CHAPTER 214: “GUESS OLD HABITS DIE HARD”

The Darlington residence’s east wing was quiet, far from the laughter and the clinking of glasses that filled the banquet halls. Behind thick mahogany doors, soundproofed walls swallowed every echo of the celebration outside.

Inside the private lounge, the lights were softer — warm gold bouncing off the marble fireplace, the faint scent of oak and expensive whiskey lingering in the air. It was a room meant for secrets, deals, and unspoken truths.

Robert led the way in, gesturing toward one of the leather couches. "Take a seat, Hutton. Whatever storm you’re dragging with you this time, at least let’s face it sitting down."

Hutton nodded, lowering himself onto the couch. The light above cast soft shadows across his face, accentuating the quiet intensity in his eyes. Rebecca sat opposite him, legs crossed, her silver bracelet glinting faintly under the chandelier.

She studied him closely — his clothes were neat but not fresh, his expression calm but edged with fatigue. This wasn’t a man visiting old friends. This was someone on the run.

Robert poured three glasses of whiskey and set them on the table. "Alright," he said finally, leaning back. "You’ve got my attention. I have been getting news which has been flooded with reports about some ’incident’ in Blinding Town. Half the town’s cordoned off by the military, every major family’s got their eyes on it. I’ve been trying to get reliable info for days, but it’s all smoke and silence."

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "You were there, weren’t you?"

Hutton didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took one of the glasses and turned it slightly in his hand, watching the amber liquid swirl.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low — deliberate.

"Yes. I was there."

Rebecca straightened slightly. "And? What happened?"

Hutton’s gaze lifted to meet hers. "A war that wasn’t supposed to happen."

He leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. "The moment I took the God Crystal from the Harbingers, my name went from being an entrepreneur to being on every Super and World Family’s radar. I knew what I was carrying — an artifact not meant for ordinary hands. But I didn’t think they’d come this fast... or this hard."

Robert frowned. "God Crystal? You mean that legend — the fragment that holds divine Qi essence from the Ancient Era? I thought that was a myth."

"I thought so too," Hutton replied. "Until it fused with my own core."

The words hung heavy in the room. Rebecca’s breath caught slightly.

"It... fused with you?"

Hutton nodded. "The crystal wasn’t just an artifact. It was alive in its own way — resonating with my cultivation. I didn’t choose it. It chose me. And because of that, the balance inside my body shattered. My Qi circulation changed entirely — I broke through into the Nascent Soul stage inside the Blinding Town’s World Vein cave."

Robert sat back, visibly struggling to process that. "You... broke into Nascent Soul in a World Vein? Even with the little knowledge of cultivation that I have, I do realize that’s supposed to take years even for high-tier cultivators, right?"

"I didn’t have a choice," Hutton replied, his tone steady. "The Dorne family’s youngest son and his squad found me. They had the cave surrounded. If not for the mayor’s intervention, we’d all have been buried alive."

Rebecca’s expression darkened. "The Dorne family... as in one of the U.S. World Class families?"

Hutton gave a slow nod. "Their youngest son came looking for me. But he wasn’t ready for what he found. He underestimated the God Crystal’s resonance inside me... and it cost him his life."

The silence that followed was thick — even the soft hum of the air system felt distant.

Robert leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "So let me get this straight. You killed the Dorne heir. In U.S. territory. With a divine artifact embedded in your core. And now every World Family in the country probably wants your head."

Hutton gave a small, grim smile. "That’s about the size of it."

Rebecca swallowed, her chest tightening. "Hutton... do you even realize what that means? The Dorne patriarch is one of the strongest cultivators alive. If he even suspects you’re still in the country—"

"I know," Hutton interrupted softly. "But I can’t leave. Not yet. The God Crystal hasn’t fully stabilized in me. If I try to travel through spatial gates or fly across high-altitude Qi zones, it’ll react violently. I’d either blow myself apart or alert every cultivator between here and the Atlantic."

Robert rose from his chair, pacing slowly toward the window. Outside, the night stretched endlessly, the city below glowing like molten gold.

"So you came here," he said finally, "to lie low."

Hutton nodded once. "And because I trust you both."

Rebecca blinked. "You trust us? After all this time?"

Hutton turned toward her, his expression softening slightly. "Rebecca, I might not show it but you guys are the only people I can fall to with this puny plan of mine. And besides, you guys have helped me before without you realizing which am deeply grateful for. And that’s why am here right now."

Her breath hitched again — something about his sincerity, his calm even in the midst of chaos, always had that effect on her.

Robert turned back from the window, exhaling deeply. "You really haven’t changed. Still walking straight into storms with a smile."

