Cultivating Chaos 5 -ch 4- (Patreon)

Looking across to the Outsider city, Ash wasn’t sure how to feel.

Locke hadn’t woken up.

In fact, when he’d checked on her briefly, he found that she’d woken, eaten something, and gone back to sleep. Only an empty plate on the bedstand table remained as a silent witness to the act.

As of the moment, their best course of action was to follow Hui’s plan.

To take the cities around them, push out, and keep taking ground.

The faster the better.

Before the Qi-Lord’s from above descended. Because once they determined the Qi really was traveling down, they’d likely go all out to make moves down here.

Ash had been contemplating creating a limited duration formation that’d deactivate his own Qi-collection formation. To let it function long enough to make a lot of moves down here, then cancel it, and let the leash go on his original formation.

If he did it in concert with Ghast, it’d likely work even better. In controlling the flow of Qi, and letting her know which way it flowed, she could make the best possible purchases and deals.

“Yes. Hui… ah… ah… that… I… I-I-I-I-I-I… I. I agree with your statement,” growled Hui with a stomp of her foot. She’d been pacing along at Ash’s right. Tala on his left. Siu was directly behind him, along with Mei.

Everyone else was moving with the Brides and working to quickly surround the Outsider city. They were going to make sure there wasn’t any surprises and put down some of the perimeter formations.

Things Ash and Chunhua had worked on together and gotten ready so that the Brides could move into the city with defenses already being built for them.

Or more accurately, indicators for anything that went against the momentum of the Sheng Alliance.

They were deep parts of that, with true connections to Ash via his chains. With such formations acting like neon-signs, they would easily be able to confirm them with ease.

“If we counter the flow we’ve made, send it back up… well, it do everything you suggested,” Hui continued. She reached out and stuck an arm around Ash’s hip. Snatching up his hand. Then she grabbed his other hand with her own as well.

Immediately she began cycling the entirety of her Qi-Sea through him.

Emptying herself other than a bare trace of Qi.

Given how much death Qi she’d taken in, and the way it happened, it was no surprise that her Qi was still turbulent. Despite him acting as her purifier a handful of times readly.

“Hui Sheng, you must ask before you do such things,” chided Mei. “Ashley is unlikely to say no unless other things are transpiring, but you should ask him.

“It doesn’t do his prestige any favors with you simply acting without asking his permission.”

“Oh… oh, yes… ah… you’re right. I’ll do that in the future Mistress Sheng,” Hui apologized, yet didn’t break away from him. Though it wasn’t like she could either. Until her Qi-Sea returned to her, there was nothing that could be done.

“I should just feed you Qi-bricks like a giant squirrel. Name you something like… Nibbles,” grumbled Ash.

“I would most certainly like Qi-bricks. Many people went to tour the Qi-vault and were shocked at the depth of the Sheng Alliance’s wealth,” blurted out Hui. “No one dared to touch it but we were all… there was no security.”

“As if I wouldn’t give my Brides half,” countered Ash bluntly.

Not far off were a number of Brides who were here acting as a security squad. He didn’t miss the fact that no few number of their heads turned at his response.

“Do you think the title is for show?” asked Ash, deciding to push this just a bit. He knew what he wanted from these women now.

They were his elite force.

Those at the peak.

There would be thousands below them that were merely part of the alliance. Even more tens of thousands below that.

Those who made it into the ranks of the Brides would be low and restricted. As they grew in power, their recruitment would become ever more selective.

“You’ve read their bylaws. Their formation and beliefs,” Ash continued, meeting Hui’s wide eyes. “They’re my Brides. Though the time will be short and eventually I’ll part ways with them, they are my Brides.

“The same can be said for my Brothers when the time comes. They will be my Brothers.”

“Ah! I knew it. I was right all along. We really are his brides!” chirped Xiuying who was marching along behind Siu and Mei. For some reason, Siu had brought her along. “Husband, I love you!”

Blinking, somewhat shocked, Ash turned and looked back to the woman.

She had her veiled-hat hanging off the back of her shoulders and was facing him head on with a radiant smile.

“As I love you, Bride Xiuying,” replied Ash, suddenly realizing he was trapped by his own earlier words. To not respond to her as a husband would shatter the illusion. “I like your hairclips by the way. They bring your eyes out.”

