WilliamDArand
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Cultivating Chaos 5 -ch 9-
🕑 Added 2024-03-05 04:46:07 +0000 UTCStifling a yawn, Ash looked up to the air-ship that was coming down toward him.
It was flanked by four others, surprisingly.
All of them showed some signs of damage though.
One even had a hole in the side easily fifteen feet wide.
Ash looked to those with him.
Siu, Tala, Na, Chunhua, Xiuying, Hui, and Mei were with him.
Apparently Ghast’s arrival had torn them away from whatever else they were doing. Jia, Locke, and Moira were currently handling the Brides and the lands around Lake-City and what was happening.
Which apparently was people abandoning the cities because they were falling into absolute chaos. Refugees were being dispersed in every direction.
The Brides were working to stem the tide and moving to take over the nearby cities. Rather than letting them burn to the ground.
Ash wasn’t their direct commander and didn’t care.
So long as they did it in a way that didn’t endanger them.
He was currently monitoring all his chains with them to make sure they were always at their peak Qi. There would be no possibility of them having an issue with Qi without him knowing it.
That didn’t mean he could prevent them from dying, but it would make it impossible for them to die for lack of firepower.
“Around always talks about how pretty she is,” murmured Xiuying.
“It’s depressing how pretty she is,” Mei muttered.
“Good thing Husband loves us for who we are, and not what we look like,” stated Xiuying while nodding her head. “I mean, really, I can already hardly compare to Locke let alone more than that.”
There was a collective held breath at her words, followed by a few chuckles, a sigh from Tala, and a lessening of tension.
“I like you, Xiuying,” declared Mei.
“I like you too, Mei!” Xiuying said and then flung an arm around the other woman and pulled her in close. “When we finish up here, let’s go play that board game you play with Jia!”
Mei let out a noise like a grunt, then laughed and put an arm around Xiuying’s hips and held onto the other woman.
“That’d be lovely,” she agreed.
“My Elegant Self would like to participate, Mei, Xiuying. I have a number of perfumes I traded for that I’d like to get your opinions on,” Tala interjected.
“Ah… I would very much like to attend if possible,” Chunhua added.
“I’d say you’re all going to want to be there,” Ash said before anyone else could say more. “I’d say make it a get together and enjoy yourselves. Use the Hall.”
If they did it as he expected, he would get some alone time with Na or Locke.
Maybe even both.
Glancing to his left, he caught Na staring at him.
She gave him a bright smile when their eyes met.
A silent exchange happened in that moment before Ash looked back to the ships.
“Chunhua, can you do repairs on airships?” he asked even as everyone around him casually discussed plans.
“I’m sure I could figure it out,” asserted the sorceress. “We should take care of our Qi-Lady after all.”
“Ah! If the ships were damaged, then they probably have people who are hurt right?” Xiuying whispered loudly. “I get to test out my pills then! Rou is at sect right now taking care of the next batch of knights so it’s… it’s me! Yay me!
“I think it’ll be amazing. I think-I think my pills will be so fortunate, so lucky, that I’ll become the alchemist of the Sheng Alliance.”
Ash raised his eyebrows at that.
As far as he knew, Xiuying wasn’t actually aware of Yue in any deep way. When she spoke about the medicine that was already being used, she often said that it was high quality and amazing.
Though that was it.
“Do you know who Yue is?” Ash asked suddenly.
“Yue? I don’t know. There’s a number of Brides named Yue,” Xiuying replied, looking to Ash.
“Yue the alchemist?” he tried instead.
Xiuying shook her head slightly, her hair shifting back and forth.
“Can I meet her? Would she be able to talk to me about alchemy? That’d be nice!” fired off Xiuying. Going from curious to excited in no time at all.
“Maybe another time, dear,” Mei offered.
“Oh? Okay. Are there any other alchemists?” asked Xiuying. “I know they’re rare but… we have too many amazing medicines for us to only have two. Right?”
Ghast’s ship was coming in close now. All five looked to be as if they were planning on setting down right here and now.
“We’ll talk more about it later,” Tala declared. “Now it’s time to act our part. My Elegant Self dislikes it but knows Ashley wishes this. Isn’t that so, Ashley?”
“Thank you, my dear Bunny Wife,” Ash answered with a grin.
“Ah, of course. Who is my Elegant Self if not your Bunny Wife?” Tala said without any shame at all along with a deep chuckle.
Well. Tala is fairly mentally stable and emotionally secure now.
Ghast’s ship touched down in front of him and the door opened even before it had completely settled.