Hutton chuckled faintly. "Guess old habits die hard."

Robert’s tone shifted, more serious now. "Alright. You can stay here for a while. I’ll have the staff clear one of the inner quarters. It’s heavily shielded from any Qi scans — you’ll be invisible to anyone below the Saint tier."

Rebecca frowned. "That’s risky, Robert. If the Dorne family sends someone to look—"

"They won’t," Robert cut in. "They’re still busy locking down Blinding Town. It’ll take them time to trace anything here." He looked at Hutton. "But I’ll need to know something in return — what’s your next move? Because you’re not the kind of man who hides forever."

Hutton’s eyes hardened slightly. "No, I’m not. I’ve been on the defensive too long. The Dorne family will eventually realize I’m alive. And when they do, they’ll come for me. But when that time comes... I won’t be running anymore."

The quiet conviction in his voice sent a chill through the room.

Rebecca stared at him, caught between admiration and fear. "You’re planning to fight a World Class family?"

Hutton met her gaze evenly. "If I have to. But first... I’ll need allies. And information. The kind that even the Dorne family can’t buy."

Robert’s lips pressed into a thin line. "You’re talking about the Super Family networks, aren’t you?"

Hutton nodded. "And the remnants of the Harbingers. Someone among them knew the God Crystal’s location before I did. That means they’re still active... and they’re planning something."

The firelight flickered across his face, reflecting in his eyes like embers waiting to ignite.

Robert sighed, rubbing his temples. "You really know how to turn a quiet celebration into a full-blown crisis, don’t you?"

Hutton smirked faintly. "You wouldn’t have invited me otherwise."

Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh softly, tension easing for just a heartbeat. But as she looked at Hutton again, she saw the faint weariness behind his composure — the burden of power, responsibility, and the storm that followed him wherever he went.

She whispered, "You’re really walking a dangerous line, Hutton."

He met her gaze with quiet resolve. "That’s the only kind worth walking."

---

Outside the private lounge, the muffled laughter of the banquet continued — blissfully unaware that behind those heavy doors, the fate of multiple families, and perhaps the balance of the country’s cultivation hierarchy, had just been rewritten by a single man with light brown eyes and a God Crystal pulsing quietly within his soul.

But despite all these, no one knew that 30 minutes earlier, a few miles away from the lavish Darlington estate, the night air was unnervingly still. The faint hum of a mechanical device broke the silence — a sleek, black drone hovered high above, its lens glinting faintly in the moonlight as it zoomed in on the sprawling residence below.

From its vantage point, it captured everything: the luxurious banquet lights, the chatter of guests, the calm composure of Robert and the subtle unease in Rebecca’s eyes as they welcomed a man with light brown hair — Hutton Maxwell.

The drone’s camera blinked twice — click, click — freezing the moment. Then, as if aware of its own mission’s completion, it began to descend quietly into the shadows of a nearby forest ridge.

Moments later, a tall man stepped out from between the trees. His presence alone distorted the air around him — a faint shimmer of Qi pressure that made the leaves curl and the insects go silent. He wore a black coat, the crest of the Dorne Family subtly engraved on the metal clasp at his collar. His cold, sharp eyes followed the descending drone until it landed neatly in his palm.

He pressed a button on the device, replaying the footage. The image of Hutton walking alongside the Darlington siblings froze on the display. A chilling smile formed on his lips.

"So... you’ve finally surfaced," he murmured, voice low and calm, but with a murderous undertone. "The killer of young Master Dorne... hiding among the Darlingtons. How poetic."

He pulled out a slim communicator from his pocket, tapping it once before lifting it to his ear.

"Sir," he began, his tone formal but edged with satisfaction. "I’ve found him. The man responsible for your son’s death — Hutton Maxwell — he’s currently at the Darlington estate in the eastern region. I’ll proceed to confirm and eliminate once I have your order."

For a brief moment, there was only static on the line. Then came a deep, thunderous voice — cold, restrained, and filled with wrath.

"Good. Keep your distance for now. I want him alive... until I arrive myself."

The cultivator’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he gave a respectful nod. "Understood, Patriarch Dorne."

The call ended. The man slipped the communicator back into his coat and looked once more at the distant estate, the faint lights reflecting in his eyes like dying embers.

"Enjoy your reunion while it lasts, Maxwell," he whispered, his Qi flaring softly as the ground beneath him cracked ever so slightly. "Because when the Dorne Family comes for you... there will be no place left to hide."

Then, like a ghost swallowed by the night, the cultivator vanished — leaving behind only the faint hum of the cooling drone and the promise of vengeance hanging heavy in the cold evening air.