As the days passed by, all the people were busy. The battle slaves, as well as Ken and his companions, all cultivated. Ken also spent his time with Emerald, enjoying her company often, and quite passionately. He also spent some time with Nimi, Yuri, and Chan, though they were all busy with their own matters.
As Ken cultivated, he made sure he was cultivating as deeply as he could. He would swallow a pill and cultivate under the sun, soaking in its rays to grow his Seed of Growth, as well as to increase his ki. It wasn’t as quick as before, but he did feel greater strength than before.
Others would rush their cultivation, but Ken made sure that his ki was extremely pure, with no imperfections. Luckily, he also had a large number of slaves he had arrayed in order to increase his own, and their, cultivation.
"Four months have passed." Ken said one day to Emerald when they were in bed together. "That means I have twenty months left..." A sixth of the time was gone, and he didn’t have much to show for it.
Even now, he wanted to rush, but he understood that such things required time. Right now, he needed great allies to assist him, and he was already forming connections with various families outside of his home town to make it easier for him to take back his throne.
"It's okay, disciple." Emerald kissed his neck, her soft lips brushing against his neck like petals.
"If I'm your disciple, should you be sleeping with me like this?" Ken turned to face her.
Emerald climbed on top of him, her entire weight pinning him down. "Since I'm your Master, you need to obey me."
Ken blushed and sighed. "Yes, yes, Master Emerald..." He smiled and reached down to grab her ass cheeks, squeezing them. They were so fat within his hands, and he continued to squeeze them. Emerald ground her body against him, leaning down to kiss him.
"No fair! I want to play too!" Chan climbed onto Ken and Emerald and squirmed between them. Chan had become quite clingy, always wanting to be with Ken, unless she was with Yuri. Her tiny body was now pinned between them, trapping her.
"Calm down, Chan." Ken reached up to pet her head.
Chain’s tail was going crazy, slapping Emerald repeatedly, but the woman didn’t mind. Chan smiled as she snuggled up to her Master, wrapping her arms around his neck and then resting her head into his chest. She sniffed him secretly, though her moans eventually betrayed what she was doing.
"Since everything is ready, I'll go and speak with everyone. Bring the other slaves around too." He spanked Chan, who yelped and then hopped out of bed to do as he asked.
Yuri had been going with Chan to deal with the Commerce Pavilion and the Town Lord on his behalf. They had made so much money selling the pills he and Emerald made, even though they spent a fortune on revitalising the estate.
Ken found that Yuri enjoyed saving her money, but enjoyed spending his money even more. Almost every penny they made went to fixing up the estate and buying large amounts of high quality furniture.
The place looked completely different, even though it hadn’t been long since they had began their renovations. The stone base of the buildings was sturdy, made of beautiful white rock. The wood was something which noble families would envy, and their clothing was of high quality as well.
He stood in front of all the people, who were standing beside one another, shoulder to shoulder, in rows of twenty.
Everyone seemed to look much better than the first time he had met them. The Leafblades had grown fuller with the plentiful food which had been given to them, and the combat slaves had grown more powerful. Most of them had increased an entire minor realm, some of those who had no cultivation even increased two minor realms.
“You’ve all been doing well so far,” Ken said. “I’m calling you all here to let you know that we’ll be taking everything more seriously now. Soon, you will begin learning techniques.” He looked to the combat slaves. “The rest of you, some of your brightest will begin assisting my Master with her alchemy, identifying herbs and such.”
With that, he allowed everyone to eat breakfast together. He had the Leafblades mingle with the combat slaves, making sure they were used to one another. Typically, nobility didn’t do such things, but here they were all slaves.
Eventually, Ken approached Cousin Yan, with Chan at his side. "Let us speak, Young Master Yan." Ken took him aside to drink some tea. Ken placed down a sound proof array, something which he created so that his love making didn’t arouse suspicion, but it was also useful for speaking openly without others listening in. "You have questions for me."
