Her full name was Jiang Xiaonu.
According to the Grand Elder, his mother bought Xiaonu as a maid to serve him when he was one years old. Although her status was just a maid in the household, Xiaonu was never treated like one—she grew up together with Jiang Yi like a sibling. After the disappearance of the Grand Elder, each depended on the other for survival. If not for Xiaonu's constant encouragement, it would have been hard for Jiang Yi to endure the difficult times.
Just like how dragons had a reverse scale, which would cause death upon contact, one would definitely get themselves killed if they rubbed somebody the wrong way!
Jiang Yi had a reverse scale too, and it was… Jiang Xiaonu!
So when he heard that Xiaonu was in trouble, Jiang Yi exploded with anger. Rushing to the front yard, face brimmed with fury. His ferocious manner gave the messenger girl a huge fright.
He shouted out even before dashing over, "What happened to Xiaonu? Chunya, what did you say happened to Xiaonu?"
Jiang Yi recognized the young girl bearing the news, it was the daughter of an elderly Jiang family chambermaid staying next door. She and Xiaonu were good friends and sometimes would sneak out together for work.
A stupefied Chunya answered with tears brimming in her eyes. "Young Master Jiang Yi, Xiaonu is being beaten up at Fengyue Brothel. The manager says Xiaonu damaged a painting and wants her to pay, or else she will be beaten to death. Quick, get some people to save her…"
"Fengyue Brothel!"
Jiang Yi gave a chilly look. He knew about Fengyue Brothel. It was the Jiang family's biggest brothel in the East City. He had once followed Xiaonu there and knew that she had been working at the brothel's back kitchen washing their laundry and bedding for a few meager taels of silver.
"Get help?"
Jiang Yi shook his head; after Grand Elder's disappearance, no one in the Jiang family valued him, so who would help him? Besides, if the family clan learned of such a embarrassing matter, even if Xiaonu was not beaten to death by the people from Fengyue Brothel, she would no doubt be brought to the disciplinary court and be severely punished…
"Chunya, return first," he instructed quickly. "Remember, don't breathe a single word of this to anyone!"
After that, he took to his heels and dashed out. He did not have the luxury of time to think through the matter. All he could do was head out alone. Even if he was beaten to death, he had to save Jiang Xiaonu.
Seeing Jiang Yi dashing off like the wind and seething with murderous intent, an alarmed Chunya shouted after him, "Young Master Jiang Yi, please don't do anything rash; there are many guards at Fengyue Brothel—all strong and numerous in number…"
However, just moments after chasing after him, she saw Jiang Yi disappear tens of feet away around the corner.
Chunya rubbed her eyes.
"Huh?" she murmured in a surprised voice. "How is Young Master Jiang Yi so fast? Ain't he at the first stage of the Cast Tripod Realm? This speed is at least the second or third stage."
…
Jiang Yi's speed had indeed increased two to three times. In his anxiety, he had used a sliver of black essence force on his left leg, raising his speed to that of a lightning bolt. In about half a minute, he dashed out of the clan's western gate and onto the streets outside. Luckily, he was not seen by anyone from the Jiang family clan, otherwise he would definitely raised some eyebrows…
Unfortunately, after running a few hundred feet, his speed rapidly dropped. The black essence force was exhausted. He wanted to use another wisp of the black essence force to boost his speed again, but he came to his senses quickly.
He had only cultivated for slightly more than two hours and had only extracted five wisps of black essence force. Now that he had expended one wisp, how was he to protect himself when conflict arose in Fengyue Brothel?
"Xiaonu, you need to hang in there!"
He could only crazily circulate the blue essence force as he clenched his teeth and rushed towards Fengyue Brothel. He nearly collided into a few passersby due to his hurry.
Luckily, Fengyue Brothel was in the eastern part of the city, just like the Jiang family's courtyard. Jiang Yi only spent about three minutes to reach East Cloud Street where Fengyue Brothel stood. His eyes quickly fixed on a grand pavilion as he dashed forward once again.
