Bia’xx sat on a table in the front courtyard, eating a hearty breakfast with her sister and thinking over yesterday’s insightful teachings.

Aia’xx had pointed out how spacy she was since the practice bout, and even now she could not help but ruminate the many flaws in her cultivation Dra’xx later spoke to her about. If only the old man told her how to fix the problem with her energy flow which was, according to him, ‘far too slow. People can see where yer send yer energy when yer move in t’ attack, n’ figure out a way t’ counterattack before yer’ve even finished,’.

It would be a real pain if her opponents started dodging and counterattacking before she even made a move based on her energy moving too slow through her meridians. And that was only one of many problems with her cultivation Dra’xx told her about.

But as her older brother, Dai’x, always said, it was best to tackle one problem at a time, and Bia’xx wanted to solve the easiest first. From her perspective, fixing up her meridians was priority number one. Half of her meridians were clogged, and the ones which were clear were not being used as efficiently as possible.

Somehow, Dra’xx expected her to figure that out on her own. Not that she really minded all that much. She enjoyed having a problem to solve using her own abilities.

“Hey, Bia. Looks like some sort of miracle’s happened!”

Snapping out of her daze, Bia’xx noticed an unkempt Jack walking towards them with wet hair, the result of a morning bath, and bags under his bloodshot eyes. It seemed like he had not gotten enough sleep through the night.

“Hmm, that’s rare. You’re actually up in time for breakfast.” Bia’xx stated.

“I know, I’m cool.” He responded, taking a seat next to Aia’xx.

“That’s not what I said.”

“Hey, Jack, why don’t you use your Fire Energy to dry your hair?” Aia’xx asked.

“Nope, not now, I don’t trust myself enough to not turn myself bald like Dra’xx. Or like you were yesterday.”

“I did not go bald yesterday!” Aia’xx lightly hit the table.

“Tired?” Bia’xx asked.

“Very. My sleep schedule is arse.”

Jack did not look too good, his skin pale, hands shaking and a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. This was not the consequence of a mere lack of sleep, it was something else entirely. What that thing was, however, Bia’xx did not know.

She considered herself far from qualified to deal with physical or, Phoenix forbid, mental ailments. That was more in Aia’xx’s department, it was only a matter of time before she started panicking over Jack’s condition, which would probably end up being nothing to worry about.

She could rule out any disease or poison, at least. He was a cultivator: a being who was naturally invulnerable to all mortal pestilence.

Jack kept picking at Aia’xx plate of food much to her dismay and his entertainment, so it seemed he was eating well and acting fine. Thus, Bia’xx concluded he was, overall, okay enough to deal whatever the Rei Ui had to throw at him.

Speaking of…

“Oh, would you look at that, they’re here already.” Jack says, loud enough for the approaching figures in regal vermillion robes to hear.

Three Elders of the Rei Ui, two male one female, made their way up the last part of the hill and stopped once they get close enough to the table.

Though they were ‘Elders’, they looked like they were in their mid-twenties at most, obviously a result of their high cultivation. Their true age couldn’t be revealed by appearance alone, only by peering into the age of their soul, which was out of Bia’xx’s skill range. If she had to guess, the three were at least above 70 years old as they were each in the 6th level of the Mortal Realm, which was about average for those capable of becoming Elders in the Rei Ui.

“G-greetings.” One of them nervously said. It seems they have never been in the presence of an Imperial before, which is not surprising. A mere Elder of a Mayor Clan does not often see someone of such high status. They had not a clue how to act.

Fortunately for them, Jack is not like most other Imperial Scions, in the sense that he might not be considered one anymore and that at most he would simply mess with his escorts for his own entertainment, but he would not order their execution at the slightest hint of an offense like what they were probably expecting.

“M-my most respected lord, and his loyal Guard, we humble Elders of the Rei Ui would like to invite you to our simple Manor. It would be wonderful for Your Imperial Highness to grace us with his presence.”

Jack sighed loudly, no doubt striking fear in the three Elders.

“This prince at least wanted some time to eat breakfast.” Jack looked at the three with slight annoyance, which was how he looked at almost everything, but just that was enough to send them into a frenzy.

“O-o-of course, we don’t mean to pressure you, Your Highness! Please, t-take your time.”

The poor fools looked like they were one dissatisfied look away from prostrating themselves for forgiveness.

“No, no. It’s fine. May as well get it over with. Where’s the carriage?”

