CC3 -Ch11- (Patreon)

Ash wasn’t sure what to do with himself this morning.

Sitting in the antechamber outside of Ju’s bedroom, he was waiting for her to appear. He’d woken up before her and left, not wanting to linger in her bed any longer.

While he’d slept with her and committed himself, his clan, and his alliance into this marriage, he didn’t have any personal feelings for her. The sex had been pleasant enough though rather awkward.

Especially given that Locke had been grumbling to herself nearly the entire time. Upset that the night she’d managed to secure for herself had been given to the princess.

Look. It’s not like I chose her over you.

Had it been a choice, it’d be an easy one. I’d take you to bed in a heartbeat, Locke.

The quiet muttering in the background of hid mind stopped immediately. He got the impression Locke hadn’t even been aware of her grumbling.

“Really?” she asked. “You’ve been passive about everything for so long that I find that hard to believe.”

Really. I’d have chosen you over the princess, easily. She means nothing to me at all.

I mean, you were there last night.

It was awkward, no emotions involved, and we barely touched outside of going through with the mechanical need of sex. Would you really call last night fun?

For her or me?

“I… no. No I wouldn’t,” answered Locke. “I’m sorry. I’m not… this isn’t me, I swear. I was never in a stable relationship before. Never married. Never dated longer than a few months. I’ve always been a really free spirit.

“Now that I’m bound and tied to you I can’t… I’m honestly not even sure if I’m me anymore. That I’m who I was. I’m certain that I died and only a shell of myself remained.

“That shell was slowly filled in by you and the Qi of this world. I’m Locke… but… I also don’t feel like her either. My memories, her memories, feel like they’re not mine. Like it’s being read through a book, rather than something I actually experienced.”

Okay?

And?

Is that a loss? Is it a positive?

Do you want to be her at all?

Do you want to be someone else and just pretend Locke before Ashe, or LBA, didn’t exist?

You can do whatever you want.

As you said… you died.

That means LBA is a choice at this point, since it’s obvious you’re not quite sure how you feel about who LBA was.

“Uh… yeah. You’re right. You’re… absolutely right. LBA is a different person than me. I have all her memories and… and I can be someone different if I choose,” Locke said with a great deal of sudden confidence. “She was a ho. A super ho. She chose that lifestyle, had fun, and did everything, and everyone, she wanted to do.

“I’m not LBA. I don’t want to spread my body around all over just because I can. It’s mine. I made it. I got her just the way I want her. She’s me, and I’m her, and LBA is a corpse. A nasty corpse somewhere else that has nothing to do with me.

“Thanks, Ashley. I’m going to make your balls clang together like bells when we’re done with our first night. You’ve had nothing but girls and virgins up to this point. I’m going to rock your bed like the world is ending.”

Great, I look forward to it.

So long as you’re happy, Locke Sheng.

Now… do you feel better?

Leaning back in the chair, Ash folded his hands in his lap. He waited quietly to see what Locke would say.

“Yes,” she said after twenty seconds passed by. “Yes. I feel much better. I’m Locke Sheng. Not… not LBA. Thank you, Ashley. Now… Ju is coming. She seems rushed. Remember, she was forced into this and… probably isn’t happy. Be kind and listen to her.

“Also, she’ll be a bit energetic. Emitting Qi into a non-cultivator does odd things to them. And before you fret over it, you’d have to bed someone constantly, for an entire day, to actually lose any usable Qi.”

The door to Ju’s bedroom opened and Ju came out at a fast walk.

She’d taken several steps before she noticed him.

“Oh,” she said, one hand drifting up to her mouth. “I… thought you’d left.”

“No, I did not, Ju Sheng,” Ash said and gave her a smile. “Or is it Ju Langye? I’m uncertain on how you’ll be address if I’m being honest.”

