Chapter 5: A Fateful Encounter

"Grayson, you might not like hearing this, but as your brother, I have to say it. If we're being fair, Wei Fengxia probably left you out of necessity. Otherwise, as the daughter of a prominent figure, she wouldn't have stuck with a poor guy like you for six years.

From what you said earlier, it seems like there might be an unexpected secret hidden in that pendant on the necklace.

And another thing—I've recently heard rumors that the North is in chaos because Wei Lao Da suffered serious injuries. East Brother's search for the necklace is likely connected to this.

Also, about how you kept getting fired from your jobs before—turns out it was East Brother pulling strings behind the scenes. I used to wonder why he'd target you without any real grudge, but now it seems there might be reasons we hadn't considered," Big Brother Zhang sighed, realizing that what had seemed like a simple matter had unexpectedly turned out to be far more complicated.

Unlike Zhang, Grayson felt more pain than anything else. "Why didn't that girl just tell me? Am I really so unreliable?"

Suddenly, Grayson remembered that Wolf Treasure had a tracking talent. Could it possibly find the pendant?

Without delay, he found an excuse to step outside, summoned Wolf Treasure, and gave it a clear description of the pendant and the location where he had thrown it away, instructing it to begin its search.

Grayson knew the chances of finding the pendant were slim, but now that he understood the situation better, he realized he couldn't entirely blame Wei Fengxia. If anyone was at fault, it was his own lack of openness.

Yes, lack of openness.

Grayson had never told anyone except Zhang that he was skilled in martial arts and had reached the Refining Bone Stage of the Houtian Realm—just one step away from the Xiantian level. Not even Wei Fengxia knew.

He hadn't told her because he didn't want her to think of him as a mere martial artist. To him, she had always been gentle and kind, though her true nature might be more complex than it seemed.

Yet, precisely because of this, Grayson felt deeply moved. A woman willing to change herself for him was undoubtedly the one who loved him most.

Taking a deep breath, he returned to the private room. For now, there was no rush—he needed to deal with East Brother first. Afterward, he'd figure out how to contact her. Even if he couldn't help much, he could at least protect her.

With a heavy heart, Grayson barely tasted his meal, hastily filled his stomach, and left in a rush.

However, what he didn't expect was that at around eleven that night, Wolf Treasure actually returned.

Grayson had already gone to bed and was startled awake by the sound of scratching at the door. To his surprise, it was the little guy, Wolf Treasure, standing there with the pendant in its mouth, whimpering excitedly.

"Well done, little guy! This is for you." No sooner had he spoken than a prompt sounded in his mind.

"Wolf Treasure has completed an elite mission, gaining 10 experience points. 189 points remain until the next level. As this was a tracking mission, the tracking talent has been upgraded to Level 2."

What a pleasant surprise! Grayson hadn't even been expecting experience points, yet the task of finding the pendant had earned him 10 points. More importantly, the tracking talent had leveled up.

He rewarded Wolf Treasure with a large piece of pork and sent it back into its space.

After cleaning the pendant, Grayson opened it to find a photo inside—a slightly decayed picture of him and Wei Fengxia. It didn't seem to hide any secrets.

Removing the photo to examine further, he suddenly noticed small characters etched inside the pendant.

The craftsmanship was so meticulous that, without close inspection, one might mistake the characters for decorative patterns.

"Emperor Garden, Haitian Villa, A3."

A simple phrase, but Grayson understood it could be the address where Wei Fengxia had gone after leaving him—perhaps even a safe house.

"Emperor Garden? What a coincidence." Fate truly worked in mysterious ways. Two people who seemed destined never to cross paths again had somehow become intertwined once more.

Still, Grayson found it odd. While Imperial Garden boasted strong security, it wasn't the best place to hide one's identity. Its conspicuousness seemed counterintuitive.

Determined to investigate, Grayson left his residence and avoided surveillance cameras as he made his way to Emperor Garden. With Wolf Treasure providing cover, he infiltrated Haitian Villa's A3 unit.

"Why is the light still on?"

If they were trying to stay hidden, keeping things low-key would make more sense. Yet here was the brightly lit A3 villa, as if openly inviting attention.

Carefully, Grayson approached the wall and leapt onto the second-floor balcony.

As soon as he landed, faint voices reached his ears.

"Godfather, we can't keep hiding like this. Why don't we reach out to East Brother? I'm sure he wouldn't betray us."

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you think I don't know what that traitor's capable of? And let me ask you, how did you even find this place?"

The first voice belonged to a young man, while the second was firm yet strained. As a martial artist in the Refining Bone Stage, Grayson could tell the speaker, Wei Lao Da, was severely injured.

"Dad, we need to leave! This place has definitely been compromised," came another voice—one Grayson recognized immediately. It was Wei Fengxia, her tone laced with urgency and frustration.

"Fengxia, it's too late. Before I came, I already contacted East Brother. He should be here any minute now.

Don't blame me; blame yourself. I loved you so much, yet you fell for a loser and loved him to death.

East Brother promised me—once your godfather is gone, you'll be mine."

Clap, clap, clap!

"Well said. I like your style," a mocking voice interrupted.

"Wei Lao Da, Wei Da Qiang. Long time no see. I never thought the once-mighty overlord would end up like this."

"Chen Dong, you ungrateful bastard! Let me guess—you leaked the news of my closed-door training?"

"Ungrateful? Wei Da Qiang, of all people, you have no right to say that. Do you remember how my father saved your life, only for you to repay him by throwing me a mere gang leader position in City Still? Do you think that was fair to me or my father?"