26. A Feast of Blood and Flesh
Chapter twenty-six
A Feast of Blood and Flesh
Leo
The orchestra played hauntingly beautiful notes that soared and dipped like the mountains surrounding us.
Crystal glasses clinked softly amidst the murmurs of conversation.
The guests were dressed in their finest formal blues—midnight suits and gowns of pale periwinkle to cobalt.
Yet, despite the outward elegance, the atmosphere simmered with uneasy anticipation, as if the very space of the Sapphire Sanctum could sense the inevitability of bloodshed to come.
He fucking ruined our entrance.
The roasted duck dumpling sat on my tongue, its golden skin slick with fragrant oil, but no flavor touched my senses.
It could’ve been ash for all I cared.
Around me, the feast unfolded as I had meticulously planned.
Plates of lacquered fish glistened like jewels under the pavilion’s indigo chandeliers.
Towers of sweet buns shimmered like sugared treasures.
And yet, all of it now felt like a mockery.
He ruined everything.
I scanned the table.
I’ll show him. I’ll fucking kill someone he cares about.
Chen had already moved Jo, Monique’s sister, to Rowe Street Mob’s table earlier—a decision that had initially rankled me. I’d been prepared to make an example with Jo once Lei and Monique returned—slice Jo’s throat quickly and let her blood spill across Lei’s throne. While I didn’t have a problem with that sister, T.T. was the only sister that mattered in the grander future of the Four Aces.
How did Chen know I had chosen her to die?
It would have been a single, swift death in full view of the sanctum to remind everyone that I was still the Grand Mountain Master, still the force that shaped this world.
But now, Jo was too far away.
The realization burned like acid in my throat.
Damn you, Chen. You’re starting to guess my moves?
Watching me the whole time, Chen held some meaningless conversation with Min and kept checking his watch.
Where is your fucking Mountain Master? What could he be doing? Is he trying to escape this battle? Please tell me I didn’t raise a coward.
I trailed my gaze over the men and women seated at my table, wondering who else I could kill to teach Lei a lesson when he arrived.
Hmmm.
My old guard sat rigidly on my side while my most loyal Blue Lanterns ate at tables near us.
Across the table, the new blood brimmed with youthful arrogance.
Hmmm. It appears my taking Monique away has everyone upset.
There, they lounged with a kind of defiance that set my teeth on edge. Their every movement and glance did not display submission. Instead, they damn near broadcasted their readiness to strike.
Careful, little ones.
Duck leaned back as he popped a roasted duck dumpling into his mouth. He ate with the deliberate calm of a man completely at ease. But his posture betrayed him—his back was straight, his body tilted forward ever so slightly, like a predator prepared to spring.
I recognized that stance because I had taught it to him myself when he was no more than a boy, barely strong enough to hold the practice staff I had given him.
It was a warrior's posture, a readiness for violence disguised as relaxation.
I could still hear my own voice drilling it into him; Never sit in a way you can’t fight your way out of. Every meal could be your last and every feast could turn into a battlefield.
I gritted my teeth.
Never did I imagine that one day, Duck would use those lessons against me.
The thought further gnawed at my mind as I observed him now. His fingers moved deftly, snapping another dumpling from the tray with the casual precision of a soldier loading bullets into a chamber.
And yet, his eyes flicked toward Monique’s empty throne more often than I liked.
Do you miss her presence too? Remember. You cannot have her. She is not for you.
I checked Hu who sat with this unnerving stillness. His gaze was on me as he held his chopsticks lightly.
When I quirked my brows, his fingers shifted over them with the subtle control of a man who knew exactly how to wield and throw them with lethal accuracy.
You too?
Song and I had taught him that skill, back when we believed discipline and precision were the keys to survival. We’d drilled Hu relentlessly until he could strike a sparrow with one chopstick mid-flight.
Again, I hadn’t considered then what it might feel like to sit across from Hu, knowing he could drive one of those chopsticks into my throat before I even had time to draw my blade.
Fucking ungrateful kids.
But it wasn’t Chen, Hu, or Duck that truly unsettled me.
Surprisingly, it was Monique’s ladies-in-waiting that had me on edge. Even Song monitored them.
The three gorgeous Black women sat further down the table, seemingly engrossed in their plates, their chopsticks darting between bowls of steaming noodles and lacquered fish. They laughed softly at each other’s murmured comments, presenting the picture of absolute feminine elegance.
Bullshit. I know eager killers—even the ones who smell like perfume.
The women’s energy was unmistakable. It radiated off them in waves—an aggressive hunger, not for food, but for my blood.
They weren’t just eating.
