In that critical moment, Sherry shoved Otto aside, then nimbly spun around, her feet moving as swiftly as wind and lightning. A fist-sized stone came crashing down to the ground, just grazing the hem of her dress.
Boom!
Sherry steadied herself and glanced up at the sky. There was nothing there. Looking down at the ground, she saw the brown, pockmarked stone had left a deep crater, half-buried in the soil. Sherry frowned, drew her long sword, and dug the stone out, weighing it in her hand—it was unusually heavy. She looked up at the sky again, puzzled by what had just happened.
Suddenly, Sabrina's scream came from the other side: "Young Lord! Young Lord, are you all right? Are you okay, Young Lord?"
Sherry turned around in alarm and froze at the sight before her.
A massive meteorite had slammed into Otto, burying half his body.
Sherry rushed over at once: "Young Lord! How could this happen!? How could this happen!?"
Only half of Otto's face was exposed, his eyes filled with despair. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, which splattered across his cheeks: "Sherry, why... why did you push me?"
Sherry held the small stone in her palm: "Young Lord, the situation was extremely dangerous just now. This stone fell from the sky, and I was afraid it might mess up your hairstyle!"
Otto stared at the fist-sized stone in her hand, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. "Sherry... that stone... was it really dangerous?"
"Yes, Young Lord. Look, it even left a small crater in the grass over there!"
Otto glanced helplessly at the small crater, then at the meteorite—about the size of a small car—that was pinning down half his body. He looked back at Sherry: "Sherry, look at me. Look at what's pressing down on this side of my body..."
Sherry patted the large meteorite, which stood half a head taller than her: "It's a rock, Young Lord."
Otto gasped: "Sherry, I... I'd been in seclusion for three days, just got my body repaired. That little stone—I could've swatted it away with a single palm... but you pushed me, disrupted my qi, and sent me right under this huge meteorite..."
Sherry looked crestfallen: "Young Lord, are you blaming me?"
Otto tried to shake his head, but half of it was trapped under the meteorite. He struggled to speak: "You did well. It's me who doesn't deserve you. Go find Fyren."
Sherry nodded: "All right! I'll go kill him, avenge you, and let you rest in peace with a smile."
At that moment, Sabrina stumbled over: "Sherry, quick, give this to the Young Lord to drink!" Injured and overcome with agitation, Sabrina collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
Sherry rushed over, snatched the jade bottle from her hand, then ran back: "Young Lord, open your mouth wide—not just halfway, both sides."
Otto stared at her: "One side of me is crushed. Are you blind?"
"Oh, I'll think of something!"
"Wait!" Otto, no longer trusting Sherry fully, asked: "What do you plan to do?"
"I'll flip this stone over to press down on your other side, so this side will be free!"
Otto looked at her: "Sherry, the Young Lord is giving you a task. You must leave at once and find Fyren."
Sherry gripped her sword: "Yes! I'll definitely take his life!"
Otto said: "No need. You can't kill him. Just follow him."
"How am I supposed to follow him?"
"Just like you follow me." Otto sighed. "Fyren isn't as tough as I am. With you by his side, he's as good as dead."
"I don't understand, Young Lord!"
"You don't need to. Just remember this: you must become Fyren's personal bodyguard. Protect him, look after him in your own way, obey his orders, and comply with his requests. In short, treat him as your master."
"How can that be? I want to stay here and protect you!"
"Sherry, I thank you."
Otto coughed. "Sherry, these past few days, the Young Lord has been doing a lot of thinking."
"What's the purpose of life? How should one live to have no regrets?"
"I know, Young Lord. The meaning of my life is to risk it all for you, to do everything in my power…"
"Shut up!" Otto struggled to scold her. "I'm trying to be sentimental! Listen!"
"Yes."
Otto exhaled, opened his mouth, then paused. "Damn it, the mood's gone."
Sabrina clutched her chest, crawled over, and carefully poured the bottle of medicine into Otto's mouth.
Sherry suddenly stood up. "I'll push this damn rock away!"
As soon as Sherry exerted force, Otto cried out in pain.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Let go, don't push, you fool!"
A rock this size—no matter which side you pushed or lifted—would only cause secondary injuries to the person trapped beneath it, possibly snapping bones already crushed to the breaking point.
Sabrina snapped angrily, "Sherry! Stop making things worse!"
Sherry burst into tears. "I'm so useless! I can't do anything right! This rock must be a hidden weapon sent by Fyren. That man is too cruel. I'll kill him right now!"
Sabrina tended to Otto while holding Sherry back. "Don't act impulsively. Follow the Young Lord's orders!"
Otto finally regained his composure and looked at Sherry. "Sherry, obey my command."
"Yes, Young Lord!"
Sherry knelt on one knee, her expression devout.
Otto said, "Sherry, I'm now assigning you to my junior disciple—who is also my sworn brother—Fyren. From now on, you'll be his personal bodyguard."
"Young Lord!"
"Listen!"
Tears streamed down Sherry's face as she bit her lip.
Otto continued, "He is my brother, my junior disciple, the closest person to me in this world. You must protect him as diligently as you protect me. Obey his commands completely, just as you obey mine. Can you do that?"
