Cultivating Chaos 4 -CH6- (Patreon)

Ash looked up from the wounded boy and found a young woman not far off. She was standing at an alleyway drainage way. The space she’d come from had been so narrow that Ash hadn’t even realized someone could actually fit through it.

She had light-brown hair and looked malnourished. Her pale-brown eyes were soft and watery. If Ash had to describe her, it’d be very similar to how he might a puppy.

A wounded puppy.

“Tan!” whimpered the woman as her eyes fell on the boy. Her mouth crumpled inward and her her brow came down. Her eyes crinkled and Ash felt that she was about to burst into tears.

“He’s not dead,” Ash got out before the waterworks could start. “He had a fight. Killed those two but was in turn stabbed. Not sure why the others fled but… they left him here to die.

“To be sure he would have. I’ve rendered aid, however. He’ll not be going to greet your ancestors yet and the brother of sleep won’t be visiting.”

The woman shook her head as if she didn’t believe him.

“Come and see. He’s quite wounded so I’m merely applying pressure to the area so that he doesn’t bleed out before the pill I gave him starts working,” Ash continued. “I promise you I’ll not harm you. I’ll swear it on my Dao and Cultivation if it helps.”

“You’re a cultivator?” whispered the woman, her eyes rounding out and widening now.

“Mm. I am. So have faith. Your brother Tan shall live,” Ash finished and looked back to the boy. His color was bad but his breathing seemed steadier. “He’ll be weak for a bit. I can’t just… make new blood I’m afraid. That’s something his body will have to tend to.

“As to the wound itself though…”

Ash peeled his hand back and saw that the flesh had knit itself over. There was an ugly puckered scar there underneath the blood, but it was sealed.

“As to the wound, it’s already closed. You see?” Ash said, looking back to the woman. “Bloody, certainly, but also quite healed over. I can’t do anything for the scar but I’d say that’s a small price to pay.

“Now… what’s your name? You already gave me his name. By the way, my name is Ash, Ash Sheng.”

“I’m Jian Hui Sheng, his weapon,” Hui stated with some force. “He has many wives let alone women such as I. Do not fear him, he has no use for you.”

“That’s rude, Hui,” rebuked Ash, never looking away from the young woman. “You may apologize to her. She didn’t do anything wrong and she’s right to be wary of others.”

“Hui apologies to you,” said Hui without hesitation. “Hui has wronged you and she would seek your forgiveness. She only sought to comfort you, who clearly fears Ashley as a woman would a man, rather than him as a person.”

Err… that’s fair.

Her brother did mention that he was doing this because she was raped. She’d likely be the sister and the way she’s looking at me would certainly lend credence to that belief.

Reaching over, Ash put his hand over Hui’s and squeezed it. What she said was rude, though her intentions were in the right place.

There’s that haughty personality again. Though…at least it’s coming from the right place.

“I’m Song,” murmured the woman, her eyes moving back and forth between Ash and Hui. She was leaning forward and to the side, trying to see her brother from where she was. “He really is okay?”

“For someone who murdered two people in an alleyway, yes, he’s fine,” Ash deadpanned. The fact that he’d killed two people still remained as an issue. He claimed it was in response to rape, but that’s an easy thing to claim as a reason for killing someone.

Ash would gladly take the boy’s words as a possibility, but the fact of the matter was murder was still murder. Even in a prison there were likely laws against killing someone even for the right reasons.

“Yes, they raped me,” Song muttered, her eyes darting to the two dead young men. They were several years older than the boy and closer in age to the woman.

“Both?” Hui asked.

“They all did,” Song dropped on them. “That whole group did.”

“Far as I can tell she’s telling the truth. I don’t have all the senses I used to but I can still get a decent read on people from the Hall,” Locke said. “That and there’s some trauma and damge… down there… that wouldn’t be something someone willingly sought out. Might want to give her a similar medicinal pill as to what you gave Tan.”

Ash winced at that and stood up.

“Well. Shall I carry Tan to your home?” Ash asked. “We can talk further there. It would be best to leave the area. Someone might stumble upon us and then it’s a lot harder to explain.”

“If we kill everyone who comes here, then there will be no one to report us for murder. A simple and straightforward solution,” Hui argued, looking at him with a flat stare. “Hui welcomes you to use her as a weapon. Hui would welcome Ashley to use her well.”

Ah… yeah.

She probably got a power up from them dying.

Actually… given what I’ve seen of this city, she’s probably constantly getting power ups.

Not to mention we need to test if I can put bodies in the Hall.

“As to testing, I’m sure that bodies can be loaded into the Hall.

“And yes, she is gaining power. I’ll need to capture her tribulations tonight. They will converge at the same time and she’ll pass into the Empowered Mortal, realm,” Locke remarked with some annoyance. “I didn’t think she’d level so quickly, but her talent is very much at the level of Chunhua’s. She’s also only recovering the same ground she’d made previously so it’s going much quicker for her.

