Chapter 5: My Humblest New Master
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Hao Jingzhi had just finished putting people to bed, or throwing people without a penny onto the streets, yet the entire place still abuzz with people cleaning up, when a young manservant, with hair, black like obsidian, tied back in a low ponytail, descended the stairs of the main hall. His elegance and grace, the gentle firmness of his steap, his heavenly, unparalleled visage, drawing attention from all around.
With an expression that looked like it was plastered to never smile, eyes dark as a bats, but as shapely as lotus petals, slowly blinked at the audience surveying him, before completely ignoring them to make his way to Hao Jingzhi's side and bow politely.
"Your order, master."
Hao Jingzhi's face immediately revealed a wicked smile, enjoying all the attention that had been suddenly pulled onto himself. He'd had his times, firing servants for their looks or unsightly behavior (such as sneezing at the wrong time), but most of the time, it was his servants who quit first, and by now, any servant that Hao Jingzhi felt was worthy enough of serving by his side had resolutely declined the honor.
Hao Jingzhi's bad temperment and tempestuous emotions were well-known in Taohua Brothel, and this, of course made the courtesans all that much more annoyed, when the jerk who they'd wanted to teach a lesson to in arrogance, had just found himself a piece of the pie all on his own.
However, they were soon to wave it off, it was only so long that that pretty young man would be able to stand such a master, at that time, they'll make sure to snatch him away...
"Let's get to my bath then," harumphed Hao Jingzhi, seeing that he was once more being ignored, turned away to descend to the bath houses. There, they chose to enter the private baths, smelling of roses and chrysanthemums for whatever reason, that were available for only the highest courtesans and guests.
After struggling to get the complicated robes of Hao Jingzhi off and getting cursed by more profanity than he knew existed, he finally got Hao Jingzhi into the pool and began to massage his shoulders.
However, Hao Jingzhi immediately caught his hand, "What do you think you're doing?"
Wu Yang was confused, Luo Chongrong had always forced him to massage him every time they went to the bathhouse before, despite the pain it inflicted on his fingers...
"Ah, I'm sorry, I thought I was supposed to.."
Hao Jingzhi wasn't a pleasant person to live with. His favorite hobby was making gullible people fall for his tricks, and he wasn't slow to torment those below him, all for good fun on his part. However, this made his servants very loathsome to treat him to anything, and up till now, they'd always done the bare minimum. Hao jingzhi, not wanting to miss out on this royal treatment, immediately interjected.
"No, no, it is, of course, expected, I just didn't think you knew how... just make sure to wash my hair as well!"
"Of course."
It was way more relaxing than Wu Yang expected, to massage Hao Jingzhi's shoulders. After all, Hao Jingzhi was a very sensitive man who reacted well to touch, his bunched up muscles loosening with ease. Plus, his slim but defined collar bone and shoulders were not hard to look at, and his long hair was soft, colored a peachy golden brown, nice to the touch.
As he worked on his shoulders and down his spine, Hao Jingzhi immediately began to soliloquy about his day, complaining about each and everything, which, to Hao Jingzhi's well-hid surprise, Wu Yang listened to all carefully.
However, by the time Wu Yang had finished rinsing out his hair, he'd already fallen completely silent.
"Master Jingzhi?"
Wu Yang, leaning over to look at him, found the beauty to be fast asleep. He quietly stepped down into the water and carefully folded Hao Jingzhi into his arms, easily lifting the light man out without waking him.
He gently wrapped him a chrysanthemum robe and carried him back up to his private room to lay him gently on the large bed. After covering him well, Wu Yang finally exited the room to head back out to the balcony. Meanwhile, behind his turned back, two fox eyes opened themselves into slits once more...
Wu Yang went out to rest his hands on the ledge, taking in the beautiful sight of a sleeping city before him. If only it rained, it would be absolutely perfect... It had seemed like such an unsuitable place for him just that morning, a filthy garbage pit to his refined tastes. However, now that his chains were broken, it just seemed like a window of opportunity.
