Chapter 2342: Presence


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    Alex arrived back at the courtyard he had left earlier, the ce Pearl and the others had run away from.


    "Is there something you''re looking for here?" one of the Immortals asked. "We''ve checked everything, and the ce has been fixed too. You won''t find much here."


    "Not something. Someone," Alex said. "I want to meet with the owner."


    "Owner? We''ve already talked to him, I believe. He''s been fined for negligence and failure to maintain his buildings," the taller Immortal said.


    "Sure, but there are more things I want to find about him," Alex said. "Shall we go?"


    A few minutester, they were outside of arge courtyard, the best of them all, with an intricate flower garden out front, with a long hallway filled to brim with decadent arts and tapestries.


    The courtyard on the inside was even more beautiful with lush grass and arge blue pond at the center, filled with dozens of beautiful carp.


    A chubby man and long-nosed woman sat on the porch, seemingly lost in thought until they turned as they saw who had arrived.


    "We were wondering who it was," the woman said. "We already paid the fines, fellow Daoist. Is there another reason why you have returned?"


    The man looked at Alex. "Ah, it''s you. Our apologies for beingx with the security. We have improved it tremendously this time around. You cane back and stay if you want. If you don''t, we can pay you back the sum you paid us for the year. Again, our deepest apologies." Alex looked at the two people before him and nodded. "I am happy to see you this forward with your apologies," he said. "Although, if you won''t mind, I wish to be repaid in some other way."


    "Another way?" the man asked. "What other thing do you want?"


    "Whisker," Alex called out and the mouse showed itself from inside his robes.


    Whisker jumped down and began walking around the ce.


    "What is going on?" the man asked.


    "Don''t worry about it," Alex said. "My mouse is seeking something. If you don''t mind, I would like to ask a few questions."


    "But the mouse-"


    "Ignore him please," Alex said. "Can I ask my questions?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The two couple looked toward the Immortals who stood behind Alex as though they were allowing Alex to invoke an authority through them. They were seeing everything that was happening and they were in favor of it.


    The couple didn''t like what was happening, but they didn''tin. "Ask away," the woman said.


    "Where were you two on the night of the attack?" Alex asked.


    "Right here, where we always are," the man said. "Why are you asking us this?"


    "Were you truly unaware of what was happening?" Alex asked. "Do you not get reported if something big happens in the courtyard? There should be formations set to do that."


    "We had neglected the formations, which allowed that to happen," the woman said. "We''ve already been punished for this mistake and we''ve paid the fines. No one died, is that not enough?"


    "Enough?" Alex asked, a smoldering look of anger in his eyes. "That will depend on how involved you were in this attack."


    The man seemed to grow a head upon hearing that. "Involved? How dare you use us of that," he shouted. "We are sorry what happened to your people, but don''t you dare say we were involved. If you don''t have anything important to say, take your damn mouse and leave."


    Whisker had jumped down from the porches now and was walking along the thick, lush grass, his body hiding within the slightly tall des of grass.


    "Young brother," the thinner of the two Immortals whispered to Alex. "I don''t know what you''re doing, but it may be time to stop. Openly using people is not good, especially when you''re borrowing our authority."


    Alex thought for a bit and nodded. "My apologies, senior. I may have jumped ahead in the conversation due to my frustration," he said and looked back at the couple. "But you were involved in this, were you not?"


    "You bastard!" the woman shouted. "How dare you use of us such a thing."


    "Young brother!" the Immortals grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.


    "It''s not just a simple usation," Alex said. "I have proof."


    "What proof?" the man asked.


    "Whisker?"


    Whisker looked up. "Right here," he said, jumping to one of the locations. "They stood right here."


    "They?" the taller Immortal asked.


    "The prisoners we met today. They stood right here," Whisker said, showing a location on the grass. He strolled around, marking locations where the people had been.


    "What is this? What lie are you spewing?" the woman asked.


    "I''m not lying," Whisker said. "Those prisoners stood right here. I can tell."


    "Are you sure?" the thinner Immortal asked. "We can check for their aura, but it should have dissipated from the ce."


    "Not aura," Whisker said. "Scent."


    The Immortals paused. "Scent?"


    "Odor. Aroma. Whatever you wish to call it. Their scent is right here on the grass. More than


    just the people we saw. Others too. They were here," Whisker said.


    "Th-that is a bold-faced lie," the woman said. "You are being lied to."


    "That should be easy to tell," Alex said. "Just swear an oath that the people who invaded the


    courtyard had note here. Do it right now and we will leave."


    "I swear to the heavens, they were not here," the man said. "It is all a lie."


    The oath settled on the man, doing nothing to him.


    Alex was surprised. It was the truth? Then, was Whisker wrong?


    "Young brother..." the two Immortals were worried.


    "See?" the man said. "We have nothing to do with this."


    "Yes," the woman said.


    "Yes," the man repeated. "Dear, swear the oath so they leave right now."


    The woman froze. "Th-there is no need for that," she said.


    "No, it''s better to just say it and be done with," the man said. "You should-"


    The man''s words froze in his throat when he saw his wife''s face.


    "Dear? Please swear the oath."