Chapter 7 A Little Prick

• The girl noticed something odd. There was a trail of footsteps leading down the staircase, but the insides of the trail were clean. Not a speck of dust or a drop of water could touch them, yet every inch of ground around the trail was covered in dust and dewdrops.
• The old man stared at the trail, and he gasped, "It's him!"
• "Grandpa, what do you mean he's powerful?" asked the girl, surprised.
• The old man sighed. "I mean what I said. He's a Qi State master. He's protected by a layer of Qi, and that layer of Qi protects him from all minor things like dust, grime, dewdrops, and even pests. Even his trail is protected by that same power, keeping everywhere he goes perfectly clean. That explains this trail."
• The girl was shocked. Qi State masters were fighters who had reserves of Qi within their own bodies, and every state only had a few dozen of those. They were either the leaders of an organization or hermits who lived deep in the mountains. What's one of them doing here? Wait, and he said I would die soon. It can't be real, can it?
• The old man said, "Gwen, he might show up again tomorrow. We shall come early in the morning and wait for him."
• The girl nodded. "Yes, Grandpa." I need him to help me if what he said is true.
• On his way back, William bought some crab roe dumplings.
• Tia noticed the aroma, and she hopped into the living room. "Ooh, crab roe dumplings. My favorite."
• Mia emerged from her room as well. "I have school today, William. Give me a ride."
• "Sure." William nodded. "In a minute."
• Halivaara High was just twenty minutes away. Mia usually took the bus, but today, William would give her a ride on his trusty bicycle. After breakfast, he pushed out his bicycle. He used it to travel everywhere back in high school. The tire in the back needed some air. He wiped the seat off and pumped the tire, then he took Mia to school.
• "Hold tight." Right after William said that, they flew off like a rocket. Shocked, Mia screamed.
• "Slow down, William," she said.
• However, William didn't listen. He could see an ant from miles away and perceive all obstacles within dozens of yards. Even at top speed, he had nothing to worry about.
• Mia was scared at first, but she got used to the speed quickly. To her surprise, she noticed William passing by all the cars and bikes easily. A while later, William set his eyes on the left corner before him. There was a purple car there, and the plate was oh-so-familiar. It was the same car that killed his father, and through the window, he saw a young man swinging his head around, the music blaring at full volume. His gaze was glossed over, and remnants of powder were stuck to his nose. Obviously, the guy just snorted some drugs.
• "Salisbury!" William's eyes burned with hatred. That man was his father's killer. He was the useless rich kidSalazar Salisbury. William rode further ahead and stopped beside the car, then he fired a golden needle away at the car.
• The needle pierced the car's windshield and buried itself in Salazar's head. The young man froze and quickly fell into an episode of fits. He started foaming at the mouth, and his eyes rolled back.
• William sneered and rode on to Halivaara High. That's enough to turn you into a retard, Salazar, but this is only the beginning.
• When he came back after letting his sister off, Salazar's car was nowhere to be seen. Someone must've found and taken him to the hospital, but no matter. I have time. I'll destroy the Salisburys and their accomplices.
• When he came home, he saw a group of people surrounding his house. Two priests were muttering something before the spruce tree, and Dominic Reynoldsthe village chiefwas there as well.
• Oh, guess he's heard of the 'tree spirit' and hired these priests for an exorcism.
• He sneered and parked his bicycle, then he watched the show with his arms crossed.
• Noticing William, Dominic sneered. "You were just released from jail, right? Behave yourself. I'll be keeping a close eye on you."
• William ignored his mockery and sent a needle straight into Dominic's lower back. A moment later, he started moaning and groaning in pain, but he couldn't find out where the pain came from. His whole body was in agony.
• Shocked, the priests came to check on him, but the moment one of them held Dominic, the village chief let out a scream of pain.
• The priests exchanged a look. They were at a loss.
• William shook his head. "I told you there's a spirit here, and it gets mad easily. You just had to push your luck." He shook his head and pushed his bicycle back into the house.
• The crowd dispersed quickly. Dominic was taken to the hospital and the priests left looking defeated.
• When William entered his house, Melisenna told him that Tia left in a hurry. She saved Melisenna and William's numbers in her phone before she left, however.
• Huh. I thought she'd stay for a while. Why did she leave? None of my business, though. William then went and purchased some gifts with his mother, then they went to see his grandparents. Now that he was released, Melisenna's folks were relieved.
• William took the chance to ask his grandfather about the jade pendant. It was the thing that granted him the third eye and all his powers, so he wanted to know where it came from. His grandfather told him it was a family heirloom that was passed from one generation to the next. William was the thirteenth generation of descendants to get that.
• William had lunch at his grandfather's house, and someone called him halfway through. Aidan? He smiled and left the table to take the call. "Hey, Aidan."
• He was good friends with Aidan. They used to be bunkmates, and he cared about William the most after William was convicted. He had also visited William at the prison twice.
• "You're released?" He knew William had been released. William had texted him the day before.
• "Yeah. Did you just see the text? Busy man, huh?"
• Aidan stayed silent for a while. "You should come to the campus."
• "Why?" William was surprised.
• "You'll know when you get here." Aidan hung up right after that.
• William's heart sank. The Aidan he knew was a calm and collected man. If even Aidan was worried, then this could only mean one thing. Queenie's in trouble. Queenie was his girlfriend, and after he was sentenced to prison, Queenie promised she'd wait for him. Even though he was in prison, he would ask Aidan to buy some gifts for her every holiday. Worried, he told Melisenna he needed to do something, then he took the train to Justford.
• Justford was where his college was located. The city was the economic hub of Igneus and had a rich history. There was also a cradle of talented people there.
• Justford was about two hundred miles away from Halivaara, and it took an hour or so by train to reach there. The moment William hopped off, he saw Aidan waving at him from within the crowd. Aidan was a slender, handsome man measuring six-foot tall. He had a buzz cut, and he was in sports attire. He was a good basketball player and one of William's best friends.
• They hugged for a moment before William looked into his eyes. "So, what happened?"
• Aidan had a weird look on his face. "She's here too. Queenie, I mean."
• William looked back and saw Tannerhis best friendstanding with Queenie. They didn't approach William. Instead, they were standing close to each other like they were a couple. William's heart sank. I see.
• "Go. Get some closure." Aidan patted his shoulder.
• With a heavy heart, William approached the two of them. Never did William expect to be betrayed by his best friend.