Whoosh!
As dawn approached, Zhuo Fan carried a pretty girl in each hand to his courtyard. The guards were taken aback seeing this steward locked up for ten-odd days, only to follow up with a knowing smile.
One even teased, "Steward Zhuo, last night must've been exhausting for you!"
Long Kui happened to pass by and saw him with two beauties. She frowned and rolled her eyes as she walked away with large steps. She ignored him while her mouth kept criticizing, "Men are all the same."
Zhuo Fan didn't care that they misunderstood and threw the two in his room. He closed the door and sat on a chair.
"Ow!"
Xiao Cui recovered from hitting the ground and rubbed her eyes, "Where is this?" But shouted when her eyes landed on the other woman, "Young miss, are you alright?"
The woman laid motionless on the floor, presenting her delectable assets to Zhuo Fan to see.
Smiling, Zhuo Fan moved his finger and she regained her freedom.
The woman rose in a flash and reached for her ankle. Her hand now had a dagger that rushed at Zhuo's neck.
Yet, only a groan came as the dagger stopped an inch from his throat as she froze in place.
Zhuo Fan admired her with a sneer, "Nice skills, but that won't work on me. I only invited you over to clarify some things. If you are honest, I will let you go.
"Also, it's best if you don't bare your fangs at me again." Zhuo Fan took the dagger from her hand then spared a second glance to her shapely body, "Oh, we'd have to make sure you have nothing else hiding on you."
Zhuo Fan adopted the frisking posture.
The woman turned beet red, "You dare?"
His hand stopped as Zhuo Fan looked into her eyes, "Whether I dare or not depends on you."
Then his tone turned grave, "Who are you? What are you doing in Windgaze City?"
The woman ignored him.
Whoosh!
Zhuo Fan ripped a part of her clothing wrapped around her waist and threw it to the ground.
"Ah!"
With a shriek the woman's anger exploded. Her eyes seemed to spew fire yet Zhuo Fan couldn't care less.
Xiao Cui rushed over and smacked Zhuo Fan with her tender fists, "Bastard, how dare you do that to young miss!"
Zhuo Fan's other hand moved with ease and some of Xiao Cui's clothing fell on the floor. She was stunned for a second before shooting back and holding her clothes tighter with tears swelling in her eyes.
Zhuo Fan was nonplussed, asking in the same calm voice, "Who are you? What are you doing in Windgaze City?"
Gnashing her teeth, the woman bit her lips in answer.
Her clothing was torn to shreds before as Zhuo Fan repeated with coldness, "Who are you? What are you doing in Windgaze City?"
Zhuo Fan's cruelty was akin to a heartless machine that brought fear to the woman's heart. She finally relaxed her clenched jaw, "I am Blackwind Mountain Mountain Lord's goddaughter, Lei Yuting. I have come to Windgaze City to end the Luo clan."
"Why?" Zhuo Fan's face was unfeeling as if it had nothing to do with him. This only worked to stoke Lei Yuting's fear. This man didn't look human in her eyes.
"Hell Valley will distract the guards while we sneak in."
Zhuo Fan nodded satisfied. He knew this beforehand and asked this to shred her heart's defenses.
The next question was something he wanted to know the most.
"What's your connection with Hell Valley? What do they get by helping you?"
Lei Yuting was at a loss too, "I don't know."
Zhuo Fan kept his eyes on her, and when he found her answer truthful, "How are you in contact with Hell Valley? Who mediates?"
Lei Yuting's eyes shook but her lips pursed.
Zhuo Fan had a guess but he wanted to hear it from her, so he ripped Lei Yuting's shirt.
Her body was exposed to Zhuo Fan's eyes in an instant, leaving only a red lace cloth to protect her final vestige of modesty.
Lei Yuting's tears dropped without a sound. Zhuo Fan's hand closed in on the red cloth as his voice dropped even lower, "This is your last chance to maintain your honor. If you don't answer, there are more than a dozen craving men outside beside me."
"Bastard!" Lei Yuting hissed.
"I'll count to three. One, two…" The higher he got the closer his hand was to the red cloth.
Lei Yuting's bit her lips, close to drawing blood while crying, yet no word came out.
"You're quite brave!" Zhuo Fan nodded and was about to pull when Xiao Cui shouted in panic, "Don't! I beg you, don't bully young miss. It's senior brother Yang who's in contact with Hell Valley."
"Who is he?" Zhuo Fan's curled up an evil smile. Lei Yuting wanted to shout for Xiao Cui to stop, but Zhuo Fan's robbed her voice.
Xiao Cui saw young miss suffering and spoke truthfully, "He is Mountain Lord's disciple, Yang Ming. The Mountain Lord formed a marriage contract between senior brother Yang and young miss. But one day, Luo's Clan Head, Luo Zhennan caught him off-guard and wounded him heavily. He lays paralyzed, unable to even speak…"
"So you thought of catching the Luo clan off-guard?" Zhuo Fan grinned, "Killers must pay and revenge must be dealt, right?
"And then?"
