Under the scorching noon sun, intense waves of heat radiated from the sky, marking the culmination of the day at the Divinestone Clan. In view of the extremely robust gates designed to protect against ferocious beasts, two guards spotted the slow approach of an enormous, round, and obese young man accompanied by a small girl dressed as a maid.
The guards exchanged meaningful glances; that figure was unmistakable and well-known within the clan. He had long been the subject of jokes and disdain, causing embarrassment for everyone when spotted by outsiders.
The guards immediately activated a shiny object, a communicator connected to the patriarch. Just over a week before, the patriarch had issued a search order for this individual, and so far, they had received no news. However, now he was back.
After transmitting the message to the patriarch, one of the guards commented, "This guy must have gotten into 'those' troubles again."
Disgust was evident on the guard's face, but another guard laughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "He probably got into trouble, got caught, decided to escape, and now he's coming back after almost dying in the forest, willing to take the risk and ask for forgiveness. At least we'll have a good show soon."
A few minutes later, Denil approached within ten meters of the gate. The guards, experienced in patrolling, remained still, looking at him with intense contempt. They could even hear the heavy and noisy footsteps of the giant whale.
However, when he reached the front of the gate, and it remained closed, Denil lifted his gaze toward the guards, releasing the Qi from his body.
The guards felt an impact that made their muscles tense, and their jaws almost dropped to the ground. "What the hell..." One of the guards could hardly believe what his senses were telling him. "Is this really the seventh level of the Qi Gathering Realm?" The other spoke, trembling.
Both were experienced guards with over 80 years of life despite their middle-aged appearances. They had both been at the seventh level for several decades and had no hopes of advancing. However, their confidence came from enough experience to fight on par with anyone at the same level. Nevertheless, the pressure emanating from that giant being left them incredulous, and their instincts told them they wouldn't last a move from him.
Alm furrowed his brows, almost ready to pull out his axe and break the gate when he felt a swift approach.
The gates opened quickly. From inside, Alm and Bruno could see the figure of the patriarch standing, looking at them with a worried and surprised expression. "Where have you been?" His voice came out slowly.
"Where else? Training and cultivating. Did you want me to stand still in the room without any resources? You took care of that yourself." He replied gruffly but tried to maintain respect.
The patriarch sighed and gave a piercing look. "You no longer need to be approved in the sect; don't risk yourself again. Your job now is different."
Bruno and Alm were incredulous. 'What the hell is this idiot thinking? First that reaction, now this.'
"Well, you've done a good job and closed the gap with the other young ones quickly. You don't need to prove anything anymore. Just go back, and you'll understand." The patriarch didn't seem surprised by the rapid advancement, as if it were natural. Then he turned and walked inside the clan.
Alm and Bruno just snorted and decided to see for themselves what awaited them. They walked slowly and didn't forget to restrain the Qi in their bodies to the maximum. Alm only let the Qi from his meridians flow earlier because he was irritated. If they had released the power of their physique and the power of their bloodline together, the guards would have panicked immediately.
They walked calmly behind the patriarch, but when they reached the innermost parts of the clan, they felt the air change a bit. 'Something is different. It seems like a slight tension is in the air,' Bruno analyzed, observing the surroundings.
Entering the majestic main building, the patriarch turned. "Starting today, your room has been changed. You'll be on the top floor."
He looked into Alm's emotionless eyes, then turned his gaze to Ruri. "We had a recent small problem. We are short on people, so I'll be taking your servant for a while. But don't worry, you won't be left unattended."
Ruri lowered her head, unresponsive, and walked to the patriarch's side. They then turned and walked down a corridor. Alm and Bruno just watched calmly and turned, climbing a staircase.
Ruri already had a high enough mastery of the sealing technique. The mediocre people here would never notice anything different. Their training in the forest was intense and tough in every sense. Alm spent time teaching not only fighting techniques but also other essential knowledge. Now, she was ready to face challenges on her own.
They climbed the stairs, ascending higher and higher in the building. Stepping onto the top floor, they encountered a tall woman dressed as a maid, standing and looking in their direction.
Alm and Bruno immediately sensed something strange; the woman's gaze was piercing and judgmental as if analyzing them.
The situation lasted only two seconds when a smile appeared on her face. However, this expression made everything even more peculiar, as the smile seemed forced to the point of scaring a child. "Welcome back, sir. I was waiting for you," she said, bowing and gently indicating the way.
'What the hell. Are they going to put an adult woman to be our maid? I smell a setup,' Alm commented with a strange look.
Bruno observed the woman's back as she walked ahead. 'She doesn't seem like a maid; she doesn't have the posture or the mannerisms of one. Probably never had to clean or serve anything in her life.'
"Well, she's definitely not pretty. And her cultivation doesn't go beyond the first level of the Qi Gathering Realm, even though she's an adult. She must be just a talentless woman abandoned who turned into a maid recently," Alm replied with little interest.
When they reached the end of an isolated corridor, a large door opened. Looking through the door, they were shocked by the space, at least ten times larger than their previous room. In the background, they spotted a bed... or it should be one, but it was gigantic as if it had been made for ten people to sleep together.
As they took the first step inside, they heard synchronized voices. "Welcome, Mr. Denil. We were waiting for you."
Alm and Bruno turned their heads in the direction of the voices and saw about fifteen women dressed as maids bowing in their direction. 'Is this... a circus, by any chance?' grumbled Alm.
'Hahahahaha, it looks like the previous woman was the beauty of the group. All the others are either fat, weird, or complete hags,' commented Bruno, laughing lightly. But the air of strangeness coming from all the girls was palpable.
They made their way, and a giant table covered with dozens of dishes and food was waiting, steaming. Alm and Bruno then forgot everything as if nothing else mattered and ate like never before. Fifteen days of just eating what the forest gave them became monotonous quickly.
They ate and ate, and the women brought more and more. One hour passed, two hours... until the two noticed the piercing and judgmental gaze of all the women, even though only a creepy smile remained on their faces.
They decided to stop there, satisfied, even though they clearly could still eat a lot. The women worked together, taking everything away, and soon, their awkwardness became even more apparent. They were definitely not maids.
When they all left, taking everything with them, Alm and Bruno could finally relax, as it was almost night.
They then walked around the new room without caring much, sitting in the center of the giant bed, large enough to fit five of them lying down. A little over an hour passed, and the darkness of the night arrived everywhere.
"Ruri shouldn't come back tonight. This body is pretty tired from these last few days. Taking tonight to sleep should be more worthwhile," Bruno commented, and Alm didn't refuse. They soon lay down peacefully, closing their eyes.
The sweet feeling of sleep was slowly clouding their minds, but as they were almost asleep, they felt light footsteps.
It didn't take long for a slight tremor to reverberate through the bed, not one, but several...
Alm and Bruno felt 'things' soft touching their bodies and suddenly opened their eyes, utterly stunned. Suddenly, their vision was filled with something... several... scantily clad women.
***
The patriarch was in the hall, alone and busy communicating and reading various crystals. Suddenly, the door opened abruptly.
"Sir!" It was a bewildered counselor.
The patriarch was startled and asked quickly, "Did he get worse?!"
The counselor shook his head negatively and spoke strangely. "No, sir, it was Denil... he... he returned to his room."
"How? Where were the women?" He asked, even more bewildered.
"The women came to inform me, frightened. They did as you asked, dressed as maids, and went to meet him at night... but he simply... chased them away and went back to his room."
The patriarch froze completely, even scaring the counselor. He had never seen the patriarch like that.
"It's not possible... he definitely had a thing for maids..." He murmured, bewildered.
"The bloodline was activated... he... he changed completely..."