2 Finding a housekeeper.

The breeze of the forest came through the window of the spacious shack. A black-haired young man sat cross-legged by the foot of the tree where the shack was built around.

With a sudden Jerk, Zuque's eyes snapped open. beneath him was the mark of a used-up formation spell.

He touched the middle of his chest to feel the nine-years-old scar. Today was its birthdate and also the day he managed to fabricate a set of artificial meridians to regain connection with Spiritual energy.

With a grin on his face, Zuque got up and walked out of the shack. A wide clearing of green and brown appeared in his eyes.

He breathed the pure air with a pleasure that lasted until he sighted a sneaky long tongue reaching out to a blue-colored flower.

"Darcy! You just became aware of spiritual essence and is already trying to eat my field of Blue nightmare Lilies!?"

"Moo!" A white cow with some pink spots jumped with a start. She stepped on the grass near the flower while mooing cutely and batting her long eyelashes showing innocent and bright eyes.

"I'm not stupid enough to fell for your shameless flirt. if I see you there again I'll make a steak out of you!"

"MOO!" She mooed with anger and walked away swinging her tail spitefully.

"HUHU!" A mocking laugh came from above.

A Gorilla atop a thick thousand-year-old tree instantly resumed his meditative stance as if he never moved. But Zuque still glared, a big drop of sweat formed on Harambe's forehead.

Then a group of chicken suddenly broke out of their enclosure and started running about the terrain.

Zuque facepalmed.

'Ugh, I need a housekeeper.' Zuque shook the small bell tied to his wrist. A shadow got bigger from beyond the trees, a tall pelican came down and stopped in front of Zuque

"Harambe, sort them out. If even one chicken goes missing, you'll have to eat common leaves for a week."

The Gorilla jumped down the tree and beat his chest with a flattering smile, hurriedly grabbing chicken per chicken at light speed.

Zuque snorted with amusement on his eyes. He sat atop the pelican and flew away.

****

The bird stopped on a busy street, nice houses made of wood and others still in reform with workers sweating under the sun appeared

He threw a fish to the pelican and walked down the road with a smile.

"Master Zuque! The profits for this month is here already."

"Good! I'll come back later for it!" Zuque answered.

"Master Zuque! How are you? The pumpkin seeds you gave me sprouted today, Soon I'll be making a sweet out of them for you."

"Mrs. Liang, I'm good as always and will be expecting the sweet!" Zuque laughed.

Every step he walked there was someone to greet. But then, from the corner of his eyes, he caught three brats among the crowd. One was a tall black-haired fourteen-year-old looking youth, he was wearing the city guard's red armor. The other was a thirteen years old brown-skinned young man wearing a silver armor made by the blacksmiths of Zuque's store.

They each stood beside a blonde-haired twelve-year-old girl wearing pink armor with a silk cape. Her blue eyes emanated liveliness.

Zuque stood staring. Their eyes met.. The girl's pretty blue eyes widened in terror as the boys finally looked in the same direction and had the color vanish from their faces.

The little girl had already turned and started run on her feet "MOOOOM!"

"YOU CAN'T SCAPE THIS UNCLE'S WET LOVE!"

Thump! Zuque exploded forward and grabbed the girl by her arms. She struggled "No, I won't be able to marry!"

He licked his lips and poured smooches all over her face

"NOOOO!"

After cleaning her face full of saliva she stared at the boys who did nothing with injustice in her red eyes. "Why didn't you help me!?"

From behind her, Zuque looked at both of them while licking his lips. "Jack, Boris, you're still uncle's little nephews..."

"No, sir!"

"We're not related at all!"

There was visible sweat on their forehead.

"Could you please, keep your whore mouth off my daughter and her friends?"

A venomous tone cut the mood like a knife. The boys let out a breath of relief.

Zuque's eyes narrowed. His lips turned into a cheap grin. "Oh, I didn't think the old lady tagged along. What, the time came to shed your dried up snakeskin again?"

She had a long and curly blonde hair loosely swinging with her each step. Her white robe adorned with golden and bluish jewels shining under the sun mesmerized, and Half a finger below her thin red lips was a black spot that seduced.

"As always, vulgar and dirty. kids, go your way, I and this sack of filth have to talk." Serin spoke.

The little girl looked at them with concern but went on ahead with the boys.

Serin aimed her blue eyes at him with disgust. Zuque took a step closer. Letting her even more uncomfortable. "Mudsnake, what you have to tell me?" He asked.

Her eyes showed cold indifference, the people around avoided walking near the two.

