Night.
On the bustling city streets, cars flowed like a river, and colorful lights adorned the surroundings.
However, on the rooftop of a skyscraper, there is only a slightly chilly night breeze and the misty moonlight.
Hearing the disdainful female voice coming from behind him, the man in the suit turned around. The melancholy on his face had already dissipated with the night breeze, replaced by a charming smile.
The man has messy black hair, and a well-proportioned face. Coupled with his intentionally fake friendly smile, it seems like he should have a label that says 'pretty boy' plastered on his forehead.
"Ken, that smile of yours makes me sick."
Looking at the fake smile on the man's face, the woman who had just walked out of the door did not conceal her disgust.
The woman has wild, wavy red hair, no makeup on her face, and was dressed in thin suspenders and extremely short hot pants, showing off a lot of skin to the open air.
More accurately—
It's muscle.
The man called Ken just shrugged at her words and smiled, "Sivir, sometimes you can't just say what you're thinking. That's basic social etiquette."
"That's called hypocrisy."
Sivir snorted with disdain.
Ken didn't argue, just raised his phone towards Sivir and smiled, "Genbu has hit the jackpot."
"Oh? Good news."
Sivir raised her eyebrows, striding over to Ken, and asked, "So, are we waiting for him this time?"
"Of course, the more, the merrier."
Ken smiled, putting away his phone and then taking out a pack of cigarettes. He turned the cigarette box upside down, flipping out a cigarette and held it between his fingers seriously, "More importantly, Genbu didn't 'borrow' much this time, so we shouldn't have to wait too long."
"Tch, I really can't understand why Genbu would create such a troublesome ability."
Sivir, with her hands on her hips, was accustomed to complaining about Genbu's power.
Ken lit his cigarette, glanced at her, and laughed, "Genbu's luck is not bad this time. He hit the jackpot after just a few tries. If he chooses to 'cash in the chips', the Aura he gets would easily repay the borrowed amount. At the same time, he can use the remaining Aura to punch you into pieces. That's the benefit of troublesome."
"Punch me into pieces? Who do you think you're underestimating?"
Sivir glared at Ken, her aura surging, exuding a heavy oppressive feeling. She looked like a beast ready to pounce at Ken.
Ken maintained his elegant smile, and suggested, "If you want to verify what I said, you can call Genbu now. Tell him not to 'cash in what he wants', but to 'cash in the chips'."
"…"
Sivir remained silent, just glaring fiercely at Ken.
Ken was unfazed, and calmly smoking his cigarette.
After a moment, Sivir retracted her aura, and coldly said, "Unlike some people, I won't let my personal needs get in the way of a mission."
"Right… very commendable."
Ken looked at Sivir with an easy-going smile.
Seeing his indifferent attitude made Sivir's veins bulge.
Creak—
Suddenly, the rooftop's iron door was pushed open.
A young couple walked out, leaning against each other. When they saw Ken and Sivir, they subconsciously stopped.
The young girl whispered, "There are people here, let's go somewhere else."
"Alright."
The young man seemed a bit unwilling, thinking that finding a free place to chill wasn't easy.
He held the girl's arm, about to turn back to the iron door.
Snap—
At the moment he turned around, a soft sound suddenly echoed in his ears. At the same time, a large amount of viscous substance splashed over his body.
"Huh?!"
The young man had a dazed expression as he stared at the severed arm still entwined in his arm, seemingly haven't realized what had happened.
Immediately after,
A fierce force struck him.
Snap!
The young man's body instantly exploded, turning into a spray of blood and flesh.
At the edge of the rooftop railing,
Ken used his palm to support his forehead, looking somewhat helpless as he glanced at Sivir, who had turned the young couple into minced meat.
He found the act rather unnecessary.
Seemingly sensing the critique in the gaze directed at her, Sivir, who is standing by the iron door, turned to look at Ken, her tone unfriendly, "What? Any objections?"
"Nothing. I just feel it's unnecessary, and might bring trouble."
Ken tilted his head slightly, exhaling a puff of smoke.
"Tch."
Sivir walked briskly towards the iron door, leaving behind a contemptuous remark.
"They're just two ordinary people you can find anywhere."
"…"
Ken watched as Sivir walked away, flicking his cigarette away.
"Although I don't agree with what you just did, that statement of yours… was probably the most sensible thing you've said tonight."
…
The next day, early morning.
Under the influence of the biological clock, Moses woke up at the usual time.
Last night, Moses spent two hours practicing punches and kicks against the shadow dummy. Whether there was progress in his martial arts, Moses didn't know, but he was truly in pain…
Refining pain tolerance was a gradual process. Moses felt he might've been a bit too eager.
Fortunately, as long as he closed his Aura nodes and entered the state of "Zetsu", the pain accumulated during training would quickly fade away.
At least Moses could endure it for now and was willing to persist.
Otherwise, it would be ridiculous if he ended up rolling on the ground, crying and screaming because of a punch in the future.
After Moses got up, he freshened up quickly, and then went straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
After throwing the blanched meat into the iron pot, adding rice and the right amount of water, and controlling the fire, Moses picked up a broom and sweep the surroundings.
Cheadle also woke up early. Seeing Moses sweeping the floor, she greeted him and offered to help.
Adhering to the principle that guests should be treated well, Moses didn't want Cheadle to help with the chores. However, he couldn't resist her insistence, so he let her.
With Cheadle's voluntary help, the time spent cleaning the temple actually became longer.
It was not because Cheadle didn't know how to clean, but because she pursued cleanliness too much…
By the time the two finished cleaning, the meat porridge in the kitchen was almost ready.
Moses added a pinch of salt for taste and served the meat porridge.
"Aren't you going to open the gate?"
After finishing the meat porridge prepared by Moses, Cheadle looked at the firmly shut temple's gate.
Moses, who collects the dishes, explained, "I'm not good at entertaining visitors, so before Hawk comes back, I usually choose to close the temple."
"But if someone comes, you will still open the gate, right?"
Cheadle's gaze shifted from the gate to Moses, asking with a meaningful tone.
She could guess the reason why Moses chose to close the temple. While it might be partly because he wasn't good at receiving guests, the deeper reason was likely his desire for uninterrupted training.
"Depends on the situation."
Moses answered casually, carrying the dishes and cutlery.
He had just taken a step when a knocking sound came from the main gate.
Cheadle, propping her cheek, seemed not surprise by this, as if she already knew someone would knock.
Moses, on the other hand, ignored the knocking sound, and walked straight towards the kitchen.