Cultivating Chaos 2

by William D. Arand

  “That was… unexpected. I begin to fear what our tribulation will actually be. I had my suspicions and theories but… nothing like that,” Locke murmured. “We should see if we can seek out Gen. Master Li-Yong is a good master, but I think… I think this might be beyond everyone we know. Including us.”

  Ash said nothing. Or thought anything, either.

  He was too busy focusing on not passing out. Everything was swimming around him. It felt like he was going to lose consciousness at any moment.

  “I believe we can track Gen. We’ll just have to go on a walk around the sect. Shouldn’t be that bad at all,” Locke continued. “We could take one or two others with us as well, just to make sure we’re safe.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” Ash whispered. “In the morning. Just wake me before sunrise.”

  Getting to his feet, he managed to stumble his way back to his bed. As his footsteps carried him on, he slowly got the feeling of the tribulation coming back to glare at him.

  Hanging over him like a rain cloud.

  Entering his bedroom, he realized it wasn’t going to leave, either.

  Collapsing onto the bed, Ash sighed, feeling uneasy. He pulled the sheets back over himself and stared up at the ceiling.

  Moments afterward, Mei scooted over next to him and re-wrapped herself around him. Every night that she spent with him, she slept practically atop him.

  Falling still and silent just moments after snuggling up to him again, Mei began to breathe deeply once more. The faint sound of her breathing filled the room.

  She… really does care for me.

  “Yes, she does. More than you gave her credit for. Don’t bother me, Chosen One, I’m working,” chastised Locke.

  Laying there, while Mei’s body heat began to slowly overwhelm him as it always did, Ash considered her.

  When he got home, she’d asked how he’d spent his day and he explained. At first, he had been afraid of how she’d respond. However, after telling her he’d spent the day with Yue, then the evening with Jia, and only returned after kissing Jia goodnight, he’d found that Mei didn’t care.

  She’d congratulated him on easing Yue’s burden, tending to Jia’s needs, and then took him to bed and cleansed him of his own worries.

  Curling his arm around Mei’s shoulders, Ash closed his eyes and realized he needed to follow through with his plan. Both for Na and Jia, but also for Tala, Chunhua, Rou, and Yue.

  The feeling of the tribulation still hovering over him made him feel uneasy about falling asleep.

  ***

  Tala grunted, her head turning one way, and then the other. Looking back and forth like a dog on watch. Waiting for something to happen.

  Her ears swiveled in different directions than where her eyes went, as well. As if she were listening to one thing but looking at another.

  “Far too many of these fools gaze at you with either longing or hatred,” grumbled the Kin.

  “Don’t blame them for recognizing greatness. Both of those types of looks are only because of who he is. Master Sheng is Master Sheng,” Na countered. “Even I stared at him before he took me as his Handmaiden.”

  “Maybe they’re watching your elegant self,” Ash offered, moving down the street at the pace Locke had instructed. He’d rather they didn’t talk about him like this. If he could change the subject to something else, all the better.

  And Tala was almost always willing to talk about Tala.

  “Some are indeed gazing at me with desire. Little do they realize I’ve decided to accept you as my other half,” Tala said with a snort. “I’m just waiting for my opportunity to formalize it. Or for you to come to my bed and beg me for my attention.”

  “That’s definitely one way to put it,” Ash said, focusing on the display Locke had made for him. It was a miniature map of the sect. They were slowly crisscrossing back and forth and scanning as they went. “Later, however.”

  “You said that last time,” Tala complained. “I’ve made my intent clear now, and stated that I’m no longer holding back. You should take the initiative.”

  “Tonight then,” Ash muttered. “I’ll take Na to dinner, then come see you and avail myself of you in your bed, then head back to Moira to go to sleep. Or you can wait until later, and we can be a bit less formal about it. Make plans. Enjoy it, rather than simply looking for an end goal.”

  “Dinner?” Na asked as they slowly turned the corner of the street. “With me?”

  “I did ask you out, did I not? I’d like to complete that today, if you’re willing,” murmured Ash.

