Chapter 232: Slapped To Death!

Chapter 232: Slapped To Death!

"Yawn. Sorry, I have not slept a single wink in two days. Hello, Prince. Any friend of my Ning'er is a friend of mine too, ha-ha." I let out a massive, unbothered yawn right in his face, rubbing the back of my neck with a lazy grin to show just how little his royal presence intimidated me.

Ning looked up at me with absolute satisfaction, her fingers tightening against my ribs as she realized right then that the two of us made a perfect team to piss off anyone in the world. Her lips curled into a sharp, amused smile as the Prince stepped forward, his knuckles turning white as he began his speech.

"Ning'er, what kind of joke is this? You told me last week on your birthday that you would marry no one and would consider my proposal. And now you bring this Eurasian to my party?!" Prince Fuji slammed his glass onto a passing waiter's tray, his chest heaving with raw indignation as he glared at our locked hands.

Ning opened her mouth to shoot back a reply, but I instantly shifted into my acting persona to brush his outrage off, smoothing my right hand down to rest firmly on her hip while squeezing her waist to anchor the scene. "Oh, I am terribly sorry, Prince Fuji. I must have missed the 'No Eurasians' sign hanging on the front gates of the Imperial palace. Ning'er, honey, it seems I have deeply offended your old suitor?"

"Rick, dear, I never once said I would marry the Prince. We were always just casual social friends." Ning leaned her entire weight against my chest, looking up at me with an innocence so perfectly manufactured it deserved an award.

"Ning'er, you really scared me there for a second, phew. I honestly thought he was your fiance or something." I wiped imaginary sweat from my forehead, letting out a loud sigh of relief while pulling her even closer against my side.

Prince Fuji stared at our fluid, intimate interactions, his jaw twitching with silent rage as he came to the internal conclusion that we were a long-time couple and that Ning had actively cheated on him. He stepped closer, glaring directly into Ning's eyes as he demanded answers. "Ning'er. When exactly did you meet this man, and when did you get married?"

"We met at the Hilton's breakfast bar two days ago and got married last night. So, we have only been married for twenty-four hours." Ning did not hesitate for a fraction of a second, speaking with a completely honest, matter-of-fact tone that drove the knife in deeper.

Fuji registered my earlier comment about not sleeping, paired with her admission of getting married last night. The toxic implication put incredibly bad, vivid images straight into his mind, causing his eyes to turn bloodshot as he pointed a trembling finger at my chest. "Ning'er is a good, pure girl. You must have blackmailed her, or threatened her to force this marriage, didn't you?!"

"No, not really. We just had a few drinks together and, well, things happened. I simply took responsibility for our intimate time together. She is a wonderful woman, and I am incredibly glad to make her my eleventh wife." I scratched my head with my left hand in mock embarrassment, feigning a nervous lie while keeping my right hand heavily planted on her hip to assert dominance.

The fourteen other nobles standing around us froze, their eyes turning completely stunned as they processed the scandalous timeline, whispering furiously among themselves. Fuji stepped forward again, his hands shaking as he implored her, desperately searching her face for a sign of duress. "Ning, you have never had a single drink in your entire life! How could he possibly make you drink?! This is completely wrong. I can secure a high-profile divorce for you right now, just say the word. If he is threatening you with blackmail, I can fix it instantly!"

"Rick is my absolute favorite actor, and I was actually the one who made him drink because I fell in love at first sight. I asked him for help picking food at the bar, and he helped me so kindly. He was leaving right afterward without trying to impress me at all, and my heart instantly thumped. I knew right then this was the man I would make a family with." Ning shifted her entire body, wrapping both of her hands tightly around my waist as she looked up into my eyes with an intensely loving, starry-eyed gaze that completely shut down the room.

Fuck, there was so much calculated truth mixed into her lie that even I almost believed her. I leaned down and lightly kissed her lips, nailing the agonizing feeling of being cheated on straight into poor Fuji's heart. She squinted her eyes slightly against my mouth, utterly amused by the chaos we were causing. We really were a match made in heaven when it came to starting fires. She reminded me exactly of Tina in this department.

"Rick, did you just think of another woman while I am hugging you?" Ning suddenly whispered against my chest, her fingers digging sharply into my lower back as her voice dropped into a dangerously sweet register.

