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Chapter 47: "Sweet Dreams."
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Shae decided to sprint to the next water stop. They had stopped at one for lunch, so the next would be a full ten or twelve li away. She wasn't sure if Apollo would be out that far already, but assumed she would run across the woman if she wasn't.
The other scouts were working in pairs now. Since Shae wasn't, she was told to stick to the road or with Apollo. Considering she had found the woman's conversation much more enjoyable than Master Long's, she was seriously considering doing just that.
As the li passed by, she spotted some of the scouts and waved. They returned the greetings, and let her pass without flagging her down. Unsurprising they had nothing to report since they just started their shift.
Using the Controlled Push practice kept her speed closer to a mortal's sprinting. Though, she noted that, for scouts and couriers in this world, that was likely faster than an Olympic sprinter. This was because years of doing courier work through qi-soaked areas would steadily improve what a baseline mortal was capable of. Her double marathon run with Curly and Lari had proved that out.
She wagered that she had completed the sprint in under half an hour. It might have been closer to a quarter hour if she hadn't slowed to watch for the rest stop. She had been too engrossed in the sprint to count distance markers, but she guessed it was probably a dozen li this time. The rest stops supposedly got more spaced out closer to the sect, as they were harder to maintain.
No one was at the stop yet, but it was the same one they had picked the scouts up at on the way back, suggesting Long had gotten several li further ahead of the caravan than she expected, probably because they stopped for lunch before he turned back. Shae mused.
Huh, and I haven't seen Apollo yet. She frowned when she walked back out to the road. If she's further ahead, she's probably not much further. She reasoned, then took off heading north again. Keeping her speed to a more casual jog.
Again she was tempted to experiment with the Controlled Push practice, I really hope they have a resistance training technique at the sect, experimenting with this is probably dangerous. She shook off the temptation and tried to pay attention to the tree line around her instead.
Less than a quarter hour later she was rewarded with noise from the east treeline, and a black blur streaking through it.
Shae waved and shouted, "Apollo! Senior!"
The blur disappeared, and Shae had a heartbeat or two to consider her obvious mistake.
"Hello!" A voice came from behind her and she breathed out in relief at hearing the feminine tone. Though, it wasn't the last one Apollo had used.
Turning towards the woman, she found someone she wasn't expecting. Piercing green eyes stared out from above a half-masked face. That was all Shae focused on before her foot missed a step and she tumbled forwards.
She was saved from a potentially painful landing as a hand grabbed her robes, slowing her fall. Another stumbling step later she was pulled upright again and steadied. The woman dressed exactly like a certain masked bandit archer had easily picked up Shae and returned her to her feet. She took another moment to set her balance, then looked up. Her breath caught in her throat at the woman's appearance.
"I didn't think you were surprised that easily," the green eyed woman said. A smile showing around her eyes.
Shae blushed and tried to control herself. Forcing a cough into her sleeve. "I... I wasn't expecting you to be here. You surprised me."
"Oh? And who were you expecting?"
"Um, ah, someone else. From the caravan I'm with."
The woman tilted her head. Her long hair fluttered out in the slight breeze.
Shae noticed it wasn't in a braid anymore, though the signs of one were still there. She thought the hair looked shiny and healthy, and quite stylish with the wavy crimps caused by the braid. "Um, has the hairbrush been working well?" Shae asked as she tried to control the embarrassed heat rising up her neck.
Her green eyes went wide in surprise. Then she switched back to a smile. If the lower half of her face hadn't been covered by the cloth mask Shae might have recognized the devilish grin.
"Miss Shae," she said and stepped forwards. "Do you..." She grabbed the younger woman's hands and pulled her closer, forcing her out of hiding behind her sleeves. "Do you like my hair? ... Or my eyes?" She asked in a soft tone.
Shae could feel how hot her own face was getting from the teenage hormones raging through her system. She tried to control herself, tried to grab her calming divine qi, but found herself unable to focus on her Dantian. The beautiful eyes in front of her had just asked a question and she hadn't responded yet. She really needed to say something. "Y- yes. Your eyes, yes." She whispered and nodded.
"How about now?" The eyes blinked and changed color. Turning a light brown, ringed with gold.
"Euh?" Was all the young woman could manage.
As the dots connected in Shae's mind her flush of youthful attraction switched over to complete embarrassment. Quite sure that she was now more red-faced from that she decided she'd like another go at life. "Aagh, kill me now, please." She mumbled and melted into a puddle of humiliated teenager.
Apollo held the young woman up by her arms. The rest of her having gone completely limp and drooping to the ground. "Hahaha, I really wasn't expecting you to recognize this form." The woman cackled with laughter and let her gently fall.
Shae groaned and squirmed on the ground until her hands were over her head, sleeves fully covering her face. "Uuuuugh. What are the chances?" She mumbled.
