17 Chapter XVII: Rowena Vex

A melodic laugh shattered the tension in the room. Xiong Xinya then applauded to compliment her laughter.

"Brilliant!" she praised aloud.

'Maybe this little villain...No, this young Patriarch is what we need. But how much will he give to take this family to the top?' Xiong Xinya looked at her grandson-in-law with a critical gaze hidden behind her beaming smile.

"Thank you, Grandma Xiong," I spoke with budding intrigue with this hidden eccentric. " And to address your concern about our future Sect prospects. Based on the sects that we know of. I have decided to align us with Flaming Heart Sect led by the Primrose Clan. They have a branch family in the Deep South."

"A family of Criminals!" Situ Zhelan slammed his fist against the table as he erupted. He was one of the elders who didn't like us aligning with the Primrose Family. He is a straight and narrow man that can be troublesome but his loyalty was undiluted, a rarity in a world where anything goes for the sake of glimpsing immortality.

"So what!?" I growled and killing intent blasted the elder. "The world of cultivation is ruthless. And if kidnapping people and using them as cauldrons is how they make it out of the Mortal World then good for them. Evil and Righteousness is merely perspective. For us, I'll slaughter thousand. To you, I'll be righteous and caring for my own. To the slaughter, I'll be a bane to peace and prosperity. Elder Zhelan, with QingQing at my side, you are my Elder and I will see civilizations burn before I watch you fall. I will not fail again."

My heart quaked and Situ Qing grabbed my hand as it trembled. Three. Two. Exhale... I smirked at Situ Qing, then focused on Elder Zhelan once again.

"We need them to get into the Flaming Heart Sect. Why the Flaming Heart Sect? Because they are the weakest and fall under the command of StarFire Pavillion. It means nothing to all of you now, but you will thank me later." I finished in a more calm manner as brief imagines of Ace Zenith's future appeared in my mind.

"Instead of vying for a strong backer, just create a force of your own," My father spoke out.

Everyone looked at him with shocked expressions as they finally realized what the Vamoria Clan was planning. The Vamoria clan wasn't trying to create powerful youths to help them into sects. They weren't trying to create a strong Night Parade to conquer the Deep South. The purpose for all of the schemes became apparent with a single sentence from Gellis Vamoria. The Vamoria Clan wished to bring the entire Night Parade to the Cultivation World and take over the Flaming Heart Sect to establish a foothold.

"Situ Long! Prepare the Night Parade. Three units of equal numbers. Everyone under Seventeen will fall under General Orym's command." Situ Ren's words took everyone by surprise. He then said, "If the Night Parade is led by Generals, as a leader, Orym is naturally a General. We are rogues now, so we can do whatever we want. Does anyone oppose?"

Situ Long didn't hesitate to face me as he bowed to acknowledge my new rank. The officers in the room quickly followed suit.

Sometime later, when the War Room was empty with the exception of Xiong Xinya, The Situ Elders, The Vamoria Elders, Fei Rong, Situ Qing, Situ Ren, and my parents, a barrier was erected around the large tent.

"The barrier is up again." Said Gellis.

I gave my father a thankful nod. "Elders, Father in law, Grandma Xiong, during the meeting, known of you asked one very important question. Why haven't the sects sent a genius to the moon temple to do exactly what I am planning?"

"Because of the Old Kings and Old Imperials. They should be at the Xiantain level now." an Elder spoke.

"Right! A cultivation realm that would make them elders in most sects. At least in the sects that we have information on. Sending people down here would only be a hassle, and no one wants to fight for Mortal World Treasure. So you all know that a breakthrough is necessary if you want to hold your own against the empires until the kingdoms are destroyed." I explained

"Breaking through isn't that easy, Young Lord." Said Daliah Silver.

"That's where you're wrong. In truth, Dalilah, elders of the Vamoria Clan, Situ Clan, QingQing, all of you were pulled into my plan to return my clan back to their rightful place in the world. My engagement to QingQing stemmed from the need for the Mountain Legion. The aid provided to the Vamoria elders stemmed from the same place. A little candor hurts in the beginning, but it's brief. That's why I'm being honest with you all now in hopes of a stronger union in the future." I spoke with confidence and conviction. My shoulders were square, and my chin was up.

"Hmmm, so that's why you decided to marry my Qing'er?" Situ Ren asked.

