As I stepped through the grand entrance of my estate, I immediately felt the familiar hum of energy that was woven into its very foundation. The place hadn't changed much during my two-year seclusion—everything was still exactly as I had left it.
The silence was almost eerie, save for the occasional rustling of the wind against the garden trees.
But then, I felt something—a flicker of movement. I turned my gaze toward the corner of the room, already sensing the mischievous aura swirling in the air. She was hiding, of course. Typical.
"ChiChu, where's—" I didn't even get to finish my sentence before a tiny figure zipped past my face like a bolt of lightning, her wings fluttering fast enough to cause a small breeze.
"Master! You're back!" Her voice was high-pitched, full of excitement, and, as always, just a touch too dramatic. She appeared before me in a burst of golden light, her tiny form hovering in the air. This was Miari, my housekeeper—or rather, the palm-sized fairy I was somehow responsible for.
Her silver hair flowed down her back, contrasting with her gleaming golden dress. Her wings sparkled with energy, as if each flutter carried a trace of magic.
"I was wondering when you'd show up," I said, crossing my arms and looking at her with a smirk. "What happened, Miari? Did you forget to greet me when I came back?"
Miari pouted, crossing her tiny arms in response. "I was busy! You have no idea how hard it is to keep this place from falling apart without you. And do you know how long two years is in fairy time? It's like ten whole years!" She floated closer, poking my nose with her little finger. "You owe me a lot of backpay!"
I chuckled, shaking my head. "You don't even need spirit stones, Miari."
"That's not the point!" she huffed, darting around me in frustration, her wings buzzing loudly. "You think just because I'm small, I don't have expenses? I have to keep up appearances, you know. Fairy life is very high-maintenance!"
This was Miari for you—half the time she was as playful as a child, the other half, she was demanding things like a spoiled queen. But I wasn't fooled by her antics. She was more powerful than most people would ever realize.
She could pack a punch that would make even some of the Heaven Realm cultivators think twice.
"Right, right," I said, walking further into the estate. "Well, I'm sure you'll survive. Now, what have you been up to?"
"I've been keeping everything in order while you were off doing your cultivation thing. But, since you ask, I may have rearranged your entire treasure vault to be more... feng shui-friendly," she said with a proud grin, fluttering ahead of me.
"You did what?" I stopped in my tracks, staring at her. "My treasure vault—Miari, I had things organized in a very specific way!"
"Yeah, well, your way was boring. Now it's got flair! And maybe I helped myself to a few shiny items. But it's fine, you won't miss them!"
I raised an eyebrow, suppressing a laugh. "You do realize I have divine senses, right? I'll know exactly what's missing the moment I check."
"Okay, okay, maybe I took one or two little things, but it was for maintenance purposes!" she defended herself, twirling in the air. "I'm a fairy! Shiny things are in my nature."
I let out a sigh, shaking my head in amusement. "I guess it's too late to scold you."
"See? That's why you're the best, Master!" she exclaimed, landing lightly on my shoulder and settling there as if it were her personal perch. "But seriously, why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I would've thrown a proper welcome party with fireworks, maybe some dancing!"
"Because I didn't want a parade," I replied, walking into the inner courtyard. "Besides, I figured you'd find out soon enough."
Miari grumbled something under her breath but stayed on my shoulder, her tiny legs kicking back and forth. "You know, Master, you could at least pretend to miss me a little more. After all, I've been the one keeping this place running. ChiChu's not exactly the best conversationalist, you know?"
I chuckled. "ChiChu has her own talents. But yes, I missed you, Miari."
She beamed, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Good! Because I have a whole list of things we need to catch up on! First, I need you to tell me all about your cultivation breakthrough. Did you finally crack the Heavenly Edge Stage? Ooooh, I bet your spiritual power is like—" She made an exploding gesture with her tiny hands, complete with sound effects. "Boom! All the cultivators in the world better watch out now!"
I grinned, amused by her enthusiasm. "Yes, I've reached the Heavenly Edge Stage."
Miari gasped dramatically, her wings flaring as if she was ready to take off into a victory lap around the room. "I knew it! I could feel it in the air! You're practically buzzing with energy right now. I bet you could topple mountains with a single wave of your hand."
"Let's not get too carried away," I said, though I couldn't deny the surge of power I felt after my breakthrough.
Miari leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So, how does it feel being one of the strongest cultivators in the realm? Do you feel invincible? Immortal? Like you could take on the heavens themselves?"
I smirked. "Something like that."
She laughed, spinning off my shoulder and doing a little dance in the air. "Well, with me by your side, we're unstoppable! The Little Devil and his Fairy Queen—now that's a duo for the ages!"
I rolled my eyes at her self-proclaimed title. "Fairy Queen, huh? That's new."
"Of course! You're a devil, and I'm the queen of fairies! We've got a theme going here, don't you think?"
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," I replied, making my way to my study. "But, seriously, what else have you been up to? Any trouble while I was gone?"
Miari tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, nothing major. Just the usual. A couple of nosy cultivators tried to sneak into your garden to steal some spirit herbs, but I took care of them. Don't worry—they won't be doing that again anytime soon." She giggled mischievously, and I didn't doubt for a second that those intruders had learned their lesson the hard way.
"Good to know you've been keeping everything in check," I said, sitting down at my desk. "Anything else I should be aware of?"
Miari grinned, floating in front of me. "Well, there's one thing... You've got visitors scheduled for tomorrow. Apparently, some elders want to talk to you about your cultivation progress. Something about forming alliances."
I groaned. "Great, just what I need."
"Don't worry, Master! I'll handle it! I'll tell them you're busy perfecting your 'Devilish Techniques' or something." She made air quotes with her fingers, a wicked grin on her face.
"Somehow, I don't think that'll fly with them."
Miari shrugged. "Worth a shot. Anyway, I'm just glad you're back. Things are never as fun around here without you."
"Glad to be back too, Miari," I said, watching her zoom around the room, her aura lighting up the space with a playful energy. No matter how powerful or dangerous things got, I knew one thing for certain—life was never boring with her around.