《A Modern Day Demon King》


 * Prologue – Final Battle

    An intense battle rages between the Human kingdom¡¯s troops and that of the Demon King¡¯s forces. The screams of anger and pain fill the air of those dying and fighting for their very lives. A warrior rushes to the aid of his fallen brother to only be stabbed in the back by a Demon spear wielder. The warrior in shining knight¡¯s armor lets out a wail of anger and unleashes his special ability attack. The demon soldier lets out a wail of terror as a blast of energy destroys twenty nearby demons. The demon warriors let out wails of anger and rush forward with renewed vigor.


    On both of sides of the field, the troops gather for a final assault that will determine the winner. An impossibly handsome warrior in white armor gathers the men for a final wave. ¡°For our homeland and those that we protect!¡± The hero roared igniting the flames of valor among the weary human soldiers.


    The warriors, in turn, respond by crying out, ¡°Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!¡± The human knights and soldiers gather together to form a charging line. At the center of the line, the white armored hero leads the charge into the thickest part of the demon front lines.


    On the opposite end of the field, a silver-haired demon covered in sleek black armor walks forward as the blood splattered decoration skulls on his shoulder armor drips ominously with each step. Rivers of blood from slain humans and their fallen demon brethren cover the already blood-soaked fields. The ebony armored demon proudly halts and kneels before the young teenage Demon King. His large black horns on the side of his head almost reach out to touch the small youthful figure of the Demon King before him.


    The current Demon King only thirteen-years-old had inherited the throne at the tender young age of nine years old with the death of her father, the previous Demon King. Demon King has sleek ebony hair and piercing crimson eyes. Her hair flutters in the breeze as she removes the military cap from her head. Her small, child demon horns can be seen as her red cloak flutters dramatically behind her. Her dark military uniform is untouched despite the battle as her sheathed blade at her side drips blood onto the soaked earth.


    ¡°Milord, the humans are preparing another assault. What will you have us do?¡± The silver-haired demon quietly asked. The Demon King did not react only watching the hero in blazing armor led the charge forward as battle horns sound dramatically behind him. Failing to hear a response, the silver-haired demon asks once more, ¡°Milord, what will you have us do?¡±


    Without taking her eyes off of the battlefield, the crimson cloaked Demon King flatly answers, ¡°Sound the horn for retreat.¡±


    The silver-haired demon with glowing blue eyes gapes in surprise. ¡°But Milord, we have not yet lost!¡± The silver-haired demon protested.


    The Demon King tiredly sighs and says, ¡°It¡¯s too late, their final charge will destroy our front lines. All we can do at this point is minimize our losses.¡± Turning her eyes away from the attack, the teenage Demon King takes a step forward and gently places her cap on the startled silver-haired demon¡¯s head.


    ¡°Milord?¡± The silver-haired demon asked.


    ¡°Seamus Blackheart, I, Reyn Valerius Maximanious the ¢ô, the last surviving member of the royal demon bloodline, and present Demon King of the entire demon realm; being of sound mind and body, I declare Seamus Blackheart, my heir and the next Demon King in the absence of any biological heir or living royal bloodline carrier,¡± The Demon King firmly declared.


    Tears form in Seamus¡¯s eyes as the Demon King turns away and briskly says, ¡°Now Go!¡±


    Bowing once more to the Demon King, Seamus forces himself to march away and obey the Demon King¡¯s orders. Seamus takes a white horn form his side and begins to sound the call for retreat.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    A beautiful demoness with crimson hair and curved side horns, shouts, ¡°Seamus, where is Milord?¡±


    ¡°Milord has ordered the sound of retreat,¡± Seamus tiredly croaked.


    Before the demoness can protest an older wiser demon mutters, ¡°He bears the Demon King¡¯s crown. The Demon King has named a new apparent heir, we must obey orders whether we wish to or not.¡± The demoness clamps her mouth shut in anger, but sullenly darts away to aide in the retreat. The older demon nods to Seamus as they gather their wounded as swiftly as they can and retreat.


    Those at the front brace themselves in understanding that they were to sacrifice their lives for those retreating at their back. The demon soldiers dig their feet into the ground hoping to stave off the humans long enough to ensure that their comrades would live. The two opposing enemy lines clash in an epic flash of lights and sound the echo throughout the valley.


    A scream of despair is heard as the Demon front line is broken through and like dominos, the rest of the line begins to crumble. With ease, the Human break through and chase after the retreating Demon forces. However, standing amid the field, a petite, lone figure in a red cloak stands firmly between the charging human forces and that of the retreating demon king¡¯s forces.


    The Demon King sighs and unsheathes her blade as dark crimson energy gathers around her. Tightening her grip on the sword¡¯s hilt, the Demon King raises her blade upward and unleashes a violent red barrage of power. The human forces falter as the Demon King swings her blade and an explosive discharge of energy bursts from her single swing cleaving those nearest her in half.


    The human¡¯s scream as the Hero motions for the forces to retreat. The Hero charges forward and unleashes a barrage of holy might from his blade. The Demon King parries the move with a flick of her blade as she narrows her eyes at the Hero. Sneering quietly to herself, the Demon King moves forward but does not release all her power.


    The hero and the Demon King clash in battle as the force of their blows tear the very earth around them to smithereens. Their violent attacks thunder across the valley as the humans gaze on with fear and awe at the battle unfolding before them, while the retreating demon forces weep soundlessly at their leader¡¯s valor.


    The Demon King shoves the Hero back as she unleashes a torrent of energy. The Hero ducks for nothing as instead of destroying him, the energy gathers to form a large gate on the opposite end of the valley in front of the retreating Demons allowing them to escape.


    The Hero bitterly shouts, ¡°Stop them, we can¡¯t let them escape!¡± The human forces dive forward, but the Demon King unleashes an attack that destroys the very ground before them. The Hero glares at the Demon King and dives forward in retribution.


    The Demon King grits her teeth to dodge the hero¡¯s attack and is barely able to. The majority of the Demon King¡¯s power is concentrated on keeping the Gate open long enough for her people to escape. The Demon King weakly parries the Hero¡¯s attacks as she feels herself grow weaker under the strain of holding the transfer gates open.


    The Hero recklessly charges forward and moves to the left in act of deception, but instead slides underneath for a surprise attack. The Demon King is unable to dodge as the blade moves steadily towards her chest. Rather than dodging, the Demon King watches the last of her forces disappear beyond the gate. As the blade cruelly pierces through her, the Demon King closes the gate as blood wells up in her throat.


    The Hero carelessly removes his sword from the Demon King¡¯s chest as the Demon King crumbles to her knees. Not taking pity on her age or appearance, the Hero coldly says, ¡°Any last words?¡±


    Blood wells up the Demon King¡¯s throat as she grins a terrible bloody grin. ¡°Foolish hero, I wonder what you will do when you learn the truth? I wonder if you will feel guilty for killing a helpless child? And when those that you serve betray you, I hope you will always think of me,¡± the Demon King croaked.


    With cold eyes, the Hero swings his blade forward to slay the Demon King. But to the shock of many, as soon the holy blade grazes the Demon King¡¯s body, the Demon King¡¯s body turns into a mist of smoke and vanishes to the surprise of many.


    The Hero and the soldiers pay the circumstances no mind as the holy sword was known to purify evil. The Hero turns to his men with a triumphant smile as the human soldier¡¯s let out cries of victory. With time, the humans would move to gather their dead in a funeral pyre, before marching victoriously back home. But the sheer cruel irony would be that the Demon King¡¯s words would prove true with the passing of time.

 * Chapter 1 - Awake

    Blue-green eyes flicker open as tears slide out of them. A young woman with chin-length russet colored hair wipes the tears from her eyes and turns on her side to reach for her glasses on the nightstand next to her. Putting on her glasses the woman sighs as she falls back onto her pillows and stares at the ceiling.


    Reyn is a former Demon King, who had been reborn as a human in an entirely different world. As a small child, she would dream every night about being a Demon King in another world until she finally understood the reality of the situation as she grew older. She wasn¡¯t dreaming but remembering/seeing memories of her previous existence. Over the passing of time, her human and previous Demon King-self merged together to form her current self, Reyn Mephistopheles. Although that wasn¡¯t to say, she was an entirely normal human either.


    Reyn glances at the clock and sighs, it was time for work. Reyn sleepily yawns and kicks off her bedsheets before climbing out of bed to get ready for work. Reyn heads to the bathroom, where here pressed suit is waiting for her. After a couple of minutes, Reyn emerges in a typical white-collar button shirt, a black suit jacket and matching skirt with black stockings and black leather slip-on shoes.


    Reyn only pauses to run her fingers through her short hair, before grabbing her office bag and heading to the kitchen to brush her teeth. As she brushes her teeth, Reyn grabs her packed lunch out of the fridge and puts it into her bag. Finished, Reyn pauses only to smile at the framed photograph of her and her parents. Much like in her previous life both of her parents had died when she was young, but this time around her human parents were killed when she was just thirteen by a drunken driver.


    Afterward, Reyn had been put into the foster home system until she aged out. It wasn¡¯t the best of times to say the least, but she lucked in her last two years left in the system by getting assigned to an older foster care couple. Mr. and Mrs. Pingree were relatively nice people for the most part if not for being a bit on the strict side of parenting. For the holidays, Christmas and Thanksgiving, Reyn would always return to her foster parent¡¯s home to celebrate the holidays with them.


    Upon graduating High School, Reyn enrolled into a local college to study accounting using the remnant of her parent¡¯s savings and life insurance policy that she finally had access too. In just four years, Reyn graduated as a CPA with top honors as a Cum Laude from her university. Given her grades and internship as a student, it hadn¡¯t been difficult for Reyn to find immediate employment after graduation at an excellent company that had an available opening.


    Reyn sneezes and heads out of her small apartment. Scurrying down the steps Reyn makes her way to the street, before heading to her favorite bakery for breakfast. If she walked fast she would have enough time to grab a bite to eat and still make it in time for work.


    Reyn hurries down the street to only hear a scuffle in the alleyway. Reyn is about to walk away when she hears a cry of pain and protest from a woman in the alley. Reyn sighs to herself and pushes her glasses up her nose, before darting purposefully into the alley.


    Three leering men have a woman pinned against the wall. The scantily clad streetwalker presses herself in fright against the wall as the three men leer at her. One of the men reaches over to touch the woman¡¯s face causing her to flinch away. Before the men can react, a voice says, ¡°Excuse me, sirs, but could you give me a hand?¡±


    One of the men, a tall buff man turns and grunts, ¡°Go and mind your own business!¡± Before the man can react, a blow to the stomach sends him flying past his comrades and crashing further down the alley. The man groans in pain as his two friends turn to face their opponent.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    One of the men guffaws and points at the woman in office clothing. ¡°Oh my god, Jerry. Don¡¯t tell me this little girl beat the living sh** out of you?¡±


    The scantily clad woman in spiky pink heels seeing her assailants momentarily distracted hurriedly escapes without a single word of thanks and rushes out of the alleyway. Reyn sighs to herself at the thanks she is getting and wonders, why does she even bother?


    The other man cocks his head to the side and growls, ¡°You best be apologizing miss or we¡¯re going to have to get physical.¡±


    Realizing that the men are talking to her, Reyn carefully puts her bag on the floor, before straightening back up. Seeing the woman ignore them, the rougher looking man cracks his knuckles and rushes forward at the woman. Reyn easily reaches out and catches his fist in her palm. The man stares at her as his companion gapes in shock.


    Reyn brightly smiles and wraps her fingers around the man¡¯s fist and with ease begins to tighten her grip on the man¡¯s hand. The man winces in pain as the force grows impossibly stronger until a loud crack is heard. Reyn instantly releases the bone-crushing hold on the man¡¯s hand as the man falls onto the floor in pain cradling his broken arm to his chest.


    The third man takes a step back and holds his hands up in the air in a sign of peace. ¡°Whoa, there girl, I¡¯m not looking for any trouble,¡± the third man exclaimed.


    Reyn nods sagely and says, ¡°Gentlemen I hope we never cross paths again. But should we meet again, I hope it won¡¯t be under such similar of circumstances.¡± Reyn hastily grabs her leather bag off the ground and speedily walks away. With relief, Reyn turns the corner of the street to find she isn¡¯t being followed.


    Glancing at her watch, Reyn sighs dejectedly at this rate if she stopped by the bakery for breakfast, she would be late to work. With a frown, Reyn makes her walk to work only stopping to buy a sandwich from a street vendor on her way to work.


    The streets are full of white-collar workers on her way to work. With care, Reyn weaves her way through the masses as she speedily chews on her sandwich. After a while, Reyn spots the large glass building that was her office building and dives through the crowd for the doors. She and several others push their way through the crowds to safely emerge in the lobby.


    Reaching into her bag, Reyn pulls out her security badge on its black lanyard and shows it to the guard on duty. The plump security guard waves her through as Reyn makes her to the crowded elevator. As soon as the doors open, Reyn and other office employees dive into the metal box like cattle to the slaughter. The elevator is swiftly filled to the brim, but Reyn somehow manages to press the elevator button for her floor as the doors close.


    The elevator slowly empties at each floor until finally, it¡¯s Reyn¡¯s floor. With relief, Reyn steps out of the elevator and makes her way to the office door and scan¡¯s her keycard against the security, before being allowed inside.


    Reyn speedily makes her way to her cubicle as Lisa¡¯s pink dyed head sticks over the edge of the cubicle. ¡°So, running late huh? Any juicy stories?¡± Lisa asked as she leaned over the cubicle. Her long pink braided hair brushes onto Reyn¡¯s cubicle as Lisa pointedly pushes up her stylish fashion decorative glasses.


    Reyn raises an eyebrow and murmurs, ¡°Nothing to tell,¡± as she turns on her computer and takes a seat at her desk.


    Lisa sighs dejectedly and says, ¡°Girl, you have to get out more often. When was the last time you went out?¡±


    ¡°I go out every day,¡± Reyn steadfastly replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean going to work, but out to have some fun,¡± Lisa suggestively said with an exaggerated wink.


    Reyn spots their supervisor turning the corner and hastily turns on her computer and pretends to be studying an open file. Lisa catches the hint and hastily dives to pretend to work as well until their supervisor passes by. After a moment, Lisa peers around the cubicle and whispers, ¡°Fine, how about dinner and a few drinks after work?¡±


    Reyn narrows her eyes at Lisa, ¡°Fine, now get back to work.¡± Lisa playfully bats her eyelashes at Reyn before going back to her desk. Reyn glances at the complicated spreadsheet on her screen and frowns. It was going to be a long day.

 * Chapter 2 – End of the Day

    Lisa drunkenly protests, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to go home! It¡¯s still early!¡± And then proceeds to burp into Reyn¡¯s face as Lisa drunkenly sings offkey, ¡°Girl¡¯s just wanna have fun!¡±


    Reyn winces at the putrid breath thrown into her face and turns her face away. Carefully holding Lisa up, Reyn growls, ¡°I know it¡¯s the weekend, but I would like to sleep in for once! Now get into the cab!¡± Reyn swiftly shoves Lisa into the waiting cab and firmly slams the cab door shut after her. Reyn hastily says, ¡°Take her to 125 Washington Heights on Broadstreet.¡± The cabby nods his head in affirmation before darting away with his drunken passenger in the backseat.


    Reyn snorts with relief and glances down at her wrist as her watch that reads 1:35 p.m. Reyn snorts unhappily and murmurs, ¡°Dinner and a drink, aye? Yeah, right!¡± Grumbling to herself, Reyn makes her way home through the darkened streets back to her apartment.


    With a tired sigh, Reyn locks the door behind her and tosses her bag onto the kitchen table. With care, Reyn undresses and hangs her clothes back up in the closet, before changing into a t-shirt and shorts. Reyn crawls into bed and closes her eyes to sleep. The minutes tick by as Reyn opens her eyes wide awake unable to sleep. Tossing and turning don¡¯t help until Reyn at last fed up sits back in bed and sits cross-legged on the bed. Closing her eyes, Reyn begins to absorb the last of the remnants of the ley line overhead.


    Reyn knew that at some point this world must have possessed magic as ancient ley lines of mana still existed in the world. The legends still told among humankind surely couldn¡¯t have been fabricated at some point there must have exited magic or even magic creatures. She could only conclude either those that wielded magic had gone extinct over the gradual loss of mana or they had gone into hiding or simply left this world for a new world.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Reyn suddenly feels the last of ley line overhead disappear and be absorbed into herself. Inside her core is a giant World Tree with seventeen large glowing flowers. The mana drifting into her body and in existence tries to open the 18<sup>th</sup> flower bud, but it is simply not enough. The tiny bud on the tree branches remains the same as it waits for more power to break through, before opening its flower petals into full bloom.


    It had taken Reyn most of her life to reach the same level of power that she had originally possessed in her previous life as a Demon King. However, when Reyn had died as a Demon King she had only been 13 years old. Having been only a young demon, Reyn had been far from being as strong as she would have been had she been allowed to grow up and become a full-blown Demon-King.


    Reyn finishes absorbing the crumbs of mana into herself as she feels her body automatically strengthen itself and shove all excess energy back into her core. After the 1<sup>st</sup> level formation, Reyn closed off that power level and restarted from the beginning, before trying to grow a 2<sup>nd </sup>flower, (and enter the next level). Since Reyn was now human, she knew her body wouldn¡¯t initially accept the change but would take additional time to adapt to the change in her body. Even though Reyn had long since stopped doing so, Reyn still had the habit of hiding any traces of mana absorption.


    Besides, she was still wary of being outed by anyone with the ability to absorb mana. Even in her previous world, different demon and human cultures called Mana different things including Qi or Chakra. And said small differences were often the cause of wars between different groups trying to prove which absorption method was superior to the others. And though Reyn had yet to meet anyone with said abilities, that did mean they did not exist in this modern-day world. And if said groups did, in fact, continue to exist in secret and among the shadows, she highly doubted that a collision with them would end in a peaceful exchange of words.


    Reyn opens her eyes and glances at the time, the clock reads 10:32 a.m. Reyn sniffs to herself as she crawls back into bed dead tired. Now, that the ley line was gone, she was going to have to move again if she wanted to absorb more mana from another ley line. However, for now, Reyn falls sound asleep to the lull of city¡¯s late morning sounds.

 * Chapter 3 – End of the Day Ⅱ

    Elsewhere in an entirely different country, a thin, office worker leaves the office at 11:32 p.m. A large crash startles the office worker as he glances around in the dark hallway. Uneasy, the office worker makes his way to the source of the sound and hears a large thump beyond a semi-open office door.


    Rather wary, the office worker peeks through the crack in the doorway to see the horrifying red painted scene before him. Unable to process the gruesome scene, the office worker stomach lurches uneasily. Keeping the bile down, the office worker scrambles backward and rushes towards the men¡¯s bathroom.


    The office worker staggers to the bathroom sink and begins to boisterously heave. Painful tears pour down his face at the force of the gut-wrenching sounds that are filled with something more than just nausea. With shaky gasps, the office worker tries to grab the sink handle as his fingers shake forcefully in a clenched manner. With fumbling fingers, the office worker finally manages to wrap its hand around the handle and turn it open.


    An empty ache grows in the pit of the office worker¡¯s stomach as his limbs shake with fear and shock. His knees give out unexpectedly and the office worker slides roughly onto the bathroom tile floor. The office worker¡¯s teeth clatter noisily as he pulls his knees to himself in a child¡¯s attempt to comfort himself all the while tears continue to pour down his face.


    The office worker mumbles incoherently to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything. Must go home now.¡± And as if fueled by those sudden words, the office worker climbs to his feet. The office worker cautiously pauses at the door and listens for any sounds of movement outside. Convinced, he as alone, the office worker slowly opens the bathroom door and peeks into the darkened hallway unable to see anything.


    The office worker cautiously makes his way to the elevator and pushes the button for the elevator door button. The elevator button remains dark as the office worker pushes the button frantically again. Seeing no results, the office worker hurriedly makes his way to the staircase.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The office worker pauses at the staircase door intently listening for any sound of footsteps. Not hearing anything, the office worker carefully opens the door and closes the door shut behind him. Taking one step at a time, the office worker descends the flights of stairs heading for the lobby. However, a loud clunk can suddenly be heard in the stairway as slow deliberate footsteps can be heard descending from the stairs above him. Filled with fear, the office worker darts onto the third floor and wait for the footsteps fade away. Holding his breath, the office worker waits as the footsteps pause just by the 3rd-floor stairway door, before continuing downward.


    The office worker lets out a sigh of relief as intently listens for any sound signaling the murderer¡¯s return. After some time, the office worker slowly pries the door open to listen for any sounds coming from the staircase. Unable to hear anything, the office worker warily enters the stairwell once more.


    However, before the office worker had even taken more than two steps, the hair on the back of his neck stands on edge. The office worker hastily turns around to see a tall hooded figure in a trench coat on the stair landing above him. The office worker fearfully clutches his leather bag to his chest and takes a step back. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything! I promise I won¡¯t say a single word! Please, I just want to go home!¡± The officer worker hoarsely shrieked.


    The tall hooded figure in a single blink of an eye is suddenly standing directly in before the office worker. Before the office worker can react, the tall hooded figure leans in for a close whisper, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    The office worker¡¯s eyes widen with terror, but with casual ease, the tall hooded figure shoves the office worker backward. In slow motion, the office worker tumbles down several flights of stairs as a loud snap is heard. Left in a strange awkward position, the office worker¡¯s body comes to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. And with that, the tall hooded figure disappears without a trace left behind of his existence.


    The next day the office worker¡¯s body would be found and be labeled a tragic accident. The police concluded that the tired office worker had slipped in the dark and fallen to his tragic death. There was nothing to take note of except that Mr. L¨«, the accountant was missing from his desk. But that wasn¡¯t a strange event given that Mr. L¨« had tenured his resignation several weeks ago and yesterday had been his last day of work.

 * Chapter 4 – Offer

    On the following Monday, Reyn arrives at the office early as she munches on a delicious breakfast croissant stuffed to the brim with ham and cheese from her favorite bakery. Still eating, Reyn takes a seat at her desk careful to not drop any crumbs lest she is given a warning about eating at a work desk again.


    Lisa trots into all bright eyed and bushy tailed! ¡°So, did you do anything fun after I left?¡± Lisa asked as she leans over their shared cubicle wall.


    Reyn stares darkly at Lisa and swallows carefully, before answering, ¡°You mean, having to carry your drunken friend out of the club for trying to strip down on the main dance floor? Or what about breaking up the fight that same idiot friend tried to pick with a gangbanger, all because she didn¡¯t like his dreads? Or what about, when we forced to run away because that same idiot friend decided to moon a cop on duty?¡±


    Lisa doesn¡¯t even flinch and say, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not talking about that. I¡¯m talking about after I went home.¡±


    ¡°I had lots of fun, now let me finish eating my croissant,¡± Reyn drily commented. Lisa pouts and slinks into her seat doing as asked. Reyn finishes eating, before getting to work as she checks the spreadsheets at the start of the day.


    Before Reyn can get to work her supervisor, Tim Duran directly halt¡¯s in front of her. Reyn warily glances up from his bulging belly and upward at her supervisor¡¯s face, who is a large-nosed man with his hair heavily gelled in a thing comb-over to cover his premature balding. ¡°Reyn, I would like to see you in my office right now,¡± Tim crossly grunted, before waddling away.


    Reyn narrows her eyes warily. As far as she knew she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong and her work was pristine as usual. But then again, Tim was known for nitpicking at the smallest things.


    Lisa glances over her cubicle and whispers like a little kid, ¡°Uh, oh, you¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    Reyn glares at Lisa, before getting up and heading to her supervisor¡¯s office. Reyn hurries to Tim¡¯s desk and to her surprise finds one of the general managers of the company seated inside. Very wary now, Reyn closes the door behind her and takes a seat before them.


    The general manager, Harry Potts is a graying older man with round glasses. General Manager Potts smiles briefly at Reyn before finishing studying the documents, before him. After a brief pause, General Manager Potts glances up at Reyn and says, ¡°Miss Mephistopheles, you¡¯ve done some excellent work in the company for one so young. For your dedication and work ethic, the company, sincerely thanks you-.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Reyn stiffens at those words. She wasn¡¯t getting fired, was she? Well, at least if she did, she¡¯d be getting severance pay and that would buy her enough time to get a new job.


    ¡°And that is precisely why, the company is offering you a senior accounting position in one of our branches in Anatolia. Not only will your salary be doubled, but the company will pay for a fully furnished apartment during your stay. Not to mention all travel expenses to and back are covered for by the company. However, the position needs to be urgently filled. I¡¯m afraid we would need to know by the end of today of whether you fulfill the position or nor,¡± General Manager. Potts explained.


    Reyn gapes for a moment at the excellent offer, before narrowing her eyes and asking, ¡°I would love to accept, but I¡¯m a bit dubious on the sudden nature of the request, sir. Though I am certain I am more capable of filling the position, such a position is usually offered to a more senior member. May I ask, why the offer has been extended to me?¡±


    Supervisor Tim glares at Reyn, while General Manager Potts drily replies, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that on such notice most of the senior accountants cannot do so as they have families to deal with. As your marital status is still that of a single young woman, that should pose no problem to you. And it certainly added points to your column the fact that you can speak the native language.


