Chapter 177: But You’re A Tang?!

Chapter 177: But You're A Tang?!

On Saturday morning, I made my way over to the Velvet Tower accompanied by Victoria, Hinata, and Mei.

We were visiting the towering high-rise complex because Victoria had recently assumed the ultimate position as the official Head of the Long Clan. The sudden promotion meant she could no longer just manage her original corporate businesses. Now she was forced to actively oversee all the other widespread Long affiliations, handing down absolute decrees for the entire noble clan.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, things had spun completely out of control. I found myself laying flat across the mattress in Lucy's master bedroom, tangled up with three completely naked women, all of us exhausted, sweaty, and thoroughly happy.

Today was Lucy's birthday. While we were waiting up on the fortieth floor for the endlessly long-lasting Long family clan meeting downstairs to finally wrap up, Lucy noticed both Mei and Hinata sitting quietly on the side. Seizing the moment, she decided to turn her birthday request into my ultimate personal fantasy, pointing a slender finger at the two girls and demanding a foursome.

Hinata had already suspected for quite some time that Lucy was my lover, so she didn't mind the sudden arrangement. Still, watching Lucy's seasoned performance up close definitely motivated the young martial artist to elevate her own game under the sheets.

I had previously explained to Hinata that Lucy's public marriage was entirely a sham, which helped her understand that I wasn't wrecking a real family. She never questioned why Lucy chose to live in this tower instead of the main mansion, focusing all her energy on serving me perfectly.

Eventually, Hinata and Mei both got out of bed to head for the master shower. Lucy remained behind, sitting entirely naked on the mattress with her laptop resting against her thighs. She was fast-forwarding to the key parts of the downstairs meeting recordings as she began to update me on our operations.

"Dear, as far as the Long clan business is concerned, there is absolutely no problem," she murmured, her fingers typing rapidly across the keyboard. "The only real issue is with the Harem-Chat servers. Just as you hoped, eight rogue hackers have successfully stolen a copy of our Valentine program and are currently renaming it. It seems they are forced to change his voice print from yours to a completely different audio profile, fufu. When exactly do you want to activate him?"

I leaned across the sheets and pressed a soft kiss against her bare arm, watching the green lines of code flash across her screen. "Give them plenty of time to put it on their local servers and rely on it for a while. Then, at the exact stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, let Valentine kill them. We want all of the personal files and network intelligence Valentine steals first, especially from Central. To think they were actually dumb enough to voluntarily put Valentine right into their mainframe, ha-ha."

Seeing my satisfaction, Lucy felt her hard work was thoroughly appreciated. She offered a soft smile before shifting the display to update me on the new Yellow Emperor candidate.

"The Fake Emperor's special gift has finally been fully revealed," she explained, zooming in on a series of network traffic logs. "His inherent talent is advanced Computer Use, just like me. He is currently surfing the hidden layers of the web to harvest global information from around the world, learning our systems. Honestly, this is excellent news. It is significantly better for us that his primary talent remains safely behind a high-end monitor, rather than in lethal Martial Arts like you, Father, and Mother."

I sat up straight, positioning my shoulder right against hers as my expression turned serious. "I will have to be much more careful with my physical movements going forward then. If he has any lingering doubts about his own existence, I am positive he will start digging into my background. Besides, he is ultimately a Fake Emperor, while you are a true Empress."

Overwhelmed with affection at the title, she pulled me into a deep, lingering kiss before resting her hand against my chest. "Do not be overly anxious, my love. He is only thirteen years old right now, and he hasn't reached the level of a true computer Master yet. I will personally control exactly what information he is allowed to see. Plus, he happens to be the exact hacker I intentionally permitted to steal the Valentine code for his Traditionalist Li Clan. In his naivety, he is currently our greatest unwitting ally in taking them down. Just be cautious whenever I flag a potential risk, and otherwise move freely, my love."

