Mana 6 Chapter 11 (Patreon)

As soon as I stepped out of the main building, the guard on top of my wall slid his foot along the top, bracing and readying himself to stop me.

I released my cultivation, and the dust swirled around my feet.

With all the force and speed my six rings could muster, I exploded from the ground, racing out over the wall. If I stayed to talk it through with the elders, they could trap me here if they didn’t agree. I couldn’t let that happen.

The guard darted after me, but I surprised him when I turned towards him.

My hand cocked back as I threw forward a Kunpeng’s claw. A massive golden talon shot forward, wrapping up the guard and tossing him away before it disappeared.

I was already flying up into the air, using my domain to hurtle myself up and out of the courtyard.

Up in the air, I could see no fewer than a dozen guards flying up to meet me. But I wasn’t about to let them stop me from retrieving Lanhua. I knew that if I stayed, and they caught me, I’d lose any chance of going after her. They wouldn’t go after her, or they would get tied up figuring it out that it would be too late. Family politics would win, and Lanhua would lose. I couldn’t let that happen. She’d done too much for me, and I cared too much for her.

I fired kunpeng claws down at the guards.

Four went down, but there were just too many of them. They rose up around me, their own cultivations flaring to life as they cast the same technique in unison.

Bright golden tendrils flew out of their hands and connected to each other, coming together like a web to trap me.

I summoned the Pixiu bloodline and that of the gold dragon. My aura doubled in pressure, and I wrapped myself in white and gold armor before punching out and shattering the web of mana that was tightening in on me.

“There is no quarrel between us. Let me go.” I growled under the pressure of two bloodlines.

“Then head back down to the family. We have our orders.” One splayed his hands, ready to fight.

They knew I wasn’t backing down. I realized they were stalling.

A powerful cultivation that I recognized flared up in the family estate. Terrance’s deep sixth rank cultivation was unmistakable.

Thankfully, none of the elders had moved yet to stop me.

I struck out at the closest guard, but three more moved together. They once again used a coordinated technique to block my attack.

“Give up; Terrance is on his way.”

And that meant it was time to take the gloves off. I drew the bonesword, and their eyes lit up in recognition just before I used my sword intent to cut through their technique.

They all rushed in to stop me, but I became a blur as my sword moved in a flurry. I might just be learning to use it, but my sword intent was dangerous enough that they were forced to dodge as I pushed through step by step, trying to make my way out.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t moving fast enough. I could feel Terrance closing in.

“Girls, block them.” My rings lit up, and my five mana beasts burst out of their rings, swinging with their biggest attacks.

The surprise did more than their attacks. It gave me just the chance I needed to fly out from the group, switching my golden dragon bloodline for Lumi’s. Lightning gathered around me as I used it to pick up speed.

Once I was clear, my mana beasts returned to their rings before they could get hurt, and I kept moving.

That was, until Terrance appeared before me like a ghost. “You cannot leave.” He floated with his arms crossed, but the pressure he put off was enough for me to know that I couldn’t easily pass him.

Holding my sword out in front of me, I squared off against him. “Nothing will stop me from going to save one of my loved ones. You either step aside or help me.”

He stared at me for a moment before he unfolded his arms and slapped out a single palm strike. It was a slow movement, but it contained an unbelievable amount of pressure.

Stabbing forward with my sword intent riding on my blade, I stabbed the center of his palm. My sword intent bent, and his palm strike continued forward.

He beat me with overwhelming force in that single strike. It pushed aside my sword and hit me in the chest, knocking me back in the air towards the Yunpi Estate.

“You have no hope of defeating me, not as you are. Go back to the estate and continue to cultivate.”

I cursed, trying to figure out my next move.

I drew deeper, grasping Aurora’s Kunpeng bloodline and bringing it to the surface. My body swelled with more power as it strained; the skin on my shoulders tore, and I started bleeding freely.

The guards from before were staying back, letting Terrance deal with this.

His eyes narrowed at me. “Just how many bloodlines do you possess?”

“Enough that I’ll keep grasping at them until I can win and escape.” I readied my sword even though my entire body was wracked by the pain of holding onto three bloodlines. Nothing was going to stop me. If nothing else, I swore to show Terrance my determination.

