Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun didn't have any particular impression of the surname.

“I noticed you,” David said, “because—you have a talent for the art of life.”

Xilun was slightly taken aback.

He glanced at his hands instinctively.

He did not demonstrate any abilities related to life magic at the gathering, but some people within the Tusor family already knew about it after he healed Elder Kamber.

It's not surprising that the news reached the Ironblood Society.

"What are you trying to say?"

David swallowed.

"I need your help." His voice was low, tinged with an unnatural nervousness. "I'm willing to pay any price."

Xilun was taken aback.

Can you do this?

Before he came, he had considered many possibilities—being tested, being made difficult, being scrutinized—but he never thought that someone would come up to him directly and ask him to do work.

He hesitated for a moment.

The main problem is that the market price is unclear.

Life-saving techniques are extremely rare in the Southern District, and techniques capable of purifying mental pollution are even rarer.

He had never studied the pricing of this ability before.

"Name your price," he said to David.

David's expression turned somewhat troubled.

Just then, an untimely voice interrupted from the side.

"Don't you have a lot of occult books at home?"

Lund walked over at some point, leaned against the table next to him, and looked at David, saying something.

His tone was casual, but he pinpointed a key piece of information.

David's expression changed slightly.

He glanced at Lund, then at Xilen, and finally, as if having made up his mind, said—

"If you can dispel the pollution, I can let you see the scriptures within my access."

Xilun glanced at Lund.

Lund's eyes were calm, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly—so slightly that it was almost imperceptible, but Xiren understood it.

"It's worth going."

Since Lund specifically emphasized "many occult texts," it seems there is indeed quite a lot to see.

Xilun nodded.

"Can."

……

The carriage traveled for nearly forty minutes through the streets of the southern district.

The Ironblood Society gathering ended at 5:30. Siren declined Lund's suggestion to return to the North District together and instead got into David's carriage.

Lund didn't ask any further questions, but simply said something as Xiren turned away—

Come back soon.

Xilun responded.

After the carriage left the area of ​​St. Helens Square, the street scene began to change.

The dilapidated southern outskirts were left behind, replaced by increasingly tidy streets and ever-higher walls.

The canopies of the sycamore trees formed a deep green dome in the twilight, obscuring most of the sky.

The streetlights came on, and warm yellow light filtered through the leaves, scattering across the stone path.

This is the inner circle of the southern district—the residence of nobles and wealthy merchants.

The carriage slowed down as it passed through a cast-iron gate, on which was embedded a bronze plaque bearing a family crest.

A falcon carrying an olive branch in its beak.

The Link family.

Xilun looked at the family crest and suddenly felt that it sounded familiar.

"The Link family is a viscount family," David explained briefly in the carriage, "and has been in business for five generations in the South District. They mainly deal in mining and textiles."

"What is your position in the family?"

"The eldest son," David said, his tone devoid of pride, "but the actual decision-making power is in my mother's hands. My father has been bedridden for a long time."

Xilun nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The carriage entered the manor.

The estate is large, with neatly trimmed shrubs and rose bushes planted along both sides of the road.

The main building is a four-story gray stone building, with its Victorian-style spires casting sharp shadows in the twilight.

The side wing also includes a stable, servants' quarters, and a small chapel.

David led Celen into the main building through a side door, walked along the corridor for a while, and stopped in front of a bedroom in the east wing on the second floor.

"My father is inside," David said in a low voice.

He pushed open the door.

The bedroom was spacious, but dimly lit. The heavy curtains were drawn tightly shut, with only a small oil lamp on the bedside table providing a faint glow.

The air was thick with a pungent, oppressive smell, a mixture of medicine and sweat.

A middle-aged man lay on the bed, his face sallow, his eyes closed, and his breathing shallow and rapid.

He was covered with a thick blanket, but the outline beneath it revealed that he was so thin that he was just a skeleton.

On the other side of the bed, a woman sat in a chair with her back to the door.