"Right? Though, you did ask for someone not in the caravan!" Apollo continued to laugh.
"Hmmff. How long...? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She grumbled into the dirt.
"Hey! That was a pretty quick reveal. I guess I could have pushed it further, you are pretty cute when you're blushing."
Shae's flush returned, and she squirmed more while trying to burrow six feet into the ground.
Apollo must have understood because her laughter returned even louder. A few lungfulls later she calmed slightly, "I'm kidding Shae, we don't trick people like that just for fun."
"Sure seems like you're having fun. Ugh. At least you didn't do it in front of a bunch of people."
"Heh, yeah, that would have been worse, I might not have broken character at all. Though, I wouldn't have been so forward, either. Heh-heh." She was still chuckling.
Shae groaned into the dirt again. "Would I have even found out it was you then? Why did you wait so long to show me?"
"Hah? What? It's just luck that it happened today."
"Luck! How is it luck? You knew me and you picked that form today!" Her frustration was starting to break through her embarrassment. She peeked out from under a sleeve.
"Huh?" Apollo said and looked down at the young woman with a creased forehead. A few beats passed in silence before Apollo's eyes went wide. "Oh, I get it!" She grabbed Shae off the ground, forcing her to stand upright and face her.
Shae felt a burst of steam pass over her, and in a cloud of road dust it easily cleaned her of all the dirt she had picked up while wallowing in her own embarrassment.
Apollo grabbed her shoulders and kneeled slightly so they were at eye level. "Shae." She pointed at herself. "I am not this woman." Her eyes flickered back to green as she said this woman, then returned to being brown. "She passed the caravan a couple days ago. Probably because of the delay from the road blockage and the rot-dogs. I liked her mysterious style, all black and tight fitting." Her eyes went back to green. "And her eyes, of course."
"Oh." Was the only word Shae's mind could handle as it short circuited a few different ways. Not at all helped by Apollo's eyes being green again, and her standing so close. She felt her blush creep onto her cheeks again, and turned away suddenly.
"Oh ho! You are quite flustered, aren't you?"
"It's- it's her eyes." Shae mumbled.
"Hmm, weak to a pair of pretty eyes are we?" Apollo stepped close behind Shae and whispered near her ear, "Careful who you tell that to."
If Shae thought she was managing her emotions at all before, Apollo's sultry tone broke that control. Heat flared up her neck and face, and she started to splutter, "Well- uh, I- I mean, um-"
Apollo pulled away and burst out laughing. "Ha hah-ha, you young ones are so fun to tease! Ha ha ha!"
"Uh- I'm not- ugk!" Shae choked off her own complaint in her throat.
"Ha hah ha! Ah-ha that's right! You're not technically a young one, just in a young body." She laughed again and gently slapped Shae on the back.
Of course, being much stronger, a gentle slap was still enough to send her stumbling, especially when she wasn't ready for it.
"I hope you weren't like this in your last life!" The older woman teased.
Shae rounded on her, kind of upset now, "No! Of course not. It's all these teenage hormones."
"Oh? You think that's what it is? Hmm, and what are you doing about it?" Apollo asked and took a few playful steps forward.
"Uh- Uhm." She stepped back and swallowed, suddenly reminded of the woman in front of her. "Just trying to control it, and ignore it until I'm older."
"Ignore it! What a terrible way to live." She took another step forward, "Say, did you ever get to see this woman without her mask on?"
Shae stammered again, "Uhm- n- no."
Without ceremony, Apollo removed the cloth mask and headwrap. Letting more hair spill out and revealing a moderately attractive twenty something woman.
She stared for a few breaths, then said, "Oh." With just a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Hah-ha!" Apollo laughed and brought up her sleeve to cover her open mouth. "Hah. Am I not as devastatingly beautiful as you imagined?"
"Uhm, well, she's pretty, but yeah. I've seen a few other Fairy cultivators and they easily have her beat." She squirmed slightly and flicked her eyes away, anxious at having to talk so openly about Apollo's looks. Even knowing that this wasn't what Apollo looked like didn't remove the small bit of guilt at criticizing her appearance.
"Heh, of course she's no Fairy. She's still mortal. Spectacular eyes, but a little plain and malnourished. Even then, cultivators have a huge advantage just from running their bodies off qi. Some Fairies even have special cultivation manuals to improve their appearance over the years."
Shae worried at her hair, then tried to rub the heat off the back of her neck. "Ah, well, I hadn't considered that."
"Here, let me show you." Apollo turned away casually running a hand through her long hair. As her arm passed in front of her face, Shae felt a small ripple of qi. "I'm making a show of this, so don't expect so much flair and drama every time." Both hands were running through her hair now and it's color was changing. The black hair was fading to brown then red then lightening to a powdery pink.