A sudden burst of cold sweat hit my back at how easily this girl saw right through me, forcing me to keep my expression completely locked. I knew instantly that if I tried to blink or lie, she would catch it. "You just reminded me exactly of my wife, Tina Feng, whom I love very much. So, it was actually a very good, loving thought about you, dear!"

"Oh? If it is one of my fellow sisters, then how can this Ning be jealous? I forgive you then." Ning relaxed her grip instantly, a bright, satisfied smile breaking across her face as she patted my chest as if granting a royal pardon.

One of the prominent China Empire women stepped forward from the crowd, nodding politely toward Ning while gesturing toward the grand hallway. "Sister Ning, can you join us in the powder room for a bit?"

"Husband, I need to use the restroom with my friends. No killing anyone while I am gone, alright?" Ning recognized the obvious ploy to pull us apart, turning her head back up to face me with a look that was half-warning and half-playful.

"Ah, fine, I will wait right here until you get back, honey. Go and powder your nose. Use the phone I gave you if anyone tries to bother you, and I will be there instantly." I patted her cheek gently, offering a reassuring smile while making sure the surrounding nobles heard the implicit threat in my last words.

Ning walked off smoothly with the seven other women, who left together like a tight gossip group. Naturally, a couple of those girls were the Prince's own fiances. Watching her back profile and her shapely figure sway in that stunning dress, the reality suddenly hit my mind. She was truly my wife now. I knew it logically, but it had only been a single day since we met. My lips genuinely curled into a smile at the thought of her.

"Mr. Tang, I will give you one billion to divorce her immediately. I love Ning, and she is incredibly fond of me. Show me this respect, and let us become good friends." Prince Fuji waited until the doors swung shut behind the women, stepping directly into my line of sight with a smug, wealthy arrogance radiating from his posture.

My eyes finally snapped away from her wide hips swaying down the hall. Hearing the Prince's disgusting, arrogant words, I could only smile at the absolute stupidity of this guy as I turned to face him fully. "Prince Fuji, before we talk about love and money, let the nine of us men all toast to being good friends first?"

Prince Fuji smiled instantly, completely missing the trap because he did not hear a direct refusal. He raised his hand high, loudly calling over one of his personal maids who was carrying a drink-tray nearby. "Have the maids come in with sake immediately. I have an important guest to entertain, so bring my best personal maids."

The lead maid saw his hidden hand signs, looking at me briefly before nodding obediently to her master. I easily read the dark energy in the room. They were planning to drug me, or at least that was the Prince's idiot plan. He really was profoundly unlucky to encounter a powerful cultivator in this spiritually lacking world.

[Ning Tang: The girls are trying to keep me talking. Should I come back, or let them keep me occupied?]

[Rick Tang: Do not eat or drink anything under any circumstances. Let them talk. I am currently dealing with them trying to drug me, but do not worry at all. I will do my job. Stay there for now.]

[Ning Tang: Just don't leave me a widow so soon.]

Staring at her text, I chuckled at the rare statement of concern. Well, it did not matter. Unless I accidentally hugged a claymore mine tonight, absolutely nothing in this palace could hurt me.

"Brother Tang, what is wrong?" Prince Fuji watched me read the text, leaning over with an overly bright, fake smile because he internally hoped the women were successfully keeping her far away from me.

"Oh, nothing is wrong at all. Ning is just wanting to talk with her friends, so I told her I was having drinks with my new brothers, ha-ha." I pocketed the device smoothly, giving him a hearty slap on the shoulder that made his frame shudder slightly.

We moved into a private side room just off the main ballroom. The entrance featured a massive, frosted sliding door that felt much more modern than the old-fashioned paper variants. We sat down at a large, rounded wooden table equipped with plush, high-quality floor mats.

About ten beautiful maids dressed in loose, flowing kimonos immediately sat down between the men. They began pouring the drinks, their movements deliberately slow and suggestive.

The woman who slid into the space next to me looked like a younger version of Hinata. She gently leaned her weight against my arm, using her body language to incite my desires. In my heart, I found this entire setup completely retarded. Still, I had a mission to execute, and all four of my primary targets were now poised perfectly to be poisoned. I quickly dialed a contact on my phone, holding it up to my ear for a brief moment.

[Very jealous lover here. How may I help you, my man?]

"Just need to hear your voice and confirm you can hear everything clearly on this end?" I spoke directly into the receiver, keeping my eyes locked on the Prince to ensure he didn't notice the active recording.

[Lonely Lucy hears absolutely everything. So, what will be the command word tonight, my little lover?]