She wore a deep purple velvet dress, and her long golden hair was pinned back with a pearl hairpin.

She lowered her head, her slender, white fingers deftly fiddling with a stack of gold pounds on the low table in front of her, counting them one by one, producing a soft, clinking metallic sound.

She didn't turn around.

"David, what are you doing in here?"

His voice was cold, carrying a habitual arrogance that came from a superior position.

"Mother," David said respectfully but urgently, "I have found a master skilled in life arts who may be able to help Father."

The fingers that were counting the gold pounds paused for a moment.

Then the woman turned her head, and Xiren saw her face clearly.

Risa!

Daisy's mother.

The last time I saw her was at a junior knight fighting tournament. She was wearing an elegant dress and sitting high in the VIP section, casually glancing at the contestants below the stage.

She felt that her daughter Daisy and Celen were getting too close, so she repeatedly used veiled language in public to belittle Celen's background and abilities.

"The illegitimate child of a foreigner"—Sirlen still remembered her saying that.

Now, those eyes are staring straight at him.

Risa's expression changed several times in a very short period of time.

First, I was confused.

Then comes recognition.

Then came the shock.

finally--

It is an extremely complex emotion that is difficult to describe with a single word.

She once looked down on this young man from a high position.

And now, this young woman stands before her husband's sickbed, appearing in a position she needs to rely on.

This reversal left her completely unable to adapt for a while.

"You—" Her lips moved.

Then her expression quickly returned to its usual coldness.

"You've got the wrong person," Risa stood up, her voice suddenly becoming sharper. "How could this person be a master of life magic? David, throw him out."

David was stunned.

"Mother, it's alright," he explained somewhat flusteredly.

"This is Mr. Celen, the governor of the Brotherhood of the North District—he does indeed possess a talent for life magic, as many of the Ironblood Society's predecessors can attest—"

I said kick them out.

Risa's voice became even sharper, but her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her skirt.

Xilun looked at the woman.

Her eyes were darting around, not from anger, but from—embarrassment.

Extreme and undeniable embarrassment.

She clearly recognized Xilun and realized how harsh and short-sighted her words had been back then.

But her pride wouldn't allow her to bow down to someone she had once looked down on.

So she chose the simplest and most brutal method—denial, rejection, and expulsion.

however--

The silence in the bedroom lasted for a few seconds.

Risa's gaze lingered on Xiren for a long time.

he's changed.

Compared to the somewhat green boy in the fight match, the current Xiren is completely different in both temperament and physique.

He stood very steadily, with his back straight, his shoulders naturally open, and his breathing so calm that it was almost inaudible.

His eyes were calm—not the kind of calm that was feigned, but a composure that naturally settled after experiencing life and death.

He wasn't angry at her attitude, not even frowning.

He simply stood there calmly, watching her.

This calm made Risa more uneasy than any counterattack.

The silence lasted for a few more seconds.

Risa's lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes shifting hesitantly between Xiren and her husband on the bed.

finally--

She spoke.

Her voice was a few decibels lower than before, but it still carried a barely maintained air of composure.

"Silon...right?"

She spoke as if she were hearing the name for the first time.

"Come and see my husband about his illness."

He paused for a moment.

"If you can't be cured, I won't forgive you easily."

Even when asking for favors, she still adopts a threatening posture.

This is a habit ingrained in our bones.

Xilun looked at her.

She recalled the scene from the junior knight fighting tournament, where she sat high up and looked at her with the same gaze one would give a stray dog.

She recalled how she subtly belittled her background in front of Daisy, using a light, dismissive tone as if discussing something insignificant.

The corners of his mouth curved slightly.

"I've changed my mind," he said.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"I feel this place is very hostile towards me. I need to think about it carefully."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.

Risa was stunned.

Her mouth opened and closed, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

She hadn't expected the young man to refuse.

In her mind, an outsider, an illegitimate child, should be grateful and accept the olive branch extended by a viscount family.

