Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 36

Chao’s symptoms were starting to clear half an hour later. It was a potent drug, but not long lasting. His desires weren’t a good gauge to use since his Huifen often inspired such feelings even without the drug. He could tell he was almost back to normal when his breathing started to slow and he cooled down.

Even though he’d pulled back from his possible seductress, his guilt was as potent as if he hadn’t. When she’d grabbed his arm, he’d wanted her to continue. He vividly recalled that surge of lust. The image of her chest was imprinted in his mind even as he tried everything to get it out.

He opened his eyes to find her now sitting across from him. “I’m sorry, Huifen.”

“Did you do something that requires an apology?”

He shook his head. “When she grabbed my arm, I pulled away, but—”

“That’s enough, Chao. Am I angry? Yes, but not at you.”

He nodded. “Why would she…”

“I don’t know, but I promise you I’ll find out.”

“Will you kill her?”

She grew quiet. Her nostrils flared.

He waited patiently.

“I promised you that I’d look at the facts before coming to a decision. What about you?”

Despite his lingering desire, his mind was clear and so was his underlying fury. “I will follow your lead. I’m too emotional to make a wise decision at the moment. I’m afraid I’ll kill her just to help get her out of my mind. Besides, you’re my wife. I belong to you. When it comes to my dealings with other woman, your opinion matters more than my own.”

Huifen took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then how do you feel about confronting this Dvora of the Night Pearl Sect?”

“And if our identities are revealed?”

“We won’t go with the purpose of revealing them, but if we find it necessary…”

“Okay, my Huifen. I’m ready.”

***

Contacting Sage Pangfua, Huifen let her know that Chao had recovered, and they were descending the spire.

They were both quiet as they moved. She was thankful for it. What she told him was mostly true, but she wasn’t happy with him even if she should be. He done everything she should expect him to in this situation. It wasn’t enough to keep her from her disappointment. Shouldn’t he love her so much that the stupid drug didn’t affect him? The very thought was a foolish one. It wasn’t him she should blame. And why her Chao? First poison and now this?

She wasn’t the only fool. How could he possibly leave this in her hands? She was the unmerciful one. And didn’t he know that woman had a tendency to get jealous? To think this woman had dared to touch her husband. Would he object if she killed her on the spot?

His hand squeezed her own. She became consciously aware of her nose. It was ridiculous to think it betrayed her on its own. Glancing at him, she gave him a fake grin.

No, not on the spot. She’d at least speak to the woman. She couldn’t promise she’d be fair, but she’d hear her out. She’d sworn as much.

As always, they were careful to no attract too much attention on the upper floors. They were rarely visited as it was, so their pace didn’t slow.

Once they arrived on the third floor, they didn’t have to be as concerned. The cultivation chambers were all near full capacity, so running into the murderer on the loose wasn’t likely. They reached the second floor and found it mostly the same. There were far less people in the meditation chambers, some of them were even empty, but no one was there alone.

Their heading was the Ice Phoenix Sect’s station on the first floor. Pangfua had requested to be present when they confronted Dvora. It should help keep the Night Pearl Sect at bay, keep their identities hidden, and Huifen from unwarrantedly killing the woman.

They were halfway through maze of meditation chambers when they saw a familiar face. Baros of the Morning Midst Village was waiting there with his arms crossed behind his back as if in meditation when he noticed them. The man’s face brightened.

“Hello, Brother Tao. Sister Fen.”

“Hello Brother Baros,” Huifen replied. “I’m afraid we have a meeting with the sage. We’ll be leaving first.”

The man stepped in the way, cutting them off. “Please, wait.”

When they moved to step around him, the man bowed deeply at the waist. “It’s about Sister Dvora. Please.”

She stopped in her tracks. Chao did the same. She even felt his defensive aura activate. It seemed he had no intention of letting a secret method affect him again. The realization pleased her.

Noticing that there were a few other cultivators in the room sitting in meditation, the water cultivator motioned toward a side passage. “Please.”

She felt Chao strengthen his grip and pull her to follow. She wanted to know what it was all about, so she followed as well but not without letting out a sliver of her own defensive aura.

