My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot

Chapter 456 - 418: Trip to Esteros

When Ruth Winslow heard this, she grew anxious and leaped directly off the roof. "The Ancestors ordered the clan to live in seclusion..."

"I’m living in seclusion in Sunstone Village, too."

"That’s different..."

"How is it different? As far as anyone knows, Liam and I are already dead. Just pretend you never saw me."

Leigh Miles walked past her with a blank expression, heading out of the courtyard.

"Wait... Do you really not want to go back? The Winslow Clan is one of the top families in the Martial World!"

Ruth Winslow truly didn’t understand Leigh Miles’s thinking. Countless people in the Martial World would kill to become members of the Winslow Clan and enjoy its complete Ancient Martial Inheritance, yet she was pushing it away.

Leigh Miles paused for a moment and said coldly, "A good horse doesn’t turn back for the grass it’s passed. Since you’ve already abandoned me, there’s nothing more to say!"

"Mr. Sterling didn’t know about this! If he knew you were still alive, how could he not have looked for you?"

Leigh Miles ignored her and continued walking away.

Watching her retreating figure, Ruth Winslow felt a sense of powerless frustration for the first time.

***

"Senior Sister, I finished all the porridge! When are you going to make me more?" Leigh Miles had run to the foot of the Kaelan Mountains again, shouting up the slope.

Her only answer was the vast, empty echo.

But this time, she didn’t leave in disappointment. Instead, she had a smile on her face, returning to her usual chatty self. She started a one-sided conversation with the mountain, letting out all the words she had kept bottled up inside.

Although there was still no response from the mountain, Leigh Miles knew that Aurora Sinclair understood everything.

"Senior Sister, should we try to squeeze some money out of the Winslow Family? Master saved their child, and raised me all this time. They should pay for all these years of expenses. Senior Sister, if you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes!"

From her vantage point, Aurora Sinclair watched the figure down below walk away, consulting a small ledger as she went. The corners of her mouth seemed to lift slightly.

’It’s good that she’s finally moving on.’

The years of Martial Cultivation might seem long, but months could pass in a single moment of enlightenment.

When Aurora Sinclair opened her eyes again, there were only three days left until the Martial World’s Guardian Conference.

The Guardian Conference was a grand event for the Martial World’s High Rank Martial Cultivators. It was always held on the Continent of Esteros, but each time, some nations would take advantage of their absence to stir up trouble.

This time, Veridia was in the spotlight because of the Body Refining Techniques, which also attracted the attention of certain people with ulterior motives.

Alvin Morgan had been staying in a secret base recently, his hand hovering near the button that would open Pandora’s Box.

"Master, we have a secret report." Aiden Morgan walked in with a solemn expression, leaned in, and whispered a few words into Alvin Morgan’s ear.

A cold smirk appeared on Alvin Morgan’s lips as he raised his hand and tapped the keyboard on the desk twice.

The red area on the screen suddenly expanded several times over, its coverage extending to the Continent of Esteros.

Originally, Aurora Sinclair was supposed to take a passenger liner to the Continent of Esteros, but for her safety, he had her switch to a different ship under a new identity.

Sure enough, today’s passenger liner suddenly experienced a technical failure while sailing in international waters.

The captain had no choice but to call for help, and in the end, everyone on board was taken away by a ship from the International Martial Arts Bureau.

It was said that the hull of the ship that took the passengers was marked with the Winslow Clan’s special emblem.

Meanwhile, Howard Winslow’s expression darkened the moment he saw the passenger manifest.

Because the Continent of Esteros was rather unique, the number of ships allowed to travel there each day was restricted.

This was the only ship from Arcadia to Esteros in the last few days, yet Aurora Sinclair wasn’t on it. ’Could it be that she isn’t planning to come to Esteros?’

"Sir, we’ve already locked down most of the coastal areas. The moment she makes landfall, we’ll know."

