"Masters, since when did you get this weak? Twelve hours and you're already done?" Inside Phoenix Women's Prison, Liam Cutmore looked down at five stunning women sprawled across the floor. Their cheeks were flushed, their clothes a mess, and their breaths came in ragged gasps. He shook his head slowly. He had barely even tried. They had collapsed anyway. "Little bastard, don't you dare act like it was easy," one of them snapped. "You try kneeling for twelve hours and see how you like it!" "Kneeling would've been one thing," another growled, voice hoarse with fury. "But your hands wouldn't behave. That little rascal left my ass bright red!" Third Master, draped in a seductive crimson phoenix robe, widened her almond eyes and clutched her backside as she cursed him out. Guilt stirred in Liam's chest, but his gaze hardened into something colder. Five years ago, his adoptive brother had drunk-driven into someone and killed them. His adoptive parents had shoved Liam into the role of scapegoat and sent him to prison under their son's name. He had never expected that, behind these walls, five breathtaking women would take a liking to him. They had taught him all kinds of divine power and guided him into cultivating the greatest art of this age, the Ninefold Dragon Emperor Art. But the hatred he carried for his adoptive family had made him stumble during cultivation. That mistake had birthed the Vengeful Dragon Poison inside him. The poison was vicious. If it was not treated in time, his meridians would shatter and his body would burst apart. Over the past few years, the five women had relied on their terrifying strength to barely suppress the Vengeful Dragon Poison for him. Yet dragons were lustful by nature. Every time they helped him press it down, heat surged through his blood, and his hands and feet stopped listening. More than once, he had slapped their asses swollen. To cure it completely, there was only one path: find nine women with a special physique and cultivate through Dual Cultivation with them, completing Ninefold Unity. But women with a special physique were one in a hundred million. Where was he supposed to find nine? "Little bastard, don't lose heart," Third Master said, as if she had seen the worry in his eyes. "These past few years, we've already found nine women with special physiques for you. We even arranged betrothals with all of them." "Especially that one named Olivia Yale. Face, figure, everything. She's perfect. Once you're out, go win her over first." She shoved a thick stack of marriage contract papers into his hands. With them came a blood-red ring and a bank card inlaid with golden filigree. "And this Rose Ring is my personal token. With it, you can command the Rose Society's countless top-tier assassins." "This Swiss Bank Supreme Black Card has a credit limit of ten billion." "I'm giving you all of it. Consider it our gift for your release. Take it and get lost already!" Liam took the three items. His eyes reddened, reluctance burning in his throat. "Thank you, Masters." "Your kindness… I'll never forget it." "Today, I swear to the heavens, I will never slap your asses again." He knocked his head to the floor three times, hard enough to thud. Then his figure vanished from the room. Not long after he left, Third Master suddenly slapped her thigh. "Ah! Damn it. I forgot to tell him. I used Olivia Yale's marriage contract as toilet paper." … The moment Liam stepped out of the office, the warden hurried over at a jog. "Master Cutmore, your family is here." "Do you want to see them or not?" Liam's eyes turned icy. Family… A word that felt both familiar and strange. Back then, to repay his adoptive parents for raising him, he had worked himself like a child laborer for the Cutmore family, doing anything they asked without complaint. Even when he was sent to prison as a stand-in, his adoptive parents had patted his shoulder and comforted him: *Just endure it. Mom and Dad will come visit you often.* But for five full years, they had not come even once. From that day on, Liam stopped thinking of them as family. He never wanted to see them again. Still, the reason he could cultivate the Ninefold Dragon Emperor Art was because he possessed the Azure Dragon Saint Physique. That meant his biological parents were not ordinary people. To find them, he decided to meet the people waiting outside. When he was young, he had once burned with fever until he fell into a coma. In the haze of his subconscious, he had sensed someone visiting him, whispering something to his adoptive father. That person… should have been his real family. … At the prison gates. In front of an Audi A8. A middle-aged couple stood craning their necks toward the entrance. "Noah," the woman asked anxiously, "do you think Liam will agree to become the Yale family's son-in-law?" "Olivia Yale is already dead. Marrying