“Thank you! Do you really like them? I thought they were a bit child-like but they really do help me stand out amongst the Brides. They’re all so beautiful!” Xiuying gushed, reaching up to touch one of the red colored clips in her hair. They hadn’t been there earlier.

Ash nodded his head, and looked forward again.

As he turned his head, his eyes fell on the very disturbing to behold lake of blood. He had heard someone mention it and now that he saw it, he understood it wasn’t just a silly title.

It really was a lake of blood.

One that he had made out of the bodies of the enemies.

His mind flickered back to the sight of a Bride having her head smashed in after having surrendered. Her being executed played through his head in slow motion.

In response to his sudden and burning desire to punish people, his Dao boiled away internally.

The golden pillar grinding slowly in place.

Afterward, every single chain gently rattled as a pulse of Qi shot down them to reaffirm all the Brides were there.

“Ahhhh, Ashley? Are you alright?” Mei asked in a concerned voice.

“I’m fine,” he answered, forcing down the anger. “Just… the lake.”

“The lake?” Tala asked. “Husband? Please?”

“The Bride that died,” Ash finished, feeling somewhat hollow. “I don’t know her name. I can’t… not… see her death. In my mind.”

“She was named Li. A very warm-hearted woman,” offered Siu in a solemn tone. “Not very talented, but always willing to try. I know that she would be flattered to know of your rage in her death ended the battle outright.”

“It was amazing to see your rage at the loss of a Bride,” chimed in Xiuying. “It made me swoon for you and want to give you children then and there.

“Now the Lake of the Fallen Bride will always be part of our history. I went and visited the lake earlier while the groups were forming and paid my respects.”

Ash grunted at that, then disengaged himself from Hui as her Qi-Sea returned. He gently closed off her ability to cultivate through him.

“I need to go… make… a call, I guess. I’ll be right over there,” he said and gestured to an empty space not far. “Don’t risk anyone. Slow. Let the formations work.”

“Of course, Ashley,” promised Mei. “I know what you’re asking. We won’t risk a single Bride if we don’t have to. You love your Brides.”

“I do,” whispered Ash with a small nod of his head.

Slowly, he walked some distance away.

Not too far, but far enough that it was obvious he wanted some peace and quiet.

He carefully erected a Qi-barrier around himself to make sure no sound leaked.

Then he reached up with his awareness and sorted through all the Qi-chains that led up into the sky. He wanted one in particular at this moment.

In no time at all, he found it.

Grasping it, Ash threw a chunk of Qi along it as well as what he hoped was his intention.

For Yue to come home to him. To come home and give up on whatever she was doing. That she was needed and missed.

He felt the Qi travel along the chain to Ying-Yue.

Felt it when it left the realm.

Knew, when it struck Yue and absolutely filled her Dantian along with his desire.

There was no response from Yue and he wasn’t sure if that was for a lack of trying on her part, or just not something she could do.

After all, he owned the chain, not her.

It was entirely likely in fact that all she could do was receive feelings.

Probably should have tested that out.

Actually… hm.

Turning, Ash looked back to the group.

Siu was staring at him, her head tilted to one side, and one of her metal fans closed, but pressed to her chin. Her eyes were locked to him in a way that reminded him of a hunting dog.

A grin spread across her face as soon as their eyes met.

Releasing Yue’s chain, Ash instead grasped hold of Siu’s.

The moment he did, he could tell she was aware of it. Her eyes widened and her cheeks immediately took on a reddish hue to them.

With a small pulse of Qi sent along the chain, he wanted her to come over to him. That he needed her.

He could see the small orb of Qi as it raced along the chain and even when it struck Siu. Though there was no immediate visible response.

Siu then turned her head, said something to Mei, and then began walking off.

Surprisingly, Xiuying came with her as well.

The bright and bubbly Bride practically bouncing out of the formation and joining Siu. Who was a near opposite to the other woman with her serious, sexy, and determined she looked.

The two Brides walked through Ash’s Qi silencing bubble.

“You called for me, dear Husband?” Siu purred, her fan snapping out and covering part of her face with it.

“I did. Thank you so much for coming,” confirmed Ash. “Could… you describe how that felt to you? Did you try to send anything back?”

“I most certainly felt your desire for me to join you. It was most certainly as clear as you telling me to come over,” agreed Siu. “Though I didn’t see a way to send anything back to you.”

“May I test something?” he tried instead.

“You can try anything you like with me. It’s why I brougth Xiuying over. Just in case I needed help,” confirmed Siu.