It was more of a hallway between chambers than an actual room, but Baros stopped them there and faced them. Once again, he bowed deeply. He must have thought it was too little, for he fell to his knees and kowtowed to them. “I beg for your forgiveness. Please forgive Sister Dvora for her actions. She doesn’t act on her own and she has no choice.”

Knowing her husband was quick to forgive, she pulled him back and took a small step forward. He’d said he would leave this up to her, so she’d hold him to it.

Huifen felt Chao’s sound barrier snap into place before responding. “Before any of that, why are you doing this? What are your motivations? And stand up before someone sees you.”

He touched his head to the ground one last time before coming to his feet. He kept his eyes low. “I will tell you, but not here.”

“It’s safe,” Chao insisted. “Not even an overlord can listen through my sound barrier.”

Baros looked up at Chao, a firm line forming on his brow. “Okay. I’ll choose to believe you. It needs to be quick. She once tried the same with me. I practice a technique that renders similar drugs ineffective, but I let things play out. As she led me away, she believed I was under her spell, so she let her true feelings show. I saw everything. I confronted her when she tried to administer the antidote and execute the last stage of her plan to blackmail me.

“The Night Pearl Sect isn’t what it seems. They cultivate power through deception and extortion. Most of their disciples are daughters of cultivators they’ve planted in high status families, or orphans. Dvora was one such girl picked up off the street. She seeks to leave her sect but is still beholden to them.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Huifen insisted. “Why are you trying to help her?”

“Because we’re secretly engaged.”

She began to laugh. “And you believe that she’s capable of keeping her word?”

Instead of taking offense Baros grinned. “Be as harmless as a lamb, and as sly as a snake. A defense against aphrodisiacs isn’t the only benefit we water cultivators enjoy. A person can control their words, and even their reactions, but not what they feel. It’s not that you don’t believe me, but you don’t want to, Sister Fen. Do you?”

“Your cultivation allows you to sense what a person is feeling?” Chao asked, unable to hold himself back.

Of course some fancy cultivation technique would distract him.

“She didn’t like that very much, Brother Tao,” the man replied, then gave her a pointed look. “I’ll say this. The fairies of my own sect are no less manipulative than the fairies of the Night Pearl Sect. In Dvora I’ve found someone like me. Someone that wants out. Please, believe me. If you insist on seeking justice, she’ll be punished instead of the elder that ordered it and likely sent back to her sect as a show of remorse and there will be no hope for her to escape.”

“Do you know which elder ordered it?”

“No, and I didn’t ask. Doing so could get her killed.”

“Are you willing to trade your drug diffusing technique for our silence?” Chao asked.

She turned sharply and confronted him. “You said you’d let me to handle this.”

“And you can,” he said gently. “If there’s a technique that can shield us from such drugs, I just think it would be a worthy trade so that we can both cultivate it. I don’t like the idea of some guy using the same on you and taking advantage.”

She was about to say her Heart of Ice technique was more than enough to numb her to such drugs, but Baros didn’t know that. Besides, if Chao really had a technique that could help… Chao had already learned her technique, but it didn’t have the same effect on him. It took years for it to be so effective for new ice fairies, let along someone that didn’t cultivate ice. He didn’t have the physique for it.

“Fine,” she said in the end.

“Are you willing to trade?” Chao asked again.

The man stared back and him blankly. “I’ve sworn to never teach another my sect’s techniques.”

“So…”

“Yes,” the man replied, blinking to himself. “If that’s what it takes. But you must promise me that Dvora won’t find out that we’ve spoken.”

“Great. She won’t hear it from us. Also, I don’t need your sect’s technique. Explain to me how it works in detail. I don’t cultivate water, so I’ll have to figure out a version for myself.”

The man looked at him like he was crazy.

“Are you going back on your word?”

“No,” Baros replied quickly. Then he began to explain.

***

“Not only did I track them to the sixth floor, but they were just spotted on the first floor visiting the ice sage. To resolve Powered Drake Marrow in half an hour even if the woman is a healer of note is impossible unless they’re hiding their cultivations.”

