154 ELDER MOANING
A small smile played on his lips. "If I'd known you were back, I might've stopped by the family house first."
Lillye's gaze swept the room, taking in the revelry. While momentarily startled, he quickly recovered. This wasn't the first time he'd stumbled upon his son in a compromising situation.
Instead of anger, his face softened with emotion.
Tears welled up in Lillye's eyes as he moved closer. "It doesn't matter, son. As long as I get to see you again. I was so worried after hearing about the accident in the ruins of Sodom."
"I'm fine, Father," Leo reassured him, though his gaze shifted to the unfamiliar figures standing behind Lillye. His tone grew curious. "Who are they?"
Lillye's expression brightened. He gestured toward a striking woman in the group. "This is Vreena—your fiancée."
Leo froze, his eyebrows shooting up in disbelief. "What? Who?"
"Vreena Chalam," Lillye repeated, his voice tinged with pride. "Your fiancée."
The woman stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning Leo and the scene with a mix of contempt and bitter amusement.
"Vreena Chalam," she introduced herself, her voice cold and cutting. "I wanted to see for myself—and now I have. Lilleo Gullee, I already knew you were irresponsible, but running a brothel and indulging in this debauchery? That's a new low."
Leo's jaw dropped. "What the fuck?!"
Vreena turned sharply on her heel, ignoring him. "We'll discuss this tomorrow at the family mansion," she said curtly. "We have important matters to settle."
"Vreena, wait—let me explain!" Lillye called out, hurrying after her.
As the door closed behind them, Leo sat back, baffled and fuming. "What the hell is her problem?" he muttered, looking to Kasshyek for some sort of explanation.
Kasshyek chuckled, shaking his head. "She's a fiery one, that girl. Looks like you've got your hands full, boss."
Leo groaned, running a hand through his hair. "My hands are not going anywhere near her."
The courtesans surrounded Leo again and the party continues throughout the night of debauchery and envy.
-----
[The Halls of the Gullee family in Sodom City]
Leo strode into the grand halls of the Gullee family estate in Sodom City, his long cloak flowing behind him like a shadow. His attire was unkempt, casual to the point of disrespect, and wholly at odds with the formality of the gathering.
"What does he think he's doing, showing up like that?" an older family member sneered under their breath.
"Success must've gone to his head," another muttered, their tone dripping with disdain. "No respect for his elders."
"Lilleo," Lillye, the family patriarch, began, his voice hesitant. His son's presence always left him grasping for the right words. "You could've at least—"
Leo cut him off, his sharp gaze sweeping the room. "Who invited all these fucking strangers?"
The hall was filled with faces, many unfamiliar to Leo. These were distant relatives, Gullee branches from other cities, drawn to the family's newfound prosperity in Sodom City. Opportunists. Leeches.
"They're leech.. erm relatives," Kasshyek, the family steward, said with a wry smile. "From other cities. Come to bask in the glory of the Gullee name."
"Leeches," Leo said with a smirk. "Listen up, leeches—shut the fuck up."
His voice rang out like a whip crack, silencing the murmurs. A few of the newcomers instinctively recoiled, fear flashing in their eyes.
"You can't speak to your elders like that!" Lillye reprimanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Always an idealist, he still clung to the hope of family harmony.
"Yeah how dare you disrespect us?"
Leo's expression remained cool. "Oh, spare me. Did you forget who I am? I killed Lillwo with my bare hands. As for Lillrune, the so-called genius of this family—I castrated him. Disrespect? You're worried about fucking disrespect from me?"
The room erupted in gasps and shocked whispers.
"Lilleo!" Lillye's face was pale. "Tell me that's not true. Did you really…?"
"Of course, it's true," Leo said lazily. "I'm the Demon of Gullee now. Fear me all you leeches."
A heavy silence hung over the room until Lillann stepped forward cautiously to explain. "Lillwo challenged Lilleo to a fight," he said, his voice steady. "He used the Mirror of Gullee against him, and it backfired. It was Lillwo's own doing that got him killed."
Leo gestured toward Lillann with mock approval. "See? That's how a proper leech talks. Take notes."
Lillann flushed, retreating into the crowd.
Lillye sighed deeply, his disappointment evident. "Even if Lillwo's death wasn't entirely your fault, why did you castrate Lillrune? He's your cousin!"
Leo's smirk vanished, replaced with a hard glare. "He tried to rape my maid. I delivered justice."
"What? Over a servant?" a relative whispered, the murmurs spreading like wildfire.
Leo's gaze swept over the crowd, silencing them with its intensity. "My rules are simple: If you want to keep leeching off me, shut the fuck up when I'm around, and keep your damn cocks to yourselves."
Lillye buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry for my son's behavior," he muttered to the room, his voice heavy with shame.
Suddenly, a slow clap echoed through the hall.
A man rose from his seat, his presence commanding. His robes bore the insignia of the Cloud Mountain Sect, the largest and most prestigious sect in the Eastern Kun Empire. "So, this is the infamous Demon of Gullee. How… entertaining."
Leo's gaze sharpened. "And who the hell are you?"
Lillye interjected quickly. "This is Elder Mo-an, a senior figure from the Cloud Mountain Sect. Show some respect."
"Moan, huh?" Leo said, his lips twitching with amusement. "What's a guy from the clouds doing here, moaning in my house? Mo-an, moaning. Fitting."
"How dare you!" Mo-an thundered, his face reddening.
Leo ignored him and strode confidently toward the family head's seat, dropping into it with deliberate arrogance. Lillye remained standing awkwardly beside him, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple.
"You insult me at your peril," Mo-an growled, his energy flaring. The air in the room grew heavy with hostility.
"Blah, blah, blah," Leo said, waving dismissively. "You gonna talk me to death, or what, Elder Moaning?"