After the group of soldiers left, the village chief and Uncle Sal shooed away all the villagers crowded around the place before pulling Leon inside the house.

"Did you really beat up the soldier who came to investigate the missing case a week ago?" the village chief asked with a frown.

Leon nodded. "That guy was using his aura to pressure Grandma and little Amy. I couldn’t hold myself back and ended up thrashing him quite badly."

Uncle Sal sighed. "What use is there in talking about that? Now the one he kicked into a coma is the squad leader of Rose Valley Town. This problem is not going to end here."

Hearing this, the village chief glared at little Amy who was hiding behind Grandma Mercy. "You cheeky brat, do you have any idea the magnitude of trouble you just caused? Compared to a mosquito like you, that guy is a hundred times stronger. If not for your brother, you might have already been squashed under that guy’s palm."

Amelia’s eyes turned watery and she lowered her head.

Grandma Mercy hugged the crying Amy and glared at the village chief furiously. "She is just a child. You don’t have to be so hard on her."

The village chief shook his head helplessly. "Back there, even I didn’t see how that fatty moved. If Leo hadn’t blocked him, she might have really gotten hurt out there."

Leon walked up to little Amy and lifted her in his arms. "Next time, don’t speak so rashly, okay?"

"Mm." Amelia coiled around Leon’s neck like a koala and hummed in a low voice.

The village chief’s mouth twitched when he saw this. "You are spoiling her too much. From the time I first saw you, you have been working like an ox for this family and she has been living the life of a little princess with no worry or fear of anything. At least try to put on a stern front and scold her when she does something wrong."

Leon smiled helplessly. "She is an exact copy of our mother. I can’t bring myself to look angry when I look at her face."

The village chief rolled his eyes.

Uncle Sal frowned. "Stop discussing meaningless things. Tell me, have any of you thought about the consequences of what he did today?"

The village chief thought for a moment and said, "The consequences are quite serious. That fatty is a squad leader, and his father is a sergeant. Under normal circumstances, Leon would be arrested or worse within days. But running away from here is not an option either. The entire 36th Stronghold is in lockdown due to the discovery of ancient runes in the Asura Forest. So the only real choice we have left is to let someone influential mediate and talk things out between Leo and that fatty."

Uncle Sal also nodded, but Leon shook his head. "It’s useless. According to the news Big Brother John collected from Rose Valley Town, that fatty is a vengeful snake. He will surely strike back at me."

Uncle Sal’s expression grew troubled. "Then what are you going to do, sit here and wait for him? Don’t forget he is a highly influential squad leader with a sergeant as his father. The Human Alliance Army will not overlook this so easily."

Leon nodded. "His father is indeed a little troublesome, but according to Big Brother John, that guy is an evil cultivator and he is involved in the disappearance of several minor girls from Rose Valley Town. These rumors have already caused displeasure among the town folk. If that fatty actually dares to complain about me to his superiors, they will launch an investigation, and those rumors will come to light. I don’t think he is willing to let that happen."

"Evil cultivator? Is that news solid?" Uncle Sal asked with some surprise. After all, the other party was a squad leader level figure and for him to be a follower of the evil qi path, it was a little hard to believe.

Leon nodded. "Big Brother John collected all this news from the black market with a large sum of money. It can’t be wrong. Furthermore, did you not see just now? That guy was so eager to take Amelia away from me. This only confirms the news."

Uncle Sal still found it hard to believe. "But I didn’t sense any evil qi fluctuation around him."

The village chief however did not doubt Leon’s words. "If he dares to cultivate evil qi, he might also have a way to hide it. So like Leon said, we can eliminate the possibility of him complaining to his superiors since that will be like a chicken inviting a tiger to deal with a goose. Before the tiger comes after the goose, it will surely eat the chicken first."

Uncle Sal still looked worried. "But there is still his father who is a variable. What if he is also an evil cultivator and is in cahoots with this fatty? In that scenario, Leo will still be in trouble."

The village chief shook his head. "Not for now. Remember what I said, the entire 36th Stronghold is under lockdown. No one is allowed entry or exit inside the formation guarding the stronghold. So even if he somehow lets his father know of this incident, he will not be able to come find trouble with us for the time being."

Leon also nodded in agreement. "Furthermore, I have met a senior with some connections in the Asura Devil Army. Next time I see him I will tell him about this. Possibly he might be able to help."

"A senior from the Asura Devil Army?" Both the village chief and Uncle Sal were stunned when they heard this.

Leon did not hide his encounter with Elder Silas in the ancient mansion inside the forest. He detailed how they met and explained that the elder had proposed taking him on as a disciple.

After hearing the whole story, both of them fell silent. In the end, the village chief sighed. "What he said is true. The mortality rate is very high in the Asura Devil Army compared to the Human Alliance Army, but the benefits and pay you get from the Asura Devil Army are also worlds apart from the Human Alliance. Even today, the only reason that fatty did not dare attack me outright when I protected you is because of my status as a retired soldier of the Asura Devil Army. But before you make a decision, ask yourself whether it is worth the risk."

Soon after, Uncle Sal and the village chief took their leave.

Once they left, Leon made the koala coiled around his neck sit on the dining table and said, "Cheer up. That guy is just a fat pig. You don’t have to be afraid of him."

Amelia wiped her tears and said in a low voice, "I brought you a lot of trouble this time."

Leon just chuckled. "Don’t be silly. That guy actually tried to take you away from me. Do you think if you did not speak, I would have let him take you away?"

Amelia lifted her head and looked at Leon with her big eyes. Leon smiled at the little girl and wiped her tears with his hands. "Come, today little Amy and brother will make lunch. Let Grandma Mercy rest for today."

Amelia nodded and summoned Sister Coco out of her slumbering arc. Once they had settled Grandma Mercy in her room, the three walked towards the kitchen.

.....

Inside Ethan’s tent,

The bulky guard bowed towards Ethan who just woke up from his meditation and asked respectfully, "Ancestor, there is bad news. That woman from the Moon Palace has awakened her bloodline heart a few days ago."

Ethan frowned for a moment before he relaxed his expression. "Given the fact that the bloodline inside her was already active, it was bound to happen anyway. Ask your family head to continue searching for someone else. As for her, just forget it."

The guard hesitated. "Ancestor, the entire 36th Stronghold is now under lockdown. The higher ups have activated the guarding formation and we don’t have a way to enter the 36th Stronghold for now."

Ethan remained silent for a moment and said, "Then look for someone with emperor level vital qi to become my new host. No matter what, I will have to complete the resurrection ritual as soon as possible. The longer we delay, the greater will be the possibility of flaws. And if my dear disciple finds out that I am not actually dead, he will not hesitate to make sure of that this time."

The guard frowned. "Is he really that formidable?"

Ethan looked at the guard and said with a sigh, "I am definitely much much older than him. At my peak even in cultivation realm, I am higher than him. But he was still able to destroy my body and leave me in a state where I am neither a ghost nor a human. Do you really think I stand any chance against such a person at my current state?"

The guard did not dare nod in agreement with Ethan so he simply bowed his head without a word.

Ethan looked outside the tent and said with clenched fists, "But this time, when I rise back from the ashes, I will definitely give him a big surprise. Let us see how he is going to face me this time."