How could I possibly refuse?

Why should I refuse?

"Wait a moment!"

David's eyes widened, and he rushed two steps ahead of Xiren, almost blocking his way with his body.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Celen," his voice was urgent and earnest, "my mother...she doesn't understand you, she only has misunderstandings about you—"

"Misunderstanding?" Xilun interrupted him, his tone flat.

"Yes, it's a misunderstanding!" David nodded quickly. "Please understand, our Link family has absolutely no ill intentions towards you."

Xilun shrugged.

"I didn't sense any kindness."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over David's head.

His face flushed red, his mind racing as he racked his brains for a way to salvage the situation.

He glanced at his mother behind him.

Risa stood there, her face ashen, her lips trembling slightly.

She had clearly heard what Xiren said.

The phrase "I didn't feel any kindness" was like a needle, precisely piercing her most vulnerable self-esteem.

But she didn't say anything.

Because she knew—

If she says anything inappropriate now, the young man will really walk away without looking back.

And her husband—

Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the frail figure on the bed.

He has been bedridden for three months.

None of the doctors, sorcerers, or even church members we consulted could give a definitive diagnosis.

Everyone said it was "very complicated," "unprecedented," and "still needs to be observed."

He grew thinner and weaker day by day.

If this continues—

Risa's fingers, which were gripping the hem of her skirt, began to turn white.

"Mother—" David turned and glanced at her.

There was a plea in his eyes.

Risa's throat bobbed.

Then--

She lowered her head.

He didn't say anything, nor did he apologize.

She simply lowered her head, then slipped through the gap between Celen and David and walked toward the bedroom door.

She walked very fast, so fast that she lost her composure.

His back was stiff and stubborn.

She must have hated this scene.

She hated it so much that it had to be this person—the one she had once looked down upon, belittled, and despised—who had now become her only hope.

How could it be Xilun?

Why Xilun of all places?

The footsteps faded away down the corridor, and the bedroom fell silent again.

David stood before Siron, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Mr. Siren," he said in a low voice, his tone carrying an undisguised sincerity.

"I'll make my mother leave immediately. Please—please, you must check on my father's injuries."

He racked his brains, searching rapidly for any leverage he could offer to the other party.

"I will do my best to make the family's books on occult subjects available to you," he said, emphasizing each word. "As a viscount's family, the quantity and quality of our collection—I guarantee you will be satisfied."

Siren did not answer immediately; he was indeed interested in the reward.

The occult texts accumulated over five generations of the Viscount family may contain things he couldn't find in the Tussor family archives or at the Moon Lake trade fair.

Especially information on the life sciences and spiritual pollution.

But he also disliked Risa's appearance.

There wasn't a single apology from beginning to end, and his stiff back looked like he was walking away with his head down.

They were clearly unwilling to accept it, but were forced to back down due to the situation.

Xilun paused for a few seconds, then asked a seemingly unrelated question.

Do you have a younger sister?

David paused for a moment.

“I have two younger sisters,” he replied, “one named Daisy and the other Susie, but Susie is an adopted daughter, raised by the family.”

The image of Daisy flashed into Xiren's mind.

The girl who cheered him on at the fight match was bright, spoiled, and raised in a wealthy family.

The other one—Susie—was adopted.

He nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

"Mr. Celen," David's voice became even lower.

"I know my mother's attitude hurt you. But my father—he knows nothing, he's just a patient."

His gaze fell on the emaciated man on the bed.

Please.

These two words, spoken by the eldest son of a viscount family, carry considerable weight.

Silen looked into David's eyes.

There was no pretense in the young man's eyes, only anxiety and earnestness.

He is not like his mother.

"Let's put the matter of payment aside for now," Xiren finally spoke. "I need to see how your father is doing. But let's be clear from the start—whether he can be cured, and to what extent, I'll decide after I've seen him."

David nodded heavily.

"Of course—of course you can!"