DDD Chapter 45: Silver Beauty (Patreon)

To my surprise, my next meeting with Cultivator Aneira occurred the day after the first. It was cold and dreary outside. Clouds blanketed the sky, blocking the sun. The world seemed gray and washed out. A cold wind blew through our little mountain. Leaves rustled, before breaking free and falling to the ground.

After cultivating for the day, I asked Minions One and Two if they wanted to trade pointers. They accepted. Keeping in mind Cultivator Aneira’s complaint from yesterday, I led the two of them outside the courtyard so we didn’t bother her with the sound of our sparring.

Ellen followed along, to make sure nothing went wrong. Accidents and injuries were common when sparring. Having Ellen keeping an eye on things ensured that nothing too bad happened. As a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, she was more than capable of keeping a trio of Qi Condensation cultivators in check.

At this point, I could defeat each of the Minions in a one and one battle. While they were more skilled than me, that wasn’t enough to overcome the difference in our strengths. As a dual cultivator, I was more powerful than any qi refiner in the same realm. To make up for this, the Minions fought me together. This more than evened things out, and outright gave them the advantage.

I didn’t mind. Life was unpredictable, and I knew that I would sometimes face a disadvantage in battle. Sparring with the twins gave me practice dealing with enemies that outnumbered me. The two of them also worked well together, which just added to the challenge.

We were in the midst of this, when Minion One noticed something off to the side and stumbled in place. I took advantage of this and sent him flying with a blow to the abdomen. Minion Two tried to retaliate, but I dodged his blow and overwhelmed him back with a barrage of attacks. He grimaced and fell back.

“Brother!” Minion Two called out. “What are you doing? Help me!”

He glanced over to find his brother sitting on the ground, staring at something off to the side. He looked in the same direction and, like his brother, stumbled in place. I sent him flying as well. Despite his distraction, Minion Two rolled as he hit the ground and used the momentum of his landing to jump back onto his feet.

Wondering what they were looking at, I turned to find Cultivator Aneira walking towards us. I blinked in surprise. Given what I knew about her, I hadn’t expected to see her again for a while. I thought she would go back into seclusion. No wonder the two minions got distracted during our match.

I walked over to meet Cultivator Aneira. Minions One and Two joined me.

“Greetings, fellow cultivators.” Cultivator Aneira said, facing all of us.

As before, she wore a cold expression on her face. I wondered if it had anything to do with the cultivation technique(s) she practiced. Her future master, Elder Celine, wore a similar expression.

“Greetings, Cultivator Aneira.” I said. “I know this is a bit late, but let me introduce myself. I am Darian Wind Dance.”

“Greetings, Sister Aneira.” The twins said in unison.

Ellen remained silent and watched the three of us with an amused expression on her face.

“How may we help you?” I asked. “Is there something you need?”

Cultivator Aneira studied us, including Ellen, with a wary look in her eyes.

“I have hit a wall in my training, and I hope trading pointers will help clear my mind. May I join you?”

I raised an eyebrow. Cultivator Aneira’s question caught me off guard. When I first met her, I got the impression that she didn’t like me very much. Then again, liking someone and trading pointers with them were two separate matters. I glanced at the others. From the expressions on their faces, Cultivator Aneira’s question caught Minions One and Two off guard as well. Ellen, on the other hand, seemed unsurprised.

“You’re more than welcome to join us, Cultivator Aneira,” I said, “However, I don’t know if we’ll be much of a challenge for you, given your cultivation level.”

With my spirit sense, I saw that Cultivator Aneira was at the peak of Qi Condensation. If her physical refinement was at the same level, or even close to it, then she was unmatched by anyone under Foundation Establishment. With her strength, she could easily defeat any one of us. Hmm, maybe Minions One and Two had a chance if they worked together.

Still, I found the idea of sparring with someone stronger than me, but not too much stronger than me, appealing. Unlike with Ellen and Elliot, Cultivator Aneira was still in the same large realm as me. The gap between us wasn’t as wide. I had a chance at winning. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless.

“Even so, trading pointers with my fellow disciples may help me overcome the wall in my training.” Cultivator Aneira said. “From what I can tell, you’re almost as strong as I am.” She looked over at Minions One and Two. “As for you two, Brother Trevor and Brother Oliver, I believe you may be able to match me if you work together.”

Trevor and Oliver? Oh! The minions! I never bothered to learn their actual names and just kept calling them Minion One and Minion Two in my mind. In fact, I was starting to think that those were their actual names.

“An opportunity to trade pointers with a future core disciple of Celestial Warrior Hall?” Minio-Cultivator Trevor asked, chuckling. “I’d be a fool to turn it down.”

“I’ve heard stories about your combat prowess, Sister Aneira.” Cultivator Oliver said. “I look forward to seeing how accurate they are.”

Cultivator Aneira stared at the three of us, as if surprised. I wondered why.

“Excellent!” Ellen said, clapping her hands together.

Cultivator Aneira turned towards her.

“Are you participating, Cultivator…?” she asked.

