"These two will be your guardians from now on. Early-stage Foundation Building experts… both of them."
"A-ah?" Ilya blinked hard, her mind briefly stalling as she turned toward the two silent figures at her side.
Their cloaks, dark.
Expressions hidden under the masks, and the way their posture gave of these unsettling feelings, like a pair of dead wood.
Ilya felt no breathing from the two, not even a single inhale or exhale. It was as if they weren't even, alive...
But of course, she didn't dare to question anything.
Instead, she felt a bit troubled by one thing.
On any normal day, she would have respectfully called them 'Senior' from a distance.
Now they stood there, assigned to her like personal shadows under the casual order of this strangely composed young man in front of her.
To the fact that she will be addressing the two Seniors informally scared her.
She forced her gaze back to him, lips twitching into a tense, uneasy smile. "S-senior, I think... "
Liam didn't even give her the chance to finish.
With a calm wave of his hand, he sliced through her words like they were air, speaking as if what he said was the only truth that mattered. "It's fine. They're my loyal servants. You may treat them normally... or like tools, if needed. Their sole purpose is to protect you."
"After all, I am expecting our cooperation to continue for a very long time. Which means that your safety is the most important part of this joint effort of ours."
"...A-ah, yes..." The words caught in her throat but she nodded anyway, unable to defy him.
She swallowed the discomfort.
Resistance didn't seem like an option here.
If anything, having two Foundation building experts guarding her does sounds rather tempting.
'Why do I feel like a little wife?'
Liam leaned back into his chair, shoulders settling lazily into the curve of the seat as though the conversation no longer required his presence.
Just like that, he dismissed her, his gaze drifting elsewhere, leaving Ilya awkwardly rooted in place like a misplaced ornament.
She stood there stiffly, eyes shifting, unsure if she was supposed to speak, kneel, or vanish.
Wait... why am I standing like a servant too?
The thought jolted her internally.
Her heart fluttered in unease, and a flicker of panic rose in her chest.
This whole arrangement, it made her realize just how little control she had over anything.
She dared to speak, her voice a fragile thread. "S-senior... t-then, I should take my leave?"
Liam didn't move.
His voice came slow, smooth, and utterly indifferent. "Or do you want to warm my bed for the night?"
Ilya flinched.
Her entire body recoiled instinctively, as though the air around her had suddenly turned sharp like a blade pinning over her neck.
She waved her hands hastily in front of her, panicked, "N-no I didn't mean that"
No more words were exchanged after that. Liam simply remained in his chair, resting, his expression oddly, peaceful.
Staring onto the pond's surface.
As for Ilya, she lingered awkwardly, trying to piece together a graceful exit that wouldn't offend or embarrass her further.
Eventually, Liam gave her a silent nod of dismissal.
Grateful, she turned and stepped out of the room without another word, the two puppets trailing behind her like loyal shadows.
As she turned the corner, her feet immediately sprinted off to the door.
Once outside, she sucked in a breath of fresh air like she'd been underwater too long.
Her chest rose and fell as she exhaled sharply.
"Why was I like that…?" she muttered, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her sleeve.
Just as she composed herself, the guards stationed nearby rushed over the moment they saw her emerge from the door.
The tall guard captain stepped ahead with urgency in his stride and concern etched across his face. "My lady!"
"It's fine," Ilya raised a hand to steady him.
She tilted her head back toward the two figures behind her and gave a faint gesture.
"Allow me to introduce them. These two Seniors will be accompanying us from now on"
"Please, treat them with respect... and take care of each other."
The guards' eyes widened as they finally took full notice of the two strangers behind their lady.
A chill ran down their backs, not a single one of them had sensed these individuals before.
And now, understanding blooms quickly.
The respectful tone Ilya used when addressing them gave them a clear picture.
These were powerful experts.
Only someone at the Foundation Building Realm could command that level of deference from someone that stood at the late stage of Qi Refining.
Without hesitation, the guards turned and gave a proper martial salute. "We, the guards of Lady Ilya, greet the two Seniors!"
"At ease." One of the puppets stepped forward and raised a hand calmly.
His movements were fluid, his voice was unnervingly human.
The other puppet remained silent, his figure cold and still like a statue carved from frost.
Seeing this, the first puppet turned to glance at his companion, then back at the guards.
"Forgive my friend. He's not exactly a conversationalist."
"You may address me comfortably, first uncle to be familiar, and this friend of mine as the second uncle"
"A-ah, it's fine, Senior!" Ilya quickly clasped her hands and bowed lightly.