They were preparing, as though every bite was fuel for the storm they were eager to unleash. Their movements were sharp, purposeful, and their eyes scanned my side with thinly veiled hostility.
In fact, they looked at my men like predators weighing the worth of their prey.
Hmmm.
While I appreciated their fire, it also annoyed me.
This was supposed to be a feast—a moment of triumph.
Instead, it felt like the edge of a blade poised to draw my blood at the slightest provocation. And even more, I didn’t think anyone would be an easy kill to teach Lei a lesson when he returned.
There are no lambs to slaughter here. Only wolves.
I grabbed another dumpling and ate it.
Starved, angry wolves with dripping canines.
I let out a long breath.
Lei’s audacity had shifted my carefully planned out chessboard, leaving my moves scattered like pieces after a clumsy hand had swept them aside.
Usually, I could predict him and the others easily.
Tonight. . .his decision to storm the pavilion and take Monique away from me, had been unthinkable.
Un-fucking-predictable!
I shifted my gaze to Rowe Street Mob and Dima, seated at tables far from the main platform.
Their presence symbolized Lei’s brazen disregard for our traditions.
Dima had his small notebook open and was scribbling in it. His eyes flicked to me occasionally as though he were documenting my every move.
Between Banks and Marcelo, Jo sat. They had positioned her like a buffer, but it was clear she was being protected and monitored from all sides.
Gunner leaned back in his chair with one hand resting on the table and his body angled slightly toward her like a silent guardian.
Einstein, however, was completely distracted. His gaze wasn’t on Jo or even on me.
Interesting.
Einstein’s attention was locked on one of Monique’s ladies-in-waiting.
Which one do you like?
My brow furrowed as I followed his line of sight, tracing it to Fen, seated further down the table among the others. She was laughing softly at something Lan had said.
I put my view back on Einstein. His focus lingered too long; his lips twitched as though forming words he hadn’t yet dared to speak.
She is off limits, Einstein.
My anger flared.
She wasn’t meant to catch his attention, wasn’t meant to be a part of their world. Song and I had chosen her with care to be Chen’s future wife—to bind her loyalty in ways that transcended blood and duty.
And yet, here she was, drawing the gaze of Rowe Street Mob’s intellectual scientist like a moth to a flame.
Trust me, Einstein. You do not want to piss Chen off. I’ve seen his rage and even I shiver from it.
This was a problem for another night.
For now, I noted how the outsiders’ signature green and yellow attire clashed violently with the sea of blue that blanketed the pavilion.
Their presence was intrusive.
Insulting.
This was supposed to be a space of unity, a feast painted in the colors of the East. Blue in all its shades—midnight, teal, sapphire, royal.
And yet, Lei had tarnished this too.
Is this how you will rule, son?
I gripped my chopsticks tighter.
Is this the future you envision? A world where our traditions are trampled underfoot, where our private spaces are no longer sacred?
The dark thought coiled in my mind.
Perhaps this wasn’t the day I would die after all.
Maybe, the Four Aces would be better served if Lei were the one to fall tonight. If his reckless, disrespectful reign were cut short before it could do more damage to my legacy.
The idea settled in my chest like a smoldering ember, refusing to be extinguished.
I speared another dumpling with my chopsticks.
The rich aroma of spices wafted up, but all I could taste was my own fury.
Then suddenly, the orchestra’s music shifted, the soft strings and lilting flutes suddenly gave way to something sultrier. The new melody slithered through the air, curling around the pavilion’s towering lapis lazuli pillars like smoke.
Heads turned.
Forks paused mid-air.
Everyone froze.
And then I heard it—the low, creeping rhythm of a jazz tune.
Monique’s theme song. Did she appear?
Dropping my chopsticks next to my bowl, I rose with the rest of the pavilion, the scrape of chairs and shuffle of feet blending into the ominous bassline.
It’s about fucking time, Lei.
Rage simmered within my chest.
I turned my view toward the mosaic path that led to the entrance.
The melody swelled.
My jaw clenched.
This was supposed to be Monique’s and my moment. The historical event of my debuting the new Mountain Mistress to the East as the weapon I had forged.
Instead, it was Lei.
There they were, emerging from the shadows like a scene from some twisted fable. Lei walked tall, his hand gripping Monique’s arm in some ridiculous claim of ownership.
That lovely gown swirled and swayed around her.
She looked every bit the Mountain Mistress but the crown sat on her head, slightly askew, a small imperfection that spoke volumes to anyone truly paying attention.
Why has the crown moved? They only walked. Right?
I narrowed my gaze at them.