    Besides, Duran has raved about your almost perfect accounting sheets and calculations. It¡¯s rather rare that he offers praises on one of the junior accountants.¡± Supervisor Tim flushes and glares at Reyn as if telling her to not allow that comment to go to her head.


    Reyn swiftly thinks the proposal over in retrospect. The language would not pose a problem for her as those she would be dealing would speak English and that she could speak the language of the native country. Housing would be paid for and she really wouldn¡¯t need to buy all that much over there. In fact, she would probably be able to save up most of her money with ease.


    ¡°I would be pleased to accept, but may I know how long I will be posted there?¡± Reyn asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a one to a two-year position. We want to make sure the current fiscal year is taken care of for the next year and then do a hiring, training process. Afterward, you will be eligible for a senior accounting position upon your return,¡± General Manager Potts replied.


    ¡°Then when do I leave?¡± Reyn asked.


    General Manager Potts smiles and pulls out an airplane ticket from the folder and holds it out to her. ¡°You leave Wednesday evening. You may have the rest the work day¡¯s off to get your affairs in order and clean up your work desk,¡± General Manager Potts cheerfully said.


    Reyn gulps as she takes the ticket and quietly walks out the door. Somewhat in shock, Reyn sits down at her desk and stares dumbly at her computer. Frightened Lisa peeks around the desk and hisses, ¡°What happened?!¡±


    ¡°I am being transferred to an overseas branch as a senior accountant. I leave in two days,¡± Reyn replied.


    Lisa gapes and hisses, ¡°Then hurry up and pack! After work, I¡¯ll stop by to help!¡± Reyn immediately gets a dose of reality and packs up her things into a box. Which wasn''t really all that much.

 * Chapter 5 – Arrival

    Two days later, against all miraculous odds, Reyn had managed to break her apartment lease, closed her public bill accounts, and put most of her things in a personal storage with the aid of Lisa and her man toys.


    Lisa hugs Reyn as she sees her off at the airport. Lisa wipes her tears and says, ¡°Call me, when you land, no matter what time it is! And you better post everything you eat and see! I want snapp-shots and countless selfies!¡±


    Reyn hugs her best friend back and says, ¡°I will.¡± The two women hug each other in farewell one last time before Reyn let¡¯s go and shifts her bag pack. Lisa waves goodbye as Reyn enters the line for pre-checked TSA and heads directly to security. Minutes later with shoes back on and boarding pass in hand, Reyn makes her way to the terminal. Taking a seat, Reyn doesn¡¯t wait for long, before boarding starts.


    Reyn swiftly places her things overhead and takes an aisle seat in first-class. Smiling, Reyn watches the airplane slowly fill up until the doors are closed and it is time for lift off. Reyn nervously buckles her seat as she waits for the plane to lift off. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of flying, because demons could fly, (and she had ridden in an airplane before.) It¡¯s just that she didn¡¯t have faith in a heaping hunk of metal that somehow managed to fly against all impossible odds and defy gravity itself.


    Three connecting flights later, Reyn manages to arrive safely in Anatolia mainland later that Thursday night. Severely jet-lagged, Reyn somehow manages to hail a taxi and make it to the company apartment. Reyn briefly stares the new complex in a nice part of town, before rolling her suitcases inside. Even in her jetlagged state, Reyn was able to notice the giant ley-line located conveniently underneath the apartment complex.


    A tired apartment manager is waiting at the front desk and in accented English says, ¡°Welcome.¡±


    Reyn replies fluently back in Anatolia, ¡°No, thank you for staying up so late to receive me, I appreciate it.¡±


    The apartment manager smiles with delight at the new apartment tenant¡¯s ability to speak the language and their politeness. ¡°Thank goodness, I was a bit worried when I found out one of the new tenants would be Usonian. However, I see I have nothing to worry about. Here are your keys to your apartment, it¡¯s on the third-floor room number, 301. And should you have any questions please don¡¯t hesitate to just ask. Would you like some help carrying your luggage upstairs?¡± The apartment manager asked as he hands over the keys to the apartment.


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine,¡± Reyn replied and proceed to take the elevator to the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor. With care, Reyn opens the door and rolls her luggage inside, before carefully locking the door behind her. Rather tired and jetlagged, Reyn leaves her bags their and proceeds to make her way to her bed.


    Somehow, Reyn manages to find a bed and text a mumbled message to Lisa that she arrived, before falling fast asleep. Several hours later, Reyn wakes up and realizes she went to bed with her clothes and shoes on. Letting out a sigh, Reyn kicks off her shoes and makes her way to the bathroom to freshen up.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Feeling better and with her face washed, Reyn finally has a chance to review the apartment. The apartment had been tastefully decorated as there were two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a small closet like area with a washer and dryer. Such an apartment couldn¡¯t have come a cheap given its location and living space.


    Reyn unpacks her clothes and hangs them up also taking the time to change clothes. Finished, Reyn walks in socks to the kitchen and finds brand new unused pots, pans, cooking ware, dishware and silverware. There was even a microwave, blender and dishwasher for use as needed. The only thing missing was food in the fridge, but that was something she could take care of herself.


    Grabbing a pair of shoes and her wallet, Reyn firmly closes the door behind her, before glancing at her phone and searching for the nearest grocery store. The nearest store was only two blocks away, which could be bad, but if needed Reyn would take a taxi. Reyn swiftly walks there and does get some looks but mostly curious gazes at her western appearance.


    Finished shopping, Reyn pays and carries her groceries out of the store and back. Reyn manages to open the door to apartment somehow with her hands full, but luckily nothing dropped out. With a sigh, she puts the groceries away, before taking a seat and staring at the brand new T.V. in front of her.


    Feeling something is missing, Reyn returns to her room and grabs her parents framed picture, before putting it on the counter. Satisfied, Reyn¡¯s stomach begins to rumble with hunger. Reyn not feeling like cooking searches for a local takeout and hits upon sushi. Reyn orders a rather large meal and glances at the wrapped packages on her counter, while she waits


    Reyn had bought several gift fruits to gift to the new neighbors to introduce herself. Seeing as she had time, Reyn grabs the packages and makes her way to the neighbor on the left. Politely knocking a young mother opens the door and carefully eyes Reyn. Reyn smiles and says, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Reyn, your new neighbor. I hope we can get along and I brought along a gift to show my sincerity.¡±


    The young mother blinks in surprise and thoughtlessly says, ¡°You¡¯re rather polite for a Usonian.¡± The young mother blushes with embarrassment and says, ¡°I am so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like the way it sounded!¡±


    Reyn chuckles and says, ¡°No, that¡¯s perfectly understandable. We, Usonian¡¯s can be quite the scary people, but we¡¯re quite nice as well once you get to know us.¡±


    The young mother hastily replies, ¡°Well, welcome to the building. I¡¯m Mrs. W¨¢ng and I live here with my husband and my young son.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you so much, Mrs. W¨¢ng. But quick question, do you know if the other two neighbors are here as well?¡± Reyn asked.


    ¡°Yes, in #303, Mr. and Mrs. Zh¨¡ng live with their two children. And as for #304, Mr. and Mrs. Li¨² are an older couple. Their two children are married, and they are now grandparents,¡± Mrs. W¨¢ng replied as a baby¡¯s wail cuts their conversation short.


    Reyn smiles and says, ¡°Go and attend to your little one. It was nice to meet you, Mrs. W¨¢ng.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Mrs. W¨¢ng replied, before hurriedly going to her baby¡¯s side.


    Reyn carefully knocks on her two neighbor¡¯s doors as both wives greet her. With pleased expressions, the two women thank her and promise to return the gift in the future. Reyn smiles, before excusing herself back to her apartment with relieved that her neighbors seemed to be nice people. It always was a bonus when that happens, because a bad neighbor is a nightmare to deal with.

 * Chapter 6 – Arrival Ⅱ

    Reyn is sitting down on the couch watching a documentary when the doorbell rings. Reyn hurries to her feet and pays the delivery man, before firmly closing the door behind her. With treasures in hand, Reyn munches on her food and enjoys watching a documentary on T.V.


    Done eating, Reyn prepares herself for bed, before sitting down cross-legged on her bed. Closing her eyes, Reyn begins to draw upon the mana from the underground ley line until the ley line is almost sucked dry as it is drawn into her body. The hours turn into days until it is late Sunday night as there is no change. Suddenly, the flower bud on the World Tree begins to tremble violently and with an explosive boom from inside of Reyn, the 18<sup>th</sup> flower finally blooms open.


    Unimaginable power surges inside Reyn¡¯s body enough to wreak havoc throughout the world with ease. Stifling her rampaging Demon King urges with care Reyn weaves a new seal onto her body and closes off the power seep-able of the new transformation. Reyn opens her eyes and stares at the clock in deep thought as she uses up the remaining extra energy seepage to ensure the seal is firmly in place.


    Since before reaching the 16<sup>th</sup> flower Reyn had slowly felt the time of humanity fall away from her. Reyn no longer even felt the need to sleep or eat, but she still did so out of a habit. However, what worried her was since reaching the 16<sup>th</sup> flower on her World Tree and with each passing new flower, it grew ever so much harder to continue to grow. And even more daunting is the silent siren call that keeps getting stronger from the great beyond, beyond the earth¡¯s blue skies. And ancient Demon legends told of a time that a great and powerful Demon King grew so strong that the very Heavens were forced to remove him from the mortal planes. But who knows, perhaps, there is some truth to the ancient tale after all.


    *


    Elsewhere in the city only, a few patriarchs of families or sects that had reached Heaven''s stage glance up at the skies with startled eyes as they consider the ramifications of such an event. Who could have possibly absorbed so much Qi in such little time without leaving a trail leading to them? A newcomer or was it, someone, they already knew?


    These patriarchs send out their most senior elders of various families to search the area for clans. These elders instantly dart into the sky and scan the area. In an unspoken agreement, the various elder¡¯s combine their powers to scan the city for clues but fail to find a single clue. With a frown, the elders soon return empty handed without finding a single clue of the cultivator responsible for the massive Qi absorption in the city area.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Most of the patriarch¡¯s sigh in relief and contentment knowing that none of their enemies had gained a step over them in power. Satisfied with that knowledge these patriarchs put the incident out of mind. After all, there are high ranking clans, sects, families or even unorthodox cultivators in existence who could just have been passing through.  would quickly go onto forgetting the incident attributing it to a passing cultivator belonging to a high-ranking clan, family, or even sect. In such situations, it is always better not to ask questions when it came concerning such people.


    However, for the wiser minority of the patriarchs, they felt uneasy at such a sign. Had a new powerful cultivator appeared in the city and if so, did that bode well for them or not? The logical conclusion is that such a powerful cultivator must belong to a higher level of sect, family, or group that must be sending a high-ranking member to the city.


    And if so, it is for only two reasons. The first is to establish a branch in the city, which mean such a group was moving to gain a foothold. In which case it meant war as surely, they would be taking over a group in which case still did not bode well for them. The second is that said individual is here to acquire an item or to deal with someone who has offended a higher-ranking member. In which case, the outcome is the same, there will still be the shedding of blood. Therefore, these wiser or more cautious patriarchs can only silently increase their security and wait with bated breath of what the future will bring.


    But from even further away in several other places powerful individuals sensed the monstrous aura of power. From a crystal palace like an icy beauty glances up at the sky with narrow eyes, before returning to her paperwork. From a high rise building in the building of a bustling city, a middle-aged man with peccable features frowns before turning away from the night city landscape to greet the waiting visitor in his office. And from a private hall carefully hidden in the darkness of the mountains, an old man with stark white hair and glowing amber eyes sneers at the sky, before returning to complete his dark sorcery.


    Yet on a mountaintop in the middle of the wilderness, an old man wearing shabby clothing glances up at the skies. With a glint of interest, the old man says, ¡°Huh, it looks like someone interesting has finally appeared. It¡¯s about time, I was getting bored.¡± The old man climbs to his feet as bones creak slightly from being still for so long. With a grunt, the old man vanishes from the mountain as the night remains as quiet and still as before unaware of everything that had just transpired.

 * Chapter 7 – Work

    Bright and early, Monday morning, Reyn is dressed in her usual work attire. Having already eaten, Reyn makes sure to place her packed lunch into her leather bag, before going out. With care, Reyn makes her way to the nearest subway station and carefully reads the stops and transfers for the subway lines.


    Satisfied, Reyn purchases a subway card, before heading on her way. Having left early, the subway station is not yet as full as it would be at rush hour. Reyn makes her way to her destination, before finally safely arriving at her last station. Reyn makes her way to the office building and enters the lobby. The front receptionist glances up as Reyn smiles and says in Anatolia, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Reyn Mephistopheles, I was transferred from the main company to this branch.¡±


    The pretty receptionist nods and says, ¡°Right this way please, Miss.¡± The receptionist leads the way to an elevator and presses the fifth floor. The receptionist hands Reyn a key card and says, ¡°The accounting department is on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor. Your supervisor is Chief Ch¨¦n.¡±


    Reyn nods her thanks as the elevator door opens and the receptionist goes back down. Reyn makes her way to the office that reads, Ch¨¦n. Chief Ch¨¦n is a sleeked back gray-haired man with glasses. The older man glances up with surprise at Reyn and in English says, ¡°Yes, how can I help you?¡±


    Reyn replies in Anatolia, ¡°Hello, sir, I¡¯m the transfer from the main company.¡±


    Chief Ch¨¦n gapes at Reyn¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t her being fluent in that language that surprised him but her age and gender. He had been under the impression that the senior accountant was a male bachelor of 25 years of age. Coughing, Chief Ch¨¦n says, ¡°I see. Well, then please allow me to show you to your office.¡±


    Chief Ch¨¦n shows Reyn to her small office and says, ¡°This will be your office, should you have any questions please ask. Once Mr. Y¨¢ng arrives he will fill you in on the details and the project.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Reyn politely said hiding her annoyance. It¡¯s not that she wasn¡¯t expecting the frowning up her age and gender, but at least her boss could pretend that wasn¡¯t the case. With a sigh, Reyn makes herself comfortable until a middle-aged office worker appears. Though startled, Mr. Y¨¢ng does a much better of hiding his surprise at Reyn¡¯s appearance.


    Mr. Y¨¢ng smiles and kindly says, ¡°Hello and welcome, I¡¯m Mr. Yang. Please allow me to show you, what we¡¯re doing.¡± Mr. Y¨¢ng proceeds to properly explain the details of the project and where it had been left off from. With a smile, Mr. Y¨¢ng asks, ¡°Do you have any questions?¡±


    ¡°Not right now, but when I do, I will ask,¡± Reyn replied.


    Mr. Y¨¢ng flashes a tired smile and says, ¡°Good. However, since you¡¯re new, why don¡¯t you have lunch with me and some of the office workers?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Reyn politely accepted. It couldn¡¯t hurt to familiarize herself with her co-workers. Mr. Y¨¢ng nods his head in reply, before returning to his desk to work.


    By lunchtime, the entire office was abuzz about the new senior accountant. Not only was the new accountant a Usonian, but a young female at that. The entire accounting floor was made up of mostly male workers except for the clerical aides who were female. But the female aide¡¯s cubicles were all together and they certainly would not be eating with an accountant and especially a foreigner at that.


    Keeping her face poker, Reyn at lunchtime follows Mr. Y¨¢ng and two middle-aged compatriots out of the office to a nearby restaurant. To her relief, the air is awkward at first, but soon enough it warms up as Mr. Y¨¢ng introduces his two associates, ¡°Mr. Zh¨¤o and Mr. Hu¨¢ng.¡± Mr. Zh¨¤o was a grizzly faced man with a widow¡¯s peak and Mr. Hu¨¢ng, is a rather short man. Reyn herself was 5 ft. 7, but Mr. Hu¨¢ng was rather short in comparison to the average male population.


    As they eat, Mr. Zh¨¤o kindly asks, ¡°And what of your family, Mephistopheles, are they fine with your going so far away from home?¡±


    Reyn pauses and carefully replies, ¡°My parent¡¯s both died in an accident when I was only thirteen-years-old.¡±


    Mr. Zh¨¤o becomes flustered and hastily apologizes, ¡°I am so sorry, I did mean to be rude.¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine. But my foster parents were surprised that I was going so very far away to work. But since I can always video chat them, they¡¯re not worried,¡± Reyn swiftly replied back.


    Mr. Zh¨¤o lets out a sigh of relief as Mr. Hu¨¢ng snorts at Mr. Zh¨¤o¡¯s faux pas. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Reyn quickly asks about their wives and children. The three men begin to happily talk about their wives and family creating a happy atmosphere. By the end of lunch, the four of them were rather good on terms with each other and the three men had gained a good impression of Reyn. Not only was she polite, but rather honest and sincere. At the end of lunch, the four returned to work and get back to what they were doing.


    At the end of a productive workday, Reyn is rather tired from the first day of work. With some relief, the workday ends as the office workers begin to trickle out. Reyn waves goodbye to her three newfound work friends and heads towards the stairwell. Rather than taking the crowded elevator, Reyn takes the steps to stretch her legs and give her time to decompress.


    Reyn suddenly pauses on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor and frowns. Demons were rather sensitive to the scent of death, but what was strange is the faint trace and presence of a mana signature still left in the air. Reyn¡¯s eyes widen as she remembers the whispers in the office about the office worker who tripped and fell to his death. But if that wasn¡¯t the case, then the only logical conclusion is that someone had pushed him. And not just anyone, but someone with power. And if so, that meant, there was something fishy going on, but even worse, that other party were her worst fears realized.


    Reyn thoughtfully goes home and eats her dinner, before tidying up for the day. Now, she could look further into the incident, but she wasn¡¯t sure of what was going on in the first place. However, from now on, she would be on her guard. There was a possibility that said mana user would return to the scene of the crime a second time. With that in mind, Reyn heads outside of the city to a vast ley line to absorb mana all night long, before returning to her apartment to get ready for work. If being a Demon King taught Reyn anything at all it was to be prepared because humans always cheat in the end!

 * Chapter 8 – Work Ⅱ

    In the following days after Reyn¡¯s transfer, most of the members of the office genuinely came to like Reyn. Reyn not only worked hard but every time she was invited out to drinks for work she would politely accept the invitation to go out to socialize. It wasn¡¯t because Reyn much liked to drink but to be on friendly terms with her coworkers and get to know them a little bit better. Besides as the newly transferred accountant into the department, she needed to work just a little extra hard to get to know them better.


    On the first Friday, Reyn bought in several boxes of expensive boxes of mooncakes to share with her co-workers. Though more traditional for the Moon Festival in Autumn, Moon Cakes were still acceptable to bring to the office. Most of her office workers enjoyed the surprise and graciously took some to eat later, but a few office workers didn¡¯t join in. Those that didn¡¯t were mostly the women on the accountant floor, the female clerical aides.


    Now, Reyn would have ignored the clerical aides as it was just office politics except the clerical department oversaw copying, printing, and putting together the packets for the weekly office meetings. Later that same Friday afternoon, Chief Ch¨¦n led the meeting with all the senior level accountants in attendance to discuss if they were within the parameters of the budget and on track as they should be.


    This wouldn¡¯t have been a problem except that Reyn hadn¡¯t been given a meeting packet to study. Reyn tries to glance at her neighbors, but the middle-aged man didn¡¯t seem to understand her pleading eyes. Instead, the man furrows his brows and leans away from her as though she was trying to entrap him into committing an act of sexual harassment.


    Reyn tries to signal to the male accountant sitting on her right side that she didn¡¯t have the meeting packet. The male accountant frowns at her antics, but finally, it dawns on him as Reyn points to the empty space in front of her. The male accountant warily slides the meeting folder over to her as Reyn smiles in sincere thanks towards him. While Chief Ch¨¦n talks overhead, Reyn swiftly scans the documents and familiarizes herself with the graphs and spreadsheets.


    The moment Chief Ch¨¦n finishes his speech, Chief Ch¨¦n frowns at having noticed that the newest member of the senior accountants had not been paying attention to his speech. ¡°And what does Miss Mephistopheles think of the current proposal,¡± Chief Ch¨¦n pointedly inquired.


    Reyn glances up and realizes that Chief Ch¨¦n is talking to her. Taking a moment to compose her thoughts, Reyn replies, ¡°I think that the current budget is on track, but I did notice several irregular transactions that are labeled as outgoing for company purchases and invoices. However, said outgoing transactions have not made a payment for the invoices as the money has simply disappeared from the total budget of the company. I would like to think it is merely a clerical error rather than the other and more likely and logical conclusion.¡±


    Some of the accountants redden in embarrassment at her audacity, while one senior accountant pales drastically. Chief Ch¨¦n rushes over to the spreadsheet and rakes his eyes swiftly over the budget. Within seconds, the experienced eyes of Chief Ch¨¦n have spotted the purposefully made error in the company budget. Chief Ch¨¦n narrows his eyes knowingly at the pale accountant and flatly says, ¡°Thank you, Miss Mephistopheles, for bringing this matter to my immediate attention. I shall rectify the error immediately.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The senior accountant pales even further with the knowledge that he would be either fired by the end of the day or be demoted back to a regular office employee. The meeting continues without any other problems and ends on a cheerful note for most of the accountants. As soon as the meeting concludes everyone rapidly disperses including Reyn as Chief Ch¨¦n firmly closes the conference room door leaving the poor pale trembling accountant behind and alone with Chief Ch¨¦n.


    No one knows exactly what was said, but some minutes afterward, the senior accountant returned to his office to pack. Chief Ch¨¦n returns to his own office and has a rather pointed call with one of the directors explaining the situation. And just like that, a new position opened up for someone to be promoted up the ranks.


    Reyn meant to mind her own business, but she very well couldn¡¯t allow the company to be cheated out of its hard-earned money. Reyn did receive some cold looks from friends of the fired accountant, but a few gave Reyn approving looks while the rest remained on the fence. This was still Reyn¡¯s first week of work, there was no telling if she would even last the month yet.


    While Reyn was working she happened to see the pose of female clerical aides lead by their leader, the delicate office beauty, H¨² Jiao into the women¡¯s bathroom. Reyn rises to her feet and purposefully heads to the women¡¯s bathroom.  The women are gaily chatting as they do their makeup but fall silent upon seeing Reyn enter the restroom.


    Reyn calmly washes her hands, before drying them with a paper towel. Not talking to anyone in particular, Reyn says out loud, ¡°Now I know most of you don¡¯t like me and I am fine with that. But what I cannot tolerate is when your dislike of me affects my work. So, if I should find my weekly meeting packet missing again or have the wrong printed information like these last few days, you will find me your enemy ladies. And I am a most terrible enemy to behold-.¡±


    Reyn pauses and tosses the crumbled-up wad into the waste bin. ¡°Now, I realize that all of you are rather pretty young women who can use your beauty to your advantage, but sadly, I outrank all of you. Besides I¡¯m a straight woman, so your looks won¡¯t work against me. And though you can use your beauty to charm my bosses and superiors, but I warn you, should I happen to see you cheating on with these married men, I will politely send a detailed letter to their wives and we shall see how that turns out for you,¡± Reyn delicately stated as some of the women looked taken back at her plain-spoken words.


    Reyn takes a step forward as the women take an unconscious step backward. ¡°Now I am certain that all of you can sabotage me in a multitude of ways and plot slowly to have me fall into a pit of your doing. But I shall make one thing clear, I am a Usonian woman and I believe in the importance use of violence in its proper function,¡± Reyn said with a smile as she cracks her knuckles for emphasis.


    ¡°And when I find out that you were responsible for my fall, I will personally pay you a visit,¡± Reyn matter-of-factly stated as she casually moves her fist to the side and makes a dent in the bathroom wall.


    The women in the restroom pale but most especially their leader, the delicate office beauty H¨² Jiao. ¡°Now good afternoon ladies, I shan¡¯t keep you any longer,¡± Reyn drily commented before heading out of the restroom.


    Reyn knew the moment the restroom door closed that those women would begin to gossip about her. Those types of women are like hungry jackals surrounding a lion. The lion may scare the jackals away for a time, but with absolute certainty, the jackals will surely try again because that¡¯s just who they are. And with that in mind, Reyn decides to have a chat with Lisa after work.

 * Chapter 9 – Work Ⅲ

    The moment the women¡¯s restroom door firmly closed shut the female clerical aides indignantly shriek, ¡°That bit** is crazy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s a self-entitled Usonian!¡± ¡°She won¡¯t really hurt us, will she?¡± The women all frantically crowd their leader who silences them with a single hand gesture.


    H¨² Jiao delicately says, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be wasting our time on her, it¡¯s not as if any of the eligible bachelors are interested in her. They may be interested in dating her, but only to play around. We all know they will never dare bring a Usonian woman to meet their parents.¡±


    The women all nod their heads smugly at their leader¡¯s wise words and chime like parrots together, ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right, H¨² Jiao. That slut isn¡¯t worth any of our time!¡± The women then return to what they were doing as they fix their makeup and continue to gossip, before heading out. But as the women do, they all nervously eye the subtle dent in the bathroom wall. It didn¡¯t pay to annoy violent Usonian women.


    However, the delicate office beauty, H¨² Jiao wasn¡¯t one take such a face-slapping incident down. One way or another, H¨² Jiao would see that bit** destroyed. H¨² Jiao confidently trots out of the woman¡¯s restroom with a plan in mind to be set in motion that very evening to be completed during the weekend and to unfold on Monday morning.