Yan typically went out to work, still bringing in some coin for his family, along with the other members he had freed. However, when he was done with his tasks, he would often spend time here.
"Why are you doing this?” Yan asked. “To teach us alchemy, it's something we would have never dreamt of."
"There are some things I cannot tell you, but know that I am an ally to the Leafblade family. Right now, there are a few things which I have planned. I may as well tell them to you, since it requires your consent.”
"What is it?" Yan asked, not touching his tea. He didn’t trust Ken yet, not entirely.
"First things first. You must die." Ken sipped his tea.
"What? What are you talking about?" Cousin Yan stood up. He reached towards his blade, but Chan was there to stop him, letting him know it was a bad idea.
Ken raised a hand. "Calm down. It's not what you think." He realised his words would have been taken in such a way.
"What do you mean I have to die?" Yan glanced at Chan, trying to figure out his chances.
"You and the other free Leafblades, you must appear to be dead."
Cousin Yan remained silent for a long moment. "What?"
"You understand, don't you? The people who out pressure on you, those wretched families, they've sent a few Experts to keep an eye on you. They don't want to give you any chance to return, not at least for a couple of years."
"The three year rule?"
"Two years. They managed to turn lies into truth and made it so that the time started from the death of the..." Ken swallowed. "The death of the Patriarch, not the Young Master."
"What?" Yan’s face contorted into anger. He couldn’t believe those blasted bastards!
"It's what I found out. So the plan is to gain strength until then, and that's when we'll make our move, to return the Leafblades to their rightful glory."
Ken didn't want to mention that their sword was currently in the possession of their enemy. Without the sword, it would be hard to reclaim the seat, as all knew that the Leafblade sword was their Ancestral Weapon. Even if he was to claim the seat, it would be hard without the blade to add legitimacy to his claims.
"Why are you helping us?" Yan asked.
Ken wasn’t sure if he should say it, but he realised there was a safe way to let him know. "If you die and swear an oath to me, I will tell you the truth. Not only will I tell you the truth, I will train you to become a Martial Expert by the time the Leafblades return to Beast Mountain Town."
Yan listened to those honeyed words, unsure of whether he could believe them. "I... I need some time to think about it."
"Take your time." Ken continued to sip his tea.
Yan sat down, placing his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. He was full of heated emotion. "Wait. What about the Leafblades I have set free?"
"They must do the same. They must appear dead and swear an oath to me." Ken felt sick saying such things, but this was needed.
"You will guarantee that the Leafblades will return to Beast Mountain Town?"
"Once you swear the oath, all will become clear." Ken stared into Yan’s eyes.
"Swear to me.” Yan stared into Ken’s eyes. “Swear to me that you'll help the Leafblade family. Swear a Heavenly Oath."
"I swear a Heavenly Oath that I, Ken, will bring the Leafblades back to Beast Mountain Town and get vengeance for what happened!" He used the word vengeance, because there would be no way they could get justice in such a place.
"Then I, Yan Leafblade, will swear a Heavenly Oath and will swear to assist you in this matter."
The oaths had been sworn, and if they backed out of this, the heavens would strike them down.
"Once you all die, I will come to you and sort everything out. Then I will tell you the truth."
"Very well. I will leave our deaths to you." Yan bowed his head to Ken, understanding that he was now in too deep to stop.
"For now, you will work as an escort. I will create the situation later."
"As you wish."
Ken needed to do it quickly if he wanted to train everyone. One thing he needed to do was to find a few martial manuals which he could use to train them.
The Leafblades who would die would become the blade he would use to get his revenge. They would do in the shadows what he couldn’t do in the light.
Ken closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t regret it.
No. He would regret it. However, Yan was like him.
Desperate for vengeance.
[Forgive me, Cousin Yan.]
Announcement No chapters Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you want to read ahead, don't forget to check out Patreon! It's the best time to join since it's early in the month. I'm more than 15 chapters ahead!