Ellen smiled at her.

“My name is Ellen,” she said, “I serve Young Master Darian. And no, I am not trading pointers today. I am here to ensure that no serious injuries occur.”

Cultivator Aneira nodded, before turning towards me again.

“In that case, will you trade pointers with me first, Cultivator Darian?” she asked.

“I shall.” I said.

The two of us took our respective positions and stood opposite of one another. Once we were in place, the two of us each took a stance. Meanwhile, Ellen and the two minions stood off to the side and observed us.

Cultivator Aneira wielded a pair of blue fans as her weapons. Silver tipped the blades of the fans, giving them a sharp edge. Like my leather gauntlets, Cultivator Aneira’s fans were high-grade Qi Condensation magic treasures. I also sensed an icy aura from them, suggesting that they had magical abilities as well.

“Begin on my signal.” Ellen called out.

Cultivator Aneira and I nodded, though neither of us took our eyes off the other. The air between us crackled with tension as we waited for Ellen’s signal. My nerves thrummed with excitement and my lips stretched out in a grin. While I enjoyed trading pointers with Cultivators Trevor and Oliver, I looked forward to seeing what Cultivator Aneira had in store.

“Begin!”

I sprang into action the moment Ellen finished speaking, using the Lighter Than Air technique to increase my speed. Now that I was in the sixth small realm of the physical refining equivalent of Qi Condensation, using Lighter Than Air put less strain on my body. I would have tried the Wind Dash technique, but I still wasn’t comfortable using it in a fight.

Cultivator Aneira responded by waving her fans at me. An icy wind blew in my direction. With my spirit sense, I noticed that a silvery-white qi filled this wind. The moment that it hit me, I felt like I had been struck by a blizzard. Frost started to coat my body and my movements grew sluggish. If I let this continue, I feared that I would freeze over. What a vicious attack! Despite this, my grin widened.

I drew upon my qi and summoned Heavenly Shield to protect my body. Hissing filled the air as my divine flames melted the frost and a cloud of steam rose up from me. With my movement restored, I continued rushing towards Cultivator Aneira. However, she didn’t remain idle and charged towards me as well.

Just before we clashed, I performed a hand seal and pointed a finger at Cultivator Aneira. A small bead of golden fire emerged from my finger and shot towards her. As it flew through the air, the bead grew larger and larger until it was the size of my fist. Cultivator Aneira slashed through the air with one of her fans and a crescent made from silvery-white qi flew towards my Divine Fireball. The two exploded when they hit each other and canceled each other out.

By this point, Cultivator Aneira and I reached each other. At first, the two of us probed each other’s defenses and got a feel for one another. The way Cultivator Aneira fought reminded me somewhat of Ellen’s fighting style. Her movements were smooth and fluid, like water. However, whereas Ellen gave the impression of a serpent made of water, Cultivator Aneira reminded me of the ocean: deep and unfathomable.

It didn’t take me long to realize that I wouldn’t be able to break through Cultivator Aneira’s defense with a frontal assault. Deciding to take a risk, I fell back to put some distance between us. I performed a series of hand seals and spat out a serpent made from golden flames. The serpent hissed as it flew towards Cultivator Aneira. She let out a derisive snort, before launching a silver crescent towards it. The serpent evaded the crescent and continued flying towards Cultivator Aneira. While it distracted her, I went around to try and flank her.

Cultivator Aneira slashed the serpent with one of her fans and destroyed it, before turning towards me. I attacked, but she made no effort to defend herself. My intuition warned me that something was wrong, but it was too late to pull back now. My fist struck Cultivator Aneira…and went right through her, as if she were made of air. Her form rippled and dissipated into motes of silvery light. An illusion!

Acting on instinct, I raised my arm to block an attack from my right. The air shimmered, before revealing Cultivator Aneira as she slashed one of her fans towards me. Sparks flew as her silver-tipped fan met my gauntlet. I moved to counter attack, but then I felt something cold pressed against the side of my neck. I looked to find Cultivator Aneira holding a sword made of ice in her other hand. It pierced through my Heavenly Shield like it wasn’t even there. I saw her other fan lying on the ground nearby.

She tricked me twice. First with the illusion, and again by feinting with her fan. Sweat beaded Cultivator Aneira’s forehead. Pulling this off must have cost her a lot, but it paid off. She won.

“I concede.” I said, heaving a sigh.

Cultivator Aneira nodded and pulled the ice sword away from my neck. It dissipated into nothingness.

“Well fought, Cultivator Darian.” She said.

She watched me with a wary expression, as if waiting for something.

“Thank you,” I said, “Though, you would’ve won sooner if you hadn’t held back.”

Cultivator Aneira’s eyes widened a fraction.

“You noticed?”

I snorted.

“Of course I noticed.” I said. “The difference in our realms made it obvious.”

Cultivator Aneira was at peak Qi Condensation while I was just at mid Qi Condensation. If she hadn’t held back, her silver crescents would have overpowered my mystic arts with ease.