    After work, H¨² Jiao stops at her apartment to take a quick shower and dress up, before heading out to a high-rise hotel. Ordering champagne, H¨² Jiao coyishly sits on the bed to wait. Minutes after a nicely dressed older gentlemen lets himself into the room and lets out a groan at seeing, H¨² Jiao already on the bed. ¡°Are you trying to make me go mad?¡± The finely dressed man asked.


    H¨² Jiao seductively licks her lips and croons, ¡°G¨¡o Jin, I am just trying to look my best for you.¡± H¨² Jiao climbs to her feet and purposefully bends over at the table to allow the G¨¡o Jin a glimpse of her perked backside. G¨¡o Jin¡¯s eyes are glued to her swaying bottom as H¨² Jiao pours a glass of champagne for them both.


    H¨² Jiao returns with a glass in each hand and carefully hands one to G¨¡o Jin. ¡°To us,¡± H¨² Jiao said as she raises her glass in a proposed toast.


    ¡°To us,¡± G¨¡o Jin chimed back, before drinking the champagne in a single gulp. While H¨² Jiao delicately sips her drink, G¨¡o Jin wraps himself around her as his hands hungrily roam her body. G¨¡o Jin nibbles on H¨² Jiao¡¯s flawless neck as H¨² Jiao unhappily murmurs, ¡°Honey, I am being accosted at work.¡±


    G¨¡o Jin halts and glances with concern at H¨² Jiao. ¡°Who is it? Is it a man!?¡± G¨¡o Jin growled in fury.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a man, it¡¯s a western woman. She¡¯s the newest accountant at the company and she doesn¡¯t bully me, but all the women on the floor. She thinks that we¡¯re lesser than her because she is a Usonian woman with a degree and we¡¯re merely ordinary Anatolia office workers,¡± H¨² Jiao dejectedly said as her lips tremble with pain.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    G¨¡o Jin¡¯s eyes darken with fury at the injustice! As a proud Anatolia citizen, how could he tolerate or allow a foreigner to bully his woman and people?! ¡°I¡¯ll see to it that¡¯s she¡¯s fired by Monday!¡± G¨¡o Jin solemnly promised.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± H¨² Jiao happily said as she tilts her head upward to be kissed. The conversation completely ceased afterward as they began to pull at their clothes and everything ended up on the floor as their limbs intertwine on the bed.


    On a roof of a building opposite from that room stands Reyn invisible to the naked eye. Reyn narrows her eyes at the disgusting scene before her, but what really filled her with fury was H¨² Jiao¡¯s hateful words. As if Reyn was so biased to judge humans by merely the color of their skin! If anything, Reyn was biased towards all humanity simply for the reason of their being humans!


    Reyn turns away as she leisurely glides across the city¡¯s rooftops completely unseen and poetically muses to herself, ¡°Now in the past, I¡¯ve tried forgetting and my foes I could forgive; Trouble is I know it¡¯s petty, but I hate to let them live.¡±


    Snickering to herself, Reyn glances down at her watch that reads 11:30 p.m. as she quietly lands on the veranda of her apartment. Letting herself in with a dark smile on her face, Reyn dials Lisa¡¯s phone as it is Friday, 10:30 a.m. back in the States. Despite being at work, Lisa does not hesitate to take an urgent break to answer her best friends call.


    Lisa sneaks to the empty employee lounge and says, ¡°Okay, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really, but I just have a girl who¡¯s trying to get me fired by Monday. Do you have a pen and paper?¡± Reyn asked.


    Lisa hurriedly grabs a sticky note and pen from the office just outside of employee lounge. ¡°Okay, I have one. What do you want me to do?¡± Lisa knowingly asked.


    ¡°Her name is H¨² Jiao and G¨¡o Jin is the man she¡¯s sleeping with. Did you get all of that?¡± Reyn confirmed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lisa muttered back.


    ¡°Thanks. Now, H¨² Jiao is a clerical aide on the accounting floor, while G¨¡o Jin is a board member of sorts within the company. Check your inbox, I uploaded the pictures I took of them and I sent their current location to you. On a quick note, can you make this viral?¡± Reyn pointedly asked.


    Lisa snorts and says, ¡°Darling, I can better than that. And don¡¯t worry, Reyn, you¡¯re in safe hands.¡±


    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I called,¡± Reyn replied.


    ¡°Okay, then I gotta get to work. Talk to you soon,¡± Lisa happily chimed, before ending the call.


    Lisa scurries to her computer and takes a moment to stretch her fingers. An unknown fact to most people was that Lisa Penn was one of the youngest hackers in the world. When Lisa was ten years old, she defrauded a national cooperate bank. Given her age, Lisa was merely put on probation and banned from touching a computer for over five years.


    After probation, Lisa got wiser as a hacker. Mostly Lisa lay low, but everyone now and again the spark would come back, and Lisa would have the urge to commit a crime. In this case, Lisa was just ensuring that justice was served and protecting a friend. And that certainly was not a crime, but an act of community service!


    And so, with a smile on Lisa¡¯s face and unknown to the rest of the office, Lisa would not be doing spreadsheets at work today. Lisa would be saving the world one person at a time and ruining it for others. Hey, but in her defense, they deserved it!

 * Chapter 10 – Work Ⅳ

    The next morning G¨¡o Jin casually sips his morning coffee as he reaches for the day¡¯s delivered newspaper. G¨¡o Jin¡¯s wife takes a seat at the table as the maid brings in their breakfast. G¨¡o Jin glances at the front cover as he unfolds the paper. The older man and the young lady¡¯s eyes are blacked out, but the two faces clearly show a man of power fondling his mistress. G¨¡o Jin snorts at the familiar scene and mutters, ¡°Fools.¡± Everyone knew that a man with power got around, but only the truly stupid fools ever got caught.


    Before G¨¡o Jin can read which fool it is who got caught this time, his phone begins to ring. G¨¡o Jin glances at the caller ID as his eyes widen, it was the chairman of the board. G¨¡o Jin hastily answers the phone and says, ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking, G¨¡o Jin?! Do you have any idea how this is making us look?! We¡¯ve lost thousands in stocks since the stock market opened for the day and the investors are screaming for your head!¡± The chairman roared.


    G¨¡o Jin chokes in confusion unable to understand the situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but what did I do wrong?!¡±


    ¡°What didn¡¯t you do wrong, you fool?! I want to see you in my office in an hour or else, G¨¡o Jin!¡± The chairman barked, before slamming the call to an end.


    G¨¡o Jin blankly gazes at his wife, G¨¡o Yue, who is frowning as she studies the messages she is receiving on Weibo. G¨¡o Yue¡¯s eyes widen as her nostrils flare in fury at reading the #1 trending post online. G¨¡o Yue raises her blazing eyes and hisses, ¡°What were you thinking? You told me you had ended it with that little slut!¡±


    G¨¡o Jin lamely lies, ¡°I did honey. I ended it with her!¡±


    G¨¡o Yue grabs the plate of food in front of her and throws it at her husband, who just dodges in time. ¡°How can you do this to me and our children! Do you have any idea, how this makes me look!?¡± G¨¡o Yue hissed in fury.


    G¨¡o Jin hastily says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. I¡¯ll fix this, I promise!¡±


    ¡°You idiot! It¡¯s all over the media now, it¡¯s¡¯ impossible to fix this now!¡± G¨¡o Yue roared back.


    G¨¡o Jin pales in understanding as G¨¡o Yue marches away to pack and leaves. G¨¡o Yue wasn¡¯t going to remain at the side of such an incompetent man. It was best she put space between him and her at the earliest convenience.


    However, much more importantly, G¨¡o Yue urgently calls her lawyer and instructs him to begin the process of a divorce in order to take all of her cheating husbands money. But first, she would move back in with her parents until the divorce was finalized. Once the divorce was over, G¨¡o Yue would buy herself a new home and rebuild herself in society. And with luck, she would find herself a new wealthy man to boot.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    G¨¡o Jin frantically glances around until his eyes settle on the newspaper front cover. Horror dawns on him as G¨¡o Jin frantically leans forward to read the article title, ¡°Board member, G¨¡o Jin, has been using company funds to sleep around and pay for his Mistress! His Mistress is H¨² Jiao, a lowly female office aide!¡±


    G¨¡o Jin almost screams and throws the paper away. Panting G¨¡o Jin immediately calls up as H¨² Jiao in a sexy voice purrs, ¡°Good morning sexy stud. How did you enjoy last night?¡±


    ¡°Who did you tell about us!¡± G¨¡o Jin barked.


    H¨² Jiao blinks in confusion and in hurt at being yelled out. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, honey. Why are you yelling at me?¡± H¨² Jiao tearfully said.


    G¨¡o Jin blinks in surprise and in disbelief says, ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Now, honey, I just woke up. Why what¡¯s wrong?¡± H¨² Jiao innocently asked.


    G¨¡o Jin hardens his heart and coldly hisses, ¡°It¡¯s over between us. And if you try to contact me or my family, I will turn you over to the police. And you better not speak to the press about this or else!¡± Without any further explanation, G¨¡o Jin ends the call and hastily rushes out of the house in hopes of negotiating with the Chairman for clemency.


    H¨² Jiao blinks in confusion and disbelief. After a second, fury enters her eyes. If that man thought she was that easy to be rid of then he had another thing coming!


    H¨² Jiao hastily opens her Weebo account to talk to her friends, but to her shock finds more than 1000+ messages in her inbox and on her account profile. As H¨² Jiao scrolls to the top messages, H¨² Jiao¡¯s eyes widen in shock as random people call her a slut or tell her to go and die. H¨² Jiao pales as she reads the trending online topic, ¡°Cheating Board Member funnels money to his scheming Mistress, H¨² Jiao!¡±


    H¨² Jiao almost chokes with disbelief as she reads the article that shows pictures of them together and includes her current address in a luxury apartment complex. H¨² Jiao suddenly runs to her window and glances outside to see swarms of paparazzi¡¯s waiting for her outside of the building. The moment H¨² Jiao opens her window, the reporter¡¯s news camera¡¯s flash as H¨² Jiao hastily jumps back and allow the curtain to cover the window.


    The news reporters shout to each other, ¡°The Mistress is in her apartment!¡±


    H¨² Jiao¡¯s phone instantly begins to blow up as different newscasts attempt to contact her. H¨² Jiao flinches as she throws her phone in a fury against the wall. How could this have happened? She had everything and now, everything she had earned was about to be taken away?!


    H¨² Jiao¡¯s eyes narrow into slits of hatred as she remembers a certain woman. ¡°That bit**!¡± H¨² Jiao swore out loud knowing exactly who was responsible for her current situation.


    H¨² Jiao knew this was it for her. After this, no good company would dare hire her given her track record and bad rep. All that was left were the host clubs, streets, or going back to the family farm. But before that happened, H¨² Jiao was going to have her revenge!


    H¨² Jiao¡¯s eyes filled with an evil madness as she contacts a man who had wanted her for her body, but whom she had turned down before. But now, she would willingly become his woman, but in exchange, he would have to kill someone for her. And to one¡¯s surprise, that man swiftly replies and agrees to see her tonight.


    And just like the once delicate office beauty known as H¨² Jiao began to hastily pack before the apartment security was sent up to escort her out of the apartment complex. Oh, how low, the mighty have fallen. A da*n shame. But not really.

 * Chapter 11 – Work Ⅴ

    Later that night, a man with tattoos on his back lets out a grunt as rolls over to the side of the bed for a smoke. H¨² Jiao¡¯s body is covered in lustful marks as she pulls the bed sheet to cover her perky chest. H¨² Jiao venomously says, ¡°P¨¦ng Ho, when are you going to take care of that bit**?!¡±


    P¨¦ng Ho lets out a puff of smoke and grumbles, ¡°We¡¯ll catch her after work on Monday morning. Or do you already know where the foreign bit** lives?¡±


    H¨² Jiao bites her lip in impatience, but wisely leans forward and rubs her breasts against P¨¦ng Ho¡¯s back. P¨¦ng Ho¡¯s loins begin to stir as he grunts, ¡°I¡¯ll have the boys be on the lookout for her this weekend. Who knows, we might just get lucky.¡±


    H¨² Jiao smiles invitingly as P¨¦ng Ho tosses his cigarette butt to the floor and turns around. Pressing H¨² Jiao underneath him, P¨¦ng Ho begins to move expertly around. And soon enough the room is filled with both of their cries as they busy themselves with more physical things.


    *


    It is Saturday night and despite it being close to being midnight, Reyn found she is hungry and in the mood for street food. So, with carefree ease, Reyn walks out into the streets in search of food. To her surprise, Reyn¡¯s phone begins to ring with Lisa¡¯s ringtone. The reason it was so surprising was that it was barely noon in Usonia. Lisa never got up before one in the afternoon on Saturday¡¯s.


    Reyn shrugs and answers, ¡°You¡¯re up early.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I was so excited! Did you see how it blew up? And it even made it Usonia news as it involves a branch company! Heh, that cheating bastard¡¯s wife already filed for divorce and he lost his job! He¡¯s now being taken to court to face criminal charges of bribery, theft, and fraud! And as for that wench, well, let¡¯s just say she lost her job and probably will disappear soon enough!¡± Lisa proudly exclaimed.


    ¡°Trapped rats turn around to attack, you know,¡± Reyn muttered. Frankly speaking, such a woman, wouldn¡¯t go so down easily. Especially given that woman probably suspected Reyn was the author behind the incident. However, technically speaking, Reyn was innocent. She didn¡¯t so much lift a finger to do anything, really.


    Lisa snorts and says, ¡°Anywho, I demand snacks as payment!¡±


    ¡°I already transferred some money over to your bank account in thanks, so go crazy tonight and enjoy yourself,¡± Reyn replied.


    Lisa mischievously says, ¡°Oh, I will trust me.¡±


    ¡°I already don¡¯t want to know,¡± Reyn drily retorted. Lisa giggles and says, ¡°Well, I gotta go. My man-toy is waking up and I have to kick him out of my apartment as I have a date with a very cute guy later tonight.¡±


    Reyn snorts and says, ¡°Seriously, where do you get the time and energy to fool around?¡±


    Lisa shrugs and says, ¡°I¡¯m just blessed that way. Call you later, love ya.¡±


    Reyn grunts in reply as the call ended and puts her phone away. Reyn feeling rather peckish heads further into the night street area. Those vendors always have the best night food stalls.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    By sheer coincidence, a couple of men take a picture of a foreign woman with short hair and send it to their boss. A second later, the message arrives at P¨¦ng Ho¡¯s phone. Glancing at the image, P¨¦ng Ho shows the image to H¨² Jiao. ¡°Is that the bit**?¡± P¨¦ng Ho loudly asked over the nightclub¡¯s speakers.


    "That¡¯s the slut!¡± H¨² Jiao hatefully said with relish.


    ¡°Good,¡± P¨¦ng Ho said as he makes his way out of the nightclub. H¨² Jiao hastily follows suit not about to be left behind and miss witnessing her revenge.


    The three men not very subtly follow Reyn as they wait for the boss to arrive. Reyn with ease notices the three brutish men and decides to play around with them for a bit. Though the eerie thing is that Reyn suddenly disappeared from the CCTV cameras and any person¡¯s eyesight. And though Reyn makes random street turns or stops at random small shops to try things on, before continuing onward no one can see her except for three men. Finally, after a while, Reyn finds an abandoned street alley and heads into the alleyway to pretend to make a phone call.


    The three men text their boss their current location as the three men subtly block the exit of the alley. In fact, as luck would have it, their boss was only a street away. Within minutes, the buff figure of P¨¦ng Ho arrives being closely followed by H¨² Jiao.


    Reyn glances impatiently at her watch as she waits for the remaining players to arrive having already guessed the three men¡¯s intentions. With a faint smile, Reyn spots their leader and the face full of hatred of H¨² Jiao. A slight red tint enters Reyn¡¯s eyes as she purposefully narrows her eyes. Humans are so easy to manipulate when their foolish hearts are full of greed and hatred.


    H¨² Jiao and the men fail to see the red tint in Reyn¡¯s eyes as Reyn trains her eyes onto the ground. Even more chilling, Reyn removes her eyeglasses and places them into her jacket¡¯s inner pocket. ¡°Well, I might as well enjoy myself,¡± Reyn privately thought to herself.


    H¨² Jiao arrogantly takes a step into the alleyway and laughs mockingly at Reyn. ¡°This is what you get for messing with me, you, stupid slut! And now you¡¯re going to regret it!¡±


    Failing to gain any type of reaction from Reyn, H¨² Jiao frowns angrily and turns towards the men. ¡°Beat her and rape the slut until she breaks!¡± H¨² Jiao ruthlessly roared.


    Reyn drily snorts at H¨² Jiao¡¯s words and thinks to herself, ¡°I guess there¡¯s no honor among women. At least, there should be a worldwide sisterhood code that rape is unacceptable in any form. And here I was going to go easy on them, but I guess not, which is just fine by me.¡±


    The three men glanced up at their boss, P¨¦ng Ho for confirmation. P¨¦ng Ho takes a step forward and coldly growls, ¡°Do as you¡¯ve been ordered.¡± The other men take their cues and all leer at the trapped foreign woman. Tall and moderately curved, she wouldn¡¯t be a bad lay.


    Reyn eyes turn even redder as she glances up at them and says, ¡°I¡¯m honored by your attention.¡±


    The men blink in surprise at the foreign woman speaking fluent Anatolia, which made it that much easier for them to reply, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bit**. Soon you¡¯ll be eating our coc*s.¡± In reply, Reyn¡¯s eyes mercilessly twinkle as crimson flashing light is released from her eyes causing the three men to suddenly halt in the alleyway as if frozen by some unseen power.


    P¨¦ng Ho frowns and roars, ¡°Stop playing around you fools!¡± And steps into the alleyway, before suddenly meeting the crimson gaze of the foreign woman. P¨¦ng Ho to his horror finds he is unable to move except for his eyes that dart frantically around.


    The foreign woman easily walks past his three men and pauses next to P¨¦ng Ho¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯ll have to return the favor, it¡¯s the least I can do,¡± Reyn whispered in a chilly voice as her hand reached into his back pocket and carefully used her to sleeve to remove a certain and rather illegal item.


    ¡°Just who and what did that idiot H¨² Jia, go and involve them with!¡± P¨¦ng Ho fearfully thought as he and his three men remain frozen stiff in the alleyway as that foreign woman walks past them. But one thing was for certain, things weren¡¯t going to end well for them at this rate.

 * Chapter 12 – Work Ⅵ

    H¨² Jiao waits on the other side of the alleyway intently listening but maintains her distance for plausible deniability should it be deemed necessary. After all, that foreign woman was not only a Usonian woman but a blue-collar worker. If the Usonian news media found out about the incident it wouldn¡¯t just end with a police report, but on the front-page news of a Usonian News Media outlet and quickly turn into an international scandal.


    H¨² Jiao frowns upon not hearing the sounds of violence or cries of a woman¡¯s terror and pain from the alleyway. H¨² Jiao carefully peeks around the corner to meet a glowing crimson gaze. H¨² Jiao¡¯s eyes go blank as a soft voice whispers into her ears, ¡°Do you want revenge?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± H¨² Jiao truthfully replied out loud.


    ¡°Then let me help, here stretch out your hand,¡± the soft, comforting voice whispered. H¨² Jiao does as she is told as a cold metal item is placed into her hands.


    H¨² Jiao blankly stares at the firearm in her hands as the voice whispers, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to revenge or are you too scared? And if so, I¡¯ll take it back, but you will lose your chance for revenge forever.¡±


    H¨² Jiao¡¯s eyes narrow with hatred and steps into the alleyway. To her shock, H¨² Jiao suddenly halts upon seeing four identical mirror images of that hateful woman fearfully standing in the alleyway. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± H¨² Jiao exclaimed as she took a step back.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a test of your faith. You do want revenge, don¡¯t you?¡± The voice whispered persuasively into H¨² Jiao¡¯s ears.


    H¨² Jiao takes a bold step forward and coldly says, ¡°What do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°Pull the firing pin back and then pull the trigger. However, may I suggest you can take a few steps closer towards your targets to make sure you don¡¯t miss. And remember to run once it¡¯s done,¡± the voice persuasively recommended.


    H¨² Jiao takes several steps forward as instructed and fires. The first bullet hits one of the mirror images in the chest as the figure of that slut falls to the ground bleeding. Much more confident H¨² Jiao maddingly fires the remaining bullets into the three other mirror images until zero bullets left in the chamber as only an empty clicking sound is heard.


    All four targets are bleeding on the ground as H¨² Jiao breathes with relish. Grinning with an evil smile, H¨² Jiao hisses, ¡°And that is what you get for touching a pure-bred Anatolia woman, you should have stayed in your own foreign land across the sea.¡±


    H¨² Jiao blinks remembers her savior¡¯s voice instructing her to flee the scene of the crime. H¨² Jiao rather dizzily drops her weapon onto the floor before turning to exit the alleyway. Not paying attention to her surroundings, before H¨² Jiao can exit the alleyway she crashes into two figures wearing a blue police uniform.


    H¨² Jiao instinctively blinks with fear and slumps against one of the police officer¡¯s. ¡°I was cornered by vicious brute when suddenly a madman shot them in the alleyway and ran away! I didn¡¯t see his face except that he was very tall!¡± H¨² Jiao tearfully exclaimed in a rather believable way.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The young officer immediately says, ¡°Of course, Miss, please come this way.¡±


    However, the senior officer eyes the four corpses in the alleyway. The four men were all shot in the back and if so, it would fit with the woman¡¯s statement. But there was just something that felt off to him. The senior officer turns towards the young woman and says, ¡°Of course, but why don¡¯t you accompany my partner to the police station?¡±


    ¡°To the police station?¡± H¨² Jiao stiffly asked.


    ¡°Yes, we just need to have your statement for legal purposes,¡± the senior officer smoothly stated.


    The senior officer remained behind to preserve the scene as intact while his partner took the witness to the police station. At the police station, the customary fingerprints were taken as well as a preliminary gun power sampling off of the young woman¡¯s clothes and hands. After making the young woman comfortable in the interrogation room, the young detective waits outside of the interrogation room for the detectives to arrive.


    Not long after the senior police officer arrives being accompanied by two Detectives, Detectives Gu¨­ and M¨£. Detective Gu¨­ is the older partner out of the two, while Detective M¨£, is the rising star in their department in their department. Detective M¨£ goes inside to interrogate the witness while Detective Gu¨­ remains watching on the other side of the dark glass mirror.


    Detective Gu¨­ and M¨£ had already heard the senior police detective¡¯s testimony and concurred that the young woman was lying. Not only that but preliminary fingerprints had returned as matching to the weapon and the dusting for gunpowder had come back as positive.


    Detective M¨£ takes a seat and smiles at the terrified young woman, who looked so delicate that she couldn¡¯t possibly hurt a fly. But appearances were deceiving, and any good cop knew that.


    Detective M¨£ smiles kindly at the young woman immediately putting her at ease. Detective M¨£ kindly asks, ¡°Miss H¨², could you tell us, what you were doing in the alleyway?¡±


    H¨² Jiao tearfully blinks and says, ¡°I went in there to wait with a fellow co-worker as she made a phone call when that crazy gunman suddenly shot her down.¡±


    Detective M¨£ blinks in confusion as Detective Gu¨­ leans forward to listen more intently as he peers through the glass into the interrogation room.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must have misheard you wrongly, but could you please repeat that again?¡± Detective M¨£ asked again.


    ¡°Reyn needed to make a phone call and I went into the alleyway to wait with her, when that gunman suddenly attacked us, saying something about, ¡°Down with the capitalists!¡± H¨² Jiao exclaimed.


    Detective M¨£ opens the folder to make sure he hadn¡¯t gone senile, but sure enough, there were no records of a foreign woman in the nearby vicinity or on the CCTV cameras. And nor were there any other female victims in the alleyway, much less a foreign woman. The only victims were four men in the alleyway all petty criminals. In fact, the prosecution would more than likely try this case as a self-defense case.


    However, now everything was thrown off by the witness¡¯s testimony. They needed her to testify about the illegal gun that one of the dead men was in possession of and which was tied to several open homicide cases. But at this rate, it would be impossible to connect this case to the other as the witness was turning to be rather unreliable.


    Detective M¨£ opens the folder and shows the four images of the dead men and places them before her. ¡°Miss H¨², can you please identify the dead for me?¡±


    H¨² Jiao turns away and sadly says, ¡°Those are all images of my co-worker, Miss Reyn Mephistopheles.¡±


    Detective M¨£ blinks and says, ¡°Your co-worker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s such a tragic case as she just recently transferred to our branch from Usonia as of a week ago,¡± H¨² Jiao replied.


    Detective M¨£ nods his head sagely and says, ¡°Just a moment, Miss H¨².¡±


    H¨² Jiao innocently ducks her head to the head to the ground as an evil sneer appears on her face. At this rate, she would be let off by the detective. She would immediately flee the city and change her name. Not only would she never be found but would never be associated with the murder of that slut! And best of all, she would have had her revenge!