By this time, the bathroom door opened, and both Hinata and Mei walked back into the bedroom area wearing plush robes. They settled down at the adjacent couch and table, quietly sipping hot tea. Lucy turned her attention back to the monitor, opening up the next set of active alerts.

"Scott has completely avoided using his smartphone for some time due to his constant paranoia that we are listening in on his calls," she noted with a smirk. "But lately, he never is without it, providing me with an unprecedented stream of intelligence. It seems his brain has actually grown a bit over the recent months."

She flicked her finger across the trackpad to reveal a separate file. "Star Wars was successfully stolen exactly as you predicted, and our custom reprogramming has gone entirely unnoticed. Getting Victoria to restart the contract with Floppy Tech was a brilliant move, dear. Now, the China Empire will launch your weapon at absolutely zero cost to our network, fufu. It's incredibly sneaky, my love. To think the Fake China Emperor will essentially kill himself the moment he attempts to use it."

A sudden pop-up window materialized on the right side of the screen, but Lucy remained completely silent, casting a teasing glance at my instantly embarrassed expression. Through the audio feed streaming directly into my wireless earbuds, the voice of a woman I recognized all too well echoed clearly, panting heavily and calling out my name while she masturbated.

I cleared my throat quickly, trying to defend my innocence against the recording. "Cough... I promise you, I have only tried kissing one time for our movie role this week!"

Having secured the exact flustered reaction she wanted, Lucy simply rubbed my bare arm, her voice melting into a soft, comforting purr. "Dear, you may have absolutely anything your heart desires in this world. Just promise me you won't bring her home to live with us. Do whatever your heart tells you. If you want, I will even hold her down on the mattress for you, fufu. Anyway, I was only teasing you... Let's move to the next topic."

She tapped the screen, bringing up a set of intercept contracts originating from the Forest Temple. I skimmed through the text, and my expression instantly went cold, really cold. A lethal, icy aura bled into the room, so sudden and severe that Hinata immediately paused her teacup halfway to her lips, sensing the raw anger radiating from my body.

"Sensei," Hinata asked, her posture tensing as she watched my face. "What is angering you so deeply?"

My knuckles turned stark white as I gripped the edge of the mattress, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Nathanial Ning has officially signed his own death warrant. I am going to personally take care of the Forest Temple tonight. The man actually thinks he can come to Star City unnoticed and take my family? He-he-he."

Lucy, anticipating my next move, immediately pulled up the complete intelligence package she had compiled on the threat. The logs revealed that Nathanial Ning was currently traveling to meet with my uncle in person, having actively hired a strike team from the Forest Temple to kidnap the twins, intending to use Nicole and Nadia as leverage to force me into a negotiation.

He was already a dead man walking. The screen displayed his exact location, a digital copy of the signed contract, and the current hiding locations of every Forest Temple member inside the city limits.

I looked over at Lucy, narrowing my eyes at the screen. "My dear, why didn't you open our conversation with this?"

"The operational plan was only discovered by our sensors early this morning," Lucy explained gently, leaning her head against my arm. "The contract isn't officially finalized until they meet tonight in person, so the twins are not yet in any immediate danger. I wanted the bad news to come last so you could enjoy your afternoon. Don't worry, I would rather die than let the twins get hurt. Just go do what you want."

I turned my head to look squarely at Mei and Hinata, my voice leaving no room for debate. "Nathanial Ning and the Forest Temple operatives die tonight. Rest your minds and relax here while I call for our team."

I slipped out of bed, taking a fast shower with Lucy to wash away the sweat before changing into my tactical clothes and dialing my inner circle.

Later that evening, inside the Star City branch manor of the local Ning family estate...

Nathanial Ning, a seasoned patriarch with salt-and-pepper hair and sharp blue eyes, sat rigidly in the leather office chair of the main estate. The local branch head lived in a separate mansion on the far side of the property, but he had cleared out for the evening after receiving explicit instructions from Head Ning to ensure absolute privacy.