“I… am Ju Sheng,” Ju said, the hand at her chin moving down to her dressing gown. Her fingers pulling the edges closed and then retying the belt around her hips. “I am your wife, Ju Sheng, and that is how I will address myself to others. Ju Sheng, princess of the realm. I am privy to any possessions that you allow me to and all I own is yours. I will remain with my family, however, as I am not a cultivator.”

“Well, Ju Sheng, can your husband assist you in some way?” Ash asked. “I’ve been waiting here as I didn’t wish to wander around without you. It seemed like a bad idea.

“Nor did I feel… well, I didn’t entirely feel comfortable sleeping next to you. We might be wed, but I unfortunately barely know you.”

Ju blinked several times, than gave him the first genuine smile from her he’d seen in a while.

“Yes, I do understand. Thank you for your consideration,” Ju said with a small tilt of her head, as if she were considering something. “Let’s have breakfast together then ready ourselves. The family gathering is coming faster than either of us would probably like.”

“Before you ask, no, she could never be a cultivator. Though… we could easily provide her with a slew of martial arts,” Locke said. “It’d… be more than enough for her to be safe so long as it’s only a citizen. Even uncoordinated or idiotic cultivators in the Body Refiner realm might not be enough for her.”

Am I that obvious?

“Only in that you were suddenly concerned for her well being. Its your kind and generous heart always at work, my Chosen One.

“At least you’re no longer being passive. You’ve really started to push forward all on your own. I’m done by the way. I put together an entire packet for her. Since she knows what you can do, it won’t even be a surprise to her.

“The fact that you took this marriage the way you did is proof of that. I know you’re doing this to further the Sheng family and the Sheng alliance. It’s certainly more drama and problems, but waiting for a year just to return to the sect seems… even far too passive even for you.”

Exactly that.

I’m pushing. I’m finally pushing and this is how I can do that.

Thanks, Locke, by the way. I appreciate you.

***

Sitting next to Ju, Ash was rather curious about how this whole thing would play out. They were now on the royal grounds in the city, enclosed by large walls and swarming with royal guards.

Currently they were in a meeting hall in one of the several gardens on the premises.

From what he could tell, it was as if there were three major factions, seven or eight minor faction, and then an entire slew of supporting groups.

The three major factions were rather easy to spot, and Ash had already heard of two.

There was of course Ju and her great uncle’s faction. That the throne should be abdicated and passed down to her brother, the crowned prince. A logical successor and succession, just earlier than was expected.

The second faction was the king’s younger brother’s faction. They were in agreement that the throne should be abdicated by the king, but that it should go to his nephew, rather than his son.

Ash hadn’t considered it until he’d sat down, but the third faction was somewhat obvious.

It was the king himself and his desire to remain on the throne. That there was no reason for him to abdicate and that everything was blown out of proportion.

Except… given that there are two other factions, each with cultivators now part of their backers, it’s clear the king doesn’t have the power to govern.

If you cannot control a court filled with those who have no power other than what you give them, than you don’t have a spine strong enough for the crown.

This is no different than a family head that can’t keep their people in line, while letting them run wild while still being in the family.

Even I, an Outlander, knows this.

How could they be this foolish?

“Likely coddled by their parents,”Locke said in an amused tone. “If their parents didn’t do them any favors and spoiled them to the truth of the world, than they would likely turn out this way. You had the Sheng family who coddled you, certainly.

“But they did so by also explaining the world and what they were doing. They told you what they expected, but also why, and how it would be different.”

Ash mentally made a note to make sure to spoil his parents even more if it were possible. He was finding that while he’d only known them for a short number of years, they’d prepared him for a world as if they’d known him since birth.

“That’s my father, the king,” Ju said from beside Ash, her hand coming over to rest on his.

Taking the cue, Ash slipped his hand into hers, interweaving his fingers through her own. Looking to the back of the familial gathering room, he could see a man entering.

He had an entourage with him that was twenty deep. A number of them were Cultivator’s in the Spirit Refiner realm. Each of them a peak martial artist though looking somewhat older than expected.

