Cultivating Chaos 4 -ch13-

Standing on the ground, Ash watched as Ghast’s blimp flew away. Heading upward at a near ninety degree that looked uncomfortable.

She was most certainly in a rush to get somewhere.

In Ash’s arms was a wooden chest. It’d been given to him seconds before he was just about thrown off the ship. Leaving Ash just enough time to brace himself so he could land on his feet as he fell the short distance from the blimp to the ground.

“Ash!” called Locke rushing up to him. “It ended just like that? Really? But… it’s almost anti-climatic, but terrifying.

“What could cause her to rush off like that? In such a way that she didn’t want to stick around at all? I mean, look at that thing. They’re probably laying on the walls right now.”

Locke had come to a stop next to him, indicating the blimp as it flew through the air with a hand flick. Which given the way it was moving, Ash couldn’t help but agree.

The people in the blimp really were probably laying against the walls directly. Not to mention anything that wasn’t nailed down was probably also on the wall.

“Well… other than Ghast wanting to find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of your tootsie pop, that went well,” Locke remarked, both of them still watching the blimp climb ever higher. “I-ah, thanks for-for saying no, to her. I thought for sure I’d have to watch that happen.”

“Just me returning the exact same favor that I think you’d all do for me,” Ash replied. “Maybe I’m different than other people but… I’d rather her try to kill me or fight me, then betray you all. Not worth it.”

Fuzzy warm feelings were coming through to him from the Hall. Most definitely from Locke. As of late he could feel more and more from her in the Hall.

As if the echo and her ability to work from inside of it, was returning, or growing stronger.

“I love you,” muttered Locke.

“I love you, too, Locke. Now, let’s take a peek at this before you burst into flame. You look like your face is hotter than the sun,” Ash said and then set the chest down between them. He flipped the latch and then opened it.

Inside were beast-cores. Large, medium, and small ones. They filled the chest from top to bottom. The only other item inside was a piece of paper.

“That’s probably the list,” Ash said and picked it up. He stood back up and held it up. Locke had eased over to stand next to him. She hadn’t said anything further but he could tell she was grateful for him turning the subject away.

Being overtly sexual and flirty was easy for her. Emotions and talking about her feelings was still tough.

“None of this matters,” Locke grunted out and held up a finger. She indicated the majority of the list. Then she put her fingernail tip to one line item. “This is probably what she actually wants. The rest of it I’m certain she can get elsewhere. That’s all just static and noise. All to disguise her goal.”

Looking to what she had just dismissed, he didn’t quite agree with her. Lots of the items would be needed anywhere.

Except when he thought about what she’d given him in return, he realized that Locke was indeed correct. None of the items on this list would be hard for Ghast to get with her resources.

What she was offering to get them from this city, was in excess of what they were probably worth.

Then Ash looked to the indicated item Locke had laid her finger against.

“Beast corpses,” Ash read aloud. “Twenty large beast corpses.”

Just below that line was an equivalence chart.

How many medium corpses would be equal to a large, and how many small would equal a medium. It was laid out in a simple way. Vague except for the detail that mattered.

“She even included beast-cores to make it seem as if she didn’t need items from beasts,” Locke mused, her tone having returned to normal now. “Then… why… would she want beast corpses from here? We should kill one and inspect it. Try to figure out why it is she wants it.

“Once we know what it is she wants down here, we then likely know what it is the other Qi-Lord’s might want. After that, we might be able to barter and trade around a bit.

“As for the cores… well… we can use them for the golems. That’d probably be a really good use for them. Put some transference skills and bits into them. Then drop that into the golem. That’d give it a power source to draw from that’ll help it last for a long while. Just need to make a golem that can repair older golems, and a backup for the one that can repair, to repair that one. Then just… let them manage one another. Can’t let them make more of each other though. No sense in creating a dystopian nightmare.”

“Or take over other cities,” Ash countered, a weird plan forming up in his thoughts.

The idea of taking over the entirety of the ground floor and locking it down with a formation. Taking control of everything down here and altering the flow of Qi.

If he could do both those things, he’d set himself up in an impregnable fortress that no one could assault.

Not even the Emperor if Ash was given enough time.

“Fun,” Locke said with a chuckle. “That’ll make you a king of sorts. Will you make me your queen?”

“You already are,” Ash answered without thinking.

Locke leaned in close and planted a kiss on his cheek. Her right hand rapidly dipped down his pants. Before he knew what was happening she’d taken hold of his privates, squeezed them once, and then pulled her hand back out.

Closing the chest, she tucked it under one arm, and left without another word. Leaving him standing there with a once again too tight pair of pants.

Clicking his tongue, Ash looked down at the ground. He nodded his head, then shook it.