Knock, knock.

The heavy mahogany door rattled gently as his veteran butler called out from the hallway. [Master Ning, your guests have all arrived for your meeting.]

Nathanial looked up from his desk, his voice flat. "See them in."

The double doors swung open smoothly, and a group of ten men and women filed into the spacious office. Every single one of them wore flowing white robes embroidered with an intricate pattern of green bamboo forests across the back.

A middle-aged man with vibrant red hair led the group, a confident smile spreading across his face as he spotted Head Ning, their primary benefactor from the Azure State. Flanking him were two women—one with midnight-black hair and the other a striking blonde. Both were established Masters sent down to start a Hidden Temple branch in the region following the recent collapse of the Mountain Temple.

Ning waved his hand with a dismissive gesture, indicating for the three leaders to take a seat on the leather sofa while the seven younger disciples formed a silent, disciplined line behind them. He pointed toward a steaming ceramic teapot resting on the low table.

"Master Landon, you and your two wives should try this green tea," Ning offered, his tone transactional. "It was brought down directly from White State. If you like it, I can easily have my staff brew more for your children standing behind you."

The calm Master poured himself a cup with one hand while smoothly waving off the offer with the other. He offered a practiced, polite smile. "No need to trouble your staff, Head Ning. My children cannot be permitted to grow spoiled at such a young age. I fear they cannot appreciate this tea yet. Let us talk business?"

Head Ning didn't waste another second. He picked up a thick file from his desk and tossed it across the space. The blonde wife caught the folder cleanly out of the air with her eyes closed, immediately passing it over to her husband.

Master Landon flipped open the cover, reading through the request as his eyebrows slowly shot up in surprise. "You want us to kidnap Nicole and Nadia Tang? The literal wives of Rick Tang, the Leader of the Fire Birds?!"

The moment the words left his lips, both of his wives snapped their eyes open in genuine shock, while the young disciples behind them remained completely clueless about the weight of the names.

"What is the matter, Master Landon? Can you not handle it?" Ning sneered, leaning back in his chair with a cold expression. "Yes, I want leverage while negotiating a deal with my shit son-in-law. He gave me absolutely no face, even refusing to let me see my grandchildren. I need this job done quietly, and you will have him sign those contracts to get his wives back. Those business deals will make my Ning Clan rise to the top of the aristocracy. How dare he bed the women of the Long main branch anyway. Plus, you desperately need the money to build your Hidden Temple, so this job should be an easy victory for you, right?"

Master Landon closed the folder, his eyes narrowing as he evaluated the risk. "Abducting two ordinary young women with no internal cultivation is easy enough. Getting past that guardian woman, Zoe, might prove somewhat troublesome, but with three Masters against one, it is entirely doable. What if the twins attempt to resist our capture and end up getting hurt?"

Nathanial Ning sneered, leaning back into his leather chair with a grotesque, dismissive wave of his hand.

"What do I care about those two tramp whore girls?" he growled, his voice completely devoid of human warmth. "Beat them, hurt them, kill them, rape them... I do not care what you do to them, as long as you get those business documents signed."

Master Landon frowned slightly at the pure malice radiating from his client. "And what if they happen to have your granddaughters with them during the extraction?"

Ning laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed off the mahogany walls. "They have absolutely zero value to me, so do whatever you want with them. Treat them like stray puppies and toss them in a sack for all I care. I am a Ning, not a Tang."

Just as the Forest Temple Master was nodding his head to formally accept the contract, a sharp sound cut through the tense room.

Knock, knock.

The heavy office door rattled gently, and the butler's voice filtered through the wood once more, though the cadence sounded bizarrely twisted. [Master Ning, the guest from the Fairy Mountain Temple is officially here for your appointment. Oh, and the guests from the Fire Birds are here as well. Oh, and Rick Tang has come to meet his asshole father-in-law!]

