The feeling of being superior to others is indeed quite pleasant.
No wonder there isn't a single disciple of the Holy Sect who harbors compassion. In the face of absolute strength, any excess emotion is meaningless.
Atop a high pavilion, Master Cai Huang sat on a plush bench, calmly watching everything unfold.
He did not show the slightest displeasure at Wu Hen's arrogant and overbearing manner. On the contrary, he found this illegitimate child increasingly pleasing to the eye.
In fact, Cai Huang had only seen Qi Lang a few times. After his mother's death, he had been directly left in the care of his subordinates, and for many years, the impression Qi Lang left on Cai Huang was one of weakness, timidity, and a bit of dullness.
It was probably the result of the environment, after going through life and death trials, the boy's potential was gradually unearthed, and he was becoming more and more wolf-like.
In a place like the Holy Sect, there are two types that can survive. One is by being an utterly submissive dog, with not a shred of resistance, serving one's master to the utmost of comfort.
The other is filled with an indomitable spirit, someone who grows by gnawing on the flesh of others, causing those around him to not dare covet anything from them. Only then can one live longer.
The rest, for the most part, will not accomplish anything great, and are the easiest to die a sudden death!
Out of a total of eight children, three have died, leaving four who are all quite decent, especially the second eldest, who already possesses a high position in the Divine Realm. After I finish dealing with the matters here, I can go to her.
"Father, you've given him a lot of power, aren't you afraid this boy might become rebellious? After all, you never treated him as a person before," said a girl who bore a resemblance to Cai Huang, inheriting a handsome face.
"Cai Ni, you should call him brother in the future," Cai Huang said.
"He doesn't deserve it," the girl retorted, pursing her lips, not considering this suddenly emerged figure to be important.
"I have observed his Holy Infant, which is more profound than I imagined. Perhaps he will advance from Holy Form to Holy Child faster than you," Cai Huang said.
"How could that be? He clearly hasn't mastered any Advanced Saint Technique!"
"In terms of cultivation, he may not be your equal, that's only because he didn't have the chance to come into contact with our Holy Sect's Advanced Saint Techniques. However, his Holy Form is not the result of forced growth; he has broken through on his own... Additionally, you should know that Qing Meng and Gu Yue, who were sent out by Xin Feng, are no less remarkable than you, yet they did not live to return. Some things cannot be attributed solely to fortune," Cai Huang said calmly.
"So what are your plans for him, father? Are you going to take him with you to meet your second daughter?" The girl asked with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Your second sister has strong misgivings towards me, but she holds affection for you, her younger siblings. She needs trustworthy kin in the Divine Realm, especially those worthy of being cultivated to become her right-hand men. If none of you catch her eye, our path ahead will be difficult," Cai Huang said.
"Father, since when do we have to look at my second sister's face?" asked the girl.
"She is now the star of the Sky Dome, and at my age, I still do not shine as she does. She will only become more dazzling..." Cai Huang said.
"Is my second sister really that formidable?"
"This seemingly prosperous and strong Red Port, she could obliterate it single-handedly, while we can only lie in wait here, biding our time," Cai Huang's gaze swept over the empty, barren, lifeless Infinite Red Port, as if it was a territory exiled to a cold, desolate land.
"What is the relationship between Cai Ting and your second sister?"
"Their mothers were sisters," Cai Huang said.
After hearing this, the girl didn't think much of it.
In the Holy Sect, it's common for men of high status to have multiple wives and concubines.
So, my second sister's mother is Father's official wife, Cai Ting's mother is a concubine, and these two mothers are sisters by blood.
Each child of my father has a different mother, but obviously, the relationship between my second sister's and Cai Ting's mothers is closer due to their kinship.
Suddenly, the girl understood why her father had started to value Qi Lang, the least useful of his children, so highly.
With my second sister's rise to power, she had reached a position even higher than our father, becoming increasingly out of reach.
The sins committed by Father, Cai Huang, in the past had caused my second sister to detest her own father; she'd never come to the aid of a father relegated to the Outer Sect, and even if he sought refuge with her, she would likely be turned away.
However, if Cai Huang were to visit her with Cai Yan, especially now that Cai Yan had shown such promising potential, she might be accepted due to the blood ties through their mothers. After all, when my second sister's family was in dire straits, it was Cai Ting's mother who took care of her...
All of a sudden, the gazes of the young girl, Cai Ni, towards her father changed.
She thought to herself, how could Father be so poor at judging character, with the children he disliked managing to turn the tables on him, while the ones he doted on either died or made no significant progress in their cultivation?
"Don't be petulant, understand? Even if you don't like your brother, try to mend your sibling relationship by visiting him more in the coming days. When you are with your second sister, you can get taken care of as well, which is crucial for your advancement," Cai Huang said.
"I'll remember that."
After much hesitation, Cai Ni felt that there was no better time to visit her brother.
Having hardly ever stayed at the Master Mansion, she was unfamiliar with the affairs here, so following her father's advice to get on good terms now seemed most appropriate.
Consequently, Cai Ni made her way to her brother's new quarters.
As soon as she entered, she could hear the music of string and woodwind instruments. In the moderately-sized and elegant courtyard, a man with his eyes covered expressed longing, his hands constantly reaching out into the air as if trying to catch beautiful butterflies...
In the courtyard, there were several ladies, each with a graceful figure and wearing light gossamer dresses that barely concealed their silhouettes under the lamp light. Their bare feet moved among the shadows of the court; now dancing with charming grace, now playfully laughing and hiding, engaging in a vulgar game with the blindfolded man with feigned rejection and invitation.
The integrity of ritual and music had collapsed, and the vulgarity was unbearable!
Cai Ni couldn't help but feel angry...
This brother truly inherited our father's excellent hobbies, enjoying such a feast of beauties in his courtyard during broad daylight. Has he been repressed for so long that he has to release it immediately??
Before Cai Ni could voice her thoughts, her brother reached out towards her, his hand nearly touching her chest.
Cai Ni hadn't even had the chance to react when the seemingly slow and simple stride of the man felt like it had touched her in the blink of an absence of mind; she didn't even understand how he did it!
"Eh, I thought I said that male housekeepers shouldn't enter the courtyard. You're disturbing my lordship's pleasure. Drag him out and break his legs!" Wu Hen, without even bothering to remove his blindfold, incarnated the profligate scion to perfection.
In fact, it was a natural performance for him since his own family used to be quite affluent, and he would organize such little games when there was nothing better to do.
Being offended was already an immense indignity, but the words that followed from the man made Cai Ni further collapse. She snatched the blindfold from Wu Hen's eyes and, suppressing the anger in her chest with all her might, said, "Brother, you certainly have fine tastes. I thought you might be struggling to adapt to life here."