23

The next month, Pef continued expanding the legal government, recruiting more Guardians, all males sadly, since the Tang sect had done a number on the local female population, discovered a new spider cult and exterminated them before they got a new spider queen, and generally turned the town upside down.

Then one morning, his wife kissed him awake, smiling with bright eyes.

Pef smiled back, glad her pain was over.

She was just a Spirit rank, but felt much stronger, especially her soul. And her face had become godly, features almost perfect, while her hair had purple highlights, almost like a god had blessed her.

Her naked body radiated health and power. He couldn't believe his luck!

"Hey Xie. You're a beauty now. Ah, you're too pretty now! You'll leave me and find yourself a strong husband, worthy of your divine aspect!" our hero wailed to the heavens, covering his eyes with a shy hand.

His wife giggled and splashed him with a water jet, although at room temperature.

"Idiot, you gave me my life back, also your name and your qi method. I will never leave you now!" she proclaimed while peppering Pef with water balls.

"Owwww. Okay, okay. Married until death. Now take this!" he yelled back, shooting water back at her. She was too weak to hurt him, actually. Like a child poking him gently.

The water balls flew out. Like a pillow fight, but between water mages. It lasted only a minute, since Xie didn't have qi reserves that large.

She came to hug him after, her skin wet and warm. "Hmmm. Lack of pain is so good, my husband. Now show me, that love you kept promising me..."

That lasted more than minute, and they both came out famished.

Pef cupped her face, searching her soul. Close to Spirit peak.

Practice and love done, what she needed next was combat.

"I'll make breakfast. And you, dear wife, go do something about your looks, you're too pretty." Pef explained with a head shake, leaving a copper mirror in her hand.

He kept cooking for an hour, adding more and more dishes. He was kinda hungry.

Then he felt a warm woman hug him from behind, felling subtly different.

"This all smells so good. I didn't know humans could cook this well" the other woman whispered, slowly picking up a few frog legs and nibbling on them gently.

"It's all Practice, dear lady. Like alchemy and smithing or mastering the sword. Do your best, put your soul into it, and the results are...well, in this case, tasty." Pef answered while deftly splitting open a few spider legs and placing the white meat on a large wooden tray.

When he turned around, he looked at the other woman with awe. Hair tied in a bun, wearing her clothes like a soldier, armored and armed with a dozen weapons.

Like she just came from a battlefield. Or was going to one.

"Sit, I'll teach you how to eat this with sauce and porridge." he ordered pointing to the kitchen table.

The other woman in his wife's body smiled amused and sat down, as Pef placed the wooden tray in front. "This is Earth rank spider, killed and prepared by me. Tastes best with lemon juice and garlic sauce, now open your mouth!"

Pef kept explaining and feeding the guest with tasty bits. Her silver eyes glinted with a special meaning, between incredulity and awe.

An hour later, they were both full and sated.

"Ah, cooking is indeed an art. Have to experience it myself to realize it..." the warrior mused with a satisfied face.

"So this fine lady warrior has a name? House, rank, legion?" Pef asked with a raised eyebrow, while pouring tea for both of them.

"Memories...hazy. Power armor malfunctioned, Void field stressors overloaded, emergency pod deployed, enemy still in pursuit. Woke up dead, yet not dead. Our body weak, and in pain." she said with a few hand gestures.

"Well, good news is we just invented paper and glass. No power armors yet. Also, the Awakening is over. There shouldn't be any physical pain now. Just some mental trauma from the breeding camp..." Pef explained with a kind smile, and sipped his tea. Lemon did make it taste better, he was right!

"Our body...is not old body. We are new. She will understand, in time. Old body burned away.

Only our soul matters" the strange warrior said after tasting the tea with a grimace. She didn't like lemon tea that much.

"Okay then. So, you're close to next qi rank. Just need to fight and kill something. Earth spiders maybe. Just with your fists" our hero mused while cleaning up the kitchen and storing his utensils.

"Storage rings...useful. Make us one!" she demanded with a grin, eying his hands with some nefarious purpose.

"Sure. But I work for hugs. And a sapphire ring takes hard work..." Pef said with a grin of his own.