"When I say our favorite date food, how does that sound?" I tapped my fingers rhythmically against the wooden table, setting the trap in plain sight.

[Ufufu, you even think of me at a time like this? Fine, I love you, dear. Come home safely. By the way, I could find nothing substantial about your new wife's background. Your father was incredibly thorough when erasing her records. But she is your wife now, so her past is completely pointless, right?]

"Yes, there is no need to dig any further. I will just trust them blindly. I have to go now, I have a very sexy hostess wanting my full attention. Love you, and wait for the signal." I clicked the call to an end, sliding the screen flat onto the polished wood.

I turned back to the Prince with an easy grin, picking up my small cup as if I didn't have a single care in the world. "Sorry about that. I had to put in a rush order for Japan's Star Wars unit. So, where exactly were we?!"

"Good, excellent! Well, we have the finest warm sake in the entire Japan Empire present tonight. So, all brothers, grab your woman and hold your cups high!" Prince Fuji raised his small ceramic cup into the air, signaling the rest of the noblemen to follow suit with broad, predatory smiles.

I watched them closely. I figured they were using some sort of potent aphrodisiac to get me on top of this sexy woman. Then, they would bring my wife in to catch me in the act, playing out the classic young master trope.

The maid next to me leaned in closer, her breath warm against my neck as her fingers brushed against my knee. "Master Tang, my name is Saki, and I am a personal gift from the Prince. Please do absolutely anything you want with me tonight. Here, please drink."

I smiled warmly, rolling my eyes hard in the privacy of my mind. I was absolutely certain this woman was as loose as a goose. I would never take anything from an active enemy. I held my cup out toward her, matching her energy perfectly. "Oh, then I will gladly have fun with you tonight, Saki."

Hearing my compliant words, the idiot Fuji looked incredibly excited, raising his own cup to drink as he genuinely believed his master plan was working flawlessly, sigh.

"This cup is for our new brother Tang!" Prince Fuji raised his small ceramic cup high into the air, his eyes gleaming with a malicious anticipation that he tried desperately to hide behind a broad, welcoming smile.

"""""""Brother Tang!""""""" The other seven noblemen shouted in a perfectly synchronized chorus, lifting their drinks with the eager posture of loyal boot-lickers desperate to please their royal patron.

As we downed the cup in a single, fluid motion, I couldn't help but admire how effortlessly these men went along with the Prince's transparent little games. I set my cup firmly back onto the polished wooden table, letting the server immediately step forward to do her job before I casually leaned back against the plush floor mat.

"Wish I had a Big Burger!" I spoke the words clearly, a lazy grin playing on my lips as the seemingly innocent phrase cut through the ambient chatter of the room.

Just then, a chaotic sequence of events triggered all at once.

I instantly flushed my entire meridian system with pure, concentrated Chi, sending a surge of raw energy through my limbs to push my physical capabilities far into the superhuman realm.

Simultaneously, Lucy executed her command on the other end of the line, completely cutting the primary power-grids in Tokyo that connected directly to the Imperial Palace. The grand ballroom and our private side room plunged into absolute pitch-black darkness, the sudden city-wide blackout so precise that even the palace's heavy backup generators were instantly short-circuited before they could spark to life.

Buzz! The heavy silence of the dark room hit like a physical wave, and since the standard emergency lights failed to trigger, I moved with terrifying, unseen speed.

Using my advanced stealth techniques, I blurred across the room in a fraction of a second, systematically dropping the contents of the four lethal vials directly into each of my targets' cups without making a single sound.

In the blink of an eye, I vanished from their positions and slid right back onto the plush mat next to Saki before her human senses could even register that I had left her side. To ensure my alibi was absolutely foolproof, I reached out through the dark, wrapping my arm around the hostess's waist to pull her firmly onto my lap while sliding my hand deep inside her loose kimono robe to heavily squeeze her breast.

"AHHH!" Saki let out a sharp, high-pitched gasp of pure shock, her body tensing dramatically against mine as my fingers aggressively fondled her soft flesh.

Buzz! The five-second blackout concluded just as the auxiliary circuits finally kicked in, flooding the room with light to reveal me completely busted with the beautiful hostess straddling my lap and my right hand buried deep inside her clothing.

