Chapter 19: Beinam

According to the Old Baron's diary, the two Contracted Servants, Philo and Beinam, were the "masters" who taught Kaios about Spiritual Qi—or rather, the "Nourishing Secret Skill." However, this master-disciple relationship was neither public nor official.

Considering the existence of the Soul Subordination Contract, the original host probably wouldn't have called Beinam his master or teacher in private either.

Kaios was pondering how to start the conversation once he met Beinam. Should he throw out his amnesia excuse right away, or test the waters with some small talk to gauge the man's attitude before deciding how to bring it up? Regardless of the approach, given Beinam's relationship with the original host, he definitely wouldn't be able to bluff his way through without using the amnesia excuse.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

A knock rang out, and Sharvella's voice drifted in from outside the door. "My Lord, Commander Beinam has arrived."

"Mm, send him in." Kaios thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to stand up to welcome the highest-tier Spiritual Energy Warrior currently in the Li family.

However, the moment he actually saw Beinam push the door open and walk in, all the scenarios, dialogue, and strategies Kaios had planned out in his head instantly vanished. It felt like he had taken a heavy punch to the face, leaving his mind buzzing.

Beinam was a man in his early thirties with a small ponytail and a neat mustache. He was quite tall, standing at around 1.9 meters just like Kaios. Judging purely by his appearance, one would think he was a refined and easygoing person. The radiant smile on his face, in particular, made him incredibly approachable.

But in Kaios's vision, none of that mattered. The Goodwill Light Ring behind Beinam's head, which was nearly nine-tenths red, already made his stance abundantly clear.

To be honest, Kaios had suspected that Beinam's true feelings toward him wouldn't be very positive. After all, all signs pointed to the original host being a piece of trash who rarely did anything decent. As a Level 12 Top Tier Spiritual Energy Warrior, Beinam had been forced against his will to teach Kaios about Spiritual Qi. It was completely normal for him to look down on a useless noble like him.

But in Kaios's opinion, no matter how much Beinam disliked him, it would have been normal for the light ring to be entirely gray or perhaps tinged with a little purple. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see this—this was the largest and deepest proportion of negative colors he had seen since he gained the ability to see the Goodwill Light Ring!

This wasn't just ordinary annoyance or disgust. This was pure hatred!

Regardless of Beinam's true inner thoughts, his face bore a radiant, joyful smile. After his momentary shock, Kaios quickly recovered without showing any obvious abnormalities. He soon adopted a delighted expression. In fact, his initial wide-eyed, dilated-pupil reaction ended up looking like genuine, natural surprise.

"Young Master! Thank goodness you're alright, Young Master! The moment I heard about your accident, I rushed back immediately! It's a blessing that you're safe, otherwise I would have failed the Old Baron's entrusted wishes... Ah! I misspoke! The Young Master is now the Lord! Please forgive my offense, My Lord!"

As soon as Beinam entered the study, he dropped to one knee in a highly emotional salute. By purposely using the wrong title right off the bat, he put on a flawless display of both subservience and intimacy.

Furthermore, calculating the time, the fact that he was already at the North Mountain Manor proved that he had indeed set off the moment Kaios had his accident. Without any delay, it would have been impossible to arrive so quickly.

If Kaios didn't have the ability to see the Goodwill Light Ring, even as a Transmigrator, and even with his Emotion Perception Superpower, he probably would have been completely fooled by Beinam's act. He would have genuinely believed that this man was a trusted friend, a wise mentor, and a reliable powerhouse for the original host.

"Get up, quickly! You have no idea how happy I am to see you at a time like this!" Kaios stood up, bypassed his desk, and helped him to his feet with an equally emotional expression.

However, Beinam looked at him with slight surprise. "My Lord, you seem... different than before?"

Kaios sighed. "While I was unconscious, I had a very, very long dream. It felt like I was trapped in an utterly empty void. I stayed there for so long that I almost went mad. By the time I woke up, I couldn't remember many, many things. For a brief moment, I even forgot my own name."

Recalling his past life on Earth, Kaios kept his tone as ethereal and his gaze as hollow as possible. After muttering for a moment, he suddenly looked at Beinam, his eyes regaining focus and his tone laced with a hint of excitement. "But the moment I heard your name from the Housekeeper, I immediately felt a sense of familiarity and warmth. So, after a few incidents happened these past couple of days, I immediately asked the Housekeeper to contact you and ask you to return. I never expected you to already be on your way... Now that I'm actually seeing you in person, I'm even more certain of that feeling. You must be someone I can trust!"

"My Lord..." Acting as if he was unable to control his emotions, Beinam grabbed Kaios's hands. His voice even choked up a little. "You have suffered, My Lord! Beinam... Beinam will never betray your trust!"

To be completely honest, not only was Beinam's strength formidable, but his acting skills were also Excellent. If he were tossed onto Earth from Kaios's past life, even without his abilities as a Spiritual Energy Warrior, he would undoubtedly become a massive star just by relying on his looks and acting. He would have lived a life of luxury.

Although there were slight differences in the details of what Kaios just said, it was ultimately the exact same routine he had used on Harvey when he first woke up.

If he had met Beinam first immediately after transmigrating, with this Oscar-worthy performance, Kaios definitely wouldn't have noticed any issues.

However, with the red ring setting his preconceived notions, coupled with having already seen Harvey's genuine reaction in a similar situation, Kaios could easily spot that Beinam's response was filled with deliberate acting and flawed details.

After his explosive display of acting, Beinam immediately began to express concern over Kaios's "condition," carefully asking about his physical state.

Facing this Top Tier Spiritual Energy Warrior, Kaios didn't dare say too much. Thus, after exchanging a few brief words, he shifted the topic to Cares and Zhu He's two abnormal episodes of Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain. He deliberately tied these two incidents to his own sudden coma to observe Beinam's reaction.

Of course, he didn't mention that he and Pete were secretly investigating the "spy." He only claimed that right as he was preparing to promote Zhu He and give him rewards, the man suddenly suffered an episode of Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain.

"This condition of Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain is a risk that Spiritual Energy Warriors who practice Cultivation must bear. It can't be helped. At the very least, there is currently no effective way to treat it or prevent an episode. Even if someone wanted to manipulate it from behind the scenes, it would be extremely difficult to precisely control the exact moment it strikes. However, you don't need to worry, My Lord. As long as you stay within the manor and avoid direct contact with Spiritual Energy Warriors from other families, you won't be harmed no matter what. The main thing is... you mentioned that you were outside in the garden and witnessed the entire event when Cares caused a ruckus in the manor? How did you feel at that time, My Lord?"

Beinam simply glossed over the two individuals who had suffered from Spiritual Energy Rushing into the Brain, not even bothering to fake an investigation. He was basically entirely focused on "caring" about Kaios's physical and mental state, as well as his reactions and feelings at the time.

Without his preconceived judgment, to be fair, Beinam's performance would be impeccable. He was just caring about his Lord, after all!

But now, Kaios carefully analyzed his every word, searching for the underlying motive behind each sentence. It didn't take long for him to realize what Beinam was truly focused on.

"My Lord, after waking up, have you also forgotten our Body Nourishing Secret Skill?" Beinam suddenly asked.

"Body Nourishing Secret Skill?" This had originally been one of the reasons Kaios asked Beinam to return, but now he had to raise his guard to the absolute maximum.