22 Harem?

When they released me I asked about their day.

"Oh, uh what we did today? Haha"

Jinzi looked away for some reason.

'Huh? Did something bad happen? Did she get in trouble?'

"...Well, what is it?"

I looked at Jinzi for an answer while she tried to avoid eye contact.

"We… just went shopping for clothes, that's all!"

"You two spent that whole time shopping for clothes?"

'Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Sometimes I'm really glad that people don't change. People on earth could spend hours on shopping, like my mother. Even here they could spend just as much if not even longer shopping, or just looking through everything.'

This time Ying'er spoke up on behalf of Jinzi.

"Darling, we have to make sure we select the perfect one after all. It wouldn't do to simply choose at random and hope for the best, right? So we spent all that time making sure."

"T-that's right! Big Brother, I just didn't know how to say it. I'm a little ashamed that we took so long, yet I only managed to get one thing."

Jinzi backed her up and a slight blush appeared on her face.

"Did it by chance be what I asked you to buy for training?"

Her blush only deepened when she heard my question.

"...Yes"

"Well, that's perfect then, let's start your training tomorrow! There is a small competition in the not so distant future. I want you to enter anonymously. If you do well, I'll reward you!"

"Huh? A competition? I-I don't know if I'll be able to do it, but I'll try!"

"That's all that matters! You don't have to be the best, as long as you try I'll be happy. But if you do well I might have a little something extra for you."

"R-really?!"

"Of course! Have I lied to you yet?"

She responded immediately, without a single doubt in her head.

"Yes"

"... *Ahem* Well, don't worry this time! I'll make sure you'll get it, that is if you get that reward."

"Humph! I hope so!"

She pouted with a great rage akin to the charm of a kitten. Her cheeks seem to puff up a bit as she imitated a playful anger.

For a moment I wanted to pinch those cute chubby cheeks, and in fact I thought so I did.

I raised my hand up at a moderate speed toward her cheeks. I hovered my hand to the side of her left cheek for a moment before pinching.

"Ahh! B-bwig Bwrother! What are you doing?!"

I glanced up to see the sun close to setting. It was time to go.

"Haha, don't worry about it! See you tomorrow!"

Further raising my hand a bit I patted her on the head before I started to leave.

Her cheeks glowed with a pinkish red blush once more as she rubbed her left cheek. That was the last I saw before I turned around.

"What was that all about? Was that a teacher touching their own disciple? Using their position of power to force themself upon their student?"

Ying'er came to the side and clamped my left arm while crossing her own.

"Come on Ying'er, you know it wasn't like that! Unless… *gasp* were you hoping that your dear husband would commit such acts?"

"Fufu~ Darling has quite the imagination! I wonder though, why would you pinch her cheeks?"

"Well, actually she makes me reminisce a bit about my own disciples after all. Do you remember what I told you about how I came to be a teacher of many of those disciples?"

"Of course!"

"Well, it's just like that. Even the feeling is a bit similar."

Of the 10 disciples that I taught more than half of them were simply found and brought back. In fact I was almost as much as a father figure for them than as I was as a master. 7 of my disciples were ones I found around the world and 6 of the 7 weren't even adults when I took them in. The remaining 3 happened to reach and find me at random, but I didn't accept them immediately. Instead they proved themselves worthy of my attention.

Perhaps it might not have been fair that those 7 before were instantly granted discipleship while those 3 had to earn it, but in the end it didn't seem to matter since they all somehow turned out to be extremely talented in one way or another. In fact it was basically a miracle that not a single was average or less. The one with the worst talent might have to be my eighth disciple with only slightly above average, but he makes it up with the amount of work he puts into actually cultivating and his harsh training.

With my own eyes I watched as they grew up and matured as people. From small children who didn't even reach my waist to adults I could look at without cranking my neck down. When they were small I used to pinch their cheeks as a little punishment.

When I looked at Jinzi I felt a little similar to how I did when I dealt with my disciples when they were children. The movements of pinching cheeks and patting heads just felt so natural to me at the time.

Other than that, she seemed to enjoy it. At least she didn't evade my touch, I had given her ample time to move away if she so wished. It's possible that she just didn't know what I was doing and so didn't move, beautiful that was so wouldn't she have moved away when I tried to touch her for a second time?

This could be a good way to punish and praise her. A pinch or a pat, I suppose if those don't work I could always go with other methods of punishments and rewards, like a spanking to discipline her and gift or candy as a reward.

