Chapter 186: Daily Progress, Business Talk, Future Plans (Slightly Watered Down)

Emma’s movement froze, then she casually flung a flame, flipped her body, and suddenly a pinch of powder appeared between her fingers.

The flame struck Louis, sparks splattering as if blocked by an invisible barrier, while the powder was magically reversed and flew back.

Louis chewed on juicy, spiced grilled meat, watching Emma with calm eyes.

As if saying: Go on, let’s see what else you’ve got.

Emma’s abilities didn’t end there; she easily dodged the returning powder, and a dagger materialized in her hand as she lunged forward.

Her gaze was icy.

Her motion was swift and decisive.

Paired with her black hooded outfit, she looked like some cold-blooded assassin.

Yet Louis still didn’t dodge or retreat—he bent down, picked up a few skewers of grilled meat, and turned to Maria and Madison.

“Long time no see.”

Maria and Madison were stunned.

“Don’t!” Maria shouted.

Clang!

The dagger struck his arm, but the invisible barrier on his skin blocked it again—no matter how hard she pushed or twisted, it made no difference.

Louis smiled at Maria and waved his hand. “Don’t worry, this is just how we treat each other at home. You’ll get used to it.”

Maria stood with her mouth wide open, turning her head back and forth, speechless for a long moment. Seeing Maria frozen, Louis turned to Madison.

This girl was bold indeed—seeing Louis unharmed, she immediately looked curious.

“Louis, how did you do that? Did you get stronger? When did you learn to block knives?”

Madison had lived through the Moth God incident; she knew Louis was powerful—she’d even joined the team because of his heroic rescue of Maria—but she never expected that after just a short time apart, Louis had grown even stronger!

“This? Just a small improvement recently. Nothing worth mentioning.”

Madison rolled her eyes. Nothing worth mentioning? If I could block knives, I’d move to Hollywood and star in blockbusters right now!

“How’ve you been lately?”

“How do you think?” Madison’s lips curled slightly, clearly proud.

Louis raised an eyebrow—but deliberately didn’t play along. “By the way, what was Maria doing behind you just now?”

Madison smirked but answered anyway. “Oh, you know—three gorgeous girls in one place? Someone’s bound to get ideas. And with the current unemployment wave and rising crime rates, there are even more people with ideas.”

“So Maria just… took a little action.”

Madison spoke with teasing tone, miming a throat-slitting gesture.

Louis understood. “I see. Maria’s been slacking—burying the body in such a bad spot.”

This snapped Maria out of her daze; her face flushed red. “Sorry, I just wanted to get everyone to the barbecue faster.”

“Mm, I know. But I left people nearby—didn’t they stop you?” Louis gently stroked Maria’s soft black hair as he asked.

“Huh? They were your people?” Maria froze.

Seeing her stunned expression, Louis felt a bad premonition. “You didn’t kill them, did you?”

“No no no! I just knocked them out—Emma said to contain them first, so I didn’t kill them.”

???

Tch. That Emma.

She must’ve known they were my people—she did this on purpose!

So cruel.

At least she still had some sense—it was just a prank.

Still, Maria’s strength must’ve improved significantly; otherwise she couldn’t have taken out my armed guards so easily. Though, maybe they were holding back.

“Good. Let them go later.”

“Mm-hmm.” Maria nodded eagerly.

“What have you been up to lately?” Louis asked about Maria’s recent life. Frequent communication, care, and attention strengthened bonds—especially for girls like Maria, who valued emotion deeply. His quiet way seemed plain, but it worked best.

Indeed, it did.

Maria bit her lower lip slightly, then looked up, her eyes clearly stirred. “I’ve been practicing Qi Gong and that witchcraft. My progress is fast—I should generate internal Qi in a few months.”

As she spoke, her gaze burned with heat; she no longer blushed, staring boldly at Louis, her eyes blazing as if ready to leap at him.

As a team member, she’d also cultivated the Jade Maiden Art; she knew clearly that when internal Qi formed, she’d condense her Yin Yuan—and Louis only…

That’s why she was so unguarded.

Louis’s lips twitched slightly. This kid had a quiet, repressed streak—seemed shy, but sometimes shockingly bold.

