Chapter 286: Cynthia’s Secret Network Revealed

Not long afterward, the attendant returned carrying a small jade tray.

Atop it sat a delicate teapot surrounded by faint spiritual mist.

The moment the lid was lifted, a rich herbal fragrance spread through the room.

Damian’s eyebrows rose.

Even he could immediately tell this tea was several levels above what they had been drinking earlier.

Esmeralda personally poured a fresh cup for Cynthia before leaning back with an amused expression. "Well?"

She gestured toward the cup. "Is this tea finally good enough for your mysterious story?"

Cynthia calmly lifted the cup and took a slow sip. The moment the tea touched her tongue, her eyes narrowed slightly.

A few seconds passed before she finally set the cup down. "Quite good."

Esmeralda looked pleased. "So, can you tell me now? After all, this tea is quite expensive."

Cynthia glanced at Esmeralda before taking another sip and giving a small nod. "Alright. I suppose I can tell you now."

Damian immediately leaned forward.

Esmeralda did the same, clearly expecting some dramatic hidden identity.

Cynthia looked between them. "Honestly, it’s nothing particularly complicated."

Damian blinked.

Cynthia continued calmly, "Ever since Master Damian started giving me absurd amounts of money, resources, and spirit stones... I decided it would be wasteful to simply spend everything on cultivation."

Damian’s expression slowly changed.

Cynthia lightly tapped one finger against her cup. "So I used part of it to establish my own information network."

Silence.

Damian stared at her.

Cynthia continued as though she had just said something completely ordinary. "I hired merchants, wandering cultivators, tavern workers, courtesans, mercenaries, messengers, and several people who specialize in collecting information."

Her gentle expression remained perfectly calm. "Over time, I filtered out the unreliable ones and built a fairly competent elite information group."

Damian’s eyes widened as he stared at Cynthia in utter disbelief. "What the fuck?"

Cynthia turned toward him, looking mildly puzzled. "Master?"

He pointed at her as if she had just grown a second head. "Since when the hell could you do something like that?!"

Cynthia tilted her head. "Since you gave me the money."

Damian nearly choked. "That does not answer my fucking question!"

Esmeralda quickly covered her mouth, but the slight trembling of her shoulders made it obvious she was trying not to laugh.

Cynthia calmly ignored Damian’s outburst and continued, "I also traded for quite a bit of information through the Heavenly Palace."

That immediately caught Esmeralda’s attention. "Oh?"

Her brows rose slightly as a trace of surprise entered her expression. "The Heavenly Palace?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yes."

Esmeralda leaned back slowly, her gaze lingering on Cynthia with newfound interest.

Unlike Damian, she wasn’t completely stunned, but she was clearly impressed. "I see... That explains quite a lot."

Damian stared at Cynthia for several seconds, still trying to process what he had just heard. "Okay, hold the fuck up."

Cynthia calmly turned toward him.

Damian pointed at her. "I can understand the information network part. Fine. You had money, you hired people, whatever."

His brows furrowed. "But how the hell did you even establish contact with the Heavenly Palace?"

Esmeralda’s attention sharpened slightly as well.

Cynthia took another sip of tea before answering as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "Through Elder Selvara."

Damian froze, confusion flashing across his face. "Huh?"

Cynthia lowered her cup and repeated calmly, "Elder Selvara."

Damian stared at her blankly for a moment. "My master?"

Cynthia nodded. "Yes."

Damian’s brows furrowed even deeper. "What the fuck does my master have to do with this?"

Cynthia gave him a patient look. "Master Damian... Elder Selvara knew about all of us a long time ago."

Damian’s mouth opened slightly.

Cynthia continued, "She came to meet us personally not long after realizing how close we were to you."

Damian’s eye twitched. "She fucking what?"

Esmeralda quietly lifted her teacup, clearly enjoying the conversation far more than she should.

Cynthia remained composed. "She basically told us that if we intended to stay by your side, then we needed to become strong enough and useful enough to protect you."

Damian stared at her.

"Master did that behind my back?"

Cynthia added, "She also realized fairly quickly that among the four of us, I was the best suited for handling information, planning, and external connections."

Damian slowly rubbed his forehead. "That... actually sounds exactly like something she would do."

Cynthia nodded. "She told me that if I ever needed access to something beyond our reach, I could contact her."

Damian looked up again. "So you actually did?"

Cynthia nodded once again. "Of course."

Her expression suggested that not doing so would have been stupid. "I told her I wanted better access to information, especially regarding major factions, dangerous cultivators, and anything that might eventually affect you."

Damian went silent.

Cynthia continued, "Elder Selvara approved."

She took another sip of tea. "Then she introduced me to several contacts connected to the Heavenly Palace."

Esmeralda’s brows lifted slightly. "Oh?"

Cynthia nodded. "From there, I started exchanging information, favors, spirit stones, and resources."

Her lips curved faintly. "And eventually, I built my own channels."

Damian stared at her in disbelief. "So while I was running around doing missions, getting into fights, and nearly dying..."

Cynthia nodded calmly. "I was building an intelligence network to make sure you stopped doing stupid things blindly."

Silence.

Then Esmeralda let out a quiet laugh.

Damian slowly looked between her and Cynthia. "That was unnecessarily insulting."

Cynthia took another calm sip of tea. "It was also accurate."

Esmeralda’s smile widened slightly. "She’s not wrong. And besides, having the Heavenly Palace helping you is hardly a bad thing."

Damian narrowed his eyes at both of them. "I’m starting to feel like I’m being ganged up on here."

Cynthia lowered her cup. "Only because you make it easy, Young Master Damian."

Esmeralda covered her lips, failing to hide another laugh.

Damian slumped back into his seat.

"Great. Apparently my master and my harem have been secretly organizing my life behind my fucking back."