Cultivating Chaos 5 -ch 14- (Patreon)

Rushing along yet another corridor, Ash was incredibly lost.

Beyond lost, honestly.

Xiuying seemed to be completely unconcerned with it and was still excitedly moving along. Shooting down corridors as soon as they appeared and not hesitating at all.

The sound of three pairs of boots pounding away the darkened halls was all Ash could hear most of the time. Echoing around them and making him feel rather disoriented.

Trying to scan the area and his surroundings for Qi didn’t really work out either.

All he could feel was Xiuying, Chunhua, and himself and always behind them.

A sudden turn and a short series of steps down, they were stamping through a foot of water. Half a minute after that and they were now going up a long series of stairs.

When they reached the top, yet still in the dark, Ash found they made a slight turn and exited into a large open room.

One that had actual sunlight flooding into it through open windows and a hole in the wall.

Not the false sunlight that the prison put out that felt strange on the skin, but actual sunlight. Sunlight that warmed Ash the moment he felt it.

Xiuying, Chunhua, and Ash stopped and stood there together.

Unfortunately it wasn’t entirely the sunlight that’d caught them off guard.

Laid out on one side of the room, curled up into itself, was a magical beast.

It was currently dozing in that very same sunlight in the massive hole in the side of the room that looked as if it’d been caused by the very same monster.

Made of black feathered wings, a snake’s head, the body of a lion, and a tail that was that of a scorpion’s, Ash had no idea what it was.

Additionally, it was massive.

Twenty feet in length from nose to the base of it’s tail alone.

Chunhua was holding her breath and Xiuying was trembling from head to toe. Her breath in tiny gasps and exhales that sounded like a mouse pattering across the ground.

“Sunlight!” shouted someone outside. Just beyond the beast and somewhere outside the windows of the room. “It’s actual sunlight!”

The beast twitched, then it’s head snapped up and it peered out the window. It’d done it so quickly and without hesitation, that it didn’t even seem to notice Ash and company standing there.

Not waiting the big monster left the room, hopping out the window and to the ground below.

“Beast!” called a different voice. “Beast!”

There was a scream, followed by a number of explosions, and then the sound of what was most certainly fighting. As if there were a number of people just beyond the windows.

“That was terrifying. Let’s get out of here,” Xiuying whimpered and then started moving again.

Leading Ash out of this room she took him into a room that was next door to this one. The door was closed and didn’t look as if it had any type of door handle.

Xiuying ran straight toward it without even trying to go elsewhere.

Surprisingly, she bumped off a shattered piece of furniture that looked like it had once been a chair. Her legs got tangled up in it somehow and she went down in a heap.

Unfortunately, she didn’t let go of Ash’s hand.

Pulling him along with her.

Several things happened at the same time and it all went wrong in a single moment.

Ash’s right hand slammed into the wall next to the doorway, Xiuying hit the door at full force, and Chunhua was hit by the chair as it was flung out.

The door blew open and Xiuying went right threw it, slamming into the ground onto her back with a thump. Thankfully by this point she’d let go of Ash’s hand to brace her fall so he wasn’t jerked to the ground as well.

Instead he side-stepped and slammed into the door-jamb, which was a lot less pleasant than falling atop Xiuying.

Chunhua slammed into Ash’s side, fell past him, and hit the ground next to Xiuying. The latter putting her hands up to protect herself and inadvertantly ending up with Chunhua stuck up under her left arm.

Taking a step Ash sighed and put a hand to his head.

Except his step ended up getting between three ankles and he went down and forward.

Landing atop Chunhua and Xiuying both. His arms pinning the two women beneath himself.

“Ah?” Xiuying said in a confused tone.

“This is… incredulous,” muttered Chunhua, staring up at Ash, Xiuying’s left arm wrapped around her shoulders.

There was a clack and a thump behind them as the door suddenly slammed shut. Moving back into place.

“Any chance your Fortune could lay off throwing us into romantic accidents?” Ash asked, with annoyance. “Already your husband, you know.”

“We haven’t formally solidified our relationship? I think it doesn’t count till then,” tried Xiuying. “Or maybe not? I’m not sure. I don’t really understand how it operates. I just… try to live with it.”

Solidified our… oh, we haven’t had sex.

Yeah that’s fair.

Ash grunted, then pushed himself up and off the two women.

He held out a hand to each woman while letting his eyes move to the room.

He lookeda round and he found that they were in a room that seemed almost as if it hadn’t suffered the same fate he had seen everywhere else. There were several bookcases, a desk, a chair, a number of papers strewn about, writing implements, a rug that was beautiful, and a door that led elsewhere.

Along the walls were a number of portraits, things that appeared to be certificates, and even what Ash felt like were awards.

Chunhua and Xiuying both took his hand and stood up.

“Where are we?” asked Chunhua, letting go of Ash’s hand and moving closer to the desk. “This feels like a sect-master’s office of some sort.

