My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot-Chapter 69 - 65: You Are a Martial Artist?

Janet Sinclair drove to the mountaintop and parked outside a private hot spring spa.

The atmosphere was wonderful. The temperature hovered around twenty degrees Celsius year-round, making it warm in winter and cool in summer.

A grove of moso bamboo surrounded the parking lot, lush and verdantly green.

A wooden plank path, wide enough for two people, wound through the bamboo. A gentle stream flowed through narrow channels on either side, evoking the idyllic image of a rustic home by a bridge over a creek.

This time, Janet Sinclair didn’t bother changing her shoes, leading Aurora Sinclair toward the spa in her flats.

The owner of the spa was a woman in her thirties, with a gentle and pleasant appearance. A fine line was drawn through her naturally faint eyebrows, and her eyes were beautifully shaped. When she smiled, two lovely crescents appeared just beneath them.

Her hair was neatly coiled at the back of her head and secured with a fan-shaped silver hairpin. She wore the traditional ethnic dress of Niphoria, its simple colors adorned with an ink painting of mountain bamboo.

Her hands were clasped in front of her, feet together, and she was slightly bowed in a very respectful posture.

"Ma’am..."

Janet Sinclair nodded and gestured to Aurora Sinclair to introduce her. "Neve, this is my niece, Aurora Sinclair."

Neve Sherwood bowed slightly, smiling as she said, "Miss Aurora."

Aurora Sinclair politely returned the gesture, which made Neve Sherwood’s smile freeze for an instant. It quickly returned to normal, however, so fast that not even Janet Sinclair noticed anything was amiss.

"Neve, please get things ready. We’d like to use the hot spring."

Neve Sherwood nodded obediently and led the way with small steps. Whenever she paused, she would steal a few glances at Aurora Sinclair, her eyes glinting with an inexplicable light.

The room they entered was Janet Sinclair’s private hot spring suite. Inside was a circular pool, with water gurgling up from the center and sending hazy white steam wafting into the air.

"Aurora, come over here and change."

Janet Sinclair pointed to a nearby bamboo hut. It was her private changing room.

When Aurora Sinclair emerged, Janet Sinclair could only stare in disbelief.

’What in the world is she wearing a thermal for?’

Underneath the loose spa robe, Aurora Sinclair wore a thin, black, form-fitting thermal shirt that kept her arms completely covered.

"Aren’t you hot?" Janet Sinclair asked, speechless, from her spot in the pool.

Aurora Sinclair nodded, slowly walking down the steps to sit on the edge of the pool. She submerged her body, leaving only her small head above the water.

Janet Sinclair studied her suspiciously for a long moment before letting out a helpless laugh. "Are your arms injured or something?"

Aurora Sinclair stiffened and shifted away ever so slightly.

Janet Sinclair was about to say something else, but Neve Sherwood entered with a tray.

On the tray were a stemmed wine glass, a bottle of red wine, and a bottle of fruit juice with a straw in it.

"And bring her some ice. I’m worried she’ll get heatstroke."

"..."

***

Aurora Sinclair hugged the juice bottle and chewed on her straw, while Janet Sinclair sat opposite her, smoking a cigarette and studying her intently.

After taking a final drag and stubbing out her cigarette, she finally asked, "Are you getting used to being back?"

Aurora Sinclair nodded.

"Do you still want to go back to Sunstone?"

Aurora paused for a moment, then nodded again. "I do."

Janet Sinclair watched her for another moment, then picked up the wine glass beside her. She swirled it once, took a drink, and suppressed the complex emotions in her eyes.

"Do you know why I came back this time?"

Aurora Sinclair took a sip of her juice and shook her head.

"Your grandfather is paving the way for you..." A faint smile touched Janet Sinclair’s lips as she continued, "Do you know how much of the Sinclair Family’s assets and shares belonged to your father?"

Aurora Sinclair shook her head again.

"Thirty percent. More than anyone else in the Sinclair Family. All of it earned through his own hard work. Originally, his entire estate should have been inherited by you, but you were too young at the time. So, your grandfather divided the assets among a few of us to hold in trust for you, to be returned once you came of age..."

Janet Sinclair paused at this point, looking at Aurora Sinclair with a deeply meaningful gaze. But from start to finish, Aurora’s eyes showed no emotion, as if these matters had nothing to do with her.

Janet Sinclair’s expression didn’t change, but beneath the water, her hand clenched into a tight fist. "Aurora, if you want to go back to your old life, you can’t inherit your father’s estate. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Her brow furrowed slightly, and her gaze toward Aurora held a strange, unreadable emotion.

The steam rising from the water swirled in thick layers, veiling both their faces as if behind a white gauze.

The room grew quiet, the only sound the gentle GURGLE of the water bubbling up in the center of the pool.

Aurora Sinclair watched her calmly for a moment before finally nodding. "Okay."

"Neve—"

From nearby, Neve Sherwood answered the call and brought over another tray, this one holding three copies of a contract and a fountain pen.

"Aurora, sign this contract, and then... you’ll be free." Janet Sinclair’s voice grew hoarse toward the end. A flicker of concern appeared in Neve Sherwood’s eyes.

"Mm."

Aurora Sinclair’s hand, pink from the hot water, emerged from the pool. Neve Sherwood immediately grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her arm.

