Paying A Visit
Edrick honestly had no idea why Fanqia was the way she was when it came to her body. He had always found it strange that no matter how much exercise she did, she never actually changed from that deliciously chubby physique... And now–When just a little over a month into pregnancy–Her breasts had nearly doubled in volume without causing any adverse effect.
Sure, she was a bit of a cultivator, but still… It was rather bizarre that it did not seem to affect her in the least.
In any case, after catching up with her, Linmin, and Luxuli... Anoteros went to find Hui and see how she was doing. He informed her that Xiaolie should have already placed a whole bunch of things that should interest her…
Despite her rather strong urges, his third wife had actually held up fairly well in his absence. She had engrossed herself in her studies and research so deeply that she had probably not even realised that it had been more than a month since she had seen her husband.
That didn’t stop her from being overjoyed to see him, though.
“How long are you going to stay before going back to the realm?” she asked him.
“I should be around for a while. I can’t disappear from the eyes of my family for too long… I’ll try to meet up with my parents and some of the ancestors–Probably also try to see if any of my siblings are around. They are basically strangers to me at the moment. This needs to change”
After giving Hui a kiss and a promise for some ‘attention’, he went to find Yin. As per usual, his fifth wife was training arduously. It was a good thing that his wives had hobbies and interests they could dive into. It allowed them not to get quite as bummed out when their beloved husband wasn’t around.
If they didn’t have anything to do, they would only be able to think about how much they missed him, or start to feel inadequate in the household–A bit like how Fanqia used to feel.
“Edrick! I didn’t realise you were back? You feel stronger! Would you hit me as hard as you can in the stomach? I want to feel your new strength…”
“We’ll train together later. I just made the journey back without resting. I would probably not be able to put my all into my punches”
“Aah… What a shame… What about your objectives? How did they go? Have the Underwood Elves sworn allegiance to you already? I smell a peculiar odour on you. You must have bedded a few, right?”
“Indeed, but there are multiple villages, each with its own quirks and personalities. It will take a little while to get them there”
Anoteros reached out, cupping her face in between his hands before kissing her.
Once his tour of the residence was over, Anoteros headed back into the basement. However, this time he took a different secret passage from the one he had emerged from. The scion set foot within a room that had cost him a lot of money to build. The walls there were reinforced with a special type of steel–Each of the iron plates had been refined to further enhance their specific capabilities…
All of this to ensure that the prisoner held here had no chance of escaping or even using a shred of their power…
Yet, the prisoner was nowhere to be seen at a glance.
All that was within the room was a single, small hook extending from the ceiling, upon which a simple necklace bearing a small piece of emerald was placed.
“Are you not going to come out and say hi?”
There was only silence in response.
“Come on. Show yourself, Chengjie-”
“Do not call me by that name, descendant of the Elt!”
“I come in peace, no need to be so upset” Edrick chuckled.
Before the noble, a spectral figure had emerged from the emerald. Translucent and green like the gemstone they had stepped out of–It should be Chengzhe, the hidden master of the fallen protagonist, Xiao.
However, the long-bearded old man was gone... Replaced by a mature, older woman whose charm was different from the usual older ladies Edrick had met in the past. She was at a point where she was obviously not so young anymore, but still very much attractive, giving her an alluring edge of maturity.
“How can you ask me not to be upset? I saw everything you did to Xiao, I saw what you turned him into! You broke him and then made him into a maid loyal to death? You are some of the worst scum I have ever met. I suppose I should have been more careful... The Elt bloodline is cursed with madmen”
“The roots of the family tree and the roots of all evil are entangled together”
“Don’t worry about Xiaolie. She is very pleased with her new life. In fact… I can tell that she is thinking about when she’ll get to bear my children right now... Isn’t that nice to hear?”
The elder narrowed her eyes.
“No need to give me a death stare. I am perfectly honest when I say that I truly had no idea that Xiao drinking the Everlasting Elixir Of Inversion would also affect you… I mean, who could have guessed that a ghost stuck inside a pendant would be affected by the bodily changes of the person wearing the necklace?”
“I didn’t realise that you two were more strongly connected than it seemed… Well, now that it happened, it happened. And frankly, you look quite good, Chengjie”
“Do not call me by that name, my name is-”
“It is bizarre to call you by such an obviously masculine name. Accept the change, and accept your new name. I made sure that the change wasn’t too great. Are you not happy that I was so considerate? I literally hold the keys to your continued existence, yet I am still taking time to find you a proper name. Does that not count for anything?”
“It is insufferable the way you speak, Edrick Lucien Anoteros”
The scion shrugged.
“Alright, even chit-chat–Submit to me, Chengjie. Do you not want more freedom than this? You should have a good idea of how well I treat even my maids. I will give you a maid crest just like what Xiaolie has… You’ll even get a very good position within the residence. You know that the Sect Of The Old Decay works under my family…”
“...I can work with them to eventually turn you into another kind of spirit–A strong sort of ghost. One not just bound to a mere pendant, but one capable of far more freedom! I’ll be able to give you items and techniques that will allow you to recover your original strength from when you were truly alive”
The noble extended his arms to the sides.
“You know just as well as I do that my offer is not only what’s best for you, but the only way for you to continue existing… You aren’t stubborn enough to actually resist me. You didn’t cling to existence for so long whilst stuck inside a gemstone just to give up now, did you?”
Anoteros leaned forward a slight bit, a small, sinister smile on his face.
“Besides… You might not be able to touch anything at the moment, but don’t you want to feel what it’s like to be a woman? You saw firsthand how much Xiaolie loved it… There is no way that you aren’t curious, right?”
Edrick turned around, taking a few steps to leave.
“Think about it, Chengjie. Make the correct decision, and submit the next time I pay a visit”