Wastrel Supreme, C4-5

Chapter 4 – The Beauty Guard

It wasn’t until just earlier today that Lady Lanyang heard the story of how Zhou Ze had slapped Zhou Mie in front of the city gates, then killed a marquis-presumptive. Her excellent mood had been instantly replaced with rage. The imperial clan had been wary of the Yao-Tamer Estate for quite some time now. Zhou Ze’s rash and impudent actions could well give the Chu Emperor an excuse to vent his rage.

As she had feared… King Anhe was now at their gates.

Zhou Ze glanced at the enraged Lady Lanyang. Still seemingly unconcerned with the repercussions of his behavior, he said laughingly to the Zhou clan warrior, “If King Anhe dares to barge into the Yao-Tamer Estate, beat the shit out of him and kick him out!”

“SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” Lady Lanyang roared, glaring at the completely unconcerned Zhou Ze. She then let out a sigh and said to the clan warrior, “Lead me to King Anhe!”

They arrived at the gates to the estate, where they saw an awe-inspiring troop of dozens of people who had surrounded it. They were led by King Anhe, who was dressed in serpent-pattern robes and was brimming with savagery. [ref]Per Chinese custom, only the emperor is allowed to dress in five-clawed dragon robes.[/ref] When he saw Lady Lanyang appear, he only grew even more bold. He stepped forward and shouted angrily, “Lady Lanyang, I’m glad you came. Hand over that wayward son of yours!”

Lady Lanyang frowned slightly when she saw how arrogantly King Anhe was behaving. Is he here as a representative of the Chu Emperor’s wrath? Just as she was hesitating, the nearby Zhou Ze laughed and stepped forward. “You have the rank of king, but you are being commanded by Zhou Mie. Aren’t you embarrassed by this?”

These words laid bare the truth behind King Anhe’s visit, causing his face to tighten and some of his boldness to vanish. This caused Lady Lanyang, who was just about to pull Zhou Ze back, to come to a halt.

“What nonsense is this?” King Anhe barked back. “You humiliated and murdered a marquis of the Chu Dynasty. This is a capital offense!”

“A capital offense?” Zhou Ze started to laugh. “According to who? You, or Zhou Mie? Besides… I spent all day yesterday here in the Yao-Tamer Estate. Since when did I insult and kill a marquis-presumptive? Stop trying to slander an innocent man like myself!”

His immediate rejection of the charges caused King Anhe and quite a few others to feel startled. So many people had witnessed the murder… how could he deny it so shamelessly?!

“There were countless witnesses to what happened yesterday. Are you going to try and deny it?!” King Anhe snorted.

“Are you sure it was me? I spent all of yesterday cultivating right here at home! You must’ve been seeing things, Your Highness!” Zhou Ze laughed, narrowing his eyes. “If you don’t believe me, ask my home.”

Quite a few people nearly lost it when they heard Zhou Ze say these words. If you are going to lie, at least make it believable. Cultivation? Since when has the second son of the Yao-Tamer King ever engaged in cultivation!

King Anhe chuckled, then turned towards Lady Lanyang. “As a noble and just wife of a king, you are someone who countless women in our world look up to and seek to emulate. I trust in your impartiality!”

“Naturally. Although Zhou Ze is my son, I would never lie for his sake. The honor and glory of the Yao-Tamer Estate is far more important! However, my son really did spend all of yesterday training and cultivating!”

This clear and blatant nonsense caused King Anhe and everyone else to feel astonished. Lin Xi stared at the completely composed and ‘righteous’ Lady Lanyang, a hint of pink appearing on her face.

“Hmph!” King Anhe barked, “There were countless witnesses to this. Do you think all of us were blind?”

“Who gives a damn whether they are blind or not? So long as the Chu Emperor didn’t witness it or has decided not to witness it, that’s all that matters. Am I right, King Anhe?” Zhou Ze smiled as he looked at King Anhe.

King Anhe’s heartrate began to speed up. He stared hard at Zhou Ze, his gaze flickering rapidly. It was just as Zhou Ze had said. There were people who wanted to raise a fuss about what had happened yesterday, but it had all been suppressed per a certain someone’s authority, and King Anhe knew exactly that certain someone was – the Chu Emperor! In other words, the Chu Emperor didn’t want to use this event as an excuse to attack the Yao-Tamer Estate.