“She’ll be at your own level very soon. I disallow you from-from emitting Qi into her. She doesn’t need the help. I do though. That or you can pull out a few Sheng stones for your dear beloved wife? She spent her entire allowance already surprisingly. Tee hee.”

Strangling down the chuckle that nearly sprang out of him, Ash smiled at Song and then picked up Tan by his belt. Then he casually flipped him up. Landing the boy on his shoulder without staggering.

“Lead on,” Ash said.

My possessions are your possessions dear wife. Though at this point, I think you phrase it the way you do, just to hear me remind you of it again.

It’s very cute, dear, but you know how I feel.

“I… yes. I do. I love hearing it. Being in a committed relationship is so weird and fun,” Gushed Locke. “Oh! Sorry, Rou and I are going to jump into this store. They have some really fun clothes! Tell Hui I’ll get her something pretty for her bottoms!”

Song was nodding her head and then gestured deeper into the alley, then began moving off.

“Locke said she’ll get you something pretty. For your… bottoms,” Ash told Hui as he’d been instructed. He was always on the lookout on how he could get a reward from Locke.

“Wonderful. Hui needs pretty bottoms so when Ashley eventually comes to her bed, he will be pleased,” Hui remarked with a wide smile and no shame.

The women of this realm are just too strong.

Far too strong.

***

Song had taken them to what was nothing more than a lean-to.

Several pieces of wood slatted together with some rusted out iron that’d been wedged into a wall shape. The top of it was nothing more than old branches and twigs with a large number of waste fabrics tied to the top.

This was no place anyone should be living.

What was absolutely terrifying though was that this was an average looking dwelling given it’s surroundings. This wasn’t just a slum, but a location even those who lived in a slum would avoid.

“This isn’t even fit for animals,” Hui remarked with pity coloring her words. “Hui suggests we go rent them a room so Tan can recover. He will not do well here.”

The beautiful cultivator turned and gave Ash a full face pout. One that slapped him hard with a memory of Mei doing something similar.

“Hui will gladly use her own coin if she’s allowed any to do so,” she continued.

Song was standing in the ugly lean-to and looking to them with confusion writ large on her features. She was partially hunched over as the ceiling wasn’t quite tall enough.

“Yes, that’s fine,” Ash agreed with a small shake of his head. “Go rent a room nearby for us, Hui. I trust in you to do what you feel is best. Something nondescript that won’t draw attention to them.”

Ash summoned a small bag filled with Spirit Stones in them and held it out to her.

“Hui will do as Ashley wishes. Your weapon is pleased to be utilized,” Hui remarked, her pout vanishing in a flash and a smile replacing it. She watched him for a few seconds before her nose wrinkled partially, her grin widening. “Thank you, ash. Your trust in me boosts my self worth.”

Taking the pouch, Hui went off. There was no swish to her hips as she went as Mei might do, nor the predatory stalk that Na had.

Hui simply moved quickly and efficiently. She was given a task and would complete it.

“Uhm… I… please… I don’t have anything to trade for what you’re giving us,” whimpered Song. She’d watched Hui leave and was now looking to Ash.

“I’m not asking for anything,” Ash said soothingly. He had a flash of memory in regards to Yue and what she’d contemplated doing to keep her brother and herself safe. “Pack your things. We won’t be coming back here regardless of anything else.”

Maybe that’s why I’m interceding.

They remind me of Yue and Lie Jie. Though neither of these two have a Dantian.

Song was breathing harder now, watching him. One hand was pressed to the ragged tunic that hung on her like a scare-crow wearing a potato sack.

I dislike this city immensely.

Even Xing wasn’t like this. There were certainly slums, and there were the destitute, but this… this feels like too much.

“Ah… you there. What business do you have here?” called a voice from the side.

Ash turned and put his eyes to the speaker. He was in a foul mood right now so if this was yet another fool he had to deal with, then Ash would be testing out if he could put corpses into the Hall.

Standing not far away was a group of five men. They were dressed in shabby clothes that matched what he’d seen of Song and Tan’s attire. These were people who belonged to this area.

“My business is my own. What business is it of yours to ask me mine?” Ash stated in a flat voice. He had no patience for anything.

“You can’t just barge in here and do what you want,” said a man, stepping toward Ash. He was in later twenties by Ash’s reckoning with dark black hair and eyes that weren’t quite brown. They bordered on a greenish hue the longer he looked.

“I’m here by invitation of Song and Tan and that’s the extent of what my business is going to be revealed to you. You can leave at that and walk away, or I’m going to end up making you my business. You won’t like that. In fact, you might want to remember this moment,” Ash said, the last having the chilling feeling of finality as he spoke it.

He didn’t want to slaughter them all, but he would.

