Chapter 223 Duncan's Conjecture



When Leia introduced qi into her body, Duncan was meditating nearby.

The stirring of surrounding qi caused him to open his eyes and look at Leia. Leia was deep in meditation while the qi in the surrounding area rushed into her body. At that moment, a strange pattern appeared on Leia's forehead.

Duncan was taken by surprise and wanted to take a closer look. But, the pattern which appeared strangely, disappeared in a flash as well. This made Duncan a little intrigued.

Even though the pattern only appeared for an instant, Duncan was at the right place and time to capture its appearance. It flashed past and became invisible within moments. He had never seen such a strange pattern. It almost looked as if it blended into Leia's body.

As Duncan was immersed in contemplation regarding the strange pattern, Leia opened her eyes and practically jumped up in joy. Seeing Duncan watching her, she blushed profusely and informed him that she had introduced qi into her body.

Duncan merely smiled at her and nodded. His mind was occupied with the strange pattern that flashed by. Duncan realized that Leia's bloodline was not some ordinary bloodline. If even introducing qi was enough to trigger the appearance of the pattern, it was most likely that she would become incredibly strong in the future with the help of her bloodline.

While Duncan was happy for Leia, he was also a little bit concerned. Without proper strength, any tree that stands tall in a forest will bear the anger of the wind. Leia was only beginning her cultivation journey now. It would take time for her to become strong.

In the near future, she would be essentially defenseless if someone had malicious intentions towards her. Thinking back on how she ended up as a slave and that final bidder who wanted to win her slave deed at outrageous cost, Duncan became a little apprehensive.

Moreover, he still remembered the feeling of being watched while he brought Leia back to his courtyard. It was most likely that they didn't make a move because of the strict security implemented by the Dark Star City due to the upcoming auction.

Duncan didn't think that he was much of a deterrence. He was only at the Spirit Sea realm. While his actual combat power was higher, not many people knew of it. Even his master didn't know about his bloodline being awakened.

Without that knowledge, a Spirit Sea realm cultivator wasn't much of a threat. So, the other party either must have other goals or they must be waiting for the security measures in the city to relax before making a move.

Considering that Leia was sold at an auction house, Duncan didn't think it was the second reason. If they had scruples making a move in the Dark Star City, they could have attacked the convoy that transported Leia and could have kidnapped her earlier.

That meant, the most likely reason for them holding their breath was for some other unknown reason. The other party most likely didn't expect his interference. They didn't want to raise a fuss trying to kidnap Leia. So, they had acted low-key and had wanted to buy her during the auction.

His sudden appearance might have derailed their plans. Considering that they lost to him in a bidding war, Duncan didn't think the other party had a very influential background either. Duncan knew his weight very well. He wasn't a wealthy cultivator. Most of his wealth came from robbing others.

It can't be said the same for a clan. If the other party had some influential background, they could have outbid Duncan easily. But, that wasn't a guarantee either.

Leia's selling price was already outrageous. He had jacked up the price to a whole new level to deter competition. Even then, they had tried to make a play. But, they could have also backed down not wanting to cause a scene.

Regardless of whether they had status or not, one thing was clear to Duncan. They didn't want others to notice their actions. That gave some breathing room for Leia. Even then, Duncan was a little apprehensive about leaving such a hidden danger to Leia.

If he was powerful enough, he could have hunted down these people and made sure they wouldn't become a hidden danger to Leia. But, he wasn't that powerful yet. Still, something about leaving these vipers stalking Leia didn't sit well with him. He very much wanted to take his sword and cut through them like he did with the Wang Clan.

Even though he and Leia weren't in a serious relationship, she was the only woman whom he had some relationship to speak of at present. Moreover, in these few days, they have gotten a lot closer as well. Duncan felt a little protective towards her in his heart.

Unknown to him, Duncan's face turned cold as he began to think about this matter. Leia who had wanted to show off to Duncan and share her joy, saw his face becoming colder by second and became a little hesitant to approach him.

"Duncan..." Leia called hesitantly.

Hearing Leia calling him, Duncan came out of his morose thoughts and looked up at her. Seeing her looking at him hesitantly, he flashed her a reassuring smile and congratulated her on introducing qi into her body.