Excited whispers rippled through the pavilion.
Camera flashes lit up the path, capturing their every step as the orchestra’s sultry tune deepened.
The new Mountain Mistress.
Presented by her Mountain Master.
I clenched my fists at my sides, nails biting into my palms.
It should have been me holding Monique’s arm, leading her under the glittering chandeliers, and showing everyone the queen I had carved from blood and fire.
It took all my energy to not take my sword out, rush Lei’s way and start the battle right now.
They got closer and I assessed them.
Lei’s formal attire was impeccable—sharp, regal, and untouchable, but there was something about his appearance that grated at me.
His clothes are more wrinkled than earlier.
I checked Monique.
What’s that on her right side?
I squinted my eyes.
Her gown, beautiful as it was, bore a flaw. A leaf clung to its hem, as though she’d been carelessly tossed on the ground. And even, her crown—the symbol of her newfound status—was even more tilted to the side than I thought, as if it had been hastily thrown on.
Wait a minute.
The realization struck me like a blade between the ribs.
They had sex.
The signs were all there—Lei’s slightly disheveled hair, Monique’s flushed cheeks and the faint glow of her brown skin that spoke of something far more intimate than a mere walk under the stars.
I could see it in the way her fingers rested lightly on his arm, not out of submission, but as if she still felt the lingering heat of his touch.
Fucking son of a bitch.
My chest tightened with this gagging jealousy twisting around my ribcage.
Against my will, my mind conjured images of what must have happened. Lei, arrogant and inexperienced, touching her. Kissing her, laying her down on the ground, claiming her as his, while I sat here, surrounded by fools, waiting for them.
My teeth ground together as my thoughts spiraled, each one more vivid, more torturous than the last. I could imagine Lei’s hands on her body, his lips on her skin, his voice whispering seductive words.
I bet he fumbled through her pleasure.
He’d never been with a woman before Monique, and it showed, when I had no choice but to witness the moment she took his virginity weeks ago.
What else could I do?
I’d simply wanted to monitor their progress and make sure everything was going as planned.
On camera, Lei had been awkward and hesitant.
And Monique, God help me, had guided him and his cock, her patience only making my jealousy for some odd reason burn hotter. I’d seen how she taught him how to properly fuck her, how her body arched under his touch, how that sweet little pussy got wet.
I’d also seen the flaws in his cock’s technique, the ways he failed to truly draw out her pleasure like he should have.
I would have made her moan much louder.
Even many days later, when I caught one of the recordings of them fucking in the master suite at Lotus Blossom—a room once imbued with my own memories, Lei had tried to dominate her with his newfound confidence.
I’d watched as he attempted to please her, his movements forceful and unrefined. I’d studied the way Monique responded—lost in the moment.
She came, of course, but Lei couldn’t deliver the way I could have.
I frowned.
I could have shown her what it meant to truly be sexually worshiped. Decades of experience had honed my knowledge of a woman’s body—her pussy and that lovely throbbing clit. I was more than familiar with the subtle intricacies that made desire blossom into rapture.
I could have drawn sounds from her lips that Lei wouldn’t even know how to chase.
I could have given her orgasms so consuming, so profound, that she would never have thought of another man again.
The thought of Lei stumbling through her pleasure tonight, unaware of the depths he’d never reach, made my blood boil.
I didn’t want to admit this because you are my son, but. . .I’m sorry. You don’t deserve her.
They approached the table, Monique walking with that regal elegance that made her seem untouchable despite the clear evidence of what they’d done.
Lei’s smirk was faint, but it was there, a trace of triumph that made my jaw clench even more until it ached.
I wanted to rip him apart.
End him right there for taking what I had created, for tainting the masterpiece I had formed from my genius.
When I was designing this plan long ago, you had your fucking eyes on Chanel and now you boldly walk next to Monique as if it were all you that made this happen. So ungrateful.
I trembled with rage.
You could have let me have my moment.
Lei helped Monique onto the platform, his hand steady on her waist as if staking a claim.
And then, my spoiled bastard of a son didn’t just walk her to the throne—he placed her there, in front of everyone, as if he were the one who had shaped her ascent.
It was a sharp slap across my face.
My blood boiled.
I leaned toward my old Vanguard, Jay’s way and whispered. “Put plan B into play.”
He kept his voice low. “Leo, that is unnecessary.”
“Do it now.”
Jay blinked and then hurried off.
Like a good Deputy Mountain Master, Chen noticed and gestured for one of his men to follow Jay.
It doesn’t matter. Your man can’t stop Jay from doing what I need.
