jackpot_kun

[Young Master Xian]—❈—31:: The Auction [II]

“Fifty thousand gold,” I call out, raising the current bid of forty thousand by double the minimum increment.

“Fifty thousand gold,” the auctioneer notes. “Do I have fifty-five thousand?” she asks, sharp eyes scanning the crowd.

A woman sitting farther back with a group of six raises a hand.

She seems to be bidding on behalf of the older, more powerful man she’s sat beside, which I’ve noticed is a pattern here.

Apparently, many of the top dogs here cons...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—30:: The Auction

The huge pavilion rises at least two stories up at its highest point, its thick, purple cloth billowing gently in the morning breeze.

It’s been erected out on an open field a bit of a walk from town, and cultivators mill about in small groups, talking about cultivator things, I imagine.

I notice immediately the clear segregation of the groups, cultivation rank and phase playing a pivotal role in deciding who gets to hang out with what group. I can’t say I’m surprised, if the...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—29:: Tea Time

A/N:: this chapter was supposed to be the auction, but then I remembered that I promised one of you that I would write out a scene with Qigang drinking the noble rank tea.

This is the result.

Enjoy.

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“It is time,” I say as Meng Yi sets the teacup before me. “For too long has this gone neglected. For too long has it been overlooked. But no more! Today, w...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—28:: Meet the Mengs

Finished the chapter sooner than I thought so here you go.

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There’s something about being out in town at night that makes it nigh impossible to want to go home.

Maybe it’s the night air, or the fact that I’ve mostly been cooped up indoors. Or, perhaps it’s the amazing woman by my side who’s proving herself as adept at witty conversation as she has at everything else I’ve seen her do. 2024-11-16 17:36:07 +0000 UTC View Post

[Young Master Xian]—❈—Artwork:: Tao Jin

This is Tao Jin, the guy we met in Xiuying's recent interlude.

He is a doting husband and father, and, most of you might not remember, but we've actually met him once before, right after Qigang "enlightened" Xiuying back in chapter eleven.

Chapter 28, 'Meet the Mengs' should be out Sunday. Monday, at the latest. And, if things go according to plan, we should be ten chapters (or less) from the end of book one.

See ya in a few days.

[Young Master Xian]—❈—27:: "You Dare"

She took his hand.

Qigang’s eyes were dry, but he squeezed her hand gently, and for some time, they stood on the silent hilltop and watched the cherry blossoms fall.

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The sun sinks beneath the horizon, taking with it its dazzling orange lighting and the ambience of the hilltop.

In the sunset, the hilltop had felt soulful… bittersweet somehow, but now, in the dark, it’s just cold and depressing.

I sigh. Then again, death is always depre...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—26.1:: Interlude

Xiuying

No one chased, but Xiuying ran, box of rich, sturdy iron-oak clasped tightly under an arm.

She did not know why she ran, but she didn’t stop, couldn’t stop. Because if she did… well, she didn’t know what she would do if she did.

That little voice in the back of her head whispered to her again. Harshly. “Return it. It’s too good to be true. A gift like this is never just a gift. There will be...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—26:: "Glory of the Sun"

Meng Yi

It takes her a minute, but finally, Xiuying carefully puts the book inside the box and seals it with her qi, marking her as its new owner.

Meng Yi had known, probably even before Xian Qigang himself did, that the manual would be ending up in Xiuying’s hands.

At first she’d suspected, when Young Master Xian had asked the Vice Commander to stay as they awaited the accountants, but when she’d opened the box and seen the name of the te...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—25:: Combat & Accountants

A/N:: slight retcon. So, I don't know how many of you remember, but the tiger cultivation manual is not part of the auction anymore, I changed it. I feel like it means more this way.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

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“Wanna spar?” Xiuying asks…

… “Good, let’s spar…” And with those words she pulls me along as she makes her way out of the room.

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[Young Master Xian]—❈—24:: unnamed

A/N:: the problem isn't gone, but my head is in a better place now.

Thank you all for being patient with me.

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Awareness comes slowly, like fog lifting before the morning sun.

The first sense to clear is my qi sense, sharper and wider in range than ever before, and I immediately pinpoint two familiar qi signatures nearby.

The first, weaker and with a strange… unformed feeling to it, is...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—23:: unnamed

A/N:: so I recently discovered that my father has been cheating on my Mom for about seventeen years.

And apparently, he has three children with this other woman, the oldest of which is a fifteen or so year old boy.

So, yeah, that's what I've been dealing with recently.

Enjoy the chapter.

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Aide Dai bows to us as we’re led into the hous...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—22.5:: unnamed

A/N: so, after some thought, I've decided to post this as the completion of chapter 22, hence the 22.5 in its title.

Chapter 23 should be out by Sunday. I don't want to rush it because there's some things in there that I want to come out looking their best so... hold onto this for now, please.

Thank you.

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“What the fuck happened here?”

…

“Uh…”<...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—22:: unnamed

A/N:: so, uh, after a few rereads, quite a few edits were made to the previous chapter, i.e. chapter 21.

