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nNelson led a group of people away from the Taylor family courtyard.

nIn this era, being a high-level Soulmancer was like being a deity on Earth, but even someone like Nelson had no chance of challenging William.

nThe remaining lower-tiered, novice Soulmancers dared not to even engage in combat with William.

n“What else do you have to say?” William asked, his face expressionless as he looked at James Taylor. The actions of James had left him somewhat disappointed.

nHe had never thought about taking away what James had. James had overthought and over-calculated everything.

nFirst, he feigned death, sending his grandson to pressure Timothy Hill, testing whether William had truly returned. Then, he set an ambush, intending to kill William.

nA high-level Soulmancer! This was quite the grand plan!

nJames was as if sitting on pins and needles, trembling uncontrollably.

n“Sir, I am entirely to blame for all that has transpired. Please, in consideration of our past, spare my family. Grant them a chance at life,” he implored.

nWilliam chuckled. Did James truly view him as a ruthless demon, one who would annihilate the entire family of anyone who offended him?

nIf William recalled correctly, James had been a child he had saved from bandits. He had obliterated the bandit leader, and after that, he had treated James rather well.

n“Forget it! I came here today to see you. At your age, I have no desire to take any action,” William said, turning around to leave. He paused and added, “I only want to ask you a few questions.”

nHearing that William would not harm him, James felt a mix of emotions.

nIf William had decided to obliterate him, everything would have ended. But now, William had spared him.

n“What do you want to know?” James asked with a dry voice.

nWilliam inquired, “After I saved you, did I ever mistreat or beat you?”

nAfter a moment of silence, James choked out, “You treated me as your own son. You never once raised a hand against me.”

n“And when I taught you combat techniques, and imparted knowledge to you, did I ever wrong you?” William pressed.

nWith eyes closed, James sighed deeply, “I can never repay your kindness. You owe me nothing.”

nWithout a word, William left the Taylor family estate.

n“A good deed that can never be repaid,” he muttered under his breath.

nWilliam didn’t care to say more. Even if James had a shred of humanity left, he would not have treated him this way.

nLetting him live with his guilt was a better punishment than killing him.

nWilliam had no desire to have any further involvement with the Taylor family.

nIf James dared to provoke him again, the only fate awaiting the Taylor family would be total destruction.

nUpon leaving the Taylor house, William’s mood quickly returned to normal.

nIndeed, what James had done was disheartening, but for someone like William, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, it was trivial.

nFrom this point on, he would probably never adopt a child again.

nToo much favor may perhaps breed resentment.

nHe understood this principle. He just hadn’t expected James to go to such lengths.

nBy the time he left the Taylor house, it was already evening. He went to a bar but did not enter. The lottery ticket he had bought for Nicholas was already discreetly placed in his wallet.

nSince it was a promise, he couldn’t let Nicholas know that William had purchased the ticket.

nSince he had promised Evelyn that they would head home together the next morning, William decided to have a late-night meal at the nearby Ikinari Steakhouse.

nJust before eleven o’clock at night, Edward and his group of friends arrived at the entrance of the bar.

n“Damn it! Why are you everywhere?” Edward was genuinely frustrated. He had encountered William the night before when he came looking for Evelyn, and under the threat of his mother, he had reluctantly called him Uncle William. Now, he heard from Caleb that William had quit the job, and yet here he was, appearing again near the bar. It was bad luck, wasn’t it?

nWilliam lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, chuckling, “What a coincidence, aren’t you Piper’s son?”

nPiper’s son? Trying to take advantage of him again!

nEdward had finally had enough, shouting, “Get him!”

nEdward’s group of friends, all young men in their twenties, brimming with youthful energy and a penchant for stirring up trouble, immediately responded to his call. A youth with green-dyed hair swiftly raised his leg and kicked at William.

nWilliam had been sitting here enjoying his grilled steak, waiting for Evelyn to get off work, quietly studying on his phone. Edward’s arrival had clearly disrupted his plan.

nAdhering to his principle of avoiding unnecessary violence, William deftly reached for a fork as the green-haired man’s leg swung toward him. Standing up, he appeared to effortlessly stab out with the utensil.

nShockingly, the fork pierced straight through the green-haired man’s thigh.

n“Ah!” The green-haired man let out a spine-chilling scream as intense pain caused him to collapse, clutching his bleeding leg. Blood oozed through his fingers and spread across the ground.

nThe other young men behind Edward, who had been about to join the fray, were stunned.

nWas this even human?

nWith a regular fork? The thing wasn’t even sharp, and yet it went through a man’s thigh?

n“My mood isn’t great today! You’d best not provoke me any further,” William said with a pause, adding, “Don’t even bother entering the bar. I know you came looking for Evelyn. Stop bothering her in the future, or you’ll die in a way you won’t like!”

nHow could he deal with this youngster vying for the same woman without some threatening words?

nEdward was extremely frustrated, his face turning pale.

nHe couldn’t recall anyone speaking to him like this since he had come of age. ｂ𝚍ｎｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏｍ

nShouldn’t the threatening words have come from him towards William?

nHis group of seven or eight men had been cowed into inaction by William.

nWilliam’s brow furrowed as he coldly commanded, “Scram!”

nWith that single word, Edward and the others felt as if their courage had been drained.

nIt was like the roar of a tiger, the king of beasts, sending smaller creatures into a frenzy of fear.

nEdward and his group had come quickly and left just as fast, helping the still-screaming green-haired man into a car, not even daring to enter the bar.

nThe owner of Ikinari Steak was in shock, thinking to himself how formidable this man was. The way he had thrust the fork into the man’s thigh was brutally efficient.

nBut William, acting as if nothing had happened, called out to the owner, “Boss, could you wash away the blood on the ground with some water?”

nWithin moments, the other customers at Ikinari Steak had paid their bills and left.

nFacing seven or eight young thugs alone, William had nearly crippled one with a single move; he was a ruthless figure indeed.

nWho would want to provoke a man like this?

nMost importantly, William had acted so brazenly; who knew what kind of background he had? He might even be a murderer.

nThe owner didn’t dare say a word, brought a bucket of water over, and washed away the blood next to William. He wanted to call the police but hesitated and eventually decided against it.

nSomeone as merciless as this might have connections to organized crime. As a small business owner, he really couldn’t afford to provoke such a person.

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