…

In our bed a few thoughts came up about that disciple, Jinzi.

'Should I take her in as an official disciple? But that would change that nice 10 to an odd 11 number of disciples.'

"Darling, I want to know something."

"What is it Ying'er?"

"What are your thoughts about harems?"

"..."

My mind blanked out for a moment as she asked. It was a question I never thought she would ever bring up. After all, didn't that mean competition for her? Though I do know she's a little competitive at times, is love really something she would want to compete at?

"Come on, tell me your thoughts. If you had to choose a harem or me, what would you choose?"

"Of course I would choose you! What kind of question is that?"

"Oh? Then if you had to choose, would you have chosen me with or without a harem?"

"...I, I choose just you of course!"

'No! I swear if this conversation just turns into her asking if I would love her if she was [insert random inanimate object here]!'

"Hmm, did you just hesitate?"

"I-"

"So you do want a harem? How about this, why don't you want a harem?"

"I-It's because, in harems there's usually too many girls."

"And that's a bad thing? There are mortal emperors and many cultivators in high realms who have hundreds of members in their harem. If that's so bad then, why does it seem that, men specifically, love to seemingly collect women?"

"They do so only for their looks and have a minor interest in their personality. Many of those women are more like trophies for them, than actual lovers. The love given to the members aren't shared equally, as such even with hundreds of 'wives' they only truly have a single or few women at most, they really love.

If I were to have a harem then I would like to keep the number of the members small. Too many and that problem I just mentioned would occur. So maybe 9 at the absolute most, once you cross the double digits, it will most definitely become too much! That's the very limit of members though, it would be better the fewer there are so that each could acquire more affection for themselves."

"If YOU were to have a harem huh? So you've thought about it? Ahh! To think you would think such thoughts in your head, while I was here with you! Am I not enough?"

She clung to my side in her nightgown, though the environment was dark I could still see a couple mounds forming an immaculate valley to behold.

"Ah! It's alright, Ying'er you don't have to be like that. I never thought about having another woman when I have you."

"I never said you couldn't have one!"

"Wha- huh? You're saying I can have a harem?!"

"Why not? I want my man to be happy, what if one day I can't satisfy him anymore?"

"I don't need anyone else, I'm fine with a single wife, you Ying'er!"

"That's sweet of you Darling, but I'm keeping this doorway open for you. Who knows you might meet another amazing woman. Besides, it's not like you're replacing me with her right? I'll be right here with you."

"Why are you suddenly talking about this?"

"I just don't want to confine you too much. I feel like my selfish hoarding of you for the past decade is enough, so I'm ready to share a bit. Besides, didn't you say you would give girls equal affection? Even if you can't, if you only have as few members as you say you will then everyone will have their share. And if you do have bias towards a girl, it can simply be a competition to gain more affection from you and away from them for me. After all, if what you've been saying about me is true then I'll always be the number one girl, right?"

"Right, let's go to sleep. I'll have to train that disciple of mine in the morning."

"Of course! Good night!"

She enthusiastically hugged me as she dozed off.

'Has she become bored of being number one? She wants competition even in love? She never once brought anything like this up the past decade we've been together, so there must have been a trigger. Or perhaps she really has been thinking like this for a while and just thought this would have been a good time to talk about it.

Does it have to do with Jinzi? Maybe, well it's not like I have any evidence that it was. I'll have to find another woman who I approve of in the first place. She said I could have one, but it wasn't like I had to have one. I could simply just forget she said any of this and live like we've been doing this entire time.'

As I lied in bed thinking of the absurd question that Ying'er just randomly brought up I felt her warm breaths on my chest. It reminded me of our current slow and peaceful life, it might not be much, but at least it wasn't stressful.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled the sheets over us. The comfortable warmth of a couple in bed. This was a life I truly wished and hoped for back on earth. I didn't need a life full of grandeur and majesty, just happiness and fulfillment. A shame those dreams didn't come true, at least not before I died.

I wasn't greedy for women, after all if I was I wouldn't be with only Ying'er after all this time. I gently pulled her up closer to my face and hugged her back as she slept.

…

When the sun rose it was time to train a mortal in cultivation. Their journey to become a cultivator started here and it wouldn't finish here. She already had a goal in mind after all, a target of revenge. After that, who knows where she'll go, I just hope that she'll remember where she came from.