Ah Dai squatted on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. As he cried, he carefully scooped the scarce blue ashes from the ground into a small porcelain jar using a tiny shovel. After closing the jar, Ah Dai carefully placed it into his pack. He then decisively turned, shouldered two bundles, and rushed out of the door. The three dried corpses lay untouched where they fell. Ah Dai took a deep glance at the house where he had lived for five years, and with a grit of his teeth, cast another Flame Spell. Large patches of blue flames spread upon the roof under Ah Dai’s push. In an instant, the courtyard turned into a sea of fire. Dai used his toe to kick the three corpses into the flames, and with a heart full of hatred and grief, he ran towards the distance.

At home, Xi Er was steaming in anger. Ah Dai’s public refusal had embarrassed him greatly. After all, his daughter, Fei, was definitely a catch for that young fool! He had never heard before that Ah Dai had a fiancee. He couldn’t understand what on earth Owen was thinking, ignoring such a great marriage arrangement. Now, Sifei wouldn’t stop crying in her room which just made him even more vexed.

There was a frantic pounding on the door. Xi Er, already vexed, shouted angrily, "Who is it!? Knocking the door so desperately, do you think you’re here to collect a debt!?"

"Dad, it’s me! Open the door quickly, something terrible has happened!" It was Xi Zhong’s voice.

Xier, feeling alarmed, quickly approached and opened the door. Xi Zhong appeared with a look of anxiety and gasped, "Dad, you need to come quickly. Something really terrible has happened."

Xier frowned, saying, "Why are you panicking? What could possibly go terribly wrong in our tiny town."

"Dad, it’s about uncle Owen. For some reason, a big fire has suddenly broken out in his house. My brothers and I saw it on our way back from fishing, so they have gone to rouse the townsfolk to help put out the fire," Xi Zhong exclaimed anxiously.

Xier was taken aback, almost shouting, "What did you say? Owen’s house is on fire? Let’s go quickly and see."

By the time they reached Owen’s place, the fire had largely burnt out. The constant sea breeze on this small coastal town, coupled with Ah Dai’s skilled flame spell, had already reduced the house to crumbling ruins with billowing smoke rising to the sky.

Xier stared in shock at the devastation, dragging his other son, Si Fa, who was attempting to put out the final flames, over, asking, "Where are they? Where are Uncle Owen and Ah Dai? Did they emerge from the fire?"

Si Fa shook his head somberly, "We didn’t see them. Dad, the fire was too huge. If they were inside...I fear, I fear they might not have made it."

While the Xi family mourned for Owen and Ah Dai, several cold eyes from within the crowd continued to observe them.

"Vice-Chief, we’ve just finished checking inside. Apart from a few of our dead brothers reduced to dry bones, we found no signs of any corpses of the ’Nether King’ or the boy you mentioned."

A strange voice filled with resentment echoed, "Damn it all! I didn’t expect ’Nether King’s’ life energy to be so resilient, that even after being poisoned by the ’Matchless Water,’ he could still use the Hades Sword Technique. If I had known, I would have brought you guys along that time, then we would’ve definitely killed him. While ’Nether King’ might be dead, the child with him must be alive. Go, spread out and find him. Even if it’s just the corpse, bring it back to me. The Sword of Hades must not fall into someone else’s hands."

"Yes, Vice-Chief." A few figures quietly melted into the crowd. The fire in the yard also gradually subsided.

......

"Ah—" Ah Dai stood atop a wooden stake, relentlessly beating back wave after wave. Half a year ago, Owen had split the stake in half, forcing Ah Dai to stand atop it to withstand the tide’s force, helping him to hone the stability of his stance. Wave after wave was split to the sides by the Tian Gang Sword in Ah Dai’s hand, his body soaked with seawater. He continued to vent his emotions, yet the grief in his heart didn’t dissipate.

With a crash, a large wave swept over the already exhausted Ah Dai, plunging him into the sea. Ah Dai didn’t struggle, allowing wave after wave to wash over his body and rinse away the hatred in his heart.

"Why? Why did you have to kill Uncle Owen, why--" Ah Dai shouted to the heavens, only to be answered by the thunderous waves.

After ten days, Ah Dai finally emerged from the deep grief over Owen’s death. Owen’s demise deeply impacted him, and a hint of resentment started to appear on his stupefied face. After finishing a piece of dry food, Ah Dai strapped his bag and Tian Gang Sword onto his body, patted the Sword of Hades over his chest, left the reef group, and headed west towards the Red Charming Clan’s territory. Perhaps Owen’s death had impacted him too deeply, but Ah Dai, despite his sluggish intelligence, remembered clearly every word Owen had said before his death. Those were his uncle’s last instructions, and he had to follow them no matter what.

What Ah Dai didn’t know was, the Assassin’s Guild, only left the previous day after failing to locate him. Hence, Owen’s last-minute advice had just saved his life.

Three days later, Ah Dai finally reached the border of the Red Charming Clan’s territory, but he had consumed all his food. Having gone a full day without a drop of water, Ah Dai’s lips were cracked, and he entered the city in a daze.

On the streets, he saw people in mercenary outfits everywhere. Owen had described to him the various occupational dress codes. He knew that the Red Charming Clan was the originating place of the Mercenary Guild. This place was a significant gathering point for a large number of mercenaries and Mercenary Corps. His aim was to locate the Mage Guild so he could have money to buy food.