"Sir, come in and enjoy yourself! Our Fengyue Brothel's ladies are best at pampering you!"
"Yes, Sir, come on in! Our Lady Yanhuo has just learned a new trick called Flute Blowing Bosom Moons. It's very enjoyable…"
Despite being a distance away from Fengyue Brothel, he could hear the the pimps outside Fengyue Brothel hustling customers. It was nearing dusk—the time when Fengyue Brothel opened for business.
Jiang Yi had spent four hours taking stock at the Western Hills before spending another few hours studying the black essence force at home. He was engrossed in the miraculous effects of the black essence force that he lost his sense of time. If not, he would have long turned suspicious over Xiaonu's late return…
He was full of remorse as he realized this. He did not divert his way to the backyard, he swept into Fengyue Brothel like wind, preparing to enter through the inner hall to the back.
The two pimps were busy hustling customers and did not notice Jiang Yi, allowing him to dash into the inner hall. Inside, a middle-aged mamasan gyrated her hips and greeted him with a smile. "Oh my! Young man, why are you so impatient? Our ladies…"
Jiang Yi was in no mood to waste his time with the old mamasan. He sniffled and tolerated the smell of cheap perfume and rouge. His eyes focused on the door that led to the backyard. He darted straight for it.
"BANG!"
Using his shoulder, Jiang Yi slammed into the hollow door and smashed into the backyard, his eyes sweeping the area like a blade.
"Where is Xiaonu?"
The backyard was spacious. A few old chambermaids were washing clothes with wooden basins in front of them, but there was no sign of Xiaonu. But he sensed things were not right from the expressions on the old chambermaids' faces. There was fear written on their faces and they kept glancing towards a building in the corner of the backyard.
"Please stop beating me! Master, please stop… Even if you beat me to death, I won't sign the indenture contract… Master, please stop beating. I will think of a way to pay you back…"
A sobbing plea for mercy sounded from the building by the corner of the yard.
Jiang Yi shuddered and immediately shouted, "Xiaonu!"
Swish!
Jiang Yi swiftly rushed towards the building. He gave the closed door a heavy kick that was infused with essence force. The strength of the kick was sufficient to destroy the door into pieces as it fell.
Jiang Yi tore into the room, his eyes sweeping across the room like daggers. What greeted him nearly blew his top.
The room was not big, but in it a stout man was kicking and punching a weak, delicate girl. She was curled on the ground, trembling while constantly crying and begging. However, the man continued to rain down attacks upon her.
BOOM!
When he saw Xiaonu's tragic state, Jiang Yi felt his mind explode. Without a thought, he shot towards the man, essence force surging straight to his fist, he threw at the man's chest.
"Who is it?"
The man was naturally startled when Jiang Yi slammed through the door. Overcoming his initial shock, he sneered when he saw Jiang Yi's punch tearing through the air. "How dare a first-stage Cast Tripod Realm brat be so presumptuous? Are you sick of living!?"
Since the youth dared to barge into Fengyue Brothel to stir trouble, he did not care who he was. A beating was in order. To him, the first or second stage of the Cast Tripod Realm was… nothing to him.
The fourteen-year-old girl on the ground snapped to her senses. When she saw the wrathful Jiang Yi rushing over, she was scared out her wits.
"Young Master," she screamed with all her might, "you are not his match! Ignore me! Leave quickly!"
"Huh?"
Xiaonu's yell reminded Jiang Yi of his weakness, and he immediately mustered a wisp of black essence force at his fist and fused it with the blue essence force.
BOOM!
Ka-cha!
No sooner had the essence force merged did the two fists collided. Jiang Yi jolted and retreated about three to four steps back, but was fine!
But unexpectedly, his opponent flew back, slamming heavily into the wall behind and tumbling to the ground. Cradling his broken arm, he yelled out in excruciating pain…
"Huh…."
Jiang Xiaonu blinked her eyes and looked at her young master. Her eyes clouded with confoundment. Was this her young master?
How did Young Master become so powerful…?
"Let's go, Xiaonu!"
