I awoke when I felt movement around me. Opening my eyes, I saw Luna trying to peel my arms off from around her without waking me. I closed my eyes almost all the way so I could still watch her without her realizing I was awake.
Instead of helping her move my arms, I wanted to have a little fun and tightened my hold a bit, locking her in close. She kept trying to move me, pulling harder. Every time she tried harder to move me, I held on a little tighter. Eventually, she stopped trying to move and just relaxed, still leaning against me, making a small exasperated sound, puffing out her cheeks.
I couldn't resist pinching one of them, which made her give a small jump and yelp in surprise. "Awww."
Her face turned scarlet as I picked up another bowl of stew.
"You... you..." She tried to put her thoughts together as she opened and closed her mouth.
I stuck a spoonful of stew in her mouth and let go of the spoon, leaving it hanging there. I moved one of her hands in a way that would hold the bowl and placed it in her hand, only to get it shoved in my face, spilling and running down my robe. She pulled the wooden spoon out of her mouth and used it to stab me in the ribs. Of course, it didn't cause any damage, just more like poking.
"If you don't know how to feed someone properly, I'll be happy to teach you," I said in an amused tone. I grabbed the hand that shoved the bowl in my face and placed the now empty bowl in it, holding it firmly so she couldn't move it. With my other hand, I grabbed the hand stabbing me in the ribs and made a motion of dipping it in the empty bowl to collect imaginary stew, then put it in my mouth, teaching her the motions to feed me.
Her face turned even more red. "Move! Get out! Get out! Get out!" she screamed.
I quickly stood up in the middle of the room a few feet from the bed.
"Now, I'm covered in stew from your improper feeding technique and have to change."
I bought another identical robe from the shop and laid it on the table. It took her a few seconds to realize I was implying I needed to change in the room right there before I went out.
When it clicked, she tried to lunge off the bed at me but ultimately failed as she was comically wrapped in the sheets and started to crash toward the floor. Just barely before she hit the floor, I grabbed the sheets, stopping her descent, and pulled her up to my face level. Her upper body was out of the sheets, making her hang upside down with her silver hair almost reaching the floor, and her hands were covering her face, really a sight to behold.
"Please put me down." She whispered.
"Ok, ok. I'll stop teasing you," I said playfully. I lowered her back down onto the bed then said in a serious tone, "I'm really glad you're alright," and walked into the bathroom with my new robe to change.
After entering the bathroom, I stripped off my old robe and devoured it, then washed the stew out of my hair and off my face, and put on the new robe. I walked back into the main area where Luna had gotten herself back together and was laying back down on the bed, staring intently at the ceiling.
I picked up another bowl of stew. "Sit up, here's your food. Eat."
She sat up, leaning against the wall at the head of the bed. I handed her the stew and sat at the foot of the bed, leaning against the side wall facing the door. She started eating while only looking at the stew.
"Alright, what should we talk about first?" I asked.
"What happened after... that?"
"I gave you a high-grade healing pill, it healed you enough to survive but took all your strength to do it. After you weren't going to dieee... Uhhh, don't get mad at the next part, your clothing was falling off so I gave you a new robe." I figured I was going to get chased around a bit, but she kept calm, and her face only tinted as she shoveled food into her mouth. Maybe she'd already noticed she had new clothing.
"After that, I put you in the bed and started cleaning. Er no, it was in the other order, bed, then clothing, then cleaning. While I cleaned, I kept dripping that broth into your mouth so you'd get nutrients to recover." At the mention of the broth, her face turned slightly green.
"After cleaning up, I just sat and kept slowly giving broth until you finally woke up a little, at which point you know the rest." She nodded that she understood and finished eating, then I handed another bowl for her to continue.
"How long has it been?"
"I think 3 days. Hopefully, that won't cause you any trouble." I don't know if there are like check-in rules in her sector or something.
She shook her head. "No, should be just fine."
"Good. Hmm what else... I reached supreme attainment with that guy and I also thought a little about how to kill the main 3 people we need to. When will you be strong enough to practice a new technique?"
"Later today or tomorrow. What is it?"
"I want you to practice concealment techniques for yourself and your aura. How long can you stay here?"
"Probably like a month and a half before people come looking. I don't have those techniques, though."