This seemed to be quite the shock for the three, but a pleasant one to be sure.

“Why, m-my lord, it’s just down this hill. Allow us to escort you, please follow us.”

“Ahhh! The stupid damn hill. Bia’xx, carry me.”

“No.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 minutes later, they were in their own private carriage, sitting on opposite sides from each other. Jack was resting his eyes, likely using this time to attack the Seal with whatever wisps of his energy he could pull out of it while he did so.

The Seal of Suppression did not fully lock away Jack’s soul and Dantian, for whatever reason. It only greatly limited the amount of energy he could pull out of it, forbidding him from cultivating properly.

With enough effort, Jack could pull enough energy from the Seal to nourish his body, strengthening it beyond what a cultivator his level should be able to, even though whatever energy he could wrench out was very diminished. A fact which led Bia’xx to wonder just what level Jack was at. It must have been higher than the 1st level, at least.

Bia’xx pondered why the Emperor made the Seal so manipulatable. Jack had found may ways around it, and even though he could not properly cultivate, it seemed his energy was at a way higher level than it should have been.

If the Emperor really sealed his power away out of fear of Demonification, then why didn’t he make it an Absolute Soul Seal instead of a Seal of Suppression? Dra’xx told her it was in her best interests not to question the inner workings of the Imperial Clan, but she could not help herself.

She wondered why the Emperor made things so awkward and vague, with him not specifying Jack’s status to the world and the Seal being so weak. It seemed the Emperor still had designs for his only living son, but only he knew what they were. Though she could make a few educated guesses.

What would happen when it inevitably shattered? Jack’s body, however strong it may be for his cultivation, might not be able to handle the power. Chances were he could not, not without outside help.

Jack chose her to escort him on account of her sharp mind for politics due to her experience helping her family business, but her duty was to act as his guard. In all likelihood she wouldn’t get a single word in this trip, so why the hell was she even here? Was he planning something, perhaps involving her?

The ride was surprisingly smooth as it climbed up the steep uneven incline. Bia’xx was prepared to stop the unconscious Jack from flopping onto the floor due to the bumps and crashes which were bound to happen but was disappointed when it did not happen. She wanted to be useful for something during this trip. Also, it would have been a bit funny.

Her wish was then granted as the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Bia’xx reached to catch the falling Jack who was lighter than a feather in her hands. Something about Jack sensed a little off.

“Woah, Bia’xx, that’s a bit hand’s on isn’t—hey! Don’t drop me! I was joking!”

“Your Highness,” the female Elder slid open the door and bowed. “We have arrived.”

“Damn, knocked my funny bone.”

Getting off the floor whilst rubbing his elbow, Jack thanked the bewildered Elder whilst she resisted the temptation to ask why his Imperial Highness was on his knees at the feet of his own guard, but his lax attitude made it easy to pretend nothing happened.

Bia’xx hovered closely behind Jack as they followed her to the imposing entrance gate made of sliver Reinforced with Heaven Realm energy. In fact, the entire Manor was Reinforced with it.

If, Phoenix forbid, things went sour, their only escape route would be through the front door. No destroying the walls or roof to make her own way out on the slim chance they escape the Elders.

She did not have much confidence that she would be able to hold off the higher ranked Elders long enough for Jack to escape. Though, that was assuming the Emperor would choose today of all days to finally execute his son, which was seeming more unlikely as the days went on.

And if he did want Jack dead, there was a chance she would be the one ordered to do it.

The robed guards, Inner Disciples of the Manor, stood to attention at the sight of Jack despite his figure not being imposing or commanding in the slightest. Perhaps it was because their Patriarch did the same thing as he waited at the entrance with his entourage of Elders and his only son.

Jack kept a strained but amiable smile plastered on his face as he made eye contact with Cira’xx Rei Ui.

Usually, Bia’xx could feel the energy of people a few levels above on account of her naturally powerful spiritual senses, but she could not sense the power of this man. If she did not know any better, she would write him off as a simple, greying old geezer.

But, by a long shot, this was the strongest man in the entire city, the only Heaven Realm Cultivator in Peya Vaan, one of only a few dozen in the entire Empire.

Cira’xx kept a welcoming atmosphere around him with an expression that hid his true intentions, and his gaggle of Elders did the same, though his son struggled to hide his resentment for the prince as he grimaced.