The beautiful Qi-Lord rushed out of the ship before he could even lower his head and snatched him up. Hugging him tightly and pressing him into herself.
Her hands practically clawing into his back as if he might pull away.
Well, Siu’s going to get another boost to her Dao and her Qi-Sea I suppose.
Damn me if I don’t want to throw Ghast to the ground and see if she’s willing here and now. It’s like sliding into a blanket heated to the point of feeling like a bath and as soft as silk.
Unable to help himself, Ash hugged Ghast in return. His arms tight around her and his hands pressed to her shoulders.
“My Hand,” whispered Ghast. “My dearest Hand. I owe you so very much. So very much. I would most certainly have died without you.
“I owe everything to you and would give you anything. Me, all my people, a pledge, anything.”
“Pledging would be wise,” Xiuying chirped happily. “We’ve all pledged to him! It helps give us more power.”
Fucking… ugh.
Whatever. Her pledging would actually help, wouldn’t it my dearest housewife?
And don’t think I didn’t notice how nice all the Brides are being. Even the likes of Mei and Jia.
They’re all on their best behavior.
“Yes, it’d be good for her to pledge to us. And you’re welcome! I’ve leveraged Xiuying and Siu effectively to get them all in line in regards to you.
“I have had less success with trying to make the Brides less… ah… insanely dedicated to you. I don’t think I’ll win that fight but I’ve done what I can.”
“My Lady Ghast,” choked out Ash. “It would be best if we went elsewhere. Can I offer you medicine for your people, refreshment, or repairs for the ships?”
“Yes please, all of the above, my dearest Hand,” agreed Ghast. She leaned back and promptly kissed Ash.
It was a kiss that felt like someone had stuffed a rod of steel into his private and a molten hot coal into his chest. Unable to stop himself he kissed her back, his tongue spearing into her mouth.
Ghast moaned, let out a soft whimper, and curled into him, having imitated the kiss and then letting him dominate her.
A sudden and immediate cooling relief broke Ash free. His thoughts becoming his own in a flash.
Kissing Ghast for a few more seconds, as he couldn’t deny she was an exceptional kisser, Ash broke it finally. Taking a step away from her, he gestured toward the home they often met at for these situations.
Ghast patted him on the shoulder, walked up to Mei, and stuck her arm through Mei’s. Leaning her head down she began immediately speaking to Mei though Ash couldn’t hear it.
It seemed the talk was being muted from being listened in on.
Not even hiding his action, Ash snatched up Siu’s arm and drug her into himself. Quickly wrapping an arm around her shoulders while grasping her right hand with his own.
“Oh me, oh my,” purred Siu, a fan snapping out with a click and quickly coming up in front of her face. “For what it’s worth, she didn’t do anything you felt on purpose. What you feel for her is entirely your own attraction to what she is, as well as her Dao acting on you.”
“Great, you can sit in my lap or right behind me, don’t care, either way,” Ash growled. “I don’t want her Dao doing that again. Purposeful or not. She’s not my Bride and I didn’t much care for that.”
“Ah, I wouldn’t hold it against her,” Siu whispered, Ash feeling the sudden and solid “pink-bubble” of force Siu often projected around him. “I think your control over her has shifted her Dao to a degree.
“Imagine how you would feel if you encountered… oh I don’t know… someone who offered you such momentum that just having them around often skewed your results.
“Could you honestly say you wouldn’t try to hold them at your side? As much or as long as you could?”
Siu had said it all while turning to look straight at Xiuying who had waltzed right up to Ghast and Mei, and was now leaning over the latter, while talking to the former.
As if it wasn’t a big deal at all.
“Good point,” relented Ash. If Ghast’s Dao was demanding her to initiate a relationship with Ash, that’d be hard to resist as a cultivator.
They quickly entered the manse and went into the dinning room. Everyone sat themselves very quickly.
Na and Mei bracketed Ash, with Siu and Xiuying standing behind him.
Across was Hui, Tala, and Chunhua.
No one seemed particularly happy at the moment.
Most certainly from Ghast’s actions with Ash or so he’d guess.
“I’ll begin with apologizing,” Ghast said quickly, looking to all the women in the room. “That was-that was unacceptable. I suddenly found myself fighting my Dao and my extreme attraction to him.
“In the future I’ll just keep my distance from him when I can feel my Dao becoming… feisty. I’ll also accept whatever you think is a suitable punishment. I know you all care for him a great deal.”
Everyone immediately deflated, except for Tala and Na, at those words. Those two looked still quite bothered at the whole situation.
Siu laid a gentle hand against his spine.
