Cultivating Chaos 4 -ch24-

Out of the door came Ghast.

The reality bending beauty came out of the airship swiftly. She was wearing a dress that didn’t overly reveal her, though it certainly emphasized and showcased her figure very well.

Ghast took several steps before she realized Ash was standing there.

As soon as their eyes met, Ash bent down low at the waist and bowed to her while performing a martial salute.

“Lady Ghast, it’s a pleasure to see you,” Ash intoned respectfully.

“We greet you Qi-Lord Ghast,” stated his group in unison.

He’d heard Hui and Rou amongst the voices. At some point, they’d joined him en route and he hadn’t even noticed.

Ash tried to peek up at Ghast despite his lowered head. He wanted to see the expression on her face.

Unfortunately he couldn’t see anything.

“Ash, I… thank you for greeting me,” Ghast remarked. Her voice had a warm smoothness to it after the initial surprise faded. “You knew my airship?”

“I did my best to memorize it, Lady Ghast,” Ash answered, still bowing.

“I’m surprised but quite pleasantly so. Please, stand up. Stand up. In the future there’s no need to show me such obeisance,” Ghast said, standing only a few feet from him. “You’re my Hand. While it isn’t exactly a stunning position of station, it’s certainly a one of sacrifice and respect.”

“That’s a bit odd. She’s being rather kind. Though… she was certainly kind to you previously as well,”groused Locke.

Standing up Ash did indeed find Ghast direclty in front of him. Smiling from ear to ear and gazing upon him as if he were a delicate morsel to be devoured.

He was instantly grateful that Siu had taken away his desires. Being this close to Ghast would have made him extremely antsy.

“Lady Ghast, this is my wife and Qi-Healer,” Ash said and turned partly to one side. He held up his hand indicating Rou who was standing not far away from him. “Are you feeling unwell in any way? I assure you she can actually take care of any physical ailment you’re suffering from. Even if it’s something as mundane as motion sickness.”

Ghast’s eyebrows went up and she turned her head to look at Rou.

Behind the Qi-Lord, Ash saw that she’d been joined by twenty or so cultivators. They were all Awakened Mortals and at the peak of their ability. This was a force to be reckoned with.

“Why thank you. I’d be more than willing to take you up on your offer,” she said and then stepped over to Rou. Ash realized in that moment that Ghast was as tall as he was if not an inch or two more so. Being as close as he was, he could also see that there was no makeup on her face and she was likely in her early thirties or late twenties.

A mature woman at likely her peak of beauty and sexuality with actual life experience.

“If you include LBA, I’m older than her. So nyah,” Locke grumped.

Mentally laughing, Ash found Locke hadn’t really ever changed. She’d always been somewhat antagonistic, cheeky, and bratty from the moment they met.

I love you, Locke. I have more women then I want.

I’m not interested in Ghast.

Rou had gently laid a hand to Ghast’s brow and her shoulder. The cultivators who were acting as her body guards were watching curiously.

Likely for both the fact that there was a Qi-Healer as well as the fact that she had laid hands to their Qi-Lord.

“You have an unhealed fracture in your left forearm as well as some damage to your… skull,” Rou reported, opening her eyes and looking to Ghast. She gave the other woman a small smile. “I’ve cleared out all the ill feelings you were experiencing. They were mostly related to that rapid descent.

“Did you want me to repair the rest of it? It’d only cost you a fraction of the Qi you’re holding currently but you’d certainly feel the loss.

“It’s unlikely these things will heal on their own. They look old. Untreated and old.”

“I… why yes, thank you. That’d be wonderful. I didn’t realize that could be treated. I’ve just been medicating for the pain,” Ghast murmured in surprise.

“I’m very skilled. It’s one of the reasons I’m pledged to my husband against my Qi-Healer abilities,” Rou answered, her eyes unfocusing as she worked. “If I’m separated from him I lose them. It’s a good way to make sure I can’t just be… kidnapped away.”

Ghast nodded her head at that as if she agreed with that, rather than taking it as Rou warning her. Given Rou’s personality, Ash wasn’t sure if Rou had just been making conversation or if it was actually a warning.

“Done,” Rou reported, looking back to Ghast.

“I… would like to pay you for services I need,” Ghast remarked, staring at her as Rou let go. “I have a number of cultivators who are injured and recovering. It would be good to have a Qi-Healer I can turn to. I’d be more than happy to have them visit Wahst and treated there. I can promise to make sure the rates, or barter if you wish, are worth while.”

