Chapter 1

In the depths of late autumn, a bout of autumn rain swept through, and the first signs of winter's chill began to appear.

The capital city of the Kaiping Empire, Linjing, was extremely prosperous, capable of accommodating millions of people. It was always bustling with merchants and lively. Among these, the Xun family, which controlled the empire's military power, was located in the northeastern part of the city.

The residence of the Duke of Wei was vast, with thousands of doors and rooms, and the grandeur of its construction was unparalleled. The intricately carved red-painted gates were wide open, standing three men tall and five to six zhang wide, with copper locks and stone lions polished to a shine. Throughout the empire, only the imperial palace of Kaiping and the residence of the Grand Master could rival its splendor.

As the first family of the Kaiping Empire, the Xun family had everything except imperial power. The Duke of Wei, Xun Changfeng, was a prominent figure in the Kaiping Empire. Born a commoner, he was both scholarly and martial, and in his youth, he led troops to repel foreign invaders, cutting off enemy generals' heads as if strolling through a garden.

One could say that the times made the hero. The Duke was known for his gentle, broad-minded, and steady character, and he had a good reputation throughout the Kaiping Empire. However, all this honor was greatly diminished by the appearance of a second-generation scoundrel. In recent years, he had become a constant worry for the Duke of Wei.

Xun Qiu, the Duke's only son, was the foremost of the empire's three notorious pests. He did not inherit his father's scholarly and martial virtues but was a natural genius in debauchery and pleasure. To manage the young lord, the Duke sent him to a cultivation estate to practice, hoping that the strict rules of various sects would restrain his bad behavior. However, no cultivation sect could keep the young lord for more than a month. The last time, he stayed at the Li Huo Sword Sect for two months before being sent home. The Duke was initially pleased, thinking his son could stay for two months, but later learned the truth and nearly fainted from anger. It turned out that the young lord had spent three days at the sect's mountain gate before being sent back, but he had spent two months at a brothel, running out of money before returning home.

Today, the weather was somewhat cold and gloomy, with a dull gray sky. The atmosphere in the Duke of Wei's residence was somewhat eerie. The servants had all risen early to do their work, each one being extremely cautious, walking as quietly as possible.

The reason for this was that they had heard a shocking piece of news: last night, someone had secretly entered the estate's accounting office, knocked out two guards, and stolen two land deeds. Then, in the morning, news came that someone had lost 2,500 acres of good land in a single night at a casino in the capital. By this point, the servants in the estate had a good idea of what had happened.

After the morning court session, the Duke of Wei, who had been mocked by his peers, returned home in a rage, stomping around the hall like an angry lion. No one dared to provoke him.

However, at that moment, in the young lord's room, which was decorated in a pinkish hue, a scene of revelry and decadence was unfolding. A strong smell of decay filled the air.

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

"Take it off!"

"Quick, one more piece, hurry!"

The yellow-clad young man, sprawled in a chair with his legs crossed, looked boneless and lazy, shouting hoarsely. On either side, two young maids were massaging his shoulders. In the center of the room, two young women, almost completely undressed, were vigorously shaking their bellies, drenched in sweat.

"Master, the old steward is here, almost at the door!"

The young maid, who had been standing by the door to keep watch, rushed into the room, speaking in a hurried and anxious tone.

The yellow-clad young man, sitting in the sandalwood chair, was indifferent, not moving a muscle, and said lazily, "Ignore him, continue."

As he spoke, he jutted out his pointed chin, and the two dancing women, who had thought they would be spared, were once again thrown into hell, forced to continue their dance.

The maid on the left, seeing this, smiled and leaned in, teasing, "Master, you are truly becoming more and more like a lord."

"You little vixen, your mouth is so sweet." The young man, with his almond-shaped eyes, boldly examined the plump maid beside him, reached out, and pinched her firm breasts, then leaned into her, taking a deep breath and sighing lewdly.

"Wow, so fragrant~"

"Oh, Master, you are so naughty~" The provocative maid, skilled in pleasing her master, lightly patted the young man's smooth, white hand, winked at him, and then pretended to be shy, giggling.

"Go and wash up later, and wait for me tonight to take good care of you." The young man, with a mischievous raise of his eyebrows, signaled to the maid on the left to go to the wooden bed, his right hand sliding down her curvaceous back, pinching her buttocks again, with a lecherous smile.

"Master, the old steward is here."

"Refuse to see him!"

"The old steward is still outside, saying that the master wants to see you..."

"Damn it! Are you deaf? I said I won't see him, didn't you hear me?" The young man, annoyed by the noise, suddenly stood up from the chair, pointing at the messenger maid and shouting, scaring the young girl so much that she almost collapsed.

"Get out! All of you, get out!" The young man, still not satisfied, angrily waved his fist, driving everyone out of the room.

Bang!

At that moment, someone kicked open the door and stormed in, shouting with twice the volume of the young man.

"Rascal, show some respect!"

Kicking open the door, the room fell silent. The arrogant young man was taken aback, surprised by the visitor's intense anger.

"Look at you, still not leaving!" Glancing around the room, the old steward saw the two nearly naked maids, their white breasts peeking through their fingers, and was furious. He quickly scolded them, making them leave.

Seeing the old steward's disappointed look, the young man rolled his eyes and plopped back into the chair, closing his eyes lazily and speaking in a mocking tone.

"Hey, you old man who doesn't know manners and doesn't even knock, if you're done raging, you can leave, but remember to close the door!"

"Ridiculous!" The old steward, not to be outdone, slapped the red-painted square table, which shattered with a loud crack, startling the young master lying in the chair.