Legacy of Hatred

Adrian frowned, but not Liam. He knew Grace had understood him, and he trusted her completely, so he reviewed the suggestion until he made sense of it, and his eyes went wide.

Just letting Adrian go would arouse suspicion. It was also impossible to keep him safe without causing problems for Cyrus, and a war on the Church wasn’t feasible, not yet.

However, Liam was already the Church’s enemy. Other than the latter discovering his lineage, his situation couldn’t worsen, meaning Adrian could sell information about him.

There was even a precedent. Liam had left a survivor after attacking the Guild’s branch. Adrian’s weakness even made him perfect for the job since Liam would have spared him exactly because he wasn’t a threat, turning him into a messenger instead.

Moreover, if things got rough, Adrian could play the childhood friend card. He could claim that Liam had spared him because they had come from the same village, sharing everything about him but the fake dragon burn.

Of course, that option was riskier since the Church might decide to investigate Adrian and Cyrus’ minds anyway at that discovery, but it remained a last resort.

Most importantly, there was a giant story worth reporting. A branching expert now accompanied Liam, forcing the Church to rearrange whatever plan it might have.

’I love her,’ Liam exclaimed in his mind, leaning down to kiss Grace’s cheek. She liked those rewards, and he couldn’t hold back after she had once again lit the way.

Actually, Liam wasn’t the only one in that mood. It hadn’t started now, and he definitely wasn’t the most afflicted by it.

Six months on the run with seclusions devoted to concoctions had left little room for intimacy, which was a big change from the couple’s life in the battle cages.

While not exactly every day, Liam and Grace had enjoyed a long, peaceful cohabitation and all the benefits it provided, getting used to certain standards. Their time in the northern region hadn’t met them, leading to plenty of pent-up urges.

Now, another problem had arrived. Grace had become a branching expert. While the breakthrough had just happened, superior Qi still ran through her, enhancing her every gesture down to her very existence.

Liam had felt that superior strength already. The way Grace leaned on him and caressed his thigh carried power he wouldn’t be able to oppose unless he got serious. She wasn’t as unmovable as Dominic, but she remained scary.

The breakthrough had also changed Grace’s body, elevating her beauty and adding raw strength. Yet, she was a Qilin, too, and a specific trait of hers had deepened.

Liam’s brain sent warning signals when Grace looked at him, a dangerous glint in her eyes. His kiss had awakened something, and its name was greed.

The hand on Liam’s leg tightened. Grace had trained in the Metal Hand. Through her superior Qi, only his rank 3 Deflecting Gale could oppose it, meaning he was physically trapped, stared down by a factually stronger predator.

A branching expert would always be one step ahead of Liam. The world literally parted at their passage. They were unshackled by its limits, and Grace used that ability to claw her other hand around Liam’s neck, pulling it down so that she could whisper in his ear.

"Master," Grace called, the hand on Liam’s thigh sliding dangerously close to his groin. "I want you."

Liam would be lying if he said he was unaffected. He was also pent-up. He had been amazed at how the breakthrough had elevated Grace’s beauty. He wanted to get his hands on her, and a certain part of him was showing its approval.

But there was someone else on the scene, someone stuck between trying to look away and staring with his mouth open.

The problem was, Liam quite simply couldn’t pull away. He would have to eat a body-enhancing pill to match Grace. Luckily, she hadn’t forgotten herself.

Grace let go of Liam, elegantly shifting her sitting stance, ending up between his legs. She adjusted herself, doing some specific rubbing and throwing a tempting look at the hungry eyes above her, before refocusing on her wine.

Of course, Liam’s mind still had nothing but Grace, but that was precisely her goal. She enjoyed riling him up when he couldn’t act upon it, claiming ownership of his thoughts even when they had to be elsewhere.

"You must forgive me," Grace apologized. "I must look shameless. I hope my devotion to my beloved won’t make you think less of me."

"Of course not, Senior," Adrian cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at Liam for support.

"Please, just Grace," Grace said. "All my beloved’s friends are my friends."

Adrian showed a stiff smile, but his eyes still searched for Liam. As friendly as Grace was being, she remained a branching expert, so he truly had no idea how to act.

Liam only knew of one way to appease his woman in public. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kept her close, hoping to find some distraction from the constant temptation. Luckily, Adrian was there to provide it with topics that switched the gears in his brain.

The reunion and Grace’s successful breakthrough didn’t change the facts. People had found Liam, meaning they could find him again.

Running away wasn’t sustainable anymore, so it was time to establish a foothold, which killing the Church’s team would hinder. It would have been different with any other organization, but Liam couldn’t change what he had done.

