My Xianxia Harem Life-Chapter 418 Mountain

Another week passed, and the city finally fell into an uneasy quiet.

No more assassins attempted to scale Riley’s walls. No more shadows crept across his courtyard at midnight.

No more blades flashed in the dark.

It was as if the entire underworld had collectively decided that provoking him was the same as writing one’s own suicide note.

Everyone had seen the aftermath.

Bodies carried out day after day, blood staining the once–clean stones near his gates.

Rumors swirled wildly—some said Riley moved like a demon, others whispered he was a reincarnated war god, and a few terrified fools insisted he wasn’t human at all.

The truth didn’t matter. Fear did.

And fear was more than enough to stop the flow of would-be killers.

Even the greediest men, the ones who would normally crawl over broken glass for a handful of gold, refused to take the contracts anymore.

A treasure house bursting with wealth couldn’t tempt them. What use was gold to a corpse?

What use was glory when one’s head might end up on a spike outside Riley’s home?

As for Riley, the sudden peace did not soothe him. If anything, it made the anger inside him sharpen.

He wanted to take the fight directly to those responsible—the dukes, merchants, and hidden factions who had plotted his death from comfortable rooms far away.

He wanted to storm their estates, tear down their banners, and drag them out by their throats.

But he wasn’t foolish.

Killing nameless hired assassins was easy to justify.

Killing a noble, especially a duke, was another matter entirely.

That would ripple across cities, spark investigations, maybe even ignite a war among aristocrats.

There were risks—heavy ones—that he wasn’t yet ready to shoulder.

He clenched his jaw and let the fury burn in silence.

Still, he did not forget.

Riley recorded every single name, every title, every affiliation of the fools who dared to target him.

He repeated them in his mind before sleeping, so he would never lose track.

Hatred, after all, was an excellent memory.

He told himself to wait. Just wait.

Because soon—very soon—he would earn his place in the cultivation world.

He would step into a realm where laws bent before power, where a single cultivator could flatten a noble house, where strength decided who lived and who begged for mercy.

And on that day, when his breakthrough came and he stood above all of them...

Their debts would be paid.

Their blood would flow.

Their titles would not protect them.

Riley’s retribution would be absolute—and none of them would escape it.

***

One month later, Riley’s household had become noticeably livelier—almost unrecognizable compared to the grim fortress it once was.

Servants walked around with brighter faces, visitors arrived with baskets of fruits and pastries in gratitude, and even the air around the mansion seemed lighter.

The city had begun treating Riley’s residence not as the home of a killer, but as the estate of a guardian.

Much of this change came from the single decision Riley made weeks earlier: donating an enormous portion of the wealth he had seized from the gangs.

Gold bars, precious stones, hoarded coin—wealth that had been created by violence and suffering—Riley poured it back into the city.

He funded orphanages that had once been on the verge of closing.

He sent physicians into slums to treat the sick for free.

He bought blankets and food for entire districts.

He paid off debt collectors for families who were moments away from losing everything.

Everywhere he went, people bowed. Not because of fear, but because of gratitude.

"Master Riley is the best!" a group of children shouted whenever he passed.

"He’s a saint, I tell you—a living miracle!" an elderly woman cried, clutching her grandson whom Riley had helped get medicine.

"No... he’s more than that," another person whispered reverently. "He’s a gift from the heavens."

The ordinary folk adored him, building shrines in his honor, offering incense, even carving wooden statues bearing his likeness.

Mothers told bedtime stories about him.

Kids played games where one pretended to be Riley and chased away make-believe criminals. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

But on the other side of the coin, the criminals of White Bone City lived in constant terror.

Even the bravest among them stopped sleeping peacefully.

Because Riley had too much free time.

And that was fatal for anyone thinking of reviving the underworld.

When the major gangs collapsed after he butchered their leaders and lieutenants, a massive power vacuum formed—one that many ambitious scoundrels tried filling.

Dozens of small factions attempted to rise overnight.

Some tried to negotiate with surviving gang members.

Some even smuggled in thugs from other cities, hoping to establish dominance before Riley noticed.

