Kayden put the two items away. He wore a contemplative expression as he nodded slowly and said, “Maybe.”
He uncorked the bottle and carefully tipped out a small paper ball. Unfolding it revealed a single black pill nestled inside. As the paper unraveled, bold characters came into view: Blood Activating Pill!
It’s the name of the pill. Clearly, the pill had been prepared by Maverick ahead of time. He had anticipated Kayden’s visit, and he must have also known Kayden’s purpose. The pill itself looked extraordinary. Clearly, it’s made from the rarest herbs.
Kayden brought the pill close to his nose and sniffed. Nothing. No scent at all. For someone as skilled in medicine as him, this was baffling. Without any aroma to analyze, even he couldn’t deduce its ingredients.
Usually, it was almost impossible to refine a pill to this level of perfection and make it completely devoid of odor. Maverick had reached the pinnacle of modern traditional medicine. Even Kayden hadn’t reached this stage in his craft. Maverick was clearly a genius.
“Is this some kind of medicine?” Georgia asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Yes,” Kayden replied, his gaze still fixed on the pill.
Her confusion quickly morphed into worry. Georgia leaned closer, scanning him with anxious eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt, Kayden?”
She didn’t care about the pill or its purpose. All that mattered was Kayden’s health. If he needed medicine, there had to be something wrong, and that thought unsettled her deeply.
Kayden caught the concern in her eyes and shook his head gently, a reassuring smile playing on his lips. “I’m fine.”
“If you’re fine, then why are you taking medicine?” Georgia cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Kayden paused for a moment, deep in thought. Then he explained, “This isn’t medicine for treating an illness-it’s something that strengthens the body! Think of it like the supplements you take regularly.”
As he spoke, he carefully unsealed the envelope in his hands. He didn’t want Georgia to worry, so he told a white lie to reassure her.
When the envelope was fully opened, the words inside leapt off the page. The old age ends; a new era begins. The Five Ghosts have fallen. Hellblazer rises! Guard the nation’s gates; protect its land. Shake the nine regions and make the great cause of unification!
Kayden’s fingers tightened slightly as he folded the paper back. His mind buzzed with amazement at Maverick’s uncanny ability to predict events with such precision. It was as if he could see the future unfolding!
“Alright then… I’m hungry! I feel like having noodles!” Georgia suddenly chimed in, her voice carrying a playful whine as she pouted ever so slightly.
“Got it.” Kayden set his task aside without hesitation and strode into the kitchen. The pill wasn’t something to be consumed on a whim. He needed to find the perfect location first, rich with energy and vitality to help the body recover and stabilize after he took the pill.
Before long, the aroma of freshly cooked noodles wafted through the air. Kayden returned with two steaming bowls, setting one in front of Georgia. Her face lit up with childlike delight as she eagerly dug in, savoring the meal he had prepared just for her.
Amid their quiet moment, Kayden’s phone rang, breaking the tranquility. He glanced at the screen-it was Greedy Wolf, calling to report.
“Defender, the task is complete. What are your orders for the next step?” Greedy Wolf’s voice was steady.
Kayden fell silent for a few moments. Finally, he replied, “Deliver Kendall’s body to Saint Dragon Business Association. Tell them to wait-I’ll deal with them personally.” Greedy Wolf answered crisply before ending the call, “Got it.”
Saint Dragon Business Association had long been in bed with Hellblazer. There was no way Kayden would let this golden opportunity to investigate Hellblazer slip away. The time to strike was near!
Georgia stole a cautious glance at Kayden. She had meant to ask him something, but after a moment’s thought, she decided it was better not to interfere with whatever he was doing.
Just as they were eating their noodles, the door suddenly creaked open. A short-haired girl stormed in, grumbling in frustration, “What bad luck, I ran into such a terrible person today. It’s enough to drive me crazy!”
“Hey! Kayden!” Her eyes landed on the person sitting at the table, and her face instantly brightened, as if the clouds had parted and the sun had come out.