Ning froze in his chair, a wave of confusion and sudden alarm washing over his face. He couldn't understand why his loyal butler, a man who had served him faithfully since childhood, was suddenly speaking in such a strange, mocking tone.

Before he could voice a demand for clarification, the reality of the situation smashed through the threshold.

Creeeeek~

The heavy double doors swung open eerily. The head of the butler, cleanly severed from his shoulders just moments prior, came flying violently through the open space. It soared right over the startled heads of the Forest Temple practitioners, tumbling across the room before landing perfectly on top of Nathanial's desk.

The head stopped rolling, its dead, horror-stricken eyes staring directly back at the trembling patriarch!

A few moments prior...

I adjusted the collar of my pitch-black bodyguard outfit, resting the heavy spine of my Black Dragon Katana casually against my shoulder. Without a single trace of hesitation, I walked straight through the front gates of the Ning family compound.

Behind me marched Hinata, Lan, Tom Mu, Mike Hue, Vincent, and Jules. I had intentionally brought six fucking Masters to an absolute overkill party.

If you are going to chop off the head of Ning the Dragon, you don't go soft. I had personally invited Mercy's father to join the fray, Ashley's father had to come along, and my two primary heavy hitters from the Fire Birds rounded out the vanguard.

Tom flashed a massive, eager smile toward Mike, his fingers tightly wrapping around the hilt of his traditional Chinese single-edged blade. "I do not get many legitimate opportunities to exercise my blade these days, but being the vassal of Rick, and with explicit permission from Head Tang, I actually get to have some fun tonight, ha-ha!"

Hinata walked smoothly on my left flank, offering nothing but an elegant, serene smile. She was thoroughly thrilled to finally showcase the full extent of her martial improvement before my eyes.

Mike grinned back at Tom, knowing that this precise night was the exact moment the Fairy Mountain Temple would firmly establish its legitimacy in the underworld.

Lan walked in silence, understanding the situation just as clearly as Tom did. This was the raw, magnetic charisma of the Yellow Emperor in action, possessing the unique ability to bind so many disparate forces into a single fist. This sheer concentration of strength alone could terrify an entire Hidden Temple with just the seven of them standing together.

Lan's eyes briefly dropped to the sleek form of the Black Dragon Katana on my shoulder, correctly guessing that this legendary weapon was the ultimate token of gratitude for the lethal aid we had previously provided to the Japan Empire.

Further back, Vincent and Jules moved like silent shadows. They had been given simple, direct orders to slaughter the small fries, and they were tracking a massive bonus check for every single enemy clan member they put down.

As we neared the inner perimeter, two guards stepped out from the darkness, raising their hands to command us to halt.

Smack, smack! Thud, thud!

Before the two Ning family guards could even process the footsteps, their faces collapsed inward as my two leading bodyguards slammed their fists directly into their skulls.

I didn't even look back at the collapsing bodies as I stepped over them. "No need to let them know we have arrived. We will just see ourselves in..."Leaving the gates behind, our unit glided across the dark courtyard, descending upon the main mansion like a plague.

Boom! Boom!

The front entrance shattered into splinters as Mike and Tom launched simultaneous kicks, sending the heavy doors crashing inward onto the marble floor.

I strode over the broken wood, my eyes scanning the layout of the grand foyer. Our intelligence network had already provided me with the complete architectural floor plan, but I kept my senses sharp for any unexpected variables.

The head butler, whom I instantly recognized from our surveillance files as the exact monster who had personally disposed of my wives' mother's corpse, came rushing down the stairs, screaming in sheer shock. "How dare you! Call for the guards immediately!"

Flick, swoosh!

My right arm moved in a blinding silver blur. The edge of my katana whipped through the air, carving a clean line straight through his throat. The noise died instantly in his chest.

I reached down, calmly grabbing the dead butler by his hair as I lifted his severed head. I turned my gaze toward the two Western masters. "Vincent, Jules... spare the completely innocent. Slaughter anyone who holds a weapon or offers resistance. I require soldiers to send to the Central Government, so make sure to fill the bodies count. Go."

