Two weeks passed by in a haze. Aurora had never experienced anything as dull as spending two weeks in a gray room with nothing to do except having sex and cultivating. She had a lot of sex, which was nice, and she cultivated even more, but with no variety, even sex became bland.
But at least it was beneficial. Aurora had never cultivated this much in any span of time, and the progress showed. She grew ever closer to reaching the ninth level. Soon, she would be at the bottleneck, with only the insight remaining as the barrier preventing her from reaching the ninth level. Aurora believed herself to gain that insight during the tournament, but it turned out she was only halfway there. She still had more to understand about her body.
Finally, that fourteenth day arrived. Aurora, Rila, Rose, and Sila were tested, and it was confirmed that all four of them were pregnant. It was strange to learn a baby was growing inside her, just like that. That she would soon be a mother and have a girl of her own to look up at her. Presumably, a girl. Aurora hoped it was a girl.
It was also a good feeling, though. Aurora had a hard time after killing those four people. She'd never robbed someone of their life before. Not someone who wasn't an animal or beast. But learning that she would now create a new life helped ease her from the guilt of those she robbed.
When Aurora finally left that cell, she saw a friendly face. One she missed dearly right now. Vara Kiera had returned from her trip, and she wore a distraught expression. As soon as the two's eyes met, Vara flashed forward, taking the young disciple into a tight hug.
"Oh, Aurora, I'm sorry I didn't visit you while you were here. I just returned from my trip, so I didn't learn of it until just a few moments ago. Oh, look at you. I suppose you're pregnant now. Pregnant at eighteen, not many cultivators can say that," Vara said.
"Yep, I'm pregnant. I'm kind of happy about it, though. It's just what I needed after killing those people," Aurora said.
"Yeah, I bet. I remember taking my first life. It's not an easy thing. But it's a burden many of us cultivators have to bear. On another note, I have some good news for you, actually. See, you four aren't the only pregnant ones here. My husband managed to get his hands on a rare, expensive medicine, which can increase the fertility of someone at even my stage. While we were on our honeymoon, I tested positive for pregnancy. We're going to become mothers around the same time," Vara said.
"Truly? That is amazing! Our kids are going to be best of friends. They might even end up together in the same house when they join the sect."
"Indeed. They don't put siblings together in most cases, so it would be nice if our children could live with someone they know. I know that both of my husband's daughters struggled a bit with moving in with strangers," Vara said.
"I bet."
Vara and an elder from the punishment division followed Aurora and the others to retrieve their things. After they got dressed again, Vara accompanied them back into the world.
"Elder Vara, have you learned anything about Sarla, the disciple from the White Sword sect who came with us? She was supposed to join the sect," Aurora asked.
"I learned a few things before you were released. She joined our sect and is currently living somewhere around here as an outer disciple. I believe she's still alone, as this is quite an unorthodox period to join the sect. Most new disciples come around January," Vara said.
"I see. I hope she's alright. What about that doctor, though? The one we brought in. What did his sentence end up being?"
"Ah, that guy. He got life imprisonment, but that life will only last for a short while, I'm afraid."
"It will? Why?" Aurora asked.
"It's because of his research. The whole stealing cultivation thing. He thought he'd found something amazing, but it's been tried before, and it ended in disaster every time. You cannot take someone else cultivation base into your own body without severely hurting your inner pathways. He has gained some strength, but his inner energy flow is severely damaged to the point where it cannot be fixed by any method. His lifespan has been shortened to the point where he only has a scant few months left to live. And he'll have to spend those months inside a cell," Vara said.
"Oh. I knew it was too good to be true. I pity him," Aurora said.
"Me too."
The rest of the day was spent enjoying themselves at home. After spending two weeks eating the same bland stuff every day and consuming no media whatsoever, the group of parents-to-be wanted to do nothing but eat tasty food and watch movies or TV series. This was also the only time they'd have to just relax for the next month, as they'd have to return to their normal sect lives the next day. The monthly weekend off had just passed them by as they spent their last few days in confinement, too.
The next day was a Monday, meaning Aurora could finally return to her classes and training. Some of her sword classes had been replaced with personal study under elder Han, so that was the first thing she did. Then she had a quick porn shoot, a simple sex scene with her getting fucked in a bed.