“You can’t even fight like that. You’ll tear your body apart.” Terrance continued to hover nearby, waiting patiently as wind pulled at our robes. “Dismiss those bloodlines now.”

Rather than listen to him, I started to draw on Michelle’s black tortoise bloodline. But before I could, Terrance was before me, burying his fist in my gut, interrupting me.

I spat out blood on him as my body revolted against me.

“Stop. If you are going to kill yourself, do it outside the clan. At least there is a hope for you there. But know that your children will arrive later today. It would be a damn shame if their father died.”

Holding my gut where he had hit me, I dismissed my bloodlines and my body sagged with relief at the pressure as it disappeared.

“I won't die.” I spat.

“There have been five attempts for assassins to enter the Yunpi Estate since you moved in. The Leon family is desperate to kill you, and I have a few ideas why. Put that sword away and don’t bring it out until you come back to the family.”

My mind was catching up with what he was saying. “You are letting me go?”

“If I don’t, you are going to kill yourself trying to escape.” Terrance snorted. “Even if I knocked you out, I can see in your eyes that you’d try again tomorrow, and the day after that.”

I nodded. That sounded about right. There was little they could do to stop me from trying to go after Lanhua. I was just that stuborn.

“So go. But know that we won’t be able to extend our reach outside of the family to protect you.” He shifted to the side, making way for me.

It was one last ploy to get me to stay, but it won’t work. I needed to save Lanhua. Logically, I knew that the Yunpi couldn’t come save me if I got into trouble; It would expose one of the Yunpi’s experts to a potential coordinated strike from the Leon family.

The stalemate between the two was a delicate balance, and neither one wanted to show their hands before they knew they could win.

I thought about Xiexie’s father, and I couldn’t believe that he hadn’t just stepped forward and ended the war himself. The Leon family had to have more power behind them than I could imagine.

But I could reflect on that later. Terrance was giving me a chance, and I fully intended to take it.

I moved quickly, rushing out of the Yunpi family estate and heading for the middle ring of the city below.

***

After I got away, slipping in among the bustling city was rather easy. But my body was a mess. Summoning the third bloodline, I might have been able to attack Terrance, but I would have likely permanently injured myself and my cultivation.

Even activating it had left me weakened. Sometimes I was a bit too stubborn.

I slipped into an alley and swapped out my robe for one that wasn’t torn and bloody. A quick application of life mana stopped the bleeding on my shoulder, but I had wounds far deeper.

My rings pulsed. I knew my mana beasts wanted out to help me, but they would attract too much attention at the moment. I needed to stay off the radar.

Ducking through the crowd, I found a tavern in the outer ring and slipped inside.

Thankfully, I hadn’t assimilated to the Yunpi standards for dress. My Ferrymen’s robe meant nothing in the city.

Most of the patrons wore martial robes, but a few wore simple clothes of laborers. Any city needed labor.

“How can I help you?” A hostess spotted my askance look.

“Meal and a place to stay for the night?”

My mana beasts pulsed in their rings. “Maybe a room and have the meal brought up?”

“We can do that. A thimble of mana crystal, please.”

I broke off a small piece in my soul palace and brought it out on my palm. “Here.”

She looked at it with a smile and sashayed over to the counter, reaching behind it for a key. “Up those stairs. Third room on the right. Meal will be up in just a few minutes.”

I stood straight, hiding my weakness as I climbed the stairs. If the Bishou had tried to breach the Yunpi Estate several times in the last week, then there was a good chance they saw my escape.

I couldn’t have them thinking that I was weak.

I moved up the stairs and through the door she’d indicated; the key working well enough.

The room was simple. There was a bed, a desk, and a tub for bathing. Otherwise, the room was barren. But I was happy to see the bed had an actual mattress and not some back town hay mattress.

Pulling out the chair at the desk and sitting down, I winced, and Aurora demanded to be let out.

All five of my mana beasts appeared. They all wore similar expressions of anger mixed with sympathy.

“Bed.” Quinn scooped me off the chair and plopped me on the bed before taking my spatial ring off and pulling out bandages. She handed the bandages over to Mei.

