Hello, dear readers! Here's chapter 121! I hope you'll enjoy the read!
This week: Not much has happened. I guess I should be close to 'regain' a 12th advance chapter for my patre0n's stack, though I'm not sure if I'll be done by tomorrow or Monday. As usual, we''l see how it goes. Speaking of which, that set of chapters went way beyond what I planned at first, not in length, but in importance to the story. And it's not over. On the upside, it triggers a set of (in my opinion) extremely interesting events. I'm being cryptic, I know, but I don't want to spoil the story. Do check my patre0n out, if you feel interested. Alright, I'll stop teasing you guys for this week.
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Bright Star City, Bright Star Island, Flowing Stars Archipelago, Earth
Omniscient P.O.V.
Having made their decision, the couple flew from the bed. Literally. While Demian used a single thought to move the blanket aside, the couple floated off from the mattress, switching from a lying down position to a standing one. The transition was so smooth that Sera clicked her tongue before commenting. "I'm really envious, you know? You don't even need to physically move anymore. Just a thought, and Bam! You can float away like a freaking genie." Letting out a sigh, she then mumbled. "I really need to speed up my comprehension of my First-Grade Intent." Chuckling at her words, he replied. "I didn't think being lazy could be used as motivation when comprehending an Intent, but I guess you're that special, Love." Seeing the smirk on his face, she rolled her eyes before retorting with a barely hidden grin. "If I can't even use my powers to make my daily life easier, then what's the point? Aren't you doing the same, anyway?" While talking, she used a cleansing spell to wash both of their bodies before he could do or say anything else, then teleported a short-length red-colored cheongsam on her body with similar patterns as her previous one, leaving her long purple hair fluttering freely on her back with each of her movements. Interestingly, she decided to ditch the shoes, something that Demian immediately pointed out. "No shoes? You look gorgeous, by the way." His compliment seemed to hit home, seeing how her grin grew bigger while she replied. "We're staying on the Mansion's ground, so I don't need to wear any." Pausing for a second, her gaze swept his body from top to bottom with her grin turning satisfied, although with a hint of disappointment mixed in. "Looking at your naked body is always a pleasure, Babe, but it'd be better if you put on something to avoid giving the maids any strange ideas." Her words reminded him of his current lack of clothes, eliciting a few embarrassed chuckles from him. "Right." As he was about to bring out his usual set of light sport clothes, he stopped himself. Looking at Sera's current attire and the outwardly 'innocent' expression, so fake that even a three-year-old would not fall for it, he knew that if he dared to go with his idea of 'less is more', 'Hell shall rain upon his heretical self'. Thus, his desperate will to live forced him to choose a set of light huangfu, comprising a blue short-sleeved top and a white pair of long pants, immediately teleporting them to his own body. Of course, he did not forget to put on some tight-fitted underwear, which might or might not have been used in medieval China, but which was pretty much an essential part of his attire due to having a way above-average... long sword, shall we say. It was truly a great tool of pleasure, but when it came to real close combat fighting, it could quickly become crippling for him. Unless it was properly secured, obviously. 'Who knew having a big dick would be so inconvenient... Well, not for every situation, I guess.' He thought half-jokingly.