 * Chapter 13 – Work Ⅶ

    Detective M¨£ enters the next-door room and firmly closes the door behind him. Detective M¨£ strides forward and pauses at the one way viewing glass.  ¡°Is she on drugs or is she just a very bad liar?¡± Detective M¨£ unhappily asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to run a drug test, but I think she¡¯s just a bad liar. She thinks we¡¯re fools and that we won¡¯t prosecute her simply because she¡¯s a woman,¡± Detective Gu¨­ grunted back in reply.


    Before Detective M¨£ can return to interrogate the suspect, a knock is heard on the door. Both detectives glance up as the senior police officer nods his head in apology at them.  ¡°Sorry, to interrupt detectives, but juniors got something that he thinks that can shed some light on this strange mystery.¡±


    The junior police officer rather embarrassingly holds out his smartphone for the two of them to see. The two detectives frown at seeing a tabloid article as the item of importance. Before the detectives can dismiss the tabloid article, the junior officer says, ¡°Sirs, I already checked, but his young woman is the mistress of the board member, G¨¡o Jin. Their affair is the #1 trending topic on Weibo and everywhere. It would make sense if G¨¡o Jin sent men to kill her or maybe the young woman went crazy wanting revenge.¡±


    The two detectives glance at each other before Detective Gu¨­ says, ¡°Thank you, your information has been invaluable.¡± The two police officers beam as they close the door behind them shut.¡±


    ¡°You think that G¨¡o Jin could behind it?¡± Detective M¨£ asked.


    ¡°No, the stories just don¡¯t add up together. If all the attackers were shot in the back, why was only H¨² Jiao seen exiting the alleyway? Even on the CCTV camera¡¯s, there was no one in the nearby vicinity at that time. The only five figures that are seen on the CCTV, firstly seen entering the alleyway are the deceased three men seen entering the alleyway, followed by the known fourth man, P¨¦ng Ho, and lastly, Miss H¨².


    Even if we suppose that P¨¦ng Ho killed those three men, those three men where his men. So, why would he do so? And excluding that question, just how did Miss H¨² end up with P¨¦ng Ho¡¯s weapon? The only logical conclusion is that Miss H¨² stole P¨¦ng Ho¡¯s weapon and shot everyone in the back. The reason? We may never fully understand, but I believe it¡¯s a very simple fact and that she knew she had lost everything and just snapped,¡± Detective Gu¨­ tiredly concluded. Detective Gu¨­ had seen too many crimes and not assume the worst out of an individual as  Murder always brought the very worst out of a person.


    Detective M¨£ nods in understanding and returns to the interrogation room. H¨² Jiao eagerly climbs to her feet and says, ¡°Can I go home now, officer? It¡¯s getting late and I¡¯d like to make it back safely.¡±


    Detective M¨£ matter-of-factly grabs her wrist and puts handcuffs on them. H¨² Jiao blinks in shock as Detective M¨£ says, ¡°H¨² Jiao, you are under arrest for the murder.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    H¨² Jiao is unable to hear their words as the fog over her mind vanishes and suddenly everything becomes clear. The memories in her mind become crystal clear as the four mirror images in the alleyway turn into P¨¦ng Ho and his men. With horror, H¨² Jiao slumps back into her chair, if that was P¨¦ng Ho and his men, then just what did she do! And if so, just who did those red eyes belong too!


    Terror fills H¨² Jiao¡¯s eyes in realization she tries to speak out the truth, but can only cry out, ¡°The Devil made me do it! It was the DEVIL, I tell you! THE DEVIL!¡±


    H¨² Jiao is dragged away by the detectives screaming as the prosecutor¡¯s in charge of the case ready themselves to argue their case. No doubt, the defense would claim insanity, but the prosecution would claim premeditation. After all, in the prosecution¡¯s point of view, nothing about this case proved otherwise.


    *


    G¨¡o Jin gulps down drinks in his hotel room already aware that he had lost everything. IT was only matter of time until he was indicted and taken to prison. He had lost his lofty position; his wife had filed for divorce and his own family had distanced themselves from him. There was literally nothing left to lose.


    Suddenly, the hotel phone rings causing G¨¡o Jin to flinch and carefully answer the phone. ¡°Yes?¡± G¨¡o Jin asked.


    A low male voice says, ¡°Mr. G¨¡o are you aware that Miss H¨² or better known to you as H¨² Jiao, your mistress had been charged with murder?¡±


    G¨¡o Jin chokes and says, ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, she claims that you were responsible for the attack. I was wondering if you wanted to clarify the situation or give a news statement?¡± The new reporter asked.


    G¨¡o Jin slams the phone onto the phone stand and darts away. How could they have already found him! And what was this nonsensical nonsense about him planning an attack on H¨² Jiao?!


    Panicked G¨¡o Jin drinks down another glass of scotch and stares at his phone. Surely, it couldn¡¯t get much worse, could it? As if in reply, G¨¡o Jin¡¯s phone begins to ring, it was his lawyer. G¨¡o Jin hastily answers and says, ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, G¨¡o, but I can¡¯t handle this case anymore, it¡¯s become too public. I suggest you get yourself a new lawyer at the earliest convince. And lose my number as I will be blocking all of your future calls,¡± the lawyer matter-of-factly stated, before firmly hanging up.


    G¨¡o Jin blankly stares at the phone as he slumps down onto the bed. The T.V. is flashing with a news bulletin causing him to automatically increase the tv volume to listen. A pretty female anchor says, ¡°Breaking news, G¨¡o Jin, a former company board member is a suspect in the attempted murder of his former mistress, H¨² Jiao, which resulted in the murder of four other men.¡±


    G¨¡o Jin mutes the T.V. unable to believe that he was being so falsely accused. Who would have dared to do so, just a few days ago? And would he have believed it if someone had told him so? The answer was no.


    Still, in shock and very drunk, G¨¡o Jin slides open the balcony door. G¨¡o Jin climbs out into the cold veranda and stares blankly at the night sky. It must be all just a bad dream! Once he woke up, he would still be in bed and be the man he always was. And without further ado, G¨¡o Jin takes a step forward and plummets off the ledge.


    Seconds later, a loud crash is heard as a parked car¡¯s siren begins to go off and as the screams of civilians can be heard in the dead of night. Police officers, ambulances, and news reporters would soon arrive at the scene. But for now, the only sounds are the cries of the witnessing civilians on the street.

 * Chapter 14 – Work Ⅷ

    Monday morning, Reyn woke up extra early with a smile on her face. After the incident of Saturday night, Reyn had gone straight home except for stopping to buy a rice burger and other items at a fast food joint. Sunday morning had revealed the surprising news that G¨¡o Jin had jumped from his hotel balcony. Authorities stated that his tragic death was thought to be a tragic suicide, but for now, it would be an open case until confirmed. And if one were to ask, Reyn, actually had nothing do with the incident as it had come as quite as a shock to her.


    Packed and dressed, knowing it was going to be a great day at work, Reyn takes the subway to the park that is directly across from the office. Reyn takes the time to leisurely walk around the park and enjoys her nice and quiet morning. Near the end of her leisure park route, Reyn spots an old man in worn, baggy clothing sitting on a nearby park bench. Most of the men and woman on route to work openly avoid the beggar-like man.


    Reyn glances at her watch before hurrying to a nearby vendor to buy a cup of coffee and warm dumplings. Holding her purchases in hand, Reyn carefully makes her way to the park bench without spilling her purchases. Without hesitation, Reyn grabs the old man¡¯s right hand and puts the cup of coffee in his palm, before carefully placing the dumpling¡¯s next to knee on the bench. Smiling Reyn says, ¡°No need for thanks, but please enjoy this one me, sir.¡± Not waiting for a reply, Reyn rushes off to work as it was getting close to the hour.


    The old man on the park bench is rather amazed for some time, before gingerly taking the coffee and eating the warm dumplings. The old man carefully begins to eat the food with a content sight, the old man lets out a burp. Climbing onto his feet, the old man hums happily to himself as he throws his trash away in the bin, before disappearing from the park without a trace.


    *


    Reyn arrives to work with a spring in her step to find most of the office worker¡¯s chattering in groups. Mr. Y¨¢ng waves at Reyn to come over as Mr. Zh¨¤o doesn¡¯t even attempt to hide his snicker, Mr. Hu¨¢ng, short-statured figure clicks his tongue with disproval at Mr. Zh¨¤o¡¯s actions.


    Reyn walks over to the gang and says, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Mr. Zh¨¤o snickers loudly causing Mr. Hu¨¢ng to frown and elbow Mr. Zh¨¤o in the ribs causing Zh¨¤o to wince in pain. Mr. Y¨¢ng says, ¡°Mephistopheles, I know you¡¯re new and probably don¡¯t watch the local news, but something happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Reyn asked, pretending to be curious.


    Y¨¢ng says, ¡°Do you remember Miss H¨² Jiao, an office clerk?¡±


    Reyn warily says, ¡°Who could forget her.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Zh¨¤o snorts and says, ¡°You¡¯re not the only whose paperwork she messed with. I say good riddance.¡±


    Hu¨¢ng sighs and chides Zh¨¤o by saying, ¡°Let Y¨¢ng finish!¡±


    Y¨¢ng says, ¡°I hate to gossip, but not only was Miss H¨² Jiao having an affair with a board member, but she¡¯s been fired and arrested for murder!¡±


    Reyn widens her eyes and innocently says, ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because she was a slut,¡± Zh¨¤o grunted in reply making Hu¨¢ng warningly elbow Zh¨¤o painfully in the ribs again about his language use.


    Y¨¢ng tiredly says, ¡°Who would have ever thought that such a delicate young Misses hid such a dark mind and heart? Initial reports suggest that Miss H¨² Jiao was having an affair with that gangster at the same time as the former board member, G¨¡o Jin. I can¡¯t believe it that a young woman would fall to such depths of perversion in his day an age.¡±


    ¡°Please it¡¯s always the gold diggers¡¯ who are the first to spread their legs,¡± Zh¨¤o flatly simpered. Hu¨¢ng just sighs in exasperation and doesn¡¯t even bother to do anything causing Zh¨¤o to hastily apologize, ¡°My bad.¡±


    Reyn just sighs theatrically and truthfully says, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s always the quiet ones that are the most dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it was a shock that Mr. G¨¡o chose to jump,¡± Hu¨¢ng sadly commented.


    ¡°It¡¯s because he took the coward¡¯s way out,¡± Zh¨¤o tactfully added.


    Y¨¢ng quietly says, ¡°Maybe, but let¡¯s not discuss his death anymore. For surely even he has those that mourn his early demise.¡±


    They quickly change the subject to brighter subjects as Reyn asks about their wives and families such as Y¨¢ng¡¯s eldest daughter in junior high has begun to attract the opposite sex. The three of them comfort Y¨¢ng and assure him that he would need to be patient as it was just only the start of things to come.


    Zh¨¤o didn¡¯t have that problem as his son was only in elementary school. But given that he was already following in his father¡¯s temperament, all three of them doubted the following teenage and adult years was going to be anything but peaceful. Of course, none of them said this out loud and instead only complimented Zh¨¤o on his son¡¯s athletic prowess.


    Hu¨¢ng, on the other hand, was just recently married and had yet to have children. The three of them teased Hu¨¢ng to enjoy the honeymoon phase because it wouldn¡¯t last. Naturally, Hu¨¢ng grew embarrassed and swiftly changed the subject.


    The gang continued to chat until Chief Ch¨¦n importantly clears his throat and loudly says, ¡°I know that the weekend¡¯s news has come as a shock to many of you, but this is a work day. Please limit your gossiping to your break or lunch hour. Now back to work, everyone!¡±


    Reyn innocently trots past the female clerical aides, who are gathered in a huddle. ¡°I always keep my word ladies, please remember that,¡± Reyn whispered past them.


    The female clerical aides pale in understanding. Everything that had happened hadn¡¯t been coincidence, but that woman! With fear, the female clerical aides retreat vowing to not mess with that woman ever again! Because even the most cynical women couldn¡¯t discard the fact that all of this had happened after meeting Reyn. And even more importantly, if Reyn had been able to do all of this, then just who was she? Because if she truly that powerful then none of them could afford to become her enemy!


    And with that, the woman swiftly retreated and vowed to stay away from that foreign witch! Of course, that would only last until they gained a new leader who would edge them into bothering Reyn. But until then, all would be quiet and calm in the office.

 * Chapter 15 – The Visit

    With relief, Reyn went home after the Monday workday. After removing her work clothes, Reyn made a simple vegetable curry with rice and put chocolate muffins into the oven to bake for dessert. Eating her delicious Indian style curry, Reyn suddenly hears a doorbell to her surprise.


    Reyn frowns at being interrupted at dinner especially given that she had only taken one bite out of her warm dinner. Reyn had half a mind to ignore the doorbell until the doorbell rang again. With a sigh, Reyn climbs to her feet and goes to see who it is. Through the peephole, Reyn sees the figure of two men she wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    With care, Reyn opens the door as Detective M¨£ flashes his badge and says, ¡°My apologies on disturbing you at this hour, Miss Mephistopheles, but we just have some questions for you if it is alright with you?¡±


    Reyn glances at the senior and sterner faced detective. Seeing her glance, Detective M¨£ says, ¡°And this is my senior companion, Detective Gu¨­.¡±


    Reyn moves to the side and politely says, ¡°Please come in. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I finish eating my dinner, while you ask your questions?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± Detective M¨£ answered back as they entered the apartment and Reyn closed the door after them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to remove your shoe''s detectives,¡± Reyn replied as she heads past them into the kitchen area. The Detectives follow her as Reyn takes a seat at the counter while Detective M¨£ takes a seat across from her and Detective Gu¨­ remains standing nearby observing the scene.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this, but Miss H¨² Jiao, a co-worker of yours claims that you were in the alleyway the night of the incident. Could you tell us where you were between the hours of eleven and midnight of last Saturday night?¡± Detective M¨£ pointedly asked as Detective Gu¨­ intently watches her face for any reaction.


    Reyn sighs and says, ¡°I was hungry and went out for food. I went and bought a rice burger with several other items from that fast food chain that makes the rice burgers. Do you know the food chain I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    Detective M¨£ glances at Detective Gu¨­ at the reply. That was exactly what they had found on the CCTV cameras. But there was something about the situation that bothered his partner, Detective Gu¨­. It wasn¡¯t much it¡¯s just that there was a gap between spotting her figure on the CCTV cameras. Though just around the next street corner Miss Mephistopheles was out of sight for more than ten minutes. It was possible she was on her phone and leaned against the wall to talk, but something just fell off about the time frame.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°And might you have any idea, why Miss H¨² Jiao would claim that you were?¡± Detective M¨£ further inquired.


    Reyn sighs as she puts her spoon down giving up on eating in the meantime. ¡°Detective M¨£, did Miss H¨² Jiao tell you that I was just transferred to this branch?¡± Detective M¨£ blinks in surprise and nods his head in reply.


    ¡°Well, in that case, not only I am the newly transferred senior accountant into a department and a Usonian woman at that. Most of the females on the floor don¡¯t like me and that dislike extends to some of my male co-workers who are not only antiquated in their thoughts but are members of the good old boy¡¯s club. My co-workers dislike the fact that I am in a more senior position than them at work, but they hate even more the fact I am a female even more. In which case, Detective M¨£, there is no shortage of people who dislike me,¡± Reyn drily stated.


    Detective M¨£ is taken back at the honest reply as Detective Gu¨­ says, ¡°Do you have any proof of your claims?¡±


    Reyn rolls her eyes and goes to the kitchen drawer. With ease, Reyn drops one or two hate letters but mostly promiscuous pictures of her face photoshopped on some kinky pictures. Detective Gu¨­ glances through the evidence as Detective M¨£ frowns and says, ¡°And why haven¡¯t you reported the harassment?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to not stick out even more than I already am, Detective. I know how these things go, the newbie always gets harassed until he or she in my case gets accepted. I¡¯d be making more enemies if I reported it to my boss or the authorities. Eventually, it¡¯ll stop all on its own and it mostly already has,¡± Reyn honestly replied.


    Detective M¨£ is at a loss and is unable to think up of an appropriate reply. However, luckily, Detective Gu¨­ comes to the rescue by asking, ¡°Was Miss H¨² Jiao, one of your fiercer harassers?¡±


    ¡°Not in the sense that you would think,¡± Reyn replied.


    ¡°In what sense then?¡± Detective Gu¨­ further inquired.


    ¡°The female clerics mostly ignored me, which wasn¡¯t a problem in itself except they¡¯re in charge of printing and other important paper duties. I wouldn¡¯t receive a needed work report, or I would be given the wrong report, or one page would be missing, etc. There was always something wrong with the paperwork which was starting to affect my work until I had a word with them,¡± Reyn answered.


    ¡°And what did you say to them?¡± Detective Gu¨­ pointedly asked.


    ¡°I told them that I was a senior level accountant and outranked them. And if they continued to do, I would make an enemy of out of them by going to the Chief and report them,¡± Reyn drily stated.


    ¡°And that is all?¡± Detective Gu¨­ further probed.


    ¡°Yes, you can check with the female clerics and incidentally, I spoke to them just this past Friday,¡± Reyn plainly stated.


    The two stared at other for a moment, before Detective Gu¨­ glances away first. Seeing the underhand gesture, Detective M¨£ climbs to his feet and says, ¡°That will be all, Miss Mephistopheles and thank you for your cooperation in answering our questions.¡±


    Reyn cheerfully sees the deceives out before happily returning to her meal without a care in the world. After all, it wasn¡¯t as though they had any proof to state otherwise. Because if they had they would have already charged her. But it was interesting to note that the older detectives sensed something was wrong. ¡°I guess, there are still some humans who can sense the Demon side of me,¡± Reyn mused privately to herself as she ate. But it was no reason to be concerned because most modern humans didn¡¯t believe in demons.

 * Chapter 16 – The Visit Ⅱ

    On their way back down, the elevator Detective M¨£ says, ¡°Is something wrong, you¡¯ve been frowning since we left?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing except that there is something rather unnerving about her,¡± Detective Gu¨­ commented. ¡°I think it¡¯s her eyes.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s the shade of blue that¡¯s rather distorting like the eye of a storm,¡± Detective M¨£ muttered back.


    ¡°Yes, that must be it,¡± Detective Gu¨­ distantly said, before they hastily ran towards their vehicle and forgot the entire incident as a new incident was reported. And this one was important as it had to deal with their Chief¡¯s son. And without further ado, the two detectives sped off to deal with the crisis.


    *


    In another part of the city, the dark hooded man appears in front of a salt-peppered haired man with a neatly trimmed beard and strong handsome features. The hooded man softly hisses, ¡°Sir, it seems too much of a strange coincidence that after the transfer of that foreign woman to the company, we¡¯ve been experiencing setbacks. Not only did that foreign woman find one of the last accounts, but afterward, our man on the company board, G¨¡o Jin is involved in a scandal and just so happens to commit suicide,¡± The hooded man grunted.


    ¡°Enough, Zh¨±,¡± The salt-peppered haired man flatly replied causing the hooded murderer to freeze at the tone.


    ¡°Zh¨± had it not been for your clumsy mistake in killing that office worker, none of this would have ever happened. We both know you could have easily avoided detection, but yet you still choose to play with that insignificant nobody and gained the attention of unwanted parties,¡± the salt-peppered haired man harshly reprimanded his henchmen.


    Leaning back in his seat, the salt-peppered haired man says, ¡°No, we cannot allow for more scrutiny to fall upon us.¡±


    ¡°But what about that foreign woman?¡± Zh¨± protested out loud.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°What about her?¡± The salt-peppered man snapped. ¡°That woman is merely a talented accountant and that is all. She has already been screened several times and there is nothing to take note of. Besides, we¡¯ve already finished our task. There will not be no more of our involvement to be tracked.


    Zh¨± frowns and says, ¡°Yes, sir. But I still say, that woman poses a danger to us. I mean it can¡¯t be a coincidence the incident of her arrival coincided with the terrifying presence of that unknown cultivator.¡±


    ¡°How, there is no proof substantiating such a claim? Besides she is a westerner and no sect of high standing would ever admit a westerner into their sect,¡± The salt-peppered haired man roared in reply.


    Zh¨± remains quiet and sullen as he mutters under his breath, ¡°It¡¯s instinct. There¡¯s just something strange about her.¡±


    ¡°You merely dislike her, because she found the trail of your so-called best accountant and that is an embarrassment to you, Zh¨±. But remember, she is merely a mortal woman of no consequence. I warn you, don¡¯t get involved with her nor much less harm her,¡± the salt-peppered haired man sternly warned his henchmen.


    ¡°Yes, Milord,¡± Zh¨± replied unhappily.


    ¡°I mean it, Zh¨±, we cannot afford to have a scandal at this point in time,¡± the salt-peppered haired man sternly stated.


    Zh¨± doesn¡¯t reply and instead pointedly changes the subject by saying, ¡°And what about the mongrel surrounding the Lord¡¯s daughter, shall I take care of him?¡±


    The salt-peppered haired man¡¯s eyes become icy with rage. ¡°No, my future son-in-law has already agreed to take care of the problem. And given the circumstances, for now, I will step aside and allow him to regain his pride. After all, no man can tolerate another man touching his woman,¡± the salt-peppered haired man growled.


    Zh¨±¡¯s eyes perk with interest at the comment. ¡°Really? In that case, may I be given leave to enjoy myself?¡± Zh¨± shadily asked.


    ¡°I know what you mean by that, Zh¨±. Do not make me warn you and repeat myself again. I do not tolerate my patience being tested thusly so,¡± the salt-peppered man coldly answered.


    Zh¨± pales at the reply that holds a hint of unbearable pressure and the bloodthirst in the air. Suddenly the intense pressure disappears, but Zh¨± is left with his heart pounding in his chest and a bead of sweat on his forehead. ¡°It will be as Milord commands,¡± Zh¨± truthfully replied, before vanishing into thin air.


    The salt-peppered haired man narrows his eyes as he rises to his feet and stares at the night city lights. Soon, things would come to bear fruit and then they would be the ones with the most power in the city. Smiling coldly, the salt-peppered haired man retreats from his office to a subtler occasion to enjoy himself in the red-light district. After all, he is a man among men and men have their needs that need to be taken care of.

 * Chapter 17 – Karaoke

    It had been almost a month since Reyn¡¯s transfer and the office had gotten used to having Reyn around. Those that still disliked Reyn at work gossiped about her during lunchtime, but that was all it ever amounted to now. And as for the female clerical workers, they were still being civil to Reyn given what happened to H¨² Jiao. And honestly who knew, how long that would last?


    Incidentally, Reyn had also made it a habit to get up a little earlier on work days to stop to feed her personal hobo every work morning. Despite never talking to each other, the man would always be waiting on the bench for Reyn. And Reyn would always buy him a coffee and a different breakfast each work day. It was just a simple routine that served to remind Reyn of her humanity.


    Well, anywho it was Friday again, and it was lunch time as Reyn and the gang were going out to eat Ramen. Right before they leave, Chief Ch¨¦n importantly clears his throat as the entire office falls silent. ¡°Miss Mephistopheles has been with us for almost a month now. So, we¡¯ll be holding a welcome party in the club after work today. I expect everyone to attend.¡±


    The office workers cheer as Chief Ch¨¦n proudly returns to his office. As they head out of the office, Reyn asks, ¡°Is Chief Ch¨¦n talking about a nightclub?¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Hu¨¢ng snorts and says, ¡°No, Chief Ch¨¦n will rent out a private club karaoke room to sing, dance, eat and drink.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Reyn unhappily murmured.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t do karaoke in Usonia?¡± Zh¨¤o curiously asked.


    ¡°Oh, we do, but it¡¯s not that popular among the mainstream public. But there¡¯s just one problem, I can¡¯t sing. I¡¯m utterly tone deaf,¡± Reyn flatly stated.


    Y¨¢ng hastily says, ¡°Surely, you can sing something. It¡¯s always expected that the newcomer always performs and sing at their own welcome party.¡±


    ¡°No, seriously, I¡¯m not being shy, I really am tone-deaf,¡± Reyn grumbled.


    Hu¨¢ng smiles impishly and says, ¡°Okay, try to sing a note.¡±


    Reyn sighs and opens her mouth as a terrible off-key sound emerges from her throat. The three men wince at the terrible sound and watch in relief as Reyn closes her mouth. Reyn glances at them with accusing eyes and grumbles, ¡°See I told you, I can¡¯t sing!¡±


    The three men warily glance at each other as Zh¨¤o politely says, ¡°How about you lip-sing, can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Reyn grunted.


    Seeing Reyn¡¯s unhappy expression Y¨¢ng says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll just explain it to Chief Ch¨¦n in private. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine if you lip sing to a song.¡±


    Reyn grunts in reply as the three men hastily change the topic and related the tall tales of the mystical power of the resturant Ramen that they would be eating. And upon eating said delicious Ramen, Reyn truly did forgot all her troubles for the time being.

 * Chapter 18 – Karaoke Ⅱ

    A handsome teenager of about 17 years of age glances up at the darkening sky. His gaze is firm as his indigo eyes flicker with worry as he glances at the clock on his phone. Biting his lip, the teenager with unruly raven colored hair runs his hand through his hair. His hands have fingerless black leather gloves on.


    ¡°Where is W¨² Fang?¡± The teenager named Ye Ming asked himself.


