Guan woke to the sight of her clan's guards with their swords drawn surrounding two nude cultivators. Guan just had to mentally chuckle at the sight. She looked at her guards and gave them a subtle gesture with her fingers. They immediately pressed forward as if to strike down the two sitting idiots.

“Please still your blades, these young masters have done nothing wrong.” Guan said breathily.

“That's right we did nothing wrong, it was that naked vagrant he used some kind of demonic art and overpowered us,” Yung Tai said indignantly.

“That is correct and then that monster took our clothes and probably did devilish things with Miss Guan,” Dei Wang chimed in.

“You will not sully the young mistress honor with your words, any more talk like that and I will cut your tongue out,” the captain of Guan’s guards said as he pressed his blade against Dei Wang’s throat.

Dei clamped his mouth shut and slowly backed away.

“Young master Dei the brute struck me just as he struck you, as for the reason why he took your clothes and not mine remains a mystery to us all,” Guan Li said affronted.

“Or are you accusing me of somehow having a hand in this”

“Dei Wang was merely saying what we were both thinking, the reputation of your clan would suggest that this was all a plot to put us in your debt,” said Yung Tai.

Guan stood and looked at the two naked cultivators with disdain in her eyes.

“To think that I entrusted my safety and honor to the Tai and Wang clan only for both of you to be bested by some rogue cultivator. Then to be accused of orchestrating the whole thing. Keep in mind I was stuck just like you two. I just managed to keep my clothes on.”

Those words must have hit their pride Guan thought as both Yung Tai and Dei Wang looked slightly abashed by her statements.

Guan jammed her nails into the palm of her hand drawing blood and eliciting tears from her eyes.

“What am I to do now that my honor has been stained like this, can you imagine the scandal? Three naked men in the middle of the night attacking me. How can I salvage my honor?” Guan Li said as she let the tears stream down her face.

The two cultivators were mortified as they looked at her.

“When mother finds out I will be punished for sure. She most certainly will want to have words with your clan heads. She takes the purity of her daughters very seriously as Brother Dei can attest too.”

At the mention of her mother the two idiots went white. It was one thing to look down on her but another issue altogether when it came to mother.

“Now wait a second Sister Guan there is no need to involve the Ice Empress in this,” Yung Tai said placatingly. He stood up and tried to affect an air of humility. The image was shattered considering he was in a bright red man thong.

“Brother Yung is correct, Sister Guan there is no need to let this reach the ears of her Frozen Majesty,” Dei Wang chimed in, moving the blade away from his neck. “How about we chalk this all up to the evil machinations of a demonic cultivator. We need not mention anything about your involvement in the situation.”

“Brother Dei that is fine and all but what about my reputation, what is to stop you or brother Yung from talking about this incident after a few glasses of wine at Madam Ka Mai’s House of Flowers,” Guan eyed Yung Tai as she spoke.

“We can swear on our honor that we will provide you with proper compensation as well as never uttering a word about your presence here,” Yuan Tai said as he nudged Dei Wang with his elbow.

“Yes I agree with brother Yun in this matter, worry not Lady Guan I can speak for Clan Wang when I say you will be properly taken care of,” De Wang tried to speak with a stoic expression. The look was ruined by his old man underwear that hung loosely on boney hips.

“Words are cheap brothers, ink is stronger,” Guan's demeanor shifted from a tear soaked damsel to one of an aquiline predator. Her hawkish nose twitched with delight as if it could smell its prey closing in. She snapped her fingers and one of her guards proffered a long sheaf of parchment and two knives.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“This is the Li family's general Non Disclosure Agreement if you two gentlemen want to read it over. I suggest you do so quickly though. My guards have alerted your families and they should be sending help shortly. I wouldn't want to be here in such a state when they show up.”

Guan handed the two idiots each a knife.

“This will have to be a blood oath gentlemen so that there will be no reneging on our deal.”

“Now sister Guan, be reasonable, we all know about the Li family's Non Disclosure Agreement, it could literally be anything in there. I am not calling you a liar but I would like to have my family's scribe read it over,” Yung Tai said apologetically.

