Chapter 90: The Little Cabbage and the Hungry Wolf

After discussing several mercenary assignments and related matters, Magnus finally leaned back in his chair and looked at the two young people standing before him.

"All right, that’s enough for today. You two should return to your respective houses and take care of your own business. Lucian, don’t forget to familiarize yourself with your newly acquired strength. Evelyn, you should continue your cultivation as well."

Lucian nodded and rose from his chair.

The moment he straightened his back, a series of ominous creaks echoed through the room.

Crack!

The wooden chair beneath him gave a final, miserable groan before its legs buckled under the force he had unknowingly exerted.

The chair collapsed.

Lucian looked down at the broken pieces scattered around his feet.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Then Evelyn burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Lucian, did you just destroy a chair by standing up?"

She covered her mouth, but that did little to hide her amusement. Her shoulders trembled as she looked at the unfortunate remains of the furniture.

Lucian glanced at her helplessly.

"I didn’t do it on purpose."

"Of course you didn’t!" Evelyn replied between laughs. "The chair must have offended you!"

Magnus rubbed his forehead.

"Instead of laughing at him, perhaps you should both learn to control your strength before destroying my entire house."

His gaze shifted toward Lucian, and his expression grew serious.

"Then again, this is exactly why you need to familiarize yourself with your own power. Lucian, you don’t need to worry either, Evelyn."

He turned toward his daughter.

"Lucian’s talent, breaking through to Martial Master in half a month, is an exceptionally rare achievement, even among the candidates from previous college entrance examinations."

Magnus paused before continuing.

"Evelyn, your Azure Bird Martial Soul is extraordinary in its own right. An S-Grade talent is far stronger than you imagine. But rapid cultivation isn’t the strongest aspect of your talent."

He had deliberately emphasized those words.

Magnus knew his daughter well. Although Evelyn rarely displayed jealousy, comparing her progress with Lucian’s could still leave her feeling frustrated.

He had no intention of allowing her to underestimate herself simply because someone beside her had advanced at an astonishing pace.

In truth, the Azure Bird Martial Soul possessed more than just its ice-attribute abilities.

It concealed another extraordinary talent.

Auspicious.

A talent that made its bearer something akin to a walking lucky star.

Magnus hadn’t entirely believed in its significance before. However, after witnessing Lucian’s arrival and the changes that had followed, his doubts had gradually disappeared.

The boy had brought unexpected opportunities and remarkable developments into their household.

If that wasn’t evidence of the Azure Bird’s auspicious nature, what was?

"Don’t worry, Dad. I understand."

Evelyn smiled and nodded.

"I’ll work harder at my cultivation."

Yet, rather than looking disappointed, her gaze drifted toward Lucian, and a bright smile appeared on her face.

She was genuinely happy for him.

In fact, Lucian’s breakthrough seemed to bring her more joy than her own achievements ever could.

Magnus watched his daughter for a moment.

Then he sighed inwardly.

Perhaps he had been worrying unnecessarily.

Unfortunately, the scene before him quickly reminded him why he had been concerned in the first place.

Evelyn was looking at Lucian as though he had personally hung the stars in the sky.

Magnus’s expression darkened.

He had long since noticed his daughter’s feelings. Nevertheless, seeing them displayed so openly still made him uncomfortable.

A strange urge to grab the young man by the collar and throw him out of the house suddenly surfaced in his mind.

His eyes settled on Lucian.

Lucian, who had been examining the broken chair, felt a chill run down his spine.

He slowly turned his head.

"Uncle, is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Magnus replied calmly.

He folded his arms and looked at Lucian with a perfectly straight face.

"It’s just that my little cabbage is about to be stolen by a pig, and I’m considering whether I should roast that pig before it gets any ideas."

Lucian froze.

For once, he couldn’t immediately find a suitable response.

Little cabbage? Pig?

He understood the implication perfectly well.

Unfortunately, understanding it didn’t make the situation any easier.

Before Magnus could continue his intimidation, Evelyn’s face turned crimson.

"Dad!"

She hurriedly stepped between the two men, glaring at her father.

"What are you talking about? What pig? What cabbage? You should go outside if you have nothing better to do!"

Magnus raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Now you’re asking your father to leave his own house?"

"I’m going to cultivate!" Evelyn declared, refusing to meet either man’s eyes. "And you should stop saying embarrassing things!"

Magnus stared at her for a moment before letting out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Ah, children grow up so quickly. Raising a daughter is difficult enough, but keeping her around once she grows up is practically impossible."

He shook his head sorrowfully and began walking toward the door.

As he passed Lucian, he gave the young man one final look.

It was a look that said everything without requiring a single additional word.

Lucian instinctively straightened his back.

Magnus left the cultivation room, still sighing as though he had just suffered the greatest tragedy of his life.

The door closed behind him.

Silence returned.

For a few seconds, neither Lucian nor Evelyn spoke.

Then Evelyn slowly turned toward him.

"My dad just likes to joke around," she said, her voice noticeably softer. "You don’t need to take what he said seriously."

She hesitated before adding, "And congratulations on breaking through to Martial Master. I’ll catch up to you soon."

Lucian looked at her.

Then, a mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Actually, I think Uncle Magnus has excellent judgment."

Evelyn blinked.

"What?"

"His ability to recognize a treasure is truly remarkable." Lucian stepped closer, his smile growing wider. "After all, I’m just a pig trying to steal a little cabbage. Hehehe!"

For a moment, Evelyn simply stared at him.

Then she realized what he meant.

"Lucian!"