Alex stepped through the Wudang''s gates and lifted into the air, the wind whipping past him as he flew toward Qingshui City.
Momentster the familiar rooftops of the Bai family estate came into view, sprawling across the hillside like a fortress carved from white stone and ancient timber.
The moment his boots touched the gstones of the inner courtyard, every servant and guard froze. Faces turned, eyes wide with shock. Then, almost as one, the nearest attendants dropped into deep bows.
"Wee back, City Lord," they murmured.
Alex raised a hand, cutting the chorus short. "Send someone for Zhuge Liang. Now."
"Yes, City Lord." One guard straightened, already moving. He sprinted for the outer gate without another word.
Alex stood in the sudden quiet, the sun warm on his shoulders.
Soft footsteps sounded behind him. Bai Yuhan emerged from the main hall, her silk robes whispering against the stone. She stopped a respectful distance away, hands folded.
“Big Brother,” she said, voice bright with surprise. "I never thought you would return so soon."
He gave her a single nod. "Only temporary. How have you been?"
"I''m well, Brother." She bowed again, lower this time, the picture of dutiful sister.
Alex studied her for half a second. She wasn''t his real sister-never had been. He still didn''t know what to do with her. "Off with you, then," he said, waving her away.
She lingered. "Big Brother... about the gold."
He cut her off before the plea could fully form. "What? Already gone? Fine. Here."
From the storage ring on his finger he drew a heavy wooden chest and set it on the ground between them.
Bai Yuhan''s eyes widened.
"Big Brother," she whispered.
“Take it,” he said, voice t. "Whenever you need more, juste to me. No games."
"Thank you, Big Brother." She dipped into another bow, then hurried forward and seized the chest by its iron handles. The box was far heavier than anything she had carried before; her arms trembled with the strain.
In the past she would haveined, stamped her foot, thrown one of her famous tantrums. Today she only smiled wider, as if the ache in her shoulders was the sweetest gift he could have given.
Alex turned away without watching her struggle off with the gold. He crossed the wide courtyard to the open training ground beyond the main buildings.
There, he reached into the ring again and produced four sleek satellites, each the size of a cow. He set them down in a neat line, powered them on with a flick of his wrist, and stepped back.
The rocket thruster beams activated with a rising whine. In seconds the satellites shot skyward, climbing fast and straight until they were nothing but four dark specks against the clouds.
"My satellites," he muttered, grim satisfaction settling over him. Over time, he would keepunching more satellites so he could remain connected to Mother Gaia from anywhere in the sky.
He continued into the quiet of his private quarters, sliding the heavy door shut behind him. From the ring he drew onest object: a veryrge, matte-ck sphere the size of an elephant. He set it carefully on the middle of the room. This would be the new Mother Al for Qingshui City.
His mind was already moving ahead.
He would link the Wudang Sect''s trade routes to the city''s markets, flooding Qingshui with their rare herbs, weapons, and spirit pills. The people here needed steady work, steady coin. And he needed a new army.
A respectful knock sounded from outside.
"City Lord," a calm voice called. "Zhuge Liang has arrived to answer your summons."
Alex exhaled once, then walked back into the sunlight. There, waiting in the courtyard, stood the middle-aged strategist—back straight, hands sped behind him, eyes sharp and steady.
The real work could finally begin.
Alex crooked a finger. "Come here."
Zhuge Liang crossed the courtyard in three measured strides, hands still sped behind his back. "Anymands, City Lord?"
Without warning Alex reached out and pressed a slim transparent band against the base of Zhuge Liang''s neck. The device locked on with a soft click, cool metal warming instantly against skin.
Words red to life in the air before the strategist''s eyes—crisp, glowing blue text hovering like ghosts. Schematics. Maps. Real-time city data. Even he, the sharpest mind in Qingshui, rocked back a half-step, stunned.
"This..." Zhuge Liang''s voice came out hoarse. "I heard the Prussians were developing something like this."
Alex snorted. "Prussians? This was built by Wudang."
Zhuge Liang''s gaze snapped to him. "Wudang? Impossible. They don''t possess this kind of technology."
"They do now." Alex folded his arms. "There''s a man named Jun Jiu in the sect. Once-in-ten-thousand-years genius. He became the sect master''s chosen sessor for a reason."
Zhuge Liang stared at the floating interface a moment longer, then gave a slow, stunned nod. “So the stories from the trader with the Wudang were right after all.”
“Believe the rumors you''ve been hearing from the traders. They''re true. Jun Jiu is truly amazing."
Alex reached into the ring again and produced a heavy wooden crate. He set it down with a solid thud and flipped the lid open. Inside, dozens of identical transparent bands gleamed under the sunlight.
"I want every single person in Qingshui City wearing one of these by week''s end," he said. "No exceptions."
Zhuge Liang bowed low, but his expression stayed troubled. "City Lord... I fear that will be difficult to achieve."
Alex''s brow tightened. "Why?"
"Some still cling to your uncle''s old faction. They refuse to ept our authority. The judge and the magistrates are the worst. I''ve tried to bring them to heel, but the old regime is like deep-rooted weeds-hard to pull outpletely."
