59

As the five test subjects recovered, they were quite mad at the Emperor, for some reason.

The wives bit less, as their Awakening had somehow immunized them to pain, in the sense that, they could still function while experiencing pain.

Remi and Lara were way more affected, as their cultivation method was a weaker version, meant to mass produce Wall Guards. It did great at that, compared to most methods available to the planet. Few rejections and no sudden existence failures or heavenly lightning.

But a burst of alchemical qi cleansing a meridian was unbelievably painful, even for Emperors.

"Hey, girls...What is this...I can make myself light?" Pela asked in surprise, having crossed directly from Earth rank to Sky rank, without waiting hundreds of years or killing an Emperor beast.

The anger dissipated as the other 4 women, already at Sky rank, hugged and congratulated the black haired woman for her success.

"That moron husband...he could have warned us!" Erin grumbled while pouring herself some wine with a trembling hand.

"I'm okay though. Sure it hurt, but I'm close to the peak now. Are there more such pills?" Xie asked in a lighter voice, waving her hand to craft a dancing water spout.

Remi nodded and gulped a cup of wine as a starter. "Sometimes the Patriarch rewards Emperors with a Red pill. So I think it's made on Red Dew Continent" she explained while struggling to breathe normally.

She felt so strong now, and yet, most of the qi had left her. She glanced at her friend Lara, which also gained, but not nearly enough as Xie or Erin.

"You two, how...you have the original Xi method?" Remi asked while discerning the cause.

"Well...we're married to Pef, you know? He takes care of us." Erin replied with a shrug.

Just as Remi was about to explode in outrage, the devil entered waving a plate of divine smelling food. "Dinner's ready. If anyone still loves me in here, and will offer a hug." he explained while nibbling gently on something that exploded the room in pangs of hunger.

The wives rushed first, offering a hug, then ran away with the plate.

Pef leaned on the wall, his eyes glancing from Remi to Lara in narrow focus.

The blue-haired Major rose and offered a hug, and whispered 'Thank you' before leaving him alone with his sister.

"So, you're not happy, Remi?" Pef asked a bit confused.

"You are after Lara, I know it. All your wives, you give them the Xi method. But not me...I'll have to stick with the crap method and die at the Wall. Like I'm not a Xi myself!"

Remi complained and drank another cup.

"You're being stupid, sis. All my crew get the method. Those men you saw, straining to bend bones? They were Wall Guards in 413. They'll be Sky rankers in no time. Major Wu and Zhong will become Emperors, and quite soon." Pef answered in a low tone, sitting beside her for a cup of wine.

"Really? Everyone? But, there's no place for them, in the Patriarchy..." the sister realized with wide eyes.

"But my continent is far away. I have the glove and the blade. That makes me the Patriarch back home. So I make the rules, for those who follow me." Pef said softly, holding the neo blade in his palm.

"But...but...you're leaving?" Remi sobbed a bit frustrated.

"And taking my staff with me. The Saint continent will have Saints, not Emperors. So, still hungry?" Pef asked in a mild voice.

"Yea, I'm actually famished. Damn pill..." Remi explained while hugging her brother with one arm.

Pef smiled and picked her up by the waist, then sped up to reach the guest room, and left Remi beside Wu, as he was portioning the meat for everyone.

"Let's eat. And then we drink a bit, okay?" Pef offered generously. The staff cheered in approval, with Remi the loudest.

Later that night, as the staff drank and sang, Pef called Lara away, and they flew high into the sky.

"So, you'll need to make a choice, dear lady." Pef said and sat down on a cloud, bathed in moonlight. Lara smiled at his silliness, and sat beside him, suspecting the other shoe was dropping.

"I heard. Leaving the Blue Xi..." she whispered a bit afraid.

"What do you think of Major Wu?" Pef asked instead, making her choke a bit.

He was planning to give her away? Like a trophy wife?

"Gah! I don't like him. So weird and proper. Only work and schedules and training. He may be strong and all, but no thanks, I rather stay unmarried" Lara declared in a dejected tone.

Pef laughed amused. "Actually, he kinda likes Remi. So I thought, she may need someone to keep her alive, with her fickle and random acts, plus the drinking..."

"Oh! Then forget everything I said. He'd be perfect for her! I'm tired of being her leash..."

Lara said after digesting the happy news. She wasn't going to be given away. Yay!

"Any possible husband around?" Pef asked curious. You never knew, with women.

"Have you seen me? Blue hair, blue eyes! Just like Erin, I'd need a charming prince to..."

she sighed, feeling sorry for herself.

Pef grabbed at the moon, in a futile gesture. "Problem is, my lady, if any Emperor claims you, for any reason, even just to spite me, before I leave..."

"I'd end up in a harem, locked up as a curiosity. Gah, this world is so unfair!" Lara yelled in outrage.

"Well, here's a ring. If you ever need it, put it on, and claim to be my wife. Still, not sure it will help, with me 30 thousand kilometers away, along with Remi and my crew...but better than nothing." Pef offered, holding up a storage ring and placing it in her palm.

"Wait, you're leaving me behind?" the woman realized, feeling alone all of a sudden. Without Remi, it will be back to hazing and humiliations. And the ring, might not do any good, if Pef was so far away.

"It's your choice, my lady. I like you a lot, but that makes it even simpler. If you want to come, then come. If not, then don't." Pef said gently, then rolled away and dove back towards the city.

Lara stayed on the cloud, staring at the ring in the moonlight.

"Make a choice Lara..." she whispered softly, staring at the moon.

Who else will cook for you? Tell you you're pretty?

Give you a ring, and then just leave?

Xie had purple hair, Erin that pale blonde...she'd fit right in, Lara realized some time later.

The Emperor was just to shy to ask.

Lara chuckled to herself, and blushing a little. An Emperor who beat up Tyrants!

She flew down to talk to Remi, but her friend was not alone in the room.

Must be that Major then. They sure worked fast, those two.

Lara walked away, looking for someplace to sleep.

But all the rooms were taken, and she returned to the guest room, to find Pef and Xie chatting over some bones.

"A sword is better, dear wife!" the Emperor said in a soft voice.

"Stupid boy! Sword Qi takes a hundred years to form. Make an axe-pick. At least that will be useful." his wife said and slapped his head.

"No! Swords are cool and elegant!" the young man proclaimed in a whisper, then turned towards Lara.

He smiled a bit awkwardly, then patted the bench next to him.

Lara sat down, looking at the amazing Tyrant horns that Pef had just hunted.

"What weapon do you like Lara?" he asked in a gentle voice.

"Well, for big beasts a polearm. Maybe one with a sharp spike backwards, in case it has hard armor." the Major answered after a minute. Big beasts were a pain to kill, unless you had a Tyrant ranked...

"Okay then, I'll make you a polearm. Why are you still up?" Pef asked curious.

Lara blushed and whispered: "Remi is with someone..."

"Right. Well, I should go and give Pela her reward. You can bunk with Xie, she's nice." the young Emperor said and flew away, goat horns folding and vanishing in his palm.

Lara stared at the purple-haired woman with a blink. Share a bed?

"Have I told you, how I've killed an Emperor beast with my chest, once?" Xie said softly, taking her hand and walking towards her room.

Lara meeped in terror. Pef's wife was crazy!