  “I’m still somewhat shocked you’re moving on Na first,” Locke said in an offhand way. “I’d have gone for Tala. I mean… those legs.”

  She’s more likely to fit in with Moira, Mei, and Jia right now. Na, that is.

  “And… Jia’s next?” inquired Locke.

  Probably. She doesn’t seem to be taking no for an answer. Once I bed my Handmaiden, that’ll open the door for ‘the bound’ I imagine.

  “Huh. You’re actually thinking this one out. That’s rather surprising.”

  “Then it’s done. I cannot argue this action. Of course, I’ll go to dinner with you. I just… I didn’t expect it, Master Sheng. I am but your Handmaiden,” said Na. “A concubine. I should only receive your attention to service your needs. Not treated like a woman of worth to—”

  “Go to dinner with me. Just as if I was taking Mei to dinner,” Ash said, his eyes moving toward a blue dot that’d just showed up on his display. “For you’re no lower in status than she is, Na.”

  “I… shall wait for later. As you requested originally,” Tala answered in a subdued voice when Na didn’t respond to Ash. “I would very much like this to be less formal. To… enjoy it. Please forgive my hasty words. I’m… nervous and flustered.”

  Huh. Maybe I should have listened to you earlier. Going after them definitely seems to have better results than being passive.

  “It’s the culture. The Kin, or perhaps just Tala, seems to be far closer to the cultivator lifestyle than you are. You may be living in it, but you never fully adapted. You cling to values and morals that no longer apply. You can no longer be the good man doing nothing and thinking you’re better than everyone else. Do you really think it will matter that you can say you did the right thing while everyone else takes advantage of the situation, and your goodness and mercy collapse around you?” Locke responded. “And yes, I do believe that blue dot is Gen, Chosen One.”

  Unable to immediately respond to the scathing remarks, Ash trudged on.

  He didn’t care to admit it, but he actually believed Locke was right. All he needed now was time to prove that to everyone around him.

  At least we’ve found Gen.

  Nodding his head once, Ash began to move in that direction. He didn’t want to bother Li-Yong if he didn’t have to, but he did need to speak with Gen about the situation.

  Even now, he could feel the tribulation building over him. Glaring down at him. Waiting to pounce on him once again or to attack when he wasn’t expecting it.

  Moving down the street, Ash broke his gaze away from his display when he got close to the location that had the blue dot.

  He was standing on a street with homes on either side.

  Except when he looked at those who were standing around, Ash felt strange about the situation. Very strange.

  Considering this was a citizen and cultivator mixed part of the city, there were a significant number of cultivators. Far more than citizens.

  Which was odd considering there were on average ten or twelve citizens to every cultivator.

  They know Gen is here somewhere and are looking for him.

  “That would be my guess as well, Chosen One,” said Locke.

  We’ll… try again later. Maybe.

  I don’t want to reveal where Gen is. Just in case.

  Is there anywhere nearby that I could go? To disguise that I came down this street?

  “There’s a number of restaura
nts not far. You could take Na and Tala there for lunch,” Locke said with clear glee. “Otherwise, no. There’s nothing nearby that you could dodge into.”

  Damn.

  “How about you two join me for lunch? I haven’t found what I’m looking for and honestly… I’m hungry,” Ash said, turning to look at Na, and then Tala. “My treat, of course.”

  “Of course. A lady such as myself should be treated accordingly,” declared Tala. Her personality had shifted right back to where it always was.

  “I accept the invitation,” Na said, not meeting his eyes. She was considerably more subdued since he’d invited her to dinner. “Thank you, Master Sheng.”

  Could I—

  The display Locke had created flashed, then reappeared in the corner. The minimap shifted position entirely. A yellow dot and a dotted line appeared on it as well.

  Then a new arrow began to glow, pointing him down the street.

  “I just… don’t know how to behave,” Na confided quietly as they walked along.

  “As a woman with pride,” Tala said, her normal self-confidence evident. “Anything less is silly. Because that’s exactly how Ashley has treated you. Not as a Handmaiden or concubine. He doesn’t treat myself or Moira as slaves, either.”

