Chapter 6: Third Brother?
On the grassy field at the edge of the mountain village.
Monica first sent her maid back, then walked hand in hand alone with Reno.
"Brother Reno, those people are too much. This isn’t the first time. I’ll go tell Uncle Miller and have him teach them a lesson." Monica’s face was flushed with anger. Reno looked at her and smiled gently. "Monica, it’s fine. No need to tell your Uncle Miller."
"But Brother Reno, they…" Monica urged anxiously.
Reno shook his head. "Those people just can’t stand seeing you always with me. They’re jealous, understand?"
Monica’s face instantly turned red.
Seeing Monica shy, Reno no longer cared about the slight grievance he had just suffered. "Monica, for you, I chose to live in this mountain village. I was already prepared to endure some humiliation. Monica… don’t worry. My strength is still weak now. Once I get stronger, they won’t dare."
"But that will take a long time," Monica said, frowning.
Reno said confidently, "Trust your Brother Reno. I’ll be fine."
Monica nodded obediently.
It had to be said, Reno was quite skilled at winning over a girl. Pure Monica, after just a few months with Reno, had already fallen for this knowledgeable, humorous, and caring man.
The two walked hand in hand, quietly across the grass.
"If only we could walk like this forever," Monica murmured, leaning her head against Reno. He whispered, "Monica, let’s get married."
"Ah!"
Monica jerked her head up as if shocked, completely stunned for a moment. But then her face reddened as if it might bleed. Reno smiled and looked down at her. "Monica, what’s wrong? Don’t you want to?" Monica hesitated, then frowned. "My mother won’t agree."
"Your mother? Why wouldn’t she agree?" Reno pressed.
Monica shook her head. "My mother has very high standards. She once said I could only marry someone who reached the Saint Domain. But my father talked her down, and she still said… at the very least, I need to reach Level Nine. If your strength is too low… my mother will look down on you."
Reno was dumbfounded.
"How can your mother…" Reno didn’t know what to say.
Monica lowered her voice. "Brother Reno, my mother is very cold. She only occasionally smiles in front of me. Usually… even Uncle Miller is afraid of her."
Reno’s heart tightened. He had a vague sense of Miller’s strength—that terrifying speed would be hard even for a Level Nine warrior to achieve. That meant… Uncle Miller was at least Level Nine, possibly even a Saint Domain expert.
The two talked for a long time on the grass.
"It’s getting late," Monica said, looking up at the sky. "I need to go back for dinner. If I’m late, my mother will scold me again." Reno nodded slightly, watching Monica leave.
Monica’s home was a forbidden area in the mysterious mountain village. Only a few people like Miller could enter. Ordinary villagers were not allowed near it. Naturally… Reno had never been there, nor had he ever met Monica’s parents.
Not long after Monica left.
"Reno, you’re pretty comfortable, huh?" Five young men approached. The leader had golden lion-like hair and a handsome, resolute face. Seeing him, Reno knew today wouldn’t be good.
The leader was named Videri, the top figure among the younger generation. Just over forty, he was an Level Eight warrior.
Among powerful warriors and mages, lifespans were generally long—three to four hundred years. Forty was still considered young.
"Reno, I warned you last time. Stop pestering Monica," Videri said coldly, staring at Reno. "People should know their place. What are you, to deserve Monica? Both her parents are Saint Domain experts. What are you?"
Reno’s heart trembled.
He knew Monica’s father was a Saint Domain expert, but this was the first time he learned her mother was one too.
"Videri’s father is also a Saint Domain expert. He and Monica are a perfect match. What are you, an outsider?" the other young men chimed in, cursing. They all resented an outsider taking their princess.
"Brothers, let’s teach this guy a lesson," Videri said coldly.
The four young men immediately surrounded him. Reno kept backing away… then turned and sprinted toward the village. But as a mage, how could he outrun warriors? He was caught in no time.
A flurry of punches and kicks followed. Heading toward his home, his face bore no marks—those guys were smart, hitting only his body. The village had strict rules against killing each other. Fights were tolerated, but if someone died, the perpetrators would suffer.
That was why Reno kept enduring.
He knew they didn’t dare kill him.
"Creak." Reno opened his door. Just then, his neighbor, a burly middle-aged man, smiled and said, "Reno, you’re back? Huh? What’s wrong? Your walk looks a bit off. Did those brats beat you again?"
Reno forced a smile. "Brother Field, I’m fine."
In the village, there were still many who were kind to Reno—mostly older folks. Reno was a decent person, so many liked him. Field was one of the most caring.
"Reno, I told you to go out less, or come help at my weapon shop. With me around, let’s see who dares bully you," Field said quickly.
"Thanks." Reno squeezed out a smile and entered his house.