“Thank you, Ren. I appreciate that. I don’t blame you,” promised Ash.
“I’m sure we’ll come to some type of suitable answer for the rest of us,” Mei allowed. “Lady Ghast, it’s good to see you. We heard that there was an extreme Qi expendiature.”
“We were concerned that you’d been… captured or something of that nature,” Chunhua continued after Mei paused.
“My Elegant Self assumed you were in some type of fight and attempting to conserve your firepower,” Tala suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. “Then our dear Husband gave you the keys to the vault, so to speak.”
Ghast had been silent as each woman spoke before nodding her head at Tala’s words.
“That’s exactly it. I was under attack by two Qi-Lord’s,” Ghast explained. “Si’Sha and Xing teamed up to try and take some of my resources.
“My people were having problems up until… well… my dearest Hand rescued me. He also gave me such a sweet feeling that I couldn’t help myself earlier.
“Such a warm-hearted and kind man. I admit I’m eternally surprised. If it were anyone else I’d assume it was some type of trick and he was trying to trap me.
“But… given I wasn’t used physically despite my appearance or robbed or… or anything… it’s hard to fathom.”
“He’s just that special,” Hui offered. “Ashley is truly special. A Fated One of Fated One’s. You’re lucky to be treated with kindness, though, I think that is due to you being kind to him to begin with.”
Ghast blinked, frowned, the shrugged.
“Yes, I admit I felt foolish for being so merciful to him. I suppose that I am not merely a decoration or corpse because of it,” mused Ghast with a laugh. “Ah… well… I’m here. Per your request, dearest Hand.
“How can your Lady Ghast serve you? What may I do to please you? I assume you wanted to know what was going on, perhaps?”
There was a flash of something through his senses at her statement.
Before he couldn’t even identify it, Siu had drained it away, thankfully.
“That’d be helpful. What’s going on up there? I didn’t expect two Qi-Lord’s to attack you,” Ash admitted. “Also, I set it up so the Qi would remain in the upper realm for a time. I can reverse it whenever we wish.
“I didn’t want everyone to start looking downward until we were ready for it.”
“Yes, everyone did notice the Qi stabilized. I assumed you did it and that works out well for us,” shared Ghast. “I’ve been purchasing up many lands here on the ground floor. Everyone seems to view me as the fool at the moment but I find it quite amusing.
“The day my dearest Hand decides to flip the game is when they’re all find I’ve invested perfectly. Should I assume that’ll occur soon?”
“Maybe. Ah… Mei, hon?” Ash asked, looking to the beautiful woman.
Mei glanced at him, smiled, then looked to Ghast.
Na took the opportunity to get up and quickly went over to the cabinets to one side.
“Many of the Outsider cities are experiencing a crisis. As if everyone that was part of their security forces have left,” Mei explained. “We’re actively taking cities as quickly as we can but… it’s inefficient.
“These are also only the ones we can get to easily. There are likely many more outside of our reach and range.”
Ghat’s beautiful mouth turned into a pout.
“That’s a shame. I don’t know anything of why that would be happening,” she confessed with a small shake of her head. Na set down a cup of tea in front of Ghast along with several small snacks. “Thank you, Handmaiden. I deeply appreciate your care and consideration.”
Hm.
She found someone to get information out of .
She’s researching the Sheng Alliance.
“Wouldn’t you? My silly husband.
“It’s not as if I’m not constantly listening to every conversation from her people I can as well as scanning and rifling through all her belongings.
“You would not believe how many letters from men she gets. All her responses are very simple by the way. She’s in a relationship, please go away.
“I think she now has plans on you. That’ll be only somewhat problematic, but not very much. You can just jerk that leash of hers.
“Or maybe mine? Please? I’ve been a good housewife, haven’t I? Time for roleplay fun?”
Siu’s cleansing and cool power stripped Ash of any thoughts instantly.
“— course, Lady Ghast,” Na responded without a smile or even a twitch on her face. She moved to stand behind Ash once more after laying out a similar drink and set of snacks for everyone else.
“I think it’s what we’ve done,” Hui stated suddenly, the beautiful and highly intelligent woman looked to be deep in intense concentration. “They attacked originally likely because we made changes to where the Qi was going.
“We modified it again, and they yet again, made massive changes based on it, though also given their previous actions. They were revealed, they were no longer hidden, and now they’re fleeing.
“Perhaps because they failed, but also because the Qi is shifting upward again. Their plans were made based off a temporary situation we created.
“At the same time, the guards have all vanished, perhaps because of our actions, their actions, or the Emperor.”