Everyone knew just how much the Chu Emperor feared the Yao-Tamer King. The Chu Dynasty’s territory extended more than a million kilometers and was so vast that very few people would be able to fully traverse it… and yet the master of this vast empire was absolutely terrified of the Yao-Tamer King. Just how terrifyingly strong was the Yao-Tamer King? None of them could even imagine it.

There were countless nobles in the imperial capital who shared a common belief – the Yao-Tamer King had the power to overthrow the imperial throne. It was just a rumor, but it was also a symbol of his power and prestige.

Still… none of them had imagined that the Yao-Tamer King’s prestige had reached the point where his son could kill a marquis-presumptive, and the Chu Emperor would still be too afraid to act against him. When Zhou Mie had heard this information upon returning to his own estate last night, he had been at a loss for words for quite some time.

King Anhe stared at the youth before him, the number one wastrel of the imperial capital. I refuse to believe he truly understands what the Chu Emperor’s attitude is. In King Anhe’s opinion, although it was true that the Chu Emperor would not actually kill Zhou Ze, there would still be a reckoning in store. There was no way this would just blow over; the imperial clan would’ve lost all face if it did. Countless citizens of the Chu Dynasty would once again talk about how the Chu Emperor was inferior to the Yao-Tamer King.

Yesterday, Zhou Mie had sought King Anhe out. Together, they had set up a plan for today. King Anhe calmed down slightly. I’m going to regain the face which the imperial clan lost yesterday! He was also quite confident in Zhou Mie, who was the number one figure amongst the young men of the Chu Dynasty. He had the potential to surpass the Yao-Tamer King, and despite his young age his reputation was already starting to cause the entire empire to tremble. His cultivation base was outstanding and he was highly intelligent. To be honest, someone like him was too perfect to exist.

For the Yao-Tamer Estate to have made an enemy out of someone like him was a death knell for them.

“You might not have known this, but the person you killed yesterday was one of my personal clan warriors,” King Anhe snorted. “My men aren’t for you to kill as you please! If you don’t address this matter to my satisfaction, then I’m going to tear down the Yao-Tamer Estate today!”

Lady Lanyang’s face turned cold and hard. She could tell from the earlier exchange that the Chu Emperor wasn’t going to get involved in this matter, and so long as he didn’t get involved there was nothing for the Yao-Tamer Estate to fear. However… King Anhe was clearly prepared to cause a great deal of trouble in a shameless manner. She had many ways to handle a proper investigation, but dealing with someone of the same rank as her husband who was prepared to engage in shameless, underhanded behavior was going to be troublesome.

You killed one of my men? Fine. It’s his own fault for being weaker than you. Now, I’m going to tear down your entire estate, and it’ll be your own fault for being weaker than me. Don’t start crying!

It was like two children squabbling. If one child beat up the other side, that was that. It wouldn’t be proper for the parents to then start fighting because of their brats, right? It’d be a joke if they did! In this case, the Chu Emperor and the Yao-Tamer King were the parents, while Zhou Ze and King Anhe were the children.

Lady Lanyang’s face was grim. She knew whose ploy this was. Even she had to admit that Zhou Mie was the most talented youth she had ever encountered. When she thought back to how he had also been raised in the Yao-Tamer Estate, she couldn’t help but sigh. Her own two children weren’t even close to being his peer. In all these years, she had never seen him truly fail in anything. Even her own husband, when he was young, was far from being Zhou Mie’s equal.

King Anhe understood that handling things through official channels wouldn’t work, and so he began to spout rubbish as well.  He cursed angrily, “I worked incredibly hard to rear a talented figure like him. I raised him like a son, I did! But you, the Yao-Tamer Estate, just killed him on a whim! So you like killing people, eh?! I have another adopted son. Wei Chiyong, step forward and let Zhou Ze kill you! I want to see if he dares to actually do it or not!”

Following King Anhe’s shouts, a man stepped forward from the crowd. His body was brimming with power and flickered with light. He stared angrily at Zhou Ze, his fists clenched and veins popping out of his arms.