In the quiet room, Reno sat cross-legged, thinking to himself: "Those bastards! But since I’m an outsider here, I have to endure. One day… when my strength truly improves, I won’t fear them anymore."
Life in the mountain village was hard.
But Reno never gave up. Whenever he was bullied, he thought of Monica. Only that kept him more determined.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother… I wonder when I’ll see you again." Reno thought of his family and friends, then shook his head. He closed his eyes and began to cultivate. He had never trained so hard before, but he understood—only by reaching the top ten in the village’s annual competition could he earn the right to leave.
Meanwhile, far below stretched the boundless land, cities the size of fists. Setting out at noon, relying solely on the Wind Shadow Technique, Linley arrived at the southern part of the Chaos Territory by afternoon.
Linley easily found the large mountain about a hundred miles from Nanshan City.
"This mountain village is indeed hidden mysteriously enough." Linley flew above the canyon, looking down at the quiet little village. He instructed Bebe, "Bebe, don’t use soul power to scan. We’ll just go down."
Bebe grinned. "Boss, I know. Using soul power to scan other Saint Domain experts is very rude, right?"
Linley nodded slightly.
Powerful Saint Domain experts scanning weaker ones was fine, but Linley had spoken with Miller. According to Miller… this mysterious mountain village likely had several Saint Domain experts, especially one "big shot." Even Miller called him "sir," meaning his strength far exceeded Linley’s.
In a place like this, it was better to be humble.
Before Linley could fly down, a figure shot up rapidly—Miller. His face was full of excited smiles. "Haha, Brother Linley, you’re here! Great! I was just thinking when you’d come."
"Miller, your strength is truly impressive. You noticed me the moment I arrived," Linley said in surprise.
Neither he nor Bebe had used soul power to scan, yet the other party detected him so quickly. That was indeed terrifying. Miller laughed self-deprecatingly. "Linley, I’m not that strong. When you arrived, my master sensed you. He used soul transmission to notify me."
"Soul transmission?" Linley looked at Miller, puzzled. Wasn’t that only possible between a master and their contracted magical beast? Even Saint Domain experts could only spread their soul power to search for others, not communicate with it.
"You and I can’t do it, but that doesn’t mean my master can’t," Miller said with a smile.
Linley grew even more curious about this mysterious expert.
Just then, another figure flew up from below—a man with fiery red hair. His domineering aura made even Linley’s heart race. This man’s strength was also terrifying.
"Miller, is this the genius Linley you mentioned?" The red-haired man stared at Linley as if he were a rare treasure.
Miller quickly introduced him. "Linley, this is my good brother Livingston. He cultivates the laws of fire, and his strength is about the same as mine." The red-haired man quickly added, "What do you mean, about the same? Miller… when you fight me, you always dodge with speed. If you’ve got the guts, take me head-on!"
Linley laughed.
"Livingston’s just like that," Miller said with a smile.
Livingston glared at him, then smiled at Linley. "Linley, even though we don’t leave this village much, we’ve heard of your fame. You’re twenty-seven… oh, twenty-eight now, right?"
Linley nodded.
"Makes me feel ashamed. I’m over a thousand years old," Livingston said self-deprecatingly.
"Useless, totally useless," Bebe’s voice chimed in.
Livingston and Miller both looked at the little Bebe floating beside Linley. Miller’s expression changed, then he said in surprise, "Linley, is this Saint Domain magical beast the one who defeated Hadeson?"
"That’s me, Bebe," Bebe said proudly, lifting his little head.
Miller nodded with a smile, then said, "Arriving early is better than arriving late. Today happens to be the first day of our village’s annual competition. Livingston and I are in charge of hosting it. It’s about to start. Linley, why don’t you come watch with us?"
"Village competition?" Linley grew curious.
Linley, Livingston, and Miller flew down side by side. Miller explained the significance of the competition. Linley was surprised—the village’s management was indeed strict, with such high barriers to leaving.
On the eastern open ground of the village, almost the entire population had gathered. Thousands of people crowded around the competition area, forming an impenetrable ring.
In the village, this annual competition was the biggest event. Since many participated, it took a long time. Usually, on the first day, a Saint Domain expert would preside.
"Lord Miller, Lord Livingston are here!"
Thousands of people saw three figures flying rapidly from the distant sky. They immediately recognized Miller and Livingston. The village had many experts, including some Level Nine, but producing a Saint Domain was extremely rare—maybe once every few centuries. So the villagers deeply admired Miller and Livingston.
"Huh? Who is that lord flying with Lord Miller and Lord Livingston?" Many villagers were puzzled.
Meanwhile, in the crowd, Reno stood frozen, staring up at the familiar figure chatting and laughing with Miller and Livingston. "Third… Third Brother?" Reno’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
But Linley, engrossed in conversation with Miller and Livingston, didn’t notice Reno among the thousands.