a dead girl… I'm afraid-" Luna Lapwood, Liam's adoptive mother, could not hide her worry. "Hmph." Noah Cutmore snorted. "He'll marry her." "Don't forget, his life was given by us." "Letting him live to this day is already a gift from heaven. Shouldn't he be grateful? Shouldn't he obey us without question?" Luna nodded, her smile brightening. "You're right. We're his parents. No matter what, he has to listen to us. Otherwise, he's unfilial." "Besides, Olivia Yale may be dead, but she was still the first beauty of Northbank. A convict like him getting to marry into the Yale family is the kind of blessing he'd need eight lifetimes to earn." Just yesterday, Olivia Yale, the Yale family's eldest grandchild, had died in a bizarre and sudden way, right in the prime of her youth. Old Mr. Yale believed something wicked had done it, so he wanted to bring in a young man as a son-in-law and hold a ghost marriage, a marriage to ward off evil and drive away disaster for the Yale family. And he had offered a dowry of three million. Noah and Luna had jumped at the money immediately. They just did not want to send their own son, so they had thought of Liam, who was about to be released. "We raised him for over ten years," Luna said. "Fed him, clothed him. It's time he paid us back." "If he dares refuse," Noah said, eyes flashing with cruelty, "I'll break his legs." In Noah's heart, Liam was no different from a tool. Then Liam walked out through the gates. The instant Noah and Luna saw him, disgust flickered across their faces. A heartbeat later, they forced smiles and hurried up to him. "Son, you're finally out." "These five years must've been hell for you." "Come on, let Mom take a good look. Are you hurt anywhere?" Luna circled him, examining him from head to toe. When she saw his pale face, drained from years of suppressing the Vengeful Dragon Poison, she even squeezed out two fake tears. "My poor baby… how much did you suffer in there? It breaks your mother's heart." She said it like that, but relief churned inside her. To her, Liam's sickly complexion only meant prison food was bad and he had been malnourished. Good thing she had not sent her own son. Who knew what he would have endured? She would have been heartbroken. "Liam, you've suffered," Noah said, laying a heavy hand on his shoulder, putting on a show of remorse. "From today on, your mother and I will make up for everything you went through these five years." Watching their performance, Liam laughed coldly to himself. Five years ago, he might have been moved to tears. But he had long since lost any feeling for them. No matter how pretty their words sounded, he would not believe a single one. "Cut the crap," Liam said flatly. "What do you want? Say it." Noah's face darkened. "What kind of talk is that?" "That's right!" Luna scolded. "Your parents came to see you out of kindness. If you don't want to catch up, fine, but why are you acting like this?" Liam shot back, "Acting like what?" "You didn't visit me once in five years. You show up today, and you expect me to believe it's for nothing?" Awkwardness flickered over their faces. Then they stopped pretending. Luna gave a stiff, ingratiating smile. "You're right. We do have something. But it's a good thing." "A good thing?" Liam let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Spit it out. I don't have time to waste on you." His attitude made them seethe, but for that three million dowry, they swallowed it down. "Fine," Luna said. "Then I'll be direct." "Son, to be honest, your father and I just arranged a marriage for you." "Miss Yale, Olivia Yale. The first beauty of Northbank." "Well? Isn't that good news?" Olivia Yale? Liam froze. Wasn't that his fiancée? What a coincidence. But the next moment, his brows knitted. If Olivia Yale was the first beauty of Northbank, why not send Monty Cutmore? Even if it meant marrying into the family, it was still a golden opportunity for the Cutmore family. A deal like that would ever fall to him? Noah mistook Liam's frown for reluctance. His expression sank, and he snorted. "The Yale family is a prestigious household in Northbank. You marrying Miss Yale is the kind of fortune you'd need eight lifetimes to earn, so don't get ungrateful." "Besides, once you enter the Yale family, you'll rise to the top." "Your mother and I will benefit too. Consider it your way of repaying us for raising-" "I'll do it," Liam cut in before he could finish. "But I have one condition." Noah and Luna exchanged a look, both startled. After sensing Liam's coldness, they had expected him to refuse. Instead, he agreed without much fuss. So that was all it was. His earlier attitude had just been him venting, trying to fish for their affection. He was still the same as five years ago. Weak. Useless. Obedient. A piece of trash that could be sold for three million. A bargain.