"Stop talking to those three, they may be young and naive, but I know you're the one sponsoring and equipping the mountain bandits and those two rogue mercenary groups. You keep up this farce of gentle rich man, while the men who truly help the community, like my husband, have to hear your name on the mouth of the people. You're a parasite."

She said and stepped forward. As Serin passed by his side, her cold tone caressed his ears.

"My husband is in this part of the town now, I don't care how you two will fight but don't ever think of using my children, even if I don't have strength, there are a thousand ways to kill a cripple like you."

The grin never left Zuque's face as he watched her sinfully well-shaped body disappearing in the crowd, he remembered of back then when she fought the wild forest as a huntress. 'A pity that liar caged the beast before she could develop..."

Zuque shook his head to get rid of the agitation in his chest. "Trouble, women are trouble. I should just find my housekeeper and be on my way."

As for the liar, Jeff, Zuque barely cared to think once.

*****

'Lust demands red and gold.' Was written in gold letters on the large wine-red manor. A lewd smile appeared on Zuque as he unabashedly entered the brothel.

"Hello, brother Zuzu!"

"You look handsome today again!"

"Do you want a night with me too?"

"Silly, don't you know that he only likes the candle wax and whip of our manager?"

Zuque almost tripped and fell down the stairs to the manager's room.

"Even if you want to hide things, you shouldn't do it like this, Carla!"

He spoke while entering without knocking. A woman with wet black hair smiled brightly at him.

"We meet too often, people might think things, so I spilled some mischief."

Zuque leaned his back on the door. "Carla, Even if you don't sleep with men anymore, you could've said I was obsessed with you, men falling for courtesans are common. It wouldn't be weird."

"But where is the fun in that?" She giggled while tying her black hair.

He was about to retort when he suddenly laid an eye on her face. It was minute, but on one cheek the makeup was different, and although very faint. The edge of her eyes was slightly red.

"You're staring at me like a starved dog stares at meat. Have some decency." She turned her face away.

"What happened to you?" He asked. His tone callous. Because he was usually carefree and sleazy, it made an unnerving contrast.

Carla opened her wardrobe and picked her clothes. Her lips trembled slightly but she responded brightly; "Nothing much, just the usual routine that's boring me."

She put on a smile and turned around, her nose hit something tough. Carla looked up and saw his cold dark eyes peering deeply into her own.

"What happened?" He asked.

She raised her hands and gently caressed his chest, showing him a gentle smile."I'm fine, nothing I can't settle on my own."

His eye narrowed to a slit.

"Like I told Darcy, I'm not stupid enough to fell for shameless flirting."

'Did he just compared me to his cow?' Her smile twitched.

His finger was suddenly beside her ear. She felt only a light touch, then her hair was dry, and the expression on his face darkened.

"Who slapped you?" With his spiritual sense, he saw through the makeup when he touched it. When he came to this town, on the edge of the poorest side of the continent, she was just a daughter sold into servitude. They made a deal, he would teach her cultivation and she'd fight alongside him to compensate for his lost contact with spiritual essence. Nine years of developing each other and she cultivated an entire network of information trade and he turned into the richest man in the town.

Her eyes widened "Y-You restored your meridians?"

"Who did this to you?" He repeated.

His black eyes entranced her, she felt a new kind of energy to him.

after a long minute, she nodded absent-mindedly and started speaking, when she told everything, he kissed her forehead gently and walked out of the door.

She remembered how he fought against those on the peak of the mortal realm spiritually and physically while having only his physical body at the peak mortal realm.

"Haha, if it's him now, Jeff is done for." She chuckled, not having to swallow a grievance was one of the best things in the world.

****

Zuque walked leisurely. He looked on the horizon and saw an island floating in the sky; The Ocean alive, an immortal sect. There were other sects spread in the area, in mountains or underground. But they all had servants, along the years these servants who did their time and didn't succeed in cultivation built this city. Mortals from scarce lands came to this place because it was rich in spiritual energy and didn't lack resources. It was also the reason Zuque chose to come here.

A child screamed excitedly while pointing to the sky, the other adults looked up. Zuque followed their sight and saw a school of floating humpback whales flying leisurely to Ocean alive sect. Even from such a distance, they looked enormous.

Zuque smiled and caressed the scar on his chest. 'Well, maybe it's possible.'

Without hurry, he arrived in front of a black and gray manor. 'Knight guard's south post.' Was written in silver letters.

The mayor's manor was in the center of the town with the Knight guard's headquarters, while these posts were spread to the other parts of the city, but this one was never really used. yet now, they are reforming the manor and filling it with guards.

