As Lucas cast a casual glance at the guards, Felicity's expression was one of exhaustion. The guards, who had intercepted them, gave the pair a thorough once-over. Upon noting their plain attire, the guards proceeded to pepper them with questions.
"Who are you?"
"Lucas and Felicity."
"Don't know you. Why are you here?"
"To see the Lim family."
"Don't care. What's your purpose?"
"To see the Lim family."
"Who are you?"
"Lucas."
"I don't care. Now scram!"
Felicity's fists were clenched tightly behind Lucas as the guards spoke with an air of arrogance and disrespect. They seemed to be mocking them, treating them as if they were insignificant. Being a guard for the Lim family was a great honor and privilege, but their prideful and superior attitudes made Felicity's blood boil.
This kind of behavior was all too common in the cultivation world, where those with power and those who leeched off it were often arrogant and prideful. They saw no issue in making the disparity between themselves and those below them glaringly obvious.
Despite her own tendency towards arrogance, Felicity refused to stoop to the level of these guards. She knew that the outcome of this confrontation was unlikely to be favorable, but before she could interject, Lucas stepped in.
"I've got this, just calm down and don't think of using violence as the primary answer," he said, seemingly unaware of the nature of proud cultivators.
The guards shifted their attention to Felicity, who now had their full attention. They gazed at her up and down, their eyes lingering on her peerless beauty. They couldn't help but wonder how they had missed her before, and why they had focused on Lucas first.
But it didn't matter to them. They talked amongst themselves, and Felicity became the topic of conversation.
"Hey… Look. That woman, right there. Isn't she hot?"
"Yeah. Hahaha. I bet we have the same thoughts."
"Let's play her for a moment. Maybe they won't mind us paying them since they're just poor. I bet she would even feel honored to be paid by us."
"That's a nice idea! Let's try our luck then."
From afar, Felicity watched with growing irritation as the guards leered at her with lustful gazes. She was well aware of her own charm, but she had no patience for such disrespectful attention. Despite her own frustration, she was foolish enough to prioritize her old friends from her own realm.
Lucas noticed the distress on Felicity's face and approached her, muttering under his breath, "What a scum. Don't worry, Felicity. I'll handle this." Despite his calm words, Felicity shot him a fierce gaze that nearly made him stumble.
"I don't like being looked at like that," Felicity spoke through gritted teeth.
"I can see that," Lucas responded, "But let me take care of this for you. This is a job for men."
With the guards distracted by Felicity's beauty, Lucas took advantage of the opportunity and approached them, ready to put an end to their lecherous behavior.
"Well, well," Lucas said, his voice low and full of disappointment. "That's not a nice thing to do. I expected better from someone in your position, who is supposed to be a gentleman and simply doing their job by not allowing an unknown person inside. However, it seems I was wrong."
Lucas's words were accompanied by a powerful explosion of energy as he revealed his cultivation base. This was a common practice in this world, where cultivators would expose their power to show their strength. Lucas had seen Felip Cai do this and followed suit.
The guards quaked with nervousness as they felt the overwhelming pressure from Lucas. They were pushed to their knees, unable to withstand the force. In a panic, they took out a talisman and ripped it, sending an alarm to the masters of the mansion.
Inside the mansion, Arthur Lim felt a pressure rivaling his own cultivation base. He stopped what he was doing and rushed toward the source of the energy. But before he could make it, the alarm from the warning talisman lit up the sky.
"We're under attack!" Arthur cried out as he ran down the stairs. When he reached the gate, he was shocked to see the source of the attack.
"Young Master Lucas?" the man whispered in disbelief.
He examined Lucas' appearance, unsure if it was indeed him. But when he sensed the unfamiliar aura surrounding Lucas, he was convinced that it was the person who had cured his daughter's illness.
He hurried to the gate, where his guards informed him that Lucas was about to attack.
However, instead of receiving praise for defending the estate, the guards were slapped by their master.
"Master?" one of them stammered in confusion.
"You fools! Why did you provoke him?" Arthur bellowed in anger, as he saw that Lucas was furious.
"B-But, Master, he was attacking the mansion. Did you not see it?" another guard asked.
"You imbeciles! He was the one who saved my daughter! How can I repay his kindness if he's been mistreated by my own guards?" Arthur scolded.
"But we thought he was just a commoner. We never expected him to be the one who saved the young lady."
Arthur continued to slap the guards one after the other, their faces reddening with each impact. They were shocked and frightened as they realized they had seriously upset their master.
Lucas spotted Arthur approaching and quickly hid his cultivation. He walked towards the gate with a smile on his face, "Forgive me, Arthur. And, once again, my attire if it offends."
Arthur arrived with a worried expression on his face, his lips were quivering as if he couldn't form the words he wanted to say. However, Lucas was benevolent and took it as a joke, seeing the horrified expressions of the guards who had been arrogant and disrespectful towards a woman.
"Forgive my guards, Young Master Lucas," Arthur stammered, "I didn't know you were coming, I... "
Lucas cut him off, "It's no problem. I should have informed you of my visit. But thank you for greeting me at the gate."
Arthur was so flustered that his knees felt weak, "Thank you, Young Master. I will make it up to you for my guards' behavior. I can't afford to lose any more staff, so I'm grateful you didn't punish them." He spoke quickly, eyes closing as if in relief.
Lucas simply shrugged and patted Arthur on the shoulder.
"It's not my job to scold them. That's your responsibility," Lucas spoke in a gentle voice. "Arrogant people are annoying, but they'll always be a fact of life."
Arthur shifted nervously. "I-I'll make sure to discipline them later. May I ask what brings you here, young master?"
"I just wanted to stop by before continuing my journey east. And I was curious about Pearl's condition. How is she?" Lucas asked, his tone polite and inquisitive.
Felicity listened intently, her mind wandering. 'Pearl? Who is she?'
"My daughter is doing well, thanks to you, young master," Arthur said, bowing his head slightly in gratitude. "She's walking and living life to the fullest."
Lucas dismissed the compliment with a wave of his hand. "Don't give me too much credit. It's all because of your daughter's hard work and determination."
Arthur looked at Felicity, and his jaw dropped in surprise at the sight of her. "Please, make yourself at home in our house, with... your companion," he stammered, unsure of what to call her.