Chương 57: Chapter 56: The King's Order.

NEXT DAY VANESSA Life has been wonderful. I never knew I could feel this happy. Never knew I could have this much joy within me that I could explode. Thank the lands above for Jen, or I wouldn't be able to wake from my happiness. This morning, I woke up like every morning with my husband meditating on the floor. Sweat glistening off his sculpted alabaster skin, I took a moment to witness his unwavering discipline. No one asked this of him, yet he takes responsibility, honing his skill to an almost obsessive degree.

Little knives he called kunai orbit him like a moon around Gaia. No visible tether was seen.

"It's not nice to stare so hard, Dame." Eyes still closed, he called me a name I had gotten used to hearing.

"It's hard to not stare at something so beautiful." The kunai dropped as Tarion tried to hide his blushing face.

"Still cannot take what you give out." Still naked from last night, I rose from the bed to join Tarion on the floor. I followed his now-open wandering eyes, as did the same lotus position. He sighed, closing his eyes. Slowly, he expanded his qi domain while I did the same. I feel a buzz as our domain connects. Except for rejection, we matched frequencies. I absorbed his essence as he did mine, and we peeked into each other's hearts. He felt my four circles hum as his three circles turned.

As Dào Lǚ, we shared energies with each other, enriching our bodies and cultivating a strong psyche. Other than our nightly body bonding, it is during this that I feel the closest to my husband. I felt his emotions in the ebb and flow of his qi. The righteous anger is contained like a beast in a cage kept calm by bits of meat. Yet the door of the cage has never been locked. The beast is free to do as it likes. But with measured intelligence, it waits for its chance for a truly juicy meal.

I felt Tarion's qi domain recede. I opened my eyes to a man glaring.

"Fourth circle silver… I am proud of you. Keep growing. Keep learning." His words feel heavy with responsibility. But as I grow, I feel the responsibility weigh less over time. In the office corner of my room, surrounded by Osberg City's maps, Jennifer and Countess Lea help me look over the architects' drafts for wall defences. On Lea's advice, we had refused fifteen previous drafts, but I do not blame her; this is worth being a perfectionist with.

"What about false houses?" Lea looked confused.

"False?"

"I was inspired by the tunnels left over by Umbra. What if we set up false houses or buildings around other walls of Obserg where our soldiers can surprise the enemy as they besiege us?" Lea and Jen glanced at each other with smiles.

"And when they try to come in – BOOM! Explosions!" Jen said excitedly."

"Umm… I see…" Lea said as calmly as ever. Her voice was stronger. She wrote notes with a plumper arm.

"We can also use them to send rations, goods, and even weapons in and out of the city with none the wiser. Vanessa, your father – Oh, sorry…"

"Yes, he has a mining company. I could write him a letter…"

"You don't need to!" Jen jumped.

"We can contract a local mining company."

"Most belong to my father too. Per the agreement made when I married his grace. He has the experts on his payroll. But his plans to monopolise mining have been halted for now as we slowly resumed mining in previous captured by bandits." Lea tapped the table with her finger.

"Ask him anyway." Jen stepped in front of me.

"Countess Lea, stop. Can you see how this troubles the duchess?"

"I will consider it," I answer promptly. Jen held my hand.

"Vanessa…"

"I am not the same girl anymore—" A door knock interrupted me before I could finish the thought.

"Come in!" Susan entered slowly with a concerned look on her face.

"Tarion requests your appearance at the bird coup. Immediately, Your Grace!" An order to me by Tarion? The ladies and I shared the same confusion. But I had to find out what my husband needed.

"The bird coop? Umm…. Show me the way." Walking up flights of stairs past a large bell, I followed Susan up more stairs until we reached the highest point of the greystone manor, The Pigeon Coop. Dozens upon dozens of birds coo at the arrival of new people. With a small roof above, we were surrounded by an almost 360-degree view of the city.

"Over here." A quiet voice called me to a side where pigeon coops blocked the view. Two men stood near the edge. Ralf, the pigeon coop tender, who's used to having a hunchback thanks to my powers. Liam, the straw-haired steady cultivator from the southern osberg who makes great teas, and my husband, who patted a large eagle like an innocent small bird.

"Look, Vanessa! Isn't he cute!?" Tarion scratched its neck.

"It looks like it could murder children. But yes, it's cute." Tarion chucked me a rolled parchment.

"I may be taking a little trip to Menne," he said with a sad tone.

"I can refuse it." He smiled. I read the parchment more. BY ORDER OF THE KING: DUKE TARION GRETSTONE AND HIS NEW DUCHESS MUST MAKE HASTE TO THE CAPITAL AND PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE KING WITHOUT DELAY. MAY HE REIGN FOREVERMORE. And order to come to the capital with his new spouse. Me? Refusing such an order from a king will be seen as tantamount to treason. I rolled up the parchment.