“Was… this… the wardens office for the prison? Is that it?”’

Xiuying on the other hand slipped in close to Ash and dropped her forehead to his shoulder. She stood there for several seconds, then hugged him, before finally moving away.

“I don’t think so,” Ash murmured. “There was a lot of dust, debris, and bones, in the other room. With the beast. It didn’t look new or fresh.

“So… if this is the wardens office, it’s been abandoned a long time.”

“The language isn’t the same,” remarked Xiuying, tapping at a framed piece of paper on the wall. “This is different. This feels similar but not.”

“Go look at a paper. Please. I… think maybe we finally might have some answers.”

Ash nodded his head and walked over to where Xiuying was reading.

Or trying to.

Looking at it, Ash couldn’t quite make heads or tails of the language. It did feel familiar looking at it, but it also didn’t at all.

“Greek to me,” Ash muttered.

“Greek?” Chunhua asked.

“Nevermind,” he answered and glanced over to Chunhua. She was currently going through the drawers of the desk. “Non-veil thing. Was the name of a country.”

“Ahh, I think seeing your world would be very interesting,” Chunhua mused. She walked past Ash and lightly dragged a hand across his shoulders as she did.

Moving to the bookcase she started to lightly finger through them.

Xiuying had turned and was now going through all the things Chunhua had pulled out of the drawers curiously.

“Okay… I think I understand it now. I’ve got it. I didn’t honestly think we’d get an answer like this, but we did.”

Care to share, my beautiful wife?

Did I mention that you looked amazing in that pretty sun-dress you wore the other day for me?

“Why thank you! You’re such a sweetie. As to what I found out… this is the upper realm. This prison. This is where the Hall is from.

“We had a number of languages that didn’t make sense. No one spoke it, it wasn’t written anywhere, and it honestly just felt like… uh… Greek, actually. Or Latin, I guess.

“A dead language that nobody speaks and you hear about, but there isn’t anyone really speaking it. Something that only has a living memory that it exists at most.

“Those kind of languages. These languages though, are right here in front of us. I made transference papers for these languages forever ago but there was no point in learning them. Now there is.”

Ah, that makes sense.

Though why do you think this is where the Hall is from?

“Because it responds as an artifact should, yet other things made from the other realm, the other veil, don’t. As if they were of a lesser power.

“That and… well… the bottom of the sheet of paper in front of you says that the commandant position for this location was granted to whoever had this office on behalf of the Imperial Clan of the Grassy Vale.

“I mean… kinda answers the question without a doubt, doesn’t it? This is where the Hall is from, and this is the higher realm. This prison is just a piece of it.”

Does that mean we’ll have a lot of high level cultivators to deal with if we escape the prison? Did they put this here?

Is the Emperor just a Realm Lord in a way?

“Many questions, no answers. Other than your wife would very much like you to cuddle her later in thanks for giving this all to you in an easy to digest way. I had to really think on this for months you know.”

I’ll give you anything you want, sweet heart. I love you.

“Xiuying, come here?” Ash asked and yanked out the transference papers Locke had mentioned. He had only to put his thoughts toward it to know exactly where it was and which ones.

Then he grabbed a number of other papers out of the stack that had other languages. He had a gut feeling that it would be good to rely on her luck.

“Mmm? Yes?” asked the bubbly cultivator and came over to him. A pretty smile covering her face as she came to stand net to him.

“Oops,” deadpanned Ash and flung the papers in the air in a lazy way and without intent.

Several of them moved in a strange way and flapped right into Xiuying’s head. The others scattered about and seemingly fell away from them to land on the ground.

Ash had already reached out and took her by the shoulders before even the first transference paper had touched her.

Groaning, Xiuying tipped forward and leaned into him.

“Meanie,” she groaned.

“Sorry, Xiuying. You’re my Fortune’s Chosen, so I’m going to leverage you to the best of my abilities. It’s why you’re here and my Bride. You’re here by choice and want to be the Fated One’s Fortune’s Chosen.”

Xiuying grunted at that, her fingers curling into his clothes.

Then let out a slow breath that sounded like a groan.

“Yes. I’m here by choice. I’m your Fortune’s Chosen. Keep doing what you’re doing,” she got out in a whisper. “I do my best when I have no idea what’s going on so… you’re doing things right.”

Ash nodded at that and just held onto Xiuying.

“I’m not sorry, Xiu. I’m going to keep you close. At all times,” admitted Ash.

“It’s fine. Just don’t blame me when things go wrong. The few friends I had did.”

“Never.”

“I’m jealous and annoyed,” Chunhua muttered from where she stood. She had a book in her hands.

“I love you Chunhua. Never fear my beloved sorceress. You’re one of the only few I’ll have with me at the peak I think. You, Hui, Rou, Xiuying, and Locke,” offered Ash. “Don’t fear the others, you have your own special traits. Like your eyes. I love your eyes.