“Qi Shaper, mid-rank!” When the Zhou clan warrior saw this man, he quickly whispered these words to the nearby Lady Lanyang.

When White Bamboo and the others all saw this fierce-looking man step forward to face Zhou Ze, they couldn’t help but turn pale. This was an empire that revered martial prowess, and almost every single male would cultivate. However, many men would spend their entire lives training while still being unable to successfully condense their qi; all they could do was make their muscles a bit stronger. White Bamboo and the others had trained for eight years as well, but they hadn’t been successful in becoming Qi Shapers.

Perhaps just one in ten thousand had the ability to condense their qi, but upon doing so they would have the ability to shatter rocks and splinter iron with a single blow. A mid-rank Qi Shaper was to be dreaded by the majority of ordinary mortals.

Cultivation was an extremely difficult path to take, as you cultivated and trained in the aethereal qi of Heaven and Earth. If you were able to condense your qi, it meant you had already taken the most important step in cultivation and had a chance of reaching the Xiantian level.

The Xiantian level was an absolutely terrifying level.  Less than one in a hundred thousand Qi Shapers would reach this Xiantian level, and the number of them in the imperial capital was quite low. As for the levels after that? Ordinary citizens had no idea. All they knew were that those figures were godlike beings.

Now a Qi Shaper was brimming with power and standing in front of the Yao-Tamer Estate, seemingly ready to blast its gates down. An ugly look was on Lady Lanyang’s face.

King Anhe continued to issue threats. “The general you killed yesterday was his big brother. Zhou Ze, why don’t you go ahead and kill him as well?”

When Zhou Ze heard these words, he couldn’t help but suddenly laugh. “What the hell is wrong with these two ‘brothers’? Why do you guys always beg others to kill you?”

Wei Chiyong cracked his knuckles. “My big brother was caught off-guard and killed because of the respect he felt towards the Yao-Tamer King. I no longer want to live either. I’m going to kill you, then die and reunite with my big brother!”

A deathsworn! Lady Lanyang’s eyelids twitched as this icy thought appeared in her mind. Deathsworn didn’t even fear death, to say nothing of the Yao-Tamer King’s prestige.

“The Yao-Tamer Estate isn’t a place for this nonsense!” Lady Lanyang barked at King Anhe.

King Anhe said disdainfully, “Zhou Ze killed his big brother, so he wants revenge. This is completely understandable. Why do you call it ‘nonsense’? He clearly wants to die. Zhou Ze can just kill him and this matter will be over.”

“Beat him out of this place!” Lady Lanyang barked to her clan warriors.

King Anhe started to laugh as he saw the clan warriors of the Yao-Tamer Estate rush forward. The people behind him advanced as well, all revealing their powerful auras. Clearly, these were elite warriors who were veterans of many battles.

“The Yao-Tamer King is a king, but so am I. The difference is, I’m here but he is not. If we really get into a fight, who do you think would win?” King Anhe laughed.

Zhou Ze glanced at the gloating and smirking King Anhe. “So basically, you are insisting that I kill him, right?”

“Yes, absolutely! You must kill him!” King Anhe said seriously. “He’s literally begging you to do it. Don’t let him down!”

“Sheeeesh. I’ve been away for ages, and in the interim it seems plenty of people have turned into shit-for-brains!” Zhou Ze turned to glance at Lin Xi, who continued to just stand there like a silent portrait of beauty. “What do you think I should do?”

Lin Xi didn’t say anything, but a sword had appeared in her hand. She stepped forward to stand next to Zhou Ze, staring calmly at the menacing Wei Chiyong.

Lady Lanyang relaxed slightly when she saw Lin Xi step forward. Lin Xi was her pride and joy, and she was quite talented in cultivation. She now had the power of a peak Qi Shaper, more than enough to handle the current situation.

When she thought of Lin Xi’s prowess, Lady Lanyang couldn’t help but give Zhou Ze another hard glare. In the end, he needs a woman to step forward to protect him. How could the Yao-Tamer King have a son like him!?

“Beat it, loser! When will you ever grow up and at least become a Qi Shaper or something?” Although Lady Lanyang was furious, she still had to protect the little brat.