"Haiz... In the begging..."

"Now?" he asked.

"She's the reason I sleep peacefully," I replied without any care that Situ Ren didn't understand.

Situ Qing, Mina, Gelliss, and Fei Rong looked at me with wide eyes. They all knew of my nightmares of Chen Suyin. The shadow of my soul and the root of all my regret. To say that Situ Qing was bigger than it all set her world ablaze. And as she thought about the past months that we shared a tent, the nights had indeed been peaceful. I then felt a thud on my back as Situ Qing's arms wrapped around my abdomen.

"Okay, enough! Love later, war now. QingQing, let the General go." Xiong Xinya spoke with a nearly unnoticeable smirk.

Situ Qing released me, but I reached out and took her hand into my own. I held it lovingly for the rest of the meeting.

"So, what's the point of this confession?" Xiong XInya asked.

"To explain why I wanted you here. I want all of you to come to the Cultivation World with us. Not just to be strong, but to conquer." I replied. "The future will be hard and bloody. Some will die for sure. If--"

"We're family." Situ Ren interrupted, " The answer is obvious. If you want us to count clouds with you when we get there or take over sects. We'll help you. Technically, you are the next Clan Leader of the Situ Clan."

"Good. Good." I nodded as I thought, 'But I hope you feel the same when there are no mortals amongst our enemies, and all of them are outright powerhouses.'

"Wait! You said return." Said Xiong Xinya, " That means you're from the Cultivation World. Which region? Or did you come from another continent?"

"Father, give it to them," I said, completely ignoring Xiong Xinya's question.

In a flash, jade bottles of four high-grade qi gathering pills each appeared in front of all of the elders.

"We'll move out after everyone achieves a breakthrough. Cultivate diligently and don't rush. The wars are just kicking off, and the spymaster is keeping an eye on things. While you all cultivate, I'll take a unit to sack Dove City. The city Lord is the peak of Martial Foundation, and I need the tempering." I informed them.

The elders graciously thanked my parents and me. Before they were each taken to their private tents. I quickly assembled my unit and began my march.

Once outside the camp, a great barrier was put up, only to be opened by Gilles, Mina, and myself. The Night Parade was on lockdown. To keep the Dark Water Kingdom from getting suspicious, I would act as the sword of the Kingdom.

Three days later, I discussed my battle plans with Situ Qing and Shane when one of the scouts arrived and gave his report before returning to his post.

"General, the city is a fortress. They have locked themselves inside like turtles. We don't have enough resources to mount a siege, and if we spend too much time, they will eventually figure out that the Night Parade isn't coming." He reported.

I sighed as I really wanted to face off against the City Lord. But alas, sometime in war, one's lust for battle must be sacrificed for a quick victory. As a man from modern earth, I had a thing for weapons of mass destruction.

"Bring me the intestines of a beast, string and lots of arrows," I ordered, and his officers began to move with great haste. By noon a table stacked with smelly guts was placed in front of Orym. He then stepped forward and taught his legionnaires how to clean them.

As the guts were cleaned, a group of legionnaires would blow them up like balloons and pour water into them. After a few hours of preparation, I filled the last balloon with diluted poison as its original concentration was strong enough to put down an expert at Foundation Establishment.

Situ Qing and I walked to the gates of Dove City while my unit of 150 legionnaires waited at the treeline with bows and arrows and a lot of beast gut balloons.

"I, Orym Vamoria, Son of General Vamoria of the Dark Water Kingdom's Woodland Legion, order you to open these gates and surrender!" I shouted as Situ Qing threw the balloon into the air. I fired an arrow, and the balloon exploded, raining poison droplets down on the city guards.

The cries of death lasted half a breath, and the cold chill of fear slithered into the veins of all those who witnessed the deaths of their friends, brothers, and sisters.

"I don't give orders twice!" I shouted. "QingQing! Give the signal! I want to hear the screams of their children!"

The residents of Dove City and the City Guards had a heart flinching reaction to my insane dialogue. I had learned long before this life that just because I was capable didn't mean that I had to act. Slaughtering the city was an option, but for the psyche of my people and the innocent lives in the city, I sacrificed a few to persuade the mass.

"Wait! No! No! Young Lord forgives us. We're simply following the city lords' orders! Open the gates!" A hidden guard shouted.

