“Are you still mad at me?” Flynn asked mischievously, his hands not stopping.
Molly, her face red and sweating, struggled as she shouted, “You scoundrel! You dare bully us? Just wait, I’ll call Scarlet in a moment!”
“Go ahead!” Flynn replied nonchalantly, feigning the air of a man who feared nothing. “Anyway, we’ve already kissed. What does it matter now?”
“What?!” Molly’s eyes widened as she stammered, “Flynn, don’t talk nonsense! When did we ever kiss?”
Her flustered denial only made things worse in Rose’s eyes. To her, Molly’s reaction was as good as a confession.
“Molly, have you fallen for this scumbag? Oh, what a tragedy!” Rose exclaimed, her voice trembling as she too struggled to keep her composure.
Molly was on the verge of tears. “Rose, I didn’t! I swear I didn’t! Didn’t I already explain this when we went shopping?”
She felt like she was losing her mind. Not even the Yellow River could wash her clean of this accusation.
Meanwhile, Flynn’s hands kept moving, a sly, roguish grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
This was poetic justice-hoisted by their own petard. They had tried to mess with him but ended up being outsmarted. Let’s see if they’d still dare to tattle to Scarlet!
“I was wrong! I was wrong, Master, I won’t do it again!” Molly finally admitted defeat, her voice soft and pleading.
“How about you, Rose? Do you give up?” Flynn asked, flashing a wicked smile as he gave Rose a hard slap on the back.
Rose’s beautiful eyes burned with anger, but she gritted her teeth and spat out, “Fine! I give up!”
“Alright then, I’ll let you go. But don’t cause any more trouble!” Flynn said, stepping back with a laugh. He darted into his bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him.
From inside, the sound of his laughter echoed.
“Jerk! Shameless!” Molly quickly tidied her clothes, her face flushed with anger.
Rose, however, remained quiet. Her gaze fell on Flynn’s phone, which he had left on the table.
After three months of observing Flynn, she had already memorized his unlock password. This was the moment she had been waiting for.
A sly smile spread across her lips as she unlocked the phone. She opened his TikTok app and began her revenge: deleting all the videos of dancing beauties he had saved, unfollowing every attractive account, and blocking them.
She changed the address on his profile to Novadi, an undeveloped region where hardly anyone knew how to use a phone. Then she swapped his interests to social news and followed a dozen abstinence support groups for him.
When she was done, Rose returned the phone to its original position, her expression calm and composed as if she had done nothing at all.
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!” Molly couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.
They both knew Flynn was clueless about TikTok beyond saving and following content. He wouldn’t notice the changes right away, but when he did, it would drive him crazy.
The thought of Flynn scrolling endlessly, unable to find a single video of a dancing beauty, and instead being bombarded with news and abstinence advice, filled them with glee.
“Alright, we won’t give you any more trouble. Come out, Rose even bought you a jacket,” Molly called, knocking on Flynn’s bedroom door.
“Really?”
“Promise! I swear!”
Flynn opened the door and swaggered over to the sofa. He looked at Rose with a grin. “What’s the occasion? Why’d you buy me clothes?”
“I had extra money lying around. Happy now?” Rose rolled her eyes. She couldn’t stand Flynn’s poor fashion sense.
His outfits were always a disaster-barely befitting someone of his status as an Earthly Sovereign. Instead, he looked like a middle-aged fish vendor. She had tried countless times to get him to dress better, but the most he ever did was shave.
“Whoa, Armani? A big brand, huh. Thanks!” Flynn said, tucking the jacket away.
Just then, his phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
He answered, and an elderly woman’s voice, tinged with embarrassment, came through.
“Is this Flynn? We’re at Crystal Liquor in Slatin, but we don’t have enough to pay the bill and they won’t let us leave.”
Flynn was stunned. “And you are?”
“Oh, silly me! I’m Olive Chilton. The Raven King gave me this number. Isn’t he your servant?”
“What?!” Flynn’s excitement surged as he quickly asked, “Is Mr. Chilton with you?”
“Yes, we arrived in Slatin this afternoon,” Olive explained.
She went on to tell him about their arrival. Scott Chilton had wanted to call Flynn right away, but Olive insisted they shouldn’t show up empty-handed. She had dragged him around town, but when they passed by Crystal Liquor, Scott’s love of fine drinks got the better of him. He couldn’t resist sampling some of their best, not realizing how expensive it was-$5, 000 for a few glasses.
When they couldn’t pay, the staff detained them.
“Grandma, wait for me. I’m on my way!” Flynn hung up and quickly grabbed his car keys.
Before leaving, he told Rose and Molly what had happened. His mother’s master had arrived-five days earlier than expected.
But why hadn’t The Raven King informed him?
As Flynn drove, he called The Raven King.
“Why didn’t you let me know that Mr. Chilton returned to Emperorsgate?”
“Huh? Mr. Chilton returned? Master, I didn’t know. I’ve been tied up in Shawford these last few days.”
Flynn paused, frowning. “Still not done over there?”
“It’s taking longer than expected, Master. Over the years, too many factions have been involved in hunting your mother. I’m tying up loose ends. There’s just one family left-the Hewson family.”
“Be careful. Shawford is Nate Black’s territory, and that old man doesn’t take kindly to disturbances,” Flynn warned.
“I know, Master. My movements were too loud, and now he’s hunting me.”
Flynn nearly choked. “Where are you now?”
“Hiding in a grassy ditch,” The Raven King replied awkwardly.
Flynn sighed. If Lila knew how pitiful her esteemed Raven King looked right now, she’d die laughing.
“Raven, hang tight. I’ll call Nate Black to smooth things over.”
“No need, Master. General Black is just doing his job. If you intervene, it’ll only make things difficult for him. I can handle this and finish off the Hewson family without confronting him directly.”
“Alright, but stay safe. When you’re done, I’ll help you reach Heavenly Sovereign.”
After ending the call, Flynn muttered to himself, “Raven is truly dedicated. Perfection in everything he does.”
He imagined Nate Black, the grizzled war general, fuming as Raven outmaneuvered him.
Soon, Flynn arrived at Crystal Liquor.
As he stepped out of his Porsche, he noticed a crowd gathered at the entrance. Pushing his way through, he saw an elderly man arguing with the shopkeeper.
Beside him stood an elderly woman.
The man was short and thin, his silver hair falling haphazardly over his shoulders. His face was weathered with age, his deep-set eyes burning with anger. He wore a simple gray robe, frayed at the cuffs, with a faded white ribbon tied loosely at the collar. At his waist hung an ancient longsword made of sheep bone, its scabbard etched with the scars of countless battles.
The woman stood gracefully beside him, her silver hair pinned up with a wooden hairpin. Her demeanor was calm and gentle, her light blue robe embroidered with simple floral patterns. On her back was a long, wrapped bundle.
Flynn could feel the overwhelming power emanating from both of them, their energy vast and boundless like an ocean.
They were both Earthly Sovereign peak Blademasters!