He stepped back, smirking as he fixed his shirt. Wild intelligence, like that of an uncontainable genius flashed in his eyes. A genius he'd had to hide for so long, to almost make him look half insane when he tried it on again. Enough of this melancholy. This wasn't like him at all. Fierce as a nile crocodile, cunning as a western jackdaw, fake as an eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillar and hidden as a gaborone viper, Wu Yang was about as different from his soft, gentle appearance as one could get.
He quickly dimmed down his eyes again and finally released his energy for the first time in years, breaking down the seal that chained it. In order to not be used for even worse things, Wu Yang had done well in hiding any martial power from the entire Ming Cult.
Dark clouds of energy immediately began to seep out of him, corroding away the ground around him, before he called them back again. It seemed his power had grown a lot from the constant injection of fiery qi, which was good, but it left him unable to fully control it, having left it to fend for itself as it grew, plus all the fierceness of the fiery qi wasn't to be reconned with. He tightened his fist. He'd need to get a mask and a new identity to truly use his powers again like he once did, unless he wanted problems following him. He sighed, putting his hand down and reaching below the crates to grab his favorite curved twin blades. With a couple cuts to the air, he could feel himself slowly becoming more alive, each slice, seeming to trim the air in its wake. He enjoyed the flow, as he led himself through familiar sword moves that he he'd let stagnant for so many years. He was glad to notice that although he'd lost some finesse, he could still remember all the basic moves rather well, and his killing intent and sword aura, although less controllable, had only improved.
"Nice swords you got there." Suddenly, a voice from behind completely shattered his focus, and he jumped back, surprised that he hadn't noticed the interrupter's approach. Either the one who'd spoken was very soft-footed and was a master at hiding his presence, or Wu Yang was hyper focused on his practice right now
He turned around to see a Hao Jingzhi, lazily leaning in the entryway, looking at him as if it were a fun show, but noticing his uncomfortableness, immediately sighed, looking down to kick off the wall and head over to Wu Yang.
He gave Wu Yang a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't take away your pretty swords, I already have lots of pretty things, much prettier than those."
However, Wu Yang wasn't satisfied. In one fluid movement, he spun around, grabbing Hao Jingzhi's arms and slamming him against the wall. "Hao Jingzhi! What is the real reason you're letting me stay here? No lies!"
Hao Jingzhi frowned at the discomfort before smiling flirtatiously, dipping his head down, and bending his knees so that, although he was taller, he was now looking up into Wu Yang's eyes.
"I went outside to clean up my mess and found a black kite with broken wings, picking at the scraps I left out. Is it so strange to want to bind that little bird's wings until it is able to fly once again, fierce and majestic like it once was?"
Wu Yang couldn't understand the emotions churning in the depths of his heart, but he was pretty sure he liked them. He let Hao Jingzhi go. Brushing his hands off and stepping back, "I'll accept it. What are you doing still awake anyway?"
Hao Jingzhi immediately made a pained expression as if he had been wronged before turning around to head back inside. "I've had so much to drink, how can I sleep without my glass of milk first?!"
Wu Yang's eyes immediately slitted, turning to follow him back. "What are you, a child?"
Hao Jingzhi stopped in his tracks, scratching his head. "Ah, and what was it that you were again? O right!" He turned back to glare at Wu Yang. "A servant! Now go get me a glass of milk or I'll toss you off that ledge, broken wings or not, you little ingrate!"
Wu Yang sullenly hurried down to the kitchens. What had given the guy such a foul mouth at such a young age?
He arrived back up, and after handing Hao Jingzhi his milk, went to slip out to the balcony again. However, this time, Hao Jingzhi stopped him. "Where will you sleep tonight?"
Normally, there would be a separate servants chamber for a man or maid servant to sleep in. However, Hao jingzhi had destroyed his so that he could make more room in his main chamber for his parties, another one of the many reasons no one wanted to work for him.
"The balcony has a nice breeze, I was going to sleep on one of the crates outside." He didn't feel like he could just say that he didn't need to sleep, that he hadn't slept for the last couple of years, could he?
