Returning to the Mysterious Era

Knock, knock…

Cassius gently knocked on the red wooden door. The dull tapping echoed throughout the first-floor hall.

In no time, footsteps sounded from the second floor as someone descended the stairs. Moments later, they halted behind the wooden door.

"Who is it?" Toma's voice rang from the inside.

A low, hoarse voice answered, "It's me. I'm back."

"Uncle? You're finally back!" The door creaked open, and Toma poked his head out, his face alight with joy.

Then, his expression froze. The happiness in his eyes turned to doubt as he scanned Cassius's 1.7 meter frame and frail-looking body, zeroing in on the delicate, pale face.

Toma cautiously tested the waters. "Uh… Madam… Can I help you?"

"What? You don't recognize me?" Cassius's lips moved as he spoke, expressionless. His deep and hoarse voice was still Li Wei's. Just from the sound of it, you could hear the weariness and timeworn experience.

"Uncle?" Toma's face was filled with disbelief. He poked his head out further, checking the flowerbeds on both sides of the house. "Uncle, where are you hiding? Don't play this kind of joke on little Toma!"

Cassius stood still, his eyelid twitching as his assassin persona slowly crept out and his gaze sharpened. Recalling Li Wei's memories, he said, "Do you remember what method I use to teach you when you make mistakes?"

"What?" Toma didn't react immediately, turning his head in confusion. "Ouch!"

His head was suddenly knocked. He stumbled two or three paces back, clutching it in pain before staring back at Cassius. He gave Cassius a strange, complex look, scrutinizing him for the second time.

This person was 1.7 meters tall while his uncle was at least 1.8 meters. The figure also had a slender frame. Even though Uncle had inexplicably lost weight, he still had a big frame overall. Furthermore, this person had a delicate face, a head of golden hair, and looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old aristocratic young lady. As for Uncle's weathered face… there was simply no comparison.

Not to mention that smooth, snow-white skin; Uncle's hands were rough with calluses, and his body was covered with countless scars.

So, how could this person possibly be Uncle? Toma's sharp wits kicked in, and his gaze was filled with sage understanding.

Cassius nodded slightly. Li Wei had taught him well. What a pretty smart kid. After living together day and night, people familiar with each other could still recognize the other's souls even if their appearance had changed.

He opened his mouth to explain, "Actually…"

Bang!

The door slammed shut, a gust of wind ruffling the loose strands of hair on Cassius’s forehead.

"Don't think you can fool me. Uncle once taught me that the more beautiful someone is, the less trustworthy they are! I don't know what trick you used to fake Uncle's voice, but you jumped over someone's wall and into their private home, and that's illegal! Get out, or I'm calling the police!" Toma voice allowed for no argument as he shouted from behind the door.

Cassius thought about it—Li Wei had indeed taught Toma those life lessons. When a stranger suddenly asked to be let in, claiming that they were a friend, most people wouldn't believe it either.

Cassius smiled. The kid had good survival instincts; he wouldn't be easily fooled even if he lived alone. Toma had indeed lived up to the praise Cassius had given him earlier for his cleverness.

Two minutes later, Toma squatted in the corner of the hallway on the first floor, sobbing with lumps all over his head. His nose was dripping.

Cassius rubbed his hands and reattached the wooden door to the frame. It was a temporary fix since the bolts in the door frame had snapped. He turned to look at the bawling Toma.

He snorted lightly. "Stupid kid, you can't even recognize your own uncle. Xiala's sharper. She recognized me right away."

Next to him, a girl in a white dress covered her mouth and laughed. Xiala looked at Toma with a gleeful, teasing expression.

An hour later, it was lunchtime. On the second floor, near the entrance to the staircase, lay a rug. Next to the rug was a shoe cabinet, and atop the brown cabinet stood a white vase. The vase was empty, but there were patterns engraved on its porcelain surface. Below the design, three lines of poetry were written in ancient Hongli language:

You and I long for beauty. So the charm of the rose will never fade. Like a fully bloomed flower that fades with time.

Tucked behind the stairs was a living room with smooth, light brown lacquered walls that exuded an understated elegance. In the center of the living room stood a teak round table, with a plush sofa to the left.