A faint wisp of "Power" gently coursed along Aurora’s meridians.

Suddenly—

Aurora Sinclair shot up from the water, her gaze landing on Neve Sherwood with piercing intensity.

Neve flinched back in fright and dropped to her knees, her body trembling. "I’m sorry, Miss Aurora! I meant you no offense..."

"What happened?" Janet Sinclair’s expression changed as she turned a stern gaze on her subordinate by the pool.

Neve Sherwood replied fearfully, "I saw Miss Aurora perform an Ancient Martial Ceremony toward me earlier, so I just wanted to see if she was also a practitioner..."

"Ancient Martial Arts?"

Janet Sinclair was floored. She stared at Aurora Sinclair in utter shock. "You’re a Martial Artist?"

’If this is true, then Aurora’s future identity and status... would be far beyond what the Sinclair Family could ever hope to associate with!’

Back when she was an intern on an investigative team, she’d had close contact with people from the Martial Affairs Bureau and knew things that most Martial Artists in the outside world did not.

For example, a true Martial Artist was one who could cultivate "Power." Their strength was hundreds of times greater than an ordinary Martial Artist’s, but such people were incredibly rare. That was why these elite Martial Artists were the aces of every country’s Martial Alliance, holding positions of immense status.

And Neve, the woman beside her, had once been a high-ranking Martial Artist in Niphoria. If she hadn’t been hunted by her enemies, she never would have been forced to hide away as the proprietress of this small spa.

"Aurora, are you really a Martial Artist?" Janet Sinclair asked again when Aurora didn’t answer.

Aurora Sinclair shook her head, her expression blank, as if she didn’t know what a Martial Artist was.

Janet Sinclair turned to Neve Sherwood in surprise and saw her nod with a look of reverence. She continued to question Aurora, "Have you ever felt an invisible energy flowing through your body? Martial Artists generally call it ’Power’..."

This time, Aurora Sinclair nodded. She thrust her palm toward the surface of the water from across the pool. The placid spring water suddenly splashed as if it had been struck by a rock, sending a small spray of droplets into the air.

The two women were so shocked they were rendered speechless.

Neve Sherwood’s face was filled with terror. Her body trembled even more violently than before. She clasped her hands, pressed her forehead hard against the back of them, and pleaded fearfully, "Miss Aurora, I meant no offense, I beg you not to hold it against me!"

’Miss Aurora’s internal "Power" has already reached the stage where she can project it externally. In the Martial World, that level of strength is enough to become a Guardian.’

’And Guardians are the strongest Martial Artists in each country. Their identities are mysterious and their power is immense. No one knows who they are, because the laws of the Martial World dictate that Guardians must remain in seclusion within a specific territory for their entire lives.’

’They cannot make a move lightly, but when they do, it is for a war between nations.’

At this thought, Neve Sherwood’s body trembled uncontrollably, and her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest.

"Miss Aurora, I had no malicious intent..." Neve Sherwood kept apologizing, as if she were possessed.

"Okay," Aurora Sinclair replied softly.

As if she had just escaped death, Neve Sherwood collapsed on the ground, whimpering and crying.

Janet Sinclair gave her a complex look. This was the first time she had ever seen Neve lose her composure so completely, as if Aurora Sinclair held the power of life and death in her hands.

Janet Sinclair glanced again at Aurora Sinclair’s placid expression, and a sense of awe began to grow in her heart. Suddenly, she regretted her earlier decision.

But Aurora Sinclair had already picked up the fountain pen, uncapped it, and asked earnestly, "Aunt Janet, where do I sign?"

"Actually..."

Janet Sinclair couldn’t bring herself to say the words on the tip of her tongue. Finally, she just let out a short, self-deprecating laugh.

"Sign here."

’How could the Sinclair Family of today possibly be worthy of her?’

***

At 5:00 p.m., the two were driving back when Janet Sinclair asked, "Do you want to go back to your uncle’s house, or come hang out at my place?"

Aurora Sinclair thought for a moment before replying, "I’m going to Arcadian University for tutoring."

Janet Sinclair raised an eyebrow. Thinking of how Aurora was still a student personally chosen by Chester Greene and Erin Archer, a faint smile touched her lips. "The college entrance exams are coming up soon, aren’t they?"

"Mm."

"Do well on your exams. After they’re over, your aunt will take you all on vacation."

Aurora Sinclair nodded obediently.

Janet Sinclair dropped her off at the entrance of the science building, then lit a slim cigarette for herself before turning to leave.

Watching Janet Sinclair from a window upstairs, Alvin Morgan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He asked indifferently, "Who is that?"

Beta Morgan took two steps forward, leaning to get a better look. He replied hesitantly, "She appears to be Janet Sinclair, the youngest daughter of the Head of the Sinclair Family. She’s been abroad expanding the family’s business. She’s very capable and shrewd, a popular candidate to be the next Family Head."

An unreadable smile touched the corners of Alvin Morgan’s lips.

Beta Morgan glanced again at her retreating figure, his heart sinking, and silently said a prayer for the woman.

’There were only three types of people who caught his master’s attention: people he considered his own, like Aurora Sinclair; people who could be used; and finally, enemies who needed to be eliminated at the earliest opportunity.’

’And it was obvious this woman wasn’t the first type.’