In his memories, the previous Ren Yao had always been kind to his guards and treated them fairly. It wasn’t a case of feeding the dog scraps but a firm understanding that equal measures fear and respect built loyalty.

As the unless son of his noble Father and mighty Grandfather he could garner neither fear nor respect.

But he could treat them well enough that they, hopefully, wouldn’t be the ones to stick a knife in his back.

Now that he was a new Ren, he had no desire to let those years of work go to waste. What one Master had sown, another would reap; his way of retaining the status quo. The more trees he could shelter under until his strength grew sufficient, the better.

His Grandfather, Father and these Guards.

These three tall trees were enough to allow him to grow slowly and properly nurture his maturation.

He sipped his wine slowly thinking this as he watched those fearless protectors relax and enjoy their meal. They tore into one greasy chicken after another and drank both the wine and soup with abandon.

Even Xiao Wan had settled into the mood as he was currently fighting over the last dumpling with several of the men at his table.

Just as they were settling into a second round, a chubby hand landed on Ren Yao slim shoulder.

“Why don’t you come and spend some time entertaining this Young Master instead pretty lady?”

The joyous atmosphere at the table instantly vanished, icy silence stifled boisterous laughter.

A sloppy faced middle aged man was standing behind their Young Lord, from his reddened face you could tell he had already had one too many. The entire squad of Black Tiger guards narrowed their eyes and slide one hand to their impressive blades in an all too natural movement.

With his flowery feminine robe and long unbound hair, Ren Yao could easily see how someone could mistake him for a woman but compared to his beautiful countenance before the current Ren Yao was like a dogs arse.

Completely disregarding the mood, the drunkard continued.

“Come, come, come away. It shouldn’t cost too much to buy your time. These soldiers should also know not to bring cheap women into such a high-class establishment. Just treat it as this father giving a lesson.”

“What dissatisfied? Don’t think you can go against me. Even those from the three big families give this Young Master greeting when we pass in the street.”

At some stage, the rest of the third floor had tactfully cleared out.

Slightly amused by the current events, Ren Yao said nothing and continued to slip his wine lazily.

“What of the Ren family!?”

An irate Xiao Wan jumped up and barked, his little face a scarlet red from both the excellent wine and his seething anger. This outburst garnered small smiles and nods of appreciation by the nearest Guards.

“Those two old things are formidable, but their line stops with them. That waste has become a eunuch; how can they still have the face to strut around.”

“Even when he was a man, he was still not on I, his grandfathers, level.”

By now, the little servant was ready to explode.

How could he stand by and watch as someone slaps his Master in the face so boldly?

Just as he was about to lay into the drunk oaf, delicate fingers and a soft hand extended towards the plump one on the shoulder. They gently squeezed the pressure point on the back of the hand in a vice-like grip and with one smooth fluid motion wrenched it from the thin shoulder and brought it down and across.

Bang!

The middle-aged man’s head impacted, as though it was trying to pierce through the thick, sturdy wooden table.

Groggy now from the alcohol and the concussion he tilted his head and stared through teary eyes up at the beauty who attacked him. His face paled when he saw the dark sunken eyes and the pale masculine features of the Capitals number one silk-pants, what a grave miscalculation!

Dian Nanhai did not cultivate.

As a merchant, he had the money to buy guards to protect himself who had even reach the Yellow Qi realm. He cursed himself again for not taking them out with him when he slipped out to go drinking today.

Ren Yao didn’t even meet the eyes of the startled man.

He just kept sipping his wine and gazing calmly out at the clear sky from the third floor.

“You’ve already made the wine taste bad. Should I lose my appetite as well, you will lose your head.”

The cold, passionless voice sent chills through the poor man, quickly sobering him up.

To add insult to injury, the young servant swaggered across hands behind his back and lent down over the man still pressed to the table by the simple joint lock.

“This is what happens when you don’t even put our Young Lords Ren family in your eyes.”

“Not even recognising Mount Tai in front of him.”

The cocky Xiao Wan dusted off his hands and looked to his Young Master. His bright shiny eyes were like a puppy looking for praise.

Ren Yao could not help but smile wryly at this little servant.

“Da Laoban, find out from the manager who this wretch is, then send a runner to his people. I was thinking my purse was getting a bit light, but now I can sell this thing that fell into my lap back to them. Truly Heaven favours the righteous.”

Da Laoban was the captain of the Black Tiger guards as well as being one of the squads ‘Big’ three, he was the older brother of Da Qui. He saluted and moved the men as instructed.

Soon a small standard was draped over the front of the third floor balcony facing the street.

The yellow flag was made up of a fierce roaring black tiger and a single bold black character; ‘Ren’. It was the Young Lord’s standard and in the past was used quite frequently when creating mischief in the Capital.

It meant they had just commandeered the entire third floor of the Water Lily Inn for an indefinite amount of time.

The frightened staff could do nothing but continue to serve them, every so often they would spare pitying glances at the gagged man trussed up like a convicted criminal.

Awaiting the return of his runner, Ren Yao thought about all the benefits his new position had and how best to put them to use.