“I’ve long heard that Miss Su Nian’s beauty is unrivaled on the continent. Now that I see you today, the rumors truly fall short…”
Baroque stretched out his crimson tongue, greedily licking his cracked lips, his tone dripping with a lecherousness so palpable it could almost be seen.
“Tsk tsk, compared to what I saw in those magical projections, you’re a hundred, no, a thousand times more beautiful!”
His gaze brimmed with undisguised aggression.
It was the kind of ugly possessiveness one had for prey, or for an expensive treasure about to fall into their hands.
His eyes wandered brazenly over the elegant curves of Su Nian’s body, as if intent on stripping away her clothes with his stare.
“The liquor in this shabby little bar is bland and tasteless—hardly worthy of a beauty like Miss Su Nian.”
Baroque’s face contorted into a nauseating smile.
“Why not do me the honor of coming aboard my ‘Black Pearl’ for a drink?”
“The vintage wine I have there is Nectar, procured with great difficulty from the Elven Kingdom—its aroma unmatched. I guarantee you’ll love it after just one taste…”
He paused deliberately, his smile growing ever more vile.
“Of course, what’s even finer than the wine… is my Black Pearl herself. The space is vast, with all sorts of interesting amusements. I assure you, Miss Su Nian will find the accommodations exceedingly comfortable…”
This was a naked threat.
And an utterly base, filthy suggestion!
He paid it no mind, as if completely ignoring the fact that a man still sat across from Su Nian.
Su Nian’s expression instantly froze over.
Magic surged quietly and uncontrollably within her.
If these people dared to make a move, she was ready at any moment to deal a fatal blow to this fool who didn’t know his own limits.
She couldn’t beat that bastard Horned Demon and had to bide her time… but this guy?
Was he even a challenge?
‘What a weakling!’
Besides, he was hideous—she couldn’t imagine wanting anything to do with him.
In her mind, any plan involving using him to clash with the Horned Demon and letting them both suffer losses was instantly discarded.
No need to wrong or disgust herself.
Moreover, this Baroque was obviously just cannon fodder.
If she really let him face the Horned Demon, he’d be slaughtered in an instant, only giving the Horned Demon an advantage.
Just as Su Nian was about to explode—
Chu Tian remained seated, head lowered, and spoke a single word, “Get out.”
His voice was not loud; it was almost casual.
Yet it contained a terrifying murderous intent, as if echoing from the depths of a frozen abyss.
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
Baroque’s smile stiffened on his face.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected that the man carrying bags—the one he thought was merely Su Nian’s bodyguard—would dare speak to him this way.
The guards behind Baroque all bared vicious looks, hands clutching at their weapons.
Tension and killing intent filled the air.
“Who do you think you are, talking to Lord Baroque like that?”
A hulking B-rank guard stepped forward, blocking Chu Tian’s path.
Fierceness gleamed in his eyes, like a beast provoked.
Chu Tian ignored the blustering guard.
At last, his gaze settled on Baroque.
There was no anger or fear in those deep eyes.
Only the cold indifference one might show to an ant.
The aura softened by [S-Grade Male Charisma (Passive Skill)] now turned suddenly sharp and domineering.
It was the absolute pressure of one in power—enough to make all things bow down.
“Shadowmoon Manor. Mo Yuan.” He reported a name, a place.
Baroque’s vicious expression instantly froze; his pupils contracted sharply.
What replaced it was disbelief, horror, and dread.
‘Shadowmoon Manor!’
‘Mo Yuan!’
This name had recently become a ghostly legend circulating through the underworld of the Neutral City-States.
It signified a force that had risen with unstoppable momentum.
Its wealth was incalculable.
Its military might, terrifying.
Recently, while operating the “Magic Phone” business in various major cities, some self-important local thugs had tried to extort protection money.
All of them vanished without a trace—no bodies ever found.
Thus, Shadowmoon Manor became a household name overnight among the Underground Guild.
Every task aimed at Shadowmoon Manor had a 0% success rate till date.
No one dared take the job, no matter how high the bounty.
Baroque strutted and bullied his way through the Neutral City-States, but he knew—
Before a true giant, his own influence was nothing.
He could never have imagined…
That the gorgeous idol he had just regarded as his for the taking, was actually the woman of this mysterious bigshot?
And beyond that—
Chu Tian’s formidable strength brought an overwhelming, suffocating pressure.
In an instant, the eight guards behind Baroque were suppressed.
The ones who had just been blustering now cowered like trembling kittens.
None dared face Chu Tian’s suffocating aura.
Cold sweat soaked Baroque’s back at once.
His arrogant bravado vanished like a punctured balloon.
It was replaced by sycophancy and terror.
“S-s-so you’re Lord Mo Yuan!”
“My apologies! My apologies!”
Baroque nearly tripped over himself, retreating several steps, bowing repeatedly to Chu Tian, his demeanor now utterly servile.
