Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Those two slaps left Charlie's ears ringing and his mind blanked out.

The male servant cleaning in the shop was also shocked by the sudden violence, his heart pounding wildly.

"How dare you strike someone unprovoked!" The cleaner, gripping a duster in his hand, swung it toward Kane.

But before it could even graze Kane's clothes, Kane delivered a swift side kick, slamming the man hard against the wall.

Due to Kane's spinning motion, Charlie, who had been held by the collar, went flying out from behind the counter.

The maid standing in the corner of the shop, ironing clothes with hot water, curled her toes at the sight but ultimately couldn't work up the nerve to step in.

However, perhaps because she was still some distance away from Kane and Ning Chan, she hadn't frozen completely in panic.

Hooking her fingers at her waist, she unfastened a bronze whistle and brought it to her lips. Taking a deep breath, she let out two long blasts followed by a short one.

Hearing the sharp whistle, Ning Chan glanced over at her and began walking in her direction.

As Ning Chan drew closer, Guli's legs began to tremble, her entire body shaking so much that she couldn't even maintain the correct rhythm of the whistle.

"What... what do I do? Where are the patrols? Why aren't they here yet?" Guli prayed desperately in her heart, tears pooling in her eyes.

Stopping a few steps away from Guli, Ning Chan pulled out a guest chair, propped his feet up, and made himself comfortable.

Noticing the snacks and tea on the table, he reached over, gave them a sniff and, finding them acceptable, unwrapped the packaging and began eating.

With this delay, they wouldn't have much time left to shop anyway, so he might as well stay and see what was "wrong" with that guy, making him run his mouth like that.

Were people like them an exception, or the norm?

Seeing Ning Chan's casual attitude, as if he were lounging at home, Guli's stomach dropped. Just who were these two? Weren't they afraid of the patrols?

She shivered as she glanced at Charlie, who was struggling to get up from the floor, and swallowed hard. Had Third Young Master bitten off more than he could chew today and provoked the wrong people?

"You animal! Filthy thug! Just wait to be arrested! I'll sell you both to the Western Source Palace and have you begging for death!"

Charlie instinctively touched his stinging lips from speaking and felt something wet on his fingertips. Looking down, he saw thick red blood oozing down his fingers.

The sight of that glaring red enraged him further, but instead of seeking revenge himself, he slapped the male servant on the head and retreated a step. "What are you standing around for? Beat him up!"

"Tch, that's it?"

Watching this whole bully-the-weak, fear-the-strong routine, Ning Chan scoffed and turned to pour himself some tea.

Perhaps because "distinguished guests" often visited this shop, they kept decent tea and snacks on hand.

Hearing Ning Chan's laughter and seeing his carefree demeanor, Charlie saw red.

Damn it! If he couldn't take on that tall brute, couldn't he at least beat up this guy?

Dressed to look younger and more delicate today, Ning Chan was clearly mistaken as the weaker target.

Unfortunately for Charlie, his burning rage had nowhere to go. The moment he turned to charge at Ning Chan, his own servant tackled him to the ground.

It turned out the servant had thrown the duster at Kane, trying to catch him off guard, but Kane was faster.

Kane caught the duster with one hand and, with the other, grabbed the abacus Charlie had slammed onto the counter, cracking it across the servant's face. The abacus beads went flying.

The force was so great that the man toppled backward, landing right on top of Charlie, who had been trying to cause trouble for Ning Chan.

Watching the two flail on the ground like fish tossed ashore, Ning Chan felt as if he were watching a farce.

If there were a word to describe the state of the man beneath, it would probably be "helpless fury."

Kane, who had already begun unbuttoning his cuffs in preparation for a proper beating, paused at the sound of clanking armor outside the shop. His icy eyes grew even colder as they met the sneering expression of the man before him.

"Alright then. Show me how you’ll make me suffer," Kane said, abandoning the idea of rolling up his sleeves. His hard-soled boots landed squarely on Charlie, targeting every painful spot.

"Stop! No—stop kicking!" The patrol officers, having cleared the crowd outside, rushed in and shouted at the sight, immediately moving to separate them.

Just that afternoon, they had received orders to ensure nothing went wrong today. Now, right before their shift change, they stumbled into this mess—furious, flustered, and scrambling, desperate to resolve it quickly, praying it wouldn’t reach the King or His Holiness.