Zhou Ze stared at the long-legged, willowy, and silent beauty standing before him. He let out a chuckle, then leapt forward to stand in front of Lin Xi. “It’s always been the man’s job to protect a beautiful damsel in distress. I’ll handle this.”

As he finished his words, he moved forward to face Wei Chiyong. His sleeves fluttered in the wind, allowing him to cut a rather dashing figure.

The entire area fell silent. No one imagined that Zhou Ze would so such a thing. Everyone from Lady Lanyang to Lin Xi stared at Zhou Ze in a daze.

Chapter 5 – Neat and Tidy

Moments later, Lady Lanyang recovered from her shock. Her face turned ashen, but just as she was about to move forward and pull Zhou Ze back, Wei Chiyong sent a punch smashing towards him.

Wei Chiyong had already accepted that he was going to die today, and so he wasn’t going to miss any chance to torment this youth. He knew what his mission was today, and so when he saw Zhou Ze actually step out he immediately delivered a fierce, remorseless punch straight at Zhou Ze’s chest.

“Zhou Ze!” Lady Lanyang turned as white as a sheet. She understood her son better than anyone else. Her boy was a master spendthrift and playboy, but he had never spent a day cultivating. A blow from a Qi Shaper warrior would be more than enough to shatter his ribcage.

Lady Lanyang felt both frantic and furious. This brat was just as impetuous and rash as ever. Didn’t he realize what was going on? He had slapped Zhou Mie in front of all those people yesterday, and so Zhou Mie arranged for today’s events to regain his lost face. Given the type of person Zhou Mie is, he’s going to leave you bedridden for months. How could you do this?!

King Anhe crinkled his eyes in amusement. As soon as he had seen Zhou Ze step forward, he had started to smile. His mission today had been accomplished. He knew just what type of person the second son of the Zhou clan was – a playboy who even a mundane warrior could dominate with ease. A blow from a Qi Shaper would be enough to ensure that he would be unable to walk for half a year.

King Anhe couldn’t help but shake his head when he thought of Zhou Mie’s plot. How could a wastrel like Zhou Ze have chosen to pit himself against a towering hero like Zhou Mie?

The ravishingly slender Lin Xi was close to Zhou Ze, and she immediately stepped forward on her long, slim legs to try and drag Zhou Ze back. Alas, it was too late. A look of horror appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Many people in the Zhou clan actually shut their eyes and covered their ears, unwilling to see or hear Zhou Ze’s agonized cries.

Mid-rank Qi Shapers were terrifyingly strong, and when this one attacked his punch seemed to flash forward like a streak of red lightning. The blow was aimed directly at Zhou Ze and was clearly going to cave in his chest and his ribcage.

Everyone was certain that Zhou Ze was going to suffer a heavy injury, but Zhou Ze himself just stood there calmly. All he did was shift his feet slightly, allowing the punch to actually go right past his chest without touching him at all.

None of the witnesses quite understood what had just happened. Even Wei Chiyong himself was rather dazed for a moment. This was completely different from what he had learned regarding this youth. The way in which Zhou Ze had moved sideways was incredibly fast. Was it all due to luck? Or was it…

After he began to pull back his fist, Wei Chiyong gradually came back to his senses. Who cares what the reason is. He might’ve dodged the first punch, but he isn’t going to be able to dodge the second!

As Wei Chiyong was drawing his fist back, Zhou Ze suddenly lifted his hand. A sharp dagger appeared within it, and he suddenly poked it backwards in a solitary arc. The dagger stabbed right into Wei Chiyong’s withdrawing arm, plunging deep into it and sending blood splattering everywhere.

“AHHHH!” Wei Chiyong let out a miserable scream, holding his arm as he staggered backwards while blood spurted out of his arm and fell to the ground. Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound wasn’t particularly loud, but it caused everyone’s eyes to widen. They all stared at Zhou Ze. No one was able to react in time.

Nobody had expected that this would happen. All they saw was Zhou Ze turn slightly, avoiding Wei Chiyong’s punch… and then they saw Wei Chiyong pull his arm back, seemingly right into the path of the dagger. That was when the dagger buried itself into his arm.

“…What the hell just happened? He tried to punch a knife?”

“This brat is way too lucky. As soon as he pulled out that knife, Wei Chiyong’s fist just happened to smash into it.”

