"Repugnant swine, how dare you disgrace me with this insufferable level of stupidity? Your mother be damned for giving birth to you!" Wen Zhongshang's voice boomed across the hall, blasting the eardrums of the disgruntled patrons and forcing them to drop to their knees.
Like all other high-ranking members of the Yin dynasty currently present in Linzi City, Wen Zhongshang had been hunting Zi Shou's trail, hoping to catch him before the royal guards, the other families, or worse, King Zi Xian himself, got his hands on him. Indeed, as Zi Shou's maternal family, the Wen clan had high hopes for the seventh prince, believing that it was Zi Shou, and not Wen Tianhua, that held the keys to the Wen clan's complete domination of the Yin Dynasty.
To the Wen clan's upper echelon, whether Zi Shou was right or wrong, whether or not he cultivated demonic powers, didn't matter. As long as they could save him, they would spare no effort to clear his name and shift blame whenever needed.
But never did Wen Zhongshang expect that, as the trail was going cold, his good-for-nothing eldest son would gang up with the other aristocratic wastrels to disturb the biggest business in the history of the Dream Mansion!
"Tiewu, it's shameful enough that you can't even compete with your little brother in terms of cultivation speed. It's shameful enough that since breaking through to the Congenital realm, you've spent most of your time in pleasure houses—not even using them for proper dual cultivation—just plain indulgence in vice and decadence! All of that is shameful enough!
But how dare you? How fucking dare you, mess with my plans?
Damn it! My son is a professional good-for-nothing! Whose fault is it that my eldest son has turned into a professional good-for-nothing? Is it my fault? Fuck!" Even among people at the same bloodline level, large cultivation talent and battle prowess gaps could exist. This was due to the other factors that impacted talent and battle prowess, factors such as meridians, unique constitutions, soul quality, and innate Spiritual Powers.
So, while both Wen Tiewu and Wen Tiexin possessed Golden Bloodlines, as Tiexin surpassed his eldest brother in all other aspects, his cultivation talent outclassed that of Tiewu, much to the chagrin of Wen Zhongshang, who as a traditional man, initially wished to have his eldest son inherit his seat.
"Capture the riffraff for disturbing the peace and send my swine of a son to the ancestral hall! We will deal with him according to family laws!" Wen Zhongshang gave his orders, causing dozens of mansion guards to rush into the scene and put all protesters in shackles.
"Lord Wen, mercy! Please have mercy!" The aristocrats pleaded to no end. Wen Zhongshang didn't spare them a glance, only looking at his disgrace of a son.
At first, dazed by his father's brutal slap, Wen Tiewu couldn't respond. But woken up by the protesters' noise, the eldest young master of the Wen clan raised his eyes at the ceiling, bursting into laughter.
"Hehe…what a family. My father and I are so close that I can't even recognize his back…hehehe! So Inspirational!
But father…at the end of the day…I am still your son. So, if I am a swine, what are you? A piggy boy? A big piggy? Come on, piggy dad, say oink! Oink!" Finding balls he never knew he possessed, Wen Tiewu clapped back, causing Wen Zhongshang's face to contort violently.
Without a word, the Wen patriarch kicked at the air, causing a formless blast of martial pressure to bolt across the scene and smash into Tiewu. Unable to resist, the young master flew through the wall, vomiting blood as he spiraled in the air and crashed in the distance—now not just dazed, but severely injured.
But prompted by a violent surge of emotions, Wen Zhongshang refused to stop there, rushing after his son to keep battering him with ferocious blows.
…
Meanwhile, with Zi Shou at his left and Taotie at his right, Huan Yi stepped into the location of the Wine Lake and Meat Forest. A vast expanse of land appeared before the trio. Luxuriant verdure embellished by a variety of Blood Flowers that stretched as far as the eyes could see.
Each of these flowers carried small quantities of Blood Energy, add them together, and they became a natural formation that filled the air with overwhelming levels of Blood Energy. Just by breathing this air, ordinary Blood Purification realm warriors would make great strides in their body refinement.