  Ash nodded at that.

  Tala was correct.

  They were exactly what they were to him, and he wasn’t going to treat them any differently.

  “Do exactly that,” Ash agreed. “Be yourself. You may call yourself a Handmaiden or a concubine, but as Tala said, I treat you as Na Sheng, formerly Na Deng.”

  Na visibly swallowed at that, then slowly nodded.

  “I can do that,” she murmured. “I can do that… Ashley.”

  Several seconds passed in absolute silence. Ash could feel the tribulation growing during that period, then suddenly dissipating just as quickly.

  As if it were breathing.

  “Master Sheng,” Na added, clearly unable to break completely away from her own self-imposed role.

  Baby steps. Baby steps will get us there.

  “Right into the bedroom. And boy… this is going to be fun. Na is… Na is beautiful. I wonder what she’ll let you do to her. Mei lets you do anything. Like last night when you asked her to su—”

  Shush! SHUSH!

  Thirty-Two

  Returning to his home with Tala and Na after their shared lunch, Ash was surprised to find Li-Yong and another master he didn’t know waiting for him. The other man was wearing an Inner Sect master’s robe, which meant he was likely a problem. He had a shaved head, a short white goatee, and dark beady eyes.

  There were four disciples as well, all wearing Inner Sect robes, though Ash had no memory of ever having met any of them. They were strangers to him and he hadn’t crossed their paths as far as he knew.

  Standing directly opposite them were everyone who Locke called his “inner harem”. From Rou to Jia, they were all there.

  “Ah, perfect timing,” Master Li-Yong said with a smile as Ash approached. “We were just having a discussion about the fact that legally we cannot enter your home without permission.”

  The Inner Sect master made a harrumph-like noise and turned to Ash. Lifting a hand, he pointed a finger at him.

  “You will let us into your home immediately!” shouted the older man.

  “I beg your pardon?” Ash asked as he joined the group.

  “You should indeed beg my pardon!” growled the Inner Sect master. “And then apologize to poor Master Li-Yong for being a thief! How dare you rob others? Have you no shame, you brigand?”

  Raising his eyebrows at that, Ash really had no idea how to respond.

  “And when did this so-called robbery occur?” Yue demanded, putting her hands on her hips. “Because I can tell you right now, that any one of us can account for his whereabouts at any hour of any day.”

  “Yesterday,” piped up one of the disciples. “He took everything we had on us. Even one of my family heirlooms.”

  “I’ve gone ahead and scanned the dwelling to see if there’s anything there that shouldn’t be. There’s nothing there out of the ordinary,” Locke said. “Which means they plan on planting it if we let them in.”

  Uh.

  I see. Got it. We can work with this though. Right?

  I mean, all we have to do is have you snatch whatever it is into the Hall as soon as it appears. Then it becomes our word against theirs.

  And given that they’d already go that far, without evidence, this won’t go anywhere.

  “A valid point. I’ll make sure to take everything the moment they try to plant whatever it is,” said Locke. “I wonder what it is they’re on about.”

  “—inside immediately,” demanded the master. “So we can search and find the evidence. You can wait outside while we look, just to make sure you don’t try anything.”

  Ah. There it is.

  “I’ll allow you to enter, but only if Master Li-Yong supervises you. I don’t trust you. I think you’re going to plant evidence,” Ash said, simply getting straight to the heart of the matter. Pointing out where this was going to end up before it even happened.

  Because if he could draw attention to the end result, people would be less likely to believe anything else afterward.

  The master’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide. His nostrils flared and he shook with rage.

  “How dare you!? You give me no face at all?!” demanded the master.

  “No. Because I don’t know you. You haven’t given me your name, nor have you asked for mine. You assumed I was a thief before even having proof. You’ve done nothing to demonstrate that you deserve anything at all other than scorn,” Ash said simply, holding his hands out in a ‘what can you do’ type of gesture. “I’ll treat you as you treat others. Without respect.”