“….”

King Anhe’s men all stared in shock at this. As far as they were concerned, Zhou Ze simply had ridiculous luck. They did consider the possibility that it was skill, but Zhou Ze didn’t have any aura of cultivating aethereal qi at all. Given his poor reputation, they refused to believe that he could’ve delivered such a neat, clean, and vicious blow by choice.

Lady Lanyang stood there dazed. She knew Zhou Ze better than anyone else, and even she didn’t believe Zhou Ze had this type of ability. She could do nothing but sigh at how lucky Zhou Ze was. Upon seeing that he had survived this encounter, she secretly celebrated while preparing to pull him back. However… right at this moment, the slothful Zhou Ze suddenly leapt forwards, producing yet another dagger from somewhere as he charged towards Wei Chiyong.

“GRAAAAAH!” The pain caused Wei Chiyong to go berserk. Upon seeing that Zhou Ze was actually charging at him with a dagger in hand, Wei Chiyong’s eyes turned red with rage. He flexed the muscles in his good arm, turning it as tough as stone as he poured all of his power into it and then delivered a thundering blow towards Zhou Ze.

“Zhou Ze, get back here!” Shock appeared on Lady Lanyang’s face as she called out for Zhou Ze to stop. How could he possibly handle an enraged mid-rank Qi Shaper?

It was as though Zhou Ze didn’t hear her at all. He pressed forwards relentlessly, and when a cold light flickered through his eyes as he stared at the enraged and charging Wei Chiyong. As the latter’s fist came right towards him, he suddenly stepped backwards and ‘fell’ to the ground, using one arm to prop himself up while the other stabbed upwards with the dagger.

Wei Chiyong had poured all of his power into that explosive strike. He had thought that it would sent Zhou Ze flying, but just as the blow was about to land Zhou Ze suddenly fell to the ground. It was too late for him to retract his power, and so he stumbled two steps forward. Right at this moment, Zhou Ze’s dagger stabbed upwards like lightning, plunging itself deep into Wei Chiyong’s thigh. Blood splattered everywhere.

Wei Chiyong let out an enraged, high-pitched scream, then bent down to deliver another smashing blow towards Zhou Ze, who simply rolled over to move behind Wei Chiyong. He then delivered another stabbing blow with the dagger, this time striking Wei Chiyong on the waist. His movements were fast and practiced, stunning King Anhe and his men. These neat, tidy, and vicious movements were beyond what even these battle-hardened men were capable of.

Wei Chiyong had suffered repeated injuries, and the last strike to his waist in particular was a mortal wound. He fell to his knees, staring in shock and horror as blood flowed out from his waist.

Zhou Ze rose to his feet, dusted himself off, tossed away his dagger, then walked back to his original position in an unruffled manner. “White Bamboo! Wipe my hands clan.”

Lady Lanyang and King Anhe stood there, dazed. They seemed to still be lost in what had just happened. They still couldn’t believe that Zhou Ze had wiped out a mid-rank Qi Shaper that easily. His movements were those of an extremely experienced hunter’s. Was this really the Zhou Ze they knew?

Everyone couldn’t help but turn to stare at him. He was surrounded by White Bamboo and the other three beautiues, and they were helping him brush the dust off his clothes while he toyed with White Bamboo’s black hair. He pressed it to his nose, taking a sniff of her scent. It was an incredibly dissolute scene, and it was completely different from his behavior of just a few moments ago.

Lin Xi stared next to Lady Lanyang, stared at Zhou Ze with a heated look in her clear eyes.

Sensing Lin Xi’s gaze, Zhou Ze turned to look at her. Her dazzlingly beautiful skin was as clear as jade, without any flaw or blemishes at all. Even Zhou Ze felt rather uneasy having such a flawlessly beautiful woman staring so fixedly at him. “Uh… ok, fine, I won’t ask White Bamboo and the others to attend to me in the future.” He then waved his hand, having White Bamboo and the others move to one side. When the four realized that Zhou Ze had been made nervous by Lin Xi’s gaze, they couldn’t help but start to giggle softly.

