Chapter 476 - Blood and Steak

Li Qiang"s footsteps clipped- clop down the heated stone floors. It echoed down the hall-way, immediately attracting the attention of the women sitting in two long rectangular tables. He walked inside the dining room, face stern, devoid of any expression.

Silence followed his entrance.

The smell of various perfumes immediately a.s.saulted his senses. He frowned and eyed the women who were wearing various colorful clothes. Some were dressed scantily, showing off their a.s.sets, while some chose the biggest hairdo that they could come up with. The smell of fruity perfume overpowered the steak in front of him. He gritted his teeth as he sat on the head seat.

"Let us begin." He uttered and got himself the steak. However, before he could even slice his food. One woman interrupted him.

"Let me do it for you, master." The woman gave a sweet smile as she leaned closer, showing her overflowing cleavage.

Li Qiang narrowed his eyes at her. He rose from his seat. "Nevermind. I already lost my appet.i.te."

"Master." Gasps and whispers echoed inside the room. The woman who was about to slice his food immediately approached him, tears welling in her eyes. "Master. Please forgive me. I did not mean to offend you." He clutched his hand, leaning closer as he pressed her b.r.e.a.s.t against his arms.

"Take your filthy hands off me!" Li Qiang hissed and pushed the woman away. Disgust quickly flashed in his eyes."Give it to me." He eyed Gregory, who was carrying his sword.

"Master… You —" Gregory swallowed his non-existent saliva.

"Now!"

"Yes, Master." Gregory strode towards him and gave him the sword. Li Qiang gripped it with his right hand, his lips lifted into a smile at the woman crying on the floor.

"M-Master…" the woman stuttered. Eyeing the sword, she kneeled in front of him. "I… Please forgive this servant. This servant..."

"M-Master! Please forgive sister Anille!" The woman sitting near Li Qiang rose from her seat and kneeled in front of him. "Sister Anille only wanted to make you happy." The woman was wearing a red floor-length dress, her hair was in a simple bun. Her brows furrowed, face pale. Any man would pity such an innocent face. But Li Qiang was not just any man.

"Master… we beg of you." The three women sitting next to Anille got down on their knees, tears streaming down their faces.

Li Qiang stared at them, disgust apparent in his face. All he wanted is to end their lives. The urge to decapitate them flowed through him. Then he s.h.i.+fted his gaze to the other women on the table. Some were covering their faces, some were pale, and some were crying. He wondered, how long can these women keep up this facade. Their sobbing and teary expression only made Li Qiang more disgusted.

The previous Li Qiang would have invited them into his quarters immediately. He would have wiped away their tears and drown them with kisses. What a silly man.

"I told everyone that I want to eat in peace." He said, his eyes scrutinized each women. To his surprise, the woman who was crying at his bedside when he woke up was not here. "However… you came and defied my orders." His voice was low, dark. He sighed and smiled.

"Tell me… who gave you the courage to defy my orders?" he asked.

"Master… it was my fault. It was my fault. I insisted on coming." The one wearing the red dress said. "Do not blame them… please punish me."

The woman met Li Qiang"s eyes. He remembered her. This woman was the daughter of the minister of finance. A spoiled one who always thought that she could get whatever she wanted. WIth her innocent and beautiful face, this was easily achievable. This woman could supress the previous Li Qiang with her tears and weary tone. This was also his second wife, the second madam of their residence.

On the outside, the woman was very sweet and docile. However, Li Qiang knew that this one was intentionally placed by her own father to spy on him. Then the minister would report it to the king.

The previous Li Qiang did not really care about this. After all, he was doing nothing. Literally nothing. He would sleep and eat and get drunk and sleep with two to three women every day. An absolute fool who thought he was living the best of his life.

"Very well." Li Qiang said and suddenly removed the scabbard of the sword. Without a second thought he swiftly decapitated the woman. The sound of her head rolling on the floor made Li Qiang smile. He eyed everyone"s reaction, and bathe on the terror displayed in their faces.

The smell of iron and rust filled the room as some women fell from their seats, fainting at the sight of the blood.

"Master!" It took Gregory a long time to react. "Master… That was Lady Martha, daughter of the…"

"She said I could punish her." Li Qiang shrugged and s.h.i.+fted his gaze at Gregory. "Are you saying that I do not have the right to punish my property?"

"Master, I —" Li Qiang approached Gregory.

"Are you saying that her father is more powerful than me and my brother?" He smiled at him.

"That — That is not my — It"s just that these women only wanted to make you happy."

"I told you to keep them away from me." Li Qiang said. "Are you blaming me for punis.h.i.+ng them?"

Gregory"s eyes were so wide, they almost fell from its sockets. He swallowed another mouthful of saliva. Li Qiang was never good with words. Gregory knew that something was off. But Li Qiang"s arrogance before when it comes to his brother was still the same. He wondered if this was only because Li Qiang was mad because of the accident.

"Are you saying that the word of the Royalty… is nothing? And that all these women are more powerful than my bloodline?"

"Master!" Gregory gasp and fell down to his knees. "I said no such thing! Please forgive me."

"Good." Li Qiang smirked. "Know your place." He s.h.i.+fted his gaze into the group of women. "Now… Now… Who else wanted to be punished?"

Everyone hastily shook their heads as if their lives depended on it. They stared at him, wide eyed, silently begging that he would asked them to leave.

"Good. Now… go to your rooms and do not let me see your faces again." He pointed at the woman who touched him earlier. Surprisingly, the woman did not faint and just kept on staring at him, her eyes wide with terror.

If his memory serves him right, this woman used to work in a brothel where Li Qiang used to frequent. "This woman saved your life. If you don"t want to end up like her… clean up the place. Do not leave any smell of that woman"s filthy blood in my dining room."

"The rest of you can leave now." He gave them a kind smile before sitting down on his seat.

"Gregory, give me wine." He ordered. "This steak is best paired with our finest wine."

Gregory stared at Li Qiang. He hesitated for a few seconds before he followed his orders and left the room to get the wine. When he came back, what he saw will haunt him forever.

Li Qiang was happily slicing his steak as the blood of the woman that he just killed pooled in his shoes. He was humming a tune that Gregory was not familiar with. Sensing that someone was staring at him, Li Qiang lifted his head.

"Gregory. What are doing there? Come join me and give me my wine."