Mm. They must be those who couldn’t break through the bottle-neck of a Refiner. To never reach the cultivator’s Mortal realm.

Selling themselves to the highest bidder here in the lower realm.

Turning his head Ash found Ju looking down at the ground. Her face was bright red and she looked to be trying to not be seen by anyone.

“You’re showing a public display of affection. I think you forget sometimes how big a deal that is here.”

Realizing that Locke was talking about the fact that Ash was holding Ju’s hand, he gently released her fingers. He did take a moment to lightly stroke the back of her hand. He didn’t want her to think he was releasing her like she was on fire.

At the same time everyone around them stood up, causing Ash and Ju to stand up as well.

Ash figured it was in acknowledgment to the king arriving.

Sitting down in a central seat, the man looked around the room.

It was the first time Ash got a real good look at this royal individual.

He looked weak to Ash.

Large in body, small in demeanor, he was easily six foot six, with dark black hair and warm brown eyes. He looked to be in his middle thirties and was was already starting to grey at his temples.

There wasn’t a feeling of strength or determination around the man. Instead, it felt more like wary apprehension.

An animal backed into a corner that was yipping at it’s aggressors.

Everyone in the room gazed coolly at the sitting man as if he were genuinely beneath them.

Every action here feeds back into the situation.

He should have made them all sit before he did. He did it backward.

“Yes. Yes he did. He has no idea how to handle them.”

“You may all sit,” said the king, to which everyone did so. “I see we have new people here today. Daughter, who is this?”

“My husband, Ash Sheng,” Ju said in an offhand way. She’d decided it would be best to introduce him as Ash, since he preferred to be called Ashley by family. Then she gestured to the eight people behind them. It was Jia, Tala, Na, Chunhua, Liu, Biyu, Shu, and Lifen. “These are his comrades and family members. All part of the Sheng alliance.”

Each and every one of them were dressed in the veiled hats and all wearing the same gi that Shu and Lifen had been in. It gave them a look of being more akin to some type of military unit than women in a family.

Jia had arranged it, figuring that it would give them more mystique and respect, than eight women would.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to marry,” growled the king. His eyes has narrowed and he was glaring at Ju and Ash both.

“I didn’t ask you for it,” Ju said with a shrug of her shoulders. Then she pointed with an upturned hand toward a man who looked to be in his twenties. He looked a great deal like the king, though looked considerably smaller. Perhaps half the size of the king, in fact.

Though he shared all the same traits as Ju and the king both. It was clear that this man was probably Ju’s older brother and the crown prince.

“I gave her permission to wed,” said the man.

You know, we never got his name, did we?

“No. But to be honest, that’s fine. We can just address him as ‘honored brother’ if we need to.”

“What? And why does your permission matter when mine was not sought at all?” demanded the king.

“Because her womb is a problem for me, not you. Her children would be threats to me, not you,” said the man in an almost conversational tone, and then shrugged his shoulders. “Why would your opinion matter at all? My sister will be a source of power for me, or one of discontent. She needs seek only my permission, not yours.”

Well. That’s certainly just throwing it right in his face, isn’t it?

“I would say so. Though… no one is reacting to this. Apparently it’s normal to insult the king to his face.”

Everyone was staring at the king in an almost blank way. They weren’t really concerned with his reaction or what he would say.

For the most part, Ash had felt they were more curious about him and who he was, more than the prince over-stepping the king’s boundaries.

“Anyways,” said the crowned prince who then turned his head and looked to Ash. He inclined his head to him and Ju in a respectful way. “I formally welcome the Sheng clan as in-laws to the royal family. May your marriage be one of peace and love.”

Somewhere around two-thirds of the room turned and bowed their heads to Ash and Ju. The last one-third bobbed their heads in a way that looked perfunctory.

Must be Hou and his dad Tyan-yu for those people. They don’t look particularly happy to see us.

