Legacy of Hatred Nov Chapter 157: Distressed

Chapter 157: Distressed

Naturally, Liam was completely oblivious to the grand talk between the Sect Leader and his disciple. However, he had no shortage of distant plans himself.

The revelation about the rooting experts’ Qi’s capabilities crossed Liam’s mind, but far more kept it occupied.

Liam hadn’t lost track of his main goal, and he had a clear clue now. One of the remaining butchers might be missing, but Liam had learned where Dimre was in his studies. It was a city on the Inner Circles’ eastern border.

The exact road was unclear. However, if Liam wanted to, he could head to Dimre right now, forsaking everything to prioritize his revenge.

Yet, that random, lucky encounter with the butcher had revealed massive problems. Liam would have killed that overweight man no matter what, but he would have preferred to employ a less revealing approach.

The problem lay exactly there. Liam had been unable to stop himself, and that probably couldn’t fly in a location so close to the Inner Circles.

Even if Liam succeeded in killing the butcher and team leader in Dimre, he would probably get caught and punished for it, likely with death. After all, a foundation expert like him was the lowest possible cultivator in that world.

And, leaving the Sect so suddenly would ensure that Liam remained a foundation expert. Lone cultivators had it hard, and Liam’s core was expensive to nourish, both due to its peculiar nature and his talent.

Without the Sect’s support, Liam would remain stuck at his level for an unknown amount of ti, maybe even forever, which would lead to the inability to deal with the consequences that his uncontrollable hatred would create.

The empty, almost sad experience with the butcher didn’t diminish Liam’s desire for revenge. Still, he wanted more from life now, and a reckless pursuit of that goal would kill any chance of that.

’Strength first,’ Liam thought during his absent-minded walk. ’Always strength first.’

That internal conflict almost made Liam miss how the Disciplinary Elder was now absent, but reaching the third plateau forced him to refocus on his surroundings.

The woman with a fancy hairstyle had disappeared, but the ssy-haired, blonde man hadn’t, and he didn’t hesitate to approach Liam and Joel, even standing in their way to halt their advance.

"So, I finally et the famous genius," The blonde rooting expert declared. "I thought he’d be taller by the stories around him."

Liam tilted his head in confusion. He slled sothing foul in the man’s behavior, but his brain dwelt on that statent. Liam couldn’t understand why the rooting expert would ntion height when he was taller than him by ten full centiters.

Luckily, Liam had a valuable and knowledgeable friend at his side there.

"Senior Brother Simon," Joel greeted, cupping his fist. "I’m glad we could et again."

Dots instantly connected inside Liam’s mind, filling his gaze with interest toward that ssy-haired figure. It seed he had finally t the rumored core disciple who fancied lissa.

That realization put a feral expression on Liam’s face. He wasn’t ready to classify Simon as an enemy yet, but he could be a potential prey worth inspecting beforehand.

As predicted, Simon felt strong, far stronger than Joel. However, he was no Maxwell, either. He actually didn’t look closer to the Elders at all, but there could be an explanation for that.

Simon’s sickish complexion reminded Liam of the Alchemy Elder. They weren’t the sa, but their source might be. Simon was no branching expert, aning that he had failed the breakthrough, probably injuring his cultivation in the process.

"That’s quite a strong look," Simon comnted, smirking. "Is that how you greet your Senior Brothers? Or can geniuses have no respect for hierarchy?"

The stench only intensified at those words, but Liam knew he had been in the wrong, so he bowed, abiding by the few pleasantries he knew. "Senior Brother, it’s an honor to et you. I’m Liam."

"You learned so manners, then," Simon mocked, "Between one unbelievable achievent and another."

Simon was hinting at sothing, but Liam didn’t catch on to that. He resud his feral inspection instead, but Joel ca to Liam’s aid once again.

"Senior Brother, we were on our way back to our caves," Joel politely announced. "The mission on the Mutated Battlefield tired us out greatly."

"Of course, of course," Simon nodded, stepping aside. "Junior Brothers, you have more than earned so rest."

Liam’s nose, the instinctive side of it, kept telling him that sothing was off. Yet, Joel placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to continue descending toward the Inner Hall.

Nevertheless, Simon made sure to throw a last comnt before the two could depart.

"Oh, could you check on Junior Sister lissa?" Simon ntioned. "Our last talk left her so distressed she hasn’t left her cave since, and I know you two have grown close."

The vagueness in Simon’s statent was by design. It created plausible deniability in an environnt with rules like the Sect.

Normally, those vague words would fly right over Liam’s head. Yet, sothing clicked subconsciously, summoning a more personal version of the hiss in his ears.

The sole idea of a distressed lissa snapped Liam’s chilling gaze at Simon. Still, Joel wrapped his arm around Liam’s shoulder and pushed him forward before anything could degenerate.

"Don’t fall for such tricks," Joel whispered. "Junior Brother, he is only baiting you into breaking the rules to claim self-defense."

Liam didn’t exactly calm down. The worry about lissa replaced whatever inexplicable fouler urge he had felt toward Simon, even hurrying his steps.

Sothing similar but also completely different from the loss of control Liam had felt with the butcher invaded him. lissa beca his top priority, his expression so evident that Joel couldn’t help but chuckle by himself.

And, once the inner disciples’ caves started to appear, Joel stopped by his circular boulder, knowing that Liam had sowhere better to be.

"Junior Brother," Joel called, performing a polite bow. "Forgive

for not escorting you all the way to your cave."

"Senior Brother," Liam bowed back, linking the unnecessary escort to pleasantries, but not forgetting to ntion sothing. "Thank you for taking my side against Senior Brother Simon."

Joel smiled but shook his head. It was almost surprising how much Liam could understand and misunderstand simultaneously. Yet, Joel could see how itching to leave Liam was despite his genuine gratitude, prompting him to keep things short.

"I would be too ashad to call myself your friend otherwise," Joel declared. "The way I see it, I’m the only one receiving favors."

Before Liam could dwell on that statent, the boulder began to move, and Joel quickly disappeared behind it.

Liam didn’t let his slight confusion delay his steps. The crowd on the second plateau had dispersed, but sothing ca first, making him pour his Qi into the number under the brazier beside a specific boulder.

"Senior Sister, it’s Liam," Liam called, using that way of communicating he had discovered later than he was willing to admit.

A strange, almost timid anxiety filled Liam, only to vanish as soon as the boulder moved. Yet, that entrance began to close as soon as a familiar figure peeked past it, barely giving her enough ti to pull Liam inside.

And, as so rumblings still resounded, a stamring voice joined them.

"Y-you shouldn’t h-have co," lissa said, her face lowered as she clung to Liam’s belt. "S-Senior Brother said h-he’d cause problems for you i-if we are t-together."

There was a lot to take in, both about the whole Simon matter and the latest concoctions of Liam’s brain when it ca to lissa.

However, despite the still-hissing ears, Liam focused on sothing else. He looked at lissa’s disheveled hair, her golden strands attached to her sweaty skin. He felt her trembling hands and noticed her restrained stance.

lissa looked fine, but also wasn’t. Her issue wasn’t tangible, but Liam still felt the urge to do sothing. He wanted to protect her from whatever was afflicting her, and the lack of a clear threat defaulted his brain to a specific gesture, one he had regretted not doing back then.

And, before Liam knew it, his arms went around lissa, pulling her into a hug.

Unknowingly to Liam, he discovered the difference between protecting and treasuring soone that day.