Gu Yan's eyes flashed with irritation.
"How could it be enough? No matter whether you've taken money and are receiving profits, the fact that your pill recipes and cultivation techniques will elevate the entire city's strength to another level while boosting our survivability against demon beast attacks—that alone is deserving of reward."
He leaned forward, his voice rising to a near-shout. "Hmm, kid, just accept the reward honestly!"
Shen Fei studied the old man, noting the intensity in his eyes, the way his gnarled hands gripped the arms of his chair. Gu Yan wasn't just being generous—he was driven.
Perhaps he saw in Shen Fei something he'd once been, a bright flame that needed protection from the winds of political reality.
Or perhaps, Shen Fei thought, he simply recognizes talent when he sees it and wants to tie that talent more firmly to the city's established power structures.
"I also agree with President Gu Yan on this view," Ye Zong said, his smile still in place but his eyes serious now.
"The pill effects have been extraordinary. The custom-made cultivation techniques have already shown remarkable results among the students. Increased cultivation speed, greater purity of soul force, enhanced compatibility with demon spirits. These are not small things, nephew. These are the foundations of our city's future survival."
Shen Fei inclined his head, accepting the praise without false modesty. "I'm gratified that my work has proven useful."
"Useful." Gu Yan snorted again.
"The boy calls transforming our entire alchemical foundation 'useful.' I've spent sixty years studying the art, and your recipes have taught me things I never imagined possible. The reversed-polarity techniques alone—"
"President Gu," Ye Zong interrupted gently, "perhaps we should discuss the security concerns before we overwhelm our guest with technical praise."
Gu Yan subsided, though his eyes still gleamed with enthusiasm.
Ye Zong's expression shifted, the warmth draining from it like water from a cracked vessel. What remained was the face of a ruler, hard and calculating.
"As for security, I also believe you need additional protection. Recently, dark guild activities outside the city walls have increased considerably. Even within the city, we have captured many members and spies."
The words fell like stones into still water. Shen Fei felt their weight, but his face remained impassive. Inside, however, his mind was racing.
The dark guild.
His family's long-running collusion with them was a secret that could destroy everything and could paint him as a traitor to everyone in the city.
His father, Shen Hong, held a status equivalent to vice guild leader.
The Star Restaurant and other family properties harbored guild members within the city walls.
If that connection were exposed, all of Shen Fei's contributions to Glory City would be forgotten in the uproar.
'I won't be in danger from them,' he thought coldly.
'The dark guild needs those pill recipes as much as the city does. But this connection... it's a liability I can't afford to carry much longer.'
The solution, when it came to him, was simple.
He would place slave inscriptions on the dark guild deacon hiding within the family and on his own father.
Killing them outright would trigger retaliation from the demon lord—a threat he wasn't yet confident he could face.
For now, enslavement is the answer, he decided. Once I've grown stronger, I can reevaluate. Perhaps then, killing them will be as easy as snapping my fingers.
The thought brought a flicker of dark satisfaction. His father's face appeared in his mind—that smug, calculating expression that had looked down on him for so many years.
Shen Hong had never seen his son as anything more than a tool, a black goat to be hidden away and eventually discarded.
"We can arrange for a Black Gold-ranked demon spiritualist to protect you at all times," Ye Zong continued, oblivious to the direction of his guest's thoughts.
"Or you could shift to the Snow Wind family estate while continuing your studies at the Institute. A Black Gold-ranked expert would be tasked with escorting you to and from the Holy Orchid Academy each day."
He paused, letting the options sink in.
"Your own Sacred family could, of course, provide protection as well—Brother Shen Hong is at the peak of Black Gold rank, after all. But the Sacred family estate is quite distant from the Institute. It wouldn't be nearly as convenient as staying here with us."
Ye Zong's smile returned, warmer now. "What do you think, nephew Shen Fei?"
Shen Fei didn't need to consider. The choice was obvious.
"I believe staying at the Snow Wind family mansion would be the wisest course, Uncle Ye Zong." He matched the City Lord's smile.
"After all, a Black Gold-ranked demon spiritualist's time is precious. I can't ask them to abandon their work and cultivation time to protect me around the clock. Staying here is far more convenient."
'And far more private,' he added silently.
A Black Gold-ranked escort would be a spy as much as a protector. Better to remain within these walls, where I can conduct my business without constant observation.
But there was another reason—a more delicious one. His mind drifted to an image of purple hair and gentle eyes, still time to mature but already beautiful.
Ye Ziyun. The City Lord's daughter. The future heroine of this world.
'Don't worry, Uncle. I'll take very good care of your precious girl. By the time I'm done with her, she'll be begging to warm my bed every night. A perfect little cum slut for her future husband.'
The thought sent a pleasant warmth through his cock.
He had already begun laying the groundwork with Shen Xiu and Huyan Lanrou—each a proud bitch transformed into a devoted toy.
Ye Ziyun would be different. She was young, innocent, still unspoiled by the world's cruelties. Breaking her would require a gentler touch, a more patient approach.
But the end result would be the same. Another proud flower plucked and pressed into his collection.
"How long are you going to hide and listen, Ziyun?"
