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(Jing Xiuying POV)
After buying one of those storage rings I set it aside and we wandered the city a while longer. When the sun began to set we started to go home at a leisurely pace. At first he wanted to rush home, but I convinced him otherwise.
The flickering orange glows of lanterns hung outdoors has its charm. The sparsely crowded walkways almost seem a little lonely compared to the rowdy sounding buildings around. Their light radiating and shining out of windows, spilling out into the streets. Cheers and joyous cries could be heard within some and others the sounds of sizzling food.
Strolling around the dimly lit city I laid my head against his shoulder and enveloped his left arm. The light warmth from the two created a sense of safety and comfort almost like I could forget all my worldly woes. It felt almost like if I succumbed to the feeling I would fall asleep right then and there.
But all of this is being threatened by a single little girl. The only reason he didn't investigate why the amount of suitresses he had decreased so drastically all of a sudden was probably due to the fact that they weren't really important to him. He did seem a little distressed over a few of them, but with my consoling efforts and time spent with him he gradually forgot about them.
There was one person in the past who was extremely close to him, somehow I luckily managed to find a way to get rid of them. Her threat to my happiness at the time was quite sizable as at the time my relationship with darling was only at the level of a friend at most. I noticed her intentions to find the perfect time to propose, but that time was exactly what I needed to get rid of her.
Perhaps she just thought of me as another one of his many suitresses and of no threat, that was her downfall. But I didn't manage to completely get rid of her, she lived and escaped with her life. If anyone fit the word vixen it would be her, both literally and figuratively. I believe if there's anyone in the world that can steal darling from me it would be her. She is still of the worries I have in the back of my mind, but I console myself that it's been 7 years since I've last seen her. Best case scenario is that she's dead in a place no one will ever be able to find her, but worst case is that she's been planning to get revenge on me all this time and will try to 'reclaim' darling from me.
But can a little girl, who's barely lived and isn't even a cultivator yet even compare to her? No, she should be a simple adversary, but I won't simply let my guard down just because I think so. She may be small in comparison, but she's still a threat nonetheless.
Realizing my thoughts I immediately shoved them to the back of my mind and tried focusing on the present.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
As we briskly walked down the street only our own footsteps echoed about as we left the nosy district. A 'chilly' wind blew through the streets giving me a perfect excuse to hug him even tighter. From his knowing sideways glance it wasn't hard to tell that he saw through me, but I only smiled in return.
After a while we finally decided to return home using that same residence we entered from.
"Alright! We're home Ying'er, I remember how much you wanted to have sex a couple days ago. I feel like now's a good time, would you like to?" At the entrance of the door he extended his hand towards me with a charming smile.
It was a tempting offer. It really was, but if I chose to do it now I wouldn't be able to deal with that ring and the sooner I dealt with it the sooner it would bring benefits to me. Having lovey-dovey sex with my beloved darling isn't as important as gathering information. I can have sex with darling at any time if I really try and besides we've done it countless times before.
"I'm sorry! I know it was my idea in the first place, but I really want to prepare this gift for her. You don't have to wait for me in bed so just go ahead and sleep."
"Wow! You sure are trying a lot with this gift, but will it really take that long to prepare?"
"Of course! It's got to be perfect! If I mess up then it would be good anymore."
"Alright then, goodnight Ying'er!"
"Good night Darling!~" I sent him away with a wave.
Heading to a small workshop section of our home I took out a small box containing the ring before casually placing it on a table. Heading over to storage I brought back a number of materials and laid them out.
The main two things I had to achieve was to implement a tracking mark and an observation mark. They would respectively track the ring's location and let me be able to peer at the ring's surroundings. My secondary objective was to implement a little hidden mark to hide the other two.
When I give the gift, darling shouldn't be able to notice anything wrong since he should neither be seeing the mark nor be wary of the gift in the first place.
'First, the Radiant Tracking mark.'
Taking a small toothpick and dipping it into a dish of ink I began to carefully draw a few characters.