Xiao Cui hesitated but then she saw Zhuo Fan's hand drawing near Lei Yuting's chest, "We were at a loss in the face of Luo clan's tight guard, but then senior brother made a pact with Steward Sun. He worked with us from the inside and defeated the Luo clan. Then Luo clan's young miss ran away and we lost track of her. It was also then when senior brother Yang found out you were all here and asked Hell Valley's help…"
"Good."
Zhuo Fan's hand remained still, "How did you know Mountain Lord was sneak attacked by Luo Zhennan? Did you see it?"
"Senior brother Yang did!"
"Did your senior brother Yang also tell you Returning Dragon Palm can heal him?" Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow as he asked Xiao Cui who nodded. She was amazed he got it right.
With a clear picture, Zhuo Fan withdrew his hand from Lei Yuting's chest.
However, a light voice came from outside, "Zhuo Fan, are you there?"
Luo Yunchang went inside with Luo Yunhai and Captain Pang. The image rooted them in place.
An extra two beauties with messed up clothing were inside, with Zhuo Fan's nefarious hand in front of one's chest. Luo Yunhai was slack-jawed, yet his eyes roamed like lightning.
Covering her brother's eyes, Luo Yunchang shouted at Captain Pang, "Get young master out."
Captain Pang nodded as he carried Luo Yunhai outside, but not before he threw Zhuo Fan a vulgar smile any man would understand.
"Steward Zhuo!"
Luo Yunchang raged, "This is Veiled Dragon Pavilion. Why are you making trouble?"
Shrugging, Zhuo Fan said, "Everything I do is for Luo clan's sake."
"For Luo clan?"
Luo Yunchang laughed from anger, "You bring two flossies to mess around with and you say it's for Luo clan? Didn't you say you were getting stronger? Didn't you say you'll raise the Luo clan above the seven houses in ten years? Is this how you do it?"
Zhuo Fan was stunned. Luo Yunchang carried herself with dignity and virtue at all times, even when angry. Why did she snap today so bad that she lost all composure?
Shaking his head, Zhuo Fan said, "If you knew who they were, you wouldn't be saying that."
Luo Yunchang was skeptical.
"They are from Blackwind Mountain and I was interrogating them." Zhuo Fan sneered at the two girls with messed up clothing, "This method is the most effective against women, even in the case of bandits."
"What, they're from Blackwind Mountain?"
Luo Yunchang's eyes went bloodshot as she used her Yuan Qi to punch Lei Yuting, "Give me back my father."
Zhuo Fan caught her soft hand, "Calm down, I believe Blackwind Mountain and the Luo clan's grievances are connected. The Seven Noble Houses were probably behind it all."
What?
Not only Luo Yunchang, even Lei Yuting and Xiao Cui were stunned.
Both the Luo clan and Blackwind Mountain were mere ants to the Seven Noble Houses. Why go to such lengths to hide their intention when they could deal with them with a snap of their fingers?
Zhuo Fan didn't figure it out yet, but he still let go of Lei Yuting.
"Young miss Lei, I have a presumptuous favor to ask of you." Zhuo Fan bowed, "I want you to take me to Blackwind Mountain. I want to get to the bottom of this."
"Humph, there's no way you can enter Blackwind Mountain." Lei Yuting snorted.
Zhuo Fan smiled at Luo Yunchang, "Young miss, please take out the Returning Dragon Palm."
"Why?"
Luo Yunchang took it out anyway. If others asked for it, she wouldn't have been so quick to respond. But since Zhuo Fan was a 5th-grade array master, he wouldn't covet a mere spirit ranked martial art.
Zhuo Fan smiled, "Young miss Lei, this is the Returning Dragon Palm you wanted. But this is a martial art, it is unable to heal Mountain Lord's wound. I can only ask for you to take me to Blackwind Mountain to investigate. The chance is Yang Ming had always lied to you. We need to make matters clear, otherwise, Luo clan and Blackwind Mountain will be crushed by the seven houses."
"Senior brother Yang is a good man, not a liar." Xiao Cui said.
Zhuo Fan only looked at Lei Yuting, "How could Yang Ming make Luo clan's steward defect after decades under Luo clan and also be in constant contact with Hell Valley? Lei Yuting, do you even know your fiancée?"
Zhuo Fan's words struck a chord inside Lei Yuting and doubt sprouted. Tracing Returning Dragon Palm's jade slip with her hand, she nodded.
Since they gave her the martial art, one passed down through generations, even she found something amiss and agreed. Moreover, Blackwind Mountain was her home and Zhuo Fan was but one man. No trick of his would work there.
Zhuo Fan was pleased, but he cleared his voice in embarrassment the next second, "Miss Lei, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Ah!"
Only now did she react to the vile steward ripping her clothes and could only use her hands for cover.
Luo Yunchang and Xiao Cui shoved Zhuo Fan out the door, "Scram!"
The door slammed behind him as the three girls exchanged a smile. But then it dawned on them how complicated the matter got. They were still enemies and lost their smiles.
Then came Zhuo Fan from outside, "Miss Lei, next time don't forget to wear more."
Lei Yuting was so embarrassed her eyes burned with rage, while her face grew hotter…