Chapter 5: Idiot

Inside the inn, every heart gave a startled jolt. Bianca Balam had invited Seth Santee, and he had actually refused. Leaving aside the Balam family's standing, just Bianca's beauty alone was enough that most men could not bring themselves to say the word "no" to her. Bianca did not argue. She knew Seth did not trust her yet. Instead, she walked up to Ember, took her small hand, and smiled gently. "My home has lots of tasty food. Would you like to come with your brother?" "Really?" Ember's eyes lit up, only to dim again a heartbeat later. "You won't lie to me, right?" After what had happened with Evelyn Showyer, the girl clearly carried a shadow in her heart. Her guard rose at the slightest kindness. "How can I make you believe me?" Bianca's smile was like a warm spring breeze, soft and comforting. "Unless…" Ember looked as if she were thinking very, very hard. Then she lifted her chin and stared at Bianca. "Unless you become my sister-in-law." "Cough, cough!" Seth could not help coughing to cut her off. This little brat. What nonsense was she spouting? A faint blush rose on Bianca's snow-pale face. Seth was handsome to begin with. Even though his Cultivation Level had been destroyed, there was something strangely elusive about him that stirred her curiosity. "It's too early to talk about that," Bianca said. The people around them exchanged odd looks. Was she implying something? Then Bianca stepped closer to Seth and leaned toward his ear. The slightly intimate scene only left the crowd more stunned. "My father received news," Bianca murmured. "Trenton Warth, the genius of the Warth family of the Imperial City, will marry Evelyn Showyer. He will come to propose on the day of the Farwind City Grand Competition. By then, Evelyn will seize first place with an Innate Dao Body's unbeatable might, enter Skyreach Academy, and all of Farwind City's Mineral Vein Resources will fall into the Showyer family's hands. The Balam family doesn't want Showyer Manor ruling Farwind City alone. I believe you don't want to see that either, Seth." "You're not worried I'm exactly what the Showyer family claims I am?" Seth turned his head. Bianca stood right beside him. They were close enough to feel each other's breath. Their eyes met. Her heartbeat seemed to quicken, but she still smiled. "The Showyer family's one-sided story isn't something I'd blindly believe. Besides family interests, I also have a selfish request. I want to ask you for a favor. But that favor can wait until you reach Balam Manor." "I agree." Seth did not hesitate this time. "I only have one condition. My sister's meals and daily care…" "I'll assign people to serve her personally," Bianca said at once, waving her hand with bright confidence. "Seth, please!" The Balam siblings left with Seth and Ember. News of what happened in the inn spread fast. Showyer Manor erupted in fury. Seth was someone the Showyer family had publicly sworn to hunt down, yet the Balam family had invited him in. "To win over a cripple," a voice sneered from within Showyer Manor, half mockery, half threat. "The Balam family's fate is finished." After bringing Seth and Ember back, Peter Balam pulled his sister aside. "Was this really worth it?" "Whether it's worth it, we'll only know after we try." Bianca's smile vanished. "Others might not see the crisis hanging over us, but you and I do. Don't we?" Peter fell silent. The Balam family looked glorious on the surface, but the danger hidden underneath could send them crashing into the abyss overnight. "Father, I brought someone to see you." Bianca pushed open the gate to the deepest courtyard in Balam Manor. Inside stood not only Cyrus Balam, the head of the Balam family, but several other figures as well. All of them turned in unison to look at her and Seth behind her. Seth's expression shifted slightly. None of these people had weak auras. Since when did the Balam family have so many experts? "Bianca." A young man stepped out from the room. He looked carefree and charming, and he flashed her a practiced smile. "Zane Lafontaine." Bianca frowned. Seth's gaze sharpened. Zane Lafontaine was Farwind City's Young City Lord. "So the people in this courtyard are all experts from City Lord's Manor?" Seth thought. City Lord's Manor governed Farwind City in the emperor's name. It rarely interfered with the three great families, but its strength was beyond doubt. "My father heard Uncle was unwell," Zane said with an easy smile. "So he specially invited a renowned physician from outside to treat him. I expect Uncle will recover soon." Bianca froze for a moment before replying, her voice turning cool. "Thank you." How did City Lord's Manor know her father was sick? Zane did not seem to mind her attitude. Then his eyes slid to Seth behind her, narrowing. "You are… Seth Santee? Why are you here?" Seth had no particular impression of Zane, but Zane had watched the last Grand Competition and had seen Seth before. "He's my friend," Bianca said flatly. "I invited him. Is there a problem?" "Friend?" Zane's expression cooled as he looked Seth up and down. "After getting kicked out by the Showyer family, you latched onto the Balam family instead? Looks like you're quite skilled at living off women." "Mhm. You're right," Seth said, nodding without denial. Bianca stared at him, startled. Since when did this man become so obedient, so willing to swallow insults? He did not look like someone who feared City Lord's Manor at all. "If you've become a cripple, you should have a cripple's self-awareness," Zane said bluntly. "The Showyer family's rise can't be stopped. If you stay with the Balam family, you'll only bring Bianca trouble. Do you understand?" "Mhm. You're right," Seth said again, nodding once more. "Is that the only line you know?" Zane raised his voice. Seth's answer sounded perfunctory. "When I was little, my mother told me something," Seth said with a faint, calm smile. "Don't argue with an idiot. Just agree." "Pfft!" Bianca covered her mouth as she laughed. This man really was interesting. "Trash! You dare insult me?" Zane roared, humiliated even more when Bianca laughed at him. "You can still understand human speech," Seth said, smiling. "So you're not completely stupid." Boom! A violent Aura Pressure burst outward. Zane took a step forward, his turbulent aura surging straight at Seth. The other experts from City Lord's Manor also moved in. Threads of Aura Pressure descended, pressing down on Seth from all sides. "This is the Balam family!" Bianca's expression snapped into stern authority. "My father is resting. What do you think you're doing?" Zane's aura gradually retracted under her glare. "For Bianca's sake, I'll let you off this once," he said with a sneer. "I just hope you won't hide behind a woman's skirt forever." "That's still better than someone who wants to hide under a woman's skirt," Seth replied, ignoring Zane's darkening face as he followed Bianca into the room. The moment he stepped inside, a strange stench hit him, sharp enough to make his brows knit. Cyrus Balam lay on a sickbed. An elderly man with white hair and beard was examining him. "Senior, how is my father?" Bianca asked, worry plain in her eyes. "Not optimistic," the old man said, shaking his head. "Cyrus's condition is too complicated. I've practiced medicine my whole life, yet I can't even identify the cause." "This smell…" Seth's eyes narrowed. He realized the source of the stench was Cyrus himself. "I know what's wrong with Senior Cyrus!" Seth suddenly said. Everyone in the room froze.