Realistically, this was about right for Locke.

Turning, he started heading for the sect prison. He wanted to see what his new prisoners were up to. He also needed to get Hui moving to track down the rest of that gang.

It only took him the better part of ten minutes to return back to the sect. At the last minute he decided to check in on Song and Tan, rather than going to the prison.

In case Tan hadn’t told Song that those who’d wronged her had been captured, he’d make sure she found out now. Rather than being surprised by it later.

There was no sense in adding more stress to her if he didn’t have to.

Opening the door to the barracks Ash stood in the doorway.

Right now there were only two occupants. Song and Tan. They shared a room by choice rather than by necessity. Ash had offered them each a room but they’d declined outright.

Walking up to the first door he knocked on the door twice. He knew that one person was inside the room. His Battle-sense and the flowing Qi around him told him so.

He just had no idea who it was, but he was betting on it being Song.

“Good afternoon. It’s Ash. I wanted to discuss some events with Song,” Ash proclaimed.

There was a clatter that came from inside room that sounded a lot like someone dropping something. Followed by the soft pat of feet moving to the door.

A light pop paired with the handle turning and the door swinging inward. Song appeared in the crack, her eyes peering out to determine who was at the door.

The moment she visually confirmed it was Ash, she pulled the door open wide and stepped to the side. A nervous look crossed her face and her eyes dropped down to the floorboards.

“Ah, hello, sect-leader,” Song whispered, her shoulders coming up partly. “I welcome you and i-invite you inside if you wish.”

“No thank you. This won’t take long to relay my news. After that it’s likely that you’ll need to make some choices,” Ash stated and then smiled at the young woman. “I’ve captured a majority of those who wronged you. Or so I think at least. I’m going to send Hui to track down the rest. Tan helped me find them.

“I’ve had them arrested and put inside the prison for the sect. I’m going to sentence them later today. Would you like to see them rotting behind bars?”

Song’s head snapped up and her eyes were fastened to his face.

“You did? You’re going to?” she asked in a breathless whisper.

“I did, and yes, I will. I’m going to give them forty years of hard labor each. Time to be spent as slaves to the sect, in fact,” Ash stated with an ugly smile. “Their primary duty will be to have the crap kicked out of them as training dummies, then get healed by Rou. Only for the process to repeat over and over and over.

“Day in, day out. For decades. I’ll let them go much later in life after they’ve served time for their crimes. They’re fortunate I’m not taking their lives. As far as I know though, they never killed anyone. Just did everything right up to that point.”

“They never killed anyone,” Song agreed.

“Then they’ll keep their lives, but lose their lifetime. Would you like to see them?” Ash asked. He wasn’t sure how Song or anyone else would take this. In this world, most crimes against another were either never given justice, or too much.

As in the law was never enforced, or the other party simply died. An extreme in either end was the norm for the veil.

Ash felt forty years of living hell would be an appropriate punishment given what the expectations were. If he tried to give a more benevolent sentence, he’d just look foolish to everyone.

When one dwells in Hell, they must be demonic, even if they’re not a demon.

“The goodie-two shoes would have already died,” Locke added.

“I… they’re… they’re behind bars?” Song inquired.

“Indeed.”

“Can I hurt them?”

“If you wanted. I don’t mind. Their jobs are going to be ‘getting hurt’ so it won’t be anything out of the ordinary,” Ash answered. He didn’t think it would be good for Song’s mentality to cause them harm, but he knew his own thoughts were partly blinded by his own worlds view of things.

For all he knew, Song needed to gouge out their eyes before she’d feel any better. Trying to apply modern psychology to a feudal society and it’s culture where life was a luxury could be classified as idiotic.

“How much can I hurt them?” Song pressed.

“I’d say check with Rou first, but probably quite a bit.”

“Let’s go see, Rou,” hissed Song, her eyes flashing. It was the first time he’d ever seen her really become anything more than a decorative piece when it came to her demeanor.

Song exited her room and pulled the door shut. Her eyes moved back to Ash and stayed on him, clearly waiting for him to proceed.

“Alright, let’s go see Rou,” Ash agreed.

***

“Aaaghh!” shrieked one of the men as Song castrated him. Cutting off his privates with a rock. Or more accurately, battering his privates with a rock till they finally came away with a tearing sound.

Ash sniffed and leaned his head back.

“What’re… what’re you doing?” Rou asked from beside him.

“I need to blow my nose,” he murmured, looking at Rou with a side-glance. “Feel like I have a cold but there’s no tissues anywhere. Or a handkerchief, but those are kinda gross. The idea of blowing your nose into it, then putting it back into your pocket, is pretty awful.”

