While the guards knew they couldn't run away from a peak sixth-grade cultivator, they hoped they could get outside. If there were witnesses, even the patriarch of the Sue Family couldn't murder others wantonly.
Dominic clicked his tongue in annoyance and instantly disappeared from his spot, appearing right in front of the two before they could even reach the door.
He struck forward with two palms, and the bodyguards were flung back to the middle of the room, crushing against the floor and rolling on the ground. The two coughed out blood as they tried to get up with no success.
"Patriarch Sue, please have mercy on us. We swear we won't talk."
They tried to beg for mercy, but Dominic didn't become the patriarch because he showed mercy to his enemies. He was only annoyed at the fact he couldn't milk information out of them first.
While it still seemed like he would be willing to let them live, he could take them in custody and question them later. But now that both he and Ken knew he was going to kill them, and that those two will try to run away, he had to kill them.
Just like Ken didn't want to sour their relationship by showing distrust toward Dominic, the patriarch didn't want to make things worse by prying into Ken's affairs.
He couldn't help but suspect that Ken set this stage on purpose, but he couldn't prove it. Ken was playing the age card nonstop and now wasn't any different. Even Dominic who knew how outstanding his grandson was had a hard time imagining a 7-year-old being so scheming.
"Ken, I won't do the dirty job for you when you don't need me. You can be the one to kill those two, I've heard you have advanced to the Core Formation Stage lately."
Ken held back a frown when he heard his grandfather. He felt like it was a test to see how he reacts to murder, especially performed by himself.
He drew his sword from his belt and stood next to one of the heavily injured bodyguards. Their ribs shattered from Dominic's strike earlier, and many of their organs were punctured by the bone shards.
They looked at Ken with despair as they struggled to breathe, swearing the day they took Norman's offer to spy on his nephew for money. They never expected this deal to be the end of them.
Unlike when he betrayed Annie and Nick, the bodyguards' young master didn't have any qualms about killing them; to begin with, they were his enemies, and he simply subdued them earlier instead of killing them since it was more comfortable for him.
Ken's sword paused in the air, only a meter away from the head of the first guard he chose to execute. His hand started to quiver in hesitation as he suddenly realized the meaning of killing a person.
His whole body shook, and a drop of sweat trickled down his face. He remained in this pose for 3 whole seconds, unable to bring his arm down.
"It's different from killing in a fight. They can't fight back."
Ken said with a somewhat shivering voice, his voice a bit squeaky, a hint of his panic.
"Maybe, but they're your enemies nonetheless. You must not hesitate when you want to ensure your safety, or it will be your downfall one day. Cut them."
Ken gritted his teeth and clutched his sword so hard that his fingers started hurting. He swung the sword down and with a long motion he beheaded the two men at once, trying to be done with the ordeal as soon as possible.
"I'm leaving."
He tried to sound calm, but a sixth-stage cultivator like Dominic could see through his façade easily.
"All right, go get some rest. I probably won't see you again before you depart, so I wanted to wish you a safe trip. Make sure to put your safety first; there are always opportunities somewhere else if it's too dangerous to fight for the current ones."
Dominic offered a few words of advice as he watched Ken's back while the latter walked out of the room. He wasn't sure what to make of what just transpired in front of him.
Was this child monstrous in both aspects of talent and personality, or only the former?
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'I think my acting skills have improved a long way by practicing them since I was a baby. I wonder if my grandfather bought this act or thinks that I'm too cruel and calculative for my age.'
Ken thought to himself while he walked carelessly toward his house. He planned to spend the whole week until the departure time in his apartment, processing that he had to kill two bodyguards who followed him for a long time.
Although everyone knew he killed Han Joel, it was quite different. First, Joel died so fast that it could be considered an accident from Ken's overestimating his opponent's power.
Second, he didn't know Joel, and it was the first time they met. In contrast, he knew the guards for nearly a year, and they spent a lot of time together.
The last thing to consider is that the two didn't fight back and killing them required more cruelty than killing a resisting opponent during a fight.
He didn't know what his grandfather was thinking, but he felt that he did the best he could to keep him at bay.
Ken didn't want Dominic to know his true disposition. If he did, he would never try to nurture him to stand at the top of the clan. If Ken stood at the helm, the clan would be doomed. Ken didn't care about their well-being as much as he cared about himself, and such a person can't be a good patriarch.
The week passed quickly, and Ken stayed at home the whole time. He mainly relaxed and renewed his pills stockpile.
"Young Master, it's time for you to go. The assemblage starts in less than an hour."
Soleil knocked on the door and reminded him the assemblage was about to start. Ken finished the batch of pills he was working on and dressed up to leave.
When he went to the assemblage point, he found a crowd of 1000 disciples standing in a large square, talking to each other and comparing cultivation results until the elder will go on the stage and started speaking.
He stood in a relatively empty area and waited by himself when a couple of female disciples approached him. He was told his bodyguards will approach him only on the airship, so he was surprised to see those two walking in his direction.
They were both wearing white robes, indicating they were core disciples of the sect, but their robes were plain white without any embroidery, disclosing their common background.
It was the first time Ken saw a core disciple, and now that he looked more carefully at the crowd, he found a few more core disciples wearing light blue or white robes. Most of them were from elite families, yet the two who approached him weren't.
"Hello, Little Brother Ken. You are Sue Ken, aren't you?"
The girl who spoke was the taller of the duo. Her head was adorned with curly light brown hair that reached just above her upper back, and her phoenix-shaped pair of eyes matched the color of her curls.
Her face was round and slightly chubby, carrying with it a hint of childish appearance, making her look younger than she was. Her structure was slim and seemingly delicate, but Ken didn't judge the power of a core disciple based on appearance.
"I am. Who is asking?"
He scrutinized her with his eyes as he made a mental note to himself that the only disadvantage of being a cultivator as a woman was the slow body development.
Since cultivators' growth process slowed down, they would look fully mature only around the age of 30, and only then seem like 21-year-olds from Ken's previous world.
"Uh… I'm Kar Diana, you can call me Big Sister Diana."
She felt like the child's gaze was somewhat rude and felt awkward about it for a moment, but soon gathered herself together and introduced herself properly.
"Hehe, you managed to make the Fiery Fairy stutter, way to go, Ken!"
The other girl stepped forward, laughing unrestrainedly. She was considerably shorter than her friend, only reaching Diana's nose with the top of her head.
"I'm Kin Jane. You can call me Big Sister Jane as well. Nice to meet you."
Jane had short asymmetrical hair. It was thick and shiny looking with a unique platinum color. Her green eyes complemented her tanned skin well, and she seemed like the coarse type of girl.
Ken could easily see that Diana disliked this nickname according to her countenance, but he was too curious not to ask.
"Fiery Fairy?"
Jane smiled widely when she realized Ken didn't know about this nickname, giving her a chance at teasing her friend.
"Yes, this is Diana's nickname. We core disciples are quite famous in the sect, so many of us have nicknames like that. Diana got hers from her stubborn nature and explosive temper."
Diana who was standing behind her lifted her hand and slapped her friend's neck on the back. To Ken's surprise, the short girl easily bent her head and upper body forward, dodging the slap on time.
'I wouldn't be able to do that.'
Ken thought to himself in wonder as he replayed the scene of Jane dodging Diana's palm in his mind.
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