Jiang Yi was no fool. For Fengyue Brothel to become the biggest brothel in East City, how could it not have a major faction backing it? When he rushed in earlier, he had caught a glimpse of a few sentries and guards in the inner hall. It would be a problem if they got surrounded…
He bent down, lifted Xiaonu onto his back and charged out of the room with wide strides. He planned to escape from the backyard. Once he returned to the Jiang family, the people from Fengyue Brothel would not dare to cause a fuss in the family grounds no matter how gutsy they were. After all, the Jiang family was one of the top five great family clans in the Skyplume City.
However, just when Jiang Yi reached the door with Xiaonu on his back, four figures appeared in front of the backyard's door, surrounding them in an instant. A man who looked like a housekeeper rushed out.
"Hmph!" he shouted. "How dare you make trouble in Fengyue Brothel? Little bastard, you wanna die? Beat him up!"
The old chambermaids who were washing laundry scrambled away in fear, looking at Jiang Yi as though he were no different from a dead man. Xiaonu was also trembling with fear.
"Three of them are at the second stage of the Cast Tripod Realm. One of them is at the third stage of the Cast Tripod Realm!"
From the speed of the few guards, Jiang Yi made a general judgment of four guards' strength. A wave of anxiety swept across his mind. How was he to handle that many guards? One of them was even at the third stage of the Cast Tripod Realm…
Years of oppressive living had conditioned his mind. His mental resilience far exceeded that of his peers. He forced himself to calm down. He swept those gathered with a cold glare before locking onto the the housekeeper.
"Wait, wait!" he said, clenching his teeth. "I have no intention to cause trouble in Fengyue Brothel! If you had not beaten my maidservant, I wouldn't have attacked either! I won't be afraid even if this matter is brought up to the city lord! If you want to fight, go on! Let's see if I'm afraid!"
What he got in response was the shadows of the four guards that darted towards him. A few fists came tearing through the air as well.
Jiang Yi's expression turned cold. He could only slide back into the room. Placing Xiaonu on the ground, he once again transferred a wisp of black essence force to his fist and smashed it at the second-stage Cast Tripod Realm warrior who charged in.
"Phantom Punch!"
Not wanting to let the guards in with Xiaonu behind him, Jiang Yi used his best Man-tier superior-grade martial arts technique. This was the only high-class skill he had learned in the Jiang family.
His fist instantly transformed into three phantom shadows, giving an illusion that his fist had split into three, each no different from the real one. He smashed the fists into the attacking guard's left shoulder, right shoulder, and forehead.
"Eh?"
Upon seeing the three fist shadows the moment he burst in, the guard instinctively raised his arms to block the attack; however, Jiang Yi smashed his real fist towards his left shoulder.
BANG!
Everything happened as expected. The second-stage Cast Tripod Realm guard screamed in pain before tumbling back out of the room, along with another guard that was behind him.
"Parlor tricks," the third-stage guard bellowed.
The two guards who were sent flying out opened up a path for the third-stage guard to dash in. He raised his palm and aimed at Jiang Yi's chest!
First- and second-stage Cast Tripod Realm warriors were worlds' apart from third-stage Cast Tripod Realm warriors!
The guard's speed was more than Jiang Yi could handle, and his strength was also a lot more potent. He could determine that from the howling wind produced by the palm strike.
Jiang Yi reacted as quickly as possible by dodging to the side and struck out with his Wrestling Hand towards his opponent's palm in an attempt to offset some of the force. But what left Jiang Yi resigned was that the guard's palm had only been obstructed for a moment before he easily brushed away his strike, and smacked his palm heavily onto Jiang Yi's chest.
The combat strength of a third-stage Cast Tripod Realm was not something he could withstand with his present capabilities…
BANG!
Jiang Yi's body flew up and slammed heavily into the wall, taking Xiaonu down to the floor with him.
Jiang Yi felt his arm turn numb from the clash. A searing pain tore through his left chest. Looking at the opponent's palm turning into a phantom shadow once again, Jiang Yi mumbled bitterly, "It's over. Xiaonu and I won't be able to escape this brothel today…"