Chapter 1310: Pa.s.sing On Cultivation
Of course, before then, there was something else Zu An had to do. He summoned all of the loyal guards to deal with the ones who hadn’t done anything when the enemy approached, or had even colluded with outsiders. At the same time, he generously rewarded those who had fought heroically, promoting them to higher positions.
Even though he was only a single person, this was a world where the strong reigned. No one dared to go against master rank pressure. Aided by the prestige the duke had and the three women who understood the situation better, a great purge quickly took place in the Duke Manor.
However, after the chaotic day, the Duke Manor had taken a huge blow. The security was already struggling. Thus, after thinking about it, Zu An called over all of the Yu clan’s guards. Following Yu Yanluo’s departure, the Yu clan had been left without a leader, and were also in a difficult position. Meanwhile, Zu An had a.s.sumed the ident.i.ty of Yu Yanluo’s official husband. Sure enough, the Yu clan’s guards didn’t feel much mental rejection, and they were actually extremely grateful for being taken in.
Zu An saw that Gong Pan was also present. Through all the turmoil that had happened, Gong Pan had led his subordinates in protecting the Yu clan. He had experienced several serious conflicts, and had been injured quite badly himself. Based on their interactions, Zu An knew that Gong Pan was loyal.
However, Zu An didn’t promote Gong Pan to the rank of captain, because the other man was someone from the ‘previous dynasty’. Meanwhile, his ident.i.ty would be exposed sooner or later, so he had to raise his own trusted aides. Once the truth was completely revealed, those people would have no choice but to stay with him in consideration of their own interests.
As such, he promoted a mid-level guard named Guan Wu, who had shown bravery and loyalty during the chaos, to the rank of captain. The guard was permitted to practice any of the rare manuals that were in the manor to increase his own strength.
Guan Wu had never expected to be given such heavy responsibility by the duke. He was so moved that even his voice shook as he vowed his unwavering loyalty to the duke, pledging his life to defend the Duke Manor.
Even though many others were jealous, Guan Wu was the one who had charged in at the very forefront of the chaos, and he had also been seriously injured. They all felt admiration for him. Furthermore, considering the power the duke had just displayed, who would dare utter a single word of protest?
After making arrangements for security, Zu An left it to his subordinates to clean up the manor. He brought the three women back to their rooms. Even though he had a.s.signed them guards, in this world, being weak meant one would be powerless in many situations.
However, because they hadn’t wanted Cloudcenter Duke to feel any suspicion, when Yu Yanluo had sent Liu Ji and Chu Ji, and Jian Taiding had sent Zhang Ji, they had chosen women with low cultivations. That was why Zu An wanted to help the women increase their cultivation. After what had just happened, they understood just how important it was to be strong themselves.
Zhang Ji sensed the implied meaning of Zu An’s explanation and asked, “Duke, are you leaving?”
“There is something I need to take care of, so I will be gone for a period of time. Of course, what I will say to the public is that I am once again entering seclusion. It is enough for the three of you to know,” Zu An replied. These were the duke’s spouses,after all. Saying that he was going into seclusion again might not be able to fully convince them.
“Ah… So you are still going to go…” Zhang Ji trailed off. Let alone her, even Chu Ji and Liu Ji were reluctant. Even though they knew he was an imposter, they felt exceptionally at peace with him at their side.
“That is why we need to seize the moment and increase your cultivation as quickly as possible,” Zu An said to comfort them.
“But how can cultivation be that easy…” Zhang Ji said as she sat off to the side, crossing her beautiful long legs in an extremely graceful manner. She looked extremely distressed.
“Precisely! We might not be able to match up to your expectations…” Chu Ji added as she stood by the window. The sun shone on her clothes, highlighting her extremely soft and graceful curves.
“Sigh, if we knew things were going to be like this, we would have started cultivating earlier,” Liu Ji said, putting her arms on her waist. Her movement caused a great ripple to course through her chest.
Zu An said, “Under normal circ.u.mstances, it would require many years of bitter cultivation. However, I have a way of quickly increasing your cultivation within a short amount of time. Still, it might stop you three from pursuing the peak of dao that you could have reached without it in the long run.”
Zhang Ji smiled and replied, “The duke must be joking. Do people like us need to seek the peak of dao? It would already be a blessing for us to be able to protect ourselves. Furthermore, is it not all the same if the duke reaches the absolute peak?”
Liu Ji and Chu Ji voiced their agreement. They knew that with their talent, even though they were a bit better than ordinary people, they weren’t talented geniuses. They obviously didn’t have many extravagant hopes for their cultivation.
Zu An nodded and said, “In that case, then, let’s start. Sit up next to me.”
Then, he taught them the basics of breathing. Afterward, his fingers struck against their major acupoints as he used his own cultivation to open up the meridians they would need to transport ki. With his master rank cultivation, it wasn’t too difficult to do those things.
Then, he infused ki into their bodies. Such a method of increasing cultivation was simple and crude, and normally, no cultivators were willing to perform it. It was too taxing on the one using the technique, and no one was willing to use the ki they had bitterly acc.u.mulated to benefit another. Furthermore, releasing a certain amount of ki didn’t automatically mean the recipient would absorb the same amount. Often, they wouldn’t absorb anything at all. That was why such a thankless task wasn’t particularly common.