Now being fully clothed, except for his feet, which went 'commando' in the same way as the dark elven woman standing in front of him, with an expression of approval on her face when she looked at his own attire. 'I made the right call! Well, she did say we would spend the whole day together, but since we'd stay inside the compound, I didn't think I needed to dress up. Then again, looking at her dress like that, I can't deny that some clothes can be very... Stimulating, to put it mildly.' Seeing the set of clothes Demian chose, Sera thought with amusement. 'If I let him, he'd only be wearing that stupid pair of shorts every day. Sure, he looks hot no matter what he wears—Or when he wears nothing at all—but every time I see him with a Huangfu on...' Every time she saw him dress up, she was reminded of the reason behind her quick mastery of the Cleansing Spell. 'That man has to be God's way to test every woman's self-control...' She added as her gaze traced his perfect muscles, emphasized just the right amount by the clothes he wore, without making it vulgar. Displaying just enough to hook one's attention but not enough to fill one's mental cravings... Gulping discreetly, Sera's gaze moved slightly away from Demian's criminally attractive body and suggested. "Since you're ready, let's go now." Noticing her reaction, Demian's lip corner lifted in a smug grin, but instead of teasing the playful woman, he simply grabbed her hand and led her out while exclaiming. "Sure, my cute kittycat." That brought a few discreet giggles from Sera, who, despite acting annoyed from their usual light-hearted banters, was in reality enjoying every single second of it. After all, playfulness was something innate for her, and being with someone with no humor would have bored her to death. Of course, she was not against being serious when it was needed. It merely depended on the situation. Balance was key, and she found her handsome boyfriend pretty skilled at finding it. 'Good thing he reincarnated in our family, or, with how perfect he is, who knows how many women he would have by now...' She pondered, while selectively ignoring how obsessive she sounded. Obsessive, you said? No. She called it 'being dedicated'. Being dedicated to keep him for herse... Wait! She had to include her Mother and Sister in her 'dedicated effort', now, didn't she?
While her mind was filled with random thoughts, the two arrived in the Courtyard's front room, where they found Adeliya absentmindedly eating breakfast alone, her expression shifting from anticipation to frustration at a speed that baffled Demian. 'Best not to ask.' He wisely decided, a resolve which quickly turned out useless as the redhead's following reaction made it pretty clear as to why her expression kept shifting at ridiculous speed. Indeed, as soon as she caught the light noise from their feet stepping on the wooden floor, something they did on purpose for that exact reason, her gaze regained focus, immediately moving to rest on their figures. Interestingly, she only gave a brief glance at her daughter and then swiftly went to not-so-subtly observe her incredibly good-looking nephew, her eyes moving from his face to the slight bulge below his waist, the view reminding her of the conversation she had with her two daughters the previous day. As someone with a vivid imagination and an unhealthy amount of unsatisfied needs, she could not help but conjure a few not-safe-for-children images in her head, her gaze turning distracted once more, while her fair cheeks had a pale red hue coloring them. Seeing her in that state, Demian felt a mix of amusement, pride, and some slight concern. 'Why does she look like she's been hit with a Soul Skill?' He wondered, lacking the knowledge of how starved his Aunt was, not only for sex but also for true affection. Only she knew how much she had been longing for a man, one she could rely on in the important, and even some less important, aspects of her life. Though, to be fair, it might have only been a very recent realization, prompted by everything that happened in the last few months. When one thought about it, it was not that surprising since if it were pre-awakening-Demian, she would never have had such feelings. Not because the young man was not kind, but because he previously lacked that reliable feeling she was looking for in a man, a feeling that was the hallmark of a true partner in her mind. If she were honest with herself, she might have been sexually attracted to him if he had his current body, but without his 'mental evolution', like his current caring personality and reassuring inner strength, it would not have amounted to much in her heart, merely a case of form over substance. However, the current Demian possessed both form AND substance, and that was the problem. Or solution? Happy problem? She was not sure how to put it into words, but what she knew was that his image kept popping up more and more in her head, whether it was his gentle smile when asking her about her training to the barely hidden lust when his gaze roamed her body, everything he said, every gesture he did touched her Heart, turning the parental love she had felt for him for 18 years into a romantic one. With everything that happened recently, she could not see him as a child anymore. No, whether she wanted it or not, her Heart saw Demian as a man, a man she could rely on, a man who could care for her, love her, a man who would be there for her when she felt too exhausted to keep going. She wanted a partner, and he fit the bill so perfectly that she was sometimes scared that she would wake up any moment now to find that she had just been dreaming. Can that perfect man even be real? And he wanted HER! Was it just a beautiful dream, a dream she did not want to wake up from? It was the perfect example of how going from frugality to riches was easy, but the opposite was very difficult. That was what terrified her, going from having the perfect man as a lover to waking up to find herself alone. That was the reason why she had been so absent-minded recently.
