CC3 -Ch4- (Patreon)

Sitting at the table his alliance tended to meet up, Ash waited quietly. The sun had risen a few hours ago but given that everyone knew what he’d been up to the night previous, they seemed to be giving him his space.

Little did they know that today would be a massive change.

One that would push all of their plans out of alignment.

“You know, Na, Moira, and Tala have been outside your home for a while now. They’re just talking amongst themselves. They’re all under the impression you’re sleeping,” said Locke casually.

I’m aware. Even I can feel them now. It’s… I can feel where the Qi doesn’t exist. As if it’s stuck and creates a blank space.

That’s people, isn’t it?

I can feel the flow and momentum of Qi.

“That’s exactly right,”agreed Locke. “Good job, my Chosen One.”

As soon as she said it, and with such a possessive tone, Ash finally realized that Locke really had been battling her own desires for a while. The tone she’d used had made him feel rather awkward previously when he thought she was a man.

“Well, it’s fine. They’re really just chit-chatting. You haven’t even come up once so far. Mostly it’s about the sect, fighting, and the best ways to kill a person.”

Smirking, Ash turned and looked to his front door. He was wondering if he couldn’t whisper for Tala to come join him.

“I wouldn’t. Not unless you’re willing to actually take her to the bedroom, because she’ll hear you. Her hearing is better than Moira’s. And I do promise to teach you every single one of every woman’s sweet spots, you know. Since… well… I probably have them myself,”promised Locke, though there was also a light growl to her voice. As if she really didn’t like what he’d been thinking but did at the same time.

But… wouldn’t it be nice to have her in here? She’s been awfully warm and cuddly.

“I… well… yes. She has,” confessed Locke.

Ash was fairly certain at this point that his emotions, and what he felt, was transmitted to Locke on some level.

What he felt, she felt.

She often was angry at the other women in his life, but was extremely attentive and aware whenever he was laying with them. Only to be oddly warm afterwards.

That only lasted for about ten minutes before she started grumbling about them being in his bed at all.

“Ah… don’t. Jia and Mei just arrived. I’m going to guess everything is about to start,” warned Locke. “We bother our dear Rabbit-Kin on the trip home. It’ll take some time. Especially since we’ll have to do it in a roundabout way so Bao can’t send enemies after us.”

Good… point. Yes.

Focusing on the Qi that constantly flowed to him, Ash could indeed feel two more points where it didn’t move. Two more masses that joined the other three.

Distantly, he could feel another four on the edges of his senses. He couldn’t tell who they were, but that they were there, and on the street.

“It’s Biyu, who became an Orange after you healed her by the way. I have no idea how to explain that one, other than something changed for her mentally, or that ginseng you gave her fixed something we missed.

“Liu, of course, as she’s been stalking you since you fixed her Dantian itself. As well as two others that we healed on the trip through the veil,” Locke said, apparently taking his thoughts as curiosity. “One is an Orange, the other is right on the edge of it. On some days she’s Orange, on other’s she’s Purple. If I had to guess, she has a martial spirit that is only able to help her so much, but will grow with time.

“I get the impression that they act as a secondary buffer for you. The four of them working together to keep everyone else away from you. Essentially another group of body guards.

“You’d have to ask Na about it though. I’ve seen her speak with Liu only once but it seemed to me to be one speaking to a superior.”

Ash grunted at that and then cleared his throat and laid his hands on the table, facing the door head on. He knew that he’d done it loud enough that Moira and Tala both would have heard him.

Several seconds afterward the door opened.

In came Jia, Mei, Tala, Moira, and Na.

Rou, Chunhua, and Yue, hadn’t arrived.

As soon as they all saw Ash sitting at the table they knew something was up. To the point that Na turned and asked Moira a question.

Who responded by exiting back outside and then leaping into the air.

“Good morning, Ashley,” Mei said, giving him a warm and kind smile. She moved around the table to sit on his immediate right.

“A good morning to you, Ashley,” said Jia, taking up the chair on Ash’s left.

Amongst all the duo’s formed, Ash felt the most run down by these two. Jia and Mei had clearly compiled all their thoughts about him into one organized source between the two of them.

They knew how to handle him most of the time and would nudge him around to their viewpoint. Only Locke giving him small pointers kept him from drowning in their advance.

Mei’s hand instantly appeared on his rear end, while Jia trapped his left hand in her right.

Trapped between love and lust in that moment.

Tala took up the seat next to Mei and Na began to work at setting up an early morning tea-service.

“I’ll… speak more to what’s happened when everyone gets here,” said Ash, taking a moment to look at Mei and then Jia, before finally settling his gaze on Na. She returned it evenly, though she did grace him with a small smile. “Na, I need to leave the sect by noon today.”

“I’ll be going with you of course,” Na said before Ash could even continue. Her stare left him no room for arguments.

Which of course he wasn’t going to do. He’d been betting on Na coming with him.

“I already assumed you were, Na Sheng, my Handmaiden,” said Ash, then gave Jia’s hand a squeeze. He’d felt her wrist grow tense as he spoke. “We’ll be gone for a long while before we return here. Can you handle packing up everything we’ll need, arrange things for you and I to be gone, and have all leadership transfered to Mei Sheng, my pledged, while we’re out?”

