Danger to Kate

Over at the Heaven clan, things weren't as peaceful as Shui had unconsciously assumed. Everything was fine on the first day he was in the ancestrals lands. Kate and Lilia were a little gloomy since he wasn't there, but they got through the day without any troubles. The next day, Kate woke up early so she could stretch her training time and quickly make it to the eighth level in the Mortal Realm. After breakfast she rushed to the door with a determined expression.

'Shui, I swear I'll make you call me big sis again.'

However, after she took two steps out the door, a chill went through her entire body in an instant and she hastily jumped back. Even though she was the one who experienced it, she couldn't understand what just happened to her. The sudden feeling was similar to what she suffered when she was almost assassinated. It was killing intent; that strange conviction overwhelmed her body and caused her to retreat in such a dramatic fashion. If it wasn't for the object that was now stuck in front of her, she would have thought she was being overly sensitive. But she realised that she should actually be grateful for this sensitivity.

Lilia and Bartos had also noticed the odd actions of their daughter. Lilia got up and went to Kate as she planted her butt on the floor with her legs in the shape of an inverted 'w'.

"Kate, what's wron-!"

When she saw an arrow, with the tip drenched in a purple liquid, pierced into the ground right at their entrance, Lilia also felt her body turn cold and stumbled diagonally backwards until her back reached the wall.

With both girls in such a state, Bartos walked to them with a sterner than usual expression as he checked the surroundings with his spiritual sense.

"What's wrong?"

As he came closer to them, his senses picked up the presence of an object at their entrance but it was only when it was in sight that his heart almost stopped. He felt like his lifespan went down by a few decades, but he couldn't be the next one to collapse. He quickly picked up both girls and rested them by the table. He then went closer and looked at the arrow carefully before putting on his working gloves and picking it up.

In case the poison on the tip could enter through smell, he kept it away from his face while it was in his hand. He wasn't an expert on poisons, but he was sure the one on the arrow tip was a deadly poison well known for dissolving in blood and being highly lethal even for Soul Realm cultivators.

If anyone looked at his eyes at this moment, they would have been scared by how angry Bartos had become, and as his wife Lilia could also sense his rising anger even with his back to her. Kate wasn't as perceptive as this, but she had also noticed her father becoming scarier.

"Bartos, don't be rash."

Veins were popping out all over his body, but his reason was able to stay because of Lilia. He knew the rational thing to do, but his emotions were devouring his reason like a starving wolf. The arrow in his hand snapped and his fingernails would have dug into his palms if it wasn't for the gloves he was wearing.

'To dare attack my daughter, I'll kill him! I'll kill that bastard and every single person associated with him! No, I can't let him die so easily. I'll use his bones as materials to make torture devices and them make him watch as I make his companions suffer.'

Luckily, before his anger completely blew up, Broc was rushing towards him in full armour.

"Master! Are you okay?! Is Kate okay?! Is Miss Lilia okay?!"

Broc's unusually flustered state was like a splash of cool water on Bartos' rising heat. His muscles relaxed and he answered with his usual voice.

"No, it missed Kate."

"So she was targetted! Is that it?" Broc pointed at the broken arrow in Bartos' hand.

"Yeah, more importantly it sounds like you expected something to happen."

"Oh, the whole clan's making a fuss about it. Just this morning three talented kids have been assassinated so the elders are advising all children without a guardian in late Soul Realm to quickly and carefully make it to Sky-wind Pavilion."

"What!? Something like that's happening then why isn't the Patri-, oh, right."

'He's not here. The fact that this happened the day after Nalos and Corin left means that the assassin did their research. I hope Shui isn't in danger too.'

Just like Bartos, Lilia also wondered if Shui would be in danger as well.

Meanwhile, the assassin that had tried to shoot Kate was holding his head in frustration. He didn't understand how the brat had responded to his shot but now that they were wary he wouldn't be able try again. Kate was a low priority target due to her age, but since she was the most talented child of those that remained in the clan, it would have surely have won him some advantages if he took care of her.

'Damn it! I was so close!'

He sighed and silently went to where the two other assassins were, to plan out their next attack. Before the remaining few targets reached Sky-wind Pavilion they had to get rid of them.

On that day, Nalos had a bad feeling. While the children were in the ancestral lands, the guardians that came with them would normally wait outside until they came out. Nothing happened as they waited, but Nalos had a heavy feeling on his chest on the second day. Earth Realm practitioners had no need to sleep for at least a month so this wasn't fatigue. Someone weaker might have thought he was just imagining it, but the instinct of cultivators wasn't something to be laughed off.

Nalos looked over at Kalos. Another thing that put him on his guard was the fact that this man didn't come to irritate him. This was the same man who bought out his servants simply on a whim, so he found it odd that he was merely peacefully sitting there. The two of them had fought constantly since they were children, and though he had never lost against him, he knew that Kalos always had the advantage. Even if it was out of simple boredom, the nuisance would have surely annoyed him in some way.

"Corin, go back to the clan."

"Patriarch?"

"Just do it."

"Yes."

Corin didn't understand why Nalos made him check on the clan, but he followed his order. There was no role for him to play here so no trouble would result from him leaving. When Kalos saw Corin leaving on his rainbow dove, he secretly smirked. Nalos being so sharp was unexpected but the ones he had sent should have already completed majority of the mission by this time. Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow at his departure but she didn't think much of it. She didn't think any trouble would reach her clan. The confidence she had in her clan's security was not mistaken, but as cunning as she was, there were variables that she didn't predict.