Legacy of a Benevolent Lord
Chapter 54: A Five Hundred year old Resource to Breakthrough.

Chapter 54: A Five Hundred year old Resource to Breakthrough.

But as her thoughts drifted further, another image began to take shape.

Selene Virelyn.

Elegant. Ethereal. Cold-eyed, but undeniably graceful.

Nysalea’s chest tightened.

She knew who held Riven’s heart.

She didn’t need it spelled out.

The way he looked at Selene, the way Selene leaned into him without hesitation, those details told the story clearly enough.

And yet... Selene had never flaunted it. Their interactions were too natural.

Nysalea had never suspected that this soft-spoken, razor-sharp girl was from the very place she sought to destroy.

Peony Manor.

Had she known, would anything have changed?

It was too late now.

The two had grown close.

A strange bond had formed between them... born of laughter, banter, late-night talks, and mutual respect.

Selene had even joked once, with that rare mischievous smile, "Perhaps we were sisters in a past life."

From then on, they had called each other by that name.

Sister Selene. Sister Nysalea.

Both seventeen.

Three months apart.

What began as a curious encounter had become genuine closeness.

And somehow, that would make everything more complicated.

Or would it? Would a mother’s revenge matter much to a teenage girl?

Suddenly, a sharp, metallic cry pierced her calm bubble.

KREEEEEE!

Nysalea’s head snapped up.

That sound. That cry. It was Solwing.

She bolted upright and moved swiftly to the window, pushing the wooden screen aside.

Far above, gliding through the moonlight like a celestial arrow, was the golden-crowned immortal crane.

And upon its back were two figures.

Riven and Selene.

Selene’s robes billowed behind her like clouds caught in a breeze, her long black hair lifting as Solwing banked through the air.

Riven sat behind her, one arm gently circling her waist for support.

They appeared weightless, effortless, and unattainable.

Like a pair of immortals come down from the heavens.

Nysalea’s breath caught in her throat.

She shouldn’t be watching.

And yet, she did.

Her gaze stayed on them far too long.

Then she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.

’Hmm? What’s that on its claws? A snake?’

She thought, looking at Solwing’s claws. She then saw Solwing let go of it, letting it fall freely.

It fell from a height of approximately 50 meters. Blotting out the sky, the ’thing’ enlarged in her eyes as it fell.

THUMP!

The courtyard below shook.

A long, sinuous form smashed into the paving stones with enough force to crack the ground.

Nysalea leaned further out.

A massive serpent, easily thirteen meters long, writhed at the center of the courtyard.

Its scales were an iridescent gold, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.

A fleshy horn protruded from its forehead like a dull blade.

The door to the main building burst open.

Liam Crestfall, Zhen Hollow, and Suyin Bloomveil - the three guards emerged from different wings, rushing into the courtyard with weapons half-drawn.

Liam Crestfall’s eyes widened. "That’s the Pusiqu Serpent!"

He walked forward towards the serpent, his tone suddenly scholarly. "It’s mentioned in ancient Buddhist scriptures. Its gallbladder invigorates the spirit, enhances circulation, and increases one’s poison immunity."

"In the entire Stoneveil range, sightings are near extinct. Even the smallest of these creatures can fetch a fortune."

Zhen Hollow muttered, "This one must be at least a hundred years old. If it hadn’t come out of hiding, we’d never have stood a chance of seeing it."

Suyin Bloomveil nodded gravely. "At this size, it’s already considered a spirit beast. It’s meat, venom, skin, every part is a treasure."

A second gust swept the courtyard.

Solwing descended, wings curved like drawn blades.

Before he landed, Riven leapt gracefully from his back and touched down at the steps of the pavilion, still holding Selene by the waist.

He set her down gently.

So.. so effortless.

His smile, as always, was soft and disarmingly so.

Selene adjusted her robe and brushed back her wind-tossed hair. She then turned and helped Riven adjust his robes.

Suyin Bloomveil, though in her forties, felt her heartbeat quicken. Even she wasn’t immune.

Liam Crestfall and Zhen Hollow exchanged quiet glances.

Selene Virelyn in the moonlight, hair flowing, expression poised, it was hard to look away. Even harder to imagine anyone matching her.

Yet Riven stood beside her... matching perfectly.

"Handle it," Riven said calmly to the three, gesturing to the snake. "We’ll feast on serpent tonight."

The guards first snapped out of their stupor.

Then their brain started processing the words...

Did he say ’we’?

