Rise of The Abandoned Husband

After a month of cultivating with the three golden cores I had absorbed, I could feel my power stabilizing. Each day, the energy within me coalesced more firmly, bringing me tantalizingly close to a breakthrough.

I left the desert behind, making my way back to Cinderfall City. The Jade Moon Villa awaited—my base of operations and the only place I could truly let my guard down.

The journey gave me time to reflect on my transformation. Not just my body, which now possessed strength and durability beyond what most cultivators could comprehend, but my mind. The old Liam—the healer who hesitated to harm others—was fading. Necessity had forged something harder in his place.

When the familiar silhouette of Cinderfall City appeared on the horizon, I felt an unexpected sense of relief. Despite everything, some part of me still craved the comfort of familiar surroundings.

---

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit chamber within the Veridia City Martial Guild headquarters, Darian Bancroft stood before a panel of elders, his expression carefully neutral.

"Another failure?" Bryce Blackthorne's voice cut through the silence. "Three elite assassins, and not a single word for over a month?"

Darian maintained his composure. "We haven't confirmed Knight's survival yet."

"Don't play games, Bancroft," Bryce snapped. "First Nigel Reyes disappears. Then the extraction team vanishes. Now three more elites. This pattern speaks for itself."

"Perhaps," Darian acknowledged, "but without bodies, we can't be certain."

An aide rushed in, whispering urgently into Darian's ear. His eyes widened slightly—the only indication of his surprise.

"What is it?" Bryce demanded.

"Knight has been spotted," Darian admitted reluctantly. "He's returned to Cinderfall City."

The chamber erupted in angry murmurs.

"Silence!" Bryce thundered. "Bancroft, your failures are becoming embarrassing. The Guild's reputation is at stake."

Darian bowed his head. "I'll handle it personally."

"See that you do," Bryce warned. "Or I'll find someone who can."

After the meeting, Darian retreated to his private office. He poured himself a strong drink and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Suppress all information about the three agents," he instructed his aide. "As far as anyone knows, they're still tracking Knight in the wilderness."

The aide nodded. "And what about Knight himself?"

Darian's eyes hardened. "We need a new strategy. Conventional methods aren't working."

---

I reached the gates of Jade Moon Villa as evening fell. The guards recognized me immediately, their expressions a mixture of relief and awe.

"Master Knight! You've returned!"

I nodded curtly. "Any word from our mustached friend?"

"He arrived two days ago, sir. Said he'd be waiting in your study."

I made my way through the grounds, noting how operations had continued smoothly in my absence. My subordinates had proven reliable—a small comfort in these troubled times.

The study door was closed. I pushed it open without knocking to find the Man with the Mustache lounging in my chair, feet propped up on my desk, helping himself to my finest wine.

"Ah! You're alive!" he exclaimed, nearly spilling his drink. "I mean—of course you're alive! Never doubted it for a second!"

I crossed my arms. "You seem surprised."

He leapt to his feet, mustache twitching nervously. "Surprised? Me? Never! Though I must say, you look... different."

"The sacred fire changed me," I said simply.

"Clearly!" He circled me, studying my transformed physique with scholarly interest. "The legends were true then! Body refinement at its finest!"

I lowered myself into a chair. "I've absorbed three golden cores."

His eyes widened. "Three? In such a short time? That's... unprecedented."

"It's still not enough," I said grimly. "Not to rescue Isabelle."

The Man with the Mustache stroked his facial hair thoughtfully. "Perhaps I can help with that."

My interest piqued. "How?"

He glanced around conspiratorially before pulling out a weathered scroll. "During your absence, I've been researching. There's an artifact—a mask of tremendous power—hidden in ancient ruins near Eldoria."

"A mask?" I asked skeptically.

"Not just any mask," he insisted. "A relic from the Age of Forgotten Gods. Legend says it can amplify a cultivator's power tenfold during critical moments."

I leaned forward. "And you know where to find it?"

He unfurled the scroll, revealing a detailed map. "The exact location. But retrieving it won't be simple. The ruins are protected by ancient formations that only I can decipher."

"Why tell me this now?"

His expression turned solemn. "Because you're ready. The mask requires a cultivator of exceptional physical refinement—exactly what you've become."

I studied the map. The location was remote, at least four days' journey from Cinderfall City.

"I need to prepare an array platform first," he continued. "To safely contain the mask's power when we activate it. It will take me about a week."

"And what do you want in return?" I asked directly.

His mustache twitched indignantly. "After all we've been through? I'm wounded! But... since you asked... perhaps just a small percentage of the treasures we might find along the way?"

Typical. At least his greed was predictable.

"When do we leave?"

"That's the thing," he said, rerolling the map. "I need to go ahead and prepare the array platform. You should retrieve the mask and meet me there."

I raised an eyebrow. "You trust me with this invaluable artifact?"

"Of course!" he declared, handing me the map. "We're partners, aren't we? Besides, the mask responds only to specific energy patterns. I couldn't activate it without you even if I wanted to."

Something about his explanation felt off, but I couldn't pinpoint what. Still, if this mask could indeed amplify my power, it might be the edge I needed against the Guild elders.

"I'll leave tomorrow," I decided.

"Excellent!" He clapped his hands together. "I'll depart tonight to begin the preparations. The sooner we harness this power, the sooner you can rescue your beloved Isabelle."

He mentioned her name deliberately, knowing it would strengthen my resolve. Manipulative, but effective.

We discussed the details for another hour. The Man with the Mustache provided specifics about the ruins—entry points, potential dangers, the chamber where the mask was supposedly kept.

"Remember," he emphasized as he prepared to leave, "the mask will be in a sealed box. Do not open it until you reach me. Its power is unstable without the proper containment array."

I nodded. "I understand."

He gathered his belongings and paused at the door. "One more thing, Liam. Trust no one on this journey. The Guild has spies everywhere, and rumors of this mask might have spread."

"I never trust anyone completely," I replied.

A strange expression flickered across his face. "Wise policy." Then he was gone, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

I spent the night reviewing the map and preparing for the journey. The location was in a remote part of Eldoria, an ancient kingdom now largely abandoned due to frequent monster outbreaks.

By dawn, I had packed essential supplies and was ready to depart. My subordinates received clear instructions about managing the villa in my absence.

As I stepped through the gates, the rising sun cast long shadows across the courtyard. Something about this mission felt wrong—a persistent unease I couldn't shake.

But Isabelle's face floated in my mind, strengthening my resolve. If this mask could help me save her, any risk was worth taking.

I set off toward Eldoria, unaware of the betrayal already in motion behind me.

---

The Man with the Mustache watched from a hidden vantage point as I left the villa. Once I was out of sight, a cold smile replaced his usual jovial expression.

"Fool," he muttered, twirling his mustache between his fingers. "So eager to gain power, so blind to deception."

He pulled out another map—identical to the one he'd given me, except for subtle differences. The location marked was the same, but the path to reach it was deliberately misleading, designed to delay my arrival by at least three days.

"The mask..." he whispered, eyes gleaming with avarice. "Is mine."

He turned away, already calculating his next moves. The map he'd given me would lead through the most dangerous territories in Eldoria. Even with my enhanced body, I would face significant challenges.

By the time I realized the deception, he would have already claimed the mask and unlocked its secrets—secrets he had no intention of sharing.

The Man with the Mustache—whose true name and origins remained a mystery even to me—had played the role of quirky ally perfectly. But beneath that carefully crafted persona lurked a calculating schemer who had been using me from the beginning.

And now, as he disappeared into the shadows, his betrayal was complete.