A dangerous smile curved Alex''s mouth. "Good. So the City Lord gives an order and they choose to ignore it." His voice dropped, cold and quiet. "Tell me exactly who they are."
Zhuge Liang listed the names, each oneced with careful distaste.
"Show me where they''re hiding," Alex said, his voice t. "I''ll deal with them myself."
A wave of qi wrapped around Zhuge Liang without touching him. Alex lifted his hand slightly, and the strategist rose smoothly into the air beside him.
“Core Formation..." he breathed. “You reached it... in only a few months?" Both of them shot upward and flew together over the estate rooftops.
"Over there," Zhuge Liang said, pointing toward the eastern wing while fighting to keep his voice steady. "The magistrate''s office. They''re meeting inside right now."
Alex gave a sharp nod. They descended in a silent rush of wind andnded without a sound just outside the heavy double doors. A gentle pulse of qi lowered Zhuge Liang to the stones beside him.
"All you old bastards," Alex''s voice cracked across the entire estate like a whip, dripping with mocking contempt, "get out here. Now."
Inside the magistrate''s hall, the urgent whispering died instantly. The half-dozen elderly officials froze around thecquered table as the insolent words sliced through the thick wooden doors and echoed off the walls.
A heartbeat of stunned silence.
Then the heavy double doors exploded open with a thunderous bang.
All of them stormed out in a whirlwind of silk and fury, faces flushed purple with rage. These were proud, powerful men-men who had spent decades watching others bow, tremble, and obey without question.
No one had ever dared address them with such open contempt. Whoever this insolent fool was, they would see him broken and thrown into the deepest cell before the sun touched the horizon.
Then they saw him.
"Bai Xiaochun?" one of them hissed, shock ripping the fury from his voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Do you think that just because you''re the city lord, you can look down on us?" another official snarled.
"We will send a petition straight to the king!" a third spat, face twisted with rage. "We''ll see how arrogant you can still be once you''ve been kicked out of your position as city lord!"
Alex didn''t answer. He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Six sleek transparent bands shot forward like striking snakes and locked onto the backs of their necks with soft, final clicks. The Gaia nano-bots pierced skin and flooded their nervous systems before any of the men could flinch. Glowing blue text andmands red to life in front of their eyes.
"What the hell is this?" one elder snarled, wing uselessly at his neck.
"Six old bastards," Alex said, voice low and lethal, "take off your clothes. And dance."
“Bai Xiaochun, you wretched little bastard!" the lead elder roared, veins bulging. "How dare you do this to us? Don''t think we won''t petition the king himself and have
you stripped of your position—"
The threat died in his throat.
Their bodies betrayed them.
Hands moved against their will, tearing at sashes and belts. Luxurious robes and jackets slid to the stone floor one by one until the six old high-ranking officials stood trembling in nothing but their thin undergarments, dignity stripped bare under the open sky.
Then the nightmare deepened.
In perfect, horrifying synchronization their legs lifted high, arms flowed in graceful arcs, and their bodies began an elegant ballet spinning, leaping, kicking with unnatural precision and beauty. The sight would have been mesmerizing if it weren''t so grotesque.
"What is happening to me?!" one screamed, eyes wild with terror.
"My body... it''s moving on its own!"
"What kind of evil sorcery is this? Stop it!"
They danced on, forced smiles frozen on their faces while pure panic burned in their
eyes. Proud men reduced to puppets in the middle of the courtyard, their every graceful movement a fresh knife of humiliation.
Alex watched without blinking, a cold satisfaction settling deep in his chest. He reached into his storage ring, pulled out arge wooden crate, and dropped it onto
the gstones with a heavy thud. Insidey thousands gleaming transparent Gaia
bands.
"Listen carefully," he said, voice
cutting through their panicked cries.
"You will take this box and distribute
every single one of these devices to your families your subordinates, and your entire factions. You have
twenty-four hours. If even one person is missing a band by noon tomorrow, your brains will explode inside your skulls."
The six men choked on their own breath, still dancing helplessly as invisible strands
of qi jerked their limbs like puppets on strings. Tears of rage and fear streaked their wrinkled faces.
"You don''t want to answer?” Alex sneered. "Fine. Then Imand you to kneel and say ''yes'' to me."
No matter how desperately they resisted, their bodies betrayed them. One by one,
the proud officials crashed to their knees and bowed low before him, their voices shaking with humiliated fury as they choked out the word.
Alex turned to Zhuge Liang, who stood a few paces back, his face pale with unease.
"Zhuge Liang," he said calmly, "tell me which divisions still dare to protest against me?"
Zhuge Liang swallowed hard. "City Lord... if you continue like this, the people will brand you a tyrant. A ruthless dictator. Even a demon."
Alex stepped closer andid a firm hand on the strategist''s shoulder, squeezing
once.
"You''re right,” he said, a dark smile touching his lips. “I am a tyrant. I am a dictator.
Even a demon. So we''ll do things my way."
For the rest of that day and long into
the night, the streets of Qingshui City erupted. Angry shouts and bitter
curses rang from every corner, every market and every alley. The name Bai Xiaochun City Lord echoed everywhere, spoken with raw fear, open hatred, and defiant fury.
The storm Alex had unleashed had only just begun.