Monique settled into the throne, her gown flowing around her like liquid sapphire. Her posture was impeccable—straight-backed, regal, yet somehow soft.
Lei sat down.
The guests and our people followed suit, lowering themselves into their seats as the hum of conversation resumed, hesitant but growing.
I didn’t move immediately.
My feet felt rooted to the ground.
Should we fight now? No. Jay needs time to put everything in place. Either way, it is clear there will be no true feast of food. Soon it will only be a feast of blood and flesh.
I sat down.
Lei leaned toward Monique and whispered something in her ear, though her expression remained serene, the corners of her lips curved into a soft smile—a smile that twisted the knife already lodged in my chest.
What the fuck did he just say to her? Was it about me?
At the table, the conversation grew louder. Monique’s ladies-in-waiting eagerly greeted her. Duck made some comment about her crown, and everyone laughed—even my sisters, Min and Suzi.
Lei, however, watched me like the Azure Dragon of legend, its serpentine body coiled and gleaming, its claws hidden but sharp, its eyes glowing with an unrelenting hunger for domination.
His gaze pinned me and it was unblinking.
Calculating even.
As though he could see beyond the surface of my calm exterior and strip away my control to expose the raw fury seething underneath.
Careful, son. I’m the one who taught you how to glare that way.
Still, I felt his gaze deep in my chest.
Felt the subtle shift in the table’s energy, in the exact way one would sense an oncoming storm brewing off in the distance before it arrived and unleashed flooding rain all over.
Lei sat with his shoulders squared yet deceptively relaxed, mirroring a dragon’s stillness before it descends from the heavens to claim its kill.
How dare you look at me that way?
I sneered.
His hand rested on the table, fingertips drumming in a rhythm that seemed casual, yet I knew better. That rhythm wasn’t idle—it was a cadence, a measure of time, perhaps counting down to the moment he’d strike.
Would you dare to try and fight here? Surely, you would not be that disrespectful.
The air between us thickened.
I can’t wait for you to see Plan B. I will smile as you lose yourself. As you crumble.
I forced myself to keep my breathing even, to hold his gaze without flinching but the tension crackled in my chest like fire sparking across a dragon’s scales, feeding its insatiable hunger.
I am a dragon too, son. Be very fucking careful.
As if he could hear me, Lei’s lips curved ever so slightly—not into a smile, but into the faintest expression of triumph, as though he could taste the ashes of the future I’d so carefully built.
So young. So cocky. I will teach you.
I picked up my chopsticks.
His eyes, like the Azure Dragon’s, were alive with an intensity that promised he wouldn’t just defeat me—he would obliterate everything I stood for.
And yet, there was no movement.
No outburst.
Just the steady nerve-wracking force of his presence.
I gripped my chopsticks tighter. The wood creaked under the strain. The urge to rise, to challenge him outright, gnawed at me, but I held back.
Lei had learned patience, a trait I’d once drilled into him as a boy, never imagining that this too would be turned against me with such precision.
Still, I would not cower before him.
I straightened my spine, meeting his gaze with the same unyielding resolve.
If he was the Azure Dragon, then I would be the Black Tortoise—a guardian of strength and resilience, unmovable and enduring.
Let him coil and threaten.
Let him burn with that unholy fire.
I would endure, even if I had to shatter my own scales to do so.
Suzi spoke to Monique and the women carried on light conversation, although they both glanced at us in between their tense glances.
Then, Lei moved and it wasn’t to get up or eat.
He reached into his pocket. The motion was deliberate, slow enough to draw attention without being overt.
Seconds later, he withdrew a small object, holding it between his fingers.
What does he have?
He brushed his thumb over the surface of whatever the small object was, and then he leaned all the way forward, extended his hand across the table in my direction, and then dropped the small object into my bowl of dumplings.
What the fuck is wrong with him?
The object landed with a soft clink.
I looked down and stiffened.
Oh.
My wife’s ring.
The table went silent.
Surely, almost everyone recognized that ring.
Even Monique’s ladies-in-waiting would have been familiar with it. In the museum dedicated to my wife, there was a whole section about this ring, with pictures and a fake copy on display.
Yet now this priceless ring of great importance sat on top of dumplings.
Blasphemy!
My composure cracked, the mask of control slipping just enough for the rage to seep through.
He took it off her finger!
My fingers twitched at my sides as I forced myself not to react. Every muscle in my body screamed to lunge across the table and choke Lei.
How dare he!
The orchestra played on, oblivious to the chaos rising.
Around the table, the others had fallen silent.