Despite technically being their master now, she didn't dare show even a hint of superiority before the two.
Not when their power was so far beyond her reach.
Despite their current position under that person, in Ilya's eyes, they were still two cultivators who surpassed her in both strength and age.
Then, the group made their ways back to the shop.
There was no conversation between them, just quiet, polite silence.
And honestly, it made her feel awkward.
Having two grown experts tailing her everywhere? It didn't sit right.
So, she stationed the two at the shop instead, treating them like living artifacts she could summon when needed.
For safety, nothing more.
Then night came.
Liam stepped out of his home for the first time in a month, spine stiff, shoulders tense.
He raised his arms over his head and stretched until his joints gave a few satisfying cracks.
Cool air brushed his skin as he glanced around the quiet alleys, half-lit under the glow of street lamps and moonlight.
A bit further away, his divine mind picked up the movements of people from the main street.
Mortals, mostly.
Then his gaze drifted ahead.
Toward the old house where Brother Fu's wife and daughter still lived.
"Old friend..." He paused, for a moment, then sighed...
"It's time to heal her," he whispered.
He walked with calm, steady steps and knocked on the door several times.
Before long, it creaked open, revealing a young girl, around thirteen or fourteen, blinking up at him with wide eyes.
She opened her mouth, clearly about to speak, but Liam raised his hand, cutting her off before a word could escape.
"I've come for your mother."
He paused, hands retreated, and forced out a smile, "To heal her... "
Just like that.
The girl's eyes widened even further.
A flicker of joy and disbelief flashed across her face before she quickly nodded and turned around, leading him inside.
"T-this way senior!"
The door closed behind them with a dull thud.
She hurried ahead, guiding him toward the main bedroom at the back of the house.
As they approached, soft coughs filtered through the door, dry and ragged, each one sounding like it came from a body barely holding itself together.
The girl hesitated, clearly wanting to say something.
Again.
But Liam didn't slow down.
He stepped past her, pushed the door open, and walked inside.
The bedroom was dimly lit and smelled faintly of dried herbs and old wood.
Liam's eyes scanned the room briefly, but his attention locked almost immediately onto the pale figure resting on the bed.
He moved forward, steps silent, until he stood right beside her.
The girl followed behind him, nervous and fidgeting, while Liam spread out his divine mind, his spiritual awareness sinking into the woman's body like a silent ripple in water.
He examined her inch by inch, his brows slightly furrowed.
"S-senior...?" the woman whispered faintly, waking from her shallow rest as she noticed the figure.
Her voice was hoarse, and her eyelids fluttered weakly as she struggled to lift them.
Her cheeks were sunken, skin like parchment.
Even her breath sounded thin, like it might stop at any moment.
The illness had been feeding on her life force, and it was nearly done.
Liam retracted his divine mind, casting a glance at the girl nearby. "Go. Bring me a bowl of water."
He ordered, not because he required it, but rather to let the girl stay away from this place momentarily.
"Y-yes!" She nearly tripped as she spun around and ran out of the room.
The moment she was gone, Liam looked back at the bed.
The woman stared at him, clearly too weak to sit up, let alone speak.
But Liam didn't need her words.
He raised two fingers.
A golden mist flowed out from his hand.
It drifted down like a warm blanket and settled over her body.
"W-what…?" she murmured, barely able to comprehend.
There was no time for explanation.
The golden spiritual energy rushed into her, pouring through her meridians, suffusing every corner of her damaged frame.
It wasn't just healing, it was a purge against those cancerous cells.
A flood was tearing through her corrupted cells, ripping out the sickness like a roaring river cleansing a dry, cracked streambed.
Her body convulsed, but not painfully.
The sensation was overwhelming, hot, intense, and fast.
Her pallor faded in seconds.
Hollow cheeks filled out, dull skin gained color, and the frail outline of her limbs began to reshape.
She blinked, confused.
Her vision cleared.
Her hands, once trembling and thin, gripped the edge of the blanket with strength that hadn't been there in months.
She didn't understand what just happened, but her instincts knew the truth.
This was salvation.
A muffled thud echoed in the room as she bowed before the man who had returned her life, her body shaking with disbelief and emotion.
Yet Liam simply waved a hand.
A light breeze of spiritual force brushed her back, gently easing her onto the bed again.
"Take it easy, mortal," he said, his tone calm, almost lazy. "No need for unnecessary words."
The woman's lips trembled. "S-senior, I…"
She still tried to speak, wanted to thank him, to say anything at all, but Liam didn't look back.
He had already done what he came to do.
"This is nothing more but a way for me to remember your husband, my friend."