Interestingly enough, it was actually a cameo in a film, meaning it made for Aurora's first credit in a movie, instead of the film she had been invited to act in. Many directors prided themselves in making their movies as authentic as possible, so the sex scenes were often the real deal. Sometimes porn studios would be contracted to provide actresses for minor roles, if it was just a one-scene cameo, like the one-night stand Aurora had just done. It was a good thing to be selected, too, as Aurora actually received credit for it, which would be helpful if she ever decided to make acting a side career.
It was not unusual for cultivators to choose performance careers, as many of them had talents in such things, be it acting or music. Particularly in the Blossoming Rose sect, there were many famous actresses and a few famous actors. One example was elder Han's wife, Marina. She had been in several movies.
Aurora had also seriously considered a career in acting, ever since she was invited to take part in that movie.
Another thing directors did, which might be considered hardcore, was use death row inmates for death scenes. In a warrior's society like the one that ruled the world, many people chose to live lives of crime and banditry, so there was no shortage of people with a death sentence. The enormous population helped, too. The Kingdom of Raine alone had a population in the tens of billions.
Since so many people were sentenced to die, the government didn't mind giving some of them to movie directors for a price.
When Aurora was finished filming the sex scene, she had lunch and then went to her alchemy class. Her skills progressed steadily, but she could still only make some weak medicine and energy restoration pills. She hoped to pass the first round of the alchemy competition come January. Especially since she wouldn't be allowed to enter the tournament since pregnant disciples weren't permitted to join.
After finishing her sect activities for the day, there was still one person Aurora wanted to meet. She managed to find Sarla's address and paid her a visit.
"Senior disciple sister Aurora, it's nice to see you again," Sarla said, greeting her senior disciple with a short bow. Aurora nodded back and asked if she could enter the house. Soon, Aurora and Sarla were enjoying some tea together.
"I'm glad you're out of confinement now. How did it go?" Sarla asked.
"I'm pregnant, as was expected. I'll be a mom in March. I never thought I'd be a mother at nineteen, but it is what it is. How about you? Are you acclimating well to the new sect?"
"I'm fine. I'm still alone in this house, but I've made a few friends from my classes and work. I've even had sex with several guys. I thought I would have a harder time with that stuff, but after feeling that energy for the first time, well, you probably know what I'm talking about. It's kind of addicting. After absorbing it once, I just wanted more, so I made myself available. But it's still a bit lonely here."
"Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I was the same. I was actually a virgin when I got here last January, and now I've had sex with hundreds of people. Although, to be fair, making porn and being a prostitute in the brothel are both parts of my job here. Anyway, if you're really lonely here, you know you can always come to visit us at our home. We'd love to have you," Aurora said. During the mission, Aurora and Sarla had struck a bit of a friendship. The deal with the crime boss had been a bit of a bonding experience for the girls, so Aurora thought Sarla would be more than happy to be friends.
"Senior disciple sister, please, I mean no disrespect, but… Laurey wasn't the man I thought he was. He used me, fucked me a couple of times, and then basically threw me to the side. But those guys, they were my closest friends, and you killed them all. I don't blame you for it, you were just defending yourself, but I still loved them. I think I need some time away from you. Maybe one day we can be friends, but not right now," Sarla said. Aurora stared at her for a while.
"If that's what you want. I can't exactly force you to be my friend. Just know that I've got your back. The others, too. I mean, bullying isn't exactly rampant here, but should you make an enemy or two, don't hesitate to come to me. Or Koren. He's the number two disciple in the entire sect, you know. He's already got a bunch of disciples sucking up to him. Or sucking on him," she said.
"I will keep that in mind. And you can consider me part of your faction, at least. I won't join any other top ranker," Sarla said.
"That's good. I would still like to be your friend if you ever feel like you can forgive me, but until then, I will respect your wishes and keep my distance from you. Goodbye for now."
Sarla smiled and nodded at Aurora. Aurora departed. Her mission had been a failure, but at least Sarla was alright, and she could rest easy that she'd seek Aurora's aid should it be needed.
With all her tasks accomplished for the day, she wanted to just waste the rest of the day doing whatever she wanted. She still needed to decompress from the confinement, which meant getting a whole bunch of ice cream and soda and binging the television and gaming. The good thing about her extremely rigorous training regiment was that she burned an enormous amount of calories, so she wouldn't get fat.
This time, she would spend the whole day alone in her private room, though. While she loved her housemates, spending two weeks straight in a room with them was more than enough.
It would be great.