After reports of Lilian being cured by Kent reached the ears of the Ashland family, Dave Ashland, the lord of Caprath City, ordered his third wife, Vida, to instruct her son to propose marriage to Lilian.
Of course, one might think it was fast-tracked, considering she was outright commanded to push her son to take such a bold step. But it wasn’t like that. Long before Lilian was poisoned, it was an open secret between the two families that Lilian and Jacob Ashland would one day become Dao Companions.
They were destined to be together, uniting the two families through marriage.
Lilian was aware of this, as was Jacob. It was the only way for the Alderford family to gain more power—the bond of marriage.
However, all of that came crashing down after a series of events centered around Kent, the young alchemist who entered the scene and unraveled a plot orchestrated by a noble family.
But Kent didn’t just destroy the Ashland family’s plan to steal a spirit root for their daughter. No.
Kent shattered Jacob’s chances of securing one of the most sought-after beauties in the city—and the entire kingdom.
An hour ago, while Kent was away from the Alderford Mansion, touring and spending time with Unity, Jacob Ashland arrived at the Alderford family estate intending to secure himself a beauty.
But when he made his intentions known to Lilian, she outright rejected him.
Her words: “I have someone already in my heart, and his name is Master Kent.”
These words shattered Jacob’s heart in countless ways.
Although he was known as the bastard son of the Ashland noble family, mainly due to his habit of frequenting brothels and sleeping around with many women, he was still the son of Dave Ashland. He held significant power in the city.
Yet those words reduced his ego to its lowest point.
“Who the fuck is Master Kent?” That was his question.
Tensions ran high, and the situation became increasingly heated until, finally, Kent and Unity arrived.
Jacob, who immediately felt threatened by Kent’s good looks, challenged him without even considering his own status or cultivation base.
Jacob was a Peak Root Master, someone at the same level as Lilian Alderford. He was undeniably powerful—and very, very angry.
***
Now, back to the present.
Kent, who had just taken his seat as though he were the head of the Alderford family, looked at Jacob, who was glaring and pointing at him while issuing the challenge. His red eyes spoke volumes.
“Hahahaha…” Kent suddenly burst into resounding laughter, stunning everyone present in the hall.
The room fell silent as Kent’s laughter echoed. Everyone was stunned by his reaction, especially Jacob.
Jacob’s face turned red with anger. He clenched his fists and took a step forward. “What’s so funny? Do you think I’m joking?”
Kent wiped a tear from his eye, still smiling. “I laugh because you amuse me, Jacob. A battle to the death over a woman? How childish.”
“You dare mock me?” Jacob roared, his voice filled with fury.
Kent leaned back in his chair, calm and unbothered. “I don’t need to mock you. Your actions do that for me.”
“You bastard… If you have the spine, accept my challenge, and let’s see if you can open that stinky mouth of yours after this” Jacob’s voice boomed, his anger flaring like an uncontrollable fire.
Kent, however, found it all deeply amusing. The more Jacob raged, the more entertaining it became. He was tempted to accept the challenge immediately, but something told him to wait.
First, he wanted to push Jacob further, to see if his fury could reach a point where steam might start pouring from his ears.
But Kent’s amusement wasn’t his only focus. Moments ago, he had received an intriguing report from the Tower about the Black Veil Syndicate.
The Tower revealed that the Black Veil Syndicate was a ruthless bandit group originally consisting of 64 members—though now only 61 remained, as three had recently met their end at Kent’s sword.
They weren’t ordinary bandits.
Aside from ambushing merchant caravans, they also worked as hired hands for the wealthy. And in this case, their employer was none other than the Ashland noble family.
This information surprised Kent, but there was more. The Tower also uncovered that the Black Veil Syndicate had ties to three other noble families from different cities, all of whom shared suspicious connections with the Ashland family.
It all began to make sense now. Seeing Jacob here wasn’t just a coincidence.
Kent was no fool. Far from it—he was highly observant, with a sharp mind that missed nothing. It was an old habit, born from his past life where he had been a bit of a nerd obsessed with observing the human body and understanding its pleasurable secrets.
Back then, his curiosity wasn’t driven by combat or survival, but by something far simpler: writing scripts. Since he couldn’t experience sexual pleasures, he had to study and analyze them, using that knowledge to craft better move scripts.
Now, that same analytical mind was working to piece together the puzzle before him. Jacob’s proposal, the Ashland family’s connection to the bandits, and the presence of the Black Veil Syndicate—none of it was random.
Still, Kent kept his expression calm, even playful. “A challenge, you say?” he finally responded, his tone light.
“Why not? But first… tell me, Jacob, do all bastards shout as loudly as you, or is it just a special trait of yours?”
The insult hit its mark, and Jacob’s face turned crimson. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his knuckles white with rage. “You’ll regret this,” Jacob growled.
Kent simply smirked. “Oh, I doubt it.”
Kent could see all of this boiling down to one person—Lilian. The Ashland family clearly meant no good, and for once, he was in the mood for some mischief.
He turned his gaze to Lilian and asked casually,
“Between me and this clown, who do you love?” His tone was light, completely ignoring Jacob’s furious outbursts.
Lilian’s cheeks flushed a deep red at the question.
That blush, however, was louder than any response she could have given.
Jacob’s eyes widened, his mind filling in the silence with the worst possible answer. To him, that blush screamed volumes. It was a confession—one he couldn’t accept.
“You dare…” Jacob hissed, his voice trembling with anger. His grip went for the hilt of his sword, and the aura of a Peak Root Master surged around him again. “You dare steal her from me”
Kent smirked, leaning back slightly, clearly unbothered. “Steal her? You can’t steal what was never yours, Jacob. Maybe it’s time you faced reality.
“You are not only ugly, but your face also doesn’t resemble a good person, and I can tell there is no love for Lilian in your eyes. So, it’s only natural for her to choose me.
“But even if that weren’t enough, you don’t have the strength to fight me. Trust me, you would die before you even realized how it happened.”
Kent smiled at Jacob, who, for some reason, felt a bad premonition. But the anger in his heart prevented him from seeing reason, so he attacked.
“Die for me!” he shouted, leaping forward and stabbing his sword at Kent.
John Alderford and his family shouted, seeing the sudden attack. However, before Jacob could get within a meter of Kent, a powerful presence filled the room, accompanied by a sweet and calming voice.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”