Over the past few months especially, Miao Huacheng felt that fortune had truly smiled upon him. His gains had been tremendous.
First, the Jiang family widow had arrived with a large trove of valuable goods seeking his protection, causing the Miao family's assets to double overnight. Later, he had presented that mysterious turtle shell to the Yunxia Sect, and an Yunxia Elder had personally promised to nurture his son, Miao Lin, in the future. The Elder had even bestowed upon him several pills for cultivation.
His son being valued so highly filled Miao Huacheng with genuine relief and joy. The fact that the Yunxia Sect had taken Miao Lin along on something as important as the exploration of the Hidden Island spoke volumes about their sincerity.
Miao Lin had once told him that he intended to take a girl named Yu Aoqing as his wife. If his son succeeded in that endeavor, then Miao Huacheng's own standing would naturally rise along with it. He had already looked into the matter thoroughly — Yu Aoqing was the only daughter of one of the Yunxia Sect's Elders. If his son could truly win her over, the Miao family's future would be nothing short of radiant.
The only thing that struck him as somewhat of a pity was that the Jiang family's madam had resisted far too fiercely on that day, and he had failed to have his way with her. Whenever he recalled that sister-in-law's voluptuous, fair-skinned body and her dignified, stunning face, Miao Huacheng felt a twinge of regret. Had he not been so furious at the time, he would never have sold her to the Thousand Gold Tavern. He should have kept her behind and disciplined her properly until she was docile and compliant — reduced to his personal plaything.
A woman, once she ended up in bed, could be molded however one pleased. Pleasure her well enough, and she would never want to leave.
Later, when Miao Huacheng had visited the Thousand Gold Tavern for entertainment, the madam had told him that the sister-in-law had actually scarred her own face — so fierce and chaste that she could no longer receive clients. With no other choice, the tavern had resold her to the Yunxia Sect.
Hmph. Falling into the hands of the Yunxia Sect — could anything good come of that? Miao Huacheng sneered. Such was the fate of those who failed to appreciate kindness when it was offered.
He took a sip of strong liquor and let out a hearty laugh. With an arm draped around each of his two beautiful maids, he felt a heady rush of triumph — like a spring breeze on galloping hooves.
The two maids flanking him, one on each side, were girls he had recently ransomed from the Thousand Gold Tavern. They were delicate and pleasing to the eye, gorgeous and captivating. Miao Huacheng had spent the past several days tumbling with them in bed.
At this moment, the three of them sat together on the bed. A small table had been placed on it, bearing several plates of exquisite dishes. Miao Huacheng at least wore a night robe. The two maids, however, were barely dressed at all — nothing more than thin undergarments. Eighty percent of their beautiful figures were on display: slender waists, long shapely legs, full breasts and perky backsides — a feast for the eyes.
As they drank and caroused, Miao Huacheng periodically ran his hands over the young bodies beside him, his gaze growing misty and his spirits rising with excitement.
"Clear the table. Master will teach you two a new trick!" Miao Huacheng waved his hand and slurred drunkenly.
The two maids rose with giggles and removed the table along with the food and wine.
"Heh heh, come here!" Miao Huacheng beckoned to them with a lecherous grin. The moment they approached the bedside, he suddenly pulled them into his arms.
In a matter of moments, the two girls' undergarments had been stripped away.
Miao Huacheng laid them side by side on the bed, removed his own clothing, and lunged like a starving dog onto one of the supple bodies, about to take action — when a shrill, truncated scream suddenly pierced the air from outside the door.
The cry sent a chill straight through Miao Huacheng's heart. He sprang to his feet almost instantaneously.
From outside came an enraged bellow: "What brat dares to cause trouble in the Miao residence?!"
The words had barely ended when another dull thud sounded. The surrounding guards mobilized in unison, roaring furiously — a fight had clearly broken out. Miao Huacheng did not rush out. Instead, he tilted his head and listened carefully. After a moment, his expression changed. He realized that the intruder's strength was formidable. The guards he had hired were being cut down one after another.
Yang Kai strode through the gates of the Miao estate dressed entirely in black, a steel blade he had picked up casually gripped in his hand. Where the blade's light flashed, someone fell dead!
The martial artists of minor families like this were nothing compared to the disciples of proper sects. Many of the guards they hired were people who had realized they had little future in the martial path. They had given up on continuing their cultivation and pledged themselves to these families simply to make a living.
The Miao family was no great power. How strong could those they managed to recruit possibly be?
Yang Kai had already gathered complete intelligence on the Miao family days ago. The strongest among them was Miao Huacheng himself, who had only reached the peak of the Separation-Union Realm. A handful of the other guards were also at the Separation-Union Realm, but the majority were merely Qi Movement Realm martial artists.
These people were middling in talent. After twenty or thirty years — or even longer — of cultivation, they had only managed to reach their current level. Miao Huacheng had recruited them to serve as guards, lending their strength to a tyrant's cause.
Yang Kai had been detected by these guards the moment he broke in. In the exchange that followed, lasting no more than ten breaths, several had already fallen.
Having reached the ninth level of the Qi Movement Realm, Yang Kai's cultivation alone placed him well above most of the Miao family's guards. And that was without accounting for the fact that he had come in a state of fury — his Yuan Qi surging violently within him, on the verge of boiling over. His murderous aura pressed down like a physical force, making him appear like a fiend from the depths of hell. In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes gleamed with savage light.
This killing intent left the Miao family guards stricken with terror.
Against the Yunxia Sect, Yang Kai had had no choice but to rely on the hand of Ancient Cloud Island. But against the Miao family, he would strike on his own. Grudges could only truly be settled when settled with one's own hands.
"Boy, who exactly are you?" One of the Miao family's Separation-Union Realm guards furrowed his brow and demanded. "So young, yet possessing such strength — which island's disciple are you?"
To have reached the peak of the Qi Movement Realm at such a young age — aside from the disciples of the overseas islands, no family in Sea City could possibly produce such talent. The guard was genuinely apprehensive. Not a single power among the overseas forces was one the Miaos could afford to provoke.
If they killed this young man and inadvertently brought trouble beyond what they could handle, things would go very badly indeed. He had taken Miao Huacheng's silver and worked for the Miao family, but he had no desire to drag disaster down upon himself.
Still, this youth was peculiar. Since breaking through the gate, he had not uttered a single word — only killing. It was infuriating. Every grudge had its source, every debt its debtor. Even if you had come to slaughter the Miao household, surely you needed some reason for it?
"Young man, from which master do you take your training? Might you tell me?" the guard asked once more, out of caution.