The Secretly Rich Man

The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2432

"Still... I never expected you to know Phoebe's secret!" added Marcel in a curious tone.

Whatever the case was, Gerald couldn't help but sigh in relief. After all, Marcel's response was a clear sign that Phoebe really was a descendant of the ancient witches. That meant that her son was an heir of the witches as well. He remembered Zeman telling him that all witch descendants required the Divine fruit in order to awaken the power in their blood.

Even if awakening their power wasn't their goal, they still needed the fruit. After all, due to their ancestors tampering so much with medicines, the sequelae in their bodies were passed down to their descendants. With that in mind, failing to get access to the Divine fruit-before their sixteenth birthday would often result in the descendants' deaths. It was probably why Phoebe was searching for the Divine Fruit tree so desperately.

That aside, Gerald couldn't help but spot a new issue. Since the ancient witches had mostly died out, Phoebe shouldn't have that many enemies to deal with. With that in mind, why was she still being so cautious? Aside from that, Marcel didn't exactly look like a heartless person. With that in mind, why did he abandon his wife and son?

Gerald's train of thought was cut short when he noticed Marcel looking like he was about to pass out, no doubt from the earlier collision. With that in mind, he quickly injected a stream of healing essential qi int Marcel's body.

It didn't take long for Marcel to feel much better. Understanding that Gerald had helped him, he was then prompted to politely exclaim, "...Thank you, Mr. Crawford...!"

"Though Mr. Crawford looks young, he's actually an advanced cultivator, Ferb. That aside, he needs Phoebe's help to bring him to the area where the witches built their formations. If all goes well, he'll surely repay you generously," said the professor.

"I can see that... Regardless, though Mr. Crawford doesn't look like those who came after Phoebe before this... I'm sorry but I can't tell him! It's for Phoebe and our son's sake...!" replied Marcel, looking like he had just been reminded of something horrible.

Now looking concerned, the professor couldn't help but ask, "...What happened, exactly...?"

After staring at Gerald and the others for a while, Marcel eventually explained, "Due to Phoebe's identity, she once brought a huge disaster to her family I'm sure you're aware that Phoebe's hometown is in Jay City, but did you know that the Willows were a prestigious family who had flourished for over a thousand years? Sadly, something terrible happened to her family around forty years ago. Phoebe was only a child when nearly five hundred Willows were assassinated in one night... In the end, the only survivors were Phoebe and her mother who had helped her escape!"

"That..." muttered the professor whose face had stiffened by this point.

Gerald himself couldn't help but frown as he asked, "Just how big was that feud for such a mass assassination to take place?"

"All of that happened due to a special fruit... You see, Phoebe is one of the ancient witch descendants who escaped to Jay City and had her name changed to Willow. The Willows themselves never harmed anyone with their witchcraft, and they even made sure to properly run their businesses. That aside, the Willows had a tradition of feeding their children a special fruit when they grew to the age of six. If the fruit wasn't consumed, the descendants would most likely die between the ages of twelve and sixteen..."

"The Divine Fruit," replied Gerald with a nod.

"Exactly. Either way, the assassination took place on the third day after Phoebe and the other children her age consumed the fruits. Phoebe and her mother were only able to escape since they hid inside a well. Even so, the culprit was aware that they were missing, so he immediately began tracking them down..."

"The hunt continued for six years, and throughout that time, Phoebe and her mother had traveled across the desert and lived in the primeval forest. Eventually, however, Phoebe's mother was unable to bear all that stress and ended up dying from illness! It was sometime later when Phoebe retrieved all the Willow family's scrolls and took her time studying alone atop a mountain... Once she was done, she made a disguise for herself so that she could study and enter society again," explained Marcel.

"So... She was a descendant of the ancient witches this entire time... No wonder she was so familiar with herbs. Now that I know her backstory, I don't blame her for being so withdrawn either..." muttered the professor with a sigh.