However, Zu An was different. He had the Heaven Devouring Art. He had instantly sucked the cultivators he killed dry when he dealt with them. At his current cultivation realm, their cultivation wasn’t that useful to him. However, the ki he had absorbed was perfect for pa.s.sing on to the three women.
After many hours pa.s.sed, steam was emanating from the women’s heads. They were completely soaked in sweat, and even their clothes were drenched. The process of having one’s meridians cleansed was extremely painful at times, but also extremely comfortable at other times. They had gritted their teeth and tried to endure for fear of disturbing Zu An, but after some time, one of them gave up, and they began to moan and scream.
Zu An’s inner energies raged within him as a result of the process. Additionally, the three women’s delicate fragrance had been stimulated by the heat. Between that and the moans that had begun to emerge from their mouths, he was even starting to feel tempted.
When he finally finished the process, he quickly said, “You are all around the initial stage of the sixth rank now. Of course, your strength cannot compare to that of a true sixth rank cultivator, but you will have the strength to protect yourself now. Furthermore, I will prepare many fighting skills for you to cultivate. All three of you are smart, so you should be able to grasp them soon. Now, I am going back to rest.”
Chu Ji and Liu Ji exchanged a look when they saw him bow slightly before leaving in a somewhat haggard state. Their expressions were a bit red.
Zhang Ji was confused, asking, “Big sis, why does it feel as if the duke is intentionally avoiding us?”
In the past, they had been jealous love rivals and hadn’t gotten along. Only now, after all that had happened, did they realize that they shared honor and disgrace together. They had to face all kinds of difficulties together. As such, their old conflicted feelings had already disappeared, and their relationship thus became quite close.
“It might be because he is being a gentleman,” Chu Ji and Liu Ji replied. They naturally knew what was going on, but they couldn"t tell her the truth.
“A gentleman?” Zhang Ji replied, finding it really strange. Why would they use that description to describe their husband? She thought for a bit, then moved over to their side to ask quietly, “Big sisters, don’t you two feel that the duke is a bit different from before?”
Chu Ji and Liu Ji were alarmed. They wondered whether she had already seen through the duke and asked with puzzled expressions, “What’s different?”
“It’s just that…” Zhang Ji’s face was a bit red as she looked around with a guilty conscience. When she was sure that there was no one around them, she said, “The duke seems a bit… bolder and more powerful than before.”
Some memories appeared in Chu Ji and Liu Ji’s head when they heard those words. Their hearts began to quicken. They replied, “Maybe… Maybe it’s because the duke’s cultivation has increased a bit recently.”
“Is that so? But I don’t remember the duke being like this even when his cultivation was this high,” Zhang Ji said in confusion.
“We’re all soaked in sweat. Let’s return and take a bath for now. Let’s not waste the duke’s hard work,” Chu Ji and Liu Ji said. They were worried that she would continue to ask, so they left guiltily.
“So strange…” Zhang Ji grumbled. The others didn’t know what she was thinking, but her expression suddenly turned blank.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An returned to his room to rest. He eventually calmed down his raging ki, continuing to tell himself that gentlemen didn’t take advantage of others’ difficulties. In the past, he had needed to investigate the truth, so he had done those things to better imitate the duke. Now he couldn"t continue to do things that would let the duke down, though.
Just then, someone knocked lightly on his door. Then, a figure pushed the door open and came in.
“Liu Ji?” Zu An called out. He couldn"t help but remember Big Manman when he saw Liu Ji’s chest rock back and forth. Unfortunately, it would be a long time before he could see her again.
“The duke has worked so hard for us just now. This is a soup of scallop, fungus, and pigeon I had prepared specially. It should be really good for your recovery,” Liu Ji said. She placed a bowl of savory hot soup in front of him.
Zu An’s expression was strange. He had already gotten so worked up from earlier, and yet she wanted him to eat such testosterone-boosting things? Still, he didn’t want to let down the woman’s kindness, so he picked it up to give it a try. It really was quite tasty. He had been running around so much that he really was a bit hungry.
I wonder if Yan Xuehen had anything to eat yet…
As Zu An’s mind wandered, Liui Ji’s voice pulled him back to reality. She asked, “Duke, has the madam already successfully returned to the Snake race territory?”
Zu An nodded and said, “Indeed. Everything is peaceful on that side…” Then, he told her about what had happened on the other side.
When she saw that he was yawning from time to time, Liu Ji walked behind him and said, “How about I give you a ma.s.sage?”
“Um… That’s not too appropriate, is it?”
“What isn’t too appropriate? I used to do this for the duke, but…”
There wasn’t much Zu An could say when he saw how Liu Ji seemed on the verge of tears. He had been running around for so long and he really was a bit tired, so he didn’t refuse her anymore.
Liu Ji’s fingers were really soft, and her movements were extremely considerate. Zu An slowly closed his eyes. Eventually, Liu Ji noticed how tense his neck was. She smiled and said gently, “Please relax~”
Under the guidance of her hands, Zu An’s head sank into something soft and warm. He opened his eyes and wanted to say something, but then stopped.
Liu Ji said softly, “Duke, this is your home. Please don’t consider yourself an outsider.”
Zu An was a bit alarmed. Was she hinting at something?
?