Provocation

"Young master really is different from before."

"Yes, he's taller than before, and he doesn't get embarrassed so easily anymore."

"And, and, the way young master talks is also more... mm... a little like the master now."

As Li Junshan and Claur walked toward the rear courtyard, they suddenly heard several maids chatting behind the house. The two exchanged a smile and said nothing.

"Ah! Greetings, master, young master." Several maids came out from behind the house carrying basins. When they saw the master and young master appear before them, they started in surprise and hurriedly bowed.

They knew their master was kind, and the young master did not have much of a temper either, so though the maids were somewhat flustered, they were not especially afraid. Seeing the master nod to them and the young master even smile, they waited until the two had walked past, then went off laughing and chattering.

"Father, if I'm not mistaken, York must have been the one behind my kidnapping," Li Junshan said quietly when he saw no one else in the rear courtyard.

"What?" Claur swayed, shocked and furious. "It really was him?"

"No mistake." Li Junshan said, "Our family has no power or influence. Who else would set their sights on us? And I once heard those kidnappers say that the purpose of kidnapping me was to make sure our family had no heir, then pressure you into handing over the title."

With a cold laugh, Li Junshan continued, "Other than that fat, overfed York, who else would be qualified to inherit Father's title?"

"Why?" Claur found it hard to believe, but the facts before him left him no choice. His face filled with indignation as he said angrily, "Just for a viscount's title, he could actually do something like this?"

"Not killing me was his biggest mistake," Li Junshan said, enunciating each word. "Starting today, I'm going to let everyone in the Harriman Family of Floro City see clearly that there are some people they can't afford to provoke."

"Nicholas, don't be rash," Claur said nervously. "As long as you're safe, your mother and I can rest easy. A viscount's title—we don't need it."

"Why shouldn't we want what's ours?" Li Junshan smiled and said, "Father, I'm no longer the me I used to be. How about this? I'll take you to see something first, but you have to promise you won't faint."

"Just now I watched you take out a spatial ring, along with a huge pile of magic beast pelts, then sell them for so many gold coins, and then encourage the servants and guards in our estate. I didn't faint even after all that strangeness." Claur laughed at himself. "Ever since your mother collapsed, if not for the old steward managing things, this household would have fallen into chaos long ago. I feel that whether it's you or your mother, both of you are more like the head of the family than I am."

That hit him where it hurt!

Li Junshan hurriedly said, "Father, as long as you're here, this family will always be yours to decide. If you don't believe me, go ask Mother. Even if she has always been the one managing the household from behind the scenes, you are still the sky over this family. As long as the sky doesn't collapse, this family won't fall."

"You've gotten better with words than before." Claur smiled, and he no longer looked so gloomy. "What is it? Come on, let's go take a look."

As they spoke, Li Junshan brought Claur to a corner of the rear courtyard. From afar, they saw several guards standing watch to one side, while seven or eight strong servants, under Fate's direction, were lifting the ox cart's carriage onto a simple lift.

"What is it that needs to be kept so secret?" Claur asked curiously. "It's covered so tightly, and you even have to put it in the cellar?"

Li Junshan smiled mysteriously. Only after the carriage was lowered down did he head toward the cellar with Claur. Fate gave a few instructions to the guards, then followed them down as well.

"The fewer people who know about this, the better," Li Junshan explained to Claur as he grabbed the cart handles and pushed it inside.

Claur was once again slightly startled by his strength. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he quickly followed. After the carriage was pushed into the cellar, Fate consciously pulled aside the coarse canvas. Holding back the pungent sour stench, he put on gloves and pulled away the magic beast corpses on top, revealing the Black Dragon egg buried beneath.

"Huh." Claur craned his neck to look over. "What kind of magic beast egg is this? Why is it so big?"

"A Black Dragon egg," Li Junshan said with a smile. "The egg of a ninth-level magic beast, the Black Dragon."

"Uh..." A strange sound came from Claur's throat, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.

Viscount York was feeling very comfortable. His obese body was sunk into a bamboo chair woven by dwarves as he enjoyed a massage from two pretty maids who were definitely no older than sixteen. His eyes were half narrowed as he watched the dazzling dancers in the hall dance gracefully.

"Has it been confirmed?" York shifted his bulky body, then slid his bare foot right into the neckline of the maid massaging his legs.

"It has been confirmed," a middle-aged man standing beside him replied. He was very tall, around one meter ninety, with slightly curled blond hair and a pair of triangular eyes that flickered with a cautious light.

"This humble one asked in detail many times, and also sent people to that good-for-nothing's house to investigate. Nicholas has returned."

"Tony, what a fine job you did." York glared at the middle-aged man and said, "I told you to find reliable people and handle this cleanly. What did you do? We couldn't get in touch with them for half a year, and now look. The people we should have contacted still haven't been found, while Nicholas has come back perfectly fine."