“Most definitely not. Though… I’ve been studying several of their people,” said Locke in an odd way. It sounded like she wasn’t quite sure, curious, and somewhat concerned all at the same time. “They have… Qi inside them that I really cannot identify.”

What d’you mean?

“They have elemental Qi, just like any other cultivator, but they also have Qi that I can’t identify,” Locke muttered. “It has a feel to it that’s almost… like a soul. Like life. I’ve felt it before when we’ve taken lives. Especially those we’ve killed with Qi chains.

“When we took everything that was them, except a small part that always floated off. We had no ability to pull or corral it, it just went way. It has the same feeling as that.”

Errr… are you saying they’re filled with life Qi? Or the souls of others?

“I think so? I can’t tell, honestly, since we’ve never experienced it before. That’d be my guess though.”

Kinda like a priest?

“No… not like that. More like a vampire. Or a lich? Something like that. They’re filled with life Qi, souls, but not by someone else willing it to be. They stole it. Took it for their own.”

Ash had no idea what to say to that. It seemed rather evil to him.

It was one thing to kill another, it felt like something altogether different to take their soul entirely.

“— welcome the Sheng clan,” said someone from Tyan-yu’s faction. They were directly across from where Ju and Ash were. “You’re a cultivator clan?”

“Yes,” Ash said in response. He saw no reason to elaborate other than that.

“Would you care to exchange some pointers?” asked the man with an odd grin. It made Ash feel like the man wanted to do more than that.

“He’s one of those who feel odd to me. Not everyone with them feels like they have life Qi in them, only four in fact.”

“I don’t believe this is the time or place for such a thing,” Ash said with a dismissive hand wave. “But I’d be happy to entertain it another day.”

“This is a perfect time,” said a man who was seated to the left of the king’s throne. He had a familiar look to Ash. Glancing to the man’s right, Ash saw Hou sitting there. Glaring at Ash with daggers in his eyes.

Ah, that must be Tyan-yu.

“Let’s have a friendly match,” Tyan-yu said, gesturing at the open space between everyone. “A few pointers, as Qin said.”

Ash realized that this was something he couldn’t resist if his own faction wished it. Which meant he needed to defer to others.

First he looked to Ju, who gave him a small smile and tilted her head very fractionally. Toward her brother, in fact.

Looking to the crown prince, Ash held the man’s eyes for several seconds.

The man apparently saw something he was looking for, as he suddenly nodded his head and then looked to Tyan-yu.

“That’ll be fine, uncle. We’ll have a few matches right here and now,” said the crown prince. “It shouldn’t be an issue. Though I’ll say it now, if anyone is harmed more than a few broken bones, I suspect either side will have hell to pay for it.”

“Perfect,” said Tyan-yu then waved over at a man to the side. “You’ll go first in these matches.”

Ash looked to the man that’d been called forth. He didn’t have the ability to dive into a person the way Locke could, but even Ash felt like th eman was strong. At least a low ranked Spirit Refiner.

Who would be best to send? I don’t have a sense of their power.

“We’ll have to work on that so you can tap into what I can sense,” murmured Locke. “Send Biyu. Liu, Shu, or Lifen would be more likely to kill than injure. Biyu can control herself.”

“Biyu, go,” Ash said, not turning around to look. “Please remember he said only a few broken bones, so no more than three.”

“I understand,” Biyu said and then stepped out of the group. She walked out to the center area and then brought her hands up into a neutral fighting stance.

Given what she was wearing, she looked like something out of a fighting game back on Ash’s homeworld.

Biyu’s opponent was a man with a mohawk and was wearing only a vest and pants. He wore no shoes and had no other adornments.

“Gonna break your little hat if you wear it during this,” said the man, gesturing at Biyu’s wide brimmed hat and veil.

Ash felt like the man wouldn’t be much of a problem for himself, but he wasn’t sure about how Biyu would fare.

“You’ll not touch me. It will be fine,” Biyu said in a firm voice. “Let’s begin so I may return to Master Sheng’s side.”