I gave Situ Qing a silent gesture. She then fired a flaming arrow into the sky. A moment later, tens of balloons flew out over Dove City as legionnaires walked out the treeline.

"Hey! We surrendered! W-why did you release those?! Do you want to kill us all?!" The Dove Guard shouted deliriously.

"Call it a deterrent! Spread the word!" I roared, "QingQing, bring our people in."

As Situ Qing left to relay my next orders, I remained standing in front of the gates as the world around me turned to darkness, and my body dawned an odd sensation of being submerged. A moment later, a familiar man appeared with a gorgeous woman who smelled of divine wine that tugged on my soul.

"Little punk! It seems your luck was good! Even without wishes, you managed to escape your fate of death as an infant. I was even worried about that Ace Zenith" Lord Taylor laughed joyously, "That's how it's supposed to be! And it seems you've managed to overcome your loss and get a beautiful fiancee. Congratulations!"

"You…" I growled, "You forget to give me that damn soup! I remember everything! You suck at ferrying souls to their new life."

"Hey, punk. I didn't ask for that job. Old Lady Meng decided to take the day off!" Lord Taylor shouted back.

The woman behind Lord Taylor audibly cleared her throat. Lord Taylor then relaxed and said, "I am Lord Taylor. This is Lilian Rex, she can destroy your entire world with a sneeze, and she's my best friend in all of existence. We just killed her husband, and the council has given us massive rewards. Once we breakthrough, we will be too powerful to visit you even in this astral form."

"Why would you want to visit me? You don't grant wishes anyhow." I sneered.

"Because wishes cheat the fates and have catastrophic consequences, like the destruction of your world. My husband loved to grant wishes to mortals, and this time was his last mistake. However, you still have a few existences in this world that have said perks. The majority aren't easy to deal with. One woman is in this city. And another is in the Dark Water Kingdom. If you let either of them get the legacy of the Lunar Temples, you will never be able to raise your family back to their rightful place." Said Lilian.

I growled with rage. "So your husband and his wishes are why my Suyin had to die?"

The dark environment shifted to images of Chen Suyin crying, laughing, playing, sleeping. Every memory of her was a treasure put on display. Lord Taylor's face was expressionless. Though, it appeared to be unnatural, like a defense mechanism. Lilian Rex couldn't help but steal glances at the man before a gourd appeared in her hands. After guzzling half its contents, Lilian Rex sighed as she waved her hand to clear the astral plane of my influence.

"I didn't expect mortal love to love to be so strong..." She spoke in a distant tone and lightly chuckle, "To think you affected the Astral Plane with a simple thought of this girl...Only if..."

Lilian Rex paused for a moment, then said, "Yes. My husband is the reason Chen Suyin is dead. But you can get your revenge by eradicating his chosen."

"How do I find them?" I asked, causing Lilian and Lord Taylor to smile. I knew I was being used, but I cared not. Ace Zenith was a simple boy that lucked upon a fortuitous encounter. That was enough to cause problems. By chance, if one of these chosen interrupted my plans, how difficult would they be to swat aside? Equivalent to an ant or elephant? Either way, I wanted to be prepared.

"In your original world, there was a scent that doesn't exist anywhere else in the Cosmos. It was created by the Myriad Sage, a very powerful existence now." Said Lord Taylor.

Lilian then spoke up, "I'm sure you've heard the old tale. A powerful king who wanted to keep his young wife close to him sought help from a wise sage. The hermit asked the king to bring him three things: the egg of the black tabon bird, 12 ladles of fresh milk from an unblemished white carabao, and nectar from the flower of the tree of make-believe. He then mixed the ingredients into the soil, and a beautiful tree with fragrant and sweet fruit sprung up the very next day, captivating the young woman. The overjoyed king threw a feast for all the important men and women in his kingdom but neglected to invite the Myriad Sage. In a fit of rage, the Myriad Sage cursed the tree's fruit with a foul odor and a prickly shell...

Durian's pungent smell lingers for days and makes them easy to track. We used one of our rewards from the council to tag my late husband's chosen people. If you can kill a few during this lifetime, I promise to lend you a hand if you ever make it to the Empyrean plane of existence."

"Worry not, I'll handle the matter," I assure them.

