Stranger Danger

To everyone's surprise, they were wrong. Not only did Yu Hongluan hold onto her position for three decades straight, Floating Island kept getting better under her rule. It eventually reached a point of prosperity where it was praised as one of the four big islands.

Yu Hongluan didn't just possess extraordinary management talent, she was a bonafide martial genius as well. She once journeyed to multiple islands and nations and challenged her talented peers to test her sword. No one had ever taken a win from her. She once ventured alone into the Rakshasa Land and killed over tens of thousands of Strangers. Over time, she foiled their conspiracies multiple times and spread her name throughout the world.

Today, Yu Hongluan was a Half-Sage even though she wasn't even fifty. Within the Profound Alliance, she was one of the top geniuses people most expected to become a Sage in the future. The people called her Fairy Hongluan.

Yu Hongluan was like the sun and moon of the thirty six islands and seventy two islets. Naturally, her twin brother was overshadowed to an obscene degree.

Of course, Yu Hongluan's achievements weren't the only reason her older brother, Yu Hongfeng, was overshadowed. The man himself was, simply put, unworthy. When Yu Qiushui was still alive, he abused his position to do whatever he wanted. When Floating Island was facing its existential crisis, he acted like a petty and gutless weakling who only knew how to hide behind the backs of people stronger than him. Today, he was an even worse hedonistic son than he already was.

This was why few people knew that Yu Hongfeng was Yu Hongluan's older brother. His conduct and behavior were so incongruous with the famous Fairy Yu Hongluan's that no one could imagine that the two of them were tied to each other in any way.

Although Yu Hongfeng was garbage, Yu Hongluan was exceptionally kind and tolerant of the only true family she had left in this world.

Besides forbidding Yu Hongfeng from interfering with Floating Island's business and committing crimes, she allowed him to do anything. Anything. She did not interfere or stop him from drowning himself in the pleasures.

This residence was Yu Hongluan's gift to Yu Hongfeng. For one, it was tranquil and peaceful. Two, it was close to the General Guard Office. Few people would dare to invade this place. In the off chance that someone did, the Floating Guards would be able to respond at first notice and protect him.

The residence had a very refined name: Emerald Garden. It had gotten its name because a type of bamboo called Floating Bamboo—it was a specialty of Floating Island—was planted here and there inside the residence. The Floating Bamboo retained an vibrant, emerald green color no matter the season, and it could be used as a decoration, a tool to ward off the scorching heat of summer, and even a mosquito repellant. It was quite valuable.

Since the residence was planted with Floating Bamboos, it was green and lush all year long. That was how the name Emerald Garden came to be.

Although Emerald Garden was a refined name, Yu Hongfeng was anything but a refined man. Every once in a while, he would either summon his friends to the residence to drink and make merry, or bring beautiful women into the place to sing, dance, and perform other things. Without exaggeration, the man had singlehandedly fouled the once wonderful atmosphere of Emerald Garden.

This was what Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou saw when they first arrived at the Emerald Garden; wanton carnality and pleasures barely disguised by the ensuing song and music.

The man sitting on the seat of honor looked to be in his thirties. He had a handsome countenance, but his face looked pale, and his aura was weak probably because he spent all his years drowning himself in the pleasures.

There was no doubt about it. He had to be the older twin brother of Yu Hongluan, Yu Hongfeng.

Right now, Yu Hongfeng was hugging a woman on each arm, drinking wine and watching the song and dance in front of him with lethargic eyes.

Sitting below Yu Hongfeng were a man and two women.

The three people possessed ordinary countenances and wore coarse garments. They looked no different from your ordinary citizen or visitor.

This was strange though. If these three had appeared anywhere else on the island, then perhaps their presence wouldn't be so incongruous. But they should not appear in the Emerald Garden, and they definitely should not be sitting in front of Yu Hongfeng like honored guests.

One of the beautiful women he was hugging held the spout of a wine pot to Yu Hongfeng's mouth, and he took a big gulp. Once done, he asked lazily, "Did the prince send only the three of you?"

His eyes never even strayed from the dancers performing at the center of the stage as he asked, "Speak. What do you need me to do now?"

"The prince told me to inform you that the plan can begin now."

The speaker was a man with coarse black skin. He looked like a seafarer who had been battered by the sun, the weather, and the sea for years. However, his voice was unusually soft, icy, and discomforting.

"Now?" Yu Hongfeng abruptly sat up and stared at the man in excitement. "Is everything in place? How many people did you bring with you?"

The man answered, "Just the three of us."

"What? Just you three?" Yu Hongfeng looked confused at first. Then, he flew into a rage, "Are you toying with me? There's less than fifty of you even if we include all the people I've snuck into this island! This number isn't even enough to deal with the Floating Guards, much less Yu Hongluan and the elites around her!"

"Is that it? Are you making fun of me?"

"Don't be crude."

A woman rebuked after listening to Yu Hongfeng's scathing insults. Her skin was coarse, but her voice was surprisingly gentle and seductive.

The next moment, an evil, bizarre aura locked onto Yu Hongfeng and made his blood freeze as if he had suddenly plummeted into a pit of ice.

"Restrain yourself. We should not be disrespectful toward Master Feng."

It wasn't until all the blood was drained from Yu Hongfeng's face, his pupils had contracted into pins, and he was about to suffocate when the man finally spoke up again.

"Yes."

The woman replied simply and withdrew her aura.

"Cough! Cough! Cough..."

The next moment, Yu Hongfeng started coughing violently. Pointing a finger at the woman with a fearful expression, he stammered, "You... you...!"

He wanted to threaten her or curse her, but he didn't dare to. It was because he felt true death breathing down his neck just now.

"Ghost Lady, Monk Cai! Where the fuck are you? Come protect me now!"

Yu Hongfeng then turned back and yelled in the direction of the back hall. Ghost Lady and Monk Cai were elite warriors he had recruited to protect himself. They were both formidable Truemen.

No one came out of the back hall though.

The man spoke up again, "No need to shout, Master Feng. They won't come out."

Yu Hongfeng's eyes bulged into saucers. "What... What are you two planning? If you kill me, you... you won't escape, you know that right? Yu Hongluan will never let you go!"

As soon as he mentioned Yu Hongluan, Yu Hongfeng abruptly grew a bit of backbone. "That's right. You can't kill me. You don't dare to kill me. If you did, she would find out immediately and kill all of you."

"You misunderstand us, Master Feng. We are friends, aren't we? Why would we kill you?"

The man smiled. "I apologize for my subordinate's rude action earlier. It is a result of my failure in teaching discipline. I hope you will forgive her."

Yurou, apologize to Master Feng, will you?" "Yurou was reckless. Sorry for offending you earlier, Master Feng." The woman saluted Yu Hongfeng after hearing this, though it was clear from her lackadaisical tone that she didn't mean it.

"Hmph! I'm a broad-minded man. I accept your apology," Yu Hongfeng tried to grunt threateningly and failing miserably.

"You are, Master Feng."

The man smiled and waved his hand at the songstresses and dancers. "Please, give us some space."

They all bowed to the man and took their leaves obediently. They never looked at Yu Hongfeng from the start until the end as if the man was the true master of Emerald Garden.

Yu Hongfeng's pupils contracted into pins. He was garbage, but he wasn't retarded. By now, he realized that the entire Emerald Garden had fallen under the man's control.

More accurately, the man had become the true master of this place.