33

The next day, Pef woke up to find Xie and Kira deep in gossip, eying him sometimes with secret meanings.

"Morning! What's up?" he asked feeling chipper. Every new wife made him happy, so it wasn't something special.

"You should stop giving marital advice to your Guardians. It robs them of free will" a different voice answered, from a veteran warrior.

Pef blinked confused, and turned towards Kira "Oh. That's...not something I ever considered"

"The Legion is a military group. And orders carry higher meanings. Just be careful, from now on" Xia explained gently then vanished behind brown eyes.

"I'm an idiot sometimes, sorry Kira" Pef muttered with lowered eyes. He did fuck it up, as Kira already told him she'd be glad to marry him. He just didn't listen.

"It's okay now, Pef. When Chen presents her Spirit rank husband, I will just smile. Cause my hubby is Sky rank!" the woman exclaimed with an exuberant grin.

"Great catch Kira! But you'll still be wife number 9" Xie added with a wry smile.

"I don't care. I hoped Pef will come back for me, and he did. My mission was complete and, I got the best husband I could ever find. Win-win!" the red-headed woman proclaimed and jumped to hug her husband.

Pef shook his head amused and walked to the kitchen, with Kira hanging from his neck.

And then cooked breakfast while she hang on his back, like a backpack. Then he had to feed her like a baby. When he glanced towards Xie though, he found a silver eyed woman waiting with her mouth open and salivating.

So he had to feed the other wife as well. Such is the life he chose for himself though.

There are perks, so don't pity Pef too much.

He squeezed a few oranges and served the ladies, then cleaned the kitchen and sat down to rest.

"What are we doing now, Pef?" Kira asked in an eager voice.

"Now I go check the government, probably repair the printer as well...then come back and see Wong. And then we pack and leave towards home" Pef explained with gravitas.

The women looked at each other and smiled.

"So, nothing important. Let's go back to our room, and discuss some more" Kira asked with her hands under her chin and sweet voice.

'Ah, these are the perks I was hooping for'

'Two hours, Aspirant. There's work to do' the glove proposed with a demanding tone.

Three hours later, Pef began his rounds around the city, visiting the city hall, and Magister Feng.

"I wanted to see my daughter one last time" the father sobbed as Pef patted his shoulder.

"We'll hold her funeral tonight. Her body is with me still" the hero said gently.

"Oh. That's good. We can send her soul to heaven then." Magister Feng whispered with a sad voice.

Pef sighed deeply and said: "I tried but I couldn't save her. Even now, I'm too weak for such a task. But I hunted down the Disciples. Miss Feng is now avenged"

"I heard what you did, Emperor. And don't call yourself weak, for gods' sake. What am I then..." the man said in a sad chuckle.

Pef turned and left, flying over to the Wong mansion.

The Wong Leader was out in the garden, with some noble friends of his, and demonstrating his water bending. The wives were there as well, looking positively radiant.

"Master Xi, or should I say Emperor. Welcome...I doubted you, but now I'm sorry. One year to reach Spirit rank? It was worth a thousand tears!" the man proclaimed, while his friends nodded in awe.

"First task, 10 water balls, and spinning. Second task, a water shield dome, also spinning.

And third task, with no hand gestures. I have no need for a Spirit rank, my apprentice. You need to be a Sky rank, Wong Leader!" Pef demanded loudly, making his water shield appear and spin.

The young(ish) man stared at the crazy ranker in disbelief. Then clenched his fists and nodded.

"This Wong will train every day. In 10 years, we will both fly above Port Li!" he proclaimed and bowed deeply.

"Good. Start building yourself a pool then. Filling it with water every day will make you strong, and your wives happy. And when the wives are happy, you will grow much faster" Pef advised him in a fake whisper.

Wong nodded with naive eyes, gulping it up, like a gullible young noble. "Yes, Master. Happy wives are an absolute must"

Pef opened his palm, making 4 rings appear, two of them old storage rings.

"Here, two storage rings, for the qi users. And two more for the lovely mortal ladies"

"A-amazing! Truly I am the most blessed man by the heavens. Thank you again, Master Xi"

Wong said in gratefully, and gushing manly tears.

Pef smiled and sped away, and arrived at his Guardian base. And his house. And next to his target. "Lady oracle, we leave tonight. If you have things to say to your family."

"Ah. I should wash their clothes one last time..."the woman mused with a worried face.

"Or buy them like a dozen sets of clothes, plus soap and bone razors. Guardians need to shave daily" Pef whispered and palmed her a copper plate.

"That's too much...err. Is it enough?" the oracle asked cautiously.

"Yes. Take all of them with you, and get them measured at a seamstress"

"See you tonight then, Emperor" the woman declared politely and ran to her family.

Then he lounged on a wooden bench all day, watching the Guardians train, or go out for their rounds, listening to the noises of a busy port.

He was content for now, but he knew it wouldn't last.

The continent was only safe because the qi was too scarce. If the rock worm died or ascended, it would mean a qi increase of ten times, making local beasts stronger and other problems, like some wandering Emperor.

He will need an army, magic formations for defense and quick routes to travel. Which meant roads, roads through impassable jungles.

That meant culling all beasts above Core rank, for hundreds of kilometers from the roads.

Extract and lay down thousands of tones of stone. And cutting down millions of trees.

Just like other Emperors did on their continents.

Pef looked up at the sky, wishing he could fly away.

"Don't worry husband. I'll always be beside you" Xie whispered, having somehow sat beside him unnoticed.

"Thanks love. We have lots of stones to crush" he answered with a smile.

"Xia will teach you how to reach Emperor. When we're alone..." a different voice added, from the same body. Pef just hugged her waist in silence.

Evening came, and Pef and Magister Feng burned the murdered woman's body, the smoke joining the grey sky over Port Li.

"Feng, start building a navy. I want 100 ships, each with 50 soldiers. And a moving lumber camp towards Lacrimosa. A dozen Guardians will defend the workers as they advance"

"Then I need 120 copper plates, and a yearly stipend of 20 more plates." the magister answered after thinking for a while.

"Double that. These will be warships, twice as long. And will have Earth ranks ballistas at their bow." Pef explained after a few seconds.

The man eyed him shrewdly. "As long the Emperor provides such weapons..."

"Of course. Here. A ring with 300 plates. Setting up the shipyards will be costly."

"So, the Sea Guard will guard the sea..." the Magister mused while watching the pyre with teary eyes.

"Yes. The Guardians will defend the land and the airships our airspace. It will take a hundred years though" Pef admitted with a headshake.

The Magister laughed grimly. "Haha. I think twenty years at most. I barely recognize Port Li now, and you've only been around for 2 years..."

"I need to train more people, and get them higher ranks...cultivation is hard" Pef declared with sigh, then took off in the sky.

The mourning father stared at the pyre with cold eyes. "Stupid kid. Flying around at 18 years old, and saying it's hard. And giving out storage rings...oh well...there are more Disciples to be slain, across the sea. And we shall pay them a visit, won't we?"