Intruders

The moon hung bright in the night sky.
A flash of silver streaked through the air as the boy’s gleaming blade sliced cleanly forward, leaving behind a pale white arc.

After a few days of complete rest, Sui Ming had resumed his former, self-disciplined training regimen.
Even if it was only physical training, it was better than doing nothing at all.

Outside the manor’s window, a silver-haired girl propped her cheek on one hand, staring down with bored eyes at the boy training below.

“This guy… is he really taking it that seriously? He looks like he’s prepping for the apocalypse.”

At that moment, the elderly man watching the same scene beside her finally spoke.

“That’s just the kind of person the young master is. Even when he lets himself slack off, he always makes up for it later.”

“Oh… I think it’s kind of pointless though.”

“Rather than wasting time on this, wouldn’t it be better to understand the true foundation of this world—[Soul Invocation]?”

“Physical strength may be flashy, but in this world, it’s little more than a strongman’s party trick. It doesn’t count for much.”

“But whatever. He can do what he wants. What does that have to do with me, hmph.”

The old butler smiled awkwardly, doing his best not to irritate this little ancestor.

“By the way, do you know why he’s acting like this?” Bai Ling suddenly changed the topic.

“What do you mean, Miss? Hasn’t the young master always been this way? I don’t recall any change.”

“You don’t have to lie to me.”

“His changes—don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”

“A prodigy who once shook the world… and you’re telling me he doesn’t even understand the basics of alchemy? Are you joking?”

“And what’s with his magic circuits? It’s like they were torn apart by some wild beast! What on earth has he been through?”

Magic circuits were vital to every [Soul Invoker].
They functioned like internal conduits, transporting soul-drawn mana and triggering [Soul Invocations].

Everyone was born with the same circuitry.
There might be differences in quantity and capacity, but their importance never changed.

For a normal person, losing even a single circuit could mean death—an irreversible sentence.

But Sui Ming?

Not a single circuit in his body was intact.
The fact that he was even walking around, let alone training, was nothing short of a miracle.

He should be six feet under—not punching training posts in the backyard.

“…Sigh. At this point, I suppose there’s no point hiding it anymore.”

“The young master… has lost his memory.”

“And not just the usual kind. It’s complete, severe amnesia. He doesn’t remember a thing.”

“Amnesia?”

It sounded far-fetched, but Bai Ling couldn’t deny—it explained a lot.

Given that Sui Ming had once been a [True Manifestation]-level Soul Invoker, forcibly possessing him would have been impossible.
At that level, one’s soul shape was fixed and immutable.

Which meant…
Amnesia really was the most reasonable explanation.

“Before this, the young master was practically a living doll. Cold. Mechanical. Like a machine that kept running without purpose.”

“It wasn’t until recently that he changed. Even his golden hair faded—now it’s grayish white, just like that.”

“But I’d say that’s a blessing in disguise. At least now, no one can recognize him easily—unless they look very closely.”

“As for his love life… well, let’s just say—it’s complicated.”

The old butler let out a long sigh.

“Oh? Now that sounds interesting.”

“Ah… but I’d best not talk about someone else’s dark past. It wouldn’t be polite.”

Seeing that Uncle Ai had no intention of spilling the details, Bai Ling’s budding curiosity fizzled out instantly.

“Tch… fine. Keep your secrets. No need to dance around it.”

“It’s ‘beat around the bush,’ Miss.”

“Whatever! What’s with all these idioms? I’m just a kid, okay? The fact that I can read them is impressive enough!”

Uncle Ai was left speechless.

“Then tell me this—”

“Is there any way to bring Sui Ming back? Like… I don’t know, stimulate his memory with trauma or something?”

Suddenly, the butler’s expression stiffened.

It was as if some deeply buried memory had surfaced—one he didn’t want to recall.

His face darkened.

“…No.”

“I haven’t found any effective method yet.”

“Then forget it. Honestly, I kind of like him this way.”

“No airs, no mysterious strongman persona… Just plain old Sui Ming.”

Bai Ling’s pale golden eyes drifted back toward the window.

She seemed to have noticed something.

“Hey! Uncle Ai! What’s that?!”

She suddenly shouted.

The trees in the forest began to shake.
Several dark figures darted between the shadows.

“This is… an intrusion?”

“Neal Aorah… that bastard is making his move now?”

“I figured he’d strike eventually, but… now?!”

“Neal Aorah? Who’s that?”

“An old enemy of the young master’s father.”

“After being scammed out of a fortune by the old master, the man went insane and started targeting the Xi Family.”

“Given the size of our family’s remaining assets, we’re the final obstacle standing between him and total control of Noah City.”

“Once the Xi Family is wiped out, no other force in the city will be able to oppose him.”

“That man has never been a good piece of work.”

“As for tonight… heh. Looks like it’s going to be a sleepless one.”

“Ooh~ so he’s the big bad villain, huh? Knew it.”

“Er… that’s one way to put it.”

Meanwhile, down below the manor—

Sui Ming had already noticed the silver flashes in the woods.

That old killer’s instinct whispered to him:

A bloodthirsty killing intent was brewing in the forest.

He simply smiled.

Someone dared to reveal killing intent right in front of him?

That was like throwing a stone at the Monkey King.
Laughably stupid.

“Looks like we’ve got uninvited guests.”

“Perfect timing.”

“Let’s see if I’m getting rusty.”

With that, Sui Ming slid [White Cry] into its sheath.

Then he began walking toward the forest, calm and unhurried.

Within the boy’s silver-white eyes…
Was a sea of blood.

A pure, suffocating aura of death slowly began to spread.

He might not look particularly muscular.
But only fools would assume he was weak just from appearances.

This was a born killer—
A legend who once terrified the entire 21st century.

Even without firearms, with just a dagger, these common thugs were nothing to him.

He had killed men like them in the hundreds in his past life.

“If you’ve already accepted death—”

“Then I have no reason to hold back.”

“When you load your life into the chamber and pull the trigger—”

“Nothing else matters.”

Not even who you’re aiming at.

Only you matter.