“It… it’s okay!” Song called from inside the lean-to. Apparently his words had assuaged her concern for him, as she was now quickly picking through her meager belongings. Throwing everything together on top of a long leather strap. “Uncle Ash is just here to help me and Tan!”

The men who’d gathered up nearby didn’t look convinced. They did look confused and no longer as sure of themselves, though.

And where were they when Song was apparently assaulted?

There’s more to that story than meets the eye. I’ll need to learn a great deal more.

Wait, who’s that?

After being surprised by the first group, Ash had paid more attention to his surroundings and the Qi flows.

Turning, Ash looked down a muddy track that passed for a street. He could see a new group of people heading his way.

They had the feeling of citizens, though a few carried things that held Qi. They weren’t the type of Qi he associated with Spirit Stones, either.

“Damnit. Scatter,” hissed one of the men hissed. A second later and they all fled in every direction.

“No… no, no,” Song whispered from inside the lean-to.

“They the bad guys?” Ash asked, pulling the unconscious young man off his shoulder. He set him down inside the lean-to.

“The bad-yes. Yes, they are. They abuse the citizens here in the Gutter,” Song confirmed. “They rob, beat, rape, and just do whatever they want here. We can’t legally resist them because… because they’re part of the Qi-lord’s soldiers.”

“They some of the ones that raped you?” Ash asked, realizing he was about to get some information about the Qi-lord from these people he imagined.

Though if they were really in his employ, that meant he already knew a great deal.

That more than likely, the Qi-lord was a scumbag.

“No. That… that’s a different… group,” Song stammered. “They would though if they could. They’ve never caught me alone.”

Ash clicked his tongue, then opened and closed his hands several times. He began to lightly bounce in place and began getting ready to use his abilities.

Coiled Spring Step and Battle Cultivation were always active anymore. Only a single thought away from activating.

“Well, guess Hui was right in the end. If there’s no one alive to make a report, then there’s no crime to report,” he joked to himself as he bounced about in place. He could feel his body warming up quickly, the slow momentum that’d been prevalent rapidly falling away.

“I’m on my way but I don’t think you’ll need me!” Locke reported.

Of course I need you, wifey. Get yourself over here so I can watch you knock these fools out.

“I… you… what?” Locke asked with a laugh.

You’re a lot of fun to watch. Should I lie about it?

You know I think about it anyways. I can’t hear the echo of my emotions in you, but you clearly still read my mind. Clearly still feel my feelings.

“Well, who am I to disagree then. I’ll be there as soon as I can so you can watch!” Locke promised.

Ash had the distinct impression that Locke had grabbed Rou and was hustling her along now. Maybe even bodily holding onto her.

Laughing all the while.

Grinning, Ash summoned up his butterfly-swords and then put his hands behind his back. They were short enough that he could hide them without too much trouble.

Going still he stood there, waiting for the new comers to reach him.

They were all dressed in dark-black martial artists gi’s. Each with some type of symbole emblazoned over their heart.

Ash didn’t care to inspect it or even pay it any mind, other than to note the general shape of it. It’d help him identify enemies later.

When they reached Ash, they stared at him in confusion. The seven of them all armed with simple martial weapons.

Deciding there was no reason to act, Ash stared back at them. If he didn’t have to kill them, that was fine, too.

If he did have to kill them, it’d be better if Hui was here so she could gain from their lives ending. When he thought about it like that, Hui was the best partner for him.

He could kill everything and gain directly from them, while she gained from their deaths as well. They could both benefit from the same source.

One the men stepped forward toward Ash while trying to peek into the entrance of Song’s lean-to. They were clearly here for her.

Stepping forward, Ash put himself directly between the man and the entrance. Smiling all the while.

Unbelievably, Ash and the group of seven once more engaged in a stare-down. He realized he’d have to break the silence.

“And you are?” he asked. His patience was spent, but his humor was in good spirits. He could spend a smidgen of time here to have some fun.

“Uh,” one of the seven finally got out.

“Your name is Uh?” Ash quipped with a smirk. “Your parents must have been quite the intellectual pair. I hope your surname isn’t Lee or something. I can’t imagine being named… Uh Lee.

“Then again… I suppose it isn’t too far from the truth. Now is it? Did someone beat you when you were young? You look like a potato.”

The seven men were now staring at Ash with wide eyes. Anger was building in each of them and Ash could feel the momentum of them wildly flaring to life.

They were about to launch an all out attack on him in just a moment.

“Ah… well… let’s remember this moment, Song,” Ash remarked, glancing aside at the woman. “You’ll be the only one to remark about their passing.”

Ash slowly glided forward to engage them as they rushed ahead. The smirk Ash was wearing felt somewhat odd even to himself as he began to lay into them.

Except he found himself feeling quite good about this.

There was nothing more rewarding than altering the momentum of a thing that was swinging in a bad direction. Like correcting a mislaid tile on the floor so it fit perfectly.

There were many things here that would need to be corrected from what Ash could see of it.