The Gu Clan was liked a kicked beehive.
Panic had swept through the courtyards like a wildfire.
Torches began to flare to life one by one, as boots pounded against the cobblestones, and shouts echoed into the night sky.
"Search the guest quarters! Lock down the perimeter!" Gu Chen's voice ripped through the night air, completely devoid of its usual calm. At this moment, he sounded frantic and furious.
Gu Fan listened to the distant shouting as he leaned against the cold stone, crossing his arms with a wicked grin plastered on his face.
He had the King-Tier Phantom Veil Cloak sitting in his inventory.
He could have just thrown it over his head and walked straight through the chaos completely invisible.
But he didn't do that.
He didn't want to skulk around the clan corridors like an invisible rat.
He had just murdered a 9th Stage Body Tempering cultivator, robbed him of his treasures, stripped him of his clothes, and hung his castrated corpse at the front gate.
He didn't want to hide tonight.
So Gu Fan did the simplest thing he could do; walk straight through the corridors hiding in plain sight. He was, after all, a member of the Gu Clan, even if he was treated like dirt.
In the middle of all the screaming, and panic, no one would pay attention to the crippled trash in a ragged grey servant uniform.
He casually strolled down the dimly lit paths, walking leisurely, as the guards sprinted past him with their weapons drawn.
Maids ran while carrying fresh bandages and anti-septic potions, completely ignoring him.
At one point, a panicked disciple nearly slammed right into him.
"You! Trash! Don't just stand there!" the disciple yelled, pointing a trembling finger, "Go check the training grounds for Young Master Chen!"
The disciple didn't even wait for a response, immediately sprinting off toward the armoury.
Gu Fan just smirked, completely ignoring the order, and continued his casual midnight stroll. The sheer incompetence of the clan's security was laughable.
Finally, Gu Fan arrived at the innermost sanctum. This was Madam Li's private courtyard.
And here, despite the chaos erupting in the outer estate, the Matriarch's quarters were their usual silent. Two personal maidservants stood rigidly outside her chamber with their hands resting on short swords.
"They won't let me pass," Gu Fan whispered to himself.
And without thinking twice, the Phantom Veil Cloak materialized over his shoulders. The black fabric wrapped over him, swallowing him whole, as he vanished instantly, and silencing his footsteps entirely.
Now without a shred of worry, he walked right up to the maids. They were seriously looking around, entirely oblivious to the man standing mere inches from their faces.
Gu Fan reached out and smoothly slid the wooden door open.
Sling!
The two maids jumped, drawing their swords with a sharp metallic ring. They spun around, staring into the brightly lit, empty room.
"Who's there?!" one maid hissed.
There was nothing but the night breeze.
"It… it must be the wind," the second maid stammered, not believing her own words, "Shut it. The Matriarch will punish us if we let a draft in."
They quickly slid the door shut, locking it from the outside.
The room smelled heavily of expensive incense and lotus oil. Dim red lanterns cast a warm, sensual glow over the massive bed and the polished wooden furniture.
At the far end of the room, sitting on a stool in front of a large bronze mirror, was Madam Li.
She looked breathtaking.
She wore a purplish silk nightgown that was scandalously thin, clinging to her mature, heavy curves. The fabric was practically transparent under the lantern light, clearly revealing the dark, hardened peaks of her nipples and the outline between her thighs.
She was calmly dragging a wooden comb through her long, dark hair.
Gu Fan took a silent step forward.
Madam Li didn't turn around. Her dark eyes narrowed sharply in the reflection of the bronze mirror.
"Who is it?" she asked, her voice dripping with absolute, freezing authority.
Gu Fan didn't say a word. He just stood there, letting the tension build.
Getting no response, Madam Li's eyes flashed with lethal intent. Her wrist flicked with blinding speed.
The heavy wooden comb shot backward like a throwing knife, aimed directly at the space between Gu Fan's eyes.
Gu Fan didn't flinch. His hand snapped up, catching the comb just an inch from his face.
"Hostile tonight, aren't we?" Gu Fan chuckled, tossing the comb onto a nearby table, along with that he removed the cloak as well.
Madam Li gasped. She spun around on the stool, her icy facade instantly crumbling.
"Gu Fan?" Her chest heaved, making the thin purple silk stretch taut over her breasts, "What are you doing here?"
"Are you out of your mind? The whole clan is on high alert!"
She quickly stood up, rushing over to him. She kept her voice down to a harsh whisper so the maids outside wouldn't hear.
"You shouldn't be here. The guards could search my quarters any minute."
Gu Fan didn't step back, instead he walked forward, close enough that his chest pressed against hers. He looked down into her panicked eyes, acting hurt.
"What's wrong?" Gu Fan asked, trailing a rough finger down her jawline, "Didn't you miss me?"
Madam Li shuddered at his touch. Her breath hitched. The 25 years of starved Yin in her body recognized its master instantly.
"Of course I did," she whispered, her voice dropping its Matriarch tone and becoming thick with desperation, "You have no idea how much."
She leaned in close, her face inches from his. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin.
"Watching you at the banquet tonight," she breathed, her dark eyes completely dilated, "Watching you mock that fat pig right in front of everyone… it made me so wet. I needed you right there, right then in front of all of them if I could."
"But I had to hold myself back."
"You don't know how hard it was," Madam Li spoke as her fragrant smell swept Gu Fan off his feet.
"You don't know how wet I was."