The unaffected Dan and Charlotte realized the gravity of the situation and the former immediately nudged the old man whom upon receiving his request, retracted the domineering might.
Ivan who kneeled on the ground looked pale and ashen, not daring to meet his gaze with the old man, he signaled to his troops and they sped towards the opposite direction. But as soon as he turned around, his expression turned venomous as he cracked a jadeslip, sending a stream of information that didn't escape the old man's perception.
Wryly smiling, the old man stared at the beam of transparent light that disappeared into the distant horizon. The people that stayed to watch a good show immediately retreated out of sight.
Afraid that the Divine Cultivator may punish them for their impudence. Soon, the people left standing on the road were Charlotte and her troops, Dan stared at Charlotte and the latter stared back with a complicated expression on her face.
The atmosphere turned incomparably silent with both sides, staring at each other in a standstill. Soon, the silence was broken by a deafening boom that echoed in the air as a figure fell from the skies.
Dust flew around as the old man beside Dan waved his hand, forming a thin barrier that prevented any dust from sticking on Dan's clothes and himself.
When everything was cleared up, Dan found a blonde-haired middle-aged man whose expression looked rugged and dignified, his figure clad in a fiery robe with an insignia of two Vambraces crossed against each other could be seen imprinted on his left chest.
His eyes softened when it landed at Charlotte and when he turned around to face Dan and the old man, he clasped his hands respectfully towards the latter and said, "Junior Mathias Paradyne, greets Elder Takemikazuchi,"
The old man chuckled, "It's been a long time since a member of a younger generation recognized this old man's name. Since you know who I am, I hope that you won't cause any trouble for my young master..." He revealed a wide smile and Mathias' eyes landed on a young man with a jet-black hair beside the old man.
Despite the fact that the young man was standing before a powerful powerhouse such as him, the former looked as casual as ever and his eyes emanated a calm ripple comparable to that of a tranquil lake.
His fair skin and slim figure looked more feminine than masculine, but Mathias knew that from the respectful tone of Elder Takemikazuchi alone, he knew that the young man couldn't be underestimated.
"I give my sincere apologies towards my daughter and the heir apparent of the Luzon Clan's impudence before you and your Elder's presence, I do hope that you won't bear a grudge towards us."
Mathias maintained a respectful tone and his daughter that stood beside him glanced at him with an astonished gaze. Her father, Mathias Paradyne was known for being a ruthless, yet compassionate man, even though he couldn't be considered as the most powerful cultivator in the Empire, only the Emperor alone could make him speak these words sincerely from his heart.
However, when he faced the old man beside the unassuming youngster. Her father acted in a manner like a junior would act towards a Senior, completely humble and his arrogance retracted.
'Just what is his background?' A small smile crept on Charlotte's lips, she became interested towards the young man who could command such a powerful Elder, and she also admired his audacity and unyielding heart when Ivan accused him earlier.
"Don't worry about it, Lil' Zaramias, " Takemikazuchi waved his hand in a casual manner, and Dan who heard his words choked in his own saliva, 'He actually dared to call the Clan Chief of the strongest clan in this Empire as a Little one...' He inwardly thought.
On the outside, he maintained his indifferent expression before clasping his hands together in respect and saying, "Since Senior Mathias is already here, I do think that this young miss here is in good hands, so the two of us shall retreat now..."
Dan deeply bowed and Mathias nodded his head in satisfaction. At first, he thought that Dan who clearly had a huge background behind him would act arrogantly and demand some shameless compensation, but he was astonished to find that not only he humbled himself down before an expert like him, he was also willing to forget about the disrespectful attitude that his daughter did.
Towards such a smart and humble young man, Mathias could only nod his head in appreciation before turning to leave with his daughter. With his command, the disarrayed entourage of Charlotte formed together as they sped towards the direction of the Paradyne Academy.
The old man and Dan returned to the blacksmith shop and upon entering, the old man boisterously chuckled, patting Dan on his shoulders, he said, "I like your attitude, we're quite similar when I was still young, completely unyielding, hot-headed and shameless..."
