The Rise of the Fallen Prodigy

Looking at the stunned expressions of Nathaniel Smith and Cyrus, Liam Smith knew that he had gained the upper hand and had no interest in continuing to bicker with them. He put away the magic fruit and turned to leave the deaconry hall.

"Brother Nathaniel Smith, is that really a magic fruit he's holding?" Cyrus said in disbelief.

Nathaniel Smith didn't answer. He clenched his right fist, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged. The Red Plum Fruit in his hand was directly crushed into a pile of minced flesh.

Staring fixedly at Liam Smith's back, he gritted his teeth and said, "Liam Smith, I will never rest until I've settled with you."

After this little episode, Liam Smith rushed directly back to his small house.

For Liam Smith, the most pressing matter now was to heal his injuries.

When he returned to the small house, he lit a candle. The surroundings were already covered with a thick layer of dust. Liam Smith busied himself for a while and finally managed to clean it up roughly.

Then he sat cross-legged on the bed and began to heal his injuries by circulating the Eternal Sky Codex.

The night passed without incident.

Liam Smith's treatment of his injuries continued until noon the next day. The scorching sunlight spilled into the room. The candle on the table had long since burned out, leaving only a pool of candle wax.

Liam Smith exhaled a long breath of turbid air. He retracted his method of cultivation and slowly opened his eyes.

A night of meditation had restored nearly half of his physical strength. The internal injuries in his body were temporarily suppressed, and the external wounds on his body were also beginning to scar under the combined effect of the medicine for sword wounds and his vital energy.

He got out of bed and went to the small courtyard outside. Sitting at the stone table, Liam Smith took out the token he had bought from the auction house and began to examine it carefully.

The token was quite heavy. It didn't seem to be made of ordinary bronze or refined iron, and it felt icy cold to the touch.

Liam Smith had never seen this kind of material before, nor had he ever heard of such a thing.

On both sides of the token were carved some strange rune words, and he couldn't understand what they meant at all.

Liam Smith looked at it for a long time but still had no clue. He simply pushed the question to Alistair and said, "Master, do you know what this is?"

Surprisingly, Alistair, who usually seemed to know everything, also didn't know what it was. He said in a solemn tone, "I don't know either, my disciple. I've never seen such a thing before, and I have no impression of these rune words."

Liam Smith was a bit surprised and said, "There are still things that you don't know, Master?"

"Nonsense. There are countless things in Liberty Divine Land that I haven't seen. Who dares to claim to know everything?" Alistair said, sounding a bit annoyed.

Liam Smith nodded in agreement and said dejectedly, "I thought I had bought a good thing, but it turns out I don't even know its origin. This deal seems like a loss."

"Little guy, suffering a loss can be a blessing. Besides, it's still too early to draw conclusions." Alistair said indifferently. "Just because you can't understand it now doesn't mean you won't be able to in the future. Put it away for now. Maybe you'll be able to use it someday."

"Well, I guess that's the only thing I can do for now." Liam Smith said helplessly and directly threw the token into his storage bag.

What Liam Smith didn't know was that this unremarkable black token would bring him great opportunities in the near future.

"Someone is coming." Alistair's voice suddenly changed.

Who could it be? Liam Smith stretched his neck and stared at the courtyard gate.

After a while, a figure appeared at the courtyard gate.

It was an old man with white hair, looking rather decrepit but wearing a kind smile on his face.

When the person saw Liam Smith sitting in the courtyard, he bowed slightly and said, "This old servant greets Young Master Liam."

"Old servant?" Liam Smith sized up the old man in front of him but had no recollection of him at all. However, judging from his attire, he was certain that the man was from the Smith family.

So Liam Smith asked cautiously, "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Orion, the butler of the Smith family." Orion said respectfully.

"Butler?" Liam Smith immediately jumped up from his seat.

Liam Smith had heard of the reputation of the butler of the Smith family. This guy was one of the top powerhouses in the Smith family. His cultivation was no less than that of Liam Smith's grandfather. The most terrifying thing was that he wasn't as harmless as he appeared on the surface. He was a ruthless character.

He had once single-handedly wiped out a powerful mountain bandit stronghold with hundreds of people and was quite famous throughout the Silvermoon Valley.

In the Smith family, apart from the head of the deaconry hall, the pupils were most afraid of Orion.

"I wonder what the butler wants with me." Liam Smith asked tentatively.

Orion smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing much. The clan chief learned that Young Master Liam had returned, so he sent this old servant to pay you a visit."

"Pay a visit?" Liam Smith didn't believe that things were that simple.

Moreover, if it was really a visit, shouldn't he have brought something? At the very least, he could have brought a few Soul crystals. What kind of visit was it to come empty-handed?

And the fact that the Smith family sent the butler to visit him, who had already been labeled as a "waste," Liam Smith simply couldn't believe that there was no hidden agenda.

However, despite his thoughts, he still had to show some respect.

Liam Smith nodded slightly and said, "I'm truly flattered that the butler has taken the trouble to come here."

"You're being too kind, Young Master Liam. This is all that us servants should do."

