Zoe's face was red, and she was trembling with rage. She was so upset that she struggled to speak clearly as she called for the patriarch of the family to come outside to meet them.
After a pause, Willard Rimmer walked out of the house. He was a skinny old man, but he had a potent energy about him, suggesting that he was rather powerful.
"The grand master has actually come out," Ray said with surprise. He pointed at Alex and added, "He smashed the Rimmer family plaque that hung by the door and destroyed the stone lion. Make him pay, Grandpa!"
The family members discussed amongst themselves what Willard should do to Alex. Ray was the most excited. He wished that his grandfather would kill Alex to make him pay for what he had done to Jerry.
Inside the house, Flora had been sitting in her bedroom when she heard the noisy discussion and footsteps outside, so she decided to go out and see what was going on.
She had dreamed of obtaining any news about Alex, and now she thought she had just heard someone say his name.
Walking down the hall, a little girl ran past her, and Flora stopped her to ask what was going on.
Without turning to look at Flora, the little girl replied, "Don't you know? Alex has come to our doorstep!"
"Which Alex?" Flora asked, taken aback by the mention of that name.
"It's the Alex!" the girl replied. "The guy everyone is always talking about."
The Rimmer family was extensive, and many people didn't know that Alex was Flora's son. The little girl obviously knew more than others, and she said, "You're his mother, aren't you?"
Flora's whole body trembled, and she let go of the little girl and hurried out of the door.
Her son, whom she had not seen for a long time, was outside the door, and she couldn't wait to see him.
Outside the main gate, Alex and Willard were standing with their hands behind their backs, sizing each other up.
"Alex." Willard nodded his head at Alex and smiled, with not a hint of anger showing.
"Willard." Alex returned the greeting.
"Bastard, how dare you call your grand master by his name!" Ray shouted at Alex.
But Willard disagreed. "Alex has fought many battles, killed many enemies, and raised the prestige of our entire country. He's free to call me by my first name."
A fierce look flashed across his face. He stared at Ray and said, "This man is the king of grand masters, so do not insult him!"
Ray was frightened and took two steps back, almost falling to the ground.
No one had ever seen Willard get angry, but everyone in the family knew that his word was law. If you didn't obey, there would be serious consequences, and nobody wanted to risk that.
After Willard had finished scolding Ray, he looked at Alex and said, "You've earned so much glory at such a young age. I'm very impressed. What surprised me even more is that you're also my grandson, which makes me very proud."
Alex thought for a moment. "Willard, with your wisdom and experience, I believe that you're not concerned with many worldly matters. You've been unwilling to send my mother back because you were waiting for my arrival, weren't you?"
Willard spread his hands and said, "I had no choice. If I had sent your mother to you, then the family would have been shamed. Besides, I had to wait for you to come. If I had just sent her to you, then I wouldn't have been able to meet you. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I couldn't give that up."
Alex chuckled and said, "You want to become a god?"
Willard laughed. "Don't you?"
"Becoming a so-called god is only the first step," Alex said. "As far as I'm concerned, gods are only one step up from mortals. I'm aiming much higher than that."
Willard sucked in a breath of cold air. He pointed his finger at Alex and said, "You have great courage. I'm not as brave as you."
Alex looked at Willard indifferently and asked, "Then do you still want to challenge me?"
Willard was silent for a few seconds. Then he said, "This opportunity is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I think I must."
Alex's expression remained the same. "Then let's fight."
Willard was stunned. "Now? Are you ready? I want you to be at your strongest."
"Against you, I don't need to be at my strongest," Alex boasted. "I can defeat you any time."
Willard laughed and looked around. "You are indeed arrogant, but this place isn't suitable for us to fight. Let's do it somewhere else."
"Sure," Alex said. "We can go anywhere you want, but before we leave, hand over my mother."
Since he was already there, he wanted to see Flora. If he didn't get to see her, then the Rimmer family wouldn't know what hit them.
He looked over toward the door to find a middle-aged woman running toward him, and his heart skipped a beat as every emotion ran through him at once.
Everything he remembered about his mother, from her voice to her smile, came flooding back to him.
Flora rushed out of the house and called out Alex's name. When she saw him, she was stunned. It had been a while since they had last met, but her son had grown up.
All kinds of emotions were surging through Alex when he heard her voice, and tears came to his eyes.
"Alex," she said again as she approached him with quick steps.
Ray stepped into her path. "Stay away from him!"
Alex stomped his foot, and Ray crumpled to the ground.
Zoe cried out in horror, hoping that she and Willard wouldn't be killed too.
Willard shook his head and said, "Ray deserved it. The relationship between mother and son is precious. Anyone who tries to stop him at this time deserves to die." He clearly didn't care about his own relationships. Zoe couldn't understand it, but Alex had surpassed the level of grand master. It wasn't clear yet if he had reached the stage of divinity, but he had certainly gone further than Willard.