“The guards didn’t all leave,” Ghast said quickly before someone else could say anything. “We found a number of them hiding. For some reason.
“They were trying to make it to the upper levels of the prison but didn’t know the procedures or policies to make that happen. When we captured them they all… killed themselves, surprisingly.”
Ash raised his eyebrows at that.
“Killed themselves? We ran across a very powerful cultivator who killed themselves as well,” explained Ash excitedly. “They all had guard uniforms on. They were in the jail entry area and seemingly waiting.
“There was something close to… twenty of them, I think?”
Ghast shook her head with a grimace on her face.
“The guards were working with the Outsiders,” Hui suggested. “Their timing, attempting to escape at the same time the Outsiders are, their original dissapearance when the attack was about to be carried out.
“The Outsiders are led by the guards, are the guards, or working with the guards. There’s other possibilities of course, but it feels right.”
Hui nodded her head and now looked to Ash. Her eyes bright as she stared at him intently.
Ah, yes.
Yes.
“I think my beloved Hui Sheng is correct,” Ash confirmed and then stood up, causing everyone to look at him somewhat oddly. “I think there’s more going on here and it’s the guards. Also… I think the exit to the prison is at the top of the prison.
“Which is why they were trying to go there. It seems like it’s time for me to go up to the top with you, my Lady Ghast.”
Ash paused next to an eager looking Hui.
“I’ll go up with you, you can introduce me to all Qi-Lord things as your Hand of Hands, and we’ll shift the Qi flow,” Ash explained. He reached up with his right hand and began to pat and stroke Hui on the head while standing next to her.
To which Hui closed her eyes and wore a beautiful smile.
“Shift it to the bottom with an extreme movement. Get everyone to look to the bottom even as we’ve already taken up a massive position,” Ash continued, looking to Hui to find she was nodding her head slightly even as he continued to pet him. “Should we grow our defensive formation at the same time, Hui Sheng, strategist of mine?”
“Yes,” she whispered in a soft moan. “Take it all.
“For the pattern, it won’t likely grow fast enough, but that’s okay. The Knights and the Brides will be able to hold anywhere the formation is. Even if we have to take a city a month from now as the formation grows.”
“Will this formation take the entire prison over?” Ghast asked curiously.
“In time,” Chunhua confirmed. “We plan on making the prison the hidden fortress of the Sheng Alliance.”
“Well! I suppose now I’m ever so glad I had already spoken to mistress Sheng about this,” Ghast got out with a throaty and provocative chuckle. “May I, mistress?”
“Yes, Ren Sheng, that would be advisable,” Mei allowed with a pretty smile in return for the other woman. “By the way, we have a small group of women who share clothes given our… well… different figure. Locke Sheng helps us make more with certain fabrics and patterns.”
What?
Ren Sheng?
“I, Ren Sheng, would pledge myself completely to Ashley Sheng,” began Ghast.
Or Ren, Ash supposed.
“Though we were born on different days—”
Even as Ren began reciting a pledge Ash knew well by this point, he ignored it.
Internally, he could feel Ren’s statue coming to stand amongst all the others.
She was most definitely reaching out to Ash in the center, wearing very little in the way of clothes, and being perfectly golden already.
As she pledged, his Dao briefly flared to life.
A hefty clunk sounded as the momentum of the Sheng Alliance in the emperors prison grew by an incredible amount.
Ren’s eyes flew open and wide. Her mouth hanging open just as she finished speaking her pledge.
“I can feel his Dao,” she whispered as the link between them shattered and broke apart. A chain replaced it and was a bright golden color. “Ashley Sheng… I had no idea.”
“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Xiuying blurted out with a laugh. “See? I told you to pledge and pledge quickly!
“Now you just need to take your clothes off, lay down on the table, and let him carve his Dao upon your back!
“I’m sure our amazing Locke Sheng has already anticipated some of this and even put together abilities for you!
“Uhm, speaking of, is there any hobby or craft you’d want to learn? Like doll-making or anything?”
“Doll… making?” Ren asked in a curious voice.
Even as she began taking her clothes off.
“Yeah! Anything at all. Ashley is amazing,” Xiuying happily supplied.
“I do have abilities for her. Xiuying is right. I prepared it in advanced just in case.
“They’ll compliment what she already knows I imagine. Also… uh… also I already generated what I think will be the best carving. I think she craves control so I put in a giant off switch fo rher.
“Don’t be mad at me. She’s an incredibly talented and strong woman. She’d be a wonderful Bride!”
“I just want control,” breathed Ren. “Give me control over my Dao, or something like it. Please.”
“See?”