'Now that we did the rough and tough, you guys want to ride on the waves and claim all the credit...'

A glimmer of red flashed by Zuque's eyes. He walked forward.

"The south post isn't active yet si-" the guard couldn't finish his words as he fell down the floor.

The other guard was struck dumb. Before he could react Zuque stood in front of him. The soldier trembled; Zuque smiled while loosing up his wrist

"Where's Jeff, the new captain of my shanty town?"

*****

"You got all the information on him?" Serin asked.

Seated on the throne with justice written above it, Jeff smiled at her.

"I told you he wouldn' be a problem. I got all the information I need of him, for free even."

Serin dubiously looked at him.

He laughed. "Woman you're too distrustful. There's a whore in the local brothel by the name of Carla, that trades in information. Even after knowing who I was and my position, she tried to charge me a ridiculous amount, can you believe it? Not only was she a woman with no backing, but also a whore, yet, she dared to quibble."

Serin's eyes darkened.

"I slapped her hard enough for her to remember forever then threatened to tear down her little establishment. She chirped like a bird after that."

Cllink!

A bottle of glass shattered beside him. Jeff looked with wide eyes. "Are you out of your mind!? There are soldiers on this base, how do you think I'll look when they hear my woman acting up like this!?"

She huffed with rage.

"First, she's Zuque's accomplice from way back and would've rather die than to say anything that could've actually hurt him. That means, his backing is also hers! What if she decides to use the rogue mercenary groups and the mountain bandits to her favor!? "

He cleaned the throne and snorted "Don't worry, I made arrangements against those, way before coming here."

"What arrangements?" She asked. HE scoffed. "You don't need to know"

Her eyes's veins swelled, but Jeff suddenly shifted his eyesight to the door.

"BOOM!" The door exploded open.

Zuque's soft steps echoed as he entered with an eerie smile. The couple stopped any rage among them and stood side by side.

His arms opened wide, "Jeff! If you wanted a date, you should've just called, there was no need to beat up a woman."

Serin saw the guards breathing motionless on the floor behind Zuque. Her heart shook.

Jeff's eyes clouded. The mortal realm's level cap is the fifth level. Those men were all at the fourth and fifth levels. The person he planned to make a show of strength on, had just barged in his headquarter and beaten up his men. Just how strong was he? How laughable will his own name be from now on?

Zuque smiled "I received some words from these talkative guards, they told me you wanted to take all my land, business, and monopolize me, by forcing an oath contract stating that I'd sell all my craft through you?"

Jeff remained in silence, but he was already sending silent messages through the small bell encrusted on his collar.

Serin widened her eyes and looked at her husband, she wasn't aware of all that.

But it was Zuque's bell that rung. He shook it, and through the piece of prism rock inside, a projection of a green-haired woman with three meters in height appeared.

She smiled savagely while cleaning blood out of a long heavy hammer.

"It's done, the bandits of the mountain are dead, The other two Mercenaries group you mentioned are out on a mission too. we'll soon get to them."

Zuque was surprised, it's been only one hour since he went out of Carla's room and sent the order. He was pleased. "Alright, all their belonging are yours to keep."

Jeff's face was devoid of color.

"Jeff? Jeff!!??" Serin asked aloud, not wanting to believe in what she was seeing.

Zuque looked at him with a smile. "Those were your main source of power and income right?" He continued; "I need to finish our date here, goodbye, until we meet again, new captain."

Zuque turned around. Not caring for the man whose life he just destroyed. But then he stopped and looked at Serin whose knees gave in at the realization] of the truth.

'She was huntress before... She'll do well as a housekeeper."

Without a word, he swiftly tied her up and swooped her in his shoulder then jumped on the pelican outside the manor.

"NO! DON"T YOU DARE TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!"

Jeff screamed and ran. He tried to throw the spells of fire he knew but the pelican was abnormally intelligent and kept dodging with ease.

Zuque was on his feet all the while, staring down.

"If you throw an attack on myself or one of mine, you don't get to choose the scale of retaliation. With respect to your daughter and wife, I won't take your life. It's not satisfying but I'll settle to having you as the chicken I killed to warn other monkeys"

"BASTARD NO! PLEASE STOP! I BEG OF YOU! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

Zuque flew away, leaving the wailing man behind, but behind the crowd of onlookers, watching from the second floor of a tavern. Carla gulped down a whole mug of beer and sighed with satisfaction.

"It's sooo good to have an elder brother."