberto Quinny, came from the Quinny family of Duskthaw. Stripped down, it was an old tale: a poor boy falling for a rich girl. Alberto Quinny and Michaela Looske had fallen in love at university. Their families had opposed it. In the end, Michaela, fierce and unyielding, ran away with Alberto. They came to Greenveil and made a home there. Then, a year ago, Old Mr. Looske discovered Michaela's whereabouts. He sent people to seize Alberto Quinny and Michaela Looske and drag them back. Destiny whispered, "That Mr. Looske… he's probably from Grandpa's side." If Reid had not known who it was, it would have been bad enough. Hearing this only set his rage aflame. A girl's own grandfather had forced his granddaughter to beg, and even tried to drive her to suicide. If Reid still had his cultivation base, he would have wanted to split the Looske family into rubble with a single sword.