The jade bed was cool, and the incense smoke curled like ghosts. Between the red curtains and soft mattress, two lay in slumber. Zhou Tieyi opened his eyes to a vision of alabaster skin; the beauty’s waist was lithe as a serpent, undulating against the mattress. Beneath brows as delicate as willow fronds, her watery eyes shimmered with a thousand shades of seduction.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a scene of intoxicating desire, but Zhou Tieyi felt not a hint of pleasure.
For he was the one pinned beneath her.
Even more unsettling was the dagger in the beauty’s hand, flickering like a serpent’s tongue as it traced a path from his abdomen downward, cold as frost.
"Oh? Is the young master awake? Guan Guan thought you might sleep a little longer."
The beauty named Guan Guan smiled sweetly.
Zhou Tieyi forced himself to endure the hangover and paralysis that wracked this body. She had not killed him the moment he lost consciousness, and even now, she spoke with a playful smile, like a cat toying with a trapped mouse. She held absolute confidence—the confidence of one who could control him, or kill him at will.
The priority was to steady her and grasp the situation. Zhou Tieyi did not act rashly; he asked in a low voice, "What do you need me to do?"
"Why does the young master assume I need something from you?"
"Isn't it obvious? You have a blade pressed to my vitals and haven't killed me yet. Unless you’re looking to gain some advantage through threats, what else could it be? If I cooperate, it’s better for both of us."
"After all, one only has one life."
Guan Guan pulled the dagger back a few inches and teased, "They say the Zhou family produced one tiger and one dog, but it seems even a dog from a noble house has a bit of survival instinct when things get dire."
The Zhou family?
At the mention of the name, more memories flooded into Zhou Tieyi’s mind.
The Daxia Zhou family, martial aristocrats who helped found the Xia Dynasty. The head of the Zhou family held the hereditary title of Second-Rank Tiger-Awe General. This was the fourth generation. The family had two sons; the eldest, Zhou Tiege, guarded the Sunset Pass with glorious military achievements and had recently been transferred to the capital, rumored to be taking up the post of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Feather Guard.
The second son, Zhou Tieyi, was known for spending his days in the flower shops and brothels.
*I am Zhou Tieyi!*
As the two sets of memories merged, Zhou Tieyi’s gaze drifted, unsure which version of himself was real.
"Since you've said so much, you couldn't possibly be here just to mock a good-for-nothing like me, right?"
Guan Guan drew the dagger away completely, twirling it in her hand as she smiled. "Young master is so heartless. You were calling me 'darling' just a moment ago; why the distance now?"
Zhou Tieyi chuckled internally. *It’s a miracle I didn’t call you 'Madam Niu' instead.*
Just as Zhou Tieyi was musing to himself, Guan Guan suddenly spoke.
"I’ve changed my mind."
"What?"
The dagger in Guan Guan’s hand suddenly sliced across her own palm, and then, before Zhou Tieyi’s horrified eyes, she plunged it into his abdomen.
He struggled violently, shaking the bed, but Guan Guan’s hand remained as steady as a thousand-pound boulder. The scarlet blood flowing from her palm seemed alive; it surged along the silver blade and into Zhou Tieyi’s abdomen. The cold sensation felt like slippery little snakes wriggling into his stomach, coiling into a knot.
The excruciating pain that followed caused Zhou Tieyi to black out.
Half an hour later, Zhou Tieyi groggily regained consciousness. He reflexively looked at his abdomen. The skin was flawless, as if everything had been a dream, save for the glaring, crimson bloodstains on the mattress.
Guan Guan had already draped herself in a thin veil. She sat in a corner, her voice soft and delicate. "I have planted the 'Divine Seed' in you. From now on, you are mine in life and mine in death."
"When Zhao Taisui bursts in later, your only way to escape this mess is to trust Prince Anle. But remember, do not trust everything Prince Anle says."
Zhao Taisui, nephew of the Empress, whose given name was Zhao Fo'er. Because he ran rampant in the capital, he earned the nickname "Taisui" (the Grand Duke of Jupiter).
