The Rise of A Maverick

Author: Nina Jeremiah

Chapter 1: Big Sis Is the Best

Words : 1876 Updated : Mar 12th, 2026

"How old are you?" Kevin Letherdale answered with easy confidence. "Eighteen." "I meant your age!" "That is my age." "Eighteen is a little young, but I can live with it." The woman studied him like she was appraising a purchase. "Can you go register the marriage with me?" "Big sis, look at me. I'm young, and I'm handsome-" "If you can't, forget it." She reached for the door handle. "Big sis, don't go." Kevin hurriedly leaned in. "You misunderstood. What I meant was… it'll cost extra." "Ten grand for the certificate. Ten grand for coming home with me tonight. If you perform well, another ten." "Deal!" Kevin's eyes lit up. "Let's register right away. Tonight, you can judge my performance. I'll make sure to play to my strengths." He looked like he'd just won the lottery. He'd barely come down from the mountain and he'd already run into something this good. As far back as he could remember, he'd lived with Zane, cultivating in a run-down temple tucked deep in the hills. Zane was mysterious. In Kevin's eyes, the old man might as well have been a living immortal. Kevin had learned plenty from him too, though Zane had one small vice. He loved beautiful women. That morning, Kevin had caught a pheasant on the back mountain. While he was at it, he'd grabbed Zane's treasured collection of beauty magazines, the ones he'd hoarded for years, and used them to start the fire for roasting the bird. Zane had kicked him out of the temple on the spot. And Zane had thrown one last demand at him: if Kevin went down the mountain and failed to find the Nine Saintesses, he shouldn't bother coming back to show his face. Kevin had been stunned. Zane played that wild? He wanted Kevin to bring back Saintesses as compensation? Zane had mentioned Saintesses from time to time. They were said to be the most beautiful women in the world, with physiques so special that ordinary men couldn't obtain them, let alone conquer them. Kevin didn't know what they looked like. There weren't even photos. Zane had only given him one identifying trait: each Saintess had a mole on her chest. Kevin had been speechless. Was he supposed to meet a pretty woman, yank open her clothes, and check for a mole? That was exactly how a dirty old man behaved. Like Zane. Still, burning those magazines had been a capital crime. Kevin could only agree. When that old pervert blew his top, Kevin couldn't handle it. So he'd trudged down the mountain with a ridiculous mission on his shoulders: stare at chests and hunt for Saintesses. He'd been so wrapped up in that thought that the moment he stepped out of the mountains and reached the highway, a gorgeous woman in a car clipped him and knocked him down. Luckily, she hadn't been going fast. She'd jumped out, checked that he was fine, and only then relaxed. When she learned he'd just come out of the mountain behind them and planned to head into the city to start living there, she'd immediately taken an interest in him. Kevin had been kicked out with no money to his name. He understood one thing about city life: without cash, you didn't get far. So he accepted her offer. Once the terms were set, he got into her car, and they headed straight for the marriage registry. "Big sis, why do you want to marry me?" Kevin asked, curiosity getting the better of him. He was handsome, and he was eighteen, sure. But this woman wasn't lacking in anything. Her looks, her figure, the luxury car under her hands, all of it screamed money. No one like that married a random stranger on a whim. "My name is Faye Sowden." She kept her eyes on the road. "Since we're registering, call me by my name. As for why… ah-there's a snake!" Before she could finish, a snake dropped from a tree on the right and slapped onto the hood. Faye shrieked. "Vroooom!" Startled out of her mind, she stomped for the brake and hit the gas instead. The engine roared, and the car surged forward. The mountain road was narrow, and a bend loomed ahead. One wrong move and they'd fly off the left side into the ravine. Kevin lunged across the console, grabbed the steering wheel, and forced the car back into line. He knew this stretch well. He knew what was coming. "Faye, brake!" he shouted. He couldn't reach the pedals, so all he could do was yell. Faye finally snapped out of it. She slammed the brake, and the car shuddered to a stop at the roadside. She sat there, shaken, sucking in huge breaths. Kevin had braced himself with one hand on the wheel, and in the scramble his other hand had snagged her collar. Her neckline had been tugged open. Kevin had only caught a glimpse. Just a sliver. "What are you doing?" Faye's eyes went wide as she realized his hand was still on her clothes. Rage flared through the fear. She shoved him hard. "Sorry, big sis. I… I didn't mean to." Kevin pulled back at once, palms up. He really had done it by accident while grabbing the wheel, but in that split second he'd seen something else too. On her chest, there'd seemed to be a tiny red mole. It looked like the kind Zane described for a Saintess, but everything had happened too fast. He hadn't seen it clearly. Faye frowned. The danger had been real. After a beat, she didn't press the issue. The snake had been flung by inertia into the drainage channel beneath the windshield. After the car stopped, it slithered back out. "It… it's still on the car." Faye pointed at the windshield, voice trembling. "That triangular head. It's venomous." Kevin squinted, then broke into a grin. "Well, I'll be. A thirty-year Red Snake. That's the good stuff." He threw the door open and hopped out. Sensing danger, the snake lifted its head, coiling into a striking posture. In a blur, Kevin's hand flashed out. The snake didn't even seem to understand what happened before he pinched it precisely at the vital spot. "Rip!" Somehow he produced a small knife. With practiced ease, he cut the snake open, dug out the gallbladder, and swallowed it in one gulp. "Ah… you… you…" Faye stared from inside the car, horrified. Her whole body shook. Kevin tossed the snake into the grass, dusted off his hands, and climbed back in. "Don't be scared. A thirty-year Red Snake's gallbladder already carries a trace of spiritual energy. It's basically half a pill. You can't even catch these when you want to. I just met you and one drops right onto our hood. That's luck." Watching him look pleased with himself, Faye couldn't even imagine what he'd been exposed to living in these mountains. At eighteen, he had nerves like steel. If city boys saw a snake, they'd probably wet themselves. "You weren't afraid?" she asked, still rattled. Kevin licked his lips, as if savoring the taste. "I was too happy to be scared. If a few more Red Snakes showed up, that'd be even better." A venomous snake was food to him. When he was ten, Zane had made him fight full-grown wild boars in the mountains. Any time Zane wanted meat, he'd send Kevin to haul one back. Kevin still remembered being eight, when a wolf nearly as tall as a person had come out of nowhere. Zane had been even harsher then, forcing Kevin to catch it and subdue it. That wolf was still kept at the temple, turned into a guard dog. That was all routine for him before he even turned ten. After that, he'd learned far more. Otherwise, how could Zane have dared to throw him out with a straight face? As he finished speaking, Kevin's gaze drifted to Faye's collar, which she still hadn't fully fixed. All he saw was a bright, pale stretch of skin. Where had that mole gone? Had he seen wrong? The question hooked him all over again. "Faye," he said, voice turning careful, "we're about to be husband and wife. Can I ask a tiny favor?" He leaned closer, eyes earnest in a way that made her skin crawl. "Can I see your chest?"

The Rise of A Maverick

Chapter 1: Big Sis Is the Best

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