Li Wei needed to act fast.

  Rakshasas were worse than a locust swarm. Killing. Burning. Raping. Eating. They swept through lands like a firestorm, leaving only ash and blood behind. They burned villages. Killed men. Raped women. Ate babies.

  There was no time to waste.

  He had to help.

  But he could not do it alone.

  He needed men. Weapons. Supplies. And for that, he would need permission from the one man he despised more than anyone else.

  His father.

  Li Baotian.

  At this hour, the bloated nobleman would still be deep in his chambers, likely enjoying the lingering haze of his nightly carnal indulgences. Li Wei moved swiftly through the corridors of the estate, his sweat-slicked chest bare from training, his body still moving with purpose.

  The eunuch guards stationed outside the doors to the inner chambers looked up with dull eyes as he approached.

  "I need to see my father," he said.

  They hesitated for half a second. But not out of duty. Out of laziness.

  Li Wei pushed past them without waiting for a response. He might be the son of a low-ranked, long-dead concubine, but he was still a son. That title held weight. Especially here. And none of the eunuch guards wanted to wrestle with a shirtless, muscled young man whose eyes burned like lit coals.

  The doors opened with a creak.

  Inside, the room smelled of sweat, wine, and perfume. Pillows were scattered. Silk sheets twisted.

  Li Baotian still lay in bed, his massive form buried beneath layers of brocade. His belly rose and fell with every labored breath. The man had not seen the inside of a training hall in decades. His body was soft. Flabby. Rotten with indulgence. There was a clear facial resemblance between him and his son, if Li Wei were middle-aged, fat, and bald, that is.

  And beside him, curled under the same sheets, were two naked young women.

  Concubines.

  Sisters.

  Their names were Priyani and Malavika. From the far southern kingdom of Kalagarh, a land known for its spices, silk, elephants, and beautiful slaves. They were around the age of Li Wei himself.

  Priyani was perhaps a year or two older. Malavika was likely his age. Young. Slender. Brown-skinned and beautiful. Exquisitely trained in the art of carnal pleasure to entertain the rich and powerful. Their brown skin glowed in the muted morning light. Their limbs were relaxed from pleasure and exhaustion.

  Li Baotian had paid a small fortune for them. Two hundred gold taels. Enough to fund the construction of a proper garrison. Enough to feed three hundred mouths. Enough to pay mercenaries to protect ten villages. But that money had gone to pleasure, not protection.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  The older sister, Priyani, subtly winked at Li Wei as he entered, her dark eyes playful, her lips curling in amusement. She licked them slowly, clearly appreciating the sight of him. The young, handsome son of her master, lean and shirtless, his bare chest glistening with sweat. A much better sight than her fat, bald, middle-aged master, whose layers of fat jiggled with each breath.

  Priyani was clever and pretty, slender with perky breasts and light brown skin. She made no attempt to cover herself as Li Wei glanced at her.

  The younger sister, Malavika, however, blushed, grabbed a corner of the silk sheet and tried to cover herself, caught undressed by the young, handsome son of her master. She was gentler and softer, her breasts and hips fuller than her sister’s, her skin a deeper, duskier shade of brown.

  Li Baotian stirred.

  "Li Wei?" His voice was slurred. Groggy. His eyes opened slowly, like a man waking from a dream he did not want to leave, still exhausted from playing with his two much younger concubines all night. "What do you want?"

  He had thirty-five children from different women. Thirty-five known children, at least. There were likely more scattered across the land, bastards born in brothels and alleyways. Of those thirty-five, only twenty-one were still alive. The others had died by poison, disease, accidents that were anything but accidents.

  Li Baotian cared little for them. Children were distractions. Occasional tools. Temporary legacies. He paid more attention to his concubines. The new ones were even younger than his older children. And he was already working on making his thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh. Why would he even bother caring about the ones he had from older wives and concubines?

  It was a small miracle he even remembered Li Wei’s name.

  Li Wei bowed low.

  Not out of respect. But out of calculation.

  "Father," he said. "A messenger has arrived from the village of Yanshan. The village is under attack by Rakshasas. Men are being slaughtered. Women raped. Children eaten."

  Li Baotian blinked at him. Then waved a lazy hand.

  "And what of it? Those are just peasants. I have thousands of them."

  Li Wei felt heat rise to his face.

  But this was not the moment for anger.

  It was the moment for strategy.

  He straightened. Kept his voice calm. His expression thoughtful.

  "Yanshan sits along a major trade route," he said. "If the village falls, trade will be disrupted. Goods will be delayed. Tax collection will be reduced. Wine shipments could be lost."

  That caught Li Baotian’s attention.

  "A disruption in the flow of wine, you say?" The man sat up slightly, frowning.

  Li Wei nodded. "Yes. And Prince Shen Yuntao is expected to visit your estate soon, is he not?"

  Li Baotian paled.

  He had sided with Shen Yuntao in the ongoing civil war for the throne. The prince was powerful. Vain. Cruel. His temper was infamous. He had once executed a minor noble for serving him lukewarm tea. Slowly. Over three days.

  "If the prince sees ruins and corpses. If he hears that Rakshasas are burning your villages. That you failed to defend your lands. He might decide you are incompetent. He might feel displeased..." Li Wei let the words hang.

  Li Baotian shivered. Fear always got his attention.

  "Someone ought to do something," he said, his voice suddenly trembling.

  "Yes," Li Wei agreed. "Someone ought to."

  He did not say that someone was supposed to be Li Baotian himself.

  Everyone knew that the Emperor ruled by the mandate of the heavens. The nobles were chosen by him. Their first duty was to protect the people under them.

  But Li Baotian had failed.

  However, Li Wei had never expected Li Baotian to ride out to defend his subjects.

  "Send me, father," he said smoothly. "Give me three hundred men. I will put down the Rakshasa threat. Protect your trade routes. Make sure the wine flows and the prince remains pleased."

  Li Baotian blinked, then nodded quickly.

  "Three hundred men," he said. "Yes. Take them. Go."

  Li Wei bowed again. Deeply. The perfect image of a loyal son.

  Inside, his heart burned.

  Not with gratitude. Not with loyalty.

  But with fury.

  He hated this man.

  This coward.

  This lecherous parasite.

  But he would use him. For now. Because this world needed saving, and Li Wei was willing to play the long game.

  Stat Progression Activated: Intelligence +0.1

  Stat Progression Activated: Charisma +0.1

  Li Wei found himself smiling. It was minor progress. But still, progress.

  And now? It was time to hunt the Rakshasas.