'Strange how everything changed so quickly. A few months ago, I'd have never imagined, or even accepted, myself being in a romantic relationship with my own nephew. That and sharing him with my own daughters. But now it just feels so right. Natural even...' Sighing inwardly, she added. 'Forget it! I'll just chalk it up to me having some weird fetish. Not that I haven't seen weirder in Damovotsk. At least, we're all consensual adults here, which can't be said for those people I've got in mind.' She pondered, wondering if she could blast those disgusting pigs to smithereens once she grew more powerful. Suddenly, her train of thought was broken by Demian's deliberate cough, followed by the young man's captivating smile and caring voice. "How was your sleep, Liya?" Before she could respond, the young man appeared seated in front of her with his right hand gently grasping her own, his speed too quick for her distracted mind to catch it. Feeling his thumb tenderly massaging the back of her hand, along with the genuine concern in his voice, she replied with a gentle smile gracing her lips, her voice much softer than usual. "I'm okay. Just that I've got a few too many things on my mind lately. But it's nothing serious, don't worry." Her cheeks then acquired a light red hue before she added. "Darling." Her voice was so soft and tender that Demian felt shivers coursing through his body, setting off his ever-present lust even further, something that usually only Sera was capable of. Taking a deep breath to regain control of his arousal, he replied half-jokingly, his lips twitching slightly from the effort. "If you keep calling me darling that way, I may end up doing something we'd both regret, Love." Unlike her oldest daughter, Adeliya was someone who had dated a few men in the past before being married to her late husband, so she was far from being clueless. Thus, his reaction did not escape her, prompting her to tease back, the playfulness in her voice strangely similar to her youngest daughter's usual tone. "Talk about yourself, Darling. Who said I'd have regrets?"
Feeling speechless, Demian was about to retort when he heard Seraphine interject. "As much as I enjoy listening to the two of you flirting with each other, I'd rather it be when there's no audience around." Turning toward the woman wearing a standard Serene Mansion's maid outfit consisting of a long, silky green qipao with matching flat-bottomed shoes standing by the kitchen door, Sera added apologetically. "I'm sorry that you had to hear that, Miss Li. I'll do my best to make them behave properly around strangers from now on." Rolling her eyes while a few chuckles escaped Demian's mouth, Liya retorted. "Acting like we're kids. You've really gotten too confident recently, you little brat. Seems like I've been too lax with you." Despite the 'fierce' words, there was no conviction in her tone. After all, there was no real concept of 'saving face' in their family, meaning if one of them made a mistake and others pointed it out, then they would just accept it and move on from there. Well, there may be some grumblings involved, but those were not important. Thus, Sera completely ignored her own mother's weak protests and focused on the Asian beauty standing on the other side of the room, noting the glint of amusement in her gaze when Li Hua looked at their group of three. Not only that, but she also caught a glimmer of interest when her eyes turned to Demian's specific direction, although the Li woman quickly hid it after the dark elf's gaze fell on her. Indeed, that was the real reason why Seraphine wanted those two horny rabbits to stop flirting with each other. She was not jealous, but was mostly doing her best not to give any opportunity for other women to enter their strange family. Alright, maybe a little jealous. But mostly not, she swore! Keep the good things in the family, as those wise people said, or, in that case, it was more like keeping those harlots far from the 'Mikhailov's male consort'. Well, harlot may be a bit strong, at least when it came to Li Hua, as she did nothing but look at him, but just looking at her made Sera suspicious. Could she be blamed, though? After all, the mid-twenty-looking woman was exactly what she had pictured in her head when she had read 'slender and virtuous beauty' in those cultivation novels in the past. Sure, any one of the Mikhailov women was much better when it came to size, with each having their own specificities, ranging from incredibly soft for Adeliya, to impossibly muscular for Brynhild, while Seraphine's body was a perfect blend of both soft and toned (definitely an unbiased statement). Also, when it came to personality, or more specifically, attitude, the three were closer to the 'strong and independent woman' sort, far from the 'fragile damsel' vibe Li Hua, their Guest Courtyard's head maid, was giving out. 'Not that I'm not confident in myself, but don't men like those pretty, fragile women, especially when they wear maid outfits? Well, it's just a qipao, so it shouldn't be as bad as those western ones, right?'