Mei and the rest of my mana beasts made their outfits with mana, and like a trigger, when Mei took the bandages, she shifted into her Nurse Mei outfit. “I see the patient hasn’t been taking care of himself.” She stretched out the bandages, and with Quinn’s help, pulled off my robes.

My body was covered with bruises where the third bloodline had strained my body and started popping blood vessels.

“Master.” Aurora glared at me. “I thought we were going to relax in the Yunpi Family, pop out some babies.”

“Life had other plans. We are going to go save Lanhua.”

“Dummy.” Aurora pouted as she put on her own nurse outfit. “You are being too rash. Maybe the Yunpi could have helped.”

“I couldn’t risk it, Aurora. We both know there was a slim chance they would make that effort for Lanhua. Once I made it clear how passionate I was about rescuing her, I’d be under full-time surveillance with enough guards to slow me down for an elder to bring me back.”

Lumi and Quinn put on their own nurse outfits.

Phoebe watched their outfit transformations with curiosity. “Is this a thing?”

“We nurse him back to health! But we do it far too often.” Mei chastised me as she started applying ointment to the bandages. Then she handed them to Quinn, who carefully put them around the bruises. Even if I wasn’t bleeding, the ointment would do wonders for healing the injuries just below the skin level.

Phoebe shrugged and her own nurse outfit appeared, copying from the others. “I guess we will nurse him back to health.” She knelt at the side of the bed, taking my arm in hand and brushing her fingers soothingly down my inner arm before she pressed hard on a pressure point.

It hurt for a moment, followed by sweet relief. “That feels good.”

“Yes, it does.” She said knowingly. “Your body has been through a lot. Given that it holds us, we need you to take care of it.”

I stared into her eyes and could see the love and concern in them. Even if she was taking a risk, she was well on the way to hoping for more.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment, and Lumi stood to get it.

“Oh. Hello.” The hostess sounded surprised. “I… uh… didn’t know he already had company.”

“Thank you for the food. And I would caution anyone from trying to enter the room. We are protective of him.” Lumi said, pulling the square platter of food into the room.

Little trails of steam wafted off the dishes as she came and placed it on the desk. Then Lumi picked up a bowl of stew and brought it over to my bedside. “Open wide.”

Aurora quickly propped up a pillow behind my head. Lumi fed me. Quinn and Mei were still wrapping my body, and Phoebe was giving me a healing massage. My body still felt awful, but it was amazing to be so cared for by the mana beasts.

But Aurora had stepped away. She kept moving her eyes between the window and the door.

I knew she was on edge with the threat of the Bishou looming and the attention my departure from the Yunpi might have created.

“Thank you for looking out for me.” I was looking at Aurora as I said it, but I meant it for all of them. “You all spoil me with so much care.”

“Because we love you, Master.” Aurora sat down by my head and ran her fingers through my hair. “We see every part of you. Everything you do. And that only makes us love you more.” She kissed my forehead.

But when she lifted back from me, her face was painted with a scowl. “Which is why you are never to try and do a third bloodline again.” She smacked me, making me wince.

“That was too dangerous.” Mei agreed, her fox ears wilting against her head.

All five of them fixed me with glares that told me I was outnumbered. “Fine. It was too much. Lesson learned.”

“Good.” Quinn pulled bandages tight on purpose. “Let’s make sure we cement that in your mind.”

“Is this the part where I literally light a fire under his ass?” Phoebe asked with a serious face.

Mei waved quickly. “That was a joke. Do not burn, Master.”

Phoebe’s face split into a grin as she laughed. “I was joking.”

Mei grumbled something under her breath and went back to work.

Before I could say anymore, Lumi took her job seriously and kept stuffing me with food.

I relaxed, letting my mana beasts comfort me and heal me. And I knew it was nice for them as well.

They were stuck in their rings far too often during battle and they wanted to participate, be part of the solution. It must be hard having to watch me fight so often.

So, this was something they could do.

After a time, Quinn clapped her hands. “All done.”

“Great.” I rolled my shoulders. “Feeling much better.” I started to get up.

“Mei, sit on his chest.” Aurora commanded.