While he didn’t need to formally say such things, he knew that there needed to be some sort of acknowledgment of these things. Labeling her his handmaiden while also stating that Mei was his pledged was a reminder to not just those who were here.

Na would most definitely use that wording when she passed the information along.

The young woman was already moving toward his bedroom and had produced a pack from what was likely a storage treasure.

“What? No,” Mei said immediately, her hand coming up from his rear end. His right hand was now clutched between hers. “We’re… we’re meant to be together, you can’t just leave.”

“I’ll explain everything once everyone is here. I’m not leaving you. You’re my pledged,” Ash said in as soothing tone as he could manage. “You’re Mei Sheng, my pledged. I love you. It’ll be okay. I will return to you of course.”

Mei blinked at his words, her face slowly coloring as her hands held tight to his.

While he’d told her privately of his feelings, he hadn’t expressed them aloud in front of others.

After several seconds, Mei nodded her head while chewing at her lip. Her eyes darted to Jia, Na, then even turned her head to look at Tala behind her.

“What? Even my Elegant Self knew of his care for you,” said the Kin when their eyes met. Tala then laughed and reached over to pat Mei on the back. “You were just too nervous to believe his words said in the comfort of a warm bed and exhausted embrace.”

Well… that’s unexpected from her.

“She’s deliberately changing herself. Watch, she’ll look to you now, give you a smile, and say something about being eager,” prophesized Locke.

A beat after Locke said it, Tala looked to Ash over Mei’s shoulder.

Then she hit him with a genuine smile that made her face light up.

“I look forward to you telling my Elegant Self the same,” said Tala in a warm and rich tone. It practically begged him to say it right then and there. “Though I warn you now, Ashley… the day you do, is the day I’ll be Tala Sheng, and my previous existence will cease. You cannot change it after that.”

“I wouldn’t think of changing it, Tala,” said Ash. He almost told her how he felt, almost, but he didn’t feel it was quite right.

Yet.

They’d only just begun really understanding one another. Only just barely started sleeping together.

He wanted to take it slow with Tala. Just as he’d done with Moira and Mei, whom he’d both expressed his feelings for now.

At that moment, the door opened again.

Mei let go of Ash’s hand and turned to face the door.

As Chunhua, Rou, Yue, and Moira entered Mei put her hand back onto his rear end. Apparently her momentary loss of the ability to think was done.

Everyone began filling in the seats, though they all looked concerned. Apparently Moira had warned them that something was up on the way over.

“Good morning all,” Ash said with a smile. “I’m afraid that we’ve finally found out what the cost was for me maiming the sect leader. Regardless of him being in the right or wrong, I always expected that something would happen from it. Something has indeed happened.

“Thankfully it isn’t too terrible. It’s actually rather nice given a certain viewpoint. It’s also very simple. I have to leave the sect for one year, starting today.”

There was an immediate indrawn breath from several people. On top of that it looked like Yue and Rou wanted to start arguing about it right then and there.

“I’ve already accepted the temporary banishment,” said Ash, trying to head them all off. There was no point in letting them argue about it and his time was running short. “A year is fine and I needed to spend some time simply building my middle Dantian, refining my core, as well as my Dao, and take in my Tribulation crystal. All of that takes time and it can be spent anywhere.

“Which brings me to the next point. They restricted me on who could come with me, as I assumed you would all wish to follow.”

There was collective head nods at that. Ash was rather pleased to see no one hesitated at all.

“I’m going to spend the year at home. In Xing city. With my parents,” Ash said with a wide grin. He was looking forward to seeing his family. “I was instructed that to accept this exile I cannot take Yue, Mei, Moira, or Rou. For whatever reason, Bao feels you’re who would be able to support me the most.”

“Foolish,” Jia said with a shake of her head. “We all support you in all things. Having half of us here where our alliance is, and half with you, works out perfectly for us. This is no problem for the Sheng family. It only cements our need to eliminate Bao later.”

“Agreed,” Chunhua said with a dip of her head. “We’ll need to take care of him in the future. The Sheng family cannot allow such insults to be heaped upon us to be unpaid.”

Mei let out a soft sigh and then nodded her head.

“I don’t wish to be away from you, my pledged. At all,” said the young woman. She’d undergone a deep change from who she’d once been and was now a cornerstone of Ash’s life. “But as the mistress of the Sheng family, I will head up everything here as you’ve asked.

“Though, please, I will need you all to assist me. We cannot let anything happen to our family while Ashley isn’t here.”

As Mei spoke, she’d turned and looked to Yue, Rou, and Moira. She got a firm nod in response from each.

“Of course,” Rou said, her brows drawing down. She’d become quite a stubborn woman after realizing she had worth. “I will open a clinic on Sheng street. It’s an easy way for me to curry favor with those who need help and strengthen favors for us. It isn’t as if we have need of coin or stone from them, so we’ll not accept any.”

“Good idea,” Mei said and then looked to Yue. “Will you be my second? I’ll need you just as Ashley needed me.”

