In the second half of the night, Stirling kept carving runes. He strengthened them and dispelled malice.

  After countless rounds of this, the statue on the table finally made a crisp sound. Then it broke down straight away into a pile of white powder, spreading across the tabletop.

  Stirling, observing the scene before him, raised a brow. He then added a final note to the white paper he was keeping a record of.

  Stirling looked at the record on the white paper, feeling somewhat surprised. Stirling figured this statue might add at least 20 years to his life, according to the experience of killing Monk Green and Romeo. To his surprise, he discovered it offered only 17.

  After deducting the cost of enhancing the malice-breaking orbs, he had just over 16 years of life left. This was only a bit more than killing Monk Green's. But then Stirling thought: this risk-free way to gain lifespan was like pie in the sky. Getting so much was not bad at all.

  Stirling set down his carving knife and let out a long breath. It was only then that he felt a wave of fatigue. He had carved these thirty-two malice-breaking beads one by one. Although he was good at copying runes, carving so many at once felt a bit much.

  Stirling said to himself, glancing at the powder on the table. Gazing at the sky, Stirling sighed. The statue no longer existed, but there were still some minor details that needed to be taken care of. It's been a busy night.

  ...

  The sun rose. Its first rays filtered through the window, lighting up the floor in the inner room.

  The warm light filled the room little by little, alerting Stirling, who was sleeping on the bench. He slowly opened his eyes and turned to look toward the source of the light.

  Stirling rubbed his sore eyes. He stood up from the bench, pushed open the door, and walked into the courtyard. He stretched leisurely, then glanced at a small tree in the courtyard.

  Stirling took all his things from the bedroom to the courtyard last night to avoid the mistake Romeo made. He buried them in the soil under the tree. To hide the new soil signs, Stirling moved the stone table from the courtyard and covered on.

  This way, if the stone table got moved, the soil's distinct color wouldn't cause any suspicion. On his way out of the courtyard, Stirling didn't even glance back at Romeo's house. Instead, he strode straight towards the dojo.

  By the time Stirling arrived at the dojo, everyone in the courtyard had been pile-standing for a while. Naturally, Stirling was late.

  "Luis, why are you so late today?" Figo looked at Stirling, who had just entered, with a look of displeasure on his face.

  "Apologize, Brother Figo, I was busy boxing last night and stayed up late," Stirling said.

  Everyone acknowledged Stirling worked very hard, and Figo had no doubt about it. Instead, he waved his hand and said, "Hurry!"

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Stirling ran to his position and joined the group in taking up their stance.

  "Did you miss your tranquilizer pills last night?" As soon as Stirling got into stance, Joe Mosley, who was standing next to him, turned his head and gave him a chuckle.

  "Hey, Luis has been single for so long; does it matter with trying it out?" Sean, who was in front, turned his head and winked at Joe Mosley.

  "You!" Sean's actions surprised Stirling. So, he glanced at Joe Mosley next to him as if asking a question. Stirling always thought of Sean as Marshall's myrmidon, but now he was often with Joe Mosley.

  "Hey, Brother Sean has renounced darkness." Joe Mosley, seeing Stirling's gaze, obviously knew what Stirling was thinking and grinned.

  "Joe has made progress again today. No time like the present. To celebrate, I am going to treat everyone to a pleasant lunch at my lounge!" Sean said once again.

  "Great, great! I heard that the Ghormeh Sabzi and Shirazi Salad at Sean's Lounge aren't available to ordinary people. Will we be able to enjoy them today?"

  Joe Mosley, instantly excited, asked.

  "No problem, I will manage it!" Sean answered with confidence. Upon hearing this, Stirling glanced over at Marshall. Marshall was watching Sean, his dark eyes showing he was not pleased with Sean's backstabbing.

  Joe Mosley, too active...

  Stirling shook his head. He thought Joe Mosley was smart, but too high-profile. He always swaggered at the dojo before even getting Rhino Skin done. And so, at noon, Sean delivered on his promise and invited everyone to his lounge for lunch. Everyone had nothing else to do. Daily martial arts training was boring, but the food at Sean's Lounge was good. So everyone agreed.

  Stirling hadn't planned to go, but he saw everyone heading out. Since Sean's Lounge was where Romeo shared stories, he felt interested and joined them. Only two of them didn't go: Figo, who was too lazy to bother with the younger crowd. The remaining one was, naturally, Marshall.

  No one insisted on inviting them, lest themselves should become bored. At noon, everyone hurried to go out of the dojo and headed towards Sean's Lounge.

  Arriving at Sean's lounge, Stirling noticed that the first-floor lobby was already packed. He glanced at the corner where Romeo was. Over there, a group of people gathered, drinking beer, tongues wagging.

  "It's already late; why hasn't Romeo come yet?!"

  "He didn't even ask for leave today!"

  "Hey, you guys, maybe Romeo didn't take that tranquilizer last night and got carried away?!"

  "Fuck you, you're full of nonsense! How can Romeo be like you?!"

  "Then what should we do? Let's just leave today!"

  "Hey! Hold on, hold on for a while!"

  The others nervously sipped their beer. They looked out at the street outside the lounge, hoping to see that familiar figure. Stirling gazed at all this without expression on face. He followed the others up to the third floor of Sean's Lounge, as if he were an outsider.

  The third floor of Sean's Lounge differed from the main hall on the first and second floors. It had private rooms made for giving special lunches, a quiet space. In the outer suburbs of Farfield City, most people can't afford the private rooms on the third floor. Now that everyone had come up, there were plenty of seats to choose from.

  As the number one heir of this lounge, Sean was naturally familiar with the private rooms. He led everyone straight to one room and said,

  "This one isn't the largest, but it's by the window, offering a view of the street."

  He then addressed the server, who had followed him: "Serve these fellows ten popular dishes, each based on your specialties! And finally, three bottles of aniseed wine!"

  "Yes, young master. I'll get them ready!" The server shrewdly glanced at the people in the room and said to Sean with a smile.

  After the server hurried downstairs, Sean said to the others: "Come, let us take a seat first!"

  "Oh, Sean's position speaks for itself!" Several people gathered around Sean, flattering him. With Master and Senior Brother Figo absent, everyone was unfettered and sat down one by one.

  "Hey, did you hear? Yesterday, we brought back a malice-breaking bead each person. My father knew it was out of the common run and praised my smart joining the dojo!" While Sean was pouring beer for everyone, someone started the conversation.

  "Of course. Do you think anyone can get their hands on the Yearning Palace's malice-breaking bead?" Sean chuckled.

  "Pathos is a big trouble; otherwise, they wouldn't have given us this bead," someone said.

  "Well, the Night Watch has been searching for ages. Who knows what is going on?" As everyone chatted, someone suddenly exclaimed, pointing out of the window:

  "Look!"