I offered the surrounding men a thoroughly shameless, unbothered smile, a mock blush rising on my cheeks as I tightened my grip on her chest under the bright lights. "Damn. I was really hoping the lights would stay off just a little bit longer, brothers. I feel completely ashamed, sorry. Ah, let's all toast to Saki here for having such incredibly nice tits!"

Shameless. The exact same word echoed simultaneously through the minds of every young master at the table as they stared at my audacious behavior.

Saki’s face burned a deep crimson as she hurriedly picked up the ceramic pitcher, her hands trembling like a thoroughly bullied maid as she refilled my cup to the brim. She looked completely overwhelmed, mostly because my hand remained heavily planted inside her robe, idly fondling her breast beneath the fabric while I raised my freshly filled drink with my left hand.

Prince Fuji stared at the scene, a flash of absolute victory lighting up his eyes as he imagined just how furious and disgusted Ning would be when she walked in on this exact display. "Well then, brothers, let us toast to Saki's tits, ha-ha!"

As I downed my cup, my eyes swept across the four targets to confirm that every single one of them had swallowed the full, poisoned contents of their sake. Damn, sorry guys.

After a few more rounds of heavy drinking, the Prince leaned across the table, his voice dripping with an artificial, concerned warmth. "If you are feeling a bit fine, Brother Rick, perhaps you can head back to Saki's private quarters for a proper rest?"

"It is totally fine. I absolutely need to wait right here for my Ning'er to come back. I want to take her straight home tonight and make some babies." I slurred my words slightly, letting my head loll back to play the part of a thoroughly intoxicated fool.

My flawless act of being completely tipsy fooled them entirely, and poor Saki was beginning to let out soft, erratic noises that were entirely inappropriate for a formal table, visibly agitating the young noblemen around us. Done with my little performance, I smoothly pulled my hand out from her clothing and slid her body off my lap, letting her sit quietly right next to me on the mat.

There was absolutely no need to let this innocent woman get molested or caught up in the crossfire any further. I glanced down at my phone screen as it vibrated, spotting a brand-new notification popping up across the glass.

[Ning Tang: Coming back to you now.]

Prince Fuji watched my expression close up as I pocketed the device, and seeing that I hadn't actually left the room to sleep with the maid, his impatience began to flare up with the women returning. "Now, Brother Rick, will you finally take my generous deal? I wish to marry my true love, and you can walk away with Saki and a cool billion?"

I offered a careless shrug, and just as the large, frosted doors slid open to let the women back into the room, my voice boomed out clearly enough for Ning to hear every syllable. "Saki and the money are great, and my new group of brothers are fantastic too, but honestly, I am nowhere near done making a family with my Ning'er. And if there is one thing the Lee men will never do, it is leaving a beautiful woman hanging."

Fuji’s eyes snapped toward the doorway, his face twisting into an expression of pure, unadulterated rage as he realized the soft, wealthy approach was never going to work on me. He hardened his gaze, giving a sharp nod to a head maid standing by the wall, who immediately turned and waved toward a stern, middle-aged man waiting in the shadows of the corridor.

Ning instantly understood the subtle shift in the room's energy, moving smoothly past the other women to plant herself directly behind my shoulder like a loyal shadow.

The Prince was clearly setting up a traditional Japanese custom to challenge me to a life-and-death duel using his personal martial arts expert. His idiot plan was to have his sacrificial Master kill me to win Ning from my corpse, allowing Fuji to swoop in afterward, eliminate the Master, and claim all of my properties and remaining wives currently resting on Japanese soil. It was a laughably stupid plot, as if Ning would ever happily jump into his arms after he orchestrated her husband's murder. Sigh.

What exactly was wrong with the brains of these upper-class nobles? To willingly sacrifice a powerful Master just to obtain another man's woman was the absolute height of shamelessness, but the middle-aged expert stepped directly in front of my seat anyway, his posture rigid as he looked down at me.

"I am Tonto Fukuoka, and I wish to challenge the great Rick Tang to a life-and-death duel, and I want your wife as the prize. Saki is my biological daughter, and she is yours to keep forever if you manage to kill me. Now, let us take this outside, sir." The man spoke with a deep, booming voice that echoed off the modern walls.

"I refuse. There is absolutely no reason for me to kill Saki's dad over a party dispute." I didn't even look up from the table, dismissing him with a casual wave of my hand.

"Husband, I think you should take the fight to defend our honor, and I want to see my husband fight for me, please?" Ning leaned down close to my ear, her smoky voice carrying a strange, dangerous current of excitement that caught me entirely off guard.