Then again, she’s in her rebellious phase.

“Good work. Keep going. I’m looking forward to it.”

Louis gave Maria a look.

Maria’s pale cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like she’d drunk too much wine—her breathing grew heavy, and she lowered her head, lost in thought.

Beside her, Madison rolled her eyes. As her best friend, Madison knew her too well.

Of course, the new personality wasn’t clear yet—but this one…

Recently in her rebellious phase, she’d once tried smoking because of past bullying. After Louis ended the bullying, she seemed to have taken a different, irreversible path.

Madison recalled once, waking at night, overhearing sounds from Maria’s room—her expression turned even stranger.

She glanced at Louis, thinking: this guy really had a strange charm.

He always turned people bad.

That Jiali—once so well-behaved, even more obedient than Maria—what’s she like now? A cold, strange girl. She seemed more confident, but also dangerous—somehow instinctively frightening.

And what about Emma and Yulencar? Which one of them was normal?

Wait.

Shit. I’m part of his team too. Am I going bad too?

Madison’s wandering thoughts snapped back sharply.

At that moment—

Slap!

A sharp sound rang in her ear.

Madison instinctively flinched, then looked up.

Louis was retracting his hand, watching her with a playful gaze. “What were you thinking about? So lost in thought.”

“Nothing. Oh! Right—I haven’t been idle either. Maria improved, but I haven’t fallen behind.”

In her panic, Madison blurted out the very thing she’d been waiting for Louis to ask so she could brag.

“I’m progressing fastest in Qi Gong—even Maria can’t match me. I’ve caught up to her pace, and unless something goes wrong, I’ll break through before her.”

Unsurprisingly, Maria, still bowing her head, slightly raised it—her left eye turned pitch black, glancing at Madison with no expression.

Her right eye remained normal, staring straight ahead.

One eye black and cold, the other calm and neutral—both gazing in different directions, radiating different emotions.

Luckily, she was still bowed; if any ordinary person saw this while she was upright, they’d be startled.

Madison didn’t notice—she’d said it all.

“Not only that—because of practicing the Qi Gong you taught, I feel I’ve developed some special abilities, like you and Jiali.”

As she spoke, Madison grew excited. She widened her eyes and pointed at the stone table—mysterious energy began to act upon it.

Two seconds later—

The table trembled.

Three seconds later—

The table lifted into the air, tracing patterns mid-flight.

Louis narrowed his eyes; his Spiritual Eye had opened unconsciously, observing everything.

In the Spiritual Eye’s view, Madison’s soul pulsed unnaturally, with vast amounts of mental energy leaking out—this energy, synchronized with the pulses, lifted the table.

A normal human possessing this level of mental power…

Is this the Salem Witch bloodline?

Recalling Madison’s original storyline, her talent was extraordinary—she’d once been mistaken by Fiona as the next Supreme Witch and nearly killed, yet even at death, her potential remained unfulfilled.

Her potential and value might exceed even my expectations.

This scene reminded Louis of legendary beings—descendants of gods, immortals, divine beasts—often born with extraordinary gifts.

Erlang Shen—descendant of divine beings.

Xu Shilin—offspring of an immortal demon and a human, also an incarnation of the Star of Literature.

Shao Kang, Da Yu, Qi, Lu Wu…

Bloodlines are real.

Once awakened, they bypass countless years of hard cultivation, instantly surpassing ordinary cultivators.

Madison, of course, couldn’t compare to those legendary figures—but the principle was the same.

Originally, Madison’s bloodline awakened under emotional stress; now, Qi Gong seemed to help her actively unlock its power.

Louis’s complex expression vanished in an instant.

Regardless, this was good—but his pressure increased. He didn’t want to be surpassed by Madison. That would be embarrassing.

As Louis thought this, Madison, dizzy and drained, lowered the table—clearly, without full bloodline awakening, she couldn’t wield much power.

“Louis, what do you think?”

She smirked triumphantly, extending her arm to try and drape it over Louis’s shoulder, acting like an older sister.

Louis glanced at her.

The next second.

Hummm!!

A strange sound echoed through the air.