“I will have to agree with Brother Yung in this matter as well,” said Dei Wang suddenly finding comradery with the rotund cultivator.

“So you two don’t want to honor our agreement,” Guan said as she picked some dirt off her dress. “That really is a shame. I had hoped to solve this issue amicably. Mother will be very disappointed that the young masters of the Tai and Wang clans are not only perverts but also oath breakers.”

Yung Tai and Dei Wang both took the blades that Guan proffered to them and swiftly cut their fingertips. Stamping their bloody finger on the contract they cursed Guan Li internally. They had been played like rubes.

“Thank you very much honored brothers but this Guan Li must bid your leave. I fear that this night has taken a lot out of me.” Guan Li nods at her clan guards who picked her up and carried her away princess style.

“Thank you fellow cultivators. I wish I could say this was a pleasure but it wasn’t. Let's promise each other to never do this ever again, oh one more thing my people will be by to collect my tribute at the end of the month.”

With those last words the Li guards leapt off into the forest just as the Tai and Wang forces came upon the clearing.

“Young masters what is going on here and why are you two naked.”

Yung Tai and Dei Wang just looked off into the forest with unveiled disgust.

***************************************************************************

“Young mistress was that a wise thing to do. Those two brats seemed pretty murderous,” Ty asked Guan as he ran at breakneck speeds towards the Li family portal.

“Bah, I was merely playing the hand that I was dealt with. Besides, I was able to extract concessions from both of them as well as some juicy blackmail. Mother can’t possibly be mad with that end result.” She patted Ty’s arms warmly. “You worry too much stress is the number one killer of men over forty you know.”

“Don’t try and hustle me Miss Guan I know the game”, Ty said sternly not meaning it.

“Madam said you are to debrief her the moment you return to the compounds.”

“Did she seem mad Ty?” Guan said innocently.

“Young mistress knows that no one can read madam's mood,” Ty said, trying to change the subject.

“Come on don’t be like that, did she use my full name or did she call me Gigi.”

“The madam called you her little Gigi,” Ty said reluctantly.

“Perfect, she's in a good mood. Hurry Ty before one of my sisters ruins it.”

Guan could see her family's portal shimmers in the distance. It always took her breath away every time she laid eyes on it. The ten great families all had portals in every one of the twelve Sects. This was all part of some old pact the founders and clan heads had agreed upon. The portals were keyed to people that had been given rights by the clan heads and the sect leaders. If you didn’t have the permission the portals would literally rip you apart.

Ty dove into the portal head first along with his charge and fought the disorientation as he exited. He was always impressed by the prowess of the ancient ancestors and founders for having been able to build these things. It always made him nauseous whenever he portaled. He was a trained cultivator of the Li clan, so he fought back the urge to vomit. The young missus was not so lucky.

Guan hated portaling, every single time she would empty the contents of her stomach. The guards were used to this so none showed any hint of disgust at her unlady-like reaction . Covering up her mess with the snow Guan straightened up and headed to see her dear mother.

The Li clan compounds are located in the heart of the northern tundra's commonly known as The Spine of the World. It was a desolate and barren place; nothing grew here except the world's most beautiful women. At least that's what the male cultivators whispered amongst themselves. To Guan Li this was just home, and she was glad to be back. She entered the massive compound and felt the warmth and detection array roll over her. They keyed into her identity and adjusted her internal temperature to a more bearable degree. Mother would know that she was home now and she knew that it was not a wise idea to make her wait.

As she made her way to her mothers chambers, the servants bowed to her. There was deference in the bows of course but Guan could also see some genuine smiles. She had always treated her servants like people which was not normal for someone of her status. Her sisters seemed to be gone from the compound, good riddance they would have berated her mercilessly. Guan walked up to the door where she could see the many paper birds zipping in and out relaying her mothers orders to her many supplicants. She seemed more busy than usual today. Better make the report short and quick Guan thought. Mother hated when she was interrupted during one of her work moods.

Guan stood there precipice of her mothers door ready to announce her presence when a clear piercing voice called out to her.

“Well don’t just stand out there like some simpleton Gigi, you may enter,”

Guan gulped as she pushed the doors open and entered the lair of the Ice Empress.