As the days passed by, all the people were busy. The battle slaves, as well as Ken and his companions, all cultivated. Ken also spent his time with Emerald, enjoying her company often, and quite passionately. He also spent some time with Nimi, Yuri, and Chan, though they were all busy with their own matters.
As Ken cultivated, he made sure he was cultivating as deeply as he could. He would swallow a pill and cultivate under the sun, soaking in its rays to grow his Seed of Growth, as well as to increase his ki. It wasn’t as quick as before, but he did feel greater strength than before.
Others would rush their cultivation, but Ken made sure that his ki was extremely pure, with no imperfections. Luckily, he also had a large number of slaves he had arrayed in order to increase his own, and their, cultivation.
"Four months have passed." Ken said one day to Emerald when they were in bed together. "That means I have twenty months left..." A sixth of the time was gone, and he didn’t have much to show for it.
Even now, he wanted to rush, but he understood that such things required time. Right now, he needed great allies to assist him, and he was already forming connections with various families outside of his home town to make it easier for him to take back his throne.
"It's okay, disciple." Emerald kissed his neck, her soft lips brushing against his neck like petals.
"If I'm your disciple, should you be sleeping with me like this?" Ken turned to face her.
Emerald climbed on top of him, her entire weight pinning him down. "Since I'm your Master, you need to obey me."
Ken blushed and sighed. "Yes, yes, Master Emerald..." He smiled and reached down to grab her ass cheeks, squeezing them. They were so fat within his hands, and he continued to squeeze them. Emerald ground her body against him, leaning down to kiss him.
"No fair! I want to play too!" Chan climbed onto Ken and Emerald and squirmed between them. Chan had become quite clingy, always wanting to be with Ken, unless she was with Yuri. Her tiny body was now pinned between them, trapping her.
"Calm down, Chan." Ken reached up to pet her head.
Chain’s tail was going crazy, slapping Emerald repeatedly, but the woman didn’t mind. Chan smiled as she snuggled up to her Master, wrapping her arms around his neck and then resting her head into his chest. She sniffed him secretly, though her moans eventually betrayed what she was doing.
"Since everything is ready, I'll go and speak with everyone. Bring the other slaves around too." He spanked Chan, who yelped and then hopped out of bed to do as he asked.
Yuri had been going with Chan to deal with the Commerce Pavilion and the Town Lord on his behalf. They had made so much money selling the pills he and Emerald made, even though they spent a fortune on revitalising the estate.
Ken found that Yuri enjoyed saving her money, but enjoyed spending his money even more. Almost every penny they made went to fixing up the estate and buying large amounts of high quality furniture.
The place looked completely different, even though it hadn’t been long since they had began their renovations. The stone base of the buildings was sturdy, made of beautiful white rock. The wood was something which noble families would envy, and their clothing was of high quality as well.
He stood in front of all the people, who were standing beside one another, shoulder to shoulder, in rows of twenty.
Everyone seemed to look much better than the first time he had met them. The Leafblades had grown fuller with the plentiful food which had been given to them, and the combat slaves had grown more powerful. Most of them had increased an entire minor realm, some of those who had no cultivation even increased two minor realms.
“You’ve all been doing well so far,” Ken said. “I’m calling you all here to let you know that we’ll be taking everything more seriously now. Soon, you will begin learning techniques.” He looked to the combat slaves. “The rest of you, some of your brightest will begin assisting my Master with her alchemy, identifying herbs and such.”
With that, he allowed everyone to eat breakfast together. He had the Leafblades mingle with the combat slaves, making sure they were used to one another. Typically, nobility didn’t do such things, but here they were all slaves.
Eventually, Ken approached Cousin Yan, with Chan at his side. "Let us speak, Young Master Yan." Ken took him aside to drink some tea. Ken placed down a sound proof array, something which he created so that his love making didn’t arouse suspicion, but it was also useful for speaking openly without others listening in. "You have questions for me."