"If they have a system, they may be difficult to deal with. So be cautious and control your killing intent. Be like water. Even when it's raging and kills weak swimmers, it never emits an intent to kill. It's merely playing its part to keep the world balance, like you." Said Lord Taylor

" Where's Suyin?" I asked.

"Hmm...If fate allows it. Hopefully, you two don't kill each other. Either way, I'm sure it'll make a good show," Lilian giggled.

The two Gods or God-like beings then faded away before the world regained color, and I began to hear Situ Qing calling my name.

"Orym?!"

"Yes?"

"We're ready to enter," she said, worried about me.

I looked behind me and saw my entire unit awaiting his orders. "House to house, anything that benefits cultivation will be taken. That all that matters. Shane, take the lead."

"Yes, General!" The legionnaires rushed into the city while twenty of them posted on the wall with arrows ready to shoot the 'poison' balloons.

Looking at the scene. I was still curious about how the 'balloons' managed to stay in the air.

During the door-to-door raids, I stood on the roof of a building, smelling the city. I picked up on the scents of bad wine, shit, piss, sex, blood, fear, despair, but no durian. Hours passed, and I didn't find a thing.

Now that my unit had combed through the entire city, they were now at the city lord's mansion. Pushing the matter aside, I joined my unit to find the city lord's family standing before them without the city lord.

I landed by my unit after leaping from roof to roof. The moment I took a step, the smell of durian assaulted my nose. I relaxed, and my aura became as calm as water. Walking to greet the city lord's family, I smelled a light durian scent from two women and a young man. But the third woman that stood in the front of the family reeked.

"Where is the city lord?" I asked

The woman ahead of the family licked her lips and had eyes full of lust as she stared at me. "Dead," she replied.

"Who killed him?"

"We did. The Empire neglects us, so why die for their greed. To show our willingness to comply, we got rid of your only opposition." Said the woman.

I sighed.

"Who are you?" Situ Qing stepped forward, and the woman frowned as it was clear that Situ Qing was marking her territory.

"Rowena, The eldest daughter of Rory Vex. Behind me are my beautiful mother and gorgeous brother, along with his childhood friend. He didn't have the balls to confess to her. So now she's mine."

'Uncouth and arrogant. Overtly tyrannical and without caution.' were my first thoughts of Rowena Vex.

"Well, if you really are willing to be cooperative, hand over all cultivation resources to our Night Parade." Said Situ Qing.

Rowena smirked as she signaled to her brother. He then went into the manor and returned with a box of trash filled with incomplete mortal grade cultivation manuals and trash pills. Then Rowena pulled out a manual titled 'Hands of Eros'

"What's Eros?" Situ Qing asked.

"None of your business, This is a gift for the young lord." Said Rowena as she presented the skill manual to me with a deep bow.

'She's underestimating me. She's underestimating us. Whatever her wishes were, they turned these people docile. I wonder how far her influence goes. I shouldn't be in a hurry.' I thought in my heart while taking in the situation.

"Thank you, Lady Rowena. My soldiers will occupy your manor for the duration of our stay. We will move on soon, but the rest of the Legion will be here shortly."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want," Rowena replied as she took my arm.

Situ Qing was about to move when I squinted with apologetic eyes. Situ Qing reluctantly tended to the unit. Once in the manor, I looked around, and the atmosphere was obviously off. Even the servants seemed spent and lifeless.

Rowena, at first glance, is a beautiful woman with a busty, curvaceous body and long black hair. Her eyes are deep amber hazel, and she has full pale pink lips. If it wasn't for the hunger she emitted, the pungent odor of durian, and my thoughts of Situ Qing, I wouldn't mind having the beauty on my arm.

Observing the woman, I had long put her cultivation at early Martial Foundation, which was extremely odd for a woman at sixteen to seventeen years old in the mortal realm. Not to mention her background wasn't all that glamorous.

"Tell me your story, Rowena," I spoke plainly as Rowena escorted me to the main hall.

"Straight to the point. No honeyed words." Rowena tittered, "I like that. I'm a bit uncouth myself these days. It's all my father's fault, of course. He used to fuck me randomly throughout the day and beat my brother. My mother, that cold bitch watched, unfazed by our misery. The worst part is that I started to like his plows after a while. But he was an angry man. He didn't like that I liked it. So he strangled me. I woke up a week later and decided to live my life as I pleased. So I raped my cute little brother. We're twins, by the way. I then took his friend, then my mother, and finally, I strangled my father as he shot his last load inside of me."