However, the swaying flowers were only an appetizer. Beyond, a large lake of blood-colored wine stretched out, conjuring a sweet and intoxicating aroma that spread all the way to the entrance. A row of 12 massive white boats overshadowed by large scarlet sails aligned, rippling with Spiritual Energies.
"Not bad." Pulling a deep breath, Huan Yi appraised the setting. For a place like the Yin Dynasty to produce a cultivation treasure land of this level was proof of the massive investments that the Dream Mansion had poured into the construction of their Wine Lake and Meat Forest. And this was just the Wine Lake.
No wonder the place stayed closed for most of the year. Should the Dream Mansion keep it open all year long, the maintenance costs alone would make it unsustainable.
*Gulp*
Thirsting for the delicacies scattered across the Wine Lake and Meat Forest, Taotie gulped her saliva, unknowingly flicking her tongue across her lips. It wasn't long before the trio reached the shores. And if before she feared that the beauties of the Wine Lake and Meat Forest would try to steal her master from her, now seduced by food, Taotie became eager to dive in.
"This is as far as I can go. Young master Di, your Jade Token allows you to control the boats. Feel free to explore this heavenly land as you like. And rest assured that we've spared no effort to make your stay the most memorable in the history of the Wine Lake and Meat Forest." Barely had the trio reached the shores of the Wine Lake that their guide stopped, bowing to excuse herself.
Left alone, the trio stepped into one of the boats. Huan Yi stroked his Jade Token, causing the boat to start moving forward. Closing his eyes, the Demon Child stretched his hands out, becoming a magnet for all the Evil Karma and negative energies he'd spread across Linzi.
The pain, the hurt, the sorrow, hatred, confusion, rage, injustice and madness. Unbeknown to all, all those forces and more rose into the air, ignoring physical barriers to reach Huan Yi, and feed both his flesh and soul. His Spiritual Energy shot up immediately, rising quick alongside his understanding of Karma, fate, cause, and effects.
"Zi Shou, who do you think is the owner of the Dream Mansion?" As the boat started moving forward, Huan Yi asked, causing Zi Shou, who'd not expected such a question, to scratch his head in helplessness.
"Senior, I have no idea. The owner of the Dream Mansion is a secretive existence that even duke-level nobles cannot rub shoulders with. It might not even be just one person. Though I am a Yin prince, as a member of the junior generation, I don't have access to a man of that level." Zi Shou gave an honest reply. But dissatisfied with the answer, Huan Yi shook his head, tapping his head in frustration.
"Come on, little highness, you're smarter than that. Throughout the Yin Dynasty, who can establish a business that even the royal family dares not regulate? With what era does the Dream Mansion's rise to prominence coincide?" Huan Yi tried one more time, and as Zi Shou pondered on the Demon Child's words, a flash of enlightenment lit his eyes up.
"Why did I never think of this? Of course! It's the Wen clan!" Putting the pieces together, Zi Shou said, his jaw dropping at his own words.
"More precisely, it is your grandfather, the former clan master of the Wen clan, that took control of the Dream Mansion by relying on his brother, Wen Tianhua's influence, and the Wen clan's meteoric rise to prominence. Even in the Wen family, this is a tightly kept secret, passed down from clan master to heir, from one generation to the next. Your uncle inherited the Dream Mansion from his father and is the current lord of this establishment." Huan Yi explained, causing Zi Shou's face to twitch in disappointment.
Wen Tianhua always preached honor, virtue and justice, yet he didn't bother to stop his brother from using him to not only take control of such a perverse organization, but also bring it to new levels of deviance. Slowly becoming disillusioned with his master's teaching, Zi Shou couldn't help but wonder what else Wen Tianhua had been hiding from him?
But as the seventh prince's mind was about to disconnect from the scene, ripples spread across the Wine Lake, and to Zi Shou's surprise, a dozen of female figures poked out of the Wine Lake, each of incredible beauty, and swimming toward the boat.