Yet, Ruri remembered something and immediately kneeled on the floor, asking for mercy. "M-Master, R-Ruri doesn't want to bed you. P-P-Please don't take offense... Ruri... is too small. If master tries those things... Ruri will be smashed to death!" She obviously remembered what happened to the other girls before. Thus, she thought Denil had the same plans for her.
Alm immediately complained to Bruno. 'Look at what you have done! Even she thinks you are a perverted lolicon.'
Bruno almost vomited blood right there and then. 'Fuck you! This young master here is a proper upright man!'
Bruno then ignored Alm before returning his attention to Ruri. "Ahem... you misunderstood me."
Bruno then rose from the stone bed with an odd sound and took a few steps forward, settling in the center of the room on a low, intricately decorated floor.
"Come here," Bruno said as he pointed at the floor in front.
Ruri was stunned, uncertain of how to react immediately. Her master was clearly attempting to converse with her on equal terms, in a position equal to hers. After a few frozen seconds, she took quick steps and sat down in front of him on the floor.
One stood nearly almost two meters tall and seemed as heavy as an elephant. The other was a small girl under a meter and a half, her trembling eyes highlighting the vast difference between them.
"I understand your situation well, so I'll get straight to the point. The slavery rune within you doesn't allow you to do or say anything against the patriarch or his orders. So, just listen and don't react or move your body," Bruno explained.
"I can directly sense your soul, and you should know that I can discern your response. Control your emotions, or you'll jeopardize your entire future," Bruno spoke slowly.
Ruri gazed into his eyes, surprisingly feeling some assurance emanating from him and his words. Denil truly seemed to have changed a lot in the last few days, so a glimmer of hope kindled within her chest. Suddenly, her small frame trembled as a sharp pain in her forehead darkened her vision.
Bruno quickly explained after seeing her pain. "If you continue like this, the patriarch will be alerted by the mere thought of rebellion. You're lucky the rune was placed gently because you accepted it; if it were a different case, the reaction would be much worse, triggering it instantly."
She then looked up and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Her eyelashes trembled incessantly, but within a few minutes, everything calmed down, and she opened her eyes again. Bruno and Alm were pleased to see those eyes; they were cold and resolute. They bore no resemblance to those of a ten-year-old child.
"Great, I'll try to be quick." Suddenly, Alm cut in and took over. "Kid, I don't do charity or help anyone without gaining much more than I offered," he said, emitting a chilling aura.
"I have plans for a bold move, and although I can do it alone, it will take a lot of my precious time. I might, by coincidence, help you a little, but... I don't accept betrayals," his final words even altered the air, causing Ruri to feel her skin burn.
"I know where your little clan is; it won't be too hard to make a mass-" Bruno cut in, mentally muttering 'Idiot' at the end.
"Ahem... in short, I have a method that relies solely on you. With it, you can bypass the slave seal and cultivate without arousing suspicion. Your fate is solely your own; in the future, you will have a chance to do something for your people."
"But obviously, you will have to do something dangerous for me first. If you fail, death will be your only fate. In case of success, you may, one lucky day, have a chance," Bruno said, with each word imbuing his Yang energy and shifting the atmosphere of the room.
Only Ruri's eyes trembled, but they soon steadied. Alm and Bruno watched her quietly; the child's willpower and dedication were highly impressive. 'We were crybabies at her age in both our lives,' Bruno thought, but in this moment of reflection, Alm took over again.
"I will lower myself and accept you as a disciple in name only. I'll give you this unique chance that no one has ever had. But your life will be a hell you can't turn back from," Alm said, this time attempting to control his aura.
Ruri remained still and only gazed deeply into their eyes. Her eyes were turning red, and a single tear escaped them, subtly evading her control and revealing the whirlwind of emotions she was containing. As ridiculous as Denil's words sounded, if she could have a chance...
Alm and Bruno didn't need to check and used a gentle Qi from their divine souls to penetrate her. It wasn't words transmitted through the soul, but rather feelings, and hers were of extreme determination and dedication.
Bruno sighed deeply, and Alm spoke. "It seems you're not afraid. Great, a chance is still a chance," he said gruffly, but Bruno could feel and knew the deep emotions coming from Alm. He was strangely sentimental inside.
Bruno chuckled inwardly, almost letting it slip outwardly. Then he turned to the trembling Ruri and touched her forehead. The Yin and Yang tattoos on the palms of their hands lit up, and the accumulated Qi in them began to flow into Ruri's still immature meridians.
She felt her body heat up, and all her pores opened. At the same time, a subtle and enigmatic presence began to circulate through her body. 'Is this... what they call Qi?' she thought in astonishment.
Minutes passed until Bruno withdrew his arm, speaking. "Now you are officially at the first level of the Qi Condensation Realm."
"The clan's cultivators are low-level, and in this realm, there's almost no difference from ordinary mortals. So, as long as you don't make any strange moves, they won't notice anything."
"Now I'm going to transmit directly into your soul the technique capable of changing your life. Your fate is linked to it and your ability to learn it," Bruno said calmly, looking into Ruri's eyes.
His fingers touched her forehead again, but this time, there was no visible phenomenon; it was a transfer of soul to soul. Ruri began to tremble violently, almost convulsing.
Half an hour passed, and an immense amount of knowledge from the technique was poured in. Blood was dripping from her eyes, and she almost fainted several times before somehow managing to endure it.
"This is the Soul Sealing Technique. Of course, if you start training it with ill intentions now, the patriarch will know."
Bruno quickly explained while activating the tattoos without wasting time. "I will use my soul and Qi to temporarily inhibit the slave seal. I don't have much to spare, so it will only last until evening. That's all the time you'll have to learn the basics of this technique and use it on yourself."
She was still stunned by the Qi and the technique, and her body was adapting to the new condition, preventing the seal from being activated and alerting the patriarch. Now, they used their Qi manipulation to deceive the seal's senses and create an illusion that everything was normal. The cost of this would be all the remaining Qi they had stolen.