"When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible. Liam. Prepare more clothing for long travel. Prepare your own too. You will get what you wished for."

"Y-yes, Your Grace!" The thick-muscled boy ran down the stairs. Tarion's eyes rest on me.

"I am sure they bring me down because of Azerria's threats. But you…"

"They want to embarrass you. I am nothing but a whore child made duchess." Tarion curled his lips.

"Vanessa…"

"I am willing to bet they attribute the city's success to Lea Trak." I barely hid the frustration in my voice. And Tarion waited until some calm returned to my mind.

"Embarrassment? Get rid of such a ridiculous thought from your head. You are my pride and joy. The flower I raise in the harsh desert. We shouldn't see this as a negative, darling. It is a chance for BOTH of us to prove ourselves." I remember this morning how his three rings shone with a heavenly glow. Almost like holy mana. Prove?. None will understand the power this man can harness.

"Then we'd better help Liam. He's good, but he isn't no Charles." TARION In the staff quarter, I opened the door to a hard-working friend. A single candle lit his large room as he worked on the strange ball.

"Any progress on the puzzle?"

"None. As soon as I think I have found the logic behind the engravings, I am sent back to the beginning." Drac placed the black sphere down on his working desk.

"Leaving already. Didn't think they would need your help so fast." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"I guess the enemy has greater forces than they realised. I will make sure Bradshaw is by the border, ready for deployment. Silence from the Mage Tower?" Drac nodded.

"No one has received any notice or message from them in months. Many orders for rune armours are piling up; the South Triad is going through no issues.

"Rouge mages?" Drac agreed.

"Most definitely."

"Shit…" Drac sighed.

"It's getting to the point that I may have to investigate it myself."

"You already have too many tasks. Less an assassin, more an errand boy." I said and giggled.

"That is life when you are useful. Even so, it is no wonder they finally asked for you, a mage killer. But take note, they won't accept your help willingly, especially your fellow dukes."

"You're warning me, yet why does it entice me, hehe!" Drac laughed at my craziness and picked up his puzzle.

"Then we both have treacherous journeys ahead of us," I said. Drac rose from his seat and gave me a strong handshake. Drac rose from his seat and shook my hand.

"Call and I will come to your side. No matter where." I reply to such a gracious offer.

"And I hope I never need to. Haha.

"Oh, by the way." I point at the Seeing Glasses Drac had set to the side.

"You haven't been using them." Drac sat back down and brought the glasses closer.

"I have been relying on them for too long. When a cultivator can sense energy as well as I need, I need to train more."

"Sorry about being talented, I guess." I stole the black sphere from his hands.

"Oh, I see." I threw the ball back in Drac's darker hand.

"What is it?" If you need to practise, practise on the sphere. I patted the inspired Drac's shoulder, who was stunned by the multitude of strange energy from the ball.

"Master… This signature… This is my master's!!" Drac shouted. He looked closer as if reading something.

"Dear Kwaaba,. A warrior forges the heart, but a mage forges their mind. Unlock the puzzle and unlock the world beyond." Drac let the black engraved sphere go, and it hovered where he left it. Using his own eyes, he watched the energy move. He smiled at me.

"I can do it! I can finally solve the puzzle! Tarion… Thank you!" Drac truly regarded me from toe to head with the same eyes he had trained.

"Your upper dantian… Lands above… So I wasn't going crazy?" I smiled, remembering how hard focusing used to be.

"Since our first lesson. The first circle seems to be my limit." Drac gave me a strong handshake and then wrapped his arm around me for a hug.

"Limit? Brother, the word means nothing to you." JOSHUA While everyone is busy rushing around and preparing for travel. I sat down on the floor by the wall. I was lucky enough to be a witness to one of the most incredible displays of martial prowess I have ever seen. For ten minutes, a hurricane blew underground. The student and his master fought for the last time. My eyes were still not using the speed of their qinggong/movement skill.

"Milord, what are you doing!" Holly said with her loud mouth.

"Watching a spar with some nuts – what is it too, you holly?" I don't know what you need to take for the journey. I have never journeyed anywhere myself…"

"Then don't waste your time." I laced my fingers, watching my brother carefully. It will be the last time I see him for a while. I sighed from the soul. Charles first. Now Tarion… Leaving me in this massive manor alone.

"They will leave me behind like always."

"Then why the hell did I need to carry your new armour up to your room!?" I spun to Holly with eyes wide.

"New… armour?"

"Indeed." A regal voice sounded from the stairs. Vanessa appeared with a tired Liam behind.

"One of the last rune-engraved. And also a rune-engraved sword. Courtesy of Lea Trak." I felt struck by lightning. I hardly knew what to say. You do not need to say anything, brother. Just prepare for a long journey to Menne." My arms wrapped around Vanessa like a magnet.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOOOOOUUU!" Let go and ran as swiftly as I could up the stairs to find my gift. However, by accident, I happened to bump into an old friend of mine.