“Not a problem. I’d be happy to accept that,” Rou said with a nod of her head. “ Pay me for one out of every two. I’ll do the second for free each time. That way you don’t feel as if I’m attempting to rob you, and I’m at least still paid for my efforts. That way it’s mutually beneficial.”

Ghast blinked, then grinned at Rou. Then turned her gaze to Ash.

She let out a soft huff and shook her head.

“I suddenly fear I can’t let you remain a Hand down here. If this is the quality of your followers, I think you’d be better utilized in the upper realms with me personally. I think you’d serve better as a Count than a Hand.”

“I appreciate the offer but… I think I’ll remain here. I’m enjoying being your Hand,” Ash answered honestly. “That and you’ve given me a great deal of freedom. I’m enjoying that immensely. You’ll forgive me I hope if I remain here and serve you as your Hand.”

Ghast looked at him for several seconds, a faint pout on her mouth. Then she sighed dramatically, shook her head, and smiled at him.

“No. I don’t like that. At all. But I find you being down here will serve me better than I want to admit. Something changed and we’re here to figure it out. I think you’ll be very useful in this. Will you join me?” Ghast watched him intently as she spoke.

Ash deliberately brought his brows down as if he were thinking. Then he pulled one corner of his mouth back.

“I’d be happy to accompany you Lady Ghast,” Ash confirmed. “May I bring any of my people or am I disallowed from that for security concerns.”

“You may bring two. That would be acceptable,” Ghast allowed, still smiling while watching him.

“Hui, Siu, would you mind?” Ash asked, glancing over his shoulder to the two women.

“Of course, Ashley,” Hui immediately responded, her shoulders straightening.

“How could I ever say no?” purred Siu, her tone apparently catching Ghat unaware. The older woman turned her head to actually look at the younger, before looking back to Ash.

“Well then, off we go. I’ll brief you on the way. Were you having an… “all Hands meeting” at the moment?” quipped Ghast with a chuckle as she turned and started walking toward where the other Qi-Lord’s were gathering.

Hui and Siu fell in behind Ash, the rest turned and began walking off. He imagined to go find Locke since she could spy on him from a distance.

“Yeah, first one I’d ever been to. I’d just told them I only have two things that matter to me. My people and serving your interests. Nothing else mattered. Not their lives, desires, or wishes,” Ash answered defiantly.

Ghast partially missed a step and ended up turning her head to glance at him.

“You said that?” she asked.

“Allow me to quote him for you, Lady Ghast,” Siu murmured in a low and rich tone, then cleared her throat lightly. “I don’t care about you. I exist only to exert Lady Ghast’s will over the city of Wahst and provide to her the tribute she is owed. The rest is no matter to me. None of you matter to me. Your deaths matter even less. Don’t make me apologize to lady Ghast for ending your lives.”

Laughing in a similar way to how Locke and Siu did, Ghast held a hand up to her mouth to partially cover it. Looking for all the world as if she were a slightly older version of Siu.

“Ah… Siu will likely surpass Ghast at some point. Her abilities feed back into her ability to draw from men. She’ll grow prettier the further she climbs. I don’t like it but it was best for her to gain power,” Locke warned with a growl. “You know, today sucks. All day I’ve been showing other women off. I should show me off.”

You’re showing yourself off by managing it all for me. My glorious house wife.

Once again, he got a happy squeak instead of words from Locke. A warm and fluttery feeling.

“Goodness. You’re so dedicated to me, Ash. I’ll have to reward you. Now… be silent please. It’s unfortunate but the other Qi-Lord’s do not tolerate Hands speaking. They’re not viewed well. Even I do not view them well. You’re an exception,” Ghast quickly spelled out.

Ash nodded his head, he had no problem being quiet.

Quickly, they made it to the large mass of people. There was an inner-circle forming of what could only be Qi-Lord’s.

Surprisingly, there were only nine of them. That meant to Ash there were those who had multiple Hands and cities. The more cities one had, the more they could gather resource wise for themselves, he figured.

It was likely those who had the most cities down here, had the most power above. Though that wasn’t a guarantee.

Ghast sauntered up to a spot that looked to be open for her, took it, and then stood there. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and then shifted her posture. Deliberately forcing her well endowed assets into better view.

It even brought her cleavage to a level that couldn’t be ignored. Everyone of course stared. There was no reason not to when she was putting herself on display.

Ash noted that the Pink Bubble that often surrounded Siu had contracted sharply. Sharply and only encompassed himself, her, and Hui. It was as if she didn’t want anything to do with the other men around them or their attentions.