Shae gasped lightly as the final color was revealed. Apollo hesitated to turn around, seeming to wait for Shae to exhale, then turning swiftly and eliciting a much louder gasp from the young woman.
Even somewhat prepared to see someone beautiful, she was still caught off-guard. This wasn't a seductive and Earth-conventional beauty like Shae had been expecting, but a striking, aesthetically different beauty that was closer to an alien supermodel. Sharp features contrasted softer ones. Golden irises stared out of shimmering eyes surrounded by rose red eyelashes and eyebrows. The color was darker than her hair, yet clearly chosen to contrast her perfectly pale skin.
An intricate beauty mark offset the too perfect symmetry of the features, redirecting any sense of the uncanny. As the woman stepped closer, Shae saw the mark was a long stemmed rose, the flower just a bud and the stem lacking petals, yet thorns were clearly visible.
Shae swallowed nervously as she realized just how close Apollo was.
"This," she said in a light and easy to listen to voice, "is my best approximation of Elder Dawn. Good friend of young Elder Bai, the sword cultivator we left behind at Jian Quan."
The young woman took a careful breath, then her eyes went wide, "Oh, her! Well no wonder he likes her so much! Ha-ha-heh!" She giggled.
"My, you seem to have recovered well." She pulled back to a more appropriate distance. "Maybe it was the mystery of the green eyes that was doing it for you? Elder Dawn might be disappointed if I couldn't get more of a blush out if you. Hmm, well I am only showing part of the whole package. She definitely has a lot more to offer." Apollo stuck a finger into the cloth covering her chest and pulled it forwards.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Shae wasn't sure if it was her imagination or a subtle application of Apollo's disguise techniques, but she was convinced she saw the woman's bust bulge and strain against her clothing. "Uh- ah- that's fine! You don't need to- Uhm- show me that," Shae spluttered. A lot more redness returned to her face.
"Hah! There we go! I was worried I had messed her up somehow. She'd probably kill me for that." With less fanfare, she changed her hair and face again. Switching to a younger cultivator with a more conventional mortal appearance, notably with dark green hair. "This is closer to what you'll have to deal with at the sect. Dozens of beauties near your physical age and keen to show off to one another. No one's really trying to attract a partner. Yet there's always competitiveness, and pride in one's appearance is seen as a virtue." She stepped closer to Shae again and the young woman immediately took a step back.
"Uhm, thanks for showing me these people, but is this supposed to be leading somewhere?" She swallowed nervously.
"Of course! I'm going to give you a lesson in dealing with your little problem."
"My problem?" The young woman asked and took another step away.
"Yes, your problem is that you are not dealing with your impulses. I've heard it's a common issue with lost souls, they think they know better than their own bodies. Even with a lifetime of experiences," she rolled her eyes, "they are always hesitant to deal with their baser urges."
"Uh, and how do you plan on, uhm, helping?"
"Well, if I was closer to your age I would eat you right up. But I'm your senior, and that's severely frowned upon. I don't want to be thought of as taking advantage of my precious Junior. Even if she has more than enough life experience to make that decision on her own."
Shae relaxed slightly, but the woman was still walking towards her with a clear mission in mind. "Uh, so...?"
"So, with your permission, I'd like to use a qi technique on you."
"Eh? Ah, what does it do?"
"It technically falls into the category of seduction techniques, but I only use it for its distraction and disabling properties." She smiled wickedly at the young woman in front of her.
Shae was suddenly very nervous again. "Uh, Uhm, could you be more specific?"
"Of course, but where's the fun in that?" Her next step brought her right in front of Shae and she scooped her up. Her eyes flashed back to the beautiful green of the bandit archer, distracting Shae from any complaints. "It's a dream technique. What you are about to experience is only for you, I will not know what happens within." Apollo brought a glowing hand up near the young woman's face and asked a question she didn't hear.
Shae was vaguely aware of being carried over to the side of the road and being set down to look up at Apollo's entrancing green eyes. As the woman raised a glowing hand again and asked "Ready?" Shae could only respond with a nod. She could have stopped it, she knew she could, but she also realized that she didn't want to.
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Author's note. Error 403: FORBIDDEN. Dream sequence unavailable.
"I said no details!" -Apollo
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Sometime later, Shae awoke with the expectation of exhaustion and sore muscles. To her pleasant surprise she felt refreshed, if a bit sweaty. Instead of the cold unpleasantness the weather should have offered, the intense warmth of nearby fire greeted her, and it was probably only responsible for some of her sweat.
"Ah, you're awake finally. Good, I was getting worried I'd have to wake you, that's always awkward if the technique is still going." Apollo called out from above. She was perched in a nearby tree, Shae's bow at the ready.
"Uhm. That was-"
"Don't tell me about it, please." She interrupted. "Your dreams are your own, I had no influence nor control and I don't even want clues about what happened."
