“Ah… Master, easy! Go easy!”

The one getting smacked around was Ethan Mercer.

Snatched up the mountain by that lunatic old man at the age of three, and now he was eighteen. For all these years, his daily routine had basically been this: get beaten, then get beaten some more.

If Ethan tried to sneak down the mountain on his own?

Congrats. Instant beating.

If the old man woke up and didn’t see Ethan practicing?

Still a beating.

If the old man was in a bad mood?

No need to say more. Ethan got hit again.

And when the old man couldn’t even come up with a reason?

Yep. Same result.

Over the years, Ethan had taken more beatings than meals.

“You can go down the mountain now…” the old man said, standing beside him with his hands behind his back.

Ethan rubbed the sore spot on his body and shot him a suspicious look. “Old man, can you act like a human for once? You just finished beating me. What, round two already?”

Every time Ethan had tried to sneak off the mountain before, he’d been dragged back and beaten half to death. So by now, the moment he heard the words go down the mountain, he got PTSD on the spot.

“This time I’m not hitting you,” the old man said flatly. “Once you go down, don’t come back.”

Ethan stared at him. “Old man, you got a fever or something? Your brain lagging?”

Yeah, no way he was falling for that.

How many times had this shameless old liar used the exact same excuse to bait him before?

Ethan had gotten wise. At this point, anything the old man said had to be taken in reverse. If you followed the old man’s instructions, he’d definitely change his mind later, beat you up, and then pretend he never said any of it.

“Haven’t you always wanted to leave?” the old man snapped. “Then hurry up and get lost. I’m sick of looking at you.”

“I’m not going. Beat me to death and I still won’t go.”

The old man narrowed his eyes. “What if I told you I found you a gorgeous wife in Zhonghai? You going or not?”

Ethan’s eyes lit up instantly.

Then, just as quickly, the light died.

Trap. Definitely a trap.

This old fossil having a conscience? Finding him a wife? Please. Did he look stupid?

“Yeah, right. As if I’d believe you,” Ethan said with a snort. “You shady old geezer are bad news from head to toe. You’d find me a wife? Come on.”

“Hey, you brat.” The old man glared at him. “So that’s what you think of me? I found you a fiancée with a great figure, pretty as a fairy, and if you don’t want her, fine. I’ll introduce her to someone else.”

“Wait, wait, wait, Master, don’t go!” Ethan instantly changed tone, shamelessly grabbing at his sleeve. “How do I find her?”

The old man let out a cold huff. “Hmph. The second you hear there’s a beauty involved, it’s Master this, Master that. When you’re begging for mercy, it’s Master too. Any other time, I’m just the old man.”

But Ethan didn’t care about any of that.

A beauty was waiting for him. Whether it was a trap or not, he had to roll the dice. Life was all about taking chances, right?

The old man pulled out a document and tossed it over. “This is your marriage contract. Take it to Haida Group in Zhonghai City and find their chairman. He’ll make the arrangements.”

Ethan took the contract with a goofy grin, his mind already painting all kinds of dreamy images.

Not gonna lie, maybe this old man actually had a heart after all.

For once, the guy was giving him benefits instead of bruises.

But when Ethan lowered his head and read the paper carefully, his expression froze.

“Old man… you set this engagement up ten years ago behind my back?” He looked up in disbelief. “And she’s three years older than me?”

He was stunned.

A marriage arranged ten years ago?

How the hell did this old man know she was still beautiful now? What if she’d grown up ugly? What if she was built like a tank? What if she weighed five hundred pounds? How was he supposed to deal with that?

The old man rolled his eyes. “What’s wrong with older? An older woman by three years is like striking gold. Don’t be so rigid.”

“Forget the age thing for a second,” Ethan said, waving the contract. “This engagement was set ten years ago. Are they even gonna admit it still counts?”

The old man’s face turned cold. “They’d better. Unless their old master has a death wish. You’ll understand when you get there.”

Ethan clicked his tongue. “Fine. But let me say this first—if she’s ugly, I’m not accepting this marriage.”

“Then get lost already,” the old man barked. “I don’t want to see your face for one more second.”

Ethan blinked. “Old man… I’m really leaving?”

He started edging toward the mountain path, one cautious step at a time, eyes locked on the old man the whole way, ready for that familiar sneak attack at any second.

“Go, go, go!” the old man waved him off impatiently. “I won’t beat you anymore. Look at you, scared out of your wits. Pathetic.”