After sharing her joy with her and instructing her on basic precautions she needed to take, Duncan broached the topic of her safety in a hesitant manner. Duncan never thought Leia to be a weak flower. For someone who can work as a mercenary and brave danger with others in the forest, danger wasn't a new thing. Still, he wanted her to remain vigilant.

"Leia, listen carefully," Duncan spoke in a serious tone causing Leia to perk her ears up. "No matter what, you need to ensure that you are in a secluded place every time you undergo a breakthrough. Do not ever attempt to break through if you can't guarantee your privacy."

"Why? Is there anything worrying?"

Leia wasn't a fool either. She knew that whatever Duncan wanted to tell was very important. If not, he wouldn't become this serious.

"When you introduced qi into your body, a strange pattern appeared on your forehead," Duncan explained after taking a deep breath. "Don't search for it. It is gone now. It only appeared for a moment. But, it gave off an ancient feeling. I think it is most likely related to your bloodline."

"In the next few days, I will monitor you while you cultivate. We will see if it reappears. If not, it will most likely only appear while you undergo a breakthrough and progress in your strength. This is not unheard of. But, things like these are relatively rare. So, unless you are in imminent danger, do not do anything that might cause you to reveal this pattern," Duncan explained calmly.

Leia nodded seriously hearing Duncan's words. She wasn't completely naïve. The little bit of naivety she had was completely ripped away after her recent experience. She had been a mercenary for some time. She knew the saying of those who had treasure but were weak only had themselves to blame.

"Furthermore, there is another thing that I want to talk to you about. Forgive me, if I come off as prying into your privacy. But, I don't think you got sold as a slave completely because of your bad decisions. I think there is someone who has their eyes on you," Duncan spoke frankly causing Leia's eyes to widen a bit.

"You shouldn't have been sold for such a high amount. No disrespect to you, but you were really not worth that much. But, at the auction, there was someone else apart from me who was interested in buying you despite the outrageous price. That needs to be taken note of."

"Moreover, on the way back to the courtyard, I felt someone keeping tabs on us. I didn't feel that feeling when I went outside a few days ago. So, I think they are keeping tabs on you," Duncan said causing Leia's eyes to shrink.

"You mean, they are interested in me because of something," Leia asked in a worried voice.

"I don't know. But, my guess is that it is related to your bloodline. The pattern that emerged now only confirms my suspicions. However, you don't need to worry about them making a move forcefully," Duncan patted her head trying to calm her down.

He then went on to explain his analysis of their motives and his guess regarding them not wanting to cause a scene in order to reassure her. Duncan also pointed out that they would most likely come to contact her in the future to bring about whatever nefarious scheme they had been hatching in the dark.

Leia vaguely understood what Duncan was trying to tell her. She wasn't ignorant of sweet poisons. She had roamed the world for several years before this. She too knew of people with ulterior motives keeping tabs on people who they are interested in.

Leia's expression became hard and she began to review the events that happened to her from a whole new angle. As she slowly sorted out her thoughts, she began to see someone puppeteering her life from the dark. She didn't know what they wanted, but it was clear that they didn't want to kill her.

She obviously had some use for them. While she didn't know what it was, she was confident that they wouldn't kill her right away. If they wanted to kill her, they had countless chances. However, they only wanted to control her so she remained alive until now.

Once she figured out that her life wasn't in immediate danger, Leia calmed down considerably. Her mind started to whirl and she began to realize how timely Duncan's intervention was.

With how broken she was at that time, any random helper would have earned her life-long loyalty. If the manipulator behind the scenes wanted to control her, then it might have been the perfect time to do something. They most likely had some other plan, but Duncan's arrival had derailed them it seems.

Her gratitude towards Duncan only increased as she realized this. She thanked her lucky stars that Duncan decided to join their mercenary team when he came to Starmist City.

If not for him, she wouldn't even know how she got sold. And what would be the worst was that she would even be counting the money for them after they sold her. The despair in her heart vanished as she realized that she wasn't unlucky, but had been plotted at.

The manipulator may hide behind the scenes for now. But, they would surely come out into the open after some time and try to get in touch with her. Now that she knew about this, she would be warier in her future dealings with people.

Deep in her heart, a fire seemed to ignite at this moment.

*****

A/N: Check out my other stories and let me know your thoughts...

Support me at patreon.com/kkephemeraln0velusb.c0m