    Ye Ming¡¯s face softens as remembers as he met W¨² Fang. He had been making his way home when he had spotted a pretty young woman in high heels and a mini skirt being catcalled. Without hesitation, Ye Ming had shooed the men away from the young woman.


    The young woman politely thanked him and told him her name, W¨² Fang. W¨² Fang had large doe eyes and silky black hair with a breath taking smile that hid a trace of dimples. Before Ye Ming knew it, he was already falling for W¨² Fang. After helping her into a taxi that night, Ye Ming thought he would never see her again, but life had in store for them another surprise.


    Ye Ming anxiously keeps checking the time as the hour grow later without a sign of W¨² Fang. With the fiery passion of a young man in love, Ye Ming is certain something must be preventing W¨² Fang from making their escape way together. And if that was the case, then he would go and rescue her.


    ¡°W¨² Fang, won¡¯t be coming,¡± a cold voice from behind Ye Ming said, starling Ye Ming out of his inner thoughts.


    Ye Ming¡¯s eyes whirl in recognition of that voice, S¨±n L¨¬, W¨² Fang¡¯s fianc¨¦. Ye Ming coldly replies back, ¡°What have you done with W¨² Fang?¡±


    If Ye Ming is manly, while being handsome then S¨±n L¨¬ is a suave gentleman. S¨±n L¨¬¡¯s attractive features and black-gray eyes caused plenty of girl¡¯s and women¡¯s hearts to flutter. To be truthfully honest, Ye Ming is no match for S¨±n L¨¬ in the looks department.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    In a fine suit, S¨±n L¨¬ smiles in a patronizing way at Ye Ming. ¡°What makes you I did anything to stop W¨² Fang from coming?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ takes a step forward in emphasis and sneers, ¡°Did you think that a woman of W¨² Fang¡¯s caliber, born into the lap of wealth, would abandon all that for a nobody like you?¡±


    Ye Ming¡¯s eyes widen in disbelief as he furiously replies, ¡°W¨² Fang is in love with me!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ asked as he took a step forward. ¡°Did W¨² Fang ever say so? Because a little birdy told me that W¨² Fang never said those three little words to you.¡±


    Ye Ming takes a step back trying to deny the claim but unable to as it was the truth. No matter how many times they kissed and held each other, W¨² Fang never said those three little words to her. And no matter, how many times Ye Ming said those three words to her, W¨² Fang, would never respond and would avoid the question by kissing him on the lips.


    Uncertain Ye Ming frowns as his heart feels as though it is breaking under the weight of the truth. Seeing Ye Ming¡¯s heart faltering, S¨±n L¨¬ smiles in satisfaction and calmly says, ¡°There you see, my words ring true in your ears. Now, though I haven¡¯t done anything to W¨² Fang, the same can¡¯t be applied to you. And though you did not deflower W¨² Fang, which is only a small mercy in my opinion. But you dared to lay your dirty hands on my fianc¨¦ and that is something I simply cannot tolerate. You will die here in this dirty alleyway tonight as the filthy rat that you are.¡±


    S¨±n L¨¬¡¯s last words seem to finally pierce through the fog of Ye Ming¡¯s emotions as Ye Ming weakly glares up at S¨±n L¨¬. ¡°I won¡¯t be so easy to be rid of,¡± Ye Ming growled as Qi begins to surge around his body. And though Ye Ming wished to fight, his heart was not into the battle. Which is rather dangerous for a cultivator if while in battle his resolve weakens because resolve is all that stands between life and death.


    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I am going to enjoy this,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ replied with a cool smile that would and could set the hearts of women on fire.


    Without any further words, the two men dash at each other in open bloodthirsty combat. They both knew that only one of them would emerge victorious from tonight¡¯s battle. But the real question is which of them would survive their battle?

 * Chapter 19 – Karaoke Ⅲ

    After work, the office party heads to an elegant club. The group makes their way inside and heads to their reserved Karaoke room. Chief Ch¨¦n orders food and drinks as the office members go up and begin to sing. Reyn is tactfully not asked to not sing as Mr. Y¨¢ng and the gang had spread the honest, but the exaggerated truth that if one did not want to hear an animal¡¯s dying wails, then the tone-deaf Reyn should never be allowed to sing in public.


    Seeing as the party had to get into full swing, Reyn finally went up to perform for Chief Ch¨¦n. Reyn lip-syncs to the classic song of Twist and Shout, while dancing the choreographed dance from the movie, Ferris Beuller¡¯s Day Off. Chief Ch¨¦n and the rest of the office workers enjoyed Reyn¡¯s theatrical lip-syncing and dance. With a sigh of relief, Reyn bows as the office party members clap at her performance, before taking her seat.


    Next up is Chief Ch¨¦n and everyone intently turns to watch him. Reyn takes a sip of her drink when she senses something above the club. Reyn refrains from glancing upward at sensing two men battling over the city that is underneath them. Ignoring the intense battle overhead, Reyn claps along with the rest of the office as Chief Ch¨¦n sings an oldie love song.


    By the end of the night, Reyn was exhausted and excused herself a bit early. Several office members offer to accompany her back to the subway station, but Reyn politely waves them off. For heaven¡¯s sake, what could possibly happen to her, when she was the scariest thing on the streets?


    Reyn happily walks to the nearest subway station, when she suddenly pauses in route. The alleyway right next to her holds the fading pulse of an injured young man. Reyn recognizes the mana signature as belonging to one of the men that had been fighting overhead the club. Reyn glances at her phone and considers calling, emergency services. However, knowing how these things worked more than likely the injured man¡¯s opponent would finish him off the moment he arrived for medical aid at any hospital.


    Reyn takes a step forward, when she hears a soft whisper from the injured man, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom and Dad.¡±


    Reyn winces as guilt coursed through her body, but merely adjusts the leather strap of her bag on her shoulder. Reyn stoutly turns away and walks around the corner of the street when a chiding feeling hits her smack on the face. ¡°Oh, bleeding hearts of the world UNITE!¡± Reyn darkly grunted and turns translucent as she leaps over the building to land neatly without a sound in the alleyway.


    Reyn makes her way to the end of the alley to find a rather badly wounded teenage boy on the cusp of being a man. If she had to guess the kid was either 17 or 18 years of age. Reyn reaches up and removes her glasses, but firmly keeps her eyes closed until she puts her glasses away. Reyn didn¡¯t need glasses to see, but rather she used them to blur her surroundings. Seeing too many details at a time could prove quite distracting.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Taking a deep breath Reyn opens her eyes for a closer look. Every detail zooms into focus as time itself seems to slow down as Reyn sees the boy breath in and out in slow motion. The internal energy pathways had been cruelly destroyed including his energy core which had been ruthlessly crushed in his lower abdomen.


    Reyn frowns as she studies the major damage to the boy¡¯s body itself which included broken bones, severe damage to internal organs and intensive internal bleeding. Even if she picked him up, there was no guaranteed that the kid would survive the night.


    Demons weren¡¯t known for being healers and though Reyn could heal herself that particular skill did not apply very well to others. Reyn thoughtfully pauses and feels an instinct telling her to try. Reyn¡¯s eyes glow with a crimson light as she stares at the dying boy. ¡°Do you wish to live?¡± Reyn asked in a frigid voice capable of freezing one¡¯s very blood.


    The dying kid blinks slowly as a gleam of life and hatred can be seen in their murky blue depths. ¡°Yes,¡± the kid barely chocked out.


    ¡°Are you certain? For the price to pay is your absolute loyalty to your Demon King for the rest of your miserable existence. Is your hatred and will for vengeance that great that you are willing to undertake the rash consequences of accepting my terms and conditions?¡± Reyn coldly asked.


    The kid pauses for a moment as hatred fills his eyes and unborn fury. ¡°Yes!¡± The kid hissed with a bitter fury.


    Reyn reaches into her core and pulls out a tiny glowing seed in her hand, it was a tiny World Tree seed. If cultivated properly, a World Tree could grow and allow one once more to absorb mana. Taking a risk, Reyn¡¯s hand becomes translucent as she reaches into the boy¡¯s chest and plants the World Tree, therein. Unlike, humans who cultivated in the area just below their heart in their abdomen area, Demons absorbed mana directly into their hearts and chest cavity.


    With care, Reyn picks the kid up in her arms in a princess style carry. Pressing her feet into the ground for a second, Reyn instantly vanishes from the alley without a single trace. Moments, later, Reyn appears on the outside balcony area of her apartment. One-handed she opens the balcony sliding door and closes it behind her.


    Not even bothering to dress the kid¡¯s wounds, Reyn carefully sets him on a couch with a blanket underneath and over him. If the kid survived the night, that would mean the seed had taken root. And if not, she would just have to dispose of his corpse tomorrow.


    And with that in mind, Reyn calmly went to bed with absolute certainty, everything would be fine in the morning. Demons were rather pragmatic that way. (And it was times like these that Reyn¡¯s Demon King¡¯s callous personality characteristics manifested themselves.) However, just in case, Reyn did put a ward around the building to hide the kid¡¯s presence should anyone come looking for him. Once could never afford to be too careful after all.

 * Chapter 20 – Karaoke Ⅳ

    Sometime later, back at the alleyway, a group of men in dark suits arrived to find the alleyway completely empty. The men expertly search the alleyway for clues as their tall, scarred leader reluctantly makes a phone call.


    After a second the line clicks and S¨±n L¨¬ growls, ¡°Well, is he dead?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ narrows his eyes impatiently as his wounds are tended by maidservants of the S¨±n household. It is a bitter disappointment in his mouth that he failed to kill Ye Ming, due to his cowardly escape. But even more so, now that he that the mysterious cultivator related incident that his father mentioned to him wasn¡¯t Ye Ming.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but it would seem he survived the final attack. However, he couldn¡¯t have gone far as the alleyway is covered in his blood,¡± the scarred leader replied.


    ¡°Find him,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ snapped as he pushes a maid off of him. It would seem it wasn¡¯t over quite yet. With that in mind, S¨±n L¨¬ storms away towards his father and grandfather¡¯s quarters. Surely, they would be able to aid him in his search of that cowardly bastard.


    The scarred man puts his phone away as one of his men approaches him. The man in suit hesitantly says, ¡°Boss, I think you should take a look at this.¡±


    The leader of men in suits follows his subordinate back to the pool of blood. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± The scarred leader asked.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Boss, please take a closer look at the puddle, see how the blood is only pooled here?¡± The man said as the scarred Boss nods his head in understanding. ¡°If our target had gotten up, he would have either have held onto the wall to get up or support himself to walk. There aren¡¯t any blood marks on the walls much less blood drops leading out of the alleyway. There are only two options, either our target bled out and died or someone saved him. Seeing as the target is missing that only leaves the second option as the correct option,¡± The subordinate declared.


    The scarred leader grunts, ¡°Fine. Who was it then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the problem, Boss. Had it been a civilian, they would have called the cops and we have our people watching the hospitals and police stations. There also haven¡¯t been any injured men taken there by an ambulance or that have personally checked themselves in. We even have the backstreet clinics and doctors under watch, but no one matching our target¡¯s description has appeared there either.


    That only leaves someone taking the target away. But who would dare aid him now? No one from the sects would so much lift their finger to help given whose wrath he earned. And unorthodox cultivators wouldn¡¯t be so foolish to intervene either as his cultivation was destroyed,¡± The subordinate stated.


    The scarred leader is quiet for a long time until he finally says, ¡°Double check the scene.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Boss,¡± the subordinate dutifully replied as he rushes away to do so.


    The scarred leader furrows his brows uneasily. Who could it have been? It couldn¡¯t have been anyone weak as there was a rather limited pool of people would dare do so. And if it hadn¡¯t been them, then who?


    Left with more questions than answers, the scarred leader, and the men depart after a fruitless search. Unhappily, the scarred leader and his crew head off to check other places. Hopefully, soon their luck would turn for the better.

 * Chapter 21 – Rules

    The next morning the sun has yet to rise as Reyn munches on warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies out of the oven accompanied by a glass of milk. Reyn stares at her couch with slightly narrowed eyes, where a fluffy black cat with dirty fur and dried blood is curled up sound asleep. Reyn annoyance can be seen in her eyes as she munches her cookies and milk. But sadly, in Reyn¡¯s opinion, it is a da*n shame that the kid survived until morning.


    With a groan, the black cat on the couch shakes his head and groggily comes too. The cat¡¯s startling blue eyes that are large and quite adorable, while giving one the urge to squeeze the cat to death. The black cat blinks in surprise as his ears flatten back and his fur puffs out in wariness.


    Reyn sternly orders, ¡°Remember your human form.¡±


    The black cat blinks but suddenly leaps in the air to obey the command given. Mid-air, a strange rapid transformation occurs to fast to see as a boy suddenly falls onto the couch. Landing face first into the couch, the kid lets out a groan of pain.


    Reyn grabs the readied cup of water and of aspirins next to her and puts it on the table in front of the kid. ¡°I suggest you take one,¡± Reyn said as she grabs another cookie to eat.


    The kid has rather handsome delicate Asian features, raven unruly hair and bright indigo eyes. Which was a bit of surprise to Reyn, but hey, this was a modern world after all. The kid winces as he tries to get up to fast in pain but warily keeps one eye on as his mind tries to understand the current situation.


    Impatient Reyn climbs to her feet grabs two pills and forcefully pops them into the kid¡¯s mouth and forces him to swallow by clamping his nose shut. Unable to breathe, the kid swallows as Reyn let¡¯s go and holds out the glass of water for him to drink. With eyes watering, the kid glares at Reyn but does as he is told.


    Taking a seat back on the ground, Reyn munches on her cookies not even offering one to the kid. Finally, after a while, the kid warily asks, ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°In my apartment,¡± Reyn mumbled back.


    The kid narrows his eyes and says, ¡°And where is that?¡±


    ¡°In the city.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°In the nicer parts of the city.¡±


    The kid¡¯s brow furrows as he tries to remember, but all he remembers are red eyes and that he was dying. ¡°I was dying, why did you save me?¡± The kid quietly asked.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to,¡± Reyn honestly replied. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t just let a minor die on the streets, now could I?¡±


    The kid almost chokes at the honest reply and warily asks, ¡°So are you my savior?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± Reyn mumbled and shrugs, ¡°I guess so.¡±


    The kid frowns in frustration, but quietly asks, ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember who I am?¡±


    ¡°Those were the terms and conditions to save you,¡± Reyn stoutly replied. ¡°You were forewarned plenty of the conditions and in the end, you still choose to accept the bargain made. But the price, in the end, is different for everyone, in your case it would appear to be your memories of who you were.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The kid swallows and after a moment says, ¡°Sorry, about that I don¡¯t mean to sound ungrateful but it¡¯s just a lot to process. So, thank you. I¡¯m,¡± the kid pauses as a name appears in his mind, ¡°-I¡¯m Ye Ming, I think, and you are?¡± Ye Ming asked.


    ¡°You can just call me by my first name, Reyn,¡± Reyn grumbled back. Seeing the hungry expression on the kid¡¯s face, she climbs to her feet and fills a platter to the brim with cookies and a cup of milk to drink. Putting the platter and cup in front of him, Reyn grumbles, ¡°Here, your body needs the sugar to heal.¡±


    Without further ado, Ye Ming bites into the sweet goodness and begins to eat. ¡°So, um, do I turn into a cat now?¡± Ye Ming warily inquired.


    ¡°You can take a cat form, whenever you wish,¡± Reyn drily responded.


    Ye Ming sighs in relief at the response he remembers the strange feeling of being an animal. Ye Ming shivers and gobbles more cookies down until Reyn asks, ¡°So, who was it that beat the hell out of you yesterday and destroyed your core?¡±


    Ye Ming almost spits out the food in his mouth, but somehow manages to swallow. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t remember,¡± Ye Ming lamely answered.


    Reyn snorts at the answer but does not reply as the unbidden information appears in her mind. Reyn frowns in annoyance at the revelation of the information. As a Demon King she would ever associate with any human organization, but still, it would appear she would have no choice to tangle with such beings in order to fulfill this child¡¯s wish.


    Ye Ming puts his cookie down and studies the woman before him. Tall and moderately curved with chin-length brown golden hair and blue green-eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. She was an attractive woman in her own way and yet, there was something off-putting about her, an inhuman vibe to say the least.


    ¡°Are you an unorthodox cultivator?¡± Ye Ming quietly asked. Despite not having any real personal memories, the knowledge of the world was still there.


    Reyn guffaws at the question and drily replies, ¡°No, but I suppose it is just a matter of viewpoints, isn¡¯t it? I wasn¡¯t even aware eastern cultivators existed until I arrived.¡±


    Ye Ming eyes widen, and he says, ¡°Then you¡¯re a western cultivator?¡±


    Reyn frowns and flatly replies, ¡°I would never associate myself with such human organizations.¡±


    Ye Ming¡¯s eyes suddenly widen as he recalls the events of last night as the words resound in his mind, ¡°For the price to pay is your absolute loyalty to your Demon King for the rest of your miserable existence.¡± Ye Ming shivers and carefully asks, ¡°Am I a demon now?¡±


    ¡°Technically no, but you are my subordinate for NOW,¡± Reyn coolly stated as she glances over the top of her glasses at the World Tree seed inside of the kid. The seed had successfully taken root inside and was beginning to grow. Not only did the kid have potential as his major injuries had already healed overnight, but he seemed to have a talent for absorbing mana as the energy channels were already slowly beginning to heal.


    Reyn didn¡¯t really have a choice at this point as she had been the one who had planted the World Tree seed into his chest cavity. It had been her decision alone and now she would have to take responsibility for her kind and rather impulsive actions of the moment. But who knew, maybe, this mistake could possibly prove her worthwhile.


    Ye Ming slowly nods his head understanding he knew he wasn¡¯t being told everything, ¡°Err, Your Demon King, Your Majesty-? Um, can I just call you, Master?¡± Ye Ming quietly asked.


    ¡°For now, I suppose,¡± Reyn drily commented.


    Ye Ming let outs a private sigh of relief just imagining how embarrassing it would be to say, ¡°Your Highness.¡± Shivering Ye Ming almost misses the following words, ¡°Go and take a shower, you stink,¡± Reyn firmly ordered.


    Reyn points at the 2<sup>nd</sup> bedroom and adds, ¡°I¡¯ll lend you some of my gym clothes to wear once you get out. Now, go and wash up.¡±


    Ye Ming winces as he climbs to his feet and heads to the 2<sup>nd</sup> bathroom. His eyes gleam with hopes of the future. But more importantly getting his revenge!


    Reyn shakes her head at seeing the kid¡¯s retreating back and murmurs, ¡°To be so young and energetic again.¡± Faintly smiling to herself, Reyn begins to cook up a large breakfast, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. The kid needed the calories to heal and it would be nice to have company for breakfast for once.

 * Chapter 22 – Rules Ⅱ

    Ye Ming emerges from the 2<sup>nd</sup> bedroom still drying his hair with a towel and wearing Reyn¡¯s black tee-shirt and loose gym pants that Reyn had set out for him. Underwear was most definitely not included and as such Ye Ming was going commando. But that didn¡¯t seem to be bothering him very much at the moment.


    Ye Ming takes a seat on one of the kitchen counter stools, while Reyn finishes platting the warm food, before putting a plate of piping hot food before him. Ye Ming doesn¡¯t even wait to be told to eat as he instantly digs into the food with a belly full of hunger. The meal is quiet for a time until Ye Ming¡¯s hunger quells down and takes a sip of his orange juice to wash the food down. ¡°Master, most of my more serious wounds are already healed. How is that possible?¡± Ye Ming curiously asked the question on his mind since emerging from the shower.


    Reyn reluctantly lowers her eating utensils and replies, ¡°That is the World Tree seed growing in your heart cavity.¡±


    ¡°World Tree seed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is how I absorb Mana via a World Tree. Yours is merely a sapling, but when it grows large enough your entire body including your broken energy channels will be healed and made strong. At which point, it will be ripe time for you to begin absorbing the Mana of the world.¡±


    ¡°Mana?¡±


    ¡°I believe that in this land it is called, ¡°Qi.¡±


    Ye Ming is quiet as Reyn about to begins to eat, when Ye Ming confused asks, ¡°But Master, then what will I do in the meantime?¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Reyn sighs and puts her utensils down and turns to face the kid. ¡°How old are you, Ye Ming?¡± Reyn asked.


    ¡°18 years old, I think,¡± Ye Ming replied.


    ¡°Well, until your World Tree is large enough to absorb man, you will be my housekeeper and pet cat. I assume that you enjoy eating rice and the typical cuisine of your homeland, so you¡¯re in charge of most of the meals from now on.¡±


    Ye Ming gapes and sputters in protest, ¡°Your Pet?¡±


    ¡°Of course, this is a company apartment, I can¡¯t have someone else living with me. Besides, I would have to register you as an addition to the household and that will not only be dangerous but just plain stupid given who¡¯s after you. Besides it¡¯s much convenient for both of us if I just say you¡¯re my pet,¡± Reyn pauses and mutters to herself in thought, ¡°I better pick up some things form the pet store.¡±


    Ye Ming chokes and faintly says, ¡°Do I have to use a litter box?¡±


    Reyn snorts in disgust, ¡°Of course not. You¡¯re not a real cat.¡±


    Ye Ming sighs slightly in relief as Reyn continues, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll buy you clothing and such things to be kept in a closet of your own.¡± Reyn makes a personal note to herself to magically ward the closet lest an unexpected visitor enters the second bedroom and find a closet filled with male clothing. One could never afford to be too careful.


    Besides your most important duty is to allow the World Tree seed to grow. I don¡¯t want you to leave the apartment for any reason until that World Tree is no longer a sapling! And so, until then, you¡¯re the housekeeper and my pet cat, is that understood?¡±


    Ye Ming nods his head faintly as he dutifully finishes the cold food on his plate. Reyn studies the gloomy figure of Ye Ming as an idea comes to mind. ¡°C¡¯mon, how about we shop for stuff online. I¡¯ll even buy you brand goods if you¡¯re good,¡± Reyn pointedly said, the magical words to all teen¡¯s hearts, money and things.


    Ye Ming perks slightly up at his master¡¯s words as Reyn goes to get her laptop, while Ye Ming washes the plates in silent contemplation as his eyes grow colder with revenge and fury. Despite lacking any memories, a part of Ye Ming remembered that he had a purpose and that was to avenge himself. And so, by the time, Reyn returned with a credit card in hand, Ye Ming felt better than ever.

 * Chapter 23 – Sūn Lì

    The scarred leader appears before a handsome dark-haired man in a perfectly dark tailored suit with violet pocket handkerchief fashionably added for a touch of color. The attractive man¡¯s black-gray¡¯s eyes scan the scarred man¡¯s face as he bows his head towards him. ¡°Well, I am waiting,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ flatly stated.


    ¡°Sir S¨±n, we have not been able to find the target. We can only conclude someone is hiding him, sir,¡± the scarred man tactfully said.


    S¨±n L¨¬ almost breaks the table in front of him in fury but controls himself. ¡°Then find out, who would dare hide him. Who was in the area that night? I want every single person that passed through that area to be all accounted for!¡± S¨±n L¨¬ demanded.


    ¡°Yes, sir, it shall be done!¡± The scarred man vehemently said, before bowing his way out the door.


    Narrowing his eyes, S¨±n L¨¬ glances at the city scenery before him. No matter, what it took he could not have that bastard returning! However, the thought does cross his mind that mysterious cultivator incident might be related to Ye Ming. Shaking off such thoughts, S¨±n L¨¬ adjusts his collar one last time, before turning on his heels and going out the door. There is an important party to get to and he could not afford to be late.


    At the party, a gorgeous young woman with silky black hair and big doe eyes sips from her drink. Her lovely aura is dazzling causing everyone eye¡¯s to be attracted to her. Her fair skin is flawless without a blemish as her white dress and heels that make her look that much more like a fairy then she already is. More than a few men surrounded her as they try to gain the beauty¡¯s attention or merely converse with her.


    S¨±n L¨¬ silently approaches the breathtaking beauty from behind before gently planting a kiss on her neck as he glares at the men surrounding her in warning.  The men instantly disperse as they apologize for their impertinence and flee to other parts of the ballroom. The young woman stiffens and turns to stare up at him with cold eyes. ¡°Why did you kill him? He posed no threat to you!¡± W¨² Fang unhappily declared.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    S¨±n L¨¬ smiles at his fianc¨¦ and replies, ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have been playing around with him. After all, you were only toying with the poor boy, whereas I destroyed him because both of our family¡¯s allies were demanding it. He was becoming too much of a liability, but I don¡¯t suppose you realized that because you were having too much fun.¡±


    W¨² Fang raises her hand to slap him, but S¨±n L¨¬ easily catches her fair wrist. ¡°Not in public dear, remember, where we are,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ softly chided W¨² Fang.


    W¨² Fang roughly pulls her arm out his grasp and glares up at S¨±n L¨¬. ¡°I hate you,¡± W¨² Fang boldly hissed.


    S¨±n L¨¬ smiles winsomely and pulls her roughly towards him as he places a forceful kiss onto W¨² Fang¡¯s lips. W¨² Fang struggles but S¨±n L¨¬ expertly coaxes her lips until W¨² Fang ceases to struggle. Panting and breathless, W¨² Fang pulls back as her cheeks are rosy with something more than embarrassment.


