Chapter 30. The Fire and Water Merger

Yee Rhys lay on the bed, keeping a mask of indifference on his face. But everything inside was singing. The fourth stage was half completed. It was even better than the young man had originally anticipated. The patriarch recognized his talent. So the threat of death at his hands had receded and could no longer be taken into account.

All that remained was to secure the result and not to do anything foolish. This constant surveillance is nerve-wracking. Even the most dedicated person will be thinking about every move. But we'll have to be patient. Let us consider it a form of pressure to achieve results as quickly as possible.

Quietly the jade of communication tinkled.

Oh, the answer came. A third wisp before the hunt begins? It's tricky, but not impossible. According to the plans, he would be close to the peak of the first wisp by the tournament and could break through to the second wisp a day or two after the tournament. Reaching the third wisp before the hunt was well within Yee Rhys' plans. He didn't want to be stuck in the Outer Sect any longer than necessary either.

The young man closed his eyes.

The Patriarch had promoted him from mere treasure to secret weapon. As unpleasant as that sounded, it gave him a nice bonus in the long run. Secret geniuses were usually as good as, and often better than, the universally recognised ones. Often the best geniuses were raised in secret precisely to protect them. Not our case, but close.

Yee Rhys smiled serenely. Come to think of it, it's not so bad here. Alive, healthy, nothing hurts. Fed, with clothes, with a roof over his head. One can cultivate. What else do you need to be happy?

***

The next day Yee Rhys returned from a lecture and, opening the door of the cabin, was dumbfounded.

There was new furniture in the room. In the middle was a wide double bed.

Well.

The young man closed the door. Then opened it again.

The bed did not disappear.

A sobbing sounded from behind him.

Turning around, Yee Rhys found Usa Lada standing at the entrance to her house, clutching at the door to keep from falling.

He walked over. Peeked in. Another double bed.

The young man looked around and found that while he was walking around, the surroundings were covered in a fog that was thickening right before his eyes. The misgivings were silenced. It was clear enough as it was.

- Children, - the suddenly cheerful Lady emerged from the fog, - it's time for bed. Where do you want it; in that cabin, in this one or on the ground?

Rhys frowned. He didn't like it on the ground and Lada, on hearing the question, shuddered and began to crawl to the ground, unable to control her shaking body. The young man took a quick glance. Her cabin was closer, but breaking into the girl's room without permission was bad form. Grabbing Lada, who was dazed with terror, Yee Rhys returned to his cabin.

- Clever boy. - The Lady landed in front of the open door, looking more like an angry ghost than human in the fog. - Now I suggest you try the Fire and Water Merger. Or would you prefer the traditional way?

Two small pills flew from the beauty's hand and hovered in front of the candidates for the merger. The boy, with an indifferent face, placed the girl on the bed, mesmerized by the pills floating in the air.

The Fire and Water Merger was the same duo cultivation technique that had been handed down by the Lady not so long ago. Yee Rhys calmly sat down on the bed and took the technique slip out of the bag. Examined it carefully.

- Hey. - He nudged his dazed partner. - It's not that bad. The first part is only touching hands and bodies.

Seeing the lack of response, the young man frowned. The two pills hinted unobtrusively that time for reflection was limited. And no one would give them an hour or two.

- Look here. - Yee Rhys turned the girl to face him and handed her a slip. - You have five minutes to learn the technique. If you don't, you have to do it the traditional way. Got it?

Lada's lips twitched. Tears flowed from her eyes. She lifted the slip with trembling hands. Then her fingers trembled and the slip fell to the bed.

The young man squinted at the pills trembling in anticipation. Oh, no.

- We'll have to do this the traditional way. - He sighed and pulled the dazed girl to him. Turned her back to him. Gently untied the belt. He slid the collar down, exposing her shoulders. He put his hands on her bare shoulders. Lada shuddered. And the young man began to gently knead the cramped muscles.

Gradually the girl began to relax under the confident movements of warm and soft hands that gradually went lower and lower. The clothes seemed to leave her body on their own. Someone else's breath moved her hair and warmed her ear.

Hands moved to her thighs, and from there to her stomach, this time ascending higher and higher until they reached the hemispheres of her breasts. Warm breath came closer, soft lips touched her ear and then traveled up her neck. At the same time his hands began to massage her breasts. She let out a low moan and surrendered herself to these warm hands.

Once she was sure that the process was underway, the Lady withdrew the pills and hid the cabin in a mist. Taking one last look at the young man and his confidently brushing hands over the woman's body, the beauty made a note to herself to never let those insolent paws near her body.

***

Having come to his senses, Yee Rhys checked his surroundings. Lada was snoozing softly beside him. There was a thick fog hovering outside the cabin that his perception couldn't penetrate. The door was closed. No Lady was to be found in the observable space.

The young man sat down. He wondered. Why was this the second time Lady had sent him on such "feats"? He could not even tell at a glance whether it was a punishment or a reward. He was not, however, to be seen as a gift, nor was he to be seen as a reward. Except in this case, it's more of a form of punishment. Or is she trying to bind him to the sect in such an original way? Like, join us and "we'll give you food, a house and a woman"?

The brain will shrivel up before it solves that puzzle. So, let's take note of what happened and move on.

After squinting at the peacefully sleeping girl who had gotten herself into this for nothing, Yee Rhys got dressed and walked out. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, the fog cleared, leaving no trace behind. Gently closing the door, he settled down beside the cottage and began to cultivate.

About an hour later, unexpected guests arrived. Po Lay and his company piled into the courtyard, discussing something noisily. The young rich man had rarely been in his new place since he had moved here, only occasionally wandering in with his company.

At first Rhys felt unhappy at being distracted by them. Then he realised that this was a great opportunity. After reaching the first current he had never fought before. And he wanted to get rid of the stress as soon as possible.

He stood up and with a welcoming smile headed towards the group of teenagers.

- Hey guys, I was just about to go to practice. How about a practice match?

All heads turned towards him?

- This is Yee Rhys. - Po Lay introduced him to his companions. - He lives here too.

- Hey! - A scrawny red-haired teenager jumped out to the front. - Fight? I'm all for it! - He took a stand. - But, mind you, I've got two wisps and you've only got one.

- It makes no difference. - The young man smiled and took a stand too. - Shall we begin?

- Yes! - the redhead rushed forward. - Punch...

He didn't have time to finish as Yee Rhys stepped forward and made a simple but effective catch. The unbalanced opponent ploughed his nose on the ground for about three meters before the name of the technique could be called out.

- Please be more careful. - Smiled the young man.

Yee Rhys was frankly enjoying what was happening. A clear three-dimensional perception of the world as a whole and the actions of the opponent in particular did not leave his enemies a chance to pull something unexpected.

- One more time! - The belligerent teenager demanded, standing up and concentrating Qi in his hand.

The young man moved forward at just the right moment, intercepting his arm and making a throw.

- One more time!

The redhead did a beautiful backflip in the air before landing.

- Folks, don't be shy. You're welcome to come up in pairs. - Yee Rhys smiled cheekily. Or in groups of three.