Chapter 33: The Truth About Death

Morien spread his claw-like fingers, allowing Mina's father to take two shiny gold coins. Mina's father did not doubt the authenticity of the coins, as he knew Morien was once a very wealthy alchemist, but he still bit the coins like others he had seen—honestly, he didn't know what real gold should taste like; he just felt it would be stupid not to bite them.

After both coins had been bitten, a smile burst forth on his face. He even began to consider acknowledging Morien as Mina's "uncle," so that when Morien died, he could inherit a large fortune. Mina was still held tightly in her mother's arms, only her large, confused eyes visible.

Morien patiently waited until Mina's father had bitten the coins before he spoke again: "Please treat this friend of mine well, his status... is noble, but he wishes to keep a low profile."

Only then did Mina's father turn in astonishment towards Rayan. Morien's words were persuasive; he had been the chief alchemist of the War Bear Guild, a national guild of the Maple Snow Kingdom. It wasn't strange to say he knew all the nobles of the entire Maple Snow Kingdom, and Rayan, who had been silent since standing there, with his clear and aloof expression and naturally arrogant demeanor, further proved Morien's point.

"Your Excellency!" Mina's father hurriedly bowed to Rayan, with Mina's mother quickly following suit.

"Hmm." Rayan nodded subtly, "No need for formalities, just call me Rayan."

Mina's father, his face a mix of awe and fear, stammered, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. If there has been any slight, please do not take it to heart, Your Excellency."

Seeing that things were on track, Morien turned to Rayan and said, "Then, see you tomorrow. Don't forget our appointment, Your Excellency." He bowed meaningfully.

Rayan frowned slightly, leaned in, and lowered his voice to ask, "How shall I find you?"

"Just walk down the most secluded path, and I live at the end of that road," Morien replied before walking away with a faltering stride, disappearing into the thick night mist.

"Your Excellency, please come inside and rest," Mina's father said earnestly. Hosting a noble excited him more than the two gold coins; while the coins would not multiply, pleasing Rayan could bring endless benefits.

Rayan followed unnaturally behind Mina's father through the small courtyard and into the house. Although the house was not very large, it was fully furnished.

"Your Excellency, please take a seat, I will prepare some food," said Mina's mother as she wiped the seat for Rayan and then apologetically smiled at him, dashing into the kitchen.

Her skin was somewhat rough, her crow's feet rather prominent, but her smiling face was still quite attractive. Rayan couldn't help but think that her sister, Yin Lisha, must have been very beautiful.

Mina's father brought a cup of murky tea and carefully set it in front of Rayan. "This remote place only has this low-quality tea, please forgive us, Your Excellency."

"Thank you," Rayan said politely, taking a sip of the tea. Drinking tea had been a luxury in his previous wandering days.

Mina's father stood by, not daring to speak or sit down.

"Did you work as a night watchman?" Rayan inquired.

Mina's father immediately nodded, puffing out his chest as if he had grown a bit taller, "Your Excellency, I once served the Redwood family in Stonerock City."

In reality, he had only cleaned their yard, but he spoke as though he were a retired hero.

Rayan merely hummed in response. In the entire Stonerock Kingdom, he only knew of the Firebird family; he had never heard of any other families.

The cold demeanor unsettled Mina's father. He suddenly remembered that Morien was an alchemist of the Maple Snow Kingdom, which meant that this cold and proud noble youth was surely from the Maple Snow Kingdom, and he had foolishly mentioned serving a family from Stonerock Kingdom—he really wanted to slap himself.

"Are there many night watchmen in Dusk Village?"

"Not a few, altogether there are about twenty," Mina's father said, relieved that Rayan did not pursue the matter of him serving other kingdom's nobility. He continued, "The village couldn't afford a bounty hunter, so we organized strong villagers to form a night watchmen team, to prevent the..." He suddenly realized he was about to say something he shouldn't and quickly corrected himself: "to prevent disturbances from Bandit mercenaries."

Rayan glanced at Mina's father, knowing that these commoners, without even Battle Qi, could not possibly fight against Bandit mercenaries. The spontaneous organization of night watchmen must have been to guard against Morien.

"I understand."

