Chapter 109: Chapter 103: Flora Guthrie is Only from a Side Branch

Over a hundred years ago, the war between Veridia and Crestland was sparked by an ancient painting.

The painting was discovered during an archaeological dig within Veridia and contained a complete Ancient Martial Inheritance.

It attracted the attention of the Veridian Martial Alliance’s upper echelons. To decipher the painting, they informed the Guardian about it.

The next day, the Guardian vanished along with the painting.

A month later, four words came back: “It cannot be practiced.”

A few high-ranking members of the Veridian Martial Alliance were deeply dissatisfied. They believed the Guardian intended to keep the Ancient Martial Inheritance for themself and leaked the news of the painting, arousing the greed of nations worldwide.

The ever-ambitious Crestland used a flimsy pretext to be the first to declare war.

During that war, because of those traitors, many of Veridia’s cultural relics and ancient paintings were damaged or stolen. The lineage of Ancient Skills was nearly wiped out. Now, aside from the four great Hidden Sects of Sunstone which retain their own relatively complete inheritances, less than a tenth of the Ancient Skills within Veridia survive.

Therefore, restoring the lineage of Ancient Skills has been a shared goal among the leaders of all the Great Families for the past century.

Cassius Morgan was naturally aware that Reina Guthrie wanted to pull Aurora Sinclair into the Guthrie Family, but his reasoning was impossible to refuse.

It had to be said, Reina Guthrie was far more cunning than his father.

Reina Guthrie took a sip of tea, hiding the triumphant smile at the corner of his lips. With an expression of one desperate for talent, he said, “Mr. Morgan, we’ve already established a new project team dedicated to restoring this Ancient Martial Inheritance Map. I recall the Sinclair family’s second daughter has been practicing martial arts up in the mountains, hasn’t she? She would be a perfect fit for this project…”

His words were watertight.

Susan Warner saw Cassius Morgan staring at the painting on the table and inwardly cursed, ’That Reina Guthrie is a cunning old fox!’ With a smile, she said, “Lord Guthrie, the Sinclair family’s young lady is indeed skilled at painting, but this ancient painting restoration project is of grave importance. It’s not something a little girl can just participate in. I think this matter is best considered carefully over time!”

The tactful rejection made the smile on Reina Guthrie’s face fade slightly. Suppressing the dissatisfaction in his eyes, he replied with a smile of his own, “Mrs. Morgan, you may not be aware! Crestland produced a Martial King not long ago, and rumor has it he’ll be participating in next year’s international free-fighting competition. We’re now the only ones left without a Martial King Level competitor, and The Martial Alliance is getting extremely anxious…”

“Is that so? It seems the Lowell Family will be busy again. I wonder which family will get to send a competitor this time?” Susan Warner replied nonchalantly.

Reina Guthrie’s hand tightened around his teacup. Displeased that Susan Warner had deliberately changed the subject, he said pointedly, “Compared to other nations, Veridia is a bit weak with only a single Guardian.”

“Lord Guthrie, you can’t say such things lightly. The Guthrie Family may not know this, but the rules of The Martial World are far crueler than those of the secular world. Not just anyone can become a Guardian. Back then, the Morgan and Warner Families were fortunate enough to witness that part of history. The Guardian’s power is not something an ordinary person can achieve. It’s best to maintain a healthy dose of reverence…”

Susan Warner’s words, like needles hidden in cotton, made the smile on Reina Guthrie’s face falter. He turned to Cassius Morgan. “Mr. Morgan, what are your thoughts?”

Cassius Morgan removed his gloves, picked up his teacup for a sip, and then spoke. “Lord Guthrie, since the young Sinclair girl is a disciple of the one from Sunstone, I believe we should ask her first. The Hidden Sects have their own rules. It’s best that we secular folk do not break them lightly, or the consequences will be more than we can bear.”

Seeing Cassius Morgan use Sunstone to pressure him, Reina Guthrie could no longer maintain his composure. Forcibly suppressing his rage, he stood up abruptly. “In that case, I will inquire about Sunstone’s intentions. Thank you for the tea, Mr. Morgan!”

After seeing Reina Guthrie off, Susan Warner asked with some concern, “Old man, Reina Guthrie has a long-standing grudge with the one from Sunstone. I doubt he will actually ask them. If he makes a move in secret, won’t Aurora be in great danger?”

But Cassius Morgan, holding his teacup, looked completely unperturbed. “With our boy around, what’s to fear if he makes a move? It’s about time the Guthrie Family had a new Head, anyway. Save them from being so restless all the time!”

***

As he walked out of the Morgan family’s old residence, Reina Guthrie’s face was ashen. He ordered Zane Guthrie, “You, make the arrangements. I want to see Aurora Sinclair at the membership exam in September!”

Zane Guthrie hesitated. “What about Sunstone…?”

“Don’t worry about them. Can the great Guthrie Family not even summon a person from a minor family?” Reina Guthrie’s gaze was dark as he stared intently at Zane Guthrie, extremely displeased with his hesitation.