They all miscalculated.

Riley noticed everything.

He hunted them down one by one, like a predator clearing out the last traces of infestation.

He didn’t wait for them to grow stronger. He didn’t give warnings.

He simply appeared—silent, relentless, unstoppable.

He dragged gang bosses out of brothels.

He ambushed smugglers at the docks.

He cut down extortionists in broad daylight.

He stormed the underground gambling dens where new leaders tried to gather followers.

By the end of the month, no one dared even whisper about rebuilding the underworld.

To do anything bad in the city was to tempt death itself.

People began calling him by his nickname, spoken in both awe and fear:

The Handsome Butcher of White Bone City.

The nickname spread far beyond the city’s borders. Travelers entering White Bone City spoke of him before they even crossed the gates.

Some came specifically seeking to see the man who had single-handedly reshaped an entire city.

And his effect was undeniable.

Crime vanished almost completely.

Merchants walked the streets without guards.

Children played late into the evening.

Business flourished like never before.

White Bone City transformed into the most peaceful and prosperous city in the region—perhaps even in the entire province.

Inns saw record profits, caravans favored the city’s markets, and merchants openly declared that Riley had saved their livelihoods.

"No more dark taxes," a merchant laughed gratefully. "My profits are finally mine."

"He’s a great gift to us all!" another declared. "A hero we don’t deserve!"

Even city officials—who had once felt powerless against the gangs—privately admitted that Riley had done what the city lord couldn’t accomplish in decades.

Under Riley’s silent rule, White Bone City no longer lived in fear of criminals.

It lived in awe of its protector.

And his legend only continued to grow.

***

Another month passed, and by then Riley had become the center of White Bone City’s social world.

His name carried weight in every household—poor or rich, young or old.

So naturally, the invitations from wealthy families began pouring in like rain after a storm.

Banquets, business meetings, grand feasts, private gatherings—everyone wanted to meet the man who had crushed the underworld and reshaped the city’s fate.

Riley ignored the first few invitations.

He had no interest in rubbing shoulders with nobles who had watched the gangs run wild but done nothing.

But eventually, he decided to attend one of the grander feasts, partly because he was curious what these people wanted... and partly because Evelyn kept nudging him not to hide forever.

When Riley entered the manor, everything froze.

The grand hall was decorated with crystal chandeliers, gold-lined pillars, and velvet carpets.

Music played softly in the background, and dozens of nobles mingled, sipping fine wine and indulging in gossip.

But all chatter stopped when Riley stepped through the door.

It was almost comical how quickly conversations died.

Dozens of gazes snapped toward him.

Men stiffened.

Women gasped.

Servants bowed with trembling respect.

Whispers filled the hall like a rising tide.

"Is that him...? The Handsome Butcher?"

"By the heavens... he’s even better-looking in person!"

"Look at his eyes... his presence... he’s dangerous."

"Dangerous? He’s perfect. If I wasn’t married, I’d throw my husband aside and spread my legs for him right now."

The more daring women giggled, fanning themselves as they shamelessly devoured him with their eyes.

Riley pretended not to hear any of it, focusing instead on the rows of food and drinks.

He came with company.

Evelyn walked beside him, confident and stunning, drawing her own share of stares—some admiring, others filled with jealousy.

Behind them followed his three maidservants, who looked nervous in such a luxurious environment but stayed close to Riley like loyal shadows.

Riley found a quiet corner where the food was plentiful and the noise was manageable, then sat and began calmly eating and drinking, unbothered by the storm of attention swirling around him.

One by one, powerful people approached him—clan leaders, wealthy merchants, top officials.

Some offered friendship.

Some offered alliances.

Some bowed deeply, thanking him for saving the city.

Riley listened to all of them, speaking politely but never humbling himself.

He observed each face, each mannerism, filing away the ones who might be useful later.

But none of those figures truly captured his attention.

What caught him completely off guard happened much later, after the hall had grown louder and more spirited.

Riley had just finished a cup of fine wine when he sensed a presence approaching—gentle, elegant, and extremely beautiful.