Originating from the Radiant Tracking technique it's a mark which when struck on a target or in this case manually drawn will show the target as a glowing red orb to the user. Using the technique mark only requires the user to think of the target, but manually creating one requires a trigger to be used to activate the effect. It does consume Qi as it's being used, but it's almost negligible compared to it's effects.
The reason being that when using the technique mark the trigger is instantly bound to the user as characters are made entirely out of a person's QI. Yet when as a written mark it uses other materials besides just the user's own.
But both options have their advantages and disadvantages. The technique mark is bound to the user and the trigger isn't able to be misplaced or lost like with a written mark. Also the technique mark is a lot quicker to prepare such as in cases of a chase where by the time a written mark is created the suspect could have been long gone. When the technique mark is destroyed without the user actively releasing it, it can cause a rebound effect in turn harming the user. But if it's the written mark used then only the trigger would be destroyed.
Reaching over to the side I took out a rectangular jade token and wrote the same characters on it. Taking the index finger and middle finger of my right hand I pressed the center of the jade token before drawing a line of Qi between the token and ring. Once they were connected I reached over to grab a blush before dipping it in a clear liquid. With the brush in my hand I carefully made sure that the entire side of the ring with characters was covered. To the side I reached over and tore a small strip of a silvery paper and gently laid it upon the covered surface. A moment later the silver paper adhered to the ring and looked like nothing was wrong in the first place.
'Now for the World Viewing Window Mark.'
With the same toothpick as earlier I began to write characters right above the previous ones, but now with the silvery paper it'll be easier to write on.
This technique shows the world around the imprinted location through a small projection. Typically it's used for surveillance and security of sects, more specifically low level sects. The projections only show images, no sound nor sense can be applied through this technique. Stealth techniques which turn the user invisible is a complete counter to the mark as safe security. There was also a major downside being the fact that it needed to consume large amounts of Qi for use, particularly in constant use. A patrolling cultivator would be far more effective and powerful at security, especially with occasional large scale Qi sense pings.
This mark is only able to be created manually since there needs to be something projected upon. After finishing the characters on the ring I took out a nearby jade tablet and began drawing characters on them.
Once this mark was completed I would be able to see everything the ring would be able to, almost like it was the ring's point of view.
I used the same method to connect the observation mark as I did the tracking mark and once that was done all there was left was the concealing mark.
'Finally, I just need the Hazy Distinction mark to cover it all up.'
It wasn't the best concealment mark especially when compared to the other two high-level marks I was created, but it would get the job done. When seen the mark blurs any senses which try to detect it. She would need someone in at least the 4th realm to help her detect and remove it, but until she even gets to the 2nd realm she won't even be able to try and detect anything.
Tearing off another small strip of the silvery paper I began to draw the concealment mark before once again applying it to the silver ring. The paper as it did before melded with the ring, almost like it was never there at all. It's combination was seamless.
Considering the fact she isn't even in the baby steps of cultivating and added onto the fact that she was found on the streets by darling, there's no way she has any contacts even close to the 4th realm. Besides darling who probably either won't notice because of his joy of pretending to be a mortal or the fact that he doesn't need to be wary within his own sect where else will she have someone to even tell her about the hidden effects.
'This is the perfect way to monitor her. After all, who would ever take off their storage ring? Most if not all of their valuable possessions would be inside. If I even see her try anything drastic to darling I'll act immediately. She won't even know she died! But darling might try to stop me if I try and kill her, severe punishment it is! Now to contain it. Hmm… which box looks nicer? Tough pick.'
After choosing a box I gathered up all the materials before carefully putting them away in storage. Opening the box there laid a small cushion with a small ring sized crevice. Gently tucking the ring into that spot specifically designed for it I closed the box.
With the box in hand I headed up to the bedroom and when I slowly opened the door I saw the slow rise and fall of the blanket.
Placing the box onto my dresser I carefully got into the bed without waking up my darling. With slow and steady motions I made my way towards him. Once I got close enough my arms began to slither over his body. My right arm going over his right shoulder to reach his chest and my left arm wiggling over his left side, under his arm to his chest. I thought for a moment to completely entangle him with my leg's too, but decided this was enough for me.
I was the big spoon and I wasn't going to let go of this advantageous position.