The hallway to the left led to the study and bedrooms, while another hallway on the right went to the kitchen. Both the east and west sides of the room had square windows, decorated with white floral curtains tied back with black ribbons. A gentle breeze blew in through the half-opened windows.

As usual, Cassius put on an apron and began preparing the meal. He glanced at the full-length mirror beside the living room, and after a quick scan of his reflection, he decided to forgo the apron.

Halfway through cooking, Xiala suddenly dashed over. She quickly started helping Cassius with the ingredients. In the blink of an eye, she had chopped half a cauliflower and set it aside.

Curious, Cassius turned to her and asked, "What's up? You feel like having cauliflower?"

Xiala shook her head. "Nope, not me, Toma. You've been missing for so long that all he's wanted to eat was cauliflower soup these past few days." She smiled and scratched her head. "Make sure to cook a lot, Uncle. Toma loves it, and I bet there won't be enough if you don't."

Cassius stopped chopping. He swiveled slowly to look at Xiala's smiling face before shaking his head. "You two brats think you're pretty clever, huh?"

Bang!

Xiala got a sharp knock on the head too.

Cassius continued as he washed his hands, "What’s this bullshit cauliflower soup! Toma's favorite is my mushroom soup. Stop testing me, you two! Aren't you tired of it?" He was speechless. Just moments ago, he had complimented Xiala for being smarter than Toma, but now…

It was clear she was clever, but in the wrong way.

Fifteen minutes later…

"Come over and eat. I'll explain everything to you." Cassius gestured, and Xiala and Toma exchanged glances before cautiously tiptoeing over to sit at the table.

Half an hour passed quickly. The food on the teak table was completely gone, and Toma and Xiala finally believed that the person sitting before them, who had undergone such a drastic transformation, was indeed their uncle.

Cassius simply recounted secrets and embarrassing stories that only the three of them—or sometimes just Cassius and one of the two—knew. Their mini drama ended with Toma blushing furiously when Cassius revealed his crush on Miss Kiara. At that moment, Toma was completely convinced. Not only was he convinced, but he nearly fell to his knees.

At 1 p.m., Cassius was on the white semicircular balcony, holding a cup of coffee as he gazed into the distance below. A gentle breeze blew through his oversized clothes, bringing a sense of peace and calm. The white fabric glinted slightly under the sunlight.

Inside, a brass gramophone played softly, its melody blending with the breeze. A coffee pot sat on the coffee table in the middle of the sofa, yet to be washed. The needle of the record player nudged into the vinyl, its soft hum filling the room.

Cassius stopped the continuous snake-like hissing sound of his breathing. He lifted his hand and took a sip of coffee, seemingly normal. As he set the cup down, his face turned ice-cold. He lifted the white porcelain cup again, taking several small sips. When he set it down once more, his face took on a strange, commanding expression. He then picked up the cup and drank all the coffee in one gulp.

"Ha…" Cassius exhaled a long breath and returned to his dominant persona.

He was becoming more accustomed to switching between personalities, as well as the changes brought about by the Golem Covert Martial Arts. Only when Cassius placed his hand on his right chest, feeling the heavy heartbeat, did he remember the thrilling and extraordinary experiences of the past few days.

He had been so close to losing himself completely.

Cassius took a deep breath and suddenly noticed a boy outside the iron gate. Dressed in a black-and-white suit, he was looking up at Cassius, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, and a smile on his face.

Their eyes met. For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still.

The boy suddenly moved, snapping his fingers lightly. A sharp whistling sound shot toward Cassius, and only a faint silver flash could be seen flying through the air.

Ding!

Two slender, pale fingers pinched a silver wire, halting it three inches away from his forehead. The wire was taut and as straight as steel.

Whoosh!

The silver wire was suddenly yanked back, and the boy in the suit turned and started walking toward the east side of the street.

Cassius's eyes flickered as he opened his fingers. There was a faint line of blood where his skin had been cut. Expressionless, he placed his right hand on the black railing of the balcony and leaped straight down from the second floor, rolling lightly to a stop. In a few quick steps, he vaulted over the wall. Like a nimble leopard, he pursued the trail.

Both of them moved at incredible speeds, without bothering to hide their tracks. Even so, the pedestrians on the street didn't notice anyone passing by. At most, they felt a faint breeze pass by, and when they turned to look, no one was there. A few timid people even thought they had encountered a ghost.