Sherry sobbed, "Young Lord, I don't want to leave you! I want to stay by your side and take care of you! Waaah…"
Otto said, "I… I can't take it anymore. If you keep 'taking care' of people like this… Anyway! Go take care of my junior disciple, and do your best. I'm sure with your care, he won't last long. He doesn't have a constitution as strong as mine."
"Young Lord! I don't understand!"
Sabrina knew the Young Lord held a deep grudge against Sherry. This girl had been acting strangely lately, growing more and more muddle-headed. Before, she simply refused to think, doing whatever she was told. Now, she constantly caused trouble for the Young Lord.
This time, it was just a small meteorite. With the Young Lord's cultivation, he could have easily dodged it himself. But that stubborn girl had pushed him right under a huge meteorite.
This woman is a walking disaster!
Sabrina frowned: "Sherry, you swore an oath to be loyal to the young lord for life, to obey his commands, and to serve him as his slave forever! Now the young lord has given an order—are you going to disobey?"
Sherry sobbed uncontrollably: "Your servant dares not... Your servant obeys... But... Your servant doesn't know what to do next!"
Sabrina said, "Do what needs to be done. Follow the young lord's instructions and protect Fyren."
"He's the young lord's enemy! Why should we protect him?"
Sabrina parted her lips: "It's just business competition. In truth, the young lord is kind-hearted and has deep affection for this disciple. You know he's a man of honor. His care for his disciple surpasses that for others, doesn't it?"
"So that's how it is. The young lord really has a good heart."
"Therefore, the young lord has entrusted you with such an important task. You must do your best not to let him down. Do you understand?"
"Sherry understands, sniff... But what if Sherry misses the young lord?"
Sabrina also felt a twinge of sadness. Though she resented Sherry for repeatedly causing the young lord trouble, she understood the depth of Sherry's feelings for him and her unshakable loyalty.
"Silly girl, once your spiritual awareness is restored and the young lord has unified the four major families of Crystalpeak City, everything will be fine. You'll come back then! It's only for a short while."
Sherry looked a little anxious: "Really?"
"Of course. Would the young lord lie to you? Would I lie to you?"
Sabrina added, "The young lord has just emerged from seclusion and must stay in seclusion for now. During this time, you must protect Fyren and ensure his safety. This matter concerns the young lord's eternal dominion. Do you understand? This is the most important task."
"Sherry understands! Then… Sherry will go find that Fyren."
"Wait a moment," Otto said weakly.
"Young lord!" Sherry cried out joyfully, "You've changed your mind!?"
"No, not at all." Otto said, "You… swear."
Sherry knelt on the ground with a mournful expression, "Yes, Sherry swears to fulfill the young lord's assigned task at all costs. From today onward, I am…" She bit her lip reluctantly, "I am Fyren's maid and personal guard. I will protect Fyren with all my heart, take care of Fyren, and obey Fyren's every command, just as I am loyal to the young lord. Waaah…"
Otto nodded: "Alright, go now. Hurry, hurry up. I can't wait another minute… Go now."
Sherry sobbed uncontrollably, feeling as if she had been abandoned. She walked away, glancing back every few steps. After going a good distance, she realized neither the young lord nor Sabrina had called her back. She understood then—she had been completely cast aside. The sorrow in her heart was as deep as the ocean. She knew she was always causing trouble, that no one liked her. She knew she was clumsy, that there were many things people didn't want to tell her.
She knew everyone had been being considerate of her, and she often felt anxious and sad.
So she had always tried her best.
She wanted to learn from Sabrina and the others—be clever, observant, and take the initiative to do things that would please the young lord.
But why was she so clumsy!?
Why did she make more mistakes the harder she tried?
Why was it her whose spiritual awareness was sealed? Why not someone else?
She wished she could be as smart as Sabrina and the others, so the young lord would like her and praise her!
Wah, wah, wah…
Sherry stamped her foot, leaped up, and vanished.
…
In Fyren's villa, on the large bed in the bedroom.
The blankets kept rising and falling. Fyren pulled back the covers, 露出 his head, and grinned wickedly: "You little slut! Daring to defy this young master again!?"
Chloe's cheeks were as red as burning clouds, and she panted heavily. Her delicate hands gently cupped Fyren's face: "Fyren! You... just kill me!"
"Hmph! Still talking back! I have to punish you today!"
"Chloe is wrong. Chloe is willing to accept Fyren's punishment. Please don't go easy on Chloe, Fyren. Punish me harshly!"
Fyren thought, being Fyren was definitely better than delivering takeout.
When he delivered takeout, he didn't have such a high-class secretary to play with.
No wonder those villains always laughed so heartily!
Turns out being a villain is really satisfying, ha ha!
Today, I am the devil!
Just as the two were completely lost in passion, savoring their private world together, Fyren suddenly felt a bit distracted.
Something felt off, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
He instinctively glanced toward the window, and every hair on his body stood on end!
He jumped away from Chloe, grabbed the blanket to cover himself, and screamed:
"Ah—ah—ah—! Sherry, what are you doing!?"
Sherry was sitting on the windowsill, facing them sideways, like a female warrior from a martial arts TV series, holding a sword, her eyes as cold as ice.
She slowly turned her head, her eyes filled with sorrow: "To protect you."