The table Madison had just placed on the ground now floated again—but it seemed crushed by some immense force, and within mere seconds, it let out a “pained” groan.

Under Madison’s silent gaze, it was compressed into a pile of rubble, white stone dust scattering through the air.

Madison quietly retracted her arm, a flicker of frustration passing through her eyes.

Damn it!

She forgot.

This guy is incredibly powerful.

Showing off like this in front of him? Only inviting trouble—how embarrassing!

But Louis smiled at that moment, patting her shoulder. “Impressive. You’ve got talent—you’ll definitely become strong one day.”

“But right now, this level of power is still too weak. Don’t show it off carelessly. If word gets out about today’s spectacle, I’m afraid people will laugh.”

Madison’s face instantly flushed red; she fell silent, ashamed and irritated.

Louis shook his head.

Madison is different from Mary. Her personality is bold, self-centered, and fiery.

Sometimes she needs sincere gentleness—it strikes straight at her heart.

But if you’re only gentle, she’ll look down on you. You must push back, make her feel your strength, make her recognize the gap.

Only by combining both can you truly hold this person in your grasp.

“Alright, let’s get back to the barbecue. I haven’t eaten much these past few days—I’m hungry. Let me taste Emma’s and your cooking.”

Louis sat down. There was no chair, yet he sat perfectly steady.

A cluster of Primordial Spirit energy floated beneath him.

At the same time, Louis reached out without turning his head.

He grabbed Emma’s hand.

That’s right.

Louis had been chatting with Mary and Madison for so long, yet Emma never stopped attacking. In these mere minutes, she’d used over twenty methods!

Dagger, poison powder, bullets, elbow strikes, fire, electric shocks…

All declared ineffective.

The protective power of the Ten Thousand Illusions Robe surpassed her imagination.

And now she’d been grabbed by Louis.

Tragic. Finished!

Louis pulled Emma close. “Come on, keep grilling.”

Louis pointed at the ingredients laid out before them. Emma glanced at him, then obediently began placing skewers onto the grill.

Mary watched this scene, puzzled—why was the relationship between Emma and Louis like this? Weren’t they…?

Madison tugged her sleeve and whispered, “Don’t do anything unnecessary. Don’t you see this is their little game?”

Huh?

Madison chuckled at Mary. “I bet they’ll… soon.”

Mary froze, studying Emma closely.

Long black hair, not tall but with perfect proportions—legs appeared especially long. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, yet her expression was cold, radiating a dark-loli charm.

She glanced at herself.

The familiar sense of inferiority rose within her.

No—I must train hard in Qi Gong. I must stay right behind Louis!

Mary clenched her lips tightly, making her resolve once again.

“Come on, try Emma’s skewers now.”

“Mmm, delicious.”

“Indeed, very good.”

“Huh? Emma, what are you eating? Keep grilling!”

“By the way, Madison, are you planning to go to college? Any schools in mind?”

“I don’t want to go to college. I want to head to Hollywood. I think being a celebrity—someone in the spotlight—is perfect for me.”

Celebrity?

Her grades weren’t good at all. Aside from her bloodline, she had no special talents. Becoming a celebrity might not be bad. If she finds the Mistress of the Brothel, she can ask for help.

“Good. I wish you great fame—shining like stars.”

“Hahaha, I’ll autograph your photo then!”

“What about Mary? Where are you planning to go?”

“Me? I—I’ll follow you.”

“Really? I’m planning to go to MIT. Want to come with me?”

“Huh? I—I, of course, of course I will!”

“Great! Looks like I’ll have company. Keep it up.”

With just two sentences, Mary was fully fired up, her eyes gleaming with excitement—she’d likely push herself to the limit over the next two or three years.

After asking the two, Louis turned to Emma, who had been sneakily eating barbecue.

Emma’s lip twitched; she sighed, speaking up willingly. “Fine. MIT.”

Louis smiled and handed her a skewer of grilled chicken wings.

Emma snatched it, biting down fiercely, her gaze fixed on Louis.

Crunch crunch—

She didn’t spit out the bones—swallowed them all.

The impromptu barbecue ended amid laughter and joy.

(End of Chapter)