"FOOLS!"
"You are all incompetent fools! How long does this Prince need to wait? This Prince does not want to wait any longer! This Prince wants that throne! This Prince deserves that throne! That throne is MINE!"
A man who looked no older than thirty-five was venting. He was shouting, throwing things around the room. His eyes were bloodshot, veins protruding from his neck, ready to burst. He was panting, out of breath from throwing a tantrum.
His face had sharp features. He was actually quite a handsome man—as long as he didn't glare until his eyes looked ready to fall off, or purse his lips until the veins around his face bulged.
The man who looked as if he were about to morph into a demon was Mu Yiran, the Crown Prince of the Wusheng Empire—the very one for whom Captain Bai had been nearly executed, after failing to stop his kidnapping.
He was now throwing a tantrum in a luxurious room filled with antiques. A table had been set with exotic dishes and fruits, a few jugs of expensive, fragrant wine. Not to mention the beauties—serving him, feeding him.
That same luxurious room was now in chaos, a witness to Mu Yiran's fury. Shattered vases littered the floor, tables had been flipped, food was strewn everywhere, wine splashed across the floor, jugs broken.
And the beauties—they bore the worst. One woman lay unconscious, her arm broken. Another had burn marks on her face, tears falling. A few others huddled together, their bodies marked by whips, crying silently. None of the women had been spared.
Mu Yiran was indulging in his desires—both wine and flesh—when a Low Immortal Level Four Lingxu disciple brought him news of Bai Xunli's escape.
The disciple was kneeling. There was blood on one side of his face. He nearly fainted. He had been kneeling on the hard floor for two hours. He had witnessed Mu Yiran's rampage for two hours. He had even gotten hit a few times, and was bleeding because of it.
He didn't dare move. Mu Yiran's bad temper was well known among the lower-ranking disciples. No one wanted to deliver the news. He had drawn the short straw. I will have to wash my body with flower water... if I survive. He was fighting unconsciousness.
Mu Yiran huffed and sat down. "Bring me new wine!"
A woman, wearing minimal clothing, curtsied. "Yes, Your Highness." She scurried away.
Other women, dressed similarly, immediately moved to clean the room. Mu Yiran sitting was like a signal: 'I'm done rampaging. Now clean. We return to normal.'
He picked up a broken wine jug that still had a little wine in it and downed it in one gulp.
He shattered the empty jug and turned to the poor disciple.
"What is Jian Wushuan doing now? Searching for that escaped slut? He better be."
Before the disciple could answer, a fragrant scent wafted into the room.
Mu Yiran inhaled deeply, his entire body relaxing. He leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent like his life depended on it.
"Hmmm... it's very fragrant. You are the best, Yanyan."
A woman stepped into the room, barefoot. Her toes were painted red. She wore a nearly see-through skirt that flowed like mist around her legs. A gold anklet wrapped around one ankle, a tiny bell attached—its sound soft and hypnotic, matching the sway of her hips.
The transparent fabric brushed gently against the kneeling disciple's face as she passed. His eyes glazed over. The pain vanished. His face went slack with bliss.
He looked up—and nearly died from a nosebleed.
Through the gauzy fabric, he saw her perfectly round, bouncy bottom moving in rhythm with the bell. Each step was a visual spell. She wore nothing but a crimson dudou (ancient Chinese bra), her flawless white back fully exposed, glowing under the light.
She reached out her arms, touching Mu Yiran's bare upper body. Her slender fingers with red painted nails traced muscled abdomen. She climbed onto Mu Yiran, her hands continuing upward to cup his face.
Mu Yiran encircled his arms around her, reaching for the duduo knot on her back and pulled. The red silk fabric fell slowly, caressing.
The woman giggled, sounding like an invitation.
Mu Yiran kissed the woman's lips roughly. She met his kiss with the same hunger. One of his hands rested on the back of her neck, pulling her in, holding her for the kiss. His other hand ventured across her chest.
She gasped and moaned between kisses.
Their movements were getting more and more passionate. Clothes fell one by one. Soon, the room was filled with lustful moans and the creaking of wooden chair.
And the disciple… the poor nose-bleed disciple, was kneeling and forced – maybe not – to watched the entire scene.
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Han Zhaofeng sighed. "Only now do I see that ICEB has lost authority ever since that formation was erected."
He gazed around the room. The Enforcers were looking down, avoiding his eyes, not wanting to remember their fall from grace.
He rested his gaze on Gu Tianzhu. "I was too blinded to see the whole picture. My focus was the Crown Prince's illness. I never thought he would be poisoned."
He moved his gaze to Xuan Tian, "Even when Bai Xunli showed me the reports, I refused to believe her. I dismissed her. I… I punished her by sending her to be the Crown Prince's guard. Disguising it as a precaution so no one would harm the Crown Prince again. I assigned Feng Liang with her to keep her in check. Who would've thought…"
Han Zhaofeng broke off mid-sentence. His breath became irregular.
Xuan Tian leaned forward. "Han Shengzun, Captain Feng's death was unfortunate, but Captain Bai is here. She's been saved."
He looked at Han Zhaofeng. His gaze didn't waver.
Han Zhaofeng swallowed, and nodded. "Yes, that's what's important. Thank you, Shengzun."
"No need. Without ICEB, I would've rescued her."
Han Zhaofeng smiled, "Yes, yes you would have, Shengzun."
He paused.
He then turned to Gu Tianzhu, "Please continue."
"After Zhaoyun returned and informed us about the formation, we realized that Lingxu was very likely behind this. We never thought that they would be this brazen. All this time, we cultivators have kept our distance from politics and hurting humans and innocents. And they were doing all that."
Gu Tianzhu looked at Xuan Tian, "It was like we were slapped hard in the face. It is both humiliating and humbling. Mu Xuanyan Shengzun then held a meeting with all Elders. In that meeting, we decided, that Ziyu will fight against Lingxu. But we didn't know how. We have been out of the loop for so long. All we know is cultivating… and finding a way to ascend."
Gu Tianzhu said the last part while glancing briefly at Xuan Tian.