Shaking her head, Li Hua responded, a gentle smile gracing her dainty lips. "I'm not bothered at all, Young Lady. Quite the opposite, actually. I always find it heart-warming to see how harmonious the Young Lord and the Young Ladies are together." Hearing the woman younger than herself call her 'young', Adeliya could not help but feel delighted, prompting her to exclaim. "You have such a sweet mouth, sister Hua." As a 45-year-old woman, even though she knew her current, but probably not final, lifespan was in the hundreds of years, she still enjoyed the compliment from the beautiful younger woman. After all, one did not completely remove 45 years of popular belief, or what she herself called 'societal brainwashing', after merely a few months of self-reflection. Thus, she was still a bit sensitive when it came to her age, especially when it came to her relationship with Demian. After all, she was pretty much 2.5 times Demian's age. Right. She actually did the math, and she did admit that the result had been terrifying. At the beginning, at least. It was not until she thought that a hundred years later, the difference would only be 1.2 that she felt a bit better. She was not coping, alright? Fine! Maybe a little! But, could you blame her? She was not exactly equipped to deal with that kind of crazy age difference, okay? Well, not mentally at least. Because when it came to her body, well, Demian's eyes told her that she was PLENTY equipped to deal with a young man like him... While Adeliya lost herself in an inner monologue rabbit hole, Sera thought about how adorably gullible her mother was at times. Fortunately, she was there to protect their 'communal husband' or they would quickly get overwhelmed by hussies throwing themselves on him. Those thoughts, however, were kept inside, while externally she only nodded with a polite smile on her face before suggesting. "Why don't we eat breakfast while waiting for Bryn? What do you guys say?" While the two women were having all those random thoughts, Demian was merely thinking about how incredibly good-looking Liya was, comparing her to Sera before concluding that each was perfect in their own way. 'Why should I choose when I can have both?' He exclaimed inwardly in delight, laughing stupidly inwardly while not even noticing Li Hua's interested glance at him. Well, his senses did catch her looking at him, but his interest was pretty much nonexistent. After all, just one look at any one of the Mikhailov women and it was pretty obvious why he lacked interest in the so-called 'slender beauty'. No, his preference went to curvy women with powerful inner strength. Of course, everyone had moments when they needed someone else's shoulder to rest on, him included. However, there was a difference between some times and all the times. At least when it came to his preference, he needed his woman, or women in his case, to be able to take charge at times. In other words, he merely considered Li Hua as a fragile beauty, someone who would, at most, reach the friend category. Nothing more. So, Sera's concerns were completely unfounded, something she was not aware of, or at least, selectively chose to ignore. Inner fears were scary like that, turning inconsequential pebbles into impassable mountains.