The silver eyed beauty smiled and offered a minute-long hug. "Our body was right. Idiot husband. We will keep you for ourselves. You're fun and useful" she whispered while caressing Pef's hair.

'Excellent work, Aspirant. Your hugs are Tier 3 weapons'

'Kindness is not a weapon. It is just natural' Pef muttered inward.

The glove grumbled but stayed silent. The idiot lucked out, as usual. Perhaps the Heavens were amused or something.

Pef took her hand and lead her outside, checking for troubles.

The Guardians signaled all clear.

Pef nodded then hugged Xie's waist, and then flew up.

He stopped at a kilometer in altitude, scanning for a target.

"Flight, I miss flying. I must get it back..." the warrior whispered while looking around without fear, just longing and desire.

Pef accelerated northwards, a bit slower than his maximum speed. After ten minutes, he landed on the airship, continuing the route while resting.

"Pef, we're flying? Ah, my soul came out to play, right? She didn't hurt you, did she?" Xie asked with a worried look. She pawed over Pef's body, checking for wounds.

"She's really nice. I like her too. But Lin told me not to marry anymore women..." Pef mused with a doubtful face. In fact, Xie was scarier than the new soul. Especially when she had a panic attack.

"Haha, my dear idiot! We are the same. Just...different strengths. She'd be a great pilot for this airship, I just know it" Xie laughed in delight, sitting in Pef's lap while he turned and weaved the airship, to follow better winds.

After a few days, they reached the site of the third citadel, where they had left the two crippled spiders, that Xie failed to kill at Nascent rank.

One was still there, and had even begun growing its legs back, if not yet meaty ones.

The other was just a desiccated shell, probably having been munched on, by the surviving spider.

"Oh, my old spider friend! Ah, my fists remember its hard shell !" Xie exclaimed with a strange grimace on her face. Hate and disgust maybe.

The couple glided down to the bottom of the canyon, and Pef started cooking right away,

while Xie rushed ahead, holding her spiked maul high.

Horrible screeches and crunching noises could be heard, if anyone listened.

Pef didn't care, his focus on achieving a perfect meal yet again.

An hour later, Xie returned with six scrawny spider legs, that she obtained from the Arachne spider. "Look, I managed to break this off! But now, I'm tired and hungry..."

Pef smiled amused and set up a picnic meal, with orange juice on the side.

Xie rested for a few hours, then returned to finish her target, with her fists this time.

Pef sat down to draw in a notebook, inventing various designs like a steam engine and the telescope, writing down notes for copper plating sea ships and using paddle wheels for motive power.

In the background, there was the sound of continuous thumping and pounding, as Xie Xi kept punching the spider over and over.

And as the evening fell, a final crunch was heard, the Earth rank spider shell having finally cracked, after some 5000 punches, from a Spirit ranked sage.

A wave of qi descended from heavens, powering up Xie higher and higher, and over the peak, into Earth rank.

Such was the way of the Legion. Defeat a higher ranked enemy in straight combat, and the heavens rewarded you. Use tools and weapons, and the rewards will be lowered.

Pef stored the notebook away, and stood up.

His wife was still elbow deep into the spider's head, and crying.

"Eating babies, were you? Now we are eating you!" she sobbed while scooping out dead spider brains.

"Enough of that soldier! Return to your post, beside your husband" Pef ordered in a loud voice.

Xie froze and stared at her hands, then called water to wash away all the gross bits.

"Ahhhh, sorry husband. I might have gone too far, a bit?" she apologized with a confused face.

"Control your emotions, my dear. We will have our revenge. But first, we need to become strong. No more crying, no more tempers. So, what item will you craft, with this Earth ranked corpse?" Pef said gesturing at the dead spider.

"Oh. Right! I need a bigger maul!" Xie proclaimed while twirling the Nascent rank maul on her fingers, the one she could barely lift before.

Pef collected the dead spiders and offered her a hug. "Congratulations Xie. Earth rank, and so soon. From Core to Earth in just one year"

"Your wife is badass now, and you know it! Now, show me more of that love!" Xie Xi demanded, while kissing our hero and then molesting him, for the rest of the night.

Not that Pef minded of course. She was a godly beauty, and he kinda loved her, even if she had a few problems.