Chapter 1281

Half a day had passed, but Jameson, Lauren, and several key members of the Rhodes family still waited anxiously in the backyard of the Rhodes residence, outside the secret chamber.

“Mr. Rhodes, do you think something might have gone wrong?” an elderly man could not help asking.

Jameson waved his hand dismissively. “No, I trust Andrew. With his abilities, even if Tiana doesn’t succeed, she shouldn’t be in any danger!”

Lauren reassured herself. “Yes, I believe in Andrew! Both he and Mom will definitely be fine!”

At that moment, the stone door of the secret chamber slid open on both sides. Lauren looked over immediately and exclaimed with delight, “Andrew, is it over? Wait, why do you look like that?”

The chamber was pitch black inside, and nothing could be seen.

Andrew emerged holding onto the doorframe, his body completely soaked with sweat. With a weak smile on his face, he addressed the Rhodes family members, “It’s over. Mrs. Rhodes is fine.”

As for why he looked the way he did—well, that was something to ask Tiana about.

Fortunately, Andrew was only drenched in sweat, and his clothes were not in disarray. If that had been the case, Jameson and the others, no matter how much they trusted him, would probably have started to think otherwise.

Jameson quickly said, “Lauren, help Andrew to the front hall to rest!”

As he spoke, he was about to rush into the secret chamber.

Andrew hurriedly called out, “Mr. Rhodes, it’s not appropriate for you to go in right now. Let Lauren go instead.”

Jameson paused, somewhat puzzled. But he had unconditional trust in Andrew, so he smiled and said, “That works too. Lauren, check on your mother quickly. I’ll help Andrew to the rest area.”

“Oh,” Lauren replied before quickly running into the secret chamber.

Meanwhile, Andrew followed Jameson and the others to the front hall to rest. He did not want to create a scene where Jameson entered the chamber and found Tiana completely undressed.

Lauren, being female and having complete trust in him, seemed to Andrew to be the more appropriate person to see Tiana. At the very least, she could help Tiana get properly dressed before coming out to meet everyone.

The elders of the Rhodes family were all very eager to know, “Mr. Lloyd, has Mrs. Rhodes broken through to the martial king level?”

Andrew shook his head, then nodded. Everyone exchanged confused glances, not understanding what Andrew meant.

Jameson, while hoping Tiana would leap to become a top–tier martial artist and propel the Rhodes family to new heights, could also accept failure gracefully. After all, Tiana had indeed been too hasty in her pursuit.

He waved his hand and smiled at Andrew, “Andrew, you shouldn’t feel any guilt or psychological burden. If Tiana’s martial arts skills could reach a higher level, it would certainly be wonderful news for the Rhodes family.

“But if she didn’t achieve it, neither I nor anyone else would be disappointed. After all, the time wasn’t right, and you’ve already done very well!”

Andrew smiled and said, “Mr. Rhodes, actually, Mrs. Rhodes’s martial arts have indeed broken through. She has entered the martial king ranks, though she can only be considered at the entry level of a martial king.

“Her advancement relied too heavily on external forces. She’ll need to spend a lot of time settling and refining her skills before she can be considered a true martial king.”

Jameson and the other family elders of the Rhodes family were stunned at first, then broke into wild jubilation. They immediately expressed their profound gratitude to Andrew.

Jameson, in particular, grabbed both of Andrew’s hands and excitedly said, “Andrew, stay for the night! Later, the entire Rhodes family and I will host a family banquet for you.

“Oh, and Lauren’s court dance is extraordinarily brilliant! I’ll arrange for her to dance solo for you tonight, so you can enjoy the pleasure fit for an emperor!”

Andrew smiled wryly and declined, “I’ll pass, Mr. Rhodes. Right now, I couldn’t appreciate any dance performance.”

He was exhausted and only wanted to rest. More importantly, he just wanted to stay far away from Tiana.

This mother–in–law was becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous to him.

Jameson was about to arrange other entertainment when Tiana’s calm voice came from behind them.