“Then your failure wasn’t a complete waste, Junior Dvora,” Elder Alfori said from her purple cushion from where she looked down at the cowering disciple. “Sit up. It’s no use trying to hide you if the sage is involved. You will have to bear the consequences of your failure, but I acknowledge your senior’s request was untenable if anything went wrong. You will have my support. Now prepare your confession. The ability to gain ground with the sincerity of an apology is a skill in itself you must learn. The lesson is hard won, but useful. Sometimes getting caught so that you might apologize is more powerful than doing no wrong.”

“Thank you, elder,” Dvora groveled, wishing she was far away from here. Now that she had hope to one day depart, she wanted nothing to do with the witch’s lessons in manipulation.

They felt the sudden increase in pressure before there was any word from outside the tent. “Sage Pangfua,” one woman announced. “The Night Pearl Sect welcomes you. How can I be assistance.”

“I’ll be speaking with your elder.” They heard the crystal-clear voice that seemed beyond passion.

Her eyes were glued to Elder Alfori, so she saw the downward flick of her finger. Dvora’s forehead touched the ground the next moment.

She sensed as much as heard Elder Alfori come to her feet. “Sage Pangfua.”

“I will not take much of your time, Alfori. One of your disciples has drugged and tried to seduce Tong Tao, a sound cultivator who I’ve sworn to protect.”

The sage’s perceptions fell upon Dvora, dissolving any illusion of whether she recognized her or not. Even though her elder had told her to prepare her apology, there was a very real possibility she’d be dead before she got the chance.

“I’m not here with demands but a warning. Because the Night Pearl Sect was helpful in making my joint sect’s return to the spire a peaceful one, I’ll give you face this once. However, if a similar mistake is made again, I you will pay double the cost.

“Tong Tao and Fen want to handle this graciously. It seems they’ve heard some untoward rumors about the Night Pearl Sect. They don’t want the girl Dvora punished and assume she was acting on command.”

“Sage—” Elder Alfori began but was cut off.

“Stop, Alfori. I don’t care. The Tong family would rather forget this ever happen in hope that they’d gain favor from the Night Pearl Sect and be allowed to cultivate in peace.”

There was little hesitation for the elder. “I swear it.”

“Good. And the girl will continue to cultivate as usual. Since they consider her a known asset, the Tong family would feel more comfortable if they could keep an eye on her.”

“Consider it done.”

“One last thing,” the sage said. “I realize Tong Tao and Fen may have been targeted because they aren’t considered a part of my joint sect, but if I find any indication that even the lowliest cultivator I’m responsible for has such dealings with you, I will personally force your from the spire. I expect this to be the last time I hear of this.”

“As it should be. I will more closely manage our search for murder suspects and keep you better informed.”

“Then I will leave first.”

Dvora kept her position facedown on the floor even after the sage had left. The ice fairy hadn’t given them any room, and the elders implied excuse that they were looking for the murder was ignored.

“To your feet, Junior.”

Dvora did as she was told.

“You will go directly to the fire cultivation chamber on the third floor and remain there. Food will be brought to you.”

“Immediately,” she replied, then turned to leave but not without hearing the instructions to the elder who had given her the mission in the first place.

“We will do strictly as the sage asked. It’s likely that these two are specialist summoned to hunt down this murderer, so we’ll leave it to them. That would explain they’re hiding their cultivations, the time of their arrival, and their closeness with the sage. It would also explain their request to be left in peace.”

“Should I inform the elders?”

“No. Our speculations will remain private but spread the word that they are to be left alone.”

“I’ll do as you ask.”

A shiver traveled up Dvora’s spine. No wonder this Tao was able to resist her powder. He was likely a sky realm cultivator and special investigators employed by the Ice Phoenix Sect. If they had the respect of a sage, their abilities must be unrivaled. This was just another reason to abandon this way of life. She’d been put in life threatening danger because her senior wanted to discipline her for not doing her jobs at their arrival.

She was now to be used as a sign of good faith between her sect and the Ice Phoenix Palace in her banishment to the fire cultivation chamber of the third floor. If she was going to leave with Baros, she’d have to look at this as an opportunity and cultivate as much as she could.

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We got some serious cultivating coming up.