Very pleased with himself, Lei causally leaned back and placed his arm around Monique. “Thank you, Father, for offering my Mountain Mistress such a. . .polite gesture. However, her finger is a bit too crowded to wear that right now, so you can have it back.”
Too crowded?
My gaze snapped to Monique’s hand as it rested on the table and she turned her hand ever so slightly toward me— an unmistakable declaration of her allegiance—and the diamond caught the light, casting fractured rainbows across the table.
I caught sight of the new ring adorning her finger.
My breath hitched.
The rest spotted it too.
However, Monique’s ladies-in-waiting exchanged knowing glances, which made me think that Lei had told them about this ring beforehand and possibly asked them for help.
Suzi gasped “Oh my! Lei, why didn’t you tell us you were going to ask her. I would have wanted to help. But oh my! Finally, a wedding in the East.”
Min, seated to my left, let out a soft sob. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “It’s so beautiful. It’s about time. This is what the East needed.”
Even Song gave a small nod of approval. “Good job, Lei.”
Months ago, I had dreamed of this moment—a union between Lei and Monique to solidify the future of the East.
But now, watching him sit there with that smug expression, the ring on her finger and her undeniable allegiance to him, I wasn’t so sure.
I glared at him.
And I wasn’t feeling selfishness.
It wasn’t jealousy either.
It wasn’t even the sense of betrayal that Lei had bypassed me to orchestrate this on his own.
It was something deeper.
Something darker.
You don’t deserve her, son.
I had spent a long-time forging Monique’s path to becoming not just a weapon, but a queen who could stand tall at the side of her Mountain Master.
She deserved the best—not some boy playing at being king.
She deserved a man who had not only sat on the throne but had built it, carved it from blood, death, and fire.
I thought this would be the right thing, but I’ve been wrong this whole time.
I stared at him across the table, my son, my heir, and the ungrateful bastard who had taken what I had so painstakingly created. My legacy, my plans for the East, and now Monique—all of it was slipping through my fingers and Lei was to blame.
He had shifted the chessboard, and now, the only move left to preserve the game was to remove the false king.
The orchestra’s upbeat melody rose.
I stared at Monique’s hand and that cursed ring.
I straightened my spine, steeling my resolve. I had always known sacrifice was necessary for power. Blood was the currency of the throne, and tonight, it seemed, I would have to pay it again.
For the East.
For my legacy.
For Monique.
She needed a ruler, not a boy.
Someone who had built the throne, not someone still learning to sit on it.
Someone who had ruined our moment.
Someone who had invited outsiders to a private ceremony.
The realization struck me—the future I had so carefully built wasn’t crumbling—it was being stolen, piece by piece, by the very heir I had once trusted.
And I bet he fucked her on the ground. Idiot. She deserved better.
I had spent time sharpening Monique but now she was a blade in someone else’s hand, and that was a betrayal I could never forgive.
Had he let us have our moment, perhaps I would be more logical about this. Therefore, this is his fault, not mine.
Lei smirked. He thought he’d won, but he had no idea. And that smirk wasn’t just a challenge—it was a gauntlet thrown across the table, daring me to strike first.
Then, maybe we will fight here, son.
Monique took Lei’s hand and I was sure the gesture was to calm him, but it just pissed me off.
Are you serious? You are my little monster. Where is the loyalty, Monique? He is disrespecting you and me.
It wasn’t just rage that burned in my chest—it was the bitter sting of irrelevance, the realization that she had chosen him over the man who had made her into a queen—a proper Mountain Mistress.
I’d given her the crown while he’d held onto a dead woman.
That’s okay, my little monster. Once this battle with my son is done. . .I’ll teach you, and it won’t just be the pleasure of my educated cock but it will be the wrath of my cock too.
From the corner of my eye, Jay returned to the table and sat down.
Chen looked around, surely waiting for his man to appear too, but I was certain Jay killed him to preserve the secret of Plan B.
When Jay lowered into his seat.
I glanced his way. “Is it done?”
“Yes, Grand Master.”
Chen scanned the space some more.
The man never came.
Scowling at me, Chen pulled out his phone and whispered into it.
Sorry, nephew but it’s too late. Everything is already in place.
Forming my mouth into the warmest smile I could manage, I reached for my glass and raised it in a toast. “To the new Mountain Mistress and her. . .very bold Mountain Master.”
Everyone grabbed their glasses and raised them.
Lei did not.
He just watched me with that calculated smirk.
I nodded at him. “May you get everything you deserve this evening.”
With that, I took a slow sip of wine.
Although we were at the table, the battle had begun.
There was a prize.
And one could not forget that the throne always demanded blood.
It was just a matter of whose blood would pay that price.