My lovely fox mana beast disappeared from where she was at my side and reappeared on my chest, pushing me back down on the bed.

“Now. We need to have a little mana beast council.” Aurora nodded sharply, and all of them mimicked her. “Good, good. First order of business. Sex or let him rest?”

“Don’t I—” A fluffy fox tail tickled my nose and stopped me as another two joined the first and blocked my mouth.

“Sorry, Master, this is a conference among your mana beasts. Please wait patiently for it to end.”

I quirked a brow at her ‘really?’

She only shrugged and turned back to the circle that had formed at the end of my bed.

“Okay, so we are going to let him rest. None of us think he’s in his peak condition for sex.” Aurora nodded her head as the boss of this little organization. “Next on the docket for today is guard shifts. I propose that we have two on duty at all times and rotate out one at a time in overlapping shifts.”

Again, they were all in agreement.

“I’ll go first.” Phoebe said, creating two little fire balls in the corners of the room, banishing any shadows that the Bishou might hide in. “I’d feel more comfortable if I was on watch.”

“Great.” Aurora continued the meeting. “Anyone else?”

“I’ll stay up.” Mei said excitedly.

In unison, the rest of them turned to her. “No.”

Aurora cleared her throat. “We know you have a decent chance of being distracted by Master.” She gestured to my naked body.

It seems they all saw right through Mei.

“Fine.” She pouted, and I felt her fingers start to play with my hips.

“Not now either. We can do it in the morning. Or better yet, you can have fun in his soul space tonight before your shift.” Aurora chided her.

Mei perked up, her tails wiggling about on my face. “Yes. That sounds good.”

The alternative was enticing enough to stop the playful fox from continuing.

“Alright.” Aurora clapped her hands. “Back in your rings if you are a later watch. Thank you, Phoebe, for staying up with me.”

“My pleasure.” Phoebe did a small nod of acknowledgment to Aurora before pulling the chair over by the bed and sitting in it while her fire kept the shadows at bay.

I grunted as Mei’s weight disappeared back into her ring, followed by Quinn and Lumi. “Aurora, do me a favor and tell my wives that I’m okay?”

She looked at me, then checked with Phoebe, who nodded before disappearing.

“I’m not suddenly an invalid.” I mostly spoke that to Aurora’s ring.

“You are hurt more than you acknowledge right now.” Phoebe tapped my chest. “We can feel the strain on your soul and your cultivation right now. It is best if the Bishou attack tonight that you let us handle it.”

I didn’t like that one bit, but my mana beasts were absolutely loyal. They wouldn’t say it if they didn’t believe it was true. And they did live within my body. “Fine. Can I at least call on my Yin Harmony Bird bloodline?”

She hesitated before giving me a slow nod. “If you are poisoned.”

“How are you?” I wanted to check in with Phoebe.

“Your fight and the subsequent risk on your life have put some things into perspective for me.” Phoebe scooted the chair until it was pressed up against the side of my bed. Then she leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Time has been something that plagued me before. Never ending boredom; I’d wish time would pass faster. Now I find that time is still my enemy, but the other way. Some things might be limited.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” I promised her.

She nodded. “Not if we have anything to say about it. Given your goals and current trouble, we have formed a small council that will be here to help and advise you through the next stage. Though I must warn you, when kids become an option for them, you may not have time to go on an adventure. At least not until Mei has had her fill of kids.”

Something told me Mei would not settle for one child once she could have one.

“When the time comes, I’ll be happy about that.”

Phoebe stared hard at me. “The time in the Yunpi family… they were sort of hoping that would be when the time came.”

“Oh. Ooooh.” I realized just what my confinement in the Yunpi family had meant for some of the others. “Yeah. Soon, we just need to deal with one last enemy.”

“What about the next one, and the next one? The world of cultivators isn’t without its seemingly constant struggles.”

I shrugged. “We’ll deal with them when we need to, but joining the Yunpi family more fully will protect us from much of that.”

Aurora’s ring pulsed, and I let her back out.

“Your wives have been informed. Now sleep Master.” Aurora sat on the side of the bed, draping a wing protectively over me as I let myself drift off to sleep.