“Thank you so much for including me, Bride Siu,” blurted Xiuying with a happy laugh and clapping her hands together. The woman didn’t seem to belong in this veil at all.

Most certainly not as a cultivator.

Ash gently pushed forward another pulse to Siu. This time he wanted her to tell her how he felt.

Once the Qi landed on her, he waited a brief moment, then reverse the Qi-chain. Pulling back an equal measure of Qi from her that he had given her.

A pink orb flowed along the chain back to him.

When it arrived he carefully studied the Qi as it entered his Dantian and the Qi-Sea.

There was no feeling to it.

Nothing at all.

He most certainly could tell that the entirety of her Qi was built upon only one thing though. One thing and one thing alone.

Lust for him.

Extreme, overwhelming, unending, lust for him in particular. As if the entirety of her Dao had been built with the simple goal of wanting him carnally.

It was no wonder she said she fed off his libido.

Before he’d realized it, his Qi-Sea had ripped apart the Qi, cleansed it, and it was nothing more than Qi. Even then, there were no emotions to it.

“I would assume that failed given your visible dissapointment?” Siu purred, her fan slowly going back and forth.

“Yes. Yes it did,” grumbled Ash. He quickly reversed the chain again and pushed Qi back to Siu. It was just a touch more than what would be required to fill her Qi-Sea to bursting.

Ash did try to color it with an absurd amount of desire for her.

Her personally.

The mature, wise, and womanly Siu who felt somehow older and what he wanted. To see her naked and laid out beneath him.

When that landed, Siu’s body locked up and her fan went still. Her already rosey cheeks drained of all color, then became a scarlet flame.

As if her face were made out of a red piece of paper.

“Try it with me?” Xiuying asked with a small bounce that made her body move in a fun way. “I’ll try anything with you! That’s why I’m here.

“I’m Fortune’s Chosen, you know! I’m not a Fated One like you, though.”

Fortune’s Chosen?

That’s a new one.

I don’t think I’ve ever read about that or even heard of it in any of the stories I’ve read.]

“— guess that means that my Fortune is that of a Fated One? I have no idea! But I’m excited,” Xiuying continued, still bouncing in place. She was an energetic young woman. “I mean, you summoned me personally after all.

“And before that, you chose me personally in the sect. You were there almost every time my life was in danger and protected me from ever getting hurt!

“It’s almost as if… well… as if you’re my Fortune!”

Blinking, Ash raised his eyebrows at that.

By the time he put his attention back to Siu, she had returned to normal for the most part.

Her eyes were partly lidded, the corners crinkling as if she were hiding a smile behind her fan.

“Oh me, oh my… I had no idea… Ashley,” whispered Siu. Then she reached out and gently tapped him with her fan. The immediate drain of his libido was like having a cold drink on a blisteringly hot day. “I’ll take care of that request later of course.

“By the way…is it a hardship to keep us all constantly full of Qi? It almost seems impossible to consider that you have a binding to every single Bride and that you’re doing the same to everyone.”

“Yeah, everyone’s full. Well, there’s a few sending Qi back my way because they can’t hold anymore at all and are somehow generating Qi,” admitted Ash.

“There are going to be a large number of tribulations in the next day or so then. Such a boon that it might almost be a curse,” murmured Siu. “I’ll need to prepare for that to make sure we don’t lose anyone.”

“Just have anyone who’s experiencing a tribulation to stay near me. I’ll just capture it and tear it apart into Sheng Stones. Then send it all out back to everyone else,” explained Ash with a casual wave of his hand. “Honestly, I’m not even touching the Sheng vault to feed everyone Qi. We’re still gaining, it’s just very slow now.

“But I want my Brides powerful. As powerful as I can make them. Even the ones who aren’t as talented or need more help.”

“I wonder if being a Fortune’s Chosen will help me make money, too? Wait, you’re my Husband, right?” Xiuying asked, moving forward several steps. She was now right in front of him. Her hand came out and her warm fingers pressed to his wrist.

“Yes, yes I am,” Ash confirmed. He had already been fairly certain that many of the Brides would be like this. They’d fall into the illusion and actually believe it.

For those, he would treat them exactly like that, a Bride.

When they retired out of the Brides he would make sure they did so with care. Just in case that they were that deep in the mentality.

