"Young Master, please calm your anger," a young man whispered into the ear of the young master before him, who wore an expensive robe embroidered with gold and silver. One glance was enough to know not to offend him.
"What the fuck did you say? You can't even capture a maid and bring her to my room? She should be grateful that I fancy her!" The young master slammed the table with such force that it creaked under the impact, and his voice echoed through the room. The surrounding servants trembled in fear.
"Of course, the lowly maid should be grateful to be embraced by the young master, but she is still the favored maid of your sister. Interfering will only cause problems," the young man said calmly.
Suddenly, the young master's fist struck his face, slamming him against the wall. Blood trickled from his mouth, and the sound of breaking bones reverberated through the room. Silence fell.
"That bitch is going to be sold off by my shitty father, and you can't even capture her maid? What the fuck? Problems are inevitable. Do you think I'm scared of her?" The young master shouted, beating the maid beside him almost to death. The young man received only a single punch, while other servants fared no better.
'Shit! That fucking hurt. That useless son of a bitch will kill me one day.' Li Paozhen pushed through the pain and quickly swallowed healing pills. Warmth spread through his body as his broken ribs mended.
'Okay… for now, just lie low and watch the situation.' He thought, noting the chaos in the room. The young master wasn't satisfied with simply beating some maids; he also punished his servants. Of course, he didn't kill them. He was foolish, but not a complete idiot. In this world of cultivation, taking a life was as easy as killing an ant—but killing one's own servants was unwise.
'Now, to shine.' Li Paozhen, one of the core servants of the young master known as Five Fingers, prepared his next move.
"Young Master, the young mistress will leave the mansion the day after tomorrow. I will drug the maid's water and bring her to your room," Li Paozhen said calmly, kneeling on the floor.
The young master, exhausted from beating those around him, nodded in approval.
"Good! I want that bitch's maid on my bed," he said, satisfaction written across his face.
"Leave and clean this room." The servants began tidying the wreckage of broken furniture and bruised bodies. They quickly took healing pills to mend their wounds. In this world of cultivation, getting beaten was standard; the young master had not used Qi, so no one was in mortal danger.
After an hour of cleaning, Li Paozhen looked at the young master, who had closed his eyes in meditation.
"Send her to the medical hall for treatment," he ordered, gesturing toward the maid who had been beaten the most. Her face was swollen, her teeth broken—she was barely recognizable.
'If I'm not mistaken, her name is Xue… her pussy is… tight. I should pay a visit after she heals,' Paozhen reminded himself. Like his master, he had been corrupted by power. He had climbed quickly to his current position by exploiting human nature—lust, ambition, fear.
'Phase one is complete. Only the final phase remains. As they say, the fruit hardest to obtain is the sweetest.' He would step on anyone necessary to survive in this cruel world.
Leaving the room, he began planning his next moves.
'This mansion is huge…'
It had been eighteen years since he was reincarnated in this world. Today was his birthday—he had just turned eighteen.
Born to an ordinary family of servants to the Len family, one of the four main families of Shenmu Town, Paozhen had been favored by fortune. Shenmu Town was a second-tier town, wealthy with a deep foundation. His parents had no chance to enter the Len family mansion, but he had spiritual roots and was chosen to serve a young master of the main family—either a jackpot or a curse. From a young age, he had been conditioned to serve like a dog, with parasites implanted to kill on command. Life had been worse than a dog's.
'I need to go home and see my beautiful wife,' Paozhen muttered. At sixteen, he had been married by the order of his young master. His wife was gorgeous, leaving him no reason to refuse.
He walked through the mansion and entered the storage room he had converted into a meeting place. Ten young men he had befriended in childhood were loyal to him—a bond forged over decades.
"How's the situation?" they asked as he entered.
"Good! Everything is proceeding smoothly," Paozhen replied, sitting in the central seat with a calm expression. Everyone treated him as their natural leader.
"Feng, were you able to befriend the new guard?" Paozhen asked.
"No problems, Big Brother Pao. Smoothly done. I brought him to the Red District—booze and women convinced him. He's ready to be used," Feng replied with a smile.
"Good. And you, Hao? I want details on new maids, especially those with spiritual roots and notable backgrounds." Paozhen poured expensive spirit alcohol, a reward for his hard work in a harsh world.
"Brother Zhen, as you know, these new maids are arrogant until reality hits. I've gathered their names and family backgrounds. The youngest is six, with purple spiritual roots," Hao said.
"Six and purple? That one's out of our hands. And the others?"
"The oldest is twelve, with yellow spiritual roots. She's expected to train as a specialized cleaning maid."
"I see. Twelve years old—unlikely to become a personal maid. But with spiritual roots, she could earn a good place if smart." Paozhen sipped his spirit, thinking.
"Try to invest in her. Any updates?"
"This batch is talented—120 recruited. A big success."
"Good. Gather as much information as you can."
"Deng, did you get what I asked?" Paozhen turned to another man.
"100% smoothly. Here are the items. Cost a lot from our bank; personal spending is best avoided," the man said, sighing.
"Excellent. I know I can rely on you," Paozhen laughed, pleased with the progress.
"Brother, what about the thing I asked?" another young man said, embarrassed.
"Little Zheng, don't worry. I asked her, and she agreed to a date," Paozhen said with a smile. Little Zheng hugged him happily, and their small meeting lasted nearly three hours before Paozhen returned home with satisfaction.