Also, Liam had to make some things clear. He just wasn’t sure how, since he had to keep a lot hidden.

"Adrian," Liam called, staring meaningfully at his friend. "The Church is dangerous. Once you manage to leave it, stay away from it."

In the story, Adrian had already smelled something wrong after becoming a cultivator. Chances were the Church treated its experts differently from its mortals, expecting far more in terms of loyalty to its ideology, and Adrian couldn’t get caught in that.

The atmosphere instantly soured. While Adrian had shown acceptance, there were many unanswered questions, as well as curiosity about a multitude of events.

"Can you tell me why?" Adrian asked.

Liam couldn’t do that. He was about to say as much, hoping that Adrian would still allow some heartfelt catching up later, but Grace preceded him. Now that she had understood the situation, she could handle those problems.

"The Church is trying to create a new ancestral bloodline," Grace revealed. "Its true purpose is to harness the others but the Dragon’s to create one stronger than them all."

Liam’s eyes went wide. That was exactly what he didn’t want Adrian to know due to his involvement in the matter, but Grace had a plan.

"I am of the Qilin," Grace stated. "I’m one of the Church’s targets, and so will be our children. My beloved is looking out for our family."

’Is this even a lie at this point?’ Liam wondered. The main reason he was opposed to the Church was that it served the Dragon King, but everything Grace had said was true.

If anything, the statement was even truer because both Liam and Grace carried ancestral lineages, especially him. Unless there were magic at play, their children would be descendants, so targets of the Church.

’Is she being honest?’ Liam considered. ’Is she already looking out for our family?’

Liam didn’t know if his guess was correct, but Grace’s stance still reminded him of what his mother had done for him. While he had hated it back then and still did, he found himself holding Grace closer.

"That ..." Adrian gasped, being at a loss for words. "That can’t be true. That’s not a thing, right?"

Understandably, Adrian was struggling to follow. The ancestral bloodlines were an impossibly distant thought for a cultivator like him. The sole idea of harnessing lineages sounded ludicrous in his ears.

"I assure you that I’m capable of bearing children," Grace promised seriously. "If it weren’t for our situation, I’d already given my beloved a few."

"I discovered that in Archbishop Ignatius’ inheritance," Liam intervened before Adrian could fall prey to his woman’s shenanigans. "Actually, I found clues even earlier. The Church started seeing me as an enemy after I claimed the inheritance, but I have deeper reasons."

Adrian fell silent, looking at his empty cup, only to see wine poured into it. Grace hadn’t hesitated to refill it before going back between Liam’s legs, the happy scene delaying his words.

If Adrian hadn’t witnessed the slaughter, he would have just seen Liam and Grace as a close-knit couple. They were clearly head-over-heels for each other, even talking about building a family.

But Adrian had witnessed the slaughter, and the two were now talking about being the Church’s enemy and the Church being dangerous. He couldn’t deny that completely, but he had done good work and met good people through that force.

"The Deacon," Adrian mentioned, "My ... My previous team’s leader had meant to offer a deal."

"He did," Liam confirmed, his expression growing feral. "But he threatened me when I refused."

"That’s why you ..." Adrian began to say but didn’t finish his line.

"They are hunting me for something I claimed fairly," Liam explained. "The only way to make them stop is to kill them until they understand."

"Couldn’t you have negotiated?" Adrian pointed out. The way he saw it, killing was only the last of a long list of possible steps.

"These forces have been in power for so long they think everything is owed to them," Liam scoffed. "They make up stuff to claim that you are in the wrong and bully you. Negotiating is just a way to lose less."

Adrian was genuinely shocked. Liam’s confidence when speaking about topics the old him would have had no business knowing left Adrian speechless, and that wasn’t all.

The Church Adrian had seen was kind and charitable. He couldn’t imagine it having military power, let alone using it to bully others. Even when hunting Liam, the mission had sounded like a service for the good of the people, like getting a dangerous individual under control.

If it weren’t for Liam and the fact that Adrian had seen grown-up traces of his childhood friend in the meeting, he would have never doubted his view of the world.

The difference in perspectives had become blatant, demanding a proper confrontation, and Grace could read the room better than both men.

"I must address some private matters," Grace exclaimed, bowing her head at Adrian. "Please, enjoy our hospitality as long as you wish."

Grace turned to Liam afterward, placing a hand on his face to deliver a sweet kiss, adding a whisper that reeked of affection. "Thank you for guarding me."

Liam could only watch as Grace stood and walked toward a corner of the hall, summoned a tent, and disappeared inside to give the two men the privacy to catch up and speak their minds.

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