Lin Xi flushed slightly when she heard Zhou Ze’s words. He was making it sound as though she was jealous! The blush only made her even more beautiful. “I don’t care who attends to you.” Her voice was very soft, and she hurriedly looked away after saying this, the crimson color rising a bit higher in her cheeks.

“So you really are a lecher. At a time like this, you are still flirting with the ladies!” Although King Anhe still found it hard to believe that Zhou Ze was able to mortally wound Wei Chiyong, he couldn’t help but feel jealous when he watched Zhou Ze flirt with all of these beautiful womans. King Anhe was a bit of a lecher as well! He let out a soft curse, then gestured for his subordinates to carry Wei Chiyong away. He then glanced meaningfully at someone behind him.

Instantly that person stepped forward, radiating an aura of brimming power akin to that of a wild beast’s. This was yet another Qi Shaper.

“The second son of the Yao-Tamer King really has broadened my horizons!” King Anhe narrowed his eyes at Zhou Ze. This was completely unexpected. Everyone had ‘known’ that Zhou Ze was nothing more than a wastrel playboy, but there was no way King Anhe could continue to view him like that after seeing his incredibly practiced attacks. Could it be that his previous reputation was all for the sake of confusing others and hiding his true talents?

After staring at Zhou Ze for a long time, King Anhe was still unable to discover any signs of aethereal qi emanating from Zhou Ze. In other words, Zhou Ze really hadn’t engaged in any cultivation. Otherwise, there would be a leaking aura of aethereal qi.

The hell is wrong with him? He didn’t engage in actual cultivation, but he was still able to train to such a high level in launching perfectly timed attacks. How did he do this? Is he a serial killer who is experienced at murder? King Anhe couldn’t help but let out a mental curse, then pointed at the subordinate who had just stepped forward and shouted, “You already killed his big brother, and you just stabbed his second brother three times! You owe him an explanation!”

Zhou Ze started to laugh. He gently patted White Bamboo on the rear, and she instantly turned crimson while stepping backwards. Zhou Ze now had an unimpeded view of King Anhe. “Man, Zhou Mie made the perfect choice when he asked you to come. You really are completely shameless.”

“Who is Zhou Mie? Never heard of’m!” King Anhe laughed loudly. “I’m here solely to gain justice for my foster son. This has nothing to do with anyone else!”

“I know you won’t admit it… but I don’t really care if you do or not!” Zhou Ze looked at King Anhe. “I’m just curious. A ‘third brother’ has now appeared. Once he falls, will there be a fourth brother, fifth brother, sixth brother, or even a hundredth brother?”

King Anhe continued to laugh. “You know, that’s highly possible. I’m not quite sure myself just how many brothers Wei Chiyong has. There might actually be a hundred of them.”

These words caused Lady Lanyang’s face to harden. King Anhe was just here to be an annoying troublemaker, and he wasn’t masking it at all. How could he act in such a shameless manner?

Zhou Ze let out a sigh, then stared at the warrior who had just stepped out. He nodded earnestly. “I really admire your mother. She’s even better than pigs at giving birth to kids.”

These words caused the warrior’s face to twitch violently. That son of a bitch has a nasty mouth. So he’s calling my mother a pig and the rest of us piglets? Wait, no. He’s saying we’re worse than pigs!

“Beat them out of here!” the enraged Lady Lanyang roared.

King Anhe started to laugh again when he heard this. “Madame, of course you can kick me out today, but… what about tomorrow? What about the day after? Or what if I run into Zhou Ze on the streets?” This was a naked threat. He was telling the Zhou clan that if they didn’t resolve this matter today, it would linger on without ending.

These words caused the entire Zhou clan to be filled with rage. As the master of the Yao-Tamer Estate, Lady Lanyang wasn’t the type of person to be trifled with. She roared to her clan warriors, “Beat them!”

Just as the warriors were about to obey and charge outwards, Zhou Ze stepped forward. He reached out to stop them, then revealed a smile towards Lady Lanyang. “Don’t get so worked up about such a minor matter. I’ll handle it.”

Lady Lanyang stared blankly at the beaming Zhou Ze. A heartbeat later, the blank look was replaced by rage. She very nearly started to curse him out. You handle it? You can’t do shit! If you could, I wouldn’t have to worry so much about you.