Rou raised her eyebrows, blinked, then reached over to lay a hand against his head. Her fingers were dry, warm, and felt soft. A strange crackling feeling spread throughout his forehead and pushed back into his skull, while also moving down his face.

A few seconds later and it was over.

Leaving Ash feeling refreshed and as if his head wasn’t as heavy.

“You had a cold. You’re fine now,” Rou said, her hand cupping his jaw and patting it twice. Then she let her hand fall down and she slipped it into his own. Her fingers quickly intertwined into his. “I feel like this is an appropriate moment to thank you again for making me a Qi-Healer. I can’t imagine where my life would’ve ended up without you stepping in as you did.”

“Bastard!” screamed Song while stuffing the man’s mutilated privates into his mouth. She’d already knocked all his teeth out and jammed a piece of wood between his teeth to keep his mouth locked open. Once she’d pushed it all into his mouth she put a hand over his mouth. “Scream for me. Scream.”

I really don’t think this is conducive for her healing.

“Probably not. But then again, everyone heals differently. This might be exactly what she needs. I’m not a head doctor. You’re not a head doctor. She wants to do this. Outside of that, all we can do is support her. Isn’t it?” Locke asked.

True.

“I still think you’re being too lenient,” Rou remarked, clearly talking about the shackled prisoners Song was torturing. “You should have just castrated them, drawn and quartered them, then killed them. This is far too kind.

“You’re showing how much of an Outlander you are, again. This isn’t suitable behavior.”

I… forget that Rou is from here.

“She’s the most soft hearted, certainly. Though she is still from this realm, yes.”

“Or are you planning on killing them after this? That’d be appropriate,” Rou continued on, none the wiser to Ash and Locke’s conversation. “Or torturing them for a few days, then killing them. Letting them live is just… too kind.”

“They’ll be training dummies for a while until you no longer want the practice of healing them. Then I’ll just make them grounds keepers,” Ash answered honestly. “We’ll need people to clean up, repair, and other menial work. It’s not like they’ll be a problem either. Everyone here will be better trained then them, or cultivators. Works out either way.”

“I still say you should kill them after torturing them, but I’ll not get in your way, my merciful Cultivator. Its your same mercy that created me, after all,” Rou remarked.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I value your input,” Ash promised.

“I value you for giving me… input… too,” Rou stated.

Did… she just flirt with me?

“Yes. She did. It was good, too.”

“Want to get some input tonight?” Ash asked.

“I could definitely use some,” Rou agreed.

“Good. Well… I need to go get ready for Liu. I’m supposed to contact them tonight. They’re prepping everything for it and getting things together. That way I don’t drain her of Qi or hurt her,” Ash explained.

“You do get a little rough sometimes, my dear,” Rou murmured, then squeezed his hand. “Well, I like it for some reason. But I understand. Go, take care of your things. I’m going to go heal up those poor fools. Song looks like she needs a break anyways.”

Blinking, Ash looked away from Rou and back to Song.

The young woman was bent over at the waist, panting. Her body was splattered in blood and it looked like she was wearing red gloves that covered her from fingertips to elbows.

The rock, knives, and brick she’d been using were all scattered around the room.

Seven of the men had received the majority of her focus. The others only got lateral abuse as she past them. They weren’t her interest, which meant they weren’t the key offenders for her.

Looking to Rou, Ash was about to say goodbye when she turned to face him. She then smiled and waited quietly.

He belatedly realized she was expecting a kiss.

Leaning in, he did just that. Letting it linger for several seconds before he pulled away.

Rou was still smiling as her eyes opened again, gazing up at him. Then she kissed him, a fast and wildfire like thing, then turned away. Heading to the door of the cage and heading inside.

Ash watched her for a moment before turning away as well. He headed for the exit.

When he stepped out, he practically ran into a group of middle aged and older men. All of them moving in a group towards Ash directly.

They’d simply opened the gate to the sect and entered without waiting for permission.

Where’s Hui?

“I don’t know. She’s due to report in soon,” Locke answered. “Do you need a hand? I can stop what I’m working on and come over.”

No… this’ll be okay. Whatever it is, it’s not a threat to me physically.

Though, I’m betting it’ll be a threat to my sanity.

Ash suspected that these people, given their dress, way they were carrying themselves, and the self important air they held, were related to his prisoners.

Summoning his butterfly-swords from the Hall, Ash held them loosely and then moved into a position that’d let him carve these people up. He wasn’t going to have to try very hard to slaughter them all.

Apparently that was enough to cause them to reconsider how they were approaching.

Angry faces and furrowed brows were replaced with nervous glances and false smiles. A hurried and angry stomp flashed away and was now a delicate walk.

“This’ll be stupid,” Ash grumbled.