Free Web NovelChapter 143: Is This Customer a Masochist?
Sarah pushed open the door and walked inside with Violetta following quietly behind her.
A broad-shouldered middle-aged man was already waiting inside. He had short dark-red hair, a neatly trimmed beard, and the heavy aura of someone used to being obeyed.
The moment he saw Sarah, he grinned. "You’re late. I’ve been waiting for far too long."
Sarah snorted. "You’re just impatient, Darius."
The man laughed loudly. "Fair enough."
His eyes shifted toward Violetta. "New worker?"
Sarah casually nodded. "She’s here to learn."
Darius looked Violetta over once before quickly losing interest. "Fine by me."
Violetta quietly moved toward the side of the room.
Sarah did not immediately pour any wine.
Instead, she tossed her outer robe aside and stepped toward the open training area connected to the private room.
"Come on!"
Darius raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
Sarah grinned and shouted back, "You complained that I was late. Consider this compensation."
Darius laughed and stood up, tossing aside his own outer robe before following her into the training area.
Only a few breaths later, the entire room shook.
BANG!
Sarah blocked his fist with one arm and immediately kicked toward his ribs.
Darius barely moved away in time.
Sarah smirked. "Too slow. Are you sure you’re actually going all out?"
Darius shot back, "Bullshit. You’re just lucky."
BAM!
The two exchanged several more blows before finally stopping.
Darius laughed as he returned to the table. "Damn. You really have gotten stronger."
Sarah poured him a cup of wine. "You’re just getting old."
Darius immediately raised his middle finger. "Fuck you."
Sarah grinned and tossed him the cup. "You lost. Drink, loser."
Darius caught it and grumbled, "Fine."
He drank the alcohol in one gulp.
Meanwhile, Violetta watched the entire situation from the side in complete shock.
"What the hell? This also counts as entertainment?"
Her eyes shifted between Sarah and Darius.
"Fighting with the customer? Physical combat and insults? Is this customer some kind of masochist?"
In the end, Violetta wisely kept her mouth shut and continued watching Sarah do her job.
Not long after, once Darius had calmed down, he finally leaned back and spoke.
"Now that we’ve fought, do you want to know why I’m here?"
Sarah leaned back as well, grinning. "Oh? I did notice you came earlier than usual. What happened? Trouble in the sect?"
Darius laughed. "Of course not. In fact, you could call it good fortune."
He proudly poured himself another drink. "I found a goddamn genius disciple."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Really? Your sect isn’t exactly that impressive. What kind of genius could you possibly have found?"
Darius immediately glared at her. "Hey, don’t talk about my sect like that."
Sarah only smirked.
Darius clicked his tongue before continuing proudly, "Let me tell you. My disciple, Fionel, is extremely talented, hardworking, and loyal."
The moment Violetta heard that name, her expression changed slightly.
Only for an instant.
She immediately returned to her usual calm expression.
Unfortunately, that brief reaction was enough.
Sarah caught it from the corner of her eye. She said nothing and ignored Violetta for the moment.
Darius, completely unaware of the change, continued rambling. The alcohol had already loosened his tongue.
"She even recovered a precious cultivation art stolen by a deserter. After that, she somehow obtained an inheritance left behind by a Golden Core Realm cultivator."
His grin widened with pride. "Now she’s one of my sect’s core disciples, and one day, she might even lead my Great Flame Sect to greatness."
Sarah merely nodded and continued talking with Darius as though she had noticed nothing unusual.
For the next hour, they drank, argued, laughed, and exchanged stories about cultivation and recent events.
Darius continued praising Fionel several more times, completely unaware of the increasingly cold thoughts hidden behind Violetta’s calm expression.
Eventually, the meeting came to an end.
Darius stood up and stretched his body. "Next time, I’m winning the fight."
Sarah snorted. "Keep dreaming, old man. You’re never beating me."
Darius immediately raised his middle finger. "Fuck you."
Sarah responded with one of her own. "Fuck you too. See you next time, old man."
Darius only laughed loudly before walking out.
Once he was gone, Sarah glanced at Violetta. "Let’s talk in the other room."
Violetta nodded quietly. "Yes, Senior Sister."
They returned to the private room where Raven and Rosa were waiting.
The moment the door closed behind them, Violetta finally spoke.
"That man’s disciple, Fionel... she is not the kind of person he thinks she is."
Sarah sat down and crossed her arms. "Explain."
Violetta’s expression became serious. "Fionel was actually the one who tried to kill my junior sister, Vulkara. She framed her, forced her to flee the Great Flame Sect, and nearly destroyed her life."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Violetta answered with only one word. "Jealousy."
Sarah remained silent for a moment before giving a small nod. She did not look particularly surprised. "I see."
Her expression stayed calm. "Women like that are everywhere in this world, Violetta."
Violetta looked at her.
Sarah continued bluntly, "Don’t worry too much about it. Let your junior sister handle it herself."
Violetta frowned slightly. "By herself?"
Sarah nodded. "It’s her revenge."
Her amber eyes became more serious. "If Vulkara does not ask for help, don’t interfere too much. Let her deal with Fionel herself."
Violetta remained quiet for several breaths.
She clearly wanted to protect Vulkara, but she also understood what Sarah meant.
This was Vulkara’s hatred.
Taking it away from her without even asking might not be kindness.
Violetta slowly nodded. "I understand."
A moment later, her expression became slightly strange. "Senior Sister... I also wanted to ask something."
Sarah looked at her. "What?"
Violetta hesitated.
"Is Darius a masochist?"
Sarah froze.
Across the room, Rosa immediately burst out laughing. "Pfft... hahaha!"
Even Raven slowly lowered her teacup and looked at Violetta.
Sarah stared at her for several breaths before finally bursting into laughter as well. "Of course not!"
Violetta looked genuinely confused. "Then why did he seem so happy when you insulted him, beat him, and forced him to drink after losing?"
Rosa laughed even harder.
Sarah rubbed her forehead before grinning. "Good. Since you asked, let me explain what my path actually is."