“Just now… I was blind, I didn’t recognize greatness. I offended you and Miss Su Nian.”
“Please my lord be magnanimous—don’t lower yourself to the likes of me!”
“Get out.”
Chu Tian had no desire to listen to his drivel.
This Academy City was not a place for slaughter.
Were they in the wild, he would have already acted.
“I’ll leave at once…”
Right now, Baroque just wanted to vanish as quickly as possible.
The farther from this terrifying figure, the better.
That oppressive aura just now… was simply too horrifying.
He had only ever felt such pressure from the Morsen Family’s patriarch—that Saint-rank swordsman.
That man was a terror as well.
Even as he left, Baroque’s legs still trembled uncontrollably.
Staring at the now-empty doorway, his eyes held only the fear and relief of having escaped death.
Chu Tian watched Baroque flee.
That suffocating, powerful aura and invisible pressure finally ebbed away like a receding tide once the two men had disappeared from the bar’s entrance.
Silently, he instructed Da Hei to investigate Baroque thoroughly for future plans.
Nestled between the Red Maple Kingdom, Rhine Kingdom, and Monster Empire, the Neutral City-States served as Baroque’s base.
Commerce flourished here, drawing a concentration of gray industries.
Originally, Chu Tian had two other locations in mind as equally important for his next step.
But what happened today helped him decide.
Baroque’s power would be the first to fall!
Dare touch his woman?
Even if only in thought… absolutely not!
Chu Tian refocused his gaze on the young lady before him.
At this moment, Su Nian was staring back at him.
The bar still seemed to linger with the dust stirred up by Baroque’s men as they left, mixed with the faint scent of alcohol.
But in her nose, that unique scent of the Horned Demon—mixed with a trace of tea fragrance—unavoidably lingered.
It seemed there was now an indefinable, subtle allure, stirring her senses in a way she couldn’t describe.
The previous scene had happened so quickly.
So quickly that it was hard to react.
That underground emperor Baroque, who moments ago lorded over the Neutral City-States and ogled her with nauseating eyes—
Before the bastard Horned Demon, he’d become as pitiful as a stray dog, begging and scrambling away in disgrace.
All it had taken was a name.
A name belonging to Shadowmoon Manor.
Mo Yuan.
So this… is the power of influence?
No need for violence, not even many words.
Just a name, enough to terrify such a savage brute to the core.
Su Nian’s heart was instantly flooded with complicated, indescribable feelings.
She gazed at the man.
He sat there quietly, still upright and straight.
The icy, intimidating aura from earlier had faded, and now, the lines of his profile stood out all the more clearly in the bar’s dim light.
Solid.
Upright.
A strength that made the heart tremble.
This strength was different from magic.
It was more direct, more forceful—a kind of raw control.
It was as if…
This bastard… didn’t seem so hateful anymore?
At least, not when he was standing with her against outsiders.
That single, blunt command—”Get out”—had, against all odds, melted away most of the revulsion she’d carried from the harassment.
For an instant—a brief, ridiculous moment—a thought so absurd it scared even Su Nian herself flickered up from the darkest recesses of her heart…
What if…
What if, one day, she decided not to take revenge on the Horned Demon?
Maybe she could live at Shadowmoon Manor like this…
The conditions… really weren’t bad…
Vast wealth, spent at will.
Shelter of a great power—no one would dare provoke her.
The living conditions at Shadowmoon Manor were excellent, the maids and craftsmen were all respectful to her, making her second only to one…
And, now… the Horned Demon actually treated her decently?
Compared to before, it was much better…
Did he truly love her?
Also—
That thing of the Horned Demon’s, as thick as an arm, looked frightening, but she could handle it.
Thinking this way, not seeking revenge seemed like a possible path.
[Ding! Favorability toward binding target +3. Current: -56+]
The System’s cold, mechanical prompt crashed down on her like a bucket of ice water, instantly snapping her out of that dangerous trance!
Wait.
Just now… what on earth was she thinking!
No…
That wasn’t real!
Absolutely not!
A volcanic shame and fury erupted in her chest…
How could she—
What the hell were those thoughts in her mind just now!
How could she possibly give up on revenge?
How could she possibly resign herself to this bastard Horned Demon?
To watch him grow ever stronger while she continued to yield, enduring those unspeakable humiliations…
This was absolutely not her true intention!
Absolutely not!
Even if the bastard Horned Demon’s actions had seemed like he was standing up for her—
It was just a Master protecting his “property,” not letting anyone covet his precious collection!
This had nothing to do with love.
It was merely the Horned Demon’s twisted possessiveness, his declaration of sovereignty over her.
She had to stay clear-headed!
She had to remember every humiliation she’d suffered…
She must not forget her goal of revenge!
To keep her resolve from wavering…
She had to act now, while her hatred for the Horned Demon was still strong, while her will was still firm!
Her final confrontation with the Horned Demon could not be delayed any longer.