Cultivating Chaos 4 -CH12- (Patreon)

Before Ash could comprehend the situation, Qi-Lord Ghast was directly in front of him. Staring at him curiously with a head tilted every so slightly to one side.

Her long pale-brown hair was pulled back behind her head except for a set of bangs that framed her beautiful face. Brown eyes that were so light in color they were almost green stared into him as if looking for an answer.

Her shape and form were perfect in every way. The features of her face looked as if they were placed in the exact spot they should be. With clean sharp lines to her jaw and nose that gave her a very refined and elegant look.

Full lips, a mouth that looked to smile often, and a skin-tone that was blemish free and clean. There wasn’t a single feature of facet of her that didn’t wrench Ash’s attention away.

“Good afternoon,” Qi-Lord Ghast said in a warm voice that felt as if warm fingertips had just grazed along the edge of his ear. “You must be the one who killed my Hand.”

Realizing Ghast was waiting for an answer from him Ash sputtered nonsensically.

The woman’s response was immediate, a small smile curled her lips and the corners of her eyes scrunched up. She was genuinely amused by Ash at this moment.

“Ahh… ahem. Yes. I killed lord Hand,” Ash said, then belatedly performed a full martial salute to Ghast. Bowing his head over his hands. “I’m unfamiliar with how to address the lady, so I ask for forgiveness. I’ve only come to the prison in the last week. I’m very new here and was only recently sentenced.”

“Ooooh? Well. Welcome, then. You may address me as Lady or Lord. I don’t care which. It’s easier that way. Or… well, you can call me Ren.”

“Lady Ren, my name is Ash Sheng. I’m an Outlander that was given a chance to learn due to having a Dantian,” Ash explained, still bowing over his hands. “I was sentenced here for the murder of a Realm Lord. I killed your Hand as he attempted to take my follower away from me.

“They are pledged to me and cannot leave my side, nor did she wish to be… borrow… by the Hand. When we disagreed with him, we came to blows. I took his life in defending my own.”

“I wish I could say that was surprising, but it isn’t,” Ghast observed. “He had a propensity for vulgar behavior. Well… we’ll talk about your punishment for crossing me elsewhere. I’m glad you presented yourself to me for it rather than running away and forcing me to chase you down. You may raise your head.”

Ash let his salute fall and stood there, looking to the incredibly attractive woman once again. She was now looking to the city-lord.

“City-lord, I have no need of you further. You may return. I’ll have a new representative for you soon,” revealed Ghast. There was no warmth or care in her tone. It was more similar to how one would speak to a pet.

“Your servant understands and wishes you a pleasant day,” Kyle intoned and then bowed deeply to Ghast. Not waiting for a moment longer, the man turned and then went back into the warehouse.

Leaving Locke and Ash standing before Ghast.

How strong is she?

“Not very. Maybe an Empowered Mortal, level six or so. You’re stronger than her in a significant way. The amount of her Qi on her person is abnormal, though,” Locke answered quickly. “The bigger issue is the ten or so cultivators she has behind her in that… blimp. They’re all Awakened Mortals at their peak. Every one of them.

“Whatever power she has, isn’t rooted in her combat ability. More likely that overwhelming Qi of hers.”

“He’s in a good mood and it’s done on top of that. This’ll go easier than I thought it would,” Ghast remarked, only for her eyes to flick back to Ash. She hit him with a smile that his body responded to without prompting. A stiffening in his pants that he couldn’t resist. “Now. Let’s retreat to my home away from home and discuss this. I do have to punish you for what you did after all. A Hand is a reflection of my power and they’re not as easy to replace as I’d love to say they are.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind taking his place,” Ash interjected and then once again went into a martial salute. If he could get that idea out now, before they got on her blimp, it’d be best. He was concerned she’d have him kille dout of hand without him getting a chance to pitch the idea. “I’m sure I could do everything he did, and do it just as well as he did. Probably with… less… vulgar activities.”

Ghast had turned away from him by the time he started talking. Now, on finishing, she was looking to him over a shoulder.

Ash was peeking at her from under his eyebrows.

Her eyebrows were partly raised, a curious expression on her angelic face. Her mouth was parted in an “oh” expression as she contemplated his statement. Her eyes slid to Locke and remained there for several seconds.

“You can go back to… wherever… you were from. Continue whatever you were doing,” Ghast stated in a way that was obviously more of a command, than a request.

Locke hesitated in a way that screamed soundlessly how uncomfortable she was with all this. That being separated from Ash was the last thing she wanted.

Hesitantly, she nodded her head, then performed a martial bow to the other woman. Holding it for a moment she then turned and left. Moving back toward the warehouse.

Ghast watched her, waiting until Locke had opened the door and gone inside. Leaving Ash alone with Ghast.

“Well, let’s be off then,” stated Ghast. She turned back to the blimp and began walking toward it once more. There was a small rope ladder that was dangling down the side of it, though it was only six or so feet from the ground.

A large metallic object that Ash couldn’t identify beyond “junk” had embedded itself in the ground nearby. A chain was tied through it and went back up to the blimp.

An anchor, I guess.