The man named Tony instantly broke out in sweat and bent over as he said, "This humble one handled the matter poorly. Please punish me, master."

York ignored him. Narrowing his little eyes, he moved his foot over the maid's pale, full chest. The maid's face was flushed bright red, her watery eyes filled with fear and humiliation, but she did not dare move.

"So what if he's back?" York sneered. "An old piece of trash plus a little piece of trash—what kind of waves could they make?"

"Master." Tony wore a bitter expression, looking as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"If you've got something to say, say it," York snapped impatiently.

"News just came in. Sorak's trading firm just received a large batch of magic beast pelts, most of them from fifth-level magic beasts," Tony said haltingly. "They came from Nicholas, and Sorak also saw that Nicholas had a spatial ring."

"What?" York abruptly sat up. He pulled back his foot too fast, tearing a large hole in the maid's bodice, and her rabbit-white breasts immediately sprang out.

Tony looked greedily for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and said, "I didn't believe it at first and asked many times. Sorak was certain he hadn't seen wrong."

"A large batch of fifth-level magic beast pelts? A spatial ring." York murmured to himself, then suddenly stood up and said, "Quick, arrange a carriage for me. I'm going to see Earl Ross."

Tony hurriedly ran outside. Just then, a soldier rushed in from afar, his face full of panic, and nearly crashed into Tony.

"Bastard." Tony raised his leg and kicked him, cursing, "Are your dog eyes blind? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Master, someone... someone is causing trouble outside the gate." There was a clear palm print on the soldier's face, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to climb to his feet.

"What's going on?" York flew into a rage and strode outside, cursing as he went, "I'd like to see which bastard has a death wish and dares come make trouble at a viscount's estate."

When he reached the gate, York could not help but freeze. The two large stone lions normally placed at the entrance had both been set side by side in front of the gate. A person was sitting on top of them, his two feet swinging back and forth like a swing, his face completely at ease.

"Dead fatty, are you surprised to see me?" Li Junshan said with a smile.

"Nicholas." The fat on York's face twitched, then he cursed, "You ill-bred little thing. Is this how that good-for-nothing father of yours taught you?"

The moment the words left his mouth, York saw only a blur before his eyes. Before he could even figure out what was happening, two heavy slaps landed across his face. His mouth fell open, and several teeth dropped out in a wash of blood.

After slapping him, Li Junshan flashed back to sit atop the stone lion and sneered, "What do you think you are, you fat pig? Whether I have manners or not isn't for you to point fingers at."

How is he so fast? The thought flashed through York's mind. Furious, he sprang up and shouted, "Kill him! Kill that son of a bitch!"

More than a dozen guards had already rushed over. Hearing their master's order, they hefted their spears, drew their blades, and charged.

"How dare you!" An angry shout rang out. Fate stepped out from behind the stone lion. His lips moved, and several water arrows instantly appeared out of thin air, striking the legs of the two guards at the front.

The two guards stumbled and had just fallen when two small fireballs rose into the air, flashing with scorching light as they exploded over the heads of two other guards. Their hair caught fire, drawing a burst of screams.

Several earthen spikes suddenly appeared on the ground, tripping a few of the guards.

With a sizzling crack, a thin bolt of lightning struck one guard on the head, shocking him into a convulsion.

Water, fire, earth, lightning—Fate unleashed several elementary spells in an instant, finding them smoother the more he fought. Magical incantations never stopped leaving his mouth, and one flashy spell after another kept pouring out, throwing the dozen-plus guards into complete disarray.

"A mage?" York clutched his mouth, his eyes bulging round as he mumbled indistinctly, "Th-this... how many elements... is he?"

The drawbacks of an elementary mage were soon revealed. Fate's magic had limited lethality and only left the guards with light injuries. By now, several guards had already charged right up to him, thrusting the spears in their hands toward Fate's chest.

Li Junshan moved. His body, transformed by Xenomorph genes, swept rapidly in front of Fate. Under his intense mental focus, the guards' movements were like scenes in a film playing in slow motion. He reached out with lightning speed, his right fist smashing hard into their faces.

Those guards had not even seen Li Junshan's figure clearly before they felt a tremendous force strike their faces. Screaming, they flew backward and crashed into the guards rushing up behind them, knocking them to the ground until they all went tumbling in a heap.

"You're courting death." An angry shout came, followed by a figure wrapped in purple battle aura shooting out from inside the viscount's manor. The longsword in his hand spat out a half-meter sword ray as it stabbed straight toward Li Junshan's chest.

Before the sword ray even arrived, Li Junshan felt an indescribably powerful aura surging toward him. Empty-handed, he did not dare face its edge directly and quickly turned aside to dodge.