Ye Zong's roar shattered Shen Fei's reverie.
The voice contained genuine anger, but beneath it—helplessness, doting love. A father's frustrated affection for a daughter who couldn't resist her own curiosity.
The inner door slid open.
Shen Fei's breath caught.
She stepped into the room with her head bowed, the picture of a child caught doing something wrong. "Father..."
Ye Ziyun was twelve years old, but her beauty was already evident—striking enough to make men stop and stare even at this tender age.
Her hair fell past her shoulders in vivid purple waves, layered bangs framing a delicate face.
Her eyes matched her hair—the same striking purple, bright and expressive, currently fixed on the floor in a performance of shame that didn't quite hide the curiosity burning beneath.
Her outfit was traditional, Japanese-inspired—primarily white and purple, with wide, flowing sleeves and a deep purple inner layer.
A large, dark-purple obi wrapped around her narrow waist, decorated with a blue-green fabric accent and an ornament resembling a white blossom. A long purple sash hung from her waist to brush against the floor.
The overall effect was breathtaking—elegant, refined, yet touched with an innocence that made Shen Fei's fingers itch to despoil it.
'Worthy of being a heroine that Nie Li simps for,' he thought, letting his gaze trace the line of her jaw, the curve of her neck, the subtle swell of her chest—still developing, but already promising.
Young, but displaying all the signs of top-tier beauty. Give her three or four more years, and she'll be even more stunning than Shen Xiu or Lanrou.
"Ye Ziyun." Her father's voice cracked like a whip. "How dare you eavesdrop on the conversation of adults?"
The reprimand was genuine—but Shen Fei recognized the performance beneath it.
Ye Zong was a Black Gold-ranked expert. The idea that a twelve-year-old girl, no matter how talented, could hide outside his office undetected was patently absurd.
He had allowed this to happen. The "discovery" was staged.
'Old fox,' Shen Fei thought with grudging admiration. 'Who are you trying to fool with this act?'
He kept his expression neutral, but inside he was reassessing.
Ye Zong wanted him to see his daughter. Wanted to create an opportunity for them to interact.
Which meant the City Lord was already considering Shen Fei as a potential son-in-law.
The thought was... acceptable. More than acceptable, actually. Marriage to Ye Ziyun would bind him to the Snow Wind family, granting him access to resources and political capital that even his own family's name couldn't provide.
It would cement his position as Glory City's most eligible bachelor—and more importantly, it would put the beautiful purple-haired girl within his reach.
"No need to be angry, City Lord," Gu Yan interjected, stroking his white beard with an air of grandfatherly wisdom. "After all, children are always more curious and rebellious than adults. Anyway, what we're discussing isn't exactly a secret."
Ye Zong's expression softened, though he maintained the facade of parental frustration. "You're too lenient, President Gu. This girl needs to learn proper boundaries."
Ziyun's head remained bowed, her cheeks flushing a bright pink that contrasted beautifully with her purple hair.
She looked like she wanted nothing more than for the floor to swallow her whole. But even so,
Shen Fei caught the subtle glances she stole in his direction—her heart beating visibly in her throat, her eyes darting to his profile and then away.
'She's curious about me,' he noted. 'More than curious. She's interested.'
He didn't need to wonder why.
The entire city was buzzing with his name. His exploits at the Alchemist Association, his genius in crafting cultivation techniques, the endless parade of praise from people like her father and Gu Yan—it had all painted a picture of him that was impossible for a sheltered noble girl to ignore.
But her interest isn't just admiration, he realized, watching the way her small hands clasped together, the way she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
It's something more. Nervousness. Perhaps even a touch of fear.
She's been told horror stories about me—the playboy, the womanizer, the black goat. And now she's meeting the reality, and it doesn't quite match the rumor.
That disconnect was the crack in her armor, the opening through which he could slip his influence.
"Sigh." Ye Zong exhaled heavily, his expression shifting to one of reluctant acceptance.
"I was about to bring Nephew Shen Fei to the treasury, to let him choose his rewards. Since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful."
He turned his gaze to Shen Fei, his smile returning with a rueful edge.
"Nephew Shen Fei, you may pick whatever you want from our treasury—within reason, of course. I wouldn't want President Gu to accuse me of mistreating you, but I also can't have you emptying the family vault."
It was a joke, and Shen Fei responded with an appropriately modest smile. "I appreciate the generosity, Uncle Ye Zong. I'll be careful not to take advantage."
Ziyun's head snapped up at that, her violet eyes darting toward her father before fixing on Shen Fei.
Her expression was a complicated mix of resentment and curiosity, like a cat presented with an unfamiliar creature.
"Come on, Brother Shen Fei," she said, her voice carefully composed despite the blush still coloring her cheeks. "I'll show you around."
She hurried toward the exit without waiting for a response. Shen Fei rose smoothly, offering a brief bow to Ye Zong and Gu Yan before following.
The door slid shut behind them, and suddenly they were alone in the corridor. Ziyun walked slightly ahead, her earlier confidence evaporating into awkward silence.
Her fingers fidgeted with the sash at her waist, and every few steps she would glance back at him as if checking that he was still there.
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