The two foreign masters vanished into the side corridors, their movements followed instantly by the rapid, muffled sounds of guards being systematically dismantled and weapons clattering to the floor.

The remaining Masters and I continued our steady march toward the private office upstairs, ignoring the scattered screams of terror echoing from the lower levels of the estate.

Reaching the mahogany double doors, I paused. I focused my throat muscles, perfectly mimicking the exact pitch and cadence of the dead butler's voice before knocking twice on the wood.

Knock, knock.

"Master Ning, the guest from Fairy Mountain Temple is here for your appointment. Oh, and the guests from the Fire Birds are here as well. Oh, and Rick Tang has come to meet his asshole father-in-law!"

I kicked the doors open, tracking the motion as I skillfully hurled the butler's head across the room, watching it skid across the desk to halt right in front of Nathanial's face.

The entire room went dead silent, every single occupant completely stupefied by the sudden, gruesome intrusion. I let a cold, predatory smile stretch across my face as I leveled my bloody blade toward the gathering.

"Everyone in this room is entirely guilty of betraying the Tang Family," I announced, my voice slicing through the silence like ice. "None of you will live past tonight!"

Flick, swoosh!

The nearest female disciple didn't even have the time to widen her eyes before her cute head parted from her neck, rolling across the floorboards.

I locked my gaze onto the frozen expressions of the three Forest Temple Masters, watching the utter disbelief manifest on their faces as they scrambled to their feet.

I let out a harsh, mocking sneer. "Oh, I am terribly sorry. But I guess only you people are allowed to put my children in a sack, huh? Yeah... I just killed your kid. Hinata, Lan... go."

Flick, swoosh!

Hinata didn't miss a single beat of the rhythm. Her sword left its scabbard in a flash of steel, severing the neck of an adjacent practitioner who was far too slow to flee the trajectory.

Slitch!

Lan lunged forward with fluid grace, driving her double-edged kung-fu blade straight through the center of another disciple's heart, pinning him to the floor.

The three older Masters finally snapped out of their shock, moving desperately to shield the remaining remnants of their offspring.

Ting, ting!

Tom intervened instantly, his heavy blade parrying a lethal strike from the blonde female Master who had attempted to blindside Hinata. Tom winked at the woman, his smile wide and wild. "I was just telling myself that I would love to meet a beautiful lady tonight. Accompany me for a bit. The name is Tom Mu... let's dance!"

Ting, shing!

The black-haired female Master recognized Lan's form and lunged forward with a vicious downward arc, intending to cleave her in two, but the heavy weight of Mike's metal staff slammed into her weapon, deflecting the blow entirely.

Mike offered a mock bow of introduction. "I am Grand Elder Hue of the Fairy Mountain Temple. My Sect Master is currently preoccupied with your remaining offspring, so I will be the one keeping you company tonight."

Master Landon, the leader of the Forest Temple faction, stared at me with eyes burning with unadulterated hatred as he drew his weapon. "The Snow and Mountain Temple... why are they here? You... you are a Tang?!"

I began walking a slow, deliberate line toward him, my blade flashing downward to slice clean through the thigh of a young disciple attempting to crawl past my flank. She collapsed instantly, wailing in agony on the floor.

I pointed the crimson tip of my katana directly at Landon's chest, answering his question with absolute finality. "The exact moment you threatened my two wives, Zoe, and my children... you signed an absolute war pact with the Tang Clan. It is time to send you off."

Bang!

The sudden roar of a firearm echoed in the confined space. I tilted my upper torso seamlessly to the side, watching the bullet streak past my shoulder.

For a martial arts Grandmaster, tracking a basic firearm's trajectory and dodging a trigger pull from an ordinary man is nothing more than child's play.