Just as they were about to rush in and pull them apart, they saw the man beating the "shopkeeper" glance at them, deliver one last kick to Charlie, and then step aside.

"You—how dare you—" A young, hotheaded rookie reached for the iron baton at his waist, ready to strike the man who had challenged their authority, only to be pulled back sharply by a fellow officer.

"Are you stupid? Do you even see who that is?"

Many in the patrol had fought alongside Kane on the battlefield and knew their king well. Even the newer recruits had seen him speak at training camps, his legend burned into their memories.

Kane’s hat had fallen off earlier, leaving only a pair of glasses—not nearly enough to hide who he was from the sharp-eyed patrol.

The one who had spoken out had simply been riled up by Kane’s actions, his mind slow to react. By the time his comrade pulled him back, his blood had already run cold. "Shit—I—I didn’t realize."

"What are you all staring at? Nothing to see here—get back to your duties!" The patrol captain didn’t even wipe the sweat from his brow, immediately ordering his men to secure the scene.

Though they didn’t know what had happened, if the king was involved, there had to be a reason.

Charlie, battered and spitting blood, squinted through swollen eyes at the scene, his head pounding with rage, leaving him utterly bewildered.

What—what was going on? Why weren’t the patrol arresting this brute?

Under Charlie’s panicked gaze, Kane calmly fixed his cufflinks, picked up his fallen hat, flicked away nonexistent dust, and placed it back on his head.

Ning Chan chose this for him—he couldn’t lose it here.

"Interrogate him. Find out what the Western Source Palace is and how it’s connected to the City of Bliss." If this idiot hadn’t brought Ning Chan into his rant, Kane might have endured it longer and dealt with him later. But the man had chosen to lose his mind.

Earlier, when yanking Charlie out from behind the counter, Kane had noticed the tattoo on his collarbone.

His rushed return had something to do with that mark.

No matter how deeply this man was involved, charging him for everything would ruin him.

Having witnessed the sins bred from desire in the palace and the church, and armed with Ning Chan’s lessons on health, Kane had banned brothels upon taking the throne.

If possible, Kane would have eagerly implemented Ning Chan’s proposed marriage system to impose even stricter control.

The thought of careless fools passing around sickness—unchecked, one infecting another—made Kane’s skin crawl.

Ning Chan had said there was no fixing those diseases.

Remembering how some of his officials had died after he seized the throne in his past life, Kane wanted to scrub himself clean. Though he had kept himself clean, what if he’d been exposed to their blood in battle?

Would his own death have been tainted with that rot?

Of course, Kane had other reasons for banning brothels—like the kingdom’s progress and growing its people.

This practice of trading people like goods only confines them to tiny attics, where their youthful lives are worn down before their time—which did nothing to help the population grow.

They shut down all the public venues, and any coercive practices in private were strictly prohibited.

Initially, this move faced widespread opposition. But as nobles were purged one after another, dissenters no longer dared to raise their heads.

Thus, Kane never expected anyone to defy such heavy-handed suppression.

Upon learning of a place specifically catering to such so-called depraved entertainment, Kane was tempted to seize its operators and skin them alive on the spot.

Yet, half a year passed—all bark and no bite. Patrons were caught in droves, but few key figures behind the scenes were apprehended.

Today, he had nabbed another one. Old debts and new grievances would be settled together.

Ning Chan had initially assumed Kane was merely punishing the man’s insolence. But hearing this, he skeptically raised an eyebrow and set down his teacup.

What was going on? Was there more to this?

At the mention of "Paradise City," the captain’s expression instantly hardened. He produced iron chains, hauled the still-dazed Charlie up from the ground, and bound him.

"Captain, why are you arresting me? Arrest him—" Hoisted up, Charlie craned his neck to glare resentfully at Kane. It was from this angle that realization suddenly struck him.

"Th-the King? How could it be the King?!" Trembling, Charlie stared at Kane, his face a mask of disbelief.

Ning Chan observed Charlie’s bound hands—reddened skin, bulging veins—and frowned slightly before rising to examine him.

What his power revealed made Ning Chan’s eyes widen abruptly, his face clouded over.

"What’s wrong?" Noticing Ning Chan’s shift in demeanor, Kane tugged at him with a frown.

Ning Chan drew a shallow breath, exhaled slowly, then leaned in to murmur what he'd learned into Kane’s ear.