A Replacement Bride

Chapter 387

Chapter 386 Ancestral Shrine

"We're leaving now. If someone comes to take the box, just fake it when fighting them. And let them take it away."

Hearing that, Joaquin was a little dubious. "You took the box so that they can take it away?"

Katherine smiled with a confident and certain expression. "That's right. If we don't let them take it from us, how would I give Jayden a taste of his own medicine?"

As the two spoke, they walked out of the bank.

Before he could ask her what exactly she was scheming, her guess was right, and a few men dressed in black swarmed over out of the blue, intending to take the box in her hands. The poorly executed plan and the fact that it was carried out at the entrance of the bank showed that these people were not planning to let her take the box into the car.

His expression hardening, Joaquin immediately rushed forward and stood in front of Katherine to protect her. Just then, a few people rushed out from the bank and darted behind Katherine before rapidly snatching the wooden box away from her hand.

With her back toward them, a spark suddenly flashed past Katherine's eyes, and she tightened her grip so that the box would not fall into their hands easily. However, she only put up a fight for a short moment before the men eventually snatched the box. Seeing this, their leader instantly retreated with his men. In just ten minutes, these people vanished without a trace, leaving even the bank security dumbfounded and wide-eyed.

With a glance at each other, Katherine and Joaquin didn't linger any longer and quickly entered the car. After the car pulled away from the bank, Joaquin maneuvered the steering wheel with one hand and

rested the other on the window, his cheek on his hand as he let out a small laugh, his expression turning relaxed.

"All right, what exactly did you put in the wooden box?"

Katherine looked at the fleeting scenery through the window carelessly, in a good mood as well, and she asked instead of answering, "Before or after?"

Joaquin raised his eyebrows before idly saying, "Both." © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Katherine shrugged with a nonchalant expression. "If it's before, I don't know, but I know very well what's after—it's a reagent I developed myself."

Stopping at a red light, Joaquin looked at her sideways with a quizzical gaze. "A reagent you developed yourself?"

"Yeah, that's right. Just in case, I took two bottles before leaving LW Laboratory. I didn't expect to use it so soon."

Didn't expect it? Joaquin didn't believe her and said, "Looks like you thought things through. You even predicted that the accident today would happen and what Jayden would do next."

Katherine smiled humbly. "A great fighter doesn't only think of what's next. It's only by thinking further ahead and considering your opponent's next moves that you can fully prevent anything from going on."

Joaquin nodded to indicate that he approved, his lips raising into a smile as he was filled with pride.

"What does that reagent do?" he asked.

At this question, Katherine's eyes turned smug as she turned to look at him pridefully. "Although the reagent isn't that powerful, it's not weak either, and it might even cause harm at a close distance. The

bottle is custom-built, and as long as someone opens that wooden box, it'll explode automatically, causing the reagent to turn into a gas. The person who opens the box won't be able to dodge it in time, and they'll be burned by the gas as soon as they come into contact with it."

Hearing that, Joaquin let out a laugh. "That's awesome."

"Of course." Katherine lifted her brow before continuing, "Besides, the wound it leaves will be a little special due to the gas. As long as I see it, I'll immediately know who opened the box."

"Who do you think it'll be?"

Katherine shot him a look. "Do you still have to ask such an easy question? Besides Jayden, who else could it be?"

Joaquin laughed. "Well, what if one of his lackeys opened it before him on the way back?"

Katherine raised her thin hands and waved at him. "That's impossible. Someone like Jayden will never let his lackeys encroach on his power. He likes to feel like he has everything in the palm of his hand, so of course he'll be the one to open something this important. His men won't be that stupid."

Her tone was carefree and instantly lifted Joaquin's mood as well. He watched her extended finger out of the corner of his eye and felt an itch in his heart, wanting to take her hand in his and play with it gently. However, the light turned green, so he could only tuck his intentions away and focus on driving.

"And what was in the box before? What do you mean when you say you don't know?"

At this question, Katherine thought for a moment and told him without hiding anything, "There was only a sheet of paper in the box and the words 'ancestral shrine,' so I'm guessing that Grandpa left something important there, or maybe even hid it."

"The Olsen Family's ancestral shrine?" Joaquin was a little taken aback by her words. "Isn't it in Kyoland?"

"Yeah." Katherine slumped in her seat, feeling a little glum. "Say, why did Grandpa do all of this? Putting a sheet of paper in Regal Summit Bank but storing the actual item in a shrine in Kyoland—isn't he just toying with us?"

She hadn't expected that after coming all the way to this place and even getting chased by mercenaries, they still had to turn back.

Spotting her huffy face from the corner of his eyes, Joaquin couldn't help but feel amused.

"Grandpa definitely has his reasons for doing this. Maybe it's safer this way. However, this also shows that this belonging of his is extremely important, and it probably is just as powerful too."

Hearing that, Katherine fell into deep thought before she nodded with a solemn expression. "You're right. Didn't Grandma get hunted down before her identity was even revealed? Those people were after Grandpa's belongings, so whatever he's hiding definitely can't be underestimated."

Then, she hesitated for a moment before mumbling, "But I can't believe he hid it in the Olsen Family's ancestral shrine. They've fallen from power recently and aren't as powerful or influential as before, and I heard that they've all settled down as regular people now."

Joaquin hummed in reply. "I know this. I've heard about the Olsen Family when I was on a mission before, and I've passed by their ancestral shrine too."

"Eh?" Katherine's eyes brightened. "You've been there?"

"Yes. The Olsen Family's shrine isn't in their mansion but in a remote area in Kyoland. Their previous mansion has already been sold and doesn't belong to them anymore, and as for the shrine, they rarely

go there except for important occasions."