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The one who had arrived was the Moon Demon. He—or perhaps she—had murdered Victor’s most trusted subordinate, peeled off the man’s face, and worn it as a disguise before infiltrating his side.

Everything had been done for this single, decisive moment; a fatal strike when it mattered most. Yet the Moon Demon’s true appearance remained concealed within the shadows, impossible to discern. Now was not the time for them to reveal that face, because Victor was still alive.

“But even if you cut off his face and wore it, how did you manage to conceal your own aura so perfectly?” Victor could not understand.

The Moon Demon seemed to have employed some secret technique that preserved the vitality of the stolen face, allowing him to imitate that subordinate’s aura flawlessly. But how had he completely hidden his own presence?

Victor was not a careless man. On the contrary, he had always been exceptionally cautious and meticulous. Even if it were his most trusted subordinate, the slightest trace of an unfamiliar aura would have been enough for Victor to forbid that person from approaching him.

Yet the Moon Demon had possessed none. His aura had been identical to that subordinate’s, but there had been no trace of his own. No, it would be more accurate to say there had been no aura belonging to a living being. In Victor’s perception, the person standing before him was no different from a dead man.

“Now that… is a secret.” The Moon Demon let out a sinister, rasping laugh but did not attack.

Although Victor had already been seriously wounded and had suffered the Moon Demon’s surprise attack on top of that, he had still been Maplefall Town’s strongest expert for years before five years ago.

His reckless pursuit of power had severed his path toward the Saint Realm, yet no one could deny his strength.

Unfortunately, the precious blood poison had already been used on Adrian. The toxin coated on the dagger was merely ordinary poison and posed no fatal threat to Victor. Otherwise, the outcome would have already been decided.

“What? Since you’ve come to kill me, why aren’t you attacking?” Victors expression gradually settled into calmness. Though he had been stabbed in a surprise attack, such an injury was far from fatal for a peak Ninth-Stage expert.

The real problem was his old wounds. That single strike had shown signs of causing them to flare up again. Even so, it was nowhere near enough to make him fear the Moon Demon. From the day he became City Lord, he had never feared anyone.

“I think I’ll pass.” The Moon Demon turned his head, his icy gaze shifting toward the darkness behind him.

Suddenly, flames flared to life, illuminating the shadows. The sounds of shouting and angry cries erupted in the distance. Mixed with hurried footsteps, they reached his ears.

Several fairly powerful auras were also rapidly approaching. After all, this was the City Lord’s Manor, a place guarded with strict security. Although Victor was the only Ninth-Stage powerhouse present, there were plenty of guest experts at the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Stages.

The moment an assassination failed to achieve an instant kill, it was effectively a failure. Remaining here any longer would only place him in danger. Without the blessing of the full moon, his combat power simply could not be sustained for long.

“Then farewell, City Lord Song. Let us consider this visit merely a greeting.” The Moon Demon bent at the waist and performed a strange, unfamiliar salute. His unnaturally thin figure gradually merged into the darkness.

“However, an even greater surprise is waiting for you next. I hope you’ll enjoy it, City Lord Song.” Amid his mocking words, the Moon Demon slowly vanished. He disappeared from Victor’s sight.

Yet Victor had no intention of pursuing him. Because he did not know whether the other party still had hidden cards left to play. In his current condition, he could not afford to gamble.

Instead, he found himself far more concerned about the “greater surprise” the Moon Demon had mentioned.

“Moon Demon? I’d like to see what other tricks you can still pull.” A dark glint flashed through Victor’s eyes. He suddenly yanked the dagger from his abdomen and casually crushed it into scrap metal. “I am not so easy to kill!”

***

After having his wounds hastily bandaged, Victor made his way to Julius’ room.

“It hurts… It hurts so much… Father… Father, it hurts…” Julius was curled up on the bed, crying out in agony. Although this world possessed the concept of surgery, it had no anesthetics. As a result, Julius had merely passed out during the operation. Now that he was awake, the pain began relentlessly assaulting his nerves.

Ironically, the lack of anesthesia also meant that Julius appeared surprisingly lively. Aside from his pale complexion and the fact that he now looked more like a eunuch than before, there seemed to be nothing seriously wrong with him.

After all, only that particular part of his body had been injured. In truth, the wound would not affect his normal daily life. Yet Julius would rather have had a leg or an arm broken and spend several months peacefully bedridden. At least then, he could continue causing trouble once he recovered.

How could that compare to this? This was worse than death.

“Father… what did the physician say? Can I still be saved?” The moment he saw Victor standing beside the bed, Julius looked as though he had found a lifeline. Ignoring the searing pain shooting through his body, he hurriedly reached out and grabbed Victor’s sleeve.

Victor silently looked at him, an unreadable light flickering within his eyes. He seemed to be thinking. Or rather, weighing his options.

At this moment, two paths lay before him. The first was to cure Julius at any cost. The Vermilion Pill was extraordinarily precious, but if he was willing to pay any price, he might be able to obtain one from the Immortal Cloud Pavilion.

However, that would mean the fortune he had accumulated over decades would vanish in an instant. More importantly, this had originally been the final contingency he had reserved for himself. He needed the Vermilion Pill as well.

The second option was to abandon Julius. Although it was impossible for him to have another son, there were several promising children among the family’s collateral branches.

Strictly speaking, they were not his direct bloodline, but they were far superior to Julius in every regard. Moreover, for the sake of status and inheritance, they would undoubtedly fawn over him and cater to his every whim until the day he died, treating him with even greater devotion than they would their own fathers.

After a brief silence, Victor quickly reached his decision. He sat beside Julius’ bed and, with unusual gentleness, stroked his son’s head.

“Silly child, what are you thinking? An injury like this is naturally curable.”

“But… if that’s true, why hasn’t the surgery helped at all?” Unease flickered in Julius’ eyes. He could still feel that place hanging limply like a lump of ruined flesh. Other than pain, he could feel nothing.

“Don’t worry. The physician said that as long as we obtain a Vermilion Pill, your injury can be completely healed.”
“R-Really?”
“Of course. When has your father ever lied to you?”
“T-That’s wonderful…” Joy immediately appeared in Julius’ eyes.

“Don’t think too much. Get some rest. No matter what happens, your father will cure you.” Victor helped Julius lie back down and carefully tucked the blanket around him. Feeling this rare display of tenderness from his father, Julius suddenly felt his nose sting and his eyes grow moist.

“Father…”
“Hm?”
“Thank you.”
“Heh, what are you saying? I’m your father. Do you think I could simply abandon you?”
“I know… but I’m still so touched. Can I hug you?”

Victor froze. Because this was the first time his worthless son had ever made such a request. In the past, Julius had always treated his father’s care and sacrifices as things he deserved. Perhaps this ordeal had finally forced him to grow up. Unfortunately, he grew up too late.

“Of course.” As one final moment of warmth, Victor ignored the lingering pain in his abdomen and leaned forward to embrace Julius.

“Father, you’ve always been so good to me.” Wrapping his arms around Victor’s waist, Julius closed his eyes and spoke with heartfelt emotion. “Even a treasure as precious as the Vermilion Pill… you’re willing to use it for my sake.”

“Mm… Mm?” Victor suddenly sensed that something was wrong. How did this fool, who normally could not even be bothered to read books, know just how precious the Vermilion Pill was?

“But, Father…” From an angle Victor could not see, Julius slowly opened his eyes. Gone were the gratitude and affection from moments before. Only hatred remained. Hatred… and madness.

“As your son, I understand you very well. If you truly obtained a Vermilion Pill when you yourself needed one as well…” A twisted smile gradually spread across Julius’ face. “…how could you possibly give it to me?”