The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 252. Tyler’s Plan

The letter was written in elegant but sharp handwriting, its tone a mixture of teasing and foreboding:

"Dear Lady Qiao,

You look hot... I mean—

You stand at the edge of a precipice. The man you call your husband delves deeper into darkness, blinded by ambition. He risks not only his life but also yours and your household’s future. Should you wish to escape the abyss he has bound you to, I offer you a path. Seek me out at the end of this week, and we shall discuss the terms of your freedom.

—T.W."

Lady Qiao’s hands trembled as she read the signature. Tyler White. The name was unfamiliar, but the precision and confidence of the letter’s tone unsettled her. She glanced toward her husband, who was pacing in a nearby room, shouting orders at his hired grandmasters. Carefully folding the letter, she tucked it into the folds of her dress, her mind racing with questions.

Could this be a trap? Or salvation?

Then, a realization hit her. Her face twitched.

Isn’t the end of the week... tomorrow?!

---

The following day, Tyler stood before a secluded villa constructed of cedar wood, nestled deep within the forest. This private retreat belonged to Lady Qiao and was a place few ever visited. The air was heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth.

From one of the windows, he noticed a figure peeking out cautiously. Tyler quickly observed that the villa seemed deserted—no guards, no servants, just the enigmatic presence inside. The figure retreated, and a moment later, the protective arrays around the villa flickered and deactivated. Lady Qiao gestured for Tyler to enter before hurriedly reactivating the defenses.

As Tyler stepped into the living room, his movements came to an abrupt halt. Lady Qiao stood before him, clad in nothing but a white towel, her damp hair clinging to her skin. The towel barely covered her chest and thighs, leaving little to the imagination.

"I was just finishing a bath. Thank you for coming, Mr. Tyler," Lady Qiao said softly, bowing slightly. The movement revealed a hint of her cleavage, and the glistening droplets on her skin added to the seductive atmosphere.

Tyler, keeping his expression neutral, sat on a plush couch as Lady Qiao joined him. Her intoxicating fragrance wafted through the air, making the atmosphere tense and distracting. She leaned in close, her lips just inches from his ear.

"Would you like a Pink Berry drink?" she whispered. Her voice dropped lower, almost suggestive. "Or perhaps something pink and wet to eat?"

She moved her lips from his ears to his lips.

"How about first my upper lips , them my lower..."

Before her words could register, her hand moved in a blur, aiming a gleaming purple dagger toward Tyler’s chest.

In an instant, Tyler’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist firmly.

Lady Qiao froze, her confidence crumbling as she realized she couldn’t move her hand even an inch. Tyler’s grip was like steel. Her dagger quivered, but she could not withdraw it.

"Soul-devouring poison laced on a volcanic mica blade," Tyler murmured, his calm tone betraying no alarm. He examined the weapon. "Strong enough to pierce a grandmaster’s defenses. Clever... but you underestimated me."

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he released her wrist, pushing the blade aside.

Lady Qiao staggered back, clutching the dagger tightly, her face a mixture of fear and disbelief. She took several steps away, her body trembling.

Before she could respond, a deep, mocking laugh echoed through the room.

"Hahaha! Did you think a random letter could seduce my wife?" Qiao Fu’s voice boomed as he emerged from the shadows, his massive frame filling the room. He carried a hefty axe over his shoulder, its blade gleaming ominously.

He walked over to Lady Qiao, grabbing her roughly by the waist. He planted a possessive kiss on her lips, his free hand groping her breast.

"This is our little secret, you see," Qiao Fu sneered, looking back at Tyler. "My wife loves a little... abuse." To emphasize his point, he slapped Lady Qiao hard across the face, leaving a red mark.

Lady Qiao didn’t cry out. Instead, a crazed smile stretched across her face as she held her cheek, her eyes alight with a twisted combination of pleasure and madness.

Tyler observed the scene without flinching, his expression unreadable.

"I expected you to bring those three grandmasters with you," Qiao Fu said, pointing his axe toward Tyler. "But it seems lust blinded you. Now you’re nothing more than a rabbit surrounded by wolves."

As if on cue, the presence of twenty grandmasters became apparent. Though they didn’t enter the villa, their presence suffused the area, an oppressive weight that bore down on everyone inside.

"I don’t take the Redwood Family seriously," Qiao Fu continued, his voice filled with scorn. "But I didn’t expect someone like you to crawl out for them and disrupt my business." His murderous gaze locked onto Tyler. "Killing you here will solve two problems. You die, and the Ghost Spirit little girl from the Redwood Family dies along with you. One stone, two birds... No, wait..." He paused, laughing at his own thought. "One hack, two trees! Hahaha!"

His laughter boomed through the villa, joined by his wife’s manic giggles.

Tyler leaned back slightly, his lips curling into a smirk. He appeared calm, almost amused. "One hack, two trees? Really? That’s the best you could come up with?"

Qiao Fu’s laughter faltered for a moment, his pride pricked by Tyler’s casual dismissal of his joke. "You dare mock me, boy?"

Tyler shrugged. "If you’re going to kill me, at least do it with some dignity. That pun was embarrassing."

The grandmasters outside stirred, their focus sharpening as Qiao Fu’s face twisted in rage. His grip on the axe tightened, veins bulging in his arms.

"You’ll regret those words," Qiao Fu snarled, raising his axe.

Tyler’s smirk widened. "We’ll see."

As tension filled the air, Lady Qiao’s expression shifted she retreated.

A glimmer of something unreadable flashed in Tyler’s eye, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the growing unease in the room.

"What are you waiting for? Come on in!" Qiao Fu barked, his voice filled with authority. Yet, there was no response. The grandmasters outside didn’t move an inch, their presence eerily silent.

"What’s going on?" Qiao Fu growled, glancing toward the door.

Tyler tilted his head, his lips curling into a faint smirk. "What are you waiting for? How about we all give a round of applause for the Legendary Woodcutter’s lame joke?"

For a moment, Qiao Fu didn’t understand, his face twisted in confusion. Then he froze, as did Lady Qiao.

From outside, the sound of clapping erupted, sharp and deliberate, like an eerie echo of Tyler’s words. The grandmasters were applauding.

"W-what is happening?" Qiao Fu stammered, his voice trembling for the first time.

Lady Qiao’s face turned pale, her eyes darting between the door and Tyler. The sound of the clapping grew louder, a mocking rhythm that reverberated through the villa.

"It seems your ’invincible’ grandmasters are more obedient to me than to you," Tyler said nonchalantly, inspecting his nails as if the entire scene was beneath his interest.