Outwardly she looked cool, calm, and collected. A fan held in one hand and lightly fanning herself with it.

What’re the levels of the Brides? If we had to throw down with these people later, how much do we have to grow?

“Right now… they’re… well, collectively they’re about an Empowered Mortal. They were sent here because they were going to get pushed off the realm anyways,” Locke answered quickly. “They’re growing quickly enough, but this prison has such little Qi that it’s more difficult than normal. Siu is at the level of an Enlightened Mortal as is Moira, yourself, and myself.

“Hui is likely going to have a tribulation in a day or so and breakthrough to the Mortal realm. You’ll have to… capture it… with the Hall. I can’t do it since I’m not in the Hall. Just open it up like you did when you were pushing me through as a Martial Spirit.”

With that information Ash knew that he realistically couldn’t fight the Qi-Lord’s yet. At least not directly. He needed more time to build up his strength against them.

That meant whatever happened here couldn’t escalate to a point where he was at odds with Ghast. At the end of the day, he needed her in his pocket.

Or he needed to be in her pocket.

Either way, he needed Ghast.

“I… already warned everyone of what Ghast might expect from you. There was a lot of frustration, annoyance, and anger. But it all ended in acceptance. Acceptance and understanding.

“We need more power. Until we have more power, we’re at Ghast’s mercy. There is no law here that isn’t given to someone through power.”

Thank you.

Ash wasn’t sure where he should stand so he hovered off to Ghast’s right. Putting himself in a place where he could assist her, but wasn’t a place of prominence. He didn’t want to put on airs he didn’t deserve if she didn’t give it to him.

“Fine, we’re all here. Didn’t expect the Hands to be here like this though that makes this easier,” croaked an old man that had to be upwards of a century old at the minimum. His face was more wrinkled than not, his hair was gone for the most, and what remained was the color of snow. “I requested everyone to meet up so you can all see it first hand. For some of you, you’re probably too weak to even notice it, but the Qi is shifting.

“Shifting and making no inclination to return to how it once moved. We’ve seen changes in the current before and they straightened out after a time. That or we petitioned the Emperor.

“This time, the guards just disregarded us. No news came back either from the warden. They’re not going to take action to the change.”

“Does that mean they’re the cause of it?” asked a fierce looking woman with black hair, brown eyes, and a great deal of scars.

Scars that crisscrossed her face, shoulders, down her arms, and her exposed stomach. The clothes she wore was not much more than a sports bra and a pair of shorts, really. Ash didn’t know the exact equivalent to what he’d call them here.

“That’s what it means,” she declared before anyone could even think to answer her question. “They’re the ones doing it. So they don’t care about the flow. Does it actually matter to us though? It’s not like it changes anything for us.”

“For you, maybe,” hissed another man. He had pale brown hair and blue eyes. He stood out for his obvious Outlander appearance. “For many of us who depend on the Qi pooling in the central peaks, this’ll change our existence.”

“Ha, maybe you should’ve thought of that before you kicked everyone out of there!” shouted a short squat man that was two hundred pounds past being extremely overweight. His hair was bald in the middle and he had long strands that gave him an appearance similar to that of a horseshoe with hair. “Now you want to cry about what you yourselves did to the rest of us? Ha! I’ll kill you and any of your people that dare to show up. I’ll kill anyone that comes near my works.”

Two other people, a man and a woman, nodded their heads in agreement with the fatman. Ash didn’t miss that the three of them were standing near one another and seemed friendlier to one another than anyone else.

Alliances within their own little group.

I wonder which part Ghast is part of?

“While I certainly don’t want to take either side in that… tiff… I can’t help but agree with both of you,” Ghast offered with a somewhat negligent wave of one hand. It was promptly placed back beneath her breasts. “My own realm will be impacted in some ways, and not at all in others. To say that nothing changes is foolish as this will clearly either increase the number of Qi-Lord’s or decrease it. Let’s not mince words over this and be straightforward.”

Everyone didn’t look surprised at Ghasts words.

“Stupid whore,” cursed a woman who had yet to speak. She was attractive but paled in comparison to Ghast. Long black hair pulled back behind her head and soft brown eyes gave her a delicate look.

Nearly every woman did Ash thought.

“I beg your pardon?” Ghast asked archly, turning to look at the woman. “Are you still mad that your suitors all end up leaving you? It’s not my fault you can’t keep a man and I can’t be kept by a man. Look to yourself for improvement rather than throwing words at others.”

There was a general ugly chuckle that ran through the crowd at that. Nor was anyone surprised at the harsh statements from either side.