Time passed quickly among light chatting, and it was only an hour later that Brynhild arrived, the Golden Jade Giant woman wearing something so unlike her usual style that Demian did a double-take, wondering if he was hallucinating. Clearly, he was not the only one surprised as Sera let slip a few curse words under her breath. "Holy shit..." As for Liya, the expression of awe plastered on her face said it all. Why were they stunned by Bryn's appearance? Well, the golden-skinned woman was actually wearing a cheongsam with its main color matching her otherworldly red-jade hair, the outfit's length being almost as long as the one Liya wore the previous day, reaching slightly higher than her calf, with slits on each side of her legs up to right above her knees. The pattern sewn on the fabric, as with the other two Mikhailov women's dresses, was a phoenix and a few clouds, although those two's colors were different, the former being golden with white eyes and the latter a simple white color. The dress was completed with golden Pankous 'slashing' the top of her outfit in a double-sided, round front shape. The dress style, whether one called it cheongsam or qipao, was both elegant and incredibly sexy, something Demian had already realized the previous day after admiring Liya and Sera wearing theirs. Of course, it also depended on the woman wearing the outfit. In Bryn's case, it was an understatement to say that she was incredibly attractive, with her thick and muscular thighs being emphasized by both the dress cut and the bottom of her thighs showing through the slits on each side. Following along the ridges of her toned calf downward, Demian noted the red-jade-colored flat-bottomed shoes fitting her attractive feet perfectly. Having gone downward, now his gaze swiftly moved upward, noting the round front tastefully showcasing how large and round her bust was, the mandarin collar showing just enough of her attractive neck, and how both her lips and cheeks were of a deeper golden color than the rest of her face, one being normal, the other a mark of adorable bashfulness. At last, his marine-colored eyes fell on her hair, styled in a thick red-jade braid held in place by a delicately crafted white eyed golden-colored phoenix headdress at the top front of her head and a golden silk ribbon at the tail end of her braid. Graceful, refined, captivating, or attractive, all those adjectives were a fit for her base looks, though for those uncouth people, the two words 'Extremely hot' would have come to mind instead.
Naturally, Demian was a bit of both, but this time, he was too shocked to play the elegant gentleman and simply went with a very classy 'So hot!' in his head, his attraction for the older woman growing deeper after discovering a side of her previously unknown to him. Of course, that growing attraction was mostly physical, as love, at least for him, would not increase simply because she was becoming even more alluring. He may have enjoyed pretty things, but he was far from being a superficial man. In her case, however, Demian knew she was the whole package, caring, strong, smart, and beautiful, so loving her more and more was pretty much a given, something he had accepted a while ago. Back to the woman. After having put on her outfit with the help of one of the Courtyard's maids, Bryn started walking toward the dining room, her heart beating faster than normal at the idea of those three seeing her wearing that kind of 'girly' clothes. 'What am I even doing?' She kept repeating in her head, feeling a bit uncomfortable while moving in the empty corridor, despite how silky smooth the material of her dress was. To be fair, she had not worn a dress for what felt like forever to her. Even before the accident three years prior, she had never been one to enjoy 'feminine nonsense', more interested in practicing martial arts than wearing dresses and make-up. After the accident, having not only lost her grandparents, but with everyone in their family of four having some kind of physical and mental trauma, she cared even less about those female-related interests, instead plunging even deeper into the fighting scene, where she had quickly noticed how much of an edge her scars gave her. Wasn't she known as the Fire Valkyrie at the time? There was a saying she heard from her Martial Arts coach at the time that said: 'A man's scars are a display of both his honor and courage. Only cowards judge them as a mark of shame.' Well, if that was true for men, then why not for women as well? Those two sentences had, without a doubt, been a massive help for her during that dark period. 'And now, not only did I lose those ugly scars, but I'm actually wearing a freaking dress. Damn it! I must be insane!' She cursed inwardly, her hands fiddling nervously with the hem of her dress, though she did not go back to change. After all, going back would be going against her resolve. Didn't she promise herself to do what it took to get the man she lo...Liked? That she liked. Maybe love a little bit...? Anyway, she would not chicken out! It was just wearing a dress. Nothing difficult, right? But then, why was her heart pounding so hard that she felt as if it was about to burst from her chest? 'Come on, Bryn! Get a grip, for God's Sake! You're a Low Second Level Foundation Building Cultivator strong enough to fight across a whole Rank! Are you gonna be defeated by a Goddamn dress? Just because it shows a lot of skin, and makes you look like a woman in heat...' Pausing her thought for a second, she then cursed inwardly. 'Oh God, I'm hyperventilating! How is that even possible?'
As her breath became more and more erratic, she finally arrived at the dining room, catching the attention of everyone present. Noticing the astonishment in their gazes, her brain shut down completely, leaving only a single thought behind before falling into silence. 'Fuck, I'm passing out.'