Hao Jingzhi stared at him, unimpressed. "There's less than half a Shichen until dawn, you're not going to get a wink out there once the sun's out. *Sigh* I suppose I also can't have you just sleeping on the floor, can I? Well then, come warm this bed for me, it's a rather chilly tonight.
Wu Yang gave him a confused glance, but one look at that overly soft bed, and he was already crawling into it. It had been years since he had a good night's sleep on a soft bed, no hurt in doing it at least once, right?
However, no sooner had he laid down and closed his eyes when he found out why Hao Jingzhi had been so ready to invite him onto his bed. He just wanted a giant, warm-blooded teddy bear! Thin, uncomfortably bony arms wrapped themselves around him, a head laid onto his chest, and even his leg entangled Wu Yang's own.
Wu Yang thought he wouldn't be able to sleep, but the extra warmth was kind of nice against his colder yin one, and he soon found himself completely unconscious as well.
***
Meanwhile, many many kilometers away, in the wudang mountains, two men could be seen gliding on their swords so fast, you could barely recognize they passed, if not for the small stirring of spiritual energy they left behind.
Within moments of following these two men in white, and you'd come across a small contingency of pristine whit and black buildings hidden within one of the valleys. Therein these buildings, were the sounds of many people getting up and dressing as they got ready to assemble at their various training stations at dawn. It was an uncomfortable sight to see for anyone who enjoys sleeping in.
The two men in white flew overhead and landed before the largest of buildings. After getting access, they stepped into the main hall, where the Wudang Sect Master sat, obviously dressed as hastily as possible, but still very well trimmed, as was appropriate for the Wudang sect.
They both stepped forward, bowing in respect to the sect master. He accepted their act of obeisance,
"What did you return in such a hurry for?" It was obvious from just looking at them that the men were completely wiped after racing all night on their swords back to their sect.
The one with mustache immediately raised his head, "I think we've caught wind of Hua Chongxiu in the southern province!"
"Really?" The sect master stood up in his chair, excited.
"A new beauty who serves tea, going by the name Hua Yuwang, announced herself and Taohua Brothel tonight."
"Tonghua brothel?" 'Interesting. I would have thought the Hua Pavilion was too high and mighty to visit such places. Can't trust a woman to have any pride, though, can you?' He sat back down. "Alright, you may rest, don't worry about morning training and take it easy for the next month as a reward for your work. The 1st class disciples will return from their most recent mission in three to four weeks, I'll send them that way after a short rest."
"Don't you need us to go back to the city and report to you on the situation until then?"
"Don't worry, I have special forces I have been training up just for such an occasion." He waited until the two had exited the hall before calling forth two men clothed completely in black. One, was thin and gnarly and had bright orange hair, scraggly and curly, from being forced to drink too much fluorine poisoned water to survive when he was little, the other was stocky and stiff, and his face covering could still not completely hide the extra bulgy skin that slagged down from his jaw due to the swollen goiters he'd gotten when younger from lack of iodine in his diet. Both of these fellers had been picked up near death by the sect leader and trained separately, garnering perfect loyalty. The sect leader was curious about their use, and this seemed like a good opportunity to experiment.
"Hulu and Chengzi, your mission is to find this Hua Yuwang, and spy on her until you find a good opportunity, then capture her and bring her to me. If my son comes before you can get a chance to catch her, just report the situation and assist him. He knows of your existence.
""Yes, master."" And with that, the two of them disappeared into the dawn.
***
Meanwhile, far to the North, in another stretch of mountains, at the top of the tallest of them, a man with spiked grey hair once more sat on his throne, a small minion at his feet, holding a recent falcon messenger in his hand.
"Hua Yuwang, you say? Well a brothel seems just about right for the slut." He leaned back, thinking. "Alright, here's the deal, gather as many forces as possible in the area to spy on him, get any information you can on the brothel, and all their dealings, search if this guy has any ties to any major sects. The deadline is in two weeks, report to me by then if you don't want, me to come find you." The man in black nodded hurriedly and quickly made himself scarce.
As the young leader of an evil sect, he'd been brought up to always completely analyze and understand the opponent before making a move, to achieve absolute victory.