’We’ will feast on the serpent tonight?

Ah... he probably meant the ladies... of course.

Such were their thoughts. After all, which sane man would share such a resource with mere guards?

"Yes, Your Highness!"

[Ding! You gifted your people with a hundred-year-old Pusiqu Spirit serpent.]

[You have triggered a x100 fold critical return]

[You obtain a complete carcass of a five-hundred-year-old Pusiqu Spirit serpent]

’Mmm... not bad. This can be a good tonic for us to break through,’ Riven thought.

Two of the stewards, trained chefs among the Ashvale retainers, immediately got to work.

With help from Liam Crestfall and the others, the Pusiqu Serpent was swiftly skinned, its gallbladder carefully removed, and the flesh cleaned and prepared.

A fire was kindled in the center of the courtyard. Skewers were lined up. Spices applied.

The smell of roasting meat soon filled the air.

Solwing stayed close by, graciously accepting the roasted serpent meat, charred and golden, from his assigned handler.

It ate with delicate movements, beak tilting with grace, then sipped directly from a small gourd of wine as if savoring a vintage.

He gave a satisfied croon.

Upstairs, in their shared room, Riven and Selene returned for a short while.

Azira had drawn a hot bath. They entered together in silence, washed the dust of their journey from their selves, and emerged refreshed.

They dressed in clean robes.

Their hair, still damp, clung to their shoulders as they stepped out into the hallway.

Across from them, Nysalea’s door opened.

She stepped out timidly, her veil once again in place, eyes shining.

"Your Highness! Sister! Did you guys get lucky today?"

Selene turned, her smile soft but genuine.

"Sister Nysy," she said gently, "are your injuries fully healed?"

"Mm."

Nysalea Nightsilver nodded gently, her gaze flickering toward Riven Ashvale.

As her eyes met his for the briefest moment, a flush of pink bloomed beneath her black gauze veil.

"Thanks to your pills," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I truly don’t know how to repay you."

"To repay..."

Selene Virelyn stepped forward with a teasing sparkle in her eyes. She leaned close to Nysalea’s ear and murmured, "Why not offer yourself to him, Sister?"

It would be hard to imagine a girl doing this. But she knew exactly what she was doing.

How could she not notice the softness that had crept into Nysalea’s tone when she spoke to Riven? Or the subtle way her eyes lingered?

The girl had clearly developed feelings. And truthfully, who wouldn’t?

A hero saving a maiden...

In any world, it was a tale as old as time..

Add to that Riven’s striking features, aloof noble nature, and terrifying strength, and it would be stranger if no one fell for him.

Selene took it in stride. Her beloved was simply too outstanding.

There would always be others drawn to him. It only proved she had good taste.

The breath Selene exhaled was cool, but to Nysalea, it felt like lightning brushing her earlobe. Her cheeks turned crimson, and even her neck flushed red.

"Ah?"

Startled, Nysalea glanced at Riven, then quickly lowered her gaze. "Sister... what did you just say? I didn’t hear clearly..."

Her usual cold sharpness had completely disappeared. In this moment, she was shy and delicate, just a young girl swept up in emotions she wasn’t ready to name.

Riven raised a single brow and looked toward Selene.

She gave him a sideways glance and a small, satisfied smirk. That was all he needed to understand her intention.

The ambush from General Dreadmark had made Selene realize just how precarious their position was in the political landscape surrounding the Sundawn Duke’s household.

They couldn’t afford to stand alone. Allies had to be drawn in.

And she believed Nysalea was worth drawing in.

The girl was brave, straightforward, and loyal to a fault.

The kind of person who would die for someone she trusted.

Selene had spent three days testing her quietly and was now ready to take the next step.

Yet even she didn’t know that the reason she could trust her so easily was due to something else.

Riven chuckled, then flicked Selene’s nose playfully.

Downstairs, in the open space, the chefs had just finished preparing an entire table of serpent delicacies from the Pusiqu creature Solwing had captured.

There was roasted serpent meat, thick marrow-rich broths, herb-infused cuts, even a medicinal stew boiled with mountain ginseng and cloud fungus.

Though the gallbladder had already been eaten by the golden-crowned immortal crane, the serpent’s flesh retained immense value.

It nourished the marrow, fortified the bones, and subtly reinforced one’s inner energy.

For cultivators, it was a rare tonic.

The guards on the side ate the serpent meat with listless looks on their faces.

Seems his highness meant ’we’. All of us, ’we’.

Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m