Now, you don't have to go back and reread it. But, it might not be a terrible idea, seeing as it's now almost 400 words longer.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I promise not to make a habit of this.

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Meng Yi sits within the cultivation circle, Golden Mango in hand and a hard t...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—21:: unnamed

“Young Master, are you okay?” Meng Yi asks, staring at me oddly.

I sigh, an excuse ready at the tip of my tongue.

But then, right before I say it, I just don’t.

If I really can’t trust Meng Yi with this, then I’m several shades of screwed.

“I’m okay,” I say, “but there’s something I need to tell you.”

Meng Yi says nothing until I finish talking, and when I do, she remains quiet for quite a bit after, the deep frown that has...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—20:: Shopping

For all of Meng Yi’s teasing and ribbing, Xiuying is actually a pretty good teacher.

She does the anime beat-me-black-and-blue-in-the-name-of-learning-martial-arts thing of course, but it’s clearly more than just a sadist getting her fix by smacking me around.

She’s methodical and precise in how she goes about it; attacking me from directions that make me aware of openings in my guard, leaving openings in her guard that almost seem to highlight themselves to me...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—19:: Tea and Conversation

Tomorrow, I will freak out over what having the power to force my will onto others, limited as it is, means, but for tonight… my sinfully soft bed is calling my name.

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“You have a subjugation technique?” Xiuying asks flatly, giving me a steady look.

“Is that what they’re called?” I ask back blankly.

“Yes, Qigang,” Xiuying says. “That is what they’re called.”

“Oh. Um… okay then.”

It’s tomorrow, and while I’m not...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—18.1:: Interlude:: Perspectives

Fan Hai

Fan Hai was many things, but a spy was not one of them, and in a perfect world, or maybe even just a better one, the job of spy would never have been one she needed to do.

Unfortunately for Fan Hai though, this was not a perfect world, or even a particularly good one, she was perfect for it.

She had an uncanny, inadvertent ability to escape the notice of people, even those who she would rather notice her, and everything about her, from her...

[Young Master Xian]—❈—18:: The Plot Thickens

“Come,” Xiuying says after a moment, we’ve done enough talking. And with that she leads the way out onto the training ground.

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“Faster!” Xiuying commands, swinging her training spear at my head so fast it’s a blur.

I duck, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Xiuying redirects her weapon immediately, the red painted tip signifying the spearhead stabbing at me with the power and precision of a sniper round.

I dive wildly to the side.

“Stop...

[Young Master Xian Sure Has Changed]—❈—17:: Untitled

God, the last week has been ridiculous.

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The training ground is a wide patch of cobblestoned dirt behind the manor that’s about half the size of a football field.

And by football I mean the ball game that actually involves the feet, not that weird thing the Americans play.

There’s a building with three rooms on one end of it, a room full of practice gear and weapons, a small (read: sizabl...

[Young Master Xian Sure Has Changed]—❈—16:: Baby Steps

This week has not been productive writing-wise. And I'm traveling tomorrow, so the next chapter will likely be on Tuesday.

I apologize for all this.

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“So, I want you to train me. And don’t go easy either; push me to my limits and beyond. Consider your debt repaid the day I beat you in a spar.”

…“Understood, Young Master Xian,” she said. “Thank you for your kindn...

[Young Master Xian Sure Has Changed]—❈—15:: Restitution

A/N:: this chapter was three bitches and a half to write.

There were numerous stretches of several hours where I just stared at my screen trying to figure out how making my brain do wording.

This chapter was not fun experience.

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Xiuying

Forced advancement, the waterfall that many a cultivator has lost their lives chasing.

[Young Master Xian Sure Has Changed]—❈—14:: Oops... I Did It Again

…because I have no idea what else to do, I sing the song, not even needing to read the lyrics on the paper in my hand.

~Fly me to the moon~

~Let me play among the stars~

“I don’t understand,” Magistrate Qin says, his confusion clear. “Is that the language she wrote in?”

I blink at him, realizing that I’m singing in English to someone who has no idea what language that is.

Someone whose expressed desire is to understand these words....

[Artwork] Magistrate Qin Zedong

I don't know why the art generator decided to put him in a forest, but there you go.

This is why we shouldn't trust machines.

[Young Master Xian Sure Has Changed]—❈—13:: The Secrets of Enlightenment

God, my fingers hurt.

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We walk out of the restaurant, eyes on our backs the whole way out.

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“What happened to her?” I ask immediately we’re out on the streets once again. “The thing with the chopsticks I did, there’s nothing special about it, it’s just a simple experiment from back home. Why’d it make her advance? And why did advancing make her so weak? Does it always d...

[Young Master Xian Qigang Sure Has Changed]—❈—12:: Untitled

Sorry for the short chapter. It's actually just the first thousand words of what was chapter twelve.

But it was taking too much time due to the length and I need to post something to help engagement on RoyalRoad so...

Hope you like it at least.

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Meng Yi gapes. “Did… did you just…?”

“She just advanced!” someone says in awe.

Okay, again, I ask; what the actual fuck!?...