When they reached an appropriate distance, Cira’xx, his son and his Elders kneeled with a loud stomp and greeted Jack in unison.

“The Rei Ui Clan greets Your Imperial Highness!”

“Greetings, please rise, rise.”

The smirk on Jack’s face was no longer strained as he basked in the feeling of people kneeling to him. Yet he still insisted he didn’t enjoy the attention…

They all rose following Cira’xx, who then proposed they come inside. A banquet in their honour had already been prepared and it did not seem Jack wanted to wait any longer to get to it. Bia’xx concluded that was why Jack so readily skipped breakfast, so he would have more room in his belly for the meal the Rei Ui was bound to provide. It reminded her of something Jack said a while back.

‘The Rei Ui are bunch of good-for-nothing bootlickers, but god damn their chefs are something else. Think we should poach ‘em?’

Typical.

The two followed everyone into the expansive main hall where a waft of warm pork and mutton and a variety of other meats along with the scent of roasted potatoes covered in gravy overwhelmed their senses, especially Jack’s, whose eyes sparkled, and mouth watered. A Southern style meal, then, a Peya Vaan specialty.

Cira’xx led them to the seats of honour, situated on a raised platform with a long hardwood table, waited by a multitude of white robed servants, filled with steaming plates and bowls. Looking around, even she was shocked at the lengths they went to impress Jack. They were treating him to something better than what they have served him previous. She grew more suspicious they were greasing their hands before dropping a bombshell on them.

“Please everyone, be seated. Your Imperial Highness and his loyal guard, we can only hope this humble meal is to your taste. This lowly one pleads for forgiveness for his transgression of inviting Your Highness on such short notice.”

“It’s only a transgression if you waste this prince’s time, and judging by all this,” Jack waved his hand exaggeratedly at the table of cuisine. “It doesn’t seem to be a waste of this prince’s time at all.”

That was perhaps the largest compliment Jack had ever given to the Rei Ui. Was he feeling generous today?

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Rei Ui reeled back in shock, Cira’xx included. This alone gave them the idea that maybe they had finally won the passive aggressive prince over to their faction, that their years of pandering finally paid off.

Though, Bia’xx knew better than to believe he would set aside his life-long grudge against those of the Imperial Court, Nobility and the Emperor so easily. She did not think it was a well-founded grudge. Not everyone had the power to speak out against the entire Imperial Court and keep their life, including the Emperor himself.

Bia’xx stood behind Jack as he sat in his respective seat. There was one for her, but she was not inclined to take it.

Perhaps it was unfounded, but a deep feeling of anxiety festered in her gut. It did not show on her face except the slight beads of sweat forming on her forehead and down her back.

She did not think she would be this intimidated by the Rei Ui but being surrounded by potential political enemies so much more powerful than her was, to say the least, worrying. She could see why Jack chose her as his escort instead of the more powerful Aia’xx or Dra’xx as the only one in his guard with experience in politics, but what need was there for a guard with a mind for politics or business?

Even if he did need one of those, Cla’xx had a sharp mind and power above that of even Aia’xx, so why choose her to protect him during this?

Jack seemed to have noticed her worries and flashed her a calm smile, one full of confidence that things would not go awry. The fact that his mouth was full of food sort of ruined the effect, but she appreciated the effort.

There were 10 Elders in the room, 11 if you count Cira’xx. Four at the same level as Bia’xx, the 7th, two at the 8th, three at the 9th and one at the 10th.

Then, one at the 1st level of the Heaven Realm…

If the worst-case scenario did happen, which, rationally speaking, was seeming less likely to happen as time went on, the two were doomed to die without a reasonable opportunity to fight back.

She had confidence she could defeat the four at the 7th level if they, for some strange reason, decided to fight her one by one, but that was not going to happen.

More likely, Cira’xx would take it upon himself and vaporise Jack in a mere instant and be done with it all.

Bia’xx supposed all she could do was hope Jack had not screwed things up bad enough for the Emperor to order his death.

Bustle and chatter filled the room between the Elders, and the light strums of the pipa slowly calmed her mind. Jack and Cira’xx partook in pleasant conversation without a trace of hostility, a world of difference from how it usually ended up, with Jack listing off endless veiled insults which turned the Rei Ui red with anger. Bia’xx guessed that the whole room was shocked by it.

She sure was, at least. Time to stop worrying so damn much. They were only here to sort out Jack’s lechery anyway.

“You know, Patriarch Cira’xx,” Jack said with an unnatural aristocratic drawl. “If there was one thing lacking this fine morning, it would be the lack of excitement.”

What the hell was he doing…

“Your Highness, what exactly do you mean?” Cira’xx inquired after a quiet but sharp intake of air.

“Is it not Southern tradition for a good meal to be accompanied by good fights?”

“B-but Your Highness, you’re not exactly… have you not exclaimed your distaste for battles over dinner in the past?”

He had, in fact, quite rudely proclaimed his dislike towards watching cultivators fight. Jack’s bitterness towards his condition was as transparent as ever that time, which led Bia’xx to wonder what about today was different. If anything. Expecting change from Jack without something big as its precursor was a foolish venture.

“This prince has. But lately this prince has had a change of mind. To think this prince has only just been enlightened to the art of battle.”

Bia’xx deemed herself to have a good eye for liars, and though Jack was an exceptionally good one, she could still catch him in a lie 8 times out 10. Which led her to question her own senses when she concluded Jack was telling the truth, despite the very un-Jack-like words which left his lips.

Cira’xx himself was also taken aback to no surprise. It was as clear as day he constantly observed the prince’s, mannerisms, moods, likes and dislikes and such so he could avoid conflict with him as much as possible, yet Jack always found a new way to create it every time they spoke; he made it impossible to predict his mood.

“That is… great—yes, wonderful!” He clapped his hands twice, showing off his authority as Patriarch for the first time since they arrived at the Manor. “Get our most promising disciples! Quickly now!”

Bia’xx was unconcerned for the time being. Spars over dinner happened more often than not in the Southern Empire, and it was downright strange for them not to happen at some point during a banquet with high-ranking guests. Why wouldn’t a prideful man such as Cira’xx want to show off the prowess of the Rei Ui’s future leaders to someone like Jack?

Prior to this moment, Jack would never allow fighting between Cultivators to happen in his presence under the pretence that he ‘disliked violence’. Of course, that was a lie, and everyone including Cira’xx knew it, but under the iron law of face the Rei Ui had to comply.

What she was concerned about however was Jack’s sudden switch in attitude. He sparred with them yesterday, but he only ever did that under the condition that energy would not be used, and for good reason. His mood noticeably dropped when he watched them spar with energy, so nothing seemed to have changed yesterday.

Which begged the question, what was different about today?

The servants split up and went off in search for the top disciples of the Clan, and Cura’xx simply waited for his fellow disciples to come with his arms crossed next to his father with a similarly confused expression.

Other than that, he seemed apathetic towards the situation. His distaste for Jack had always been clear as he never put much stock in building a connection with the prince despite his father’s persistence that he does so, even though he usually followed his father’s orders no questions asked. All due to Jack’s arrogance of course, among other things.

Bia’xx was sure Cura’xx had no desire to impress Jack with his skill in battle. But it was his duty as the son of the honoured patriarch much to his chagrin.

“Ja—no, my Lord,” she whispered with much effort; it was hard for her to consider him a ‘Lord’ rather than some random drunkard she lived with. “This is a radical change in opinion.”

“More like a bit of a change in perspective.” He chuckled.

“What happened?”

“You’ll see in a bit. Don’t worry, I’m not going to do something too drastic.”

What? Bia’xx’s stomach flipped at Jack’s allusion to his plan of action for today.

“Drastic? Jack, do not do something stupid. The Rei Ui are not people to be messed with.”

“It’s funny you think that,” he whispered with a small grin. “It’ll be fine, trust me.”

“You are hardly the most trust-worthy man on the planet.”

“M-maybe so but trust me just this once. Pretty please?”

Jack put on his best puppy dog eyes. Disgusting.

“Fine. It better not be some stupid stunt to make them lose face.”

He breathed in sharply with gritted teeth.

“Well… I can’t say for sure that won’t happen, but that’s not my main objective this time,” he looked at her with a rare determination. “It’s to regain some of my own face.”

“It really is something stupid then,” she sighed. “And how are you going to do that?”

Jack simply smiled in response.

It was hard not to pity the man, so desperate to sooth his damaged ego after the sealing of his Dantian. To risk even his ambiguous status to do that was the height of foolishness. Though he seemed certain that this was no risk at all to him. Whatever ‘this’ was in the first place. Maybe she was worrying over nothing again.

So she hoped.