Aaric burned away all traces of the wizards he had killed and repaired the mansion's damage.
How did they even get inside? he wondered as he stepped outside to investigate.
Near the entrance, he found a golden tal rod covered in glowing runes. The runes pulsed faintly, still active. Aaric examined it and realized it had likely confused the mansion's wards—just enough to let intruders in. Only Nibbin, who was magically tied to the estate and enhanced with a power boost, had sensed the breach.
Aaric tucked the rod into his bottomless pouch for further study, then approached the unconscious Nibbin. He placed a hand on the elf's forehead and altered his mories of the attack. Aaric didn't want his parents knowing he had killed four people.
Using the ring on his finger, he teleported back to Nightshade Castle.
"Are you well, my lord? What happened?" Thimrill asked, concerned.
"Nothing. Just a false alarm. I'm fine, don't worry," Aaric replied, brushing it off.
Unbeknownst to him, the mansion's wards had already absorbed the runic patterns from the rod and were now immune to such intrusions in the future.
—
anwhile, in the Sect Master's chambers, Simon and Edwina stood by as Edwina examined the unconscious elder. Her spells revealed traces of poison—clearly from a powerful magical creature.
"I need privacy to treat him," Edwina said calmly. Only Simon stayed behind as the others bowed and left.
She began speaking Parseltongue, moving her wand with precision. Her fla surged forth and engulfed the Sect Master's body, not harming him but purifying the poison. A thick black liquid seeped out of him, which Edwina carefully collected in a vial.
Though her fla ca from a salamander, it had been upgraded using the Fire Yuan Lotus. Combined with the divine essence in her magic, her fla now surpassed even phoenix fire—just like Aaric's and Simon's.
—
"Were you off finding trouble instead of studying?" Elder Huo asked dryly, pulling Aaric's cheek.
"No, Master—I was… getting a gift for you," Aaric replied, face squished between fingers.
The elder released him with a huff and crossed his arms. "What gift?"
Thinking he was just making excuses, Elder Huo watched with mild disinterest as Aaric pulled out a small red crystal from his pocket.
"A Fire Jade?" the elder said, surprised. "Use it for yourself—it'll strengthen your fla."
Aaric pushed it into the elder's hand. "It's useless for or my family. Our flas have already surpassed what it offers. You've been generous with your teachings—this is just a token."
After a pause, the elder reluctantly accepted the gift. "…Your howork is still doubled."
—
Harry, anwhile, had been quietly learning in the background for the past two weeks. He had been given a salamander to raise and cared for it diligently.
Though saddened by its short lifespan, Harry focused on enjoying the present. He spent a few hours each day learning minor magical techniques and the rest playing with the salamander.
Today, he was tending to a magical horse with sleek black fur—larger and sturdier than normal breeds.
The salamander, now the size of a cat, munched on glowing blue food beside him. It had a unique mark on its forehead, which was also drawn on Harry's palm as it is the link that will alow for harry to gain its fla after its passing even if there is no way to perform the ritual.
After finishing up, Harry t Simon and Edwina in the courtyard.
"How was your day?" Simon asked.
Harry recounted his day with a cheerful smile, the salamander sleeping peacefully in his arms.
—
The next morning, the Hawthorne family was approached by a disciple of the sect.
"The Sect Master has awakened," the disciple said respectfully. "He wishes to et the three of you personally."
Simon, Edwina, Aaric, and Harry followed him up the quiet mountain path, flanked by the statues of the three sect founders.
Inside the summit chamber, the Sect Master awaited them. Dressed in a flowing white robe, the elder had long white hair, but stood tall and vibrant. Simon's potions had helped speed his recovery.
"I welco the saviors of my life," he said with a faint smile.
"We're happy to see you well," Simon replied sincerely.
The Sect Master walked to a table and picked up a wooden box. He opened it and pulled back the black cloth inside, revealing two glowing seeds.
"These are seeds of the Huǒlóng Yùlán fruit tree. Only two have appeared in the last thousand years. Once grown, each tree produces a fruit every fifty years. When consud, the fruit studies one's ancestral past and awakens any dormant magical traits within the bloodline."
The family stared at the seeds in surprise. In a world where bloodlines had long mixed, such a fruit could be invaluable. It might awaken abilities long forgotten—ritual-bound or creature-linked powers that erged only in rare generations. And with the assimilation of Vasuki's scales the possibilites were terrifying.
"We'll take only one," Simon said. "The other can serve the sect."
The Sect Master respected their choice and nodded although reluctantly. Aaric then stepped forward and offered a vial of Moonlight Essence.
"This will help the seedling you plant grow faster," he explained.
The Sect Master hesitated. "You're only increasing the debt I owe your family."
"There is no debt between us," Edwina said gently. "I acted because I could."
"And we've already gained much from the sect," Simon added. "We've grown by leaps and bounds."
The Sect Master smiled and invited them to sit with him. They spent the afternoon in calm conversation.
While the elders spoke, Aaric and Harry chatted with so of the Sect Master's disciples. anwhile, Simon negotiated a trade deal—offering rare magical beast parts and potion ingredients not available in China. He set the prices far below market value, as a gesture of goodwill.
Nearby, a few disciples poured tea for the guests. One leaned close to Aaric as they sat in the side courtyard after the formalities.
"You're the one who made Elder Huo nearly choke on his own tea from shock, right?" the disciple asked with a teasing grin.
Aaric blinked. "Which ti?"
The disciple snorted. "The Three-Step Purification Elixir. You brewed it perfectly on your first try."
"Oh, that. Well… I only almost poisoned myself three tis before that."
The disciple laughed and poured him more tea.
anwhile elder Huo had also joined the conversation between The sect leader, edwina and simon.
"Your thod of steeping essence root is unusual. Cold infusion?" Elder Huo asked curiously, they were discussing alchemy and potion making.
Simon nodded. "Yes. Slower, but it preserves subtle magic signatures more cleanly."
Elder Huo stroked his beard, impressed. "If I were twenty years younger, I'd challenge you to a brew-off."
Simon smirked. "Age only makes you more dangerous, not less."
"Flatter again and I'll triple your son's howork." Elder hua said as after that he was praised by Simon and Edwina through the whole conversation.
—
A/n: It took longer then usual for to write this chapter.
Thoughts and stones.
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