On the east side of Beiliu City was Orchid Park. Compared to other parks, Orchid Park was much more secluded, making it quite peaceful. Ginkgo leaves drifted down in the wind, and the warm afternoon sun shone on the cobblestone paths. A white marble statue in the center of the park sprayed water into the pool, the surface of which sparkled, adding to the tranquility of the scene.

A series of faint footsteps approached. The flock of pigeons by the fountain flapped their wings and took off, landing on the distant red roof of a church to watch from above.

On the circular path around the park's fountain, the black-haired boy paused, looking back with an amused expression. Cassius walked slowly down the cobblestone path toward him.

"Who are you? Are you from one of the hidden sects of the southern Covert Martial Arts world?" He leaned slightly forward as he took slow, deliberate steps, ready to spring forward in case anything unexpected happened. He was perpetually primed to react swiftly to any situation.

"Covert Martial Arts sect? Looks like you're from that world." The black-haired boy clenched his right hand, appearing casual and at ease, as if he had absolute confidence in his abilities.

He sized up Cassius. "You should be thanking me, Li Wei. The rats from the Shadow Organization had already set their sights on those two kids. If it weren't for me and the Black Ops Agency stepping in to eliminate them, those kids would've been taken by now…"

The boy pushed up his glasses and raised his eyes to look at Cassius. "Your appearance doesn't match the description those rats gave. What kind of disguise technique did you use? Even your height, build, and gender… Interesting…"

Cassius's eyelid twitched slightly as he retorted, "And who are you?"

The black-haired boy smiled faintly, folding at the waist into a gentleman's bow. "Section thirteen of the Federal Special Service Bureau in the Black Ops Agency. The name's Amos, codename Reaper."

"Federal Special Service Bureau?" Hearing this, Cassius frowned. It was clearly an official organization under the Hongli Federation, and was part of the government's forces. He had never encountered the official supernatural forces before, so he couldn't help feeling somewhat suspicious.

The black-haired boy named Amos took a step forward, about to speak, when his expression suddenly shifted. At the same time, Cassius, standing about five meters away, mirrored his reaction.

At the center of his brow, the faint cross-shaped mark suddenly glowed bright red. He could feel something vibrating inside his head.

Across from him, Amos's face turned cold and unfeeling, the previously friendly expression freezing over. A chilling aura, like the autumn wind, swept over, and his round glasses reflected the sunlight. A flick of his gloved hands…

Whoosh!

Dozens of silver wires shot out, some embedding themselves in the concrete ground, a couple wrapping around the statue, while others pierced into tree trunks. In an instant, a massive web of silver metal threads, with Amos in the center, stretched out in front of them, spanning several meters.

The last white pigeon remaining on the ground started and took flight. It flapped its wings, heading toward the roof of a nearby church.

Rip!

It accidentally hit one of the wires, and its body was instantly sliced in half by the sharp metal thread. With a plop, it fell to the ground, its innards spilling out from the clean cut. The wire trembled slightly as a drop of blood fell from it.

Amos looked at Cassius across from him and blew a smoke ring.

"Those who possess the Gate Fragments resonate when they're close to each other. Shadow said you had contact with the Gate Organization. Looks like that's true. But if you have a fragment, that can only mean you're a core member!"

Cassius was momentarily stunned. Amos's sudden shift in attitude must be due to this revelation. Li Wei had indeed had contact with the Gate Organization, but he wasn't a core member, merely a peripheral member where he benefited from information exchange on the platform but had never been able to touch the organization's core operations or true intentions.

"I've been searching for you all for a long, long time. Nearly fifteen years! I've trained nonstop, honing the power within my body, and battling stronger opponents—all for one purpose!" Amos raised his index finger. Seven, maybe eight, metal threads were wrapped around it. "Every torment you inflicted on me back then, I will repay in full—no, a thousand times over!"

Zing, zing, zing…

All at once, the metal threads began to tremble, pulled taut by an immense force. With a sudden jolt, the wires snapped back. The ground cracked open into a large pit, ripping apart tree trunks, and the top half of the stone statue wobbled and slid off.

Like a violent storm, the silver metal threads rained down, all of which were gunning for Cassius.