"Venomous curses? How could you be certain? Are you familiar with curses?
" Claudia asked, puzzled.
"I know a little." Dustin nodded.
"Only shady, wicked characters would learn the art of venomous curses. As
expected, you are not a good person! Speak up, who are you?" Claudia lif
ted the sword and pointed it at Dustin.
"Claudia! What are you
doing? He is our savior!" Sheila quickly stood in front of Dustin to protect him.
"Sheila, get out of the way. This man is being suspicious. I must investi
gate him thoroughly." Claudia's
eyes glittered.
"Before you investigate me, I recommend that you get your head checked."
Dustin rubbed his temples.
"Don't you know that curses can be used to heal? Of course, many nefariou
s villains use curses for their
own benefit. However, not everyone is as bad as you imagine. It
depends on the user's character. Besides, the martial arts families
aren't as innocent as you make them out to be. Crimes such as pillaging,
corruption, and rape are rampant within the martial arts circle as well!"
"Don't spout nonsense! In my opinion, you are just quibbling!" Claudia de
nied.
"Quibbling? Look at what you are doing now. Do martial artists like you t
reat their saviors in such a disrespectful manner? Are you going to bite
the hand that fed you?" Dustin chuckled.
"You…" Claudia was at a loss for words.
"Claudia, stop accusing him! If he is really a bad person, why would he s
ave us?" Sheila frowned.
"Who knows, maybe he has an ulterior motive!" Claudia insisted.
However, her tone was much softer now that she had calmed down. She knew
for a fact that logic wasn't on her side.
Suddenly, a loud car horn was heard outside the medical center. More than
10 Hummer vehicles stopped outside the doors of the medical center.
As the car doors opened, a swarm
of bodyguards appeared and surrounded the center immediately.
"Finally, the support team is here!" Sheila laughed with delight.
"Sheila! Claudia! Are you alright?" A handsome young man stepped into the
room.
He was tall and well–built, with a sharp gaze. His noble aura
was not that of an ordinary person.
"We are fine, thanks to this man who saved us," Shella replied cheerfully
.
"Oh, really? Sheila, you can only know a man's face but not his
heart. You should stay away from any. strangers when you are out and abou
t." Xavier Horst sized Dustin up, his gaze was Judgmental.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sheila frowned.
"Nothing, I'm just giving you some advice," Xavier said with a smile.
He motioned to his men to clean up the scene.
"Sheila, let's not
waste any time. We should head back home immediately. Aunt Lily is waitin
g for us,"
Claudia urged.
Although the support team had arrived, this place wasn't completely
safe.
"Thank you so much for your help, I'll be sure to repay your kindness. Go
odbye for now," Sheila thanked
Dustin warmly and turned to leave.
"Miss, your chronic illness has been suppressed for a long time, it might
get out of control soon. You
should get it treated early to prevent any life–
threatening complications." Dustin blurted out.
When he touched her skin, he noticed that her body temperature was
lower than normal. Upon closer
inspection, he could roughly infer that the illness troubling her wasn't
a common ailment.
"Hmph! Nonsense!" Claudia curled her lip in disbelief.
"Thank you, I will be more careful!" Sheila smiled
brightly and waved goodbye.
Xavier felt a little jealous when he noticed Sheila being so friendly to
Dustin.
After Sheila got into the car, he glared at Dustin. "A word of advice for
you, punk. Stay away from Sheila if
you know what's good for you! Otherwise, be prepared for the consequences
!"
With that, he strode out of the center. In his opinion, beggars like Dust
in did not even have the right to
converse with him.
"What a lunatic." Dustin shook his head and continued drowning himself in
alcohol.
Evening, at Fallridge Haven.
Sheila was eating her dinner while telling her parents everything that ha
d happened.
"Dad, Mom, I'm telling you, that
man was so amazing. Just two flicks of his wrist, and all the bad guys
were killed!" Sheila described the situation eagerly.
She even acted out a scene for her parents.
"Really? I never thought that a
small place like Swinton would have such a talented young man. I would
like to meet him one day." Her mother, Lily Doyle, smiled affectionately
at her daughter.
Her father, Caden Murray, banged on the table. "Hmph! How dare you disobe
y me! Haven't I warned you? Do not go out and explore without permission!
You were lucky that nothing terrible had happened.
If you weren't, you could have died today!"
"Dad, it's just an accident. Those bad people were too sneaky. They poiso
ned and attacked us when we weren't prepared, and that's why Claudia fell
into their trap. Otherwise, no one could have hurt me!" Sheila
pouted.
"In the martial arts world, winning is everything. No one cares about hon
or in combat! Anyway, you are not allowed to leave Fallridge Haven withou
t permission!" Caden continued in annoyance.
"Alright, alright. I won't go out anymore. Please don't be angry at me!"
Sheila pouted coquettishly.
"That's more like it. I had enough of you today, now go and lie down on y
our emerald bed. You need
more rest!" Caden ordered.
"Okay." Without another word, Sheila quickly left
and ran to her room.
'Because of her illness, she and her parents would travel to Fallridge Ha
ven every year to regain her
health. Once her condition improved, they would only leave.
"Lily, when will the Gozoraberry arrive from Stoneray
Valley?" Caden spoke up.
"I think it will arrive soon. Why do you ask? Is it urgent?" Lily replied
.
"Sheila's illness has been acting up more frequently. The sunburst emeral
d bed at Fallridge Haven seems
to be not having
as much of an effect these days. We have to think of other solutions," Ca
den said gravely.
"How could this be? Isn't she getting better?" Lily frowned.
"Don't worry too much about it. I have asked Malcolm Shane, the miracle d
octor, to have a look at
Sheila's condition. Once he arrives, he will definitely have some idea on
how to treat her illness." Caden
forced a smile.
"Let's hope so." Lily nodded thoughtfully.
Her daughter's rare disease had been troubling her all her life and seeme
d to be incurable. She hoped that this tíme, her daughter could be fully
healed.