Chương 5: Dark Sister

"Should I call your cousin Sing by his true name, the Shadow Master?" I whispered as we walked towards the secret warren.

"Absolutely not! You saw how he reacted earlier to our code. You have a sense of seeing the hidden truth, but don't reveal it so easily..." the Dark Lord answered with a frown. A minute later, he opened the door to his warren, and I was so disappointed. Instead of an underground bunker lined with torture victims, his warren was also a normal cultivation yard, although covered by a few masking Formations. Nine other disciples already waited here, drinking tea instead of fresh blood. Pathetic, really!

I noticed the only woman in the group, of course. She had high cheek bones like vampire, but while the Dark Lord had a damaged chest bumpy with sword bruises, this Dark Sister had two high peaks and wore red heels, making her a target worthy of attention. I wondered if she liked to suck blood, or would my milk suffice?

"Everyone, this is Pef Tian! He is also a sword maniac, and I do mean that." the Dark Lord introduced me to his minions, which I ignored, to shift myself beside the Dark Sister.

"Dark Sister, I am enchanted by your majesty. Should you need anyone to step on with your high heels, I am always at your disposal!" I introduced myself with a creepy smile. Pef sure knew how to tease people.

"Murong... what in the Nine Hells?" the Dark Sister asked her sibling. The Dark Lord sighed, then coughed in his fist.

"As I was saying, Dark Sister. Pef Tian is a sword maniac. Cousin Sing has tested him too." I stepped behind the Dark Sister and embraced her thin waist, using my big hands to gauge her muscle fitness.

"Exquisite quality, Dark Lord! When you get bored with this Dark Sister, this Pef Tian strongly demands a turn or two. Preferably two." I demanded in a horny voice. The other men in the room froze in fear, while the woman in my arms trembled for some reason. Anger, perhaps. She shouldn't be excited yet.

"Sit down, Pef Tian. The Dark Sister is not mine to give. Not unless I climb higher in ranks." the Dark Lord said in a tired voice, mostly because he was beat up pretty bad. By me. Reluctantly, I released my prey and sat down, still glancing twice at the pretty woman in red heels.

"Cousin Sing won't be coming today, as he has a sect mission, so I will open this gathering instead. Disciple Gu, I see you still haven't advanced into 7th level. Are you that retarded?" the Dark Lord pointed out the weakest of the group.

"Should I sacrifice him to an Abyssal Demon, Dark Lord? This Gu is too weak and pollutes our Dark Warren with his incompetence." I asked politely. Blood rushed to the Disciple Gu's face, possibly both anger and shame. The Dark Sister laughed melodiously, and sat down too, looking at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

"We are not in such a rush, Pef Tian. There is still time for Disciple Gu to address his weakness and train harder. Not that much time though..." the Dark Lord said in a warning voice. He didn't deny the sacrifice to a demon though. Quite suspicious, I might say. I remained silent afterward, since the rest of the group were already late-stage Qi Gatherers, and I wasn't Tian anymore, stupid enough to provoke a group of similar strengths to my own.

I did check up the Dark Sister every other minute though, as would any teenager with hot blood in his veins. My wives might not like it, but a spy had to make sacrifices for his duty, to keep up appearances, of course. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Surprisingly, the Dark Sister returned the check up, measuring me as well, likely for some nefarious plan involving my blood being drained. The Blood Pact did in fact deal in blood. It was in the name.

After the Dark Lord finished hearing the reports from his minions, he grinned while poking his wounded chest.

"If anyone is unhappy with our new member, you're welcome to test him. The rules are forfeit or first blood!" he pointed at me and urged me to stand up.

"Who wants to be my first stepping stone on the Stairs to Heaven?" I asked in a grand voice, and held my wood sword out. The men hesitated at my absurd claim, so the Dark Lord had to step in.

"Disciple Rong, first. After you lose, next will come in order of your seat." A slightly fat man in 7th level walked to the stage, and saluted with his own wood sword.

"Disciple Rong Di, please instruct me!" I took a large step, then simply poked his forehead with an Iron Beak sword. His forehead began bleeding.

"Next stepping stone!" I demanded in a superior voice. One by one, the Dark Minions came up on the stage to get humiliated in a single strike, until only the Dark Sister remained.

"Will you also step on me on the way to Heaven, Pef Tian?" she asked in a charming voice.

"That depends, of course. Are you as weak as those pebbles?" I answered in a curious voice. Her wooden sword almost took my head off, so she certainly wasn't weak. I was a bit tired too, both from training and fighting a bunch of duels, while the Dark Sister was fresh and angry. I also didn't want to beat her up too bad. We struggled longer, exchanging moves and testing each other, until I caught her in a clinch, sword trapped between our bodies.

"Those men, they all desire you. Why are you here, pretty flower? Do you want a harem of weak men?" I asked in a whisper. She struggled to get away, but my strength was pretty much double of hers.

"Why do you care?"

"You are strong and pretty, that's why. An ugly woman who keeps a harem of weak boys, I can understand. You can dominate them and feel good about yourself." I answered in a teasing voice, and dropped a hand along her leg, sensing her muscle tone. The Dark Sister spun away, using the opening and glared at me.

"I forfeit!" she proclaimed in a victim's voice.

"Pef Tian, be careful with Dark Sister Teshan. Her father is a Nascent Soul." the Dark Lord advised me as the Dark Sister sat down with tears in her eyes. Of course, she had a background. Why not? I nodded in understanding.

"Yes, Dark Lord. I just found her curious. There is little purpose for a woman in our Dark Warren. Unless... she likes women and needs us to capture some for her evil ways?" I asked in an enlightened voice. The men I stepped on froze again, while the Dark Sister pointed at me with a trembling finger. Struck a nerve, perhaps? The Dark Lord sighed and slapped his forehead.

"See, Dark Sister? His brain is just wired strangely. A genius with a sword, surprising insight into Dao... and no world experience at all." I raised a finger to protest, then scratched my head.

"Planting rice is not this complicated. I should have never read the High Crane story..." I complained in a village boy tone. Smiles lit up all over the beat up faces in the room. A farm boy with talent made more sense than the other way around.

"Brother Di, those sword moves are from your clan's secret book?" the Dark Sister asked to make sure.

"They were, at first. Now they are even better. You can try it yourself." the Dark Lord offered in a polite voice. The Dark Sister frowned for a second, then took out a worn out book and gave it to me.

"Show me, Pef Tian. You have until I finish my tea." she demanded in a proud voice, then sat down and took a long sip. I read her book, finding another Profound-grade technique, but even better than the Dark Lord's. Perhaps that father of hers upgraded it a bit. Tian learned it fast, then began analyzing and deducing the first move once more. There was little which could be improved, and not by a Qi Gatherer. Maybe add a false step instead? It would surely fool those used to this technique.

The Dark Sister placed her tea cup hard on the stand beside her.

"Enough! Show me what you learned, Pef Tian!" she demanded and came to pick up her clan's secret manual. I smiled and jumped on the stage again.

"Outer Disciple Pef Tian, executing the Wind parting the Leaves!" I proclaimed and did that, floating my sword through the air and gaining enough wind speed and lift for an easy turn. The Dark Sister blinked, as my sword rested on her neck.

"How... is not possible!" she muttered in surprise. I took another step and embraced the pretty spy.

"Dark Sister, what will you pay for me to teach you?" I whispered gently in her ear. Instead of pushing me away, my captured flower thought deeply for a minute, then turned and kissed my cheek.

"Brother Pef Tian, please teach me well!" she answered in a hot voice. Uh. I didn't expect that. Women are crazy.