    S¨±n L¨¬ confidently smiles at his fianc¨¦ and says, ¡°Yes, it would seem you enjoyed that very much. I must say, I am looking forward to consummating our union on our wedding night.¡±


    W¨² Fang blushes in anger and turns away stiffly as S¨±n L¨¬ teasingly pulls her into his arms as a group of figures approach. S¨±n L¨¬ gracefully whispers into W¨² Fang¡¯s ear, ¡°Now, now, dear, remember to act your part.¡±


    W¨² Fang smiles charmingly as she glances up at the important men approaching her as S¨±n L¨¬ nods his head in approval. A beauty, who understood her place was rare. However, it was such a shame she had a wild streak. But no worries, he would have plenty of time to seduce her and tame her until she was what he wished her to be.


    And with a smile on his lips S¨±n L¨¬ turns to greet them, all the while plotting and planning to gain an added advantage from this meeting. Though at the edge of his mind, S¨±n L¨¬ makes the careful note to take forget to permanently take care of that bastard. If Ye Ming wasn¡¯t dead, he would soon be.

 * Chapter 24 – Guardian

    Close to midnight, Reyn had gotten off the phone with her foster parents with a smile on her face. Mr. and Mrs. Pingree thought it was simply wonderful that Reyn now had a pet cat. Mr. and Mrs. Pingree had been anxious and worried Reyn would be lonely in an entirely different county by herself, but now the Pingree¡¯s would be at ease knowing that Reyn wasn¡¯t alone anymore.


    However. a part of Reyn still wasn¡¯t sure that she had done the right thing by doing so. In the end, the Demon King side of her still did not wish to be involved with humans. But for better or for worse, there was no avoiding the situation given that Reyn is a human herself.


    With a sigh, Reyn closes her eyes and begins to meditate for the night. Even if tomorrow, was a work day, Reyn had several things on her mind and this could only help. Mana surges from the ley-line and slowly gathers into her World Tree. Well, as it would turn out far too soon the 6 a.m. alarm shrilly begins to ring. And without further ado, Reyn promptly gets out of bed to get ready for work.


    However, to Reyn¡¯s surprise upon entering the kitchen Ye Ming is busy preparing breakfast. ¡°Breakfast is ready,¡± Ye Ming said as he swiftly serves soft cooked rice, warm breakfast soup with pickled vegetables. Who knew the kid could cook so well?!


    After breakfast, Reyn says, ¡°And remember no going outside of the apartment! If you get bored, I want you to lie down on the floor and listen.  Trust me, if you¡¯re able to listen well enough and you will begin to notice something.¡±


    Ye Ming sighs dejectedly at his master¡¯s words and miserably replies, ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back a little late, but once I get back, I¡¯ll make homemade pizza for you for dinner,¡± Reyn purposefully said as she put on her shoes at the front door.


    Ye Ming perks up like any teenager at the sound of calories and fast food. ¡°Alright! Please take care and have a good day, Master,¡± Ye Ming said as Reyn closes the door behind her.


    On Sunday afternoon, Reyn had introduced Ye Ming to the neighbors as her pet cat. Reyn only asked that if they saw her cat get out to please inform her. The neighbors nicely replied that it would be no problem to do so.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After work and with her errands all done afterward, Reyn finally returns to her apartment with much-needed supplies for Ye Ming such as a cellphone, a laptop, and other cat needed items.


    Seeing all the things in Reyn¡¯s hands, Ye Ming hurriedly grabs the plastic bags with recognizable logos and disbelieving asks, ¡°Are these all for me, Master?¡±


    ¡°Of course, what modern teenager doesn¡¯t need a phone?¡± Reyn murmured as she set her purchases on the kitchen counter and removed her shoes.


    Not hearing Ye Ming reply, Reyn turns around and blinks in surprise. Unshed tears shine in Ye Ming¡¯s eyes causing Reyn blinks in surprise as Ye Ming suddenly gives her hug and then embarrassingly let¡¯s go. ¡°Thank you, master,¡± Ye Ming embarrassingly said.


    Reyn smiles ruefully at him and says, ¡°You can¡¯t continue to call me, Master, all the time. So how about, just Reyn?¡±


    Ye Ming gawks and protests, ¡°But you¡¯re older than me!¡±


    Reyn snorts and says, ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone hear that. Besides, I think it¡¯s better that way, it will seem like a much more normal relationship, I mean, I am only 25 years old, after all.¡±


    Ye Ming shyly nods his head and says, ¡°Thank you,¡± Ye Ming pauses to add, ¡°Aunt Reyn.¡±


    Reyn sighs but doesn¡¯t try to force Ye Ming to call her by her first name anymore. Look where that got her? She was now Aunt Reyn!


    ¡°Put away these things first, before playing with your new digs. But you better have finished your homework, because I am going to check,¡± Reyn warningly said as she heads to her bedroom to change out of her work clothes into casual clothing.


    Ye Ming pales slightly before darting away with bags in hand to finish setting up a cat tower and other items. Reyn shakes her head ruefully and heads to her bedroom to get undressed, before putting on some casual clothes. Pulling her hair up into a tiny ponytail, Reyn begins to roll the dough and spread it as it should be. Finished, Reyn lets the dough rise while she makes a homemade pizza sauce and cuts up the toppings. By the time the dough is ready, Reyn makes the pizza pie and stuffs it, before putting it into the oven to bake.


    Ye Ming happily plays with his new phone until Reyn comes over and asks, ¡°So how was your assignment?¡±


    ¡°Ye Ming furrows his brows and warily answers, ¡°I couldn¡¯t concentrate at first, but the more time went by, the quieter it became. I could almost hear something at the edge of the silence, but I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Then keep listening, you¡¯ll know soon enough,¡± Reyn murmured back.


    Ye Ming frowns but nods his head in understanding. Soon the smell of pizza fills the air and Ye Ming perks up like a puppy. Reyn smiles and quickly goes to check the pizza to see if it was ready. Ready, Ye Ming leaps into his seat to eat as Reyn cuts the pizza into large slices to eat. Ye Ming has a blissful expression on his face as Reyn snorts to herself and takes a bite of the pizza. It was perfect, but what made it better was having someone to eat it with.

 * Chapter 25 – The Meeting

    A group of older men and woman appear in various clothing styles including ancient robes and in formal suits. The majority of the group are men as they all take a seat around a circular table. An older man in a robe with gray hair and a neat mustache says, ¡°Thank you all for coming. Now I hope we are all in agreement that any child may participate in the Junior Tournament including our own clan¡¯s children. However, they must all be below the 5<sup>th</sup> stage of mortal cultivation and have at least reached the 2nd stage of cultivation to participate is that still acceptable?¡±


    The men and woman nod in the room as the older man says, ¡°Good now. Then the winning prizes will remain the same and as for any gambling bets they must all be honored. I caution all of you to only bet what you can afford to lose.¡±


    ¡°But where¡¯s the fun in that, Tang Shi?¡± W¨² Bai, head of the W¨² Clan growled in a challenge. W¨² Bai was a salt-peppered haired man with a neat beard and strong handsome features. Wearing a fur-lined coat and impeccable burgundy colored suit, W¨² Bai made an imposing figure.


    The men and woman at the table glance at each other with interest expecting something to happen. To their dismay, the host of the meeting ignores the challenge laid on the table. ¡°Then until the tournament in four months¡¯ time,¡± Tang Shi firmly declared as the group disperses.


    W¨² Bai snorts under his breath and mouths the words, ¡°Coward,¡± before marching away purposefully towards a nearby restaurant.


    The rest of the members do the same as Tang Shi is left behind alone in the parlor. Closing his eyes, Tang Shi rubs his eyes and hopes that the tournament was an utter success. The future of the Tang family was hinging upon the tournament¡¯s victory.


    *


    Waiting inside the nearby restaurant, S¨±n L¨¬ gets up from his seat and warmly greets his future father-in-law, W¨² Bai. ¡°How went the tournament meeting?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ politely asked, despite having already been informed by his father of the results.


    W¨² Bai smiles back at his future son-in-law and says, ¡°It went exactly as expected.¡± W¨² Bai takes his seat at the table and casually asks, ¡°And how is your grandfather, S¨±n Gui?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    S¨±n L¨¬ smiles and says, ¡°My grandfather is doing very well for his age as the patriarch of the family.


    ¡°I was concerned as I didn¡¯t seem him at the tournament meeting. Because in his stead I saw your father, S¨±n Hai,¡± W¨² Bai further probed.


    ¡°Grandfather merely had other business to attend to and was not able to attend the tournament meeting,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ replied.


    ¡°Well, in that case, please give my warmest regards to your grandfather,¡± W¨² Bai firmly declared.


    ¡°Of course,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ replied with a smile.


    The two men closely study each other for a moment, before moving on as a server finally appears with a tea for W¨² Bai. The server gracefully fills a cup of exquisite green tea for W¨² Bai, before leaving a pot there for them to serve themselves.


    W¨² Bai takes a sip of the fine tea and enjoys the scent. ¡°And how is the courting of my daughter going?¡± W¨² Bai murmured.


    ¡°Much better now that the toy of hers is gone,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ purred back as he took a sip of his tea.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thanked you yet for getting rid of that foolish boy. He had become quite the nuisance, so thank you,¡± W¨² Bai replied.


    ¡°Nonsense, it was nothing as he had also posed a future a problem to me,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ answered back.


    ¡°Yes, I heard he wasn¡¯t dead yet. That isn¡¯t true is it?¡± W¨² Bai casually asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine his surviving the battle with his limbs and cultivation destroyed, it is just a matter of finding where the rat crawled to and died. I¡¯m sure his corpse will be found soon enough by my men,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ calmly answered as he took a sip of this tea.


    ¡°If one isn¡¯t careful to cut off the head of the snake, they bite back,¡± W¨² Bai innocently retorted. ¡°Of course, who knows, you may now be dealing with that mysterious cultivator, who might have just taken him in.¡±


    ¡°That shan¡¯t be a problem,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ flatly retorted. ¡°I highly doubt that he possesses such confounded luck.¡±


    ¡°My apologies I did not mean to suggest otherwise, I was merely making sure that was not the case,¡± W¨² Bai politely said as he takes a sip of his tea.


    ¡°Of course not, how could I possibly be offended by your kind words of concern, father-in-law?  I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just being worried for my sake,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ said with a polite smile that did not quite reach his eyes.


    The two men smiled at each other in reply as each carefully hides their poisoned daggers behind their back. The two men continue onto other safer topics and discuss the tournament and impending wedding. Because despite being allies, these two families were always vying for more power. And one day in the future at the first chance given one of them would stick the dagger into the other¡¯s back for an assured gain.

 * Chapter 26 – The Decision

    The weeks rapidly went by until Reyn became used to having the kid around. It was a Friday evening and Ye Ming bites his lips in frustration at failing to beat his last game score. Finally, after a while, Ye Ming closes his laptop and says, ¡°Master, I mean, Aunt Reyn, I know what I need to do.¡±


    Reyn glances up from what she was doing on her own laptop and says, ¡°Oh, and what is that?¡±


    ¡°I want to grow stronger in order to get my revenge,¡± Ye Ming boldly declared.


    Reyn narrows her eyes and coldly says, ¡°Oh and you think you¡¯re ready? Your World Tree hasn¡¯t even grown enough to even begin to absorb mana.  What can you possibly do to win against so much stronger and better-prepared opponents that won¡¯t allow you to be killed and waste all my invested effort in you? Besides you will have your revenge, you just need to be more patient or is my word not good enough for you?¡±


    Ye Ming hastily replies, ¡°I know that you are good for you word master! But I just hate standing still, I feel that I¡¯m not the least bit useful to you master as I am. Please, Master, I am begging you, there must be a way for me to grow stronger that much faster?!¡±


    Reyn sighs in exasperation and takes off her glasses to take a closer look at Ye Ming¡¯s World Tree. The kid¡¯s World Tree was almost big enough to begin to absorb mana, but it would be several weeks at least before he could. Not to mention the amount of work needed to retrain the kid from scratch and establish a proper foundation excluding teaching the kid proper fighting technique. Bluntly speaking, what a pain in the a*s!You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Reyn is quiet in thought as she remembers a memory from another life. A little demon girl glances up at a much older demon in frustration. ¡°Let me go out, Walter! My people need me!¡± Reyn roared indignation.


    ¡°I would to your majesty, but you are far too young and weak. You are only a weak child,¡± Walter chided the Demon King.


    Reyn puffs out her chest and says, ¡°The people need to see that their Demon King is with them, Walter. Please, Walter, at least let me oversee the battle from the back of the troop lines, far away from the battlefield.¡±


    Walter smiles tiredly and warily replies, ¡°How I wish you would never have to grow up, your majesty, but some things sadly can never be granted.¡± And so, hand in hand, the two walked away from the sparring grounds towards the battlefronts. Reyn faint smile disappears as she recalls, how Walter would die only a month later protecting her from a human assassination attempt. The assassination attempt would fail thanks to Walter¡¯s sacrifice, but Reyn would be left without her most loyal friend and trusted advisor.


    Sighing to herself, Reyn glances up at Ye Ming and knows that she must do. ¡°Alright, but once we start, there is no quitting is that understood?¡± Reyn flatly declared.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ye Ming steadfastly replied.


    Reyn sighs as she narrows her eyes and coolly says, ¡°Fine, go and pack, we¡¯ll leave tomorrow. But I hope for your own sake, that you won¡¯t come to regret your decision.¡± Ye Ming flinches at the last statement, but excitedly climbs to his feet and rushes away to pack.


    Reyn cracks her neck somewhat eagerly as she glances at her laptop and pulls up camping destinations. After a while, Reyn finally finds a place that seems suitable and makes the payment with her card. Having reserved a log cabin, Reyn sighs as she goes out in middle of the night to go shopping for food, sleeping bags, and the likes. It was going to be a long night.

 * Chapter 27 – Training Day #1

    Early the next morning before sunrise, Ye Ming is eagerly waiting in the kitchen with a cup of warm cocoa with tiny marshmallows. Aunt Reyn absolutely hated the taste of coffee and as such, the replacement of the caffeine is a cup of hot chocolate. With a grumble, Reyn emerges from her room and soundlessly takes the offered sweetness in lieu of breakfast. Getting her bearings together, Reyn grunts, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Ye Ming comes to stand before her, when Reyn mutters, ¡°This is going to hurt.¡± Before Ye Ming can ask, what is, a throbbing pain spreads over his entire body. It was as though someone was pulling off his skin inch by inch.


    When Ye Ming comes to he finds himself staring at himself. Ye Ming lets out a high-pitched shriek and jumps back. Reyn snorts and says, ¡°It¡¯s just your shadow.¡±


    ¡°My shadow?¡± Ye Ming asked as he glances down at his feet to find his shadow missing.


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll be you, while being myself at the apartment,¡± the shadow of Ye Ming replied.


    Ye Ming dumbly nods as another version of Reyn appears before them. Reyn finishes drinking her coco in one gulp as the shadow self of Reyn says, ¡°I know what to do, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Reyn nods at her shadow in approval as Ye Ming opens his mouth to speak, but Reyn interjects, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once we merge back together, you¡¯ll get your shadow¡¯s memories as well.¡±


    Ye Ming dumbly nods as his shadow sit down to work on the laptop, while Reyn¡¯s shadow moves to work on the other laptop. Reyn¡¯s shadow smiles and says, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of everything at the office.¡±


    ¡°I know I can always count on you,¡± Reyn dutifully replied. The two versions of Reyn smile in identical unison, which causes Ye Ming¡¯s hairs to stand on end. Reyn snorts as she turns on her heels and drags Ye Ming to the pile of packed things as they swiftly disappear in a glowing light.


    Ye Ming suddenly finds himself in the middle of the mountains with a terrible stomach sickness. Ye Ming hastily covers his mouth before heading towards the nearest bushes to throw up. Reyn snickers and says, ¡°Wimp.¡±


    Reyn easily hefts everything onto her shoulder and heads up the woodland path to a cottage just out of the clearing. There is a small outhouse for use and a well nearby as well. Reyn checks the log cabin and it is relatively clean given the location.


    Turning around Reyn sees a green-faced Ye Ming climbing up the wood path. Reyn hollers, ¡°C¡¯mon, Ye Ming, time is precious, hop to it!¡±


    Ye Ming jogs the last few steps up as Reyn smiles and says, ¡°Good, now let¡¯s see how good of a shape you¡¯re in. Let¡¯s start off with 5 miles of running, 10 sets of 100 reps of push up¡¯s, sit-up¡¯s, squat¡¯s, lunges for now.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Ye Ming gapes and says, ¡°But that¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Reyn coldly says, ¡°Oh? Then let me ask you this, why do you think you lost?¡±


    Ye Ming narrows his eyes and says, ¡°Because I was weaker.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s because your foundations are shi*,¡± Reyn flatly replied. ¡°It¡¯s like trying to outrun a professional runner when you¡¯re just an amateur, you can¡¯t. A professional runner¡¯s been training their muscles since the very start, while you¡¯ve only been running around for fun. So, before you learn anything for real and begin to absorb mana, we¡¯re going to retrain your body. Now get to it!¡±


    Ye Ming suddenly regrets not swallowing down his pride as he begins to run on the uneven mountain ground. With ease, Reyn keeps up with Ye Ming that by the time, he is weak and limping, while Reyn didn¡¯t even have a drop of sweat on her forehead.


    Reyn snorts and murmurs to herself, ¡°Humans.¡± Why even as a human child, she was able to do twice as much as what Ye Ming did today. And let¡¯s not mention the training of a young Demon King. This was all child¡¯s play in any Demon King¡¯s eyes.


    Close to throwing up with his sides on fire, Ye Ming does 100 reps of everything and finishes the exercises by the early morning. Ye Ming hears his body crack as every single body part of his body is strained as a result. Reyn reaches into her bag pack and holds out a rice ball and a water bottle. ¡°Here eat, you¡¯re going to need it.¡±


    Ye Ming goes green at the sight of food but does as he is told. With trembling fingers, Ye Ming eats and drinks what he is given. Ye Ming trembling hands the water bottle back as Reyn asks, ¡°Done?¡± Ye Ming mutely nods in reply.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not in too terrible shape, so come tomorrow you¡¯re going to run 10 miles,¡± Reyn muttered as Ye Ming suddenly has the urge to strangle his master.


    ¡°Well, now, onto the real training,¡± Reyn brightly said causing Ye Ming¡¯s face to pale with despair. ¡°You mean to tell him that wasn¡¯t the real thing?!¡± Ye Ming thought.


    Reyn points at the cliff just behind him and smiles, ¡°You have ten minutes to climb up. Should you fail, I will climb up after you and toss you back down to start over. Good Luck,¡± Reyn cheerfully stated.


    Ye Ming opens his mouth to curse, when Reyn ruthlessly interjects, ¡°Starting now,¡± as she sets the timer on her watch.


    Cursing Ye Ming rushes towards the cliff and tries to find a foothold to climb up. Slowly, but surely Ye Ming climbs upward, but he¡¯s not even a 1/5<sup>th</sup> of the way up when he hears a soft sound above him. Ye Ming tilts his head upward to see his master standing on a ledge just above him. With a sinister gleam in her eyes, Reyn brings her foot to slam down onto Ye Ming¡¯s fingers.


    Ye Ming lets out a hiss of pain as his grip loosens and he tumbles onto the ground. Reyn gingerly leaps down and lands on her feet as Ye Ming groans on the hard ground. Reyn says, ¡°You¡¯ve got a minute to get up before the timer starts again.¡±


    Enraged, Ye Ming rolls onto his aching side and hisses, ¡°What was that for!¡±


    ¡°Cultivator¡¯s fingers are often the target of attacks. I¡¯m merely strengthening your grip and teaching you to ignore the pain to continue forward,¡± Reyn said with a straight face.


    Ye Ming eyes widen in understanding as shame crosses his face. His master was merely trying to help, but he was only cursing her. Feeling guilty, Ye Ming slaps his face, before turning around and staring up at the cliff. ¡°Please start the timer, Master,¡± Ye Ming determinedly muttered.


    Reyn hides a rather evil grin and says, ¡°Yes, starting now.¡± After all, if she was going to be training the kid, she might as well get some fun out of it. Oh, and the fun they were going to have because up next is physical sparring, military regimen training used on the Marines/Special Forces of the World, and with last, but not least meditation.

 * Chapter 28 – Day Ⅱ

    On the 2<sup>nd</sup> day of training, Ye Ming could barely move after the cliff training, but sadly there was still more left including sparing with the Master. Exhausted both mentally and physically, Ye Ming didn¡¯t know how he even managed to complete all the training regimen nor much less remembered meditating later in the evening.


    Ye Ming even thought that he was going to go crazy those first few days, but soon to his great relief he began to notice that his body was improving at a rather rapid rate. Slowly, but surely, his body was aching less than the day before. Sadly, Ye Ming made the mistake of commenting this to his Master.


    Reyn with a most a cheerful smile, rather matter-of-factly replies, ¡°A body only grows when being pushed to it¡¯s very limits. Seeing as your limit have grown, we¡¯ll just have to increase your tasks for the day.¡± Ye Ming almost coughed out blood in despair as his Master is true to her word and increases the hell paced training.


    Exhausted after sparing, Ye Ming is somehow still on his feet, when Reyn smiles and says, ¡°We¡¯ll be skipping your break time from now and so from now on meditation will be done in your free time.¡±


    Ye Ming almost has the urge to scream out his inner turmoil, his break was his only real time to rest. And now, even meditation was being pushed into his sleeping time! When was he supposed to get any sleep or rest for that matter!?


    Reyn lets out a soft chuckle causing the hairs on the back of Ye Ming¡¯s neck to stand on end. Grabbing him by the neck, Reyn suddenly teleports them to the top of the nearby mountain. Ye Ming turns green and quickly heads to the bushes.


    Ignoring the retched sounds of Ye Ming, Reyn lets out a soft whistle. Ye Ming sickly glances up as he wipes his mouth clean and his eyes dry. Ye Ming suddenly has the feeling he is being watched as he slowly turns his head towards the darkness.


    In the dim dusk light yellow glowing eyes can be seen. Ye Ming remains still for a moment as Reyn happily walks towards the source of the yellow eyes. ¡°Come here precious,¡± Reyn cooed as a large tiger emerges from the shrubs.


    Ye Ming gapes as the tiger rolls onto its belly and begins to purr. Reyn happily pets the large tiger under its chin and rubs the tigers belly. Ye Ming is in shock as he sputters, ¡°Master, er, that¡¯s a tiger!¡±


    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t he just simply gorgeous? I thought Panthera tigris tigris were extinct in southern Anatolia, but to my surprise I found this exquisite big boy. He¡¯s absolutely marvelous, isn¡¯t he?¡± Reyn commented out loud.


    Ye Ming doesn¡¯t reply and warily nods his head in agreement. Climbing to her feet, Reyn cheerfully says, ¡°Any who, tiger-sama is most kind and has offered to help you with your daily training.¡±


    Ye Ming turns pale as he takes a step back and stammers, ¡°Ma-master, what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Why I thought I was overworking you, so I decided to make training much more fun by playing a simple children¡¯s game. The children¡¯s game is called Cat and Mouse, but I believe it is better known to you as Cat Catching the Mice. I believe you know how the game is played and tiger-sama here has been so kind as to volunteer to be the cat. Though the rules are slightly different as there are no safe zones unless you make it back to the log cabin,¡± Reyn pauses and glances around, before pointing to the east.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°The log cabin is on that second mountain to the east of us. Also, tiger-sama is playing for keeps as I promised him the added incentive that if he caught you, he could eat you. So, make sure to be light on your feet and not get caught,¡± Reyn pointedly said with a kind smile.


    The area under Reyn¡¯s feet begins to glow as Reyn adds, ¡°Oh, and hurry back to the log cabin, dinner will be ready soon.¡± And without further words, Reyn vanishes from the mountain.


    The male tiger rises to its feet and lets out a low growl in warning. Ye Ming instinctively springs into action and begins to run down the mountain as the sun disappears over the horizon plunging the mountain into darkness. The tiger let¡¯s out a growl that echoes throughout the nearby area, before setting off in pursuit.


    Ye Ming doesn¡¯t even have time to curse as he breathlessly ran down the mountain in the dark. To his surprise, he finds that he is that much nimbler than before as he leaps over twigs and ducks smoothly between branches without getting so much as a scratch. At least that is until the tiger closed in and Ye Ming just runs for his life across the mountain weaving between the trees.


    Several times Ye Ming can almost feel the tiger¡¯s claws swipe at him and even once he felt the sting of the tiger¡¯s sharp claws across his skin causing him to only leap forward in fear. Out of breath and unable to tell the time, Ye Ming somehow manages to find his way back to the log cabin. With a final sprint of strength, Ye Ming rushes for the safety of the log cabin door as the door opens to greet him. Tears of relief almost spring down Ye Ming¡¯s eyes as he rushes past his master into the warm safety of the log cabin.