Yan typically went out to work, still bringing in some coin for his family, along with the other members he had freed. However, when he was done with his tasks, he would often spend time here.
"Why are you doing this?” Yan asked. “To teach us alchemy, it's something we would have never dreamt of."
"There are some things I cannot tell you, but know that I am an ally to the Leafblade family. Right now, there are a few things which I have planned. I may as well tell them to you, since it requires your consent.”
"What is it?" Yan asked, not touching his tea. He didn’t trust Ken yet, not entirely.
"First things first. You must die." Ken sipped his tea.
"What? What are you talking about?" Cousin Yan stood up. He reached towards his blade, but Chan was there to stop him, letting him know it was a bad idea.
Ken raised a hand. "Calm down. It's not what you think." He realised his words would have been taken in such a way.
"What do you mean I have to die?" Yan glanced at Chan, trying to figure out his chances.
"You and the other free Leafblades, you must appear to be dead."
Cousin Yan remained silent for a long moment. "What?"
"You understand, don't you? The people who out pressure on you, those wretched families, they've sent a few Experts to keep an eye on you. They don't want to give you any chance to return, not at least for a couple of years."
"The three year rule?"
"Two years. They managed to turn lies into truth and made it so that the time started from the death of the..." Ken swallowed. "The death of the Patriarch, not the Young Master."
"What?" Yan’s face contorted into anger. He couldn’t believe those blasted bastards!
"It's what I found out. So the plan is to gain strength until then, and that's when we'll make our move, to return the Leafblades to their rightful glory."
Ken didn't want to mention that their sword was currently in the possession of their enemy. Without the sword, it would be hard to reclaim the seat, as all knew that the Leafblade sword was their Ancestral Weapon. Even if he was to claim the seat, it would be hard without the blade to add legitimacy to his claims.
"Why are you helping us?" Yan asked.
Ken wasn’t sure if he should say it, but he realised there was a safe way to let him know. "If you die and swear an oath to me, I will tell you the truth. Not only will I tell you the truth, I will train you to become a Martial Expert by the time the Leafblades return to Beast Mountain Town."
Yan listened to those honeyed words, unsure of whether he could believe them. "I... I need some time to think about it."
"Take your time." Ken continued to sip his tea.
Yan sat down, placing his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. He was full of heated emotion. "Wait. What about the Leafblades I have set free?"
"They must do the same. They must appear dead and swear an oath to me." Ken felt sick saying such things, but this was needed.
"You will guarantee that the Leafblades will return to Beast Mountain Town?"
"Once you swear the oath, all will become clear." Ken stared into Yan’s eyes.
"Swear to me.” Yan stared into Ken’s eyes. “Swear to me that you'll help the Leafblade family. Swear a Heavenly Oath."
"I swear a Heavenly Oath that I, Ken, will bring the Leafblades back to Beast Mountain Town and get vengeance for what happened!" He used the word vengeance, because there would be no way they could get justice in such a place.
"Then I, Yan Leafblade, will swear a Heavenly Oath and will swear to assist you in this matter."
The oaths had been sworn, and if they backed out of this, the heavens would strike them down.
"Once you all die, I will come to you and sort everything out. Then I will tell you the truth."
"Very well. I will leave our deaths to you." Yan bowed his head to Ken, understanding that he was now in too deep to stop.
"For now, you will work as an escort. I will create the situation later."
"As you wish."
Ken needed to do it quickly if he wanted to train everyone. One thing he needed to do was to find a few martial manuals which he could use to train them.
The Leafblades who would die would become the blade he would use to get his revenge. They would do in the shadows what he couldn’t do in the light.
Ken closed his eyes, hoping he wouldn’t regret it.
No. He would regret it. However, Yan was like him.
Desperate for vengeance.
[Forgive me, Cousin Yan.]
Announcement No chapters Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you want to read ahead, don't forget to check out Patreon! It's the best time to join since it's early in the month. I'm more than 15 chapters ahead!