Dan rolled his eyes, "Who are you calling, shameless? If I didn't do that, that so-called Ivan will most likely continue his chatter like a broken engine..."
"Well, you're right about that..." Takemikazuchi chuckled before changing the topic, "Now that I think about it, aren't you going to go to the Paradyne Academy? It's about time for their Entrance Assessment,"
Dan's expression flickered, staring at the angle of the sun, he deduced that it was close to high noon and he hurriedly said, "Goddamned it, I will be late at this pace!" He exclaimed and swiftly exited the blacksmith shop, leaving the old man behind.
When Dan's figure disappeared from the shop, the old man cracked his neck and his knuckles, holding a small hammer in his hands, he wore an ash-colored dilapidated robe and walked outside, heading towards the direction of the Paradyne Academy as he mumbled, "Since young master is aiming for the student position, How about I become a part-time teacher at that Academy...It's been a long time since I taught people how to forge..."
Back at his manor near the border between the Noble Realm and the Middle-Class Realm, Natalie could be seen sitting on the couch with her daughter asleep on her thigh, when a creaking noise came from the entrance, she coldly turned around and said, "Didn't we have the Examination Assessment, today? How come you are so late?"
Dan awkwardly scratched his head, "Well, an important matter happened and I was delayed, It's fine, there's still thirty minutes before noon and we can still catch up."
Natalie shrugged, "What are we going to do with Juliet..." She turned at him and stared right into his eyes. Dan who saw her expression replied with a frown, "Of course, we're bringing her, how could we leave her here and alone?"
When she heard his words, a sweet smile lifted on her lips and the couple hurriedly took a bath together and dressed up. But when they came out of the bathroom, Natalie rolled her eyes when she realized that Dan's lower body had a tent protruding from his robes.
Since they couldn't possibly leave the house with him having his rock-hard lance standing within his robes, Natalie sighed, laying down on the couch, she dragged Dan and said, "Please be satisfied in five minutes..." She mumbled.
An hour later, at the height of the noon, Natalie stared at Dan with a speechless expression spread on her face, she clearly said that they would only do it for five minutes but the lecherous bastard took an hour to finish.
Now, with her aching body, how could she still take the Assessment? Taking a fabric, she wiped her drenched thigh and Dan stared apologetically at Natalie, "I'm sorry, everything is my fault..."
The honest admittance of his fault softened Natalie's expression and she went and embraced him, bringing his head onto her chest, "It's fine, I'm your wife, after all..."
She consoled but in the next instance, she pouted, "But how are we supposed to catch up, now? We're at least, thirty minutes late, already..."
Dan smirked, he didn't just indulge in his lust without a backup plan. Staring at his wife, the two snuggled at each other with him on top as he said, "Don't worry, your husband is quite reliable, and every time I do something, I have my own backup plan..."
"Hoooh," Natalie coldly chuckled and suddenly, her expression became stern, "You won't do something without having a backup plan? Then, what are you going to do if I didn't satisfy you, earlier?"
Dan's lips twitched, scratching his cheek, he inwardly cursed the fact that he carried a stone and slammed it on his own foot.
"I'll just do it by myself..." Her answer astonished, Natalie as she said, "You can do it by yourself? Is it even possible?"
When he heard her words, Dan's expression twisted into a lecherous and vicious wolf, taking off her robe, he replied in an ambiguous tone, "It seems like this little wife of mine here is quite ignorant when it comes to 'that', how about we do a little, 'experiment'?"
He thoroughly scanned her body with his eyes and even licked his lips in delight as Natalie softly slapped his cheeks in defiance. But the glazed light within her eyes and her soft, ragged breathing indicated otherwise.
She struggled under the wolf's ruthless teasing, but how could a mere rabbit like her, escape the wolf's grasp? Soon, her figure shivered as the wolf, thoroughly ate her from the inside.