    Reyn ignores Ye Ming and walks over to the panting tiger that halts at the edge of the moonlit clearing. Leaning over Reyn places a gentle kiss on the tiger¡¯s nose and whispers, ¡°Thank you for your help. I left a nice dead deer for you just over the next hill for your trouble. See you tomorrow night at the same time,¡± The tiger let¡¯s out a content huff in reply, before vanishing into the moonlight and heading towards the next hill.


    Reyn turns back towards the log cabin to find Ye Ming stuffing his face with dinner. Reyn snorts and says, ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±


    Ye Ming hastily swallows and sarcastically says, ¡°Never run down the mountain in the dark nor be chased by the tiger.¡±


    ¡°No, you panic much too easily for your own good,¡± Reyn matter-of-factly stated.


    Ye Ming opens his mouth to protest but Reyn ruthlessly interjects, ¡°At first, you were easily able to dodge between the trees without a single scratch, but once the tiger closed in you just focused on running for your life. Though important, did you ever calm your mind or pay attention where you were running? There were times where you almost fell into a ravine, because you were so caught up in trying to get away that you lost view of your surroundings and almost fell into a deadly trap.¡±


    Ye Ming closes his mouth unable to argue, master¡¯s words were all true. He lost his calm much to easily in battle becoming predictable rather than concentrating on observing his opponent and counterattacking. Rather quietly Ye Ming says, ¡°How do I improve?¡±


    ¡°For now, simply take a deep breath and be aware of your surroundings. With enough time, you will be able to retain that calm state and be able to react accordingly,¡± Reyn truthfully replied. ¡°Of course, tiger-sama will aid with that as he will be your daily playmate until you learn to control yourself under pressure.¡±


    Ye Ming sighs dejectedly and says, ¡°Yes, master. And as usual meditation after dinner?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Reyn answered with a rueful smile.


    Ye Ming merely sighs tiredly and finishes eating his food, because he wasn¡¯t about to get any rest any time soon. His life sucked.

 * Chapter 29 – Day Ⅲ

    In the following weeks, Reyn watches Ye Ming with approval as all of his abilities improve to the point that Reyn is adding more challenges to the assigned tasks to maintain the back-breaking pace. Sometimes while watching Reyn would catch glimpses of Ye Ming¡¯s possible future. And when she did, Reyn¡¯s Demon King blood would boil most eagerly with bloodlust as if famished for battle.


    During her down time, Reyn would sometimes switch places with her shadow and go to work or simply eat breakfast with the beggar man at the park, who happened to be named, L¨ªn He. As it would turn out to Reyn¡¯s grand embarrassment, she would learn that L¨ªn He is not a beggar but just a lazy old man. Regardless of that point, Reyn didn¡¯t trust L¨ªn He¡¯s coincidental appearance as he wasn¡¯t exactly what he appeared to be either. But for now, Reyn would continue their association as it is always better to keep your enemies close and your friends closer.


    As such, Reyn¡¯s switching places with her shadow clone would only be limited to once per week given Ye Ming¡¯s current crucial state in training. In fact, Ye Ming was improving by leap and bounds as just the day before, Ye Ming had successfully climbed the cliff in just under 5 minutes. Naturally, Reyn couldn¡¯t allow the kid to get cocky and added weights to his cliff climbing exercise.


    During one of their sparing session Reyn¡¯s eyes suddenly flicker with surprise and so unexpectedly, but rather purposefully she catches Ye Ming¡¯s fist with her bare hand and says, ¡°Enough! Meditate until nighttime.¡± And without waiting for Ye Ming¡¯s reply, Reyn heads into the log cabin.


    Ye Ming blinks in surprise and slowly lowers his arm as he calls out to the retreating figure, ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    Ye Ming hastily sits down in the middle of the clearing and does as he is told. The wilderness sound¡¯s in the background soon fade away from his mind one by one. Time trickles slowly by until he once more is on the verge of hearing something just out of his hearing¡¯s reach. Suddenly, a sharp, egg cracking sound is heard causing Ye Ming to almost to faint at the sharp pain.


    Not allowing himself to lose this vital breakthrough moment, Ye Ming grits down on his teeth and remains still. The cracking sounds grow even more louder and painful as his ears and body feel as if about to explode under the pressure. However, suddenly the pressure lifts with a final crack as a wonderous breeze flutters across his face causing Ye Ming to open his eyes.


    Ye Ming blinks with surprise at finding himself standing next to a tall tree floating on an island in the middle of endless darkness. Bright golden lights surround the tree as a river of those pulsing lights vanish into the tree truck to be breathed back out as globes of azure colored light.


    Taking a deep breath of the energy charged air, Ye Ming even feels his body and mind become refreshed as the exhaustion simply disappears from his body. Satisfied, Ye Ming sits down cross legged on the soft green grass covered ground and leans back to rest against the trunk of the tree. Ye Ming instinctively finds himself matching his breathing in and out as the flow of time seems to cease. It¡¯s as though the Tree and Ye Ming, slowly became one until Ye Ming no longer needed to breath with his body, but instead just merely through the majestic tree.


    An unknown amount of time goes by, but when Ye Ming opens his eyes once more to his surprise he finds himself once more in the dark mountain clearing. Ye Ming blankly glances around unable to believe he was back. Grinning with disbelief, Ye Ming flexes his body and grins cheerfully at feeling his body enter the 1<sup>st</sup> rank of cultivation. Finally, he had started on his path back to road of cultivation! With a tired, but satisfied grunt, Ye Ming climbs to his feet and stretches his stiff body, before returning to the log cabin.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Reyn had made potato stew for dinner and hands Ye Ming a warm bowl the moment he walks in through the open door. Ye Ming hungrily finishes the soup and holds out his bowl for another serving as Reyn once more wordlessly fills his bowl to the brim. After a while, Ye Ming asks, ¡°Master, what is that Tree?¡±


    Reyn smiles and says, ¡°That is the World Tree seed I planted into your chest. It¡¯s finally matured enough for you to begin to absorb mana. Were you able to match your breathing to your World Tree?¡±


    Ye Ming nods his head and says, ¡°I felt as though I didn¡¯t even need to breathe anymore, but instead it would simply be enough to breathe through my chest.¡±


    ¡°You literally won¡¯t need to breathe in the future once your tree grows large enough and at which point your World Tree will breathe for you as it draws in the mana of the world,¡± Reyn replied as she glances at the fireplace, before adding, ¡°From now on, Ye Ming, I will expect you to complete your regular training on your own by dawn. Afterwards, you will train and meditate on your own except for our regular sparring sessions in the afternoon. And given your current strength tiger-sama is no longer a worthy opponent for you, you no longer need to play with him.¡±


    Ye Ming perks up at those last words and cheerfully says, ¡°Of course, Master.¡±


    Reyn snorts at Ye Ming¡¯s cheerful expression but does not burst the poor kids bubble as she watches him hungrily eat. Finished eating, Reyn motions for Ye Ming to follow her outside. In her hand, Reyn holds several different colored flower petals in her outstretched hand. ¡°Now, that you have awakened your World Tree it is time to test your innate elements.¡±


    Ye Ming blinks in bewilderment as Reyn motions to him to pick a flower petal. Annoyed at Ye Ming¡¯s bewildered expression, Reyn flatly says, ¡°Just pick the ones that feel right to you.¡±


    Ye Ming instinctively avoids touching the rose petal and gently picks up a small thistle and a dandelion. ¡°I thought that would be the case,¡± Reyn muttered to herself. Glancing up at Ye Ming, Reyn plainly states the results, ¡°You have an affiliation for Lightening, which should come as no surprise to you. But surprisingly, you have an affiliation to Wind as well.¡±


    Ye Ming blinks with surprise and excitement as he says, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Reyn drily answered back.


    With wide curious eyes, Ye Ming asks, ¡°Then what are master¡¯s element affiliations?¡±


    ¡°None of your business,¡± Reyn firmly growled back.


    Ye Ming blinks in surprise at the response as Reyn grumbles, ¡°Given your abilities I guess I¡¯ll teach you my own self-created technique.¡± Reyn pauses to mutter under her breath as she privately comments to herself, ¡°That would have been hell-a handy back then.¡±


    Luckily, Ye Ming failed to overhear Reyn¡¯s last words as Reyn grabs a stick and draws a perfectly symmetrical circle around herself. ¡°The Sphere Domain is its very own domain. For within the sphere there is none that can defeat you. For as long as ye remain standing, ye are more than yourself but a God within your own domain,¡± Reyn firmly declared.


    Ye Ming¡¯s eyes widen as Reyn continues, ¡°Don¡¯t fear being caught by your enemies. For it is within that fatal nearness that the table can be turned. All that is needed is a single move and the game is won. The first stance is Sphere Strike, soft like water and hard like stone.¡±


    Reyn lets out her held in breath and merely moves her arm back and then straight forward as she opens her hand up into a palm strike. A blast of energy surges outward as the energy explodes straight outward and vaporizes the tree¡¯s in front of her into ashes.


    Ye Ming just gapes as Reyn lets out an unhappy sound. ¡°Sheesh, I used less than 1/100<sup>th</sup> of my full strength,¡± Reyn privately grunted to herself. It¡¯s not that she was unhappy at Ye Ming¡¯s response. But rather, she was unhappy that Ye Ming was impressed by her pathetic display of power. How could a Demon King¡¯s subordinate be so easily impressed?! It is pitiful in her opinion, really.

 * Chapter 30 – The Office

    Ye Ming eagerly draws a semi-round circle with his foot around himself. Reyn stops herself from snorting at the badly shaped circle as she coughs quietly to cover her snickering. Ye Ming doesn¡¯t even notice as he begins to move fluidly with already learned combat movements of Lightning Strike. The movement¡¯s flow like water from one to another until they become effortless.


    The night turns to day, but Reyn doesn¡¯t interrupt as she waits for Ye Ming to awaken on his own. These moments of insight are crucial and if she awakened him, he may never regain them again. Reyn instead went back to work and left her shadow clone in charge. The moment, Ye Ming looked about to awaken, Reyn would be able to sense it and would swiftly switch places with her shadow clone.


    Some days later, while busy at work, Reyn surprisingly finds Chief Ch¨¦n knocking on her office door. Reyn glances up with surprise at Chief Ch¨¦n, who says, ¡°A moment of you your time, Miss Mephistopheles, please come to my office as soon as you save your work.¡±


    Reyn nods her head in reply as she quickly saves her work and heads to Chief Ch¨¦n¡¯s office. Chief Ch¨¦n gestures at her to sit down as Reyn somewhat warily does so. ¡°Miss Mephistopheles, we are having an important guest visit us tomorrow and we would like it if you would accompany him around for the day,¡± Chief Ch¨¦n plainly stated.


    Reyn hides the unhappily look on her face and quickly says, ¡°I¡¯m honored Chief Ch¨¦n, but I don¡¯t believe it is appropriate given my recent transfer to the department. I¡¯m sure that there are plenty of my seniors that would more than willing to do so.¡±


    Chief Ch¨¦n stares at Reyn with some relief at her tactful response. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll assign a more experience member to fulfill the task,¡± Chief Ch¨¦n coolly answered.


    ¡°Of course, Chief Ch¨¦n. And is there anything else?¡± Reyn asked as she got back to her feet.


    ¡°No, that will be all, Miss Mephistopheles,¡± Chief Ch¨¦n replied. With glee, Reyn happily returns to her desk to work, completely forgetting about the incident until the next day.


    The next day, Reyn walks into the office to find most of the office whispering in groups glancing at the other end of the office. Reyn approaches the gang and says, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Y¨¢ng furrows his brow in reply, while Zh¨¤o snorts in reply. At seeing, neither of them wanting to speak, Reyn glances at the short figure of Hu¨¢ng. Hu¨¢ng quietly says, ¡°We have an important visitor coming today and the Chief is already with him in the office.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are we getting a new boss?¡± Reyn asked.


    Zh¨¤o grumbles, ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Rather everyone is cooing over the youth¡¯s looks and wealth.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡± Reyn said out loud as she remembers the conversation of yesterday with the chief. Reyn silently thanks her lucky stars for allowing her to miss that annoying and rather pointless assignment. Reyn really hated making small talk with clients.


    Y¨¢ng drily comments, ¡°I¡¯m sure, that it¡¯s merely a new investor if I remember correctly, his name is S¨±n L¨¬.¡±


    Reyn¡¯s eyes flash in recognition of the name as she warily glances in the direction of the crowd. Reyn had covered her tracks perfectly by placing a forgetful spell around the area and setup a low-level illusion spell to make anyone seeing the video that Reyn had walked home.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Reyn narrows her eyes as she connects the dots, the only reason for that person to be here is if the spells failed or were purposely removed. And after that it wouldn¡¯t take a genius to connect the dots in regard to her sudden and strange disappearance from the CCTV¡¯s video footage. And of course, know it was going to bite her in the a*s!


    Reyn frowns as she ponders the question, who would have that kind of power in this small city? Though her spells were low level, they couldn¡¯t easily be taken off by just anybody. It wasn¡¯t an enemy, but someone was probing her capabilities. Reyn¡¯s eyes darken as a suspicion appears in her mind of the possible culprit.


    Y¨¢ng must have noticed something on Reyn¡¯s face, because he says, ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Reyn shakes her head and says, ¡°I just forgot something at home. But I guess I¡¯ll have to make do without it.¡± Zh¨¤o grunts in understanding while Hu¨¢ng remains smartly silent on the subject.


    Reyn politely smiles and waves goodbye to the gang, before heading to her office. Reyn swiftly gets to work and ignores her present dilemma as she firmly believes her personal life should never interfere with her profession. Reyn steadily does her work undisturbed until lunch time as the gang had already finished their work and had texted her to hurry up and come downstairs for lunch. Popping her neck, Reyn rises from her seat and heads towards to the elevators.


    Reyn presses the elevator door button and waits for the elevator to rise. From behind her, Reyn senses footsteps and suddenly hears the voice of Chief Ch¨¦n. ¡°And that will be the end of the tour, Mr. S¨±n. We¡¯ve already made reservations at the Phoenix restaurant for lunch, sir. Is there anything else, we can help you with?¡± Chief Ch¨¦n asked.


    Reyn doesn¡¯t react as the group approaches her from behind as she pretends she is far too distracted to hear them approaching. The group halts behind her with a soft rustle of movement. After a second, Chief Ch¨¦n politely says, ¡°Miss Mephistopheles, are you heading to lunch as well?¡±


    Pasting a smile on her face, Reyn turns around and politely answers back, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, Chief Ch¨¦n. I¡¯m heading downstairs to join Mr. Y¨¢ng, Mr. Zh¨¤o and Mr. Hu¨¢ng for lunch.¡±


    S¨±n L¨¬ suddenly says, ¡°Why not join us for lunch, Miss Mephistopheles? I heard that you¡¯re new to the department as a transfer from Usonia.¡±


    Reyn glances at the handsome man before that is in his early twenties probably twenty-three years old at the latest. A very attractive man with black-greys eyes that can easily charm any man or woman. Too bad for him, because Demon King¡¯s don¡¯t choose their partners based on physical appearance, but on strength.


    Reyn politely declines, ¡°I would rather not impose, and nor do I think it is appropriate given my current position, but nevertheless thank you for the kind gesture.¡±


    S¨±n L¨¬ carefully studies the foreign woman before as he recalls the grainy features on the CCTV footage. Part of the reason he was here was to invest, but the other reason is to study the woman captured on CCTV that paused before the alleyway, before walking around the corner.  Her actions weren¡¯t what captured his interest, but rather than she never reappeared on any CCTV camera again on her route back home which shouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    There were only two possible explanations for her disappearance. One, she knew how to stay out of sight out of the CCTV camera¡¯s view. But if she had nothing to hide, why do so? And the second was either there was a glitch, or someone had masked her presence on purpose. But once more the original question was asked, why would that be the case?


    After an exhaustive search, the identity of the blurry figure on screen is confirmed as the foreign woman before him, Reyn Mephistopheles. An ordinary accountant, who was recently transferred to this branch company from the main company in Usonia to fill the open senior accountant position for one to two years until the position could be properly filled.


    Yet no matter how S¨±n L¨¬ studied her, he found nothing amiss about the foreign woman. Her physical appearance wasn¡¯t half bad and could even be considered pretty if properly dressed. The only real attracting feature are her strange brightly colored eyes that hold an almost inhuman tint to them.


    Even her past history brought up zero red flags other than an exemplary work and academic track record and a zero-criminal past. His men had been most meticulous in searching for anything including juvey court sealed records, but nothing popped up. Other than the average speeding ticket or parking ticket, there was nothing else to note. Perhaps, it was all just an unfortunate coincidence, but S¨±n L¨¬ didn¡¯t believe in such simple coincidences of fate. Surely, there must be more to it.

 * Chapter 31 – The Office Ⅱ

    The elevator door suddenly dings and Reyn gets onto the elevator as does everyone else. The elevator begins to descend quietly as no one speaks a word at the heavy silence. The moment, the elevator door opens, Reyn scurries out the door.


    Reyn had taken a few steps across the lobby, when S¨±n L¨¬ loudly calls out to her from behind. ¡°A moment of your time, Miss Mephistopheles, if you please?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ said.


    Reyn frowns, but schools her features into a polite smile and turn to face S¨±n L¨¬. ¡°Yes, how can I be of service?¡± Reyn politely asked, while keeping the annoyance out of her voice.


    ¡°Miss Mephistopheles, I wonder if you can recall a certain night in which you stopped before an alleyway after a work party?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ pointedly asked causing for there to be raising surprised expressions from the men behind him and a look of worry to appear on Chief Ch¨¦n¡¯s face.


    ¡°Why, yes, I recall that night in question. Is there a reason why?¡± Reyn innocently asked back.


    ¡°A friend of mine was hurt in the nearby vicinity, but I haven¡¯t heard from him since. I¡¯m rather worried you see as I¡¯ve sent my men to look for him all over the city, but they haven¡¯t found a single trace of him. I was rather hoping that you, Miss Mephistopheles might have some information on my friends¡¯ whereabouts. On that night in question, Miss Mephistopheles, you wouldn¡¯t have seen anyone in the alleyway that night by any chance, Miss Mephistopheles?¡± S¨±n L¨¬ further probed trying to gauge the truth.


    ¡°That night I thought I heard something, but upon not hearing anything more, I went on my way,¡± Reyn paused dramatically as S¨±n L¨¬ holds his breath in anticipation. ¡°But I did find an abandoned, hurt kitten in an alleyway and being filled with pity for the poor thing, I took the kitten home and have been caring for the kitten ever since,¡± Reyn truthfully stated.


    S¨±n L¨¬ eyes narrow as studies the western woman for any sign of lies but fails to find anything amiss. After a moment, S¨±n L¨¬ carefully says, ¡°Well, if Miss Mephistopheles needs anything in the future please don¡¯t hesitate to contact me.¡±


    Reyn smiles politely in reply, before turning on her heels and rapidly making her way across the lobby. Frowning Reyn emerges out into the sunlight and hastily makes her way to the front park benches where the gang is impatiently waiting for her. Though she lied perfectly and didn¡¯t give anything away, that may not be to convince S¨±n L¨¬. No, a man like that would start to dig further into her within the next few minutes. But no worries, after all there was someone at home to fool intruders.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    With a smirk on her face, Reyn texts a single message to Ye Ming¡¯s shadow clone. ¡°Here, kitty, kitty.¡± Putting her phone away, Reyn crosses the street to where the three men impatiently wait. The moment, Reyn crosses the street, Zh¨¤o growls, ¡°What took you so long?¡±


    Reyn drily replies, ¡°Let just say, I don¡¯t envy upper management especially Chief Ch¨¦n¡¯s position.¡±


    Y¨¢ng raises an eyebrow at Reyn¡¯s reply as Hu¨¢ng says, ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re having a bad day. Well, let¡¯s just and go eat to make it all better.¡± Reyn smiles at the kind answer and quickly follows them to a nearby restaurant to eat.


    *


    S¨±n L¨¬ watches the western woman go as he follows Chief Ch¨¦n into a waiting car in front of the building. S¨±n L¨¬ narrows his eyes as that woman¡¯s reply continues to ring in his ears, ¡°I found an abandoned, hurt kitten.¡± Was that code for that she did find someone?


    Frowning, S¨±n L¨¬ quickly texts, ¡°Look into guardian records for that woman. Go in person to check just in case electronic records have been tampered with.¡± Putting his phone away, S¨±n L¨¬ smiles and proceeds to make small chat.


    A scarred man checks his text message to see the order and immediately sets off towards the records office. However, not before asking their inside man to check the electronic version for him. The inside man with anxious heart carefully does as he is told and with relief finds nothing. The inside man swiftly sends a message to the scarred man just as he arrives outside of the public government offices. ¡°Zero Records of household addition or request of guardianship with zero trace of tampering,¡± The inside man promptly stated.


    The scarred man glances at his phone with a slight frown as he reads the message. Letting out a grunt the scarred man makes his way into the building. Without even being stopped the guards allow him into the government building as the scarred man makes his way into the records section. Stomping his way towards the records office, the scarred man slams open the door to find no one inside. Narrowing his eyes, the scarred man makes his way to the folder¡¯s and glances through them by alphabet. After checking the entire stack of neatly alphabetized names the scarred man texts his boss, S¨±n L¨¬, before departing out of the office.


    While chatting at the Phoenix restaurant, a message swiftly arrives into S¨±n L¨¬¡¯s hands as he quickly checks the message, ¡°Sir, electronically and physically there is no registered paperwork for the household registration requesting guardianship.¡±


    S¨±n L¨¬ hides his frown as he texts back, ¡°Check the woman¡¯s apartment for verification purposes.¡± Though he would have liked to send his men to personally check the woman¡¯s apartment it would be much to conspicuous given her nationality and single status.


    ¡°Understood, sir,¡± the scarred leader replied, before sending those same orders to his men. However, the scarred man kept his inner thoughts to himself. There was just something that felt off about this entire situation, but he didn¡¯t know what. However, no matter what, he would get to the bottom of this strange mystery. And with that solemn vow the scarred man headed out for a personal visit to that woman¡¯s apartment.


    However, the scarred man failed to notice the hidden figure carefully following him to said apartment. It was as though the invisible figure had some questions of their own.  But more importantly was playing its own scheme.

 * Chapter 32 – The Office Ⅲ

    At another restaurant, a party of four¡¯s food finally arrives at the table as Reyn the gang began to eat. Halfway through the meal Zh¨¤o asks with a mouth full of food. ¡°So, how¡¯s the kitten you picked up doing?¡± Zh¨¤o mumbled.


    Reyn smiles as she grabs her phone and shows them pictures of a black silky long furred cat with big blue eyes. ¡°He¡¯s doing quite well,¡± Reyn answered as she showed them various pictures of her pet cat.


    Y¨¢ng smiles and says, ¡°Have you gotten him vaccinated and natured yet?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terribly cruel,¡± Zh¨¤o mumbled with a mouth full of food as winced privately at the thought of suddenly becoming a eunuch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to Zh¨¤o, Reyn. It really is important that you properly vaccinate your pet lest he catch some disease, but more importantly neuter him lest he increase the feral cat population. It is the only responsible thing to do as a pet owner,¡± Hu¨¢ng firmly commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly. True, I can recommend a friendly veterinarian who happens to be a friend of mine,¡± Y¨¢ng happily interjected.


    Zh¨¤o hastily wallows his food and says, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I just meant it would be terribly cruel to suddenly find yourself a eunuch.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Now-a-days, the veterinarians don¡¯t really cut their manhood¡¯s off unless something goes wrong during surgery. Vets now, usually just sip the manhood like a vasectomy for any man. Technically, afterwards the cat can still get the job with the added perk that he won¡¯t increase the feral cat population,¡± Hu¨¢ng pointedly stated.


    Reyn flashes a slightly evilly smile as she muses out loud, ¡°Yes, that is a good idea to take my pet to the vet to have him properly taken care of and see that he is up to date on his shots.¡± Elsewhere, the shadow clone of Ye Ming and Ye Ming himself shiver as though someone was walking on their graves.


    Zh¨¤o sighs mournfully to himself and says, ¡°Poor bud,¡± before going back to eating.


    ¡°I sent you his contact information to your phone,¡± Y¨¢ng kindly said as Reyn¡¯s phone slightly vibrates at receiving the message.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll make sure to set up an appointment,¡± Reyn said with a chilling gleam in her eyes as she chuckles privately to herself causing thousands of shivers to creep up and down the backs of Ye Ming and his shadow clone.


    The three men glance at each other as Zh¨¤o wipes his mouth clean and changes the subject. ¡°So, anyone see the game on last night?¡± Zh¨¤o commented.


    The subject is quickly changed as they begin to talk about the game that was on last night. Reyn quietly listens as she resumes eating and only interjects a comment every now and then. Soon enough their time is up, and they walk back to the office, content and full. However, there is a slight smirk of triumph on Reyn¡¯s face the entire way back after reading a text message with a video. It was as if she knew something rather funny that they didn¡¯t know about. But what could it possibly be?

 * Chapter 33 – The Office Ⅳ

    The scarred man parks his car in front of the new apartment complex. The scarred man quietly makes his way up to the woman¡¯s apartment on the third floor. Carefully checking both ways, the man carefully uses a spare pair of keys to open the door. The door creeps open as the scarred man slowly make his way inside.