  Everyone was staring at Ash now. Even Master Li-Yong looked somewhat shocked.

  “Though, I should apologize,” Ash said, then turned partially to Master Li-Yong. Bowing from the waist, Ash faced the ground. “Please accept my sincere apologies, Master. This student has spoken poorly in your presence to others. Regardless of them deserving it, it is disrespectful to do so in front of a dignified and respectable personage.”

  There was a brief sound as if someone were choking.

  “I think the Inner Sect master might explode. That or he’s swallowed his tongue,” Locke said dryly.

  The sound of boots pounding on the turf was followed by the door to his home being flung open hard.

  “The disciples and the master all entered together. I’m scanning and watching for anything at all,” said Locke.

  Peeking up with the corner of his head, Ash saw Master Li-Yong staring at Ash’s house with a smirk. He was clearly enjoying himself.

  “I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,” Master Li-Yong murmured and then followed after the others. The amusement in his voice was rich and deep.

  Standing up, Ash chuckled.

  “Thank you, Master. Though afterward, may I trouble you for some of your time? My tribulation acted again last night,” requested Ash.

  “Of course. Not a problem, Ashley. We’ll discuss it,” answered Li-Yong, heading into the home.

  Standing there with nothing to do, Ash looked around and then chuckled.

  “I wonder what they’re trying to do this time. This seems like a bit of a stretch, doesn’t it?” Ash asked.

  Shaking her head with a growl, Yue looked extremely angry.

  “They’re being stupid. I’m going to find out what family they’re in and see what havoc I can cause,” Yue promised and then stamped a foot. “They dare threaten you, Ashley? I’ll threaten them!”

  The look she gave him at that moment was filled with such unshakable faith and love that Ash swore he could practically see little hearts sparkling around Yue’s head.

  While I think getting Yue her revenge was the right answer, I fear it’s created another problem.

  “No, that was already the
re. She just seems to have turned it up to eleven now, instead of where everyone else only goes to ten,” Locke disagreed. “Besides, she loves you. Loves you exactly as you are and doesn’t want anything from you. If you were looking for actual pure love, it’d be Yue.

  “So why not take that spry, cute thing to bed and give her a real good time? I bet she could put her ankles behi—”

  “Yes, well, let’s see what they do first,” Ash said, ignoring Locke outright. “Then you can decide how to respond.”

  Mei sighed and wandered over to stand next to Ash, then put her elbow on his shoulder and leaned against him.

  “I think that you’re right, my love,” Mei said, reaching up to tap his lower lip with her free hand. Then she kissed him before continuing. “What shall we do after they find their ‘evidence’?”

  “Nothing. Because there won’t be anything,” Ash said, wrapping an arm around Mei’s hips. Then he drew her closer to his side.

  Coward no more.

  Mei looked surprised for a moment, but then pressed in even closer.

  “Oh? Good. That’ll make this easier then, I suppose. If they don’t find anything, they can leave with the nothing they brought,” declared Mei. “And we can continue on with our day. Speaking of that… you’ll need to sit and evaluate new members again.

  “I’m afraid your display the other day with the pumpkins caught more eyes. I made sure to filter them, of course.”

  “More maidens. Ever more maidens,” Locke crowed.

  Shut up, you. This is your fault.

  Yue stepped up to Ash, took his left hand in hers, and clutched it tightly. Her fingers sliding through his own.

  “Ashley,” Yue murmured, staring up at him. “I put in all the right paperwork for our clan. You’re our head. I should have the paperwork back in a few weeks.

  “I listed myself as a bride. To you. I also formally sent in documents to that effect this morning. I will be Ying Yue Sheng.”

  “See? Should have grabbed the bull by the horns. Or in this case, by her hair. Or ears? Ears would be more accurate I guess, but the hair seems more stable,” Locke said with glee. “Oh, well. At least she’s a beautiful bride, Chosen One.”

  “—rse to list you above me, Mei Sheng,” Yue continued. “Though I will take your place in time.”