Following Ghast, and managing to keep his eyes off the woman’s waist, Ash obediently followed her to the ladder. They climbed up it, and entered the blimp.

Ash could indeed feel the ten Awakened Mortal cultivator’s Locke had mentioned inside it. They were gathered around points that seemed logical if they wanted to disembark and move to assist Ghast in a flash.

She planned an entrance, how to appear, and how to make sure she was safe. She seems to be very focused on appearances.

“Given that I think she sculpted her body centimeter by centimeter, yes, I agree,” growled Locke.

Ash made sure to not mention that Locke had adjusted her own body to her desired specifications. That she could have done more, but chose not to.

He figured that realistically Locke was just feeling insecure right now. Him pointing out something like that wouldn’t help her at all.

Ghast took him to a small side-room and went and flopped down in what could only be described as an easy-chair. There were three cultivators in the room, two women and a man, and each of them could probably break Ash in half without an issue.

“Have a seat,” Ghast murmured and crossed one leg over the other where she sat. A young woman entered from outside the room and came over with a tray of drinks and snacks. She held them out to Ghast. “This’ll be quick. As you likely surmised, I was planning on killing you. You killed my Hand, I kill you, it works out.”

Ash nodded his head. That’d been one of the possibilities he’d considered. The only reason he’d remained in the city was he was certain he could talk the Qi-Lord into going with his plan.

The simple reality was he could offer more benefits to being alive, than dead.

Absolute worst case scenario, Ash could activate his formations, drain Ghast and a few other people, and escape.

At most five he could empty five, though that’d leave him with five cultivators left able to fight that he’d have to deal with.

It was a last use option and he didn’t want to use it. It’d take too long to set up again and there was no guarantee he’d survive it either.

No, we’re betting on talking her into a deal. That’s why we stayed.

Ghast was watching him, saying nothing now.

“I did, yes. I think I’m worth more alive, than dead, though,” Ash stated. “As your Hand, I can easily complete the same responsibilities that the old one did.”

“You don’t even know what he did for me,” Ghast countered.

Ash couldn’t argue that point.

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I think I can’t do it,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m sure whatever it is I can meet your expectations. The city-lord had no idea what it was the Hand was doing for you though. When I searched through the Hand’s belongings, it was… errr… nothing stood out as relevant to what he was doing for you.”

“Nothing stood out?” Ghast asked. His statement had piqued her curiosity he guessed.

“A lot of corpses. Lot of sex slaves. Weapons. Nothing that looked like someone of your stature would require sent to her from down here,” explained Ash. “Not even any money, which was kinda weird. I gave the house to the city-lord rather than use it. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me moving in without your permission.”

“Sex slaves?” inquired Ghast, her mouth turned down in a beautiful frown and her nose wrinkling. “Xi, are you there? I have a question for you.”

A man stepped in from outside and stood near the door. He was older, looked to be in his sixties, and had a rank that was only a Spirit Refiner at best. He had white hair and faded brown eyes.

“The Hand for Wahst had sex slaves?” Ghast asked, watching the man.

The Hand for Wahst. She definitely owns other cities then. She’s stronger than I expected?

Maybe I acted a bit too confidently and just ran into the lion’s den.

“— certainly didn’t know of it,” stammered the man.

“You’re lying,” Ghast stated.

“I’m not, Lady. It’s simply that—”

Ghast lifted a hand and made a fluttering motion with her fingers. One of the Cultivators in the corner of the room flashed forward towards the old man.

A knife appeared in their side burried to the hilt. The Cultivator had stuck it into them with enough force that the sound of ribs breaking could be heard.

The other hand of the Cultivator was clamped around the man’s mouth. Who was screaming in pain into those fingers.

Holding onto the old man, the Cultivator dragged them out of the room. All the while pulling the knife out and plunging it in again and again.

Ghast let out a soft huff and looked to Ash.

“Oh me, oh my. It seems I look like the fool in front of such a dashing young Outlander,” Ghast lamented. “You kill a Hand of mine, though it’s revealed he’s absolute scum. You inspect his home, but don’t take it. You want his position, but don’t assume it.

“All the while, my assumptions and expectations are tossed out the window as if they were night-soil destined for the midden. What next will you surprise me with?”

“I’m not sure. If I knew your expectations I could probably tell you that,” offered Ash.

Ghast smiled charmingly in a way that reminded Ash that his pants were still too tight at the moment.

“Mmm… well aren’t you aiming to please. Fine. I won’t kill you. I won’t even punish you. You’ve done me a favor and so I’ll make the same offer to you, that the previous Hand was working in,” Ghast allowed, putting her elbow against the arm of the chair, and then putting her chin in her palm. “I’ll provide you with a list of things I need. Just make sure you hit the quota every month and that’s the extent of what you need to do. They’re nothing terrible, really. Just not something a normal person can manage down here.

“You’ll see. It won’t even be an issue. I’m sure you’ll find it rather simple, really, considering how you handled my Hand. And now that I’m speaking of it, how did you handle him?”

