The Devil’s Cage

After the clear voice from inside the House of Han entered everyone’s ears, Eckart was a little surprised but not dissatisfied.

“One of the rules of the House of Han: it picks its customers.”

“Mr. Dao will only cook customers that he deems worthy.”

“As for others? Well…” Eckart shrugged.

Although he didn’t finish his sentence, his meaning was obvious.

“2567, I’ll wait for you outside the bamboo forest. I know we are not worthy of Mr. Dao’s dishes, but the bakery here serves nice pastries as well.”

Eckart then nodded at Kieran and brought the group with him out of the bamboo forest as if he was walking in his own backyard.

No one in the group would argue with Eckart, though, since all of them were hired muscle.

As the group followed Eckart away, Lyn Amie purposely slowed down and was the last to leave.

“Remember to taste it carefully and tell me what have you eaten and how it tasted,” Lyn Amie said softly to Kieran.

The makeup artist also liked to eat a lot, being able to eat something delicious would be an utmost blessing to him. Therefore, when he entered the bamboo forest, he was quite looking forward to the meal, but unfortunately, he couldn’t come.

Of course, given Lyn Amie’s character, he would feel pity but not hate or dissatisfaction.

After another backward glance at the House of Han, Lyn Amie waved at Kieran and jogged to chase after Eckart and the bodyguards.

Kieran watched the group leave before turning to the House of Han.

At the doorstep of House of Han, there was a 2 meter long, half-meter wide stone stairs. Kieran walked up, the sound of his footsteps followed.

Another female attendant with a maid outfit came with a pair of loose slippers.

“Please change your shoes,” the maid bowed and bent down, obviously wanting to do it for Kieran.

“I’ll change them myself,” Kieran said softly before taking the pair of slippers and putting them on his feet.

It was not that he wasn’t used to this kind of service, Kieran just didn’t want to fall into their pace. When the slippers were put on, Kieran went inside the House of Han.

The wooden flooring was sturdy and clean. The windows were opened, the night breeze was blowing through, dispersing the heat of the summer.

Oil lamps were arranged neatly on the racks at the flanks after the entrance. The shelves had three layers, and the fire of the oil lamps of each layer was dancing under the breeze, yet none were extinguished. The shadow and light of the interior were wavy due to the fluttering flames.

With the light from the oil lamps, Kieran glanced over the decorations of the interior. There was nothing in particular, because other than the rack housing the oil lamps, there was nothing else.

The extra private rooms on the left and right were closed.

Kieran went up to the room on the left because the voice came from there.

Bak Bak Bak!

Kieran knocked on the sturdy wooden door.

“Come in,” the heavy and powerful voice sounded again.

The sturdy wooden door was slowly opened up and a beautiful and tall woman that welcomed Kieran behind the door.

The lady was judging Kieran with her gaze. She then subtly moved aside and made way for Kieran’s entrance. Despite the almost flawless concealment, Kieran still sensed a sense of disgust on her.

However, what interested Kieran more was her body, or rather her physique.

Even with clothes on, Kieran realized her muscles were bulging, and she was in her fittest form possible. It was already hard for a man to achieve such a body, let alone a lady, which made her more impressive.

In addition to that, she was able to maintain her body’s consistency rather than only achieving the ideal body physique.

She was so fit that she could have fought 10 common men alone and swiftly ended the battle single-handedly.

The calluses on her palms told Kieran that she wasn’t just skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but also short knives and firearms.

Based on how she moved her steps aside, Kieran was very sure that her legs were also a pair of killer weapons.

Kieran was most skilled in kicking combat, so he was clear what her obedient look represented: a venomous viper hiding in the shadows.

Hiding in the shadows when still, delivering the lethal blow when moving.

“Bodyguard? Or… killer?” Kieran wondered and compared her to Gorbor.

Kieran shook his head in the end.

There were still differences in terms of strength.

Gorbor, as one of the ace bodyguards of the security company, had undoubted strength and professionalism, but compared to the lady, he was still a bit lackluster.

The thought in Kieran’s mind didn’t slow his movements, though.

When the lady moved aside, Kieran stepped into the room, and he saw a rather skinny man.

The man was wearing elegant white Chinese clothing, his slightly long hair was placed over his shoulder, and when the man caught Kieran’s gaze, he smiled warmly.

“Good evening, 2567,” the loud and heavy voice came from the man.

If the skinny man didn’t show himself, one would think the voice was from a strong and buff, robust man, but when the man spoke in such a voice, a contradicting feeling would fill one’s mind, together with loads of curiosity.

“Em. Good evening, Mr. Dao,” Kieran nodded, stood there, and looked at the man quietly.

No questions, no answers, as if the silence was typical.

“Please, sit.”

“Liu Ye, bring me the ingredients that I’ve prepared.”

The man pointed at the wooden stool in front of him before giving his order to the tall woman.

The woman went out without a word, which was followed by the door closing.

Kieran was left alone with the man inside the room. The man’s smile got warmer, he stood up and walked towards the cupboard beside him.

Unlike the empty hall at the entrance, this room was well-equipped.

The table and chairs were placed in the middle, on the left side of the wall after the entrance was a 3-meter wide cupboard which touched the ceiling; on the right-hand side were three more racks, one taller than the other two and on top of the shelves were lush bonsai. With the light from the candle on the table, it looked even more alluring.

On the wall across from the entrance was a large multi-section cabinet, as big as the wall itself. The cabinet split the room into two sections, and it had many different compartments and drawers of various sizes, holding all sorts of ceramic jars and weird sculptures. Some of them were sculptures of animals; some of them were human; at the top of the cabinet was a rolled-up scroll.

The man stood in front of the cabinet, pulled out a drawer, and took out an incense burner, incense coil, and a tea set. Then, he walked over to another compartment, which held a ceramic jar, and took out some tea leaves before he went around another section to grab a transparent glass bottle.

He came back to the table and said, “I’ve collected some tea leaves. Not the best, but it will fit with the dishes tonight, making it a smoother experience.”

“Oh, and you can call me Boss Dao,” said Boss Dao as he started to make tea with a pleasant look.

“Mn,” Kieran replied with his nasal voice and didn’t say anything else.

He didn’t know how to enjoy tea, neither did he know anything about tea.

But when the aroma of the tea filled the room, Kieran was sure the ‘not the best tea’ he said was quite exquisite.

Kieran then took his cup of tea without being too courteous after being served.

However, before Kieran’s lips touched the cup, Boss Dao spoke.

“The dead, do they really exist?”