Liam Smith naturally didn't dare to act arrogantly. He clasped his fists and said, "Why should the butler belittle himself? With your contributions to the family, how can ordinary servants compare to you?"

It was said that Orion had grown up in the Smith family since he was a child and was the clan chief's right-hand man. To a certain extent, his words represented the clan chief's intentions.

Although he wasn't a member of the Smith family clan, no one dared to treat him as a servant. Even the direct-line pupils of the Smith family treated him with great respect.

"I'm just doing my duty."

After some polite exchanges, Liam Smith said somewhat coldly, "I didn't expect the clan chief to still remember me. It's really not easy."

Orion, who had lived for decades and was as shrewd as a fox, could easily tell the resentment in Liam Smith's words. He quickly explained, "In fact, the clan chief has always been thinking about Young Master Liam, but he just hasn't had the time."

No time? Didn't he have time for five whole years? Liam Smith scoffed at Orion's words.

Liam Smith wasn't a fool. He naturally knew the reason why the clan chief was suddenly showing kindness to him. It was probably because he had finally broken through to the Refined Gas Realm, and perhaps the clan chief thought that his talent had returned, so he wanted to improve his relationship with Liam Smith.

As if seeing the look of disbelief in Liam Smith's eyes, Orion added, "Last night, when Young Master Liam returned, the clan chief said he wanted me to come and visit you. But in the end, he was afraid of disturbing your rest, so he decided it would be better to come today."

"Then I really have to thank the clan chief. Please convey my gratitude to the clan chief on my behalf." Liam Smith sneered.

Orion was slightly taken aback and then smiled. "Young Master Liam, I think it would be better for you to tell the clan chief your feelings in person."

Liam Smith knew that Orion was trying to get him to go and see the clan chief. But the clan chief's indifference towards him over the past five years still made Liam Smith feel uncomfortable.

If he just went running over at the clan chief's word, wouldn't he lose all his dignity?

So he laughed it off and said, "I also want to express my gratitude in person, but I'm currently injured and need to rest quietly. It's not suitable for me to move around."

Orion frowned. He had long heard that Liam Smith was difficult to deal with, but he didn't expect him to be so slippery. He didn't even give Orion or the clan chief any face, and Orion was at a loss as to whether to laugh or cry.

He secretly sighed that Liam Smith was truly "audacious."

However, as the butler of the Smith family, Orion was well aware of Liam Smith's experiences over the years. He was satisfied with Liam Smith's unyielding and self-respecting character.

It seemed that beating around the bush wasn't going to work. Orion simply came clean and said indifferently, "Young Master Liam, to be honest, the clan chief specifically instructed me to come here today. Firstly, to pay you a visit, and secondly, the clan chief wants to invite you over for a chat."

Liam Smith was obviously not that easy to persuade.

He pretended to be in a difficult situation and said, "I should comply with the clan chief's order, but my injuries are so severe that if I don't treat them in time, I might develop chronic problems later, which would be troublesome."

Orion naturally didn't believe Liam Smith's nonsense. Looking at his ruddy complexion and energetic appearance, there was no sign at all that his injuries were severe.

"Don't worry, Young Master Liam. The clan chief has profound cultivation and will surely be able to heal your injuries for you."

Liam Smith rolled his eyes and said, "How could I dare to trouble the clan chief with such a minor injury? I think it would be better to go and thank the clan chief after my injuries have healed in a few days."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liam Smith turned to walk towards the small house.

Orion became anxious and quickly said, "Young Master Liam, why are you making things difficult for this old servant? If I can't bring you back today and the clan chief blames me, I'm afraid I won't be able to bear the consequences."

You old fox, you're just pretending. Liam Smith thought to himself.

But on his face, he showed a look of concern and said with a bit of difficulty, "If the butler is punished because of me, I'll feel really bad about it. But my body just doesn't cooperate..."

After saying this, Liam Smith let out a long sigh and put on a helpless expression. His eyes were fixed on Orion.

Orion smiled bitterly. "Young Master Liam, consider this old servant owing you a favor this time. Please come with me."

Upon hearing this, Liam Smith knew that he had achieved his goal. Gaining a favor from Orion out of the blue would definitely be of great benefit to him.

He pretended to struggle for a moment and then slowly said, "In that case, for the butler's sake, I have no choice but to go with you."

Orion didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The little guy in front of him really didn't want to suffer any losses.

Orion clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Young Master Liam. I'll remember this."

Liam Smith now seemed very accommodating. He waved his hand and said, "You're being too kind, butler. How could I just stand by and watch you get punished?"

Looking at Liam Smith's behavior of taking advantage and yet acting innocent, Orion had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

He nodded and said, "Young Master Liam is quite right. However, this favor still needs to be remembered."

"Since the clan chief is waiting for us, please lead the way, butler." Liam Smith didn't waste any more time. After all, he had already vented his anger and also gained a favor from Orion, so he considered it a good harvest.

Liam Smith was eager to see what the clan chief, who had ignored him for five years, would say when they met.

"This way, Young Master Liam." After saying this, Orion led the way in front.

Liam Smith followed closely behind.