"Ah Lea…" I held her arm to stop her from falling.

"Sorry about that—" With a big huff, the tycoon whipped her scarf and continued down the stairs. Heh, still a bitch.

"Holly! Faster now! We need to get you ready too!" Holly slumped on the floor.

"NOOOOO!!! The hard road would destroy my delicate body! Even these stairs—""Liam's going as well." Holly jumped back up like a grasshopper.

"To Milord's room!" TARION Slipping past death, I barely manage to keep up with Zhi's speed. For fifteen minutes, I waited. Waited for a chance. A little mistake, a misstep. I leaned back from an air-puncturing punch. Parrying her right fist, I made her overreach. A strike to Zhi's rib sounded like a metal hammer crushing brick as she caught my left with hers. I grabbed her right arm before she could backhand me. Air was sucked in; finally, having time to return. We are locked together, unable to move.

However, Zhi thought the opposite and collected her qi. Using her amazing strength, she shook my arms away. Fists coated in gold tried to pelt me, but my body was fluid like water as I flowed in between her attacks. A sudden stomp caught me off guard. Then a flash step made her vanish from my sight.

"I'm sorry," I heard her say with a smile behind me. Breathing deeply, the little doctor pulled her right arm tight and unleashed a cannon. I put up a palm. Thunder shook the rock from above. I waved the dust away, and a doctor held her blistered knuckles on the other side of the room. Another flash step and her golden fists careened for my face. I flash-stepped just enough to watch a gold fist fly by. I no longer held my speed back. My right blurred. Hooks to the face, chest, and gut stopped an inch.

"Good enough?"

"Zhi went into a teaching stance.

"Not at all!" She pointed to my legs.

"Remember, with a flash step, the whole body must reach equilibrium, or you will end up pulling more weight than you need. The last flash step, you concentrated the qinggong on your upper body, causing you to lean. You barely dodged in time." I shook my head.

"Just watch…" I shifted a little bit using Flash Step (shùnjiān yíndòng). To the normal eye, I had almost teleported. To the trained eye, I took a small leap off the ground, and telekinesis carried my body using qi, guiding me in the direction of my choosing. Such a skill is only possible if you have control of three certain principles of qi. Reinforcement: Tempering the body, becoming one with it and its energies. Psyche: Perception of the world and inner workings of qi in the body.

Lastly, Dominion: Total control and manipulation of qi. The more cultivation the three principles undergo, the faster the flashstep will be. With the fourth principle, projection, a cultivator can share the qinggong in order to teach or, like the unorthodox, slow down the enemy or control them like a puppet. So many different applications Qinggong can have; however, out of the hundreds possible, full levitation is my ultimate goal. Using what I had learned, I used Qinggong only on my torso.

Zhi noticed how fully relaxed I was. As I flash-stepped, my arm whipped close to Zhi's nose. A light switched on in her head as she deduced what I meant.

"Using unorthodox technique on yourself…"

"Like a puppet," I said, mimicking one.

"I take it back." Zhi found a towel by a small chair and threw it to me.

"Good enough? I will pray every day that I chose you." Zhi and I walked back to the entrance where my wife and Countess Lea waited.

"Chose me? For what responsibility am I being forced into accepting?" I asked.

"Nothing, you just need to accept our patronage and loyalty.""'Our…Yet again with the vagueness. That's not a simple thing to ask of a man who would care." I wiped my face and hung the towel on my shoulder.

"True… But help will come either way. Accepting it would make the process go quicker."

"Process…" I froze as Zhi said hi to the ladies.

"I am being groomed?"

"Of course you are. For GREATNESS." Next Day: DEPARTURE DAY Regiment Alpha guarded our way, blocking the immense crowd; they acted as a wall as our parade travelled down Oakley Street. Completely renovated buildings rose up, blocking the sun on the sides of the high street. Cheers showered on the parade; the audience was so loud that the windows of our carriage vibrated. The noise of the crowd had my hackles up as I sat on my travelling horse with my cloak flapping behind me.

People packed the side of the street like apples in a barrel. All the way to the river, people waited for a small chance to see our faces. How they knew of our departure, I don't know, but I felt grateful and honoured by the farewell from the city I love. Kurt rode up to me. Hair cropped and cut neatly as always. Several girls shout out for him as his horse matches mine in pace.

"Regiment Gamma would have arrived on the boat already. Goods and weapons all sorted."

"Well done. Drop back and meet with Jen and Vanessa. Keep an eye on Caroline."

"Aye, Your Grace." Hearing his horse trot away, I breathed deeply, feeling the rumble of the cheer in my bones. A chest salute to the crowd, and they erupt with love. Although I will leave Countess Lea to your care, I will return to louder applause. I unroll the parchment written in luminescent gold ink. The bastard didn't even bother to change his handwriting. I crushed the parchment in my hand, breaking the numerous runes hidden within. Whatever you've got for me, Prince, I am ready…