[Perspective: Jin Hao]
The safe house in the lower merchant district was suffocatingly quiet.
Jin Hao sat cross legged on the woven straw mat in the center of the guest room. The air around him shimmered with the chaotic energy of his Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
He was trapped here. Su Lian had strictly forbidden him from leaving the courtyard.
"The Jin Family is executing anyone who matches your description," she had wept yesterday, her hands clutching his robes. "Please, Jin Hao, do not risk yourself. I could not bear it if they caught you."
Her tears had moved him. Her desperation to keep him safe fed his ego. He was a wanted man, a dangerous outlaw sheltered by a beautiful noblewoman. It was incredibly romantic.
But romance did not feed the Treasure Devourer System.
He was stagnating. He needed a massive influx of energy to breach the Golden Core realm.
The sliding door suddenly rattled and slid open with a sharp clack.
Jin Hao jumped, his Qi flaring defensively, ready to summon the terrifying white fire.
It was Suyu, Su Lian's personal maid. The girl looked breathless, her face flushed with exertion. She quickly stepped inside and slid the door shut behind her, leaning against it as she caught her breath.
"Young Master Jin!" Suyu gasped, bowing hurriedly. "Forgive my intrusion. I bring urgent news!"
Jin Hao relaxed his posture, pulling his aura back in. He looked down his nose at the maid.
He still harbored a deep resentment toward her. She was the one who had failed to save his father. He tolerated her only because she belonged to Su Lian.
"Speak," Jin Hao commanded, his tone arrogant.
"My Mistress sent me to the central market to gather supplies," Suyu explained, wringing her hands nervously. "While I was there, I made contact with one of our deep cover informants. A servant who works inside the Jin Family's main kitchen."
Jin Hao's eyes narrowed. "The Jin Estate? What did the spy say? Is Bolin still crying over his broken wall?"
"Patriarch Jin is furious, yes," Suyu nodded quickly. "But he is also terrified. The explosion... it shattered their main defensive array. The elders are in a panic, fearing another attack from the 'monster' who robbed them."
Jin Hao smirked. Monster. They call me a monster because they fear my power.
"Get to the point, girl," Jin Hao snapped.
"Yes, Young Master. Because the main estate is compromised, Patriarch Jin Bolin has ordered an emergency relocation of their remaining high value assets," Suyu said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "They are abandoning the compromised vaults."
Jin Hao stood up, the floorboards creaking under his boots. "Relocation? To where?"
"To the 'Iron Lotus Compound'," Suyu revealed. "It is a highly fortified estate owned by the Jin Family, located near the eastern city gates. It is smaller, but the defensive formations there are fully intact and highly concentrated."
Jin Hao began to pace the small room, his mind racing.
"When?" he demanded, stopping to glare at the maid. "When are they moving the assets?"
"Tonight," Suyu said. "The informant said the Patriarch does not want to risk waiting. They are packing the remaining high grade Spirit Tools, the emergency pill reserves and the restricted cultivation manuals into three heavily armored carriages. They will move through the city under the cover of darkness, taking the merchant roads to avoid drawing attention."
Jin Hao felt an intoxicating vibration in his blood.
Pills.
Spirit Tools.
Restricted manuals.
His uncle was boxing up a buffet and putting it on wheels.
"Three carriages," Jin Hao muttered, a predatory smile stretching across his face. "Moving through the city at night."
The door slid open again.
Su Lian stood in the doorway. She wore a simple white robe, her hair tied back loosely. She looked pale, her eyes wide with manufactured terror. She had clearly been listening outside.
"Jin Hao, no," Su Lian breathed, stepping into the room and walking quickly toward him. "I heard what Suyu said. You cannot be considering this."
Jin Hao turned to her, puffing out his chest, projecting the image of an invincible warrior. "Su Lian. This is perfect. It is exactly what I need."
"It is a death trap!" Su Lian cried, reaching out and grabbing his forearms. Her grip was surprisingly strong. "Jin Bolin is not a fool! He will have his best men guarding those carriages!"
"His best men are weak," Jin Hao scoffed, gently but firmly prying her hands off his arms. He held her hands in his, looking down into her fearful eyes. "You heard what happened at the shack. I wiped out an elite squad in seconds. I turned a Captain to ash."
"But that was a small squad!" Su Lian protested, a tear slipping artistically down her cheek. "Tonight, he will send Elders! He might even escort the caravan himself! He is a Peak Golden Core expert, Jin Hao! You are Late Stage Foundation Establishment. The gap is too wide. If he catches you... he will torture you just like he..."
She stopped, biting her lip, looking away as if unable to voice the memory of his father's death. It was a masterfully calculated emotional strike.
Jin Hao's face hardened into a mask of pure fury.
"Bolin owes me blood," Jin Hao growled, the anger vibrating in his chest. "He owes me for five years of humiliation. He owes me for my father's life."
"Revenge will not bring him back!" Su Lian pleaded, stepping closer, pressing her soft body against his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please, Jin Hao. I have already lost so much. My sister has taken my future, my family has cast me aside. You are... you are the only one who understands me. The only one who fights back. If you go out there and die... I will be truly alone."
Jin Hao felt his breath catch. The physical contact, the scent of her jasmine perfume, the desperate plea in her voice… it fed his ego like pure oxygen.
She wasn't just a jade like beauty, she was a damsel begging for her knight to stay safe.
He raised a hand, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. He felt like a towering mountain sheltering a delicate flower.
"I will not die, Su Lian," he said, his voice deep and resonant with false bravado. "I am not a normal cultivator. I possess a destiny that Jin Bolin cannot even comprehend."
He stepped back, breaking the embrace, his eyes burning with a manic light.
"This is not just about revenge," Jin Hao explained, pacing toward the window. "I need those resources. I am trapped at the Peak of Foundation Establishment. I need a massive influx of pure energy to condense my Golden Core. If I let those carriages reach the fortified compound, I will never get another chance at them."
"But the danger..." Su Lian whispered, wringing her hands.
"I am a dragon, Su Lian," Jin Hao sneered. "And a dragon does not hide in a shed while dogs steal his gold."
He turned back to face her, his posture straight, his chin raised in supreme arrogance.
"I will intercept the caravan," Jin Hao declared. "I will strip the carriages bare. And if Jin Bolin is there... I will burn his Golden Core from his chest and feed it to the dirt."
He walked over to where his blood stained cloak hung on a wooden peg. He pulled it over his shoulders, pulling the dark hood up to shadow his face.
"Wait for me here, Su Lian," Jin Hao said, his voice lowering to a romantic whisper. "Keep the tea warm. I will return before dawn. And when I do... I will bring you the wealth of the Jin Family to spoil you as you deserve."
Su Lian stood perfectly still, her hands clasped to her chest, her face a portrait of anxious devotion. "Please... come back to me."
Jin Hao gave her confident smirk, a protagonist heading off to claim his fated loot. He turned and slipped out the back window, disappearing into the gathering dusk of the city
PS: I'm really sorry, guys, for not uploading chapters over the last four days. One of my colleagues was on leave, so we were short on doctors for night duty, and I had to cover his shifts since he covered mine last time, haha.