I watched Rowena speak. I noticed her deranged gaze and savage smile. I wasn't put off in the slightest as this was nothing compared to my father's stories of the cultivation world. Nor was Incest a big deal in a world of blood purity and common means to magically correct ailments with the pop of a pill.

"Good for you." I praised her, "This world has no mercy for the weak. I, on the other hand, was raised with a golden spoon in my mouth and no hardships to speak of."

"Son of a Legion General. I wouldn't expect you to be raised any other way," Rowena replied as we entered the main room and found our seats.

A servant poured two glasses of wine, and the scent of an aphrodisiac bombarded my nose. 'Too strong,' I thought, 'Way too strong to be concocted in the mortal realm by a nobody.'

"Forgive me, but I don't drink wine. It dulls the senses." I spoke as I placed the glass on a small brown table next to me. "Can you tell me about that martial skill that you gave me?"

I listened as Rowena spoke about the six-part martial skill that began with learning the meridians, nerves, and acupoints in the body, then it turned to basic massage techniques. As it progressed, it turned the targets into horny slaves beneath one's hands, drawing out yin or yang qi for dual cultivation, expanding and tempering the meridians, opening acupoints with the touch of a finger, and one-touch orgasms, among other things.

I laughed hysterically on the inside as the Martial Skill like that would make me a God in the Flaming Heart Sect, where dual cultivation was the most commonly practiced cultivation technique. But I also knew that a technique came from the inner region, a legacy, or a system shop.

'I'll show it to my father later. I'm sure it's at least Cosmic Grade Martial Skill.' I thought.

The conversation then turned to talks of war and nonessential topics until I finally discovered the purpose that Rowena was pursuing: status. She may have even known my true identity. But she had skillfully asked more than once to join me during the campaign. I was cautious not to agree to anything.

"Look, you obviously want to elevate your status, but I'm not sure how just yet. To be my woman, a legionnaire, rule the city by swearing allegiance, I don't know. But whatever it is, if it doesn't include giving me something I can't get myself, then your only future is to be sold as a slave." I spoke in a specific way as I tried to determine if the woman had a system or luckily chanced upon the Hands of Eros martial skill.

Rowena smiled as she stared me down. I waited a moment before I said, " I thought you would have more to say. But, sadly, I was wrong."

"Hmm, I excel in the desires of people. Their hidden talents and dreams are clear to me. And I don't want to be your woman. I just want to fuck. I'm sure after one night, you'll be the one pursuing me."

" Nothing in this world is free, " I muttered.

A moment later, an Earth Grade Brush, Guqin, and Go set appeared. Each of them emitted their own Dao, nearly breaking my mind with shock.

' Powerful. My skill in the four arts was never publicized. Yet, this woman knew my talents. It's obvious that she has a system shop, at least. But what is she? Did she see my talents, or did something tell her?' I thought, lightly shaken.

I then took the gifts into my interspatial ring. "Spar with me tomorrow, and I'll make my decision then."

Rowena licked her lips lusciously as she looked forward to the match. "I'll make sure to bring my full might then."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." I warmly smiled.

Later that night, Situ Qing and I sat in our room, cultivating as sleeping would be an idiotic choice. Suddenly, my ears twitched when the sounds of moans and wet flesh being struck filled my ears. I then sniffed the air and smelled sex before the sound and scent vanished. Having an inclination that Rowena's gifts were somewhat sexual or outright decadent, I put on his olive-green robe and went to have a peak.

Stepping out of my room, I used my movement skill to appear at the end of the hall. At first, I couldn't hear a thing. I then decided to slightly open the door, and my senses were bombarded by the activities in the room.

'Six heart beats' I thought, then I frowned as the scents in the room didn't add up. I smelled Rowena, her mother, and her woman, along with a couple of maids, but I also smelled the overwhelming musk of spunk. But Rowena's brother was in his room, according to my sense of smell.

Deciding to finally peep, I immediately saw Rowena ramming her massive rod into her half-conscious mother while her woman and the maids were already in a sex-induced coma with globs of spunk leaking from their holes and coating her body.

Closing the door, I returned to my room as if nothing happened.