“How come you’re back? When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” She bombarded him with three questions, barely putting down her schoolbag before rushing over to plop down next to him.
Georgia couldn’t help but frown slightly. She wondered when Kayden and Leah had become so close. It felt odd-she had always thought their relationship wasn’t that familiar.
“Hey, Georgia, you’re back too?” Leah asked in surprise as if she had just noticed Georgia.
A flicker of irritation crossed Georgia’s face. She had been sitting here the whole time, yet Leah only now spared a glance at her. It was as if Kayden had become the center of Leah’s world, and nothing else mattered.
The thought of it sent a wave of discomfort through Georgia, and a sharp sense of jealousy and unease crept up on her!
She gave a perfunctory nod and deliberately put on a cold, unwelcoming expression. But Leah, with her carefree, unapologetic nature, paid no mind. She reached forward and snatched the bowl of noodles from in front of Kayden, exclaiming, “I’m starving. I want some too!”
Georgia was left speechless.
Leah was acting as if she were the one dating Kayden, flaunting their supposed “love” right in front of her without the slightest shame!
“Seriously, Kayden was just her brother-in-law! If she was so hungry, couldn’t she ask me for food instead? Why did she have to snatch food straight from Kayden?” Georgia complained in her heart. Leah’s audacity was infuriating, leaving her on the verge of losing it entirely.
“Hey! Leah, what do you think you’re doing?” Georgia asked, her voice sharp with annoyance.
Leah flashed a mischievous grin and said, “It tastes so good!”
She exaggeratedly shoveled another big mouthful into her mouth, then turned to look at Georgia, who was now practically fuming.
“Georgia, why are you staring at me like that?” Leah asked, her tone lighthearted and oblivious.
Georgia didn’t respond. She simply shot her younger sister a piercing glare!
Unbothered by the growing tension, Leah continued to happily devour the noodles, as if nothing in the world could faze her. After a few more bites, she paused and lifted her head.
With a genuinely puzzled expression, she blurted out, “Georgia, why aren’t you eating? The noodles are amazing! I could tell with just one bite that Kayden made them. Honestly, if he could cook breakfast for me every day, life would be perfect.”
Georgia froze. She couldn’t believe her ears. She knew it was absurd to doubt her younger sister and her husband. That Leah treated Kayden like family seemed perfectly normal. But this level of closeness? It was unsettling, the kind that could easily be taken the wrong way. After all, Leah wasn’t a little girl anymore-she was eighteen, well past the age of innocent ignorance.
“What’s wrong?” Kayden asked, his brows knitting together as he noticed Georgia’s widened eyes.
Georgia quickly shook her head, forcing a smile to mask her thoughts. “Oh, nothing. I was just wondering-when did you two get so… close?”
Her mind couldn’t help but drift back to the last time Leah had boldly asked Kayden to run an errand for her at school.
Leah lifted her arm and draped it over Kayden’s shoulder with an ease that made Georgia’s heart tighten. Her voice was light and teasing, yet somehow daring. “We’ve always been close. Georgia, don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
The words hit like a sharp arrow, and Georgia’s face instantly heated. Flustered, she scrambled for a response. “What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I be jealous?”
Leah gave a nonchalant shrug, her smirk as infuriating as it was playful. “Fair enough. I suppose your relationship with Kayden hasn’t exactly reached the kind of level that would make jealousy an issue.”
That quip struck a nerve. Georgia’s expression darkened, and she shot her sister a pointed, weighty look.
But before she could retort, Leah’s tone shifted, as if the previous exchange had never happened. “Oh, by the way, Georgia!” she chirped, eyes sparkling with a sudden idea. “Can I borrow your husband tonight? There’s an event, and everyone else has someone to take them. I thought it’d be great if he could drive me there in your car. You know, make an entrance and really turn some heads!”
The casual audacity of the request made Georgia’s heart skip a beat.
What did she just say?
She wanted to borrow her husband?