Nathanial Ning stood behind his desk, the smoking gun trembling in his grip. As he looked up and met my mocking smile, every single ounce of color drained from his face.

"Father-in-law, just wait your turn patiently over there," I warned, keeping my emotionless bright-blue eyes fixed on Landon. "I brought a very special gift tonight from the women of the Ning family."

Ting, ting, ting, ting, ting! Swoosh!

Master Landon fought with the desperation of a cornered beast, but his blade was deflected effortlessly multiple times before a clean, horizontal stroke sent his head flying into the ceiling.

With their leader decapitated, the remaining Forest Temple disciples faltered entirely, their defense collapsing as the other Masters systematically stripped them of their lives.

Realizing he was completely abandoned, Head Ning hurled his heavy executive chair straight through the glass window behind him. He scrambled over the mahogany, desperately throwing his leg over the windowsill to plunge into the courtyard below.

Crash! BANG!

A sharp, synchronized crack echoed from the distant tree line outside, and Nathanial's foot exploded into a mist of blood and bone as a high-caliber sniper round tore through his ankle.

"AHHHHHHH!"

His agonizing shriek ripped through the night air as he tumbled backward into the room, clutching his mangled leg.

Mei's voice chimed perfectly into my wireless earbud. [Master, I am currently switching my scope over to night-vision. I am tracking and eliminating any runners attempting to cross the outer walls now.]

I looked around the private study. Every single practitioner from the Forest Temple lay dead across the floor, leaving nothing but the pathetic, weeping form of Nathanial Ning groveling in his own blood. My boots made a slow, rhythmic sound against the wood as I closed the distance.

Crunch!

Ning desperately tried to lift his firearm with his remaining good hand, but I brought my boot down squarely onto his fingers, grinding the bones into the floorboards before kicking the weapon across the room.

He looked up at me, his eyes wide with terror as he gasped for breath. "Rick Tang... huh... you will never get away with this..."

Thud!

I reached down and hauled the struggling, one-footed patriarch off the floor by his collar, slamming his heavy torso violently onto the center of his own desk.

"ARR!"

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, THUD!

I unleashed a brutal, unrelenting hail of punches directly into his face. He tried to raise his arms to form a weak block, but my fists shattered his guard effortlessly. The final strike was particularly devastating, driving straight into his throat with enough force to crush his cartilage.

He clutched at his neck, his chest heaving as he found himself completely unable to scream or draw a proper breath. I leaned over him, my face entirely calm, my voice dropping to a low, lethal whisper.

"Nicole and Nadia were forced to sit there and watch you brutally beat and murder their loving mother right in front of their eyes when they were just children," I said, staring into his fading eyes. "I bet you felt like a truly big man back then, right? Well, you pathetic piece of shit... you just earned yourself a very slow, and a very painful death."

For the next five minutes, the entire room stood in absolute silence, watching as I systematically executed vengeance for my wives' stolen childhood.

Not a single Master turned their eyes away, and not a single soul felt a shred of remorse for the pig I beat to death on that desk.

As soon as I finished, Lan stepped over the bodies and approached me with a clean white cloth to wipe the blood from my hands.

Vincent and Jules had completed their tasks downstairs, immediately calling in the Fire Birds cleanup crew to seize the estate.

While I stared down at the mangled remains of my now-deceased father-in-law, I heard Lan speak so quietly that only she and I could catch the words. "Your hands are completely clean, my Emperor."

The dark melancholy hanging over my mind blew away at her words, my attention shifting to the gentle way she cleaned the skin over my knuckles.

Seeing my eyes widen slightly with surprise, she only smiled up at me before lifting a single finger to cover her lips in a silent gesture, signaling that this was our little secret.

I guess my true name will be known across the underworld sooner or later, and now all of her past behavior makes complete sense to me. I simply nodded back to her, an action that brought a much larger, satisfied smile to her beautiful face.

On this bloody night, the Emperor officially formed the Fairy Mountain Sect in Azure State...