’Over the years, he’s gotten quite close to Sunstone because of Lana Guthrie. It’s time to put him in his place.’

So he said sharply, “What? Do my words as Family Head mean nothing? You listen to me! That Flora Guthrie is just a woman from a side branch. Allowing her disciple to join the Guthrie Family is doing her a favor!”

Zane Guthrie’s face paled slightly. He glanced at the Family Head’s grim expression and lowered his head, saying nothing.

Years ago, Flora Guthrie’s talent for painting was noticed by the Sect Leader of the Ghost Eye Sect, who personally came to take her as a disciple. When the Head of the Guthrie Family learned of this, he was overjoyed and took his son, Reina Guthrie, to Flora Guthrie’s home, hoping the Sect Leader would accept Reina as well.

But the Sect Leader merely glanced at Reina Guthrie once before shaking her head and refusing.

The young and impetuous Reina Guthrie impulsively demanded to know why she wouldn’t accept him, but the Sect Leader left with only a single sentence: “The Ghost Eye Sect only accepts those with whom we have an affinity.”

Reina Guthrie fumed over this for more than a decade. After becoming Family Head, he eagerly sent people to Sunstone to force Flora Guthrie to accept his son as a disciple, only to be beaten back down the mountain by the Guardian and receive a stern warning.

Because of this incident, Guthrie furiously reprimanded Reina Guthrie and forced him to personally send a letter of apology to Flora Guthrie, causing him to lose face completely.

***

After getting in the car, Reina Guthrie kept his eyes closed to rest, his mind calculating what to do about Aurora Sinclair.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He said to Zane Guthrie in the front, “The college entrance exam scores will be out soon. If Aurora Sinclair’s score is high enough for Arcadian University, get her into The Academy of Arts.”

’Zane Guthrie wanted to do that, too!’

’But he was the one who had personally pushed Aurora Sinclair out of The Academy of Arts not long ago.’

Every time he thought about it, his heart ached with regret. He said hesitantly, “Family Head, both The College of Physics and The Academy of History at Arcadian University are fighting over her… I’m afraid we won’t be able to compete with them…”

’Right now, both the Morgan Family and the Warners have already built up goodwill with Aurora Sinclair. Chester Greene is Cassius Morgan’s student, and Erin Archer is Susan Warner’s; they directly represent the interests of those two families.’

’If the Guthrie Family goes now, the Sinclairs might not give them any face, especially after what happened with Stella Sinclair. They thoroughly offended the Sinclair Family back then.’

Reina Guthrie couldn’t care less about his difficulties. He said dismissively, “As long as the acceptance letters haven’t been sent out, anything is possible!”

As for the Ghost Eye Sect, he, Reina Guthrie, was determined to have it!

’Flora Guthrie? The Guardian? Hmph—’

A certain man roasting sweet potatoes deep in the old mountain forests rubbed his itchy nose, glanced at the clouds in the sky, and muttered, “The winds are stirring…”

***

「Elsewhere.」

At Aurora Sinclair’s house waiting for dinner, Alvin Morgan glanced at a message from Susan Warner on his phone. The corners of his mouth lifted into a cool smile.

“Morgan, can you eat spicy food?”

Alvin Morgan put away his phone and looked up to see Aurora Sinclair, wearing an apron, leaning out from the kitchen.

“He can’t! He’s allergic to peppers!” Dean Morgan quickly shook his head. He was genuinely afraid his master would hide his allergy just to suit Aurora Sinclair’s taste.

As soon as he said it, Dean Morgan saw his master shoot him a reproachful look.

Leigh Miles, sitting beside them, suddenly said with a sympathetic look, “Morgan, you poor thing! My senior’s stir-fried peppers are super delicious!”

Dean Morgan immediately felt the gaze from beside him grow a few degrees colder.

Half an hour later, the kitchen door opened again. Aurora Sinclair walked out carrying a platter. “Dinner’s ready…”

“I’ll go get Barron!”

Leigh Miles stood up and ran quickly to the door.

Soon, her voice could be heard from the hallway, calling for him.

Alvin Morgan’s brow furrowed slightly. He asked casually, “Is someone else coming for dinner?”

Aurora Sinclair nodded and went back into the kitchen to bring out another dish. “Barron lives next door. I usually call him over to eat when I cook.”

Dean Morgan could clearly feel his master’s mood worsen.

A few minutes later—

The sound of a door opening finally came from the entrance. A man in a plaid shirt and black-framed glasses walked in, looking sleepy.

His hair was a bit messy, with a few cowlicks sticking up on top. His plaid shirt was wrinkled, with one side half-tucked into a pair of worn-out jeans. He was barefoot in a pair of gray plastic slippers as he casually strolled into the room.

“YAWN— Aurora, the college entrance exam scores are coming out soon. Which university are you planning to apply to?”

His yawn was cut short the moment he saw the two men in the living room. His expression instantly turned to one of shock, his mouth hanging open for a long moment.

’Why are the Morgans here?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep