"Much better than the motel," Ku Lo said as they walked towards their courtyard. "At least from the outside."
The neighbourhood was meticulously decorated, at least by Ku Lo's standards. Also, as a similar design was used for every courtyard they had passed while walking here it gave off an unseeming and exclusive feeling.
"They aren't bad for what they are built for," Feng Huling said. "A cheap way to give some privacy, even luxury yet space minimising and giving the new member of the sect an inclination of status."
Feng Huling's articulate and proud tone made Ku Lo ask, "The architecture in the sect..." He couldn't find a fitting word.
"Exceptional, I know."
"Who designed the sect's layout?" Ku Lo continued, ignoring the pulls coming from Huang Gingge, who wasn't interested in the topic.
"The name is lost in history, for sure," Huling said, annoyed. "But I've heard the sect has some famous books on the subject. Gosh, I wish that I could read them someday."
'I should have realised this in the shop already.' Huling had been very— too precise about, well, everything architecture related. She'd spoken in great detail about how the carver had used too large of a chisel and how the building itself had tilted half a degree to the side due to some — in her words — idiot failing to notice the change in the ground type while laying the foundation.
"That's a big wish, but it isn't impossible. I would also fancy a peek into such books." At worst, this was promising everything and delivering nothing; the surefire way to success in the real world. His interest wasn't a lie, however, though it couldn't be compared to Feng Huling's. It was more of the fact that such a book could be helpful if he ever designed, for example, a castle.
The level of interest that Feng Huling possessed for the idea became very apparent when she opened her rosy lips again. "With enough merit and the right connections… we might be able to have a peek for a few hours."
"We'll see what the future brings-" He stopped after passing a circular gate to their courtyard. "That's one beautiful blossom tree." His eyes glanced to the sides, seeing his girls mesmerised by the tree.
Most of the inner garden was reserved by a pond, and in the very middle of said pond, on a small island, a cherry blossom tree was in full bloom. Its pink petals created large shadows as light sources shone from multiple directions.
There were petals falling too, and one of these petals hovered towards them.
It landed on top of Huang Gingge's nose.
"Like my Gingge couldn't have become any cuter."
Huang Gingge exhaled upwards with her mouth, blowing the petal just enough to make it flutter but not fall. "Thanks." A giggle and a captivating blush followed.
On his other side, Ku Lo could feel the pressure on his hand lessen; however, he didn't turn around to see what Huling was up to.
Their silent twosomeness lasted till interrupted by the sound of an opening door.
"Oh, you're back."
Somehow the red blush on Huang Gingge's face deepened in colour when Huang Qingling's presence became apparent.
"What took so long?" Qingling asked, walking closer while wearing nothing but a nightgown.
Their light-blue eyes turned to her, though Ku Lo's pair took a detour as he noted another door close. 'Fairy Feng?' he thought and glanced to his other side.
'oh…' Huling wasn't by his side anymore. 'Can't win it all.' But he figured it was best to deal with them one at a time rather than trying to satisfy everyone at once.
Since he was no longer captivated by either the cherry blossom tree or Gingge's charming behaviour, he finally took a look at the courtyard.
A rectangular yard with ashen brick walls, encased by buildings on three sides. The ones on either side looked like private quarters, while the one on the other side was one he would carefully have to test with his newfound partners. In a corner by the gate, a shack, perhaps for mortal servants, was placed. Just as Huling had said, he felt like he'd become something.
"What about you, Ku Lo?" Qingling interrupted his elation. "You're going to let the elder's daughter escape?"
"Guess so-" He shrugged. "You'll let me chase her?"
"No-" Her lips curled to a smile. "You'll chase her." She lifted her finger to point at her sister.
This was the second time Huang Gingge broke the cuteness world record. "Sister~" she let out a lengthy cry, her head twisting away from him.
"Whatever, there's a single bed left. Good thing the beds here are king-sized."
'The sect sure doesn't hide its culture.' Even without visiting another sect, he knew no normal sect would have three beds for four people! 'It's like they want us to… wait— they do want us to fuck.'
"Can't sisters sleep in the same bed?" However, he decided to argue with Qingling in an attempt to gain a reaction from her.
"No-no-no!" A strong pull came from his side. "Where we come from, no two women can't sleep with each other if he isn't their husband!"
Ku Lo could barely contain his laughter. "Then I'll sleep in the shack, there seems to be a pile of hay there. As surely your traditions also mean no woman can sleep with a man who isn't her husband."
Ku Lo still waited for a reaction from Qingling; however, he didn't expect this.
She made a condemning shake of the head. The hidden message being: stop playing with my sister's heart.
"Just messing with you." He changed his act by messing with Gingge's brown hair a bit with this hand. "I'm down to sleeping with you. If you want, of course."
Huang Gingge's hands took hold of his to stop him from messing her hair further. "maybe."
He withdrew his hand. "Let's set up the Vile Dome first."
"Okay," she agreed. "There's no reason not to have it gather free Yin Qi tonight already."
"Don't be too loud," Qingling taunted as she turned to leave. "I still need more sleep if I'm to function tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah," Ku Lu muttered. "Good night."
Qingling stopped her step. "Good night," she said before walking back inside.
As the door shut, Ku Lo asked the finalist, "Where do you think would be a good spot for the Vile Dome?"
"It enriches its surroundings, so putting it in the Dual Cultivation room would be the best option."
"Let's do it, then."
What welcomed them was a single room with minimal furniture. A canopy bed covered with silk filled most of it, while the back wall was replaced by a window that revealed the lower levels of the sect.
Gingge paced around in the room, seemingly measuring something. "Can you help me by moving the bed to the wall, I'll get some materials." Much of her usual clingy manner had disappeared the moment the topic shifted to the Vile Dome, and so she hurried out, leaving him temporarily on his own.
To his surprise, the bed was both relatively light and sturdy, posing little problems when he did as she'd asked.
Once it was where it should, Ku Lo took a look outside while waiting for her return.
Though she seemed slightly out of breath, Gingge unpacked a small bag, taking out a mortar, a few vials and a brush.
One of the vials contained a pink powder which reminded him of the remnant haze of a Yin Paw or Meifen's aura during Dual Cultivation.
Under her quick hands, it was mixed with other compounds, both solid and liquid, to form a smooth paste.
"What should I do?" Ku Lo was feeling slightly bored and therefore decided to offer his help.
"Oh, please put the Vile Dome to where the bed's centre will be later." Gingge glanced before picking up the brush and paste.
She crouched next to the Dome and began surrounding it with intricate patterns.
Circles, lines and glyphs were arranged in a system incomprehensible to him, though it was visually similar to ritual circles used in most fantasy settings.
By the time she got up, the area covered made up for almost two-thirds of the entire room.
She took a look around before touching a certain spot.
In reaction, the drawings seeped into the floor until they had turned invisible.
"With Spirit Sense, I'd be able to do this much faster and access it from afar, but I'm still too weak for that."
"I'm sorry to ask this late, but what is this?"
"Hmm? Oh, right. This is a gathering formation. It bolsters the Dome's effect in making the area denser in Qi, though this one only attracts Yin."
"Without your help, I wouldn't be able to make use of its full potential…thank you" He hugged her from behind, taking in her sweet scent.
The two of them stood there and basked in the last orange beams of the day.
Gingge let herself sink backwards into his embrace and turned her head to the side. "No, that's a given. A-and it's not like you wouldn't be able to use it alone. But I'll give my best to assist you however I can."
"You're more than I could ever hope for. But I'll have to apologise to Fairy Feng, and it's best if I do it soon. So you can go to your room first, I'll follow once I'm done, I promise." It felt mean to bring up another woman in this situation, but he wanted to solve possible conflicts among them as soon as they appeared.
"I don't care how many you love besides me or who's your favourite, but please don't forget about me." With those words, she packed her utensils and left for her quarters.