32

The airship hovered over the Guardian base, held up by hot air, and Pef keeping it still.

The 6 people on board seemed happy to have reached some place to land.

"Can you believe it Jen? We are Core cultivators, before our first 20 years!" the boy exclaimed exuberantly, patting his brother on the back.

"Quiet down! I still have nightmares about the Blood Cove" Jen retorted with a pained voice.

"And you'll be Guardians of the Empire. Except your mother, who will return with me to the capital." Pef spoke softly from behind them.

"But...who will...I mean. Dad barely cooks, even the fish..." the younger boy complained with a worried voice.

"You will be provided nourishment. A corn of maize per day. It will be up to you, if you boil it, fry it or simply eat it raw. For anything else, you work, hunt or beg. Though begging is humiliating a bit..." the Emperor explained with a kind smile.

The three former fishermen looked at each other with pity.

Xie grinned at the way Pef set the problem, making it appear as if these youngsters will starve or something.

"Want me to teach you how to hunt?" she asked in a pleasant voice, her maul appearing in her hands as proof of her prowess.

"Ah, Lady Xie...that won't be a problem, right Dad?" Jun spoke at once, eyeing the spiked maul with terrified eyes.

"Okay, let's descend to the garrison, I sense another Nascent Soul has been formed" Pef declared, and began dragging the airship close to the ground.

He stopped at 20 meters, and gestured the new Guardians to jump. Their faces paled and they hesitated. So Xie kicked them out, gently.

Then she jumped before she got kicked as well. Pef sighed and held a hand to the oracle.

"I know they are fine, but my heart still worries" the woman whispered as she floated in the air, as the airship disappeared.

A Guardian yelled in joy, and jumped, reaching Pef and hanging from his neck. "Leader, you're back! ah, we missed you..."

Pef landed and stared at this woman. Then he remembered a night of playing doctor and smiled. "Kira, how are you!"

"I am Chen Wong, Emperor. The other Guardian..." the woman said in a polite tone, stepping back and glaring daggers.

"Oh, Nascent rank though. Congratulations!" Pef offered after scratching his head.

"My eyes are black, as is my hair. Kira has dark red hair, and dark blue eyes" the scorned woman explained with a frown.

'In the dark, all cats are black' our hero mused while he shrugged outwardly.

"Are you sure? I thought it was the other way" he said instead.

Xie hugged him from the side, laughing inside. "Pretty sure Madam Wong knows what her hair color is, husband"

"Right! Where is my dear friend, Wong Leader?" Pef wondered, tilting his head towards the wife.

"Still crying in the basement, as you should know, Emperor..." the Guardian said politely.

Pef looked at the sky in wonder. "Oh. How long has it been? I was aiming for a week, but must have forgotten..."

A pair of silver eyes appeared on Xie's face, twinkling with amusement. Her husband was really a moron. But very fun to watch.

"It will be a year, tomorrow."

"Wow, Young Wong is really tougher than I thought. Even my wife didn't last a year." Pef mused out loud, hugging Xia protectively.

"Not he's not. Fen Li mops his tears everyday, in a bucket. Or the basement would be flooded by now. Also, I wash this man with a sponge, everyday. While he cries. So far, so good" Chen explained with a sour face.

Pef agreed to that: "Yeah, that part should end tomorrow. The crying I mean"

"It hurts me when he cries. Not right..." she said softly.

"Ah, he sounds like a water mage. Good, good, the Empire needs strong sages. Make sure you give him all your love, Madam Wong" Pef said gently, then turned to leave.

And came nose in nose with a dark red haired woman.

"Miss Chen? How do you do?" he asked politely.

"I'm Kira. Welcome back, Guardian Leader" she said gently and leaned into a hug.

Xie sighed and walked away, the drama too much for a single day.

"Hey Kira. You look pretty. So...how's marriage?" Pef whispered in her hair.

"Men are idiots" Kira said in a flat tone, and walked away as well.

Pef shrugged and went to make some food. Cooking always worked.

Words, not so much.

The next day, Pef went to visit his ward.

"Wong, I hear you cried your eyes out!" he yelled as he reached the basement.

"N-not true. It's all the baths and the sweat. I'm good, really. For a week more, if you think it necessary, Master Xi" the man answered with a puffy face.

"So sad. I lasted a year and a half, you know. And I even gave you two wonderful Guardians as wives..." Pef said in a dejected tone, taking out a stick, and gesturing a few strikes.

"Truth is, Kira never visits. And looks at me strangely. Like men cannot ever suffer." Wong complained with a frown.

"Oh. That's sad indeed. You're divorced then. Chen likes you though. Right?" Pef said with a mischievous smile.

"I think Chen does. She kissed my tears once" Wong admitted with a dreamy voice.

"Aha! You said you never cried. You lied to your Master!" Pef exploded in righteous outrage.

"Mercy, please ! I am weak, I admit to it! Master, make the pain stop..." Wong sobbed and began crying.

Pef tapped his fingers. 'Glove. Terminate indoctrination. One year is quite amazing anyway'

'Indeed. Reminds me of another sniveling crying weakling' glove commented ironically.

"You are a man now, Wong! Stand up, and go love your wives. After you bathe. I am curious what your magic will be" Pef proclaimed grandly, then left the steamy basement.

Wong followed him in a floating dream, as his new Nascent Soul filled the world with new colors, and the lack of pain made him a bit delirious.

Kira was making tea and turned in shock, observing the new rank of Wong Leader.

"Ah...Nascent rank! ...husband..." she muttered with hesitant words.

"Divorced! You did not visit me once, woman. Now you don't get to enjoy my superb body" Wong proclaimed in a magnificent indignant voice.

"Thank the gods..." Kira whispered while glancing at Pef, in thanks.

"Come Kira. You can stay with me, if Elder Wong needs privacy" the Guardian Leader said gently and stepped outside.

Kira took some time, likely recovering her possessions from the Wong mansion, before she returned to the house next door.

She stepped inside Pef's room with her clothes and mirror piled up, and feeling out of place. There was someone else in the room, and Pef was meditating.

A strange woman with silver eyes watched her intently. "Such is fate, a name remembered or forgotten. Welcome to the Legion, Kira"

Pef seemed busy, swirling qi energy in his palm for some reason. Kira sat down to wait, unsure what the ominous words meant.

The words carried a tinge of godhood, filling the air with divine qi. And yet nothing changed, no beams of light or heavenly choirs. Just a strange vibration, continuing in ethereal directions.

After a few hours, Pef took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Should have 2 cubic meters now" the Leader said mysteriously.

"Not bad husband. Still, a miserable result, but better than your previous pathetic ones. We will need two such rings"

"Come Kira, give me your hand" Pef said gently, ignoring the scary woman.

She offered a hand with a mix of curiosity and worry. Then a brass ring with a tiny blue sapphire was placed on her finger.

"Storage ring. And more, should you wish to accept it" Pef said softly looking directly into her eyes.

Kira looked at the priceless ring and blushed. Then she nodded and offered a hug with open arms. That was the only currency Pef wanted.

Xia joined the hug after a minute, and vanished, leaving a confused Xie instead.

"Hubby, Lin is gonna kill you..." she muttered after realizing the context, as she could count rings as well.

"Always aim higher, soldier. 8 is not a high enough number" Pef muttered to himself.

'That's my boy. You show them! Or die trying' the gloved added with glee.