After that, Rayan stopped talking. From the conversation, it was evident that Mina's father was quite shrewd, and it would be difficult to get the information he truly wanted from him. Duke had warned him to be wary of Morien, so he had to use his own eyes and ears to uncover the truth.

The silence filled the room like cold sweat.

Mina's father shifted his weight nervously between his legs, with a lot of flattering words in his mind, but no appropriate way to start.

Minutes passed in silence, with Rayan still as a statue, and Mina's father no longer able to bear it.

"Your Excellency, please allow me to excuse myself. I just remembered that we are short on wine at home and need to buy some more quality food," he muttered through gritted teeth, determined to spend a fortune from one of the gold coins to please the seemingly dissatisfied noble youth.

"Sure, go ahead," Rayan said nonchalantly.

Mina's father reflexively bowed and, while heading out, called to Mina's mother who was still busy in the kitchen, "Stop making those tasteless dishes, quickly attend to Your Excellency!"

Without waiting for a reply from Mina's mother, he rushed out the door.

Mina's mother frantically smoothed her hair at the temples and then approached Rayan with her head bowed, asking softly, "Your Excellency, is there anything you need?"

Rayan's heart stirred, and he gently said, "Please sit, madam."

Mina's mother awkwardly took a seat next to him, as if Rayan was the host and she the guest.

"I would like to ask about your sister, Yin Lisha," Rayan got straight to the point.

At the mention of Yin Lisha's name, Mina's mother's eyes became vacant, her twisted lips murmuring, "Yin Lisha... my husband forbids me to speak of her..."

"Your husband is not here," Rayan blurted out, feeling as if he were enticing a married woman. He frowned, dismissing such ridiculous thoughts.

Mina's mother hesitated for a moment, then sighed deeply. "Yin Lisha was a good girl, gentle and beautiful from a young age, with a smile that had shallow dimples on her cheeks and hair always filled with the scent of apples. I was quite jealous of her. I remember once, when she was sleeping, I cut her long hair with scissors. She cried very sadly but did not blame me. I still feel guilty about that to this day... fate was too cruel to her... Your Excellency, what would you like to know?"

"How did she die?" Rayan asked calmly, "Specifically, I'd like to know how she died the first time."

Mina's mother widened her eyes, "Your Excellency, you know about what happened three years ago?"

"I know some, but I would like to hear you tell it," Rayan responded.

"Well, the village had rumors that my sister accidentally consumed some of Morien's poisonous herbs, which led to her death. But the truth might not be so simple. To explain everything clearly, I'm afraid we must start from when they first met and fell in love..." Mina's mother said somberly: "Yin Lisha and Morien fell in love at first sight. At that time, I had just given birth to Mina, who then fell seriously ill. Fortunately, Morien was passing through Dusk Village. In less than half a minute, he concocted a potion that saved Mina's life. My sister fell in love with this graceful and elegant man, who was ten years her senior, and Morien loved my sister too. From the moment they met, their eyes never left each other."

"I believed they truly loved each other and blessed them, especially since Morien had saved Mina and my life. I was grateful to him. Indeed, their life together was happy, to the point that even in the thick mists of Dusk Village, one could hear their laughter from the village entrance."

"However, such enviable happy days are always short-lived. One day they went out, and I happened to pass by their house. I noticed the door was ajar, and it seemed someone was moving inside. Although the villagers of Dusk Village aren't very close, we all know each other well and wouldn't stoop to stealing. So, I decided to go in and see what was happening."

"I tiptoed inside and saw that figure lingering by the fruit bowl on the table, reaching for an apple and mumbling some strange words. I got worried, mustered my courage, and shouted loudly. The figure flashed away, and when I chased after, I only saw a large bird flying into the mist. I picked up the apple from the table, which was intact, so I wondered if my eyes had deceived me..." Mina's mother couldn't help but sob, "The next day, Yin Lisha fell ill. Her illness was strange; she was weak and often fell into a coma. Everyone in the village believed Morien could cure her, but as days passed, Yin Lisha's condition worsened. Morien tried countless methods but ultimately couldn't save my sister's life. It was only then that I suddenly remembered the figure in their house. I told my husband, but he said not to bring trouble upon ourselves…"