“Well, there it is,” said the old man who’d spoken first. “We’re all here, we’re aware of the change in Qi. There’s no sense in not stating intentions as we always have.

“My personal realm is currently stable but it’s looking as if the Qi will continue to shift. If it does, I’ll want to declare war or a champion’s battle. I’ll start taking land from where I must till I’m satisfied.”

I… what? Just like that?

They must be operating under some type of pledge or Qi-sworn oath. There’s no reason for them to behave like this unless they were forced to.

Probably something they did to themselves, then force anyone who joins to do the same?

Keeping the playing field even?

“Possibly. I don’t know.”

“Yeah? Yeah?! Good! Fine! I demand a champion battle here and now for your insult, Ghast you contemptuous slut!” shrieked the woman who’d verbally attacked Ghast. “I request immediate recourse given your foul and unfounded words!

“For the wager I’ll bet my condenser farm on our border. I’d expect nothing less than your own that’s directly across from it! Do you dare decline? Here? In front of all the other Qi Lords you tramp?”

Ghast had a shocked and dumbfounded if pretty face on display. This was not something that she’d apparently considered as being possible in this situation.

From what the other woman said, this seemed like a fairly regular and unsurprising state of affairs, however.

“She baited Ghast into that. All it took was calling her a simple name and here we are. I hope her champion is ready and willing to fight. Given the way the realm is, I can’t imagine the prison being any better. Declining a fight just sets you up to look like a piece of meat for someone else to take a bite out of,” remarked Locke in a thoughtful way.

“My Champion is not here,” Ghast admitted with a sour expression. “At this time I only have my announced Hand on site. I’ve yet to properly swear him in accordingly, however. We were in the middle of it when… the other thing occurred.”

“Your lack of planning of course doesn’t constitute a need to be merciful on my part. That’s a lack of foresight on yours. But… well, I can be magnanimous. You’re welcome to use your Hand against my Champion,” the woman taunted in a sultry voice. “That or simply surrender the match. It doesn’t matter to me, I just can’t let such an obvious provocation go unanswered. It’s not as if you’d allow the same to occur either.”

Ghast let out a slow breath, her shoulders and back could have been carved from stone. Ash could practically feel the heat from her anger coming off of her.

“How strong is her Champion, my Lady Ghast?” Ash asked as quietly as he could manage. He didn’t want to over-step himself and had lowered his head in deference as he asked the question. Looking the part of a loyal retainer he reasoned.

Slowly, Ghast’s head tilted to one side, then she turned and looked to Ash directly. Her eyes were wide and she had what he could only describe as lasers for pupils.

She was the embodiment of rage right now.

“A peak Awakened Mortal who’s been deliberately stunted so he can’t become a Sovereign Immortal,” she answered in a deathly hiss. “Why? He’s a good two levels above you.”

“I can handle him though… I’d likely need your authority as a Hand to pull on whatever Qi reserves are allowed,” Ash stated. He was fairly confident he could handle a Sovereign Immortal if he got the same backing the previous Hand had.

It would’ve been an issue for Ash to handle the man if he’d taken him seriously at the start. If Ash had that kind of backing, he could dive so deep into his Dao that the world would likely stop.

“Keep in mind, my Lady Ghast, that it would be a heavy cost of Qi for me to kill him,” Ash offered. “I’d also like to take possession of anything on his body or any artifacts he holds.”

“Kill him?” Ghast asked then shook her head minutely. “Yes! Yes. Kill him. Kill him for your Lady. For me. Take his life in my name. I’ll provide you all the benefits of a Hand. Just take his life for me. Take his life and bring me back his eyes. He’s dared to look at me in a way I did not welcome in the past.”

“As you will it, my Lady Ghast,” Ash said and bowed his head lower for a moment before standing upright again.

Ghast grinned widely, staring at him for several more seconds before turning back to the other Qi-Lord’s.

“My Hand will fight your champion. He’ll of course use all the benefits of being a Hand to his advantage. I accept your challenge,” Ghast answered. “I’ll state a single rule before it begins though. Death is an acceptable outcome as is crippling the other party. Send out your champion, Si’Sha.”

“Isn’t this too dangerous, Ash?” asked Locke.

No. This is the perfect opportunity to lock ourselves in place with Ghast. Even if she finds out later what I’m doing, she won’t be able to backtrack easily from here.

This is what we need.

I just have to bet my life on the line and win.

You know, everyday normal things.

Besides, think of the benefits if I win.

I keep what I kill after all.

On top of that, Hui would benefit from a big shot dying, right?

I’m a provider, ya know.