“I just… beat him in a fight,” Ash hedged. It was impolite in cultivator society to ask beyond that if information wasn’t offered. He wasn’t sure if that courtesy extended to prison, however.

Ghast blinked slowly, her long delicate lashes making it look quite different that what he expected. She watched him for a few more seconds, then shrugged her shoulders delicately.

“That’s fair. It’s not as if I care in the end. If you’re willing to stay down here for me, that’s all that matters. Given your strength it’s obvious you could easily climb the towers and make a name for yourself so… this works out for both of us,” Ghast summarized. “Well, with that out of the way, and that I won’t be killing you, I suppose the next part of this is my offer of what to exchange in return for you doing this work for me.

“The previous Hand did it for an exchange rate of three to one. I made sure that for every day he was down here, he received an equal amount of Qi for three days. I pledged it to him and could… deliver it as needed.”

Ash realized that this was likely a hook that he should avoid. The only way she’d be able to give Qi over in such a way was likely through an ability or a pledge. Either of which he didn’t want to subject himself to.

“I have a non-ranked ability to cultivate Qi from my surroundings. Even here. It’s enough to keep me topped off and provide my companions with enough Qi for us to remain here,” Ash answered. It was a lie without lying, so he didn’t think anything he said would give Ghast pause. “So I appreciate the gesture, but I won’t need to be paid through Qi. I’m open to other suggestions that you feel would be workable.”

Opening her mouth, Ghast paused, watching him. Then she closed it, smiled and shruged once again. What felt like a casual interest on her part was now something distinct.

I think I fucked up. I should have just taken the Qi.

Right, dear wife of mine?

“I… ah… yes. Probably. Now she thinks you have the ability to be a Qi-Lord in the future. An ally or an enemy. Given her personality, she’ll try to cultivate you into an ally, I imagine,”Locke offered.

“We’ll do a direct exchange. Provide me with a list of things you want next time we meet, and for the meeting after that. I’ll get what I can based on what you provide and turn it all back over to you,” Ghast offered with a palm pointed toward him. She did it with her fingers slightly curled. “Would you agree to that? If I can’t get you something, I’ll just hang onto it until I can get it, or you earn enough for it. I’ll just treat the items as first come first serve, then return the list to you afterward so you can ammend it.”

“That’s a really good idea. I like it,” Locke affirmed.

“Then I’ll take you up on that, Lady Ghast,” Ash agreed with a dip of his head. “I appreciate your mercy and generosity. It’s been… very strange coming here. I’m not sure what I really expected, but it wasn’t this. Not at all.”

“Oh… yes. The prison isn’t so much a prison anymore, but it’s own veil with it’s own rules and culture,” Ghast admitted with a small shake of her head. “The simple answer is that a guard went power-mad and sent the whole prison into chaos. Now there’s more factions than you can count.

“Just don’t mess with the guards if you don’t have to. They’re not worth troubling and the last time someone bothered them overly much, a Dreadful Immortal showed up and gave everyone a firm… talking to.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Lady Ghast,” declared Ash.

“Please… call me Ren,” Ghast promptly requested.

“I’m not sure I could, L—”

Ghast held her hand up with a single finger.

“Ren,” she stated again.

“Ren,” agreed Ash, realizing this wasn’t a request.

“Perfect. Now… Ash,” Ghast purred, then leaned forward. The dress she was wearing didn’t leave much to the imagination and the view she presented him took what little it had away. “Let’s go to my private apartments and talk more about this. Privately. I can think of a number of conversations that we could have that would be very enlightening to both of us.”

Ash’s body responded before he could. His pants stretching uncomfortably while his cheeks took on a faint heat as well.

At this moment, Ash really wanted to go to Ghast’s private rooms with her. Even his conscious mind wanted this.

There wasn’t any ability or extra-worldly force acting on Ash. Ghast was just that attractive and appealing. Ash legitimately wanted to rail the ever loving crap out of Ghast until he couldn’t based purely on a physical response.

The only thing stopping him from immediately nodding his head to do just that, was he knew that it’d harm the important people in his life.

“Do… do what you need to. Everyone will understand. It’s not like you can say no to her without jeopardizing things,” Locke whispered, her words sounding pained and sickened.

No sooner than she said it, Ash knew he had to say no. That there was no other option than to say no.

Because none of the people in his life would say yes, if the roles were reversed. Regardless of the problems it caused.

Ash smiled regretfully and shook his head.

Except Ghast didn’t see it or even notice. She’d put her gaze to someone behind him near the door.

“Madam, we’ve received an emergency summons from the committee,” came a whiny voice from beyond the doorway. Ash couldn’t see who the speaker was from where he sat. “They… they requested you to attend as swiftly as possible.”

“They requested it?” asked Ghast, sounding rather surprised.

“The wording was very pleading,” confirmed the speaker.

Ghast looked back to Ash, a deep frown on her face.

“We’ll speak more another time,” she said and bounced out of her seat. She paused to lean down and kiss Ash on the temple. Then she ran a hand through his hair and left him sitting there. “Make sure he has the list. Get him off the ship quickly but do it gently. Reward him as if he performed a request I personally asked of him.”

Then, Ghast was gone.