    A loud meow causes the scarred man to flinch as he finds a black cat with large blue eyes staring at him from across the living room on top of the cat tower. The cat¡¯s ears flatten back as it lets out a loud warning hiss at the first intruder, but quickly shivers as it hides away at the scent of the second intruder.


    The scarred man ignores the cat¡¯s warning as he heads into the bedroom and quietly searches the bedroom and bathroom but finds nothing signaling a male living in the apartment. Checking the second bedroom results in same identical finding except that the second bedroom is filled with cat toys and items. The scarred man quietly let¡¯s himself back out and heads down to the apartment manager¡¯s office.


    At this hour the manager would be in as the short polite man glances up with surprise at seeing the large, scarred man in a black suit and sunglasses. ¡°Yes, can I help you?¡± The apartment manager asked.


    ¡°I was just wondering if the tenant of #301 has anyone else living with her?¡± The scarred man asked.


    The apartment manager swiftly assumes this must be a registration household civic member says, ¡°No, she is quite the excellent tenant. Miss Mephistopheles is always in on time and promptly disposes of her trash on the correct trash days. Rent is automatically paid every month and the only new change in her residency is that she adopted a cat. But that is acceptable given that small pets are permitted in the apartment complex.¡±


    The scarred man nods his head in reply, before briskly walking out of the apartment. At that time, a second dim shadow belonging to an unknown person can be seen in the light following the scarred man a distance away. With a troubled sigh, the scarred man sends a message to his boss, before departing from the scene.


    S¨±n L¨¬ hides his frowns at the message that reads, ¡°Apartment is all clear. It would appear to be true for the moment that there is no connection between the two of them.¡±


    S¨±n L¨¬ politely excuses himself from the table for a moment as his eyes dark coldly. It would seem that was the case and if so, that meant that bastard was still alive. Out of earshot from anyone, S¨±n L¨¬ dials the number of his man.


    The scarred man quickly answers, ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°I want him found and killed!¡± S¨±n L¨¬ icily uttered the merciless death sentence of Ye Ming.


    ¡°It will be done, sir. But are all restraints removed on the operation?¡± The scarred man asked.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes, you may use all the forces at your disposal to find and eliminate him,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ icily growled. The scared man grunts in reply, before doing as he is told and immediately heading out.


    S¨±n L¨¬¡¯s eyes are frigid icebergs as S¨±n L¨¬ turns back and returns to the table. Only pausing to compose himself, but even then, there was an icy chill in his eyes upon his return. Sensing there was something wrong Chief Ch¨¦n swiftly wrapped up the meal and excused himself with the company members.


    On the way back one of the company members complains, ¡°Chief Ch¨¦n, why did we leave so early? I still wanted to taste some of the more rarer wines offered at the Phoenix Restaurant!¡± The other men murmur in agreement with the shared complaint. After all, it wasn¡¯t every day they got to eat at such a fancy restaurant with the company footing the bill. Why not make the most out of the event?


    Chief Ch¨¦n sternly barks, ¡°Did you not see, Mr. S¨±n¡¯s expression upon his return? Mr. S¨±n clearly did not want to see us anymore. Besides we would be more the fools to make fools out of ourselves before such a man in such an irritable state.¡±


    The company senior member blinks in surprise and doesn¡¯t reply as he remains stunned at the thought. He wasn¡¯t the only one as the rest of the office members pale at Chief Ch¨¦n¡¯s words. Some of them even gaze with admiration and respect at Chief Ch¨¦n for his prompt thinking and action. It was times like that these that left them in awe as they realized why Chief Ch¨¦n was their superior.


    The rest of trip is silent in contemplation as they make their way back to the office. With some relief, Chief Ch¨¦n makes his way back into the office and only pauses at seeing the russet colored-haired woman typing away at her office. Chief Ch¨¦n makes his way over to her office doorway and pauses.


    ¡°Miss Mephistopheles is there something I should be aware of?¡± Chief Ch¨¦n quietly asked.


    Reyn pauses from her work and glances up at the question. ¡°If your referring to Mr. S¨±n¡¯s question, it came as a surprise to me too. I only told Mr. S¨±n the truth and as for anything else, I would prefer to not further involve myself. Surely, Mr. S¨±n wouldn¡¯t be asking that question for no reason. I fear there is something worse going on, but I really don¡¯t want to know. Therefore, you won¡¯t be seeing me asking any questions on the subject nor making a further inquire with the police. I know my place, Chief Ch¨¦n, and I shan¡¯t jeopardize my position for something I¡¯m not even certain I saw or over heard,¡± Reyn honestly answered back.


    Chief Ch¨¦n nods his head in approval at the wise reply. ¡°Yes, it would be best to leave things just as they are,¡± Chief Ch¨¦n replied, before turning away and returning to his work that much more confident that everything would be well.


    Reyn hums faintly to herself as she works and recalls the wonderful camera footage taken by Ye Ming¡¯s shadow clone. Should S¨±n L¨¬ try anything in the future, Reyn would make sure to make it public. The act of trespassing would never be connected to S¨±n L¨¬, but those that knew him would know. Such an act would surely cause S¨±n L¨¬ to lose face in front of all those that knew him. And humans were so stupid to care for such things and knowing S¨±n L¨¬, he would be sure to make a public apology to her remedy the situation. And then-, well, things would become a lot more fun for everyone.


    However, despite Reyn¡¯s good mood her smile disappears as she recalls the second intruder. No matter how much Reyn disliked admitting it, she knew far too little of this side of the world. It was becoming rather pertinent that she gained actual knowledge of the cultivator world as Ye Ming¡¯s memories were not very reliable as he was self-taught. And with that in mind, Reyn gets back to work as the wheels of thought begin to churn in her mind.

 * Chapter 34 – Blue Fist

    In the murky parts of the city a blue neon sign hangs over a bar that reads, Blue Fist Bar. The bar is mostly full of people who keep to themselves but smell of danger and violence. At the bar, the familiar figure of the scarred man sits at the bar sipping a chilled glass of Jack and Coke.


    Before long, another familiar hooded figure appears in the bar doorway. The hooded man politely pulls down his hood to reveal a thin middle-aged man¡¯s face with sharp features and cold dark eyes. The middle-aged killer named Zh¨± casually takes a seat at the bar and says, ¡°I¡¯ll have a Snakebite.¡± The bartender nods his head in reply and prepares the fine whiskey with a dash of lemon in a chilled glass. Within seconds, the bartender places the drink onto the counter before moving towards another customer.


    Zh¨± cautiously studies the drink in hand, before even going as far as bringing the drink close to his nose for a whiff. ¡°For god¡¯s sake man, drink it already!¡± The scarred man grunted in frustration.


    Zh¨± snorts in reply and says, ¡°Peasant, this is what¡¯s kept me alive all these years. Besides it¡¯s the best way to truly enjoy a good whiskey.¡± Zh¨± tilts his head back and downs his drink in a single shot, before letting out a gasp of satisfaction at the bitter, but perfect taste.


    Zh¨± places his glass back onto the bar with satisfaction and gestures to the bartender for another glass. Zh¨± turns towards the scarred man and says, ¡°It¡¯s been some time since we¡¯ve got together, Y¨¬. So please tell me what¡¯s on your mind?¡±


    Y¨¬ takes another sip from his glass and says, ¡°I need this to be off the record and your boss can¡¯t know.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Zh¨±¡¯s eyes grow cold as he says, ¡°It will depend on what it is, but it will cost you.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Y¨¬ grunts in firm agreement.


    Zh¨± eyes the figure of Y¨¬ for a moment before asking, ¡°So, what is that you need?¡±


    ¡°I need you to investigate someone for me,¡± Y¨¬ replied.


    ¡°Very well, but it will cost you depending on what exactly it is that you want.¡±


    ¡°I need a thorough investigation done on the target but mostly I want you to keep an eye on the target.¡±


    ¡°What is the identity of my target?¡±


    The two men pause as the bartender returns with drink in hand. The two men only begin to converse as soon as the bartender moves away. Y¨¬ cautiously pulls out a single white envelope from his jacket and passes it across the bar towards Zh¨±.


    Zh¨± opens the envelope to find a single name and photo of the target, Reyn Mephistopheles. Zh¨±¡¯s eyes widen in recognition of the figure and hesitates for a moment as he remembers his boss¡¯s candid words. However, he also remembered his gut feeling that there was something off about this woman. And his moto in life was that it was better to be safe than sorry. How else had he outlived his enemies and starch opponents?


    ¡°Done, now about my pay?¡± Zh¨± professionally asked not betraying his personal interest in the target.


    ¡°Standard fees and should you find anything, double that amount,¡± Y¨¬ grumbled back.


    ¡°Perfect. But if I may ask, why her? There is nothing special about this woman other than being a foreigner,¡± Zh¨± curiously asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something off about her,¡± Y¨¬ replied quietly before getting up. ¡°And if your breath a word about this to anyone, you will regret it, Zh¨±.¡± And with a final glare, Y¨¬ marched away.


    Zh¨± mutters under his breath, ¡°Stone cold faced bastard.¡± Glancing once more at his target, Zh¨± crumbles the ball into ash, before downing his drink and heading out the door. The bar scene continues as usual without any notice of the particular transaction. After all, in this type of establishment such transactions were a common sight.

 * Chapter 35 – Connect the Dots

    Several days later, Reyn waves goodbye to Y¨¢ng, Zh¨¤o, and Hu¨¢ng from the subway platform as their subway train promptly speeds away. Reyn briskly makes her way out of subway station and on to the main street, carefully glancing both ways before jaywalking across the road.


    Reyn¡¯s eyes slightly narrow in annoyance at sensing her recently gained stalker once more. It had slightly over a week since she had gained an unseen presence following her. Reyn was certain that it was related to S¨±n L¨¬ as her unseen stalker had only appeared after their crossing paths. Normally this wouldn¡¯t bother Reyn except that this time around her stalker happened to be a cultivator. And as her stalker couldn¡¯t be seen by any normal means, therefore, Reyn wouldn¡¯t have any legitimate proof to present to the police.


    Reyn glances at her watch and frowns in thought. Her first instinct was to kill her stalker, but she did not want to attract any further suspicion to herself. Unfortunately, she would just have to wait until enough time had passed, before doing so. Reyn sighs in annoyance, but she would have to make do until then. Raising her pace, Reyn quickly makes her way to her apartment for some much-needed rest.


    From a nearby rooftop, Zh¨± watches his target enter her apartment complex. Zh¨± hunkers down to watch and wait from the nearby room. It had been several days since he had begun to pursue his target, but nothing out of the ordinary had appeared.


    By all accounts, this foreign woman was merely a simple office worker. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in her financial record nor in her personal files. She was friendly with her co-workers and even went to drink and eat with them after work. And on the weekend, she would go to do some shopping and enjoy a day in the city, before retiring early to rest. If anything else, the woman led a rather simple lifestyle. Even so Zh¨± hoped that sooner rather than later that woman would slip up and reveal her true colors. Unless he was wrong, which had happened once before, but even then, he was still being paid for his troubles and that was perfectly fine with him.


    Realizing it was going to be a long night, Zh¨± pulls out a cigarette from his pocket and begins to smoke. Zh¨± blows out a puff of smoke into the night sky and watches it drift away, before taking another puff. Zh¨± reaches into his other pocket and pulls out his phone to pass the time, all the while keeping one eye on the apartment across from him. No matter how distracted Zh¨± might appear, he was still a professional who could multi-task at the same time.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    From inside the apartment, Reyn walks over to the window blinds and pauses at seeing a faint glowing red ember from across the room and the faint glowing light of a cellphone screen. Reyn shakes her head and mutters, ¡°Amateur,¡± before closing the blinds to her apartment, and heading off to bed.


    The next morning Reyn makes her way to work as per usual and only stops to have her weekly breakfast with L¨ªn He. The two of them sit on a park bench and chew on their warm delicious breakfast. From the distance, Zh¨± watches the strange scene and merely shakes his head.


    Just before Reyn is done eating, L¨ªn He says, ¡°Girlie, are you okay?¡±


    Reyn glances at L¨ªn He in surprise and asks, ¡°Yes, why?¡±


    L¨ªn He shakes his head and cryptically says, ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just you¡¯re still a young woman and need to watch out for all the big bad wolves out there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I always walk around with an electric taser and pepper spray in my bag,¡± Reyn carefully replied as her eyes caught the direction L¨ªn He was staring at. Reyn¡¯s eyes narrow slightly at realizing L¨ªn He could spot her stalker as well. A cold light of realization flicker in Reyn¡¯s eyes that just as swiftly disappears leaving her eyes with a placid look.


    After a moment¡¯s pause, Reyn calmly answers, ¡°I will make sure to be cautious,¡± before rising from the bench and heading off to work.


    L¨ªn He cheerful waves goodbye to Reyn, before his brow furrows in thought. Since his arrival, that girl had been the only mortal to show him true genuine kindness. But, there was something more to that girl than what met the eye. For certain she was a mortal, but L¨ªn He could not sense the bindings of fate and mortality around her. Yet she posed no cultivation nor power that he could truly see.


    There was were only two explanations, the first, that she was one in billions of humans, who was born with the ability to defy fate. Or the second, which was that concerned him the most, she was a cultivator as well. But despite his careful proving he had yet to discover anything resolute. Either that girl was just as simple as she seemed, or she was exactly what he thought she was. And if so, he had much to gain if he could gain her trust. And if he failed to do so, it would be better she be destroyed, before becoming a tool against him.


    L¨ªn He¡¯s eyes darken without mercy at the thought and in that frame of mind, he swiftly moves to destroy the cat that was targeting the mouse. It would be an utter shame if his entire scheme failed because of a simple tomcat. And with that in mind, L¨ªn He hurries away to resolve the problem at hand.

 * Chapter 36 – Dots Ⅱ

    Zh¨± warily watches the old man who was rising from the bench and moving away. Zh¨± had felt a trace of unease ever since the appearance of that old man, but he didn¡¯t know the reason why. Shaking his head, Zh¨± turns his attention away from the old man and back to his target. Suddenly, every instinct in his body screams at him to run. Before Zh¨± can react suddenly the old man is leisurely standing before him.


    Zh¨± is unable to move nor much less breathe as a terrifying pressure crushes his body. Suddenly, the pressure is withdrawn and Zh¨± is able to move but hesitates to do so lest he attracts the attention of the old man. Bowing his head, Zh¨± politely asks, ¡°I apologize for my rudeness in failing to recognize you, Elder. Have I offended you in any manner, Elder, or is there something that this insignificant cultivator can provide for thee?¡±


    The old man snorts and says, ¡°That young woman is a sweet girl and I¡¯ve taken a likening to her.¡± And without even waiting for a reply, the old man disappears from view.


    Zh¨± suddenly finds himself breathing heavily as cold sweat can be felt on the back of his neck. Shivering Zh¨± glances in the direction of his target and almost begins to curse. In just what had he gotten himself mixed up in?! Angrily taking his phone out, Zh¨± makes a call.


    On the other end, the familiar scarred figure of Y¨¬ answers the call, ¡°Yes, what have you found?¡±


    Zh¨± releases a stream of curses and hisses, ¡°In just what the he*l have you gotten me mixed up in?¡±


    Y¨¬ furrows his brows and asks, ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend with me! You already knew that foreign woman was being protected by who g*d knows who! No wonder you came to me, you and your boss wouldn¡¯t have plausible deniability! Will I¡¯m not having it and I sure am not going to stick my neck out on a chopping block for you. I Quit!¡± Zh¨± roared and hung up the call.


    Y¨¬ stares in surprise at his phone and almost dials Zh¨±¡¯s number but thinks better of it. In the mood, Zh¨± was in, not only would he fail to answer the phone nor much less answer his questions. But that brought out an interesting point, Zh¨± wouldn¡¯t have shouted in such a way unless much more powerful figure had appeared before him. But they both knew all the important figures in the city and if it wasn¡¯t them, then who?


    Y¨¬ suddenly recalls the incident, where an infinitely large power was felt descending upon the city, before vanishing. Y¨¬ furrows his brows and connects the dots. If unknown larger power had descended into the city for whatever purposes, it would explain why despite scourging the city, they had yet to find Ye Ming. The only logical answer was that unknown powerful figure had something do with it. But the real question now was, could they still afford to go after Ye Ming if he had such a powerful protector?If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Y¨¬ swiftly messages his boss with the new information, before rushing back to the compound. With a new figure in town, the best possible solution was to increase security for now. One couldn¡¯t be certain if the new powerhouse would have good intentions towards and much less if they had picked up Ye Ming.


    Inside his office, S¨±n L¨¬ sits up as he reads the report from Y¨¬. S¨±n L¨¬ narrows his eyes in cold fury, before swiftly heading towards his father¡¯s office. S¨±n L¨¬ slams the door open to find a giggling secretary in his father¡¯s lap. ¡°Out,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ roared as the secretary lets out a cry of fear and hides her face in her boss¡¯s chest.


    S¨±n L¨¬¡¯s face darkens as his father, S¨±n Hui crossly says, ¡°Is this really that important?¡± But failing to see his son budge, S¨±n Hui rolls his eyes and turns towards his well-endowed secretary. ¡°You little minx, I¡¯ll see you later,¡± S¨±n Hui purred.


    The pretty little secretary flushes with glee and happily wiggles to her feet. S¨±n L¨¬¡¯s face twitches with irritation but binds his tongue in front of his father. All the while, S¨±n Hui nods in approval as he watches the tight little bum of his secretary sashay out of the office. The door finally closes shut and S¨±n Hui turns his attention towards his sun. Leaning back into his chair, S¨±n Hui raises an eyebrow and asks, ¡°Well, what is it?¡±


    S¨±n L¨¬ coolly replies, ¡°Our suspicions have been confirmed, a new powerhouse has arrived in the city. And they more than likely are responsible for the disappearance of Ye Ming.¡±


    S¨±n Hui sits up straight in his seat and hisses, ¡°Who?!¡±


    ¡°Our forces have yet to confirm the elder¡¯s identity,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ honestly confirmed.


    S¨±n Hui narrows his eyes and growls, ¡°Has this new elder allied himself with anyone?¡±


    ¡°No, which is what worries me. I suspect that this elder may be representing a more powerful group that seeks to establish roots in our city,¡± S¨±n L¨¬ unhappily reaffirmed.


    S¨±n Hui pauses for a moment in thought, before rising to his feet. ¡°I will go and inform father, while you find out more about our new guest and at all cost do not anger him! Attempt to invite him to our side and see if he is willing to yield,¡± S¨±n Hui stated.


    S¨±n L¨¬ nods in understanding for many powerful figures had been swayed to one side or another in the face of great benefits. Without waiting for his son to begin giving out orders, S¨±n Hui hurriedly rushes out of their building and back to the S¨±n manor to seek out the aid of his father, S¨±n Gui, who was in closed closet cultivation.


    Out of breath, S¨±n Hui hurries through the family manor before respectfully pausing in front of his father¡¯s closed-door cultivation. S¨±n Hui respectfully kneels before the doors of his father and waits for his father to speak. Finally, after some time, a firm voice asks, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Father, a powerful elder has descended into the city,¡± S¨±n Hui swiftly replied.


    ¡°Does he pose a danger?¡± S¨±n Gui asked.


    ¡°We are not certain, we are still attempting to locate the elder and sound out his intentions,¡± S¨±n Hui carefully stated.


    From inside the meditative chambers, S¨±n Gui frowns and says, ¡°Increase the security of the manor for now.¡±


    S¨±n Hui bows his forehead to the ground and says, ¡°I will do as you have asked father,¡± before politely rising to his feet and swiftly departing.


    From inside the meditation chambers, S¨±n Gui furrows his brows in thought, before once more entering into his meditative state. The sooner he entered the Saint Stage the safer his family would be. But more importantly, at that time no one in the city would be able to match him and his S¨±n family, and they would become the sole rulers of the entire city.

 * Chapter 37 – Dots Ⅲ

    After work, Reyn leaves in quite a cheerful mood at noticing she wasn¡¯t being followed. However, soon her smile vanishes as she remembers sensing the altercation between Zh¨± and L¨ªn He. The old man was much more powerful than she originally thought and though he was no threat to her, she still she hated to leave loose ends as it is always better to nip them in the bud, now, rather than later. And with that in mind, Reyn returns to her apartment to change out of her work clothes.


    Meanwhile, at the Blue Fist, Zh¨± ignores the messages from Y¨¬ asking to meet. Annoyed, Zh¨± swigs down a glass of scotch, before grabbing change for his bill and placing it onto the bar. Nodding to the bartender, Zh¨± makes his way out of the bar and heads towards his boss¡¯s place. After thinking it over, Zh¨± decided it would be best to inform his boss.


    With his cowl, carefully pulled up, Zh¨± swiftly makes his way through the city, before suddenly pausing on top of a lone building. Zh¨± slowly stretches his senses but does not sense any nearby presence but reaches for his knives at seeing a transparent like box appear overhead, surrounding the top of the building, and effectively trapping him inside. Zh¨± agitatedly glances around, before anxiously leaping back at seeing a figure standing a few feet in front of him. Zh¨± eyes widen in absolute shock as they recognize the standing figure before him, his target.


    Reyn smiles at seeing her stalker retreat hastily back in shock. ¡°I do suppose this is quite the nasty shock for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Reyn commented out loud.


    Zh¨± sneers and says, ¡°I knew there was something off about you and that old. Well, why are the two of you here in the city?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re not together. We just happened to meet up and become acquaintances of sorts,¡± Reyn truthfully replied.


    Zh¨± snorts in disbelief and says, ¡°Well, he¡¯s not around to protect you is he now?¡± Not waiting for a response, Zh¨± dashes forward as sharp blades flash in the air in a crisscross pattern. To Zh¨±¡¯s dismay, his blades merely pierce through the empty air before him. Swiftly turning around, Zh¨± spots his target leisurely standing some feet away with a tranquil smile.


    ¡°Well, I guess that should be expected given you are an assassin,¡± Reyn mused out loud. ¡°But I admit, I am somewhat disappointed, I expected something better out of my stalker.¡±


    Zh¨± chokes at the brutal statement, but no longer hesitates, concentrating his will into a sharp point, Zh¨± rushes forward and unleashes, One Thousand Blades of Fury! His blades rush through the air and turn into thousands of tiny needles like blades that pierce through the target and turn his enemy into mincemeat. Once the explosion of energy faded away there was nothing left as it should be.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Zh¨± slowly releases his breath but does not lose his vigilance as he keeps his blades at his side. Turning at his side, Zh¨± freezes at seeing the still intact figure of his target. ¡°Impossible,¡± Zh¨± said in disbelief.


    A look of boredom can clearly be seen in Reyn¡¯s eyes as she glances down at her watch. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get this over with I want to get back and finish watching my show,¡± Reyn mumbled out loud.


    Zh¨± chokes in fury at being considered less than a measly TV show. Before he can react, suddenly a sharp pain is felt in his chest. Glancing down, Zhu glances down in horror at seeing a transparent hand easily digging through the inside his chest. With horror in his eyes and unable to scream, Zh¨± sees the pale hand retract with a glowing like golden core in her hand. Unable to scream, Zh¨± collapses onto the floor in shock at suddenly finding himself a mortal again.


    Reyn cheerful pops the human core into her mouth and chews on it as if it were some sort of hard candy. Crunching sounds can be heard as Reyn rather muffled mused out loud, ¡°Hmm, rather dull and tasteless, but at least crunchy.¡± With a loud gulp, Reyn swallows the remnants of the core and absorbs it within seconds. Reyn sighs in slight disappointment at the tiny amount of energy enclosed therein, but at least it was better than nothing.


    Zh¨± glares hatefully at the figure before him and before he can scream a row of obscenities, Reyn fixes her eyes onto him, effectively causing Zh¨± to shut his mouth with a snap. Reyn stares at Zh¨± for a moment, before a tiny fire-fly sized flame appears in her hand. ¡°We can¡¯t have any more misunderstandings, now can we?¡± Reyn matter-of-factly stated, before tossing the tiny flame onto Zh¨±.


    Zh¨± snorts in scorn at the comment as he sneers at the tiny flame. As if he would believe such a tiny flame could harm him, it was merely a bluff! But a tiny seed of unease filters through his heart, after all, this woman had not only destroyed his cultivation but eaten his core like candy. With bewildered eyes, Zh¨± watches the tiny ball of light float up into the air and gently fall towards him.


    Zh¨± snickers for a moment until he feels the sudden heat wave released from the tiny ember. Zh¨± frantically tries to move away but finds he is unable to. Zh¨± anxiously opens his mouth to plead for his life, but much too late, the tiny ember touches the tip of his head. Literally bursting into a fiery blaze that consumes everything including the soul as not even a single flake of ash is left behind.


    Reyn snaps her fingers and the invisible plane set up by her disappears as city noises can once more be heard. Reyn doesn¡¯t react as she had already sensed the watching presence since from before. Rather than flee, Reyn had chosen to act first, before dealing with the other pest. Reyn calmly turns her head to the side to gaze at the nearby presence on a nearby building roof.


    L¨ªn He smiles at Reyn and says, ¡°So, shall we have chat over a pot of tea, girlie?¡± Reyn studies L¨ªn He for a moment too long causing L¨ªn He¡¯s cheerful smile to fade away. But after that awkward pause, Reyn gestures her hand in agreement and the two instantly vanish from view.