"Sure, but I don't want Saki. Just my wife is more than enough for me." I stood up smoothly, dusting off my trousers as I accepted the terms.

Ning looked up into my face, and without a single word of warning, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me deeply right in front of the entire stunned room.

A short while later, the entire party relocated outside to the palace's grand stone training field. Most of the ballroom guests stood tightly around the perimeter, their smartphones raised to witness the sudden, high-stakes battle between a random Eurasian and a renowned Master.

Ning, Kevin, and a thoroughly tipsy Kameko stood firmly behind my starting position. I slipped off my heavy formal jacket, letting Ning hold it for me as she stepped back into the crowd to give me space.

"Fight for your Empress, my Emperor, and let's go home." Ning'er whispered quietly into the night air, her eyes flashing with a dark, primal thrill.

I nodded simply, tracking the subtle shift in her expression. She looked absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of me bullying someone into the dirt for her sake. I had absolutely no idea this woman got so incredibly excited when I crushed others. She was a total sadist at heart.

I stepped directly into the center of the ring, facing the Master who already held a pristine Katana, his fingers locking around the hilt as he settled into a lethal quick-draw stance. A formal referee rushed forward, handing me a borrowed Katana from the palace racks because it would look incredibly rude to have a guest fight completely unarmed in a death match.

I had absolutely no intention of using the sword to attack, so I drew the blade with a sharp click, flipping it into a reverse grip in my left hand. I held it strictly as a blocking shield, keeping my posture relaxed since the guy was explicitly left-handed, meaning his primary strike would inevitably come from that specific angle.

"It is a fight to the death, so start..." The referee called out, his hand dropping to signal the beginning of the match.

Prince Fuji stood near the front of the crowd with a smug grin, completely unable to pull any funny business or order his men to intervene because dozens of high-profile guests were actively filming the entire event on their phones. There would be no crying foul after this was over.

The Master moved instantly, exploding forward exactly as I thought he would. Sigh.

CLANG! Just to ensure I didn't completely underestimate my opponent's physical strength, I infused a massive burst of invisible Chi into my right hand while bringing my left arm up to block his incoming blade. The metal groaned as I effortlessly stopped his weapon mid-air, halting a wide, devastating overhead arc as if hitting a solid steel wall.

SLAP! Thud! The exact millisecond his blade bounced off my block, my right hand whipped forward in a blur, delivering a massive slap straight across his face.

The motion released my stored, invisible Chi directly into his skull, the energy shocking his central nervous system and violently rattling his brain within a fraction of a second. The lethal force killed him instantly, causing his eyes to roll back into his head as his limp body hit the stone ground with a heavy, echoing thud.

The elite Master now lay in a static, motionless X-shape on the dirt, making the entire scene look utterly unreal to the silent spectators. To the naked eye of the crowd, it looked like a perfectly normal, casual slap; the force hadn't even blown him off his feet or shattered the stones beneath him. He simply had a dark red palm print burning against his cheek, but he wasn't moving a single muscle, prompting the terrified referee to stumble forward to check his pulse.

I stuck the borrowed Katana straight into the dirt yard and walked back toward my wife without giving the corpse a single look. I wrapped my left arm firmly around her waist while she still wore my heavy jacket over her shoulders.

The referee backed away from the body in absolute shock, his voice trembling violently as he announced the unbelievable medical reality to the crowd. "H-He was slapped to death! Winner, Rick Tang..."

"Hot damn, boss! Hic! I knew tonight would be absolutely great! Hic!" Kameko yelled at the top of her lungs from the sidelines, waving a half-empty bottle in the air as she stumbled slightly.

Ning'er looked up at me, a genuine layer of profound respect coloring her deep, smoky voice as she leaned into my chest. "Take me home. Your night is not over yet..."

Fuck. Please don't tell me I am actually going to fall in love with this crazy woman. Ah, let's face it, I absolutely want to bed her again right now.

"Then let us go, Ning'er. I have that other high-profile job in three days, so I am all yours until then." I chuckled softly, guiding her away from the training grounds.

The crowded path of nobles cleared out instantly for the two of us, the sea of guests parting in absolute terror after we completely destroyed the peaceful atmosphere of the birthday party.

Too bad for Prince Fuji, because his true misery was only just beginning tonight. While I was busy making babies with the woman of his absolute dreams, the targeted poison ensuring he would never be able to have sex again was already flowing through his veins.