But Howard Winslow’s expression didn’t relax. He had a feeling that Aurora Sinclair had already slipped onto the Continent of Esteros.

***

"Ruby, what happened to your arm?"

A member of the Winslow Clan at the entrance to their territory stared at the woman before him in shock.

Her entire right arm was in a cast, held in a sling across her chest.

Ruth Winslow pressed her lips together, shot him a glare, and walked inside with a grim face.

"Ruby, don’t tell me you got into a fight and lost?"

"Get lost—"

Ruth Winslow snapped back irritably, not breaking her stride.

The clansman at the gate chuckled. "Ruby, Mr. Sterling said you should go see him as soon as you got back."

Ruth Winslow’s steps faltered. She turned and asked, "Where is he?"

The clansman was taken aback and said with confusion, "Where else would he be? The stone cave in the back mountains, of course..."

Ruth Winslow coughed lightly. "I didn’t see him in the cave earlier."

"You’d better get going! Mr. Sterling predicted you’d be back today. He specifically sent someone to tell me that you should go to the cave to find him immediately upon your return."

Ruth Winslow froze for a second, then pressed her lips together and continued walking.

The Winslow Clan’s territory bordered the largest mountain range on the Continent of Esteros, the Nine Peaks Range.

There were nine peaks here, and the Winslow Clan’s territory occupied five of them.

Mr. Sterling usually practiced his Martial Cultivation on the Mystic Gate Peak, one of the Nine Peaks.

The scenery here was beautiful, with birds singing, flowers blooming, and a gurgling stream winding its way down from the peak.

Ruth Winslow walked with a stop-and-go pace, as if she were admiring the scenery.

When she reached a fork in the road, she took a piece of paper from her pocket, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then quickly unfolded it for a look before heading up the path to the right.

As she ascended the mountain, it grew more populated. She encountered many clansmen along the way who greeted her, but Ruth Winslow merely nodded before hurrying off, looking like she was in a rush to report back.

"Ruby, you’re finally back! Why haven’t you sent a message home all this time? And what happened to your hand? Don’t tell me you got in a fight and lost?" a burly-looking man said as he walked toward her.

Ruth Winslow nodded and seemed to apologize guiltily.

The man was stunned. He looked at her with a complicated, slightly mournful expression and said, "Ruby, this is the first time you’ve ever apologized to me..."

"I-Is that right?" Ruth Winslow seemed a little nervous.

Suddenly, the burly man burst out laughing. As he laughed, he pulled a small notebook from his pocket, preparing to write it down.

"HAHAHA... I have to write this down to commemorate it."

The stark contrast in his reaction left Ruth Winslow feeling so awkward she could almost hear a line of crows cawing overhead.

"Is Mr. Sterling in the cave?"

The burly man nodded and unconsciously pointed in a certain direction. "He’s been waiting for you for a long time. Go on."

Ruth Winslow followed his gesture and quickened her pace.

This place was a bit like Sunstone Village. The members of the Winslow Clan built their homes against the mountain, mostly from wood and stone. The architectural style was very old-fashioned, like an ancient tribe untouched by modern civilization.

Surrounding the houses were numerous wooden altars, carved with special patterns and painted with bright, colorful pigments.

After passing through these houses, only a single path led to the back mountains.

Next to the path stood a stone stele engraved with: ENTRY FORBIDDEN WITHOUT A SUMMONS.

Two members of the Winslow Clan were stationed there specifically to prevent anyone from trespassing.

Ruth Winslow held her breath and approached slowly, but the two guards didn’t stop her. Instead, they made a gesture for her to proceed.

"Mr. Sterling has been waiting for quite some time. Please, go in."

Ruth Winslow’s expression changed slightly. She pressed her lips into a thin line, her slow pace quickening significantly as she walked into the cave.

Inside the cave was a long, narrow path. The light was dim, but the exit was not far off.

When Ruth Winslow reached the exit, she froze...