Yue looked shocked at the question put to her. She looked like she was still getting over the fact that she wouldn’t be allowed to chase after Ash.

“Of course, Mei,” said Yue after taking a breath.

“By the way, you’re allowed to visit me,” Ash clarified, wanting to make sure they didn’t think of this in the wrong way. “You just can’t stay with me.”

“Oh thank the skies,” Moira said with a sudden and deep laugh. “I would lose my mind if I couldn’t see you.”

“Our poor Owl. She needs attention,” Locke said with what sounded like genuine concern. “We should take her to our room and cuddle her to pieces. I bet she could use a good preening. We should give her feathers a real good once over. She’d like that.”

“There it is,” said Ash with a shrug of his shoulders. “It’s not great, but it’s not really that bad either. I was expecting much worse if I’m being honest. This is more annoying than anything else.

“And I do expect you all to visit. Each of you. I’ll miss you otherwise. As I’ve said before, I’m not backing down or running away anymore.

“With that said… best we state this now.”

“What… are you doing?”Locke asked in a curious and concerned voice.

Something I should have.

“Mei is my lead wife at this time,” Ash said, then indicated Mei with his right hand. “I don’t care who is in second, third, or anything like that. That’s for Mei and the rest of you to decide. So long as I appoint the lead, the rest of you will fall in line, is my understanding.

“And of course this is only at this time. This always has the possibility of changing. You’ve all told me you enjoy the fight, I’ll not be the one to take it away from you. What I will say though is I expect you all to carry yourself with dignity and grace. You will not cause harm to one another deliberately, or through accident. If one of your number is in trouble, you will help them and assist them.

“You’re welcome to fight for your positions otherwise. I just don’t want anyone getting hurt or harmed. I expect all of us to be together years from now. Many years from now. All of you as you are now. Unharmed, working together, alive.”

Looking from face to face, he found they were all surprised, but none of them were upset.

Tala looked rather smug, however, and like she wanted to say something. Though she was also holding it bottled away.

“That’s exactly as it shall be then, Ashley. We do love our fight and I thank you for not trying to end it.

“Then I appoint Jia as the second as she’ll be traveling with you,” Mei said in a voice that sounded like it wanted to crack. It was obvious she was struggling under what was going on around her, but was pushing through. “I name Yue and Na as our rivals for the sake of making sure I acknowledge them.”

“Thank you, Mistress Sheng,” called Na from Ash’s bedroom. She was still working at packing things away and what sounded like his clothes at that. Ash felt like it was a little odd.

He’d expected her to help him pack everything else away, not his clothes. His clothes would just go into the Hall.

“We will most definitely beat you,” promised Yue with a wide grin. “I thank you for stating our position. I look forward to taking yours from you.”

“You underestimate us,” said Chunhua while pointing at Rou. “I am his Sorceress, she is his Qi-Healer, he is our Cultivator. The three of us will stand at the pinnacle together, fighting the Heavens, while the rest of you support us. Do not doubt we will hold the top position.”

Moira and Tala said nothing to any of this. They seemed quite happy with the way things were and loath to add anything.

“Well, that being said, there we are,” Ash said and held up his right hand to those around him. “Is there any questions? Concerns? Anything you’d like me to address?”

“No, we’ll arrange everything from here,” Mei said with a wide smile. “Errr… though… may I borrow you for ten minutes, Ashley Sheng, my pledged? I’m afraid as the leader of the alliance here at the sect, I won’t be able to visit often.

“And… and… as your lead wife, I claim the right to say goodbye to you.”

Ash was flattered that Mei was feeling that forward and brazen about it. He didn’t deny he enjoyed it when they flirted with him and chased after him.

It was flattering.

“Wait till I turn up the heat on you, MY Chosen One,” purred Locke. “I’m going to make them all look like little girls who’ve never experienced anything in their lives.

“You just wait. It won’t be long now.”

What won’t be long? What’re you doing?

“You’ll see. You’ll love it, too. Now agree to Mei bedding you. She’s still waiting for a response,” Locke warned him.

“Of course, Mei Sheng,” Ash agreed. “I’d like that. Because you’re right. You’ll be the leader of the alliance here. You won’t get to leave that often. Or at least, not as often as the others. Thank you for your future assistance and leadership.”

Mei’s eyes were practically glowing at this point.

She’d been disappointed by him leaving, but was now quite obviously thrilled that he said she was his lead wife.

“Then let’s go now,” Mei said and then popped up out of her seat. She grabbed him by the hand and practically dragged him away from the table. “I want to take our time since it’ll be the last such joining for a while.”

Even as Ash was pulled away, the rest of the table started talking about everything they would need to do. How to get the trip off on the right foot, things to purchase, and what they’d need.

As well as a set of bodyguards for Ash and one for Mei.

It was a given that Mei would be targeted as the current leader of the Sheng alliance.

“Mistress, Master Sheng, enjoy yourself,” Na said and stepped to the side after exiting Ash’s bedroom.

“We will,” Mei said and pulled him into his own bedroom.

To which she quickly shut the door.

“Well… nothing wrong with Mei. I kind of like the girl,”murmured Locke. “She just gets too lovey-dovey with you, my Chosen One.”