I pulled the concealment technique I'd bought from my robe and gave it to her. "Here is one of them. I'll get the other one for you, just focus on mastering them over the month and a half. I'll make the remaining preparations."
She nodded, I could tell she trusted me now, unlike a few days ago when she didn't hardly at all. It's amazing what life and death experiences with each other do for building trust.
"Alright, I'll set off now to get the other. It'll probably take until night to get back. I hope I don't have to tell you to lock the door and not to open it for anyone, yeah?"
"You just did."
I frowned. "Whatever, I'm going now, see you later, bye, be safe."
I went out the door and locked it behind me. Walking around the side of the house, I cloaked myself in invisibility and changed into the Blood Moon Sect's attire since I would be going there to get the manual.
After changing, I started running in the direction of the sect, hoping to get there and return as soon as possible.
After about 3 hours, I reached the sect and went straight to the library. After dropping my invisibility around the corner, I entered and was greeted by the same librarian as usual.
"Hello, last time I was here I bought a concealment technique. You also showed me an aura concealment technique; I'd like to buy that this time. Also, are there any other ones or better ones you'd recommend?"
She shook her head. "No, there isn't really a better one; I'll go get you a copy."
After she returned with the copy, I paid and left, going around the side and reactivating my invisibility again, then headed back to Luna's house.
After I arrived back, I changed back out of my Blood Moon Sect robe before dropping my invisibility and entering. I found Luna sitting on the bed reading the technique, and I placed the other one next to her.
I handed her another recovery pill to heal the remaining portion of the wound, she immediately took it.
Her face showed surprised delight as she looked up at me. "Oh wow, this works good! I feel great, but tired."
I nodded. "I have to go back to the sect to make preparations. Just focus on mastering those things."
I bought another robe for her in white with gold trim and placed it on the table. Facing the door, I said, "Here's a different color robe you can use when you go out if you want."
Immediately leaving so as not to get scolded for thinking about her clothing or something, I locked the door and again changed after going invisible then headed back to the sect.
My plan consisted of some specific weapons needed to kill the patriarch. These needed to be high-grade weapons to ensure they easily went through his skin and for that, I needed more energy to produce them without losing my status in the supreme attainment realm. I should be easily able to kill a core formation disciple to achieve this.
By the time I reached the sect again, it was past midnight, and very few people were out on the streets. After looking around, I found one of the people who stand guard at the entrance to tax people coming back from hunting, walking up the stairs from the entrance. Perfect.
After sneaking up behind him, I dropped the garrote cable over his neck, tightened it, then hauled him off the stairs and into the grass and bushes beside it. After he died, I cleaned up the corpse, thankful nothing had gone wrong this time.
I had enough energy to buy the weapons and poisons I needed. My plan was to install thin blades coated in poison underneath the patriarch's seat that would pop up, stabbing him in the ass and legs. I could install them ahead of time, and no one would notice since the base of the chair was solid.
After making more plans for the day, I started making the preparations and alterations to the necessary buildings over the next weeks. I got hold of the plans for the wedding day and made preparations according to seating arrangements and temporary buildings that would be in place.
The matriarch's chair would be on the stage off to the side a bit while the patriarch's chair was going to stay front and center, probably to showcase that the Blood Moon Sect was superior.
I also found out the reason for the wedding. The matriarch was only in the peak of core formation, so she needs powerful backing to maintain her position. This is why the whole setup is showcasing the Blood Moon Sect's superiority, and that the matriarch was just a dog of the Blood Moon Sect.
As for the elders trying to avenge the deaths, the Blood Moon elders won't even be alive to come to the event, and the Twin Moon elders are very unlikely to so much as lift a finger in defense or revenge so long as we don't stick around after the matriarch dies since they don't like her either.
I kept checking back with Luna to make sure she would be ready and ensure she knew what to do and when to do it. Since the poison takes 5 seconds to paralyze someone in the supreme attainment realm, we have to hold him off until then and any confusion we can give to buy time will be helpful.
After the 1 and a half months had passed, she returned to her sect, and I wouldn't see her until the wedding day. I was a little sad about this as I'd grown accustomed to visiting and spending some time together. But there will be plenty of time for that after we flee the crime scene.
After putting the finishing touches the night before the event when everything was set up, it was time to start the fun and finally complete the system quest.