“While I appreciate your consideration,” I said, “The whole purpose of trading pointers is for both sides to benefit. You won’t gain anything from this if you hold back just because we’re a little weaker than you.” I grinned at her. “Still, it was a good fight. I learned a lot.”

Cultivator Aneira’s eyes widened even further and she just stared at me.

“The two of you take a break and recover your qi.” Ellen said. “Minions One and Two, why don’t you take a turn?”

“We have names you know.” Cultivator Trevor muttered.

“Only our Young Mistress is allowed to call us minions.” Cultivator Oliver said in a haughty tone.

Ellen gave them an amused smile.

“Your Young Mistress isn’t here. I am. Now go.”

With that, Cultivator Aneira and I walked off to the side and the two minions took our places. The four of us spent most of the day trading pointers, with Ellen directing us.

***

Later on that night, I sat in my living room reading the primer on alchemy that I bought several months ago. A nearby crystal lamp filled the room with warm light. I had already memorized the primer from front to back, but I hoped to glean even more insights by studying it in depth. Unfortunately, there was only so much I could do by reading alone. At some point, I needed to put my knowledge into practice if I ever wanted to make progress. However, this required a pill furnace and reagents, which I couldn’t afford at the moment.

Last year, when I still lived with Astra in her old immortal cave, she told me that one of the ways that the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall earned spirit stones was by hunting spirit beasts and demon beasts. Considering my general lack of funds, I considered doing the same thing. Getting to the forest that bordered the Black Mist Mountains wouldn’t be difficult. It was nearby and I could have Ellen fly me there.

Besides, I was pretty experienced at hunting Rank One demon beasts and demonic beasts, such as Devil Hogs. Eating meals cooked from their meat was how I made so much progress in my physical refinement within a short span of time. Besides, according to the primer on alchemy, the body parts of certain spirit beasts and demon beasts could be used to create elixirs.

Ellen entered the living room and sat down next to me, before leaning her body against mine and resting her head on my shoulder. Ever since I sent Elliot away to deliver a message to Lucius, Ellen had become much more physical with me. It wasn’t anything untoward, yet, but she grew bolder by the day. It wouldn’t take long before she pounced.

However, as we spent more time together, I found the idea more and more appealing. At this point, the only reason I hesitated to make a move on her was because I wanted to hear the story of how Ellen and I met when I was a child. From what I gathered, that was part of the reason why she had feelings for me.

“Young Master,” Ellen said, breaking the silence, “What do you think of Cultivator Aneira?”

I frowned and looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

Ellen lifted her head and looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

“I mean, are you interested in her?” she asked, her tone implying that I had missed the obvious. “If so, then I think it would be a good idea to make her one of your women as soon as possible.”

I blinked at her in surprise.

“One of my…Ellen, what makes you think I’ll have more than one woman?” I asked.

It was Ellen’s turn to give me a surprised look.

“You won’t?” She asked. “Considering your demonic nature, I thought it was a given that you intended to take multiple wives.” She tilted her head. “Unless you intend to follow in Young Mistress Astra’s footsteps and have a single spouse.”

This was something I discussed with Astra a while ago. While my sister and I were similar in that lust was one of our hungers, the only man she loved was Cultivator Raphael. He was her one and only. I wanted to follow in her footsteps, yet, another part of me wanted more than one wife. However, I did not want to follow my mother’s example and just sleep around.

“I don’t know.” I said. For a brief moment, I thought of Willow, Harlow, and Clarissa. “A part of me likes the idea of having multiple wives.” I grimaced. “However, I don’t want to end up like my uncle, Dominic Wind Dance. He has multiple wives, but the only one he treats well is Lucille. He neglects his other wives.”

I didn’t have much of an impression of my uncle’s other wives, since I almost never saw them when I lived on Mt. Wind Dance. However, from what I remember, they seemed wilted and lifeless, like flowers that never saw any sunlight.

“In that case, the solution is simple.” Ellen said. “Treat all your women well. You don’t have to treat them the same, since everyone is their own person, but be sure to treat them well.”

 “I’m surprised that you’re fine with the idea of me having multiple wives.” I said.

Considering Ellen’s attitude, I expected her to act more possessive and jealous.

“As long as I am one of them, I don’t care how many other wives you have.” Ellen said, shrugging. She patted me on the arm. “However, that is a conversation for another time. We were discussing Cultivator Aneira. What are your feelings towards her?”

I thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

“I like her well enough, despite the way she keeps her distance from people.” I said. “And she is quite beautiful. However, I’m not attracted to her in a romantic sense. She doesn’t spark my interest the same way that you and… certain others do.” I frowned. “I don’t think she’s interested in me either, so it works for both sides.”

I looked to find Ellen gazing at me with a tender expression on her face. That was a new one.

“Aw!” Ellen said. “That’s so sweet of you, Young Master.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What did I say?”

Ellen just smiled and shook her head.

“The reason why I ask is because I suspect that Cultivator Aneira has a Pure Yin Physique.”