“Is that a family thing by the way? Is that just you?”

Chunhua’s face had become a deep dark red color.

Her mouth twitched once before she gave him a grand smile. Her shoulders unhunching and her body posture becoming relaxed.

“Thank you for ever soothing my pride. I didn’t think I had so much until you made me what I am,” confessed Chunhua. “My eyes are my own. They were originally a very nice light brown. When I first touched Qi they became like this.”

“I like them. They’re pretty to me. And a warning to everyone else. Beware the Sheng’s white eyed sorceress,” Ash continued, still holding to Xiuying. “When we go back to our home realm, you should probably reach out to your sister and make sure she’s alright.”

“I already did,” Chunhua admitted with a chuckle. She came over with the book in her hand. She then picked up several sheets of paper that she’d pulled out of the drawers and laid them to the desktop. “I sent her some money and told her to live knowing she’s a sister-in-law to the Sheng Alliance and to uphold our virtues.

“She never got it because she’d already set out to find me after hearing all the problems that was ongoing with the Jade Fist. Showed up and made sure I was fine.

“I’m pleased to find out my sister was far more… my sister than I ever new. She just didn’t know how to show it. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.”

Xiuying grunted, stood up, and stepped away from Ash. Looking to the paper on the wall she shook her head.

Meanwhile, Ash recalled all the papers that Xiuying hadn’t drawn in with her luck and put them back.

“Commemoration of becoming the commandant of this facility,” she grunted out and pointed at it, then began walking away toward the next. “Congratulations for their promotion.”

Chunhua walked over to Ash while looking at Xiuying, then looked back to Ash.

“I’m going to do my best to share my emotions and feelings. I want to-to tell you more of everything,” murmured Chunhua. “I know Rou already shares more with you and is being more herself, so I shall, too.”

“Everyone is likely thinking the same. You’re always far more invested when people share their emotions with you.”

“— congratulations on surviving his tribulation and reaching the Dreadful Immortal phase,” Xiuying continued. “And it’s all on the behalf of the Imperial Clan of the Grassy Vale. That’s the name of the Hall, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Ash confirmed, letting her and Chunhua come to the same conclusion he and Locke had. “It seems this realm is where the Hall is from. Does… does that mean that outside the prison is a realm even greater than where we came from?

“Is that why the emperor uses it as a prison and-and keeps everyone separate? To keep himself in power?”

Chunhua twitched, then looked away from Ash to Xiuying. Her eyes quickly returned back to Ash.

He knew what she wanted and pulled out the papers he needed for her. There were multiple copies of the languages Locke had prepared in advance.

He held it out to her.

Then he pulled out another set for himself and laid himself down on the nice rug. For whatever reason, he always seemed react poorly to any transference papers.

Taking the small stack of languages he held it over his face and then dropped it. There was a rush inside of his mind as the papers, powered through the beast core that’d been shoved into it, transferred the knowledge directly into his mind.

In what felt like only a few minutes he found that he’d assimilated the knowledge and was once more aware of his surroundings.

“Oh, he’s awake,” Xiuying chirped with a nervous laugh.

As he opened his eyes he found her leaning over him.

“You fell asleep for about an hour,” she murmured and gently began to touch at his face. Her fingertips gliding along his jaw and brow. “We assumed it was the papers. Chunhua only was down for about a minute but… you took so much longer.

“Are you okay? Is everything alright?”

“You’re fine. It just effects you more deeply as it changes the Hall as well. Your awareness and knowledge directly impacts the Hall.”

That’s odd.

But alright.

Thanks wifey.

Team Loshley is the best. It clearly needs a third team mate.

Did you want me to put a boy or a girl in you?

“Both. As many as you can of both. No! No. Uh… err… gotta go. Killing people.”

“It’s the Hall. Takes a toll on me,” Ash grumbled and blinked several times. “I miss anything?”

“No,” Chunhua reported, turning a page in the book she was reading. “This is a journal of the commandant. It’s an interesting read. I assume Locke will want to take it in at some point. Likely all these books, in fact.”

“We can’t get out,” Xiuying said after Chunhua finished. “The doors won’t open at all no matter what we do.”

“Then how’d we get in? I mean, we kinda fell through the door. Do I need to try and make out with you at the door and you’ll somehow get it to open?” Ash asked.

Xiuying immediately blushed from the roots of her hair to the bottom of her neck at that. She woodenly nodded her head to that.

“I thought the same thing and already suggested it,” Chunhua remarked. “Though I told her she should realize that she can’t finalize her relationship with you in here and she’ll need to find a bed. So it’s in her best interest to get the door open.”

Xiuying made a squeaking noise that reminded Ash of a door, still smiling at him, and still quite bright red.

Snorting at that, Ash grabbed Xiuying but the head and pulled her down and kissed her. Holding her there he continued to kiss her.

For a while.