Prince Anle, the fourth son of the current Emperor, born to Consort Rong. He was born dissolute, lacked imperial favor, held no title, no fief, and spent his days in the capital’s brothels. He once remarked, "There is joy here; here is my home," which led the public to nickname him "Prince Anle." He was Zhou Tieyi’s close friend.
It was this very friend who had urged and arranged for Zhou Tieyi to sleep with Guan Guan, the star of the Peony Flower God Festival, tonight.
Martial aristocrats, imperial in-laws, princes, and a demonic woman. What kind of hellish opening was this?
Just as Zhou Tieyi finished digesting these memories, a clamor erupted outside, and the sandalwood door carved with a hundred flowers was kicked open with a thunderous bang.
Chaos followed—shoving, shouting, and a flurry of prying eyes from the doorway. They watched like old women at a market haggling over pork, whispering and judging with clicking tongues.
Zhao Taisui was seventeen or eighteen, similar in age to Zhou Tieyi, though his features were exceptionally handsome, inheriting seven parts of the Empress’s lineage.
The moment he broke in, his eyes darted to the disheveled bed, the glaring red stain, the weeping Guan Guan beside the candle, and the half-reclined Zhou Tieyi.
His Qi and Blood surged from his neck to his head, his face flushing a deep, mottled red.
"You son of a bitch!"
Zhao Taisui lunged forward, grabbing Zhou Tieyi, intent on dragging him off the bed.
Still rattled by his encounter with the demoness and furious at the situation, Zhou Tieyi felt a nameless fire ignite. Amidst the mockery of the onlookers and Zhao Taisui’s tugging, it exploded. He grabbed Zhao Taisui’s hand and twisted it; a crisp *crack* echoed through the room, followed by Zhao Taisui’s agonizing shriek.
The thrill of violence overwhelmed Zhou Tieyi’s reason. His eyes turned crimson. His other hand clamped around Zhao Taisui’s throat, hoisting him up and slamming him onto the bed.
"Who the fuck are you calling a son of a bitch?" he spat, his voice ice-cold.
The surrounding crowd finally realized things had gone too far. The madam of the house hurried to call her men, trying to pry Zhou Tieyi away from Zhao Taisui’s throat. But Zhou Tieyi, born into a military family, was tall and strong. Stimulated by the Divine Seed, his power now approached that of a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist; his muscles were taut and powerful as a tiger’s. How could ordinary men hope to move him?
In his frenzy, Zhou Tieyi’s grip tightened, inch by inch.
At the edge of his hearing, ethereal voices began to echo.
*"All things are but straw dogs; offer blood to our God."*
The hallucinatory, seductive voices seemed to resound directly inside Zhou Tieyi’s mind. Invisible divine power spread from the seed in his stomach, but as it touched a certain area of his brain, it suddenly vanished, as if absorbed.
Immediately following this, a different, phantom prayer surfaced.
*"Great Lord of the Minotaurs, please accept this sacrifice and bless our tribe."*
Zhou Tieyi instantly snapped back to reality. His crimson-rimmed eyes flickered toward the corner, where Guan Guan sat, appearing desolate yet perfectly indifferent.
He slowly loosened his grip and patted the cheek of the gasping Zhao Taisui, a smile playing on his lips. "You didn't actually fall for her, did you?"
"What?"
Zhao Taisui, still recovering from the suffocation, couldn't process what Zhou Tieyi was saying.
But when his gaze darted toward the tear-streaked Guan Guan, his internal rage flared again. Yet, terrified by Zhou Tieyi’s sudden savagery, he could only suppress it and gasp for air.
Zhou Tieyi grabbed his outer robe, threw it over his shoulders, and strode past the crowd.
"This son of a bitch is all yours."
At the doorway, he paused and rubbed his fingers together. "By the way—she’s quite moist. Hahahaha."
The room fell into stunned silence, leaving only the echo of Zhou Tieyi’s laughter fading into the distance.