“Okay, so… I’m your wife,” Xiuying said with a simplicity that was daunting. “As my husband, you then therefore are the husband of Fortune’s Chosen! That means that you’re a Fated One who is married to a Fortune’s Chosen, so clearly you’ll be incredibly lucky!

“I mean, how could you not be! You married me! I’m Fortune’s Chosen. You’re already lucky just like that.”

Ash really wasn’t sure if Xiuying was crazy, low intelligence, or just that upbeat.

In any of those cases though, he couldn’t feel a wrongness to her or her words.

They felt correct and even seemed to add to his overall momentum and in more of a way than most of his Brides did.

“Ah… they’re moving in,” reported Siu, glancing over her shoulder to the city. “I would suppose that’s all there is to it then.

“To be fair, those formations were rather nasty. It was handy to limit it to those without Bridal rings.”

Xiuying laughed, pulled Ash’s arm over, and wrapped it around her waist. Doing the same to him with her own arm. Then she promptly dropped her head down to his shoulder.

“Husband! Let’s go! We’ll need to name the city, too,” proclaimed Xiuying. “What would be a good name for it though I wonder?”

Ash didn’t know how to answer that, though he did start moving. Though instead of leaving his arm around Xiuying’s waist, he moved it up to around her shoulders.

Without thinking about it, his arm curled and his hand rested atop Xiuying’s neck-line. It was the most comfortable position after he’d done it so often with Mei.

“Ahhh… I’m awake, my beloved,”purred Locke from inside his mind and the Hall. “I had no idea how tired I was. I feel much better.

“Also, this body is most definitely mine now. I wasn’t able to really… dislodge myself out of it. I was able to completely reconnect with the Hall, I can do all the things I normally did… but I had to do it all from my body.”

Good thing you’ve got a great body.

“Right? I love my body. You have no idea how long I waited to find just the right body. Sorting through every single woman who died around us and going through them was tedious but worthwhile.

“Also… uhm… thank you for checking up on me. Cleaning out my bedpan and my-my dirty dishes. I love you. Thank you for caring for your poor tired housewife.”

Of course, of course.

So, we have a lot to talk about, my sweet Locke Sheng.

I want to come see you and talk to you.

After using that body of yours, though. I’m sure you won’t mind.

We can even bring Siu along to ramp it up, and bring it down when I’m done.

“Ah… uhm… that… yes! Yes. That’s a fantastic idea. I love it. That’ll also benefit my partner.

“Also, I completely approve of Hui’s plan. It’s good! Once you clear out that city, we can plan our next move. I do think the Brides putting down a fort between the three cities is a perfect locational objective, too.”

Locke? My love?

“I-yes, dear?”

I missed you.

“I-I-I missed you, too,”whimpered Locke, sounding incredibly love sick.

Siu slid up next to Ash’s side and put her hand on his lower back. There was an immediate withdrawal of his desires in that moment.

“I see,” she whispered, as if she knew exactly why he was feeling that way. Partly because it had included her in it as well. “Well, that’s exciting. My tribulation is coming faster and faster, so us meeting up after this would be wise.

“And much like myself… I’m all yours, Ashley Sheng.”

The immediate and rough response from his psyche at her words was drained away by her at the same time.

“Oh me, oh my. So possessive. I had no idea,” moaned Siu, her face flushing. “How exciting. I look forward to eagerly exploring this.”

“He’s possessive? I didn’t know that either, but that’s easy to use to our advantage,” Xiuying cheered, then grabbed his arm and stuck it down atop where her cleavage would be. “Here, put your hand here. That way there is no confusion at all! All the other Brides will know exactly what you want from them, and this makes it easier for us all!

“I know for a fact that even Mei would ask you to hold her like this. They just don’t know how to tell you because they’re still too stuck in their own cultivator head.”

There was a stifled laugh from Locke.

Followed by an outright guffaw.

“I like her. I think I’ll keep her around at all times. Fortune’s Chosen, hm? I can certainly feel a distinct aura around her. She’s very similar to what a Fated One would be, I imagine.”

Xiuying reached up and pushed his hand a bit further down till his fingers were actually over one of her breasts.

“It doesn’t work as well without me wearing something to show where your hand is on my breasts. So we have to be more obvious so there isn’t confusion,” she proclaimed. “There, now just make sure your hand stays partly curled like that, like you’re holding me.”

This all happened at the same time that Siu drained him.

Thankfully.