"Uhm, no influence? Really?" Shae asked skeptically.
"Well, the technique has to start somewhere. It should have started with a similar situation to when it was activated. From there it's basically just you lucid dreaming."
The young woman felt a blush on her cheeks. She forced a cough into her sleeve. "Why is it so warm? I don't see a fire. Uh, Senior."
"Ah, now Junior Shae remembers her manners. Heh heh. I tried to reproduce your little formation trick, but couldn't quite match it. Once you were asleep, you needed something to keep the cold out." She pointed to a formation symbol scratched into the ground, a large circle of dead and dry grass around it.
"Oh, well done then. It feels like a campfire."
Apollo shrugged and jumped down. Shae felt a rush of steam qi move past her and around the fire. A hand gesture from the woman scattered the formation and most of the dead grass. Shae felt the rush of fire qi trying to burn and ignite everything around her, and the steam qi buffering it to prevent that. "The problem is what to do with the fire qi afterwards. It's a little more dangerous than leaving ashes behind."
"Ah, hmmm, yes I suppose that's not easy for everyone." Shae shifted uncomfortably. "Do you know if there's a river or stream nearby? I could use a bit of washing up. My clothes too."
"I said I didn't want any hints." Apollo teased. "But no, not until we reach the next town."
The young woman squirmed again. "I don't think I'm comfortable waiting that long." She picked at her clothing, peeling it away where it was most damp and uncomfortable. "Uhm, Senior?"
Apollo took a deep breath, "I'm going to regret the next question, aren't I?"
Shae waited for Apollo to make a gesture, signaling her to continue, "Earlier, you had a cleaning technique, yes?" She smiled her most hopeful and friendly smile. It looked desperate and just a bit forced.
The older woman sighed and managed her forehead. "That was just dusting, but yes I have another."
The younger woman waited, trying to plead her desperation all the harder.
"Obviously I can't teach it to you fast enough. And really it would be easier if you disrobed."
She began removing her outer robes.
"How curiously eager of you. Wait on that, though. Our fellow scouts should be arriving soon. I'd rather they not stumble upon any avoidable awkwardness."
Shae froze. "So then...?"
"Two things, firstly, while brief this is going to feel very invasive and intimate. This counts as a warning for that, so no complaints. Second, you owe me another favor."
Shae's eyes went a little wide at the warning, then she firmed her resolve and nodded. "Agreed."
Apollo huffed out a sigh again. "Stand up."
As soon as she stood Shae felt the rush of Apollo's steam qi again. This time it was warmer and very humid. Quickly her clothes were hot and wet as the steam soaked her clothing. It was generally more comfortable than she felt earlier, like being in a sauna but with more blowing air. Maybe like a hot dryer vent, with even more humidity somehow. She mused to herself.
She relaxed a breath after the heat started, "This isn't so bad." She said, then yelped loudly as the actual technique kicked in. It was brief and Shae was glad she couldn't really follow all the sensations produced, invasive and overstimulating was probably a better description. Though, she did now know why Apollo had said intimate.
About two heartbeats after it started, the sensation of having every square inch of skin scoured with a rough wet sponge stopped. She still felt too warm, but the chill autumn breeze began cooling her off.
"Ho- Holy-shit-what-the-fuck-was-that?" Shae yelled out in English, trying not to look accusingly at Apollo while she did.
"Miss Shae, I believe I did say no complaints." Apollo warned in a teasing tone.
She frowned, "I had to say something, and you couldn't understand it anyway. Next you'll berate me for complaining in my own head."
"Hmm. I would advise you to be careful about what you think. Most young cultivators are incapable of not showing their emotions on their face."
Shae might have blushed at that if she wasn't busy rubbing her eyes and trying to shake out the new memory, shuddering and flicking her hands out like she was trying to shed water. A few breaths later her skin and clothes were mostly dry. The only remnant was a head sized globe of gray water that floated in the air between the two women. It swirled with darker colors, a brown streak passed close to the surface and Shae grimaced. "Is this part really necessary, Senior?"
"Not at all, but if I am forced to know about all the filth I just peeled off you, then you can at least take a cursory glance at it." She waited another breath for the young woman to complain further. When she did not, Apollo nodded and threw the orb into the forest.
Shae thought the wet splashing noise it made was somehow worse than it should have been. She shuddered again.
"Now. Back to the road, Miss Shae?" Apollo gestured and got them walking again. As they reached a comfortable pace she returned Shae's bow and other belongings, removing her pack from spatial storage.
"Oh, uh, when did you?" The young woman asked, pointing at the pack.
"When I picked you up, you were rather distracted, so probably didn't notice."
"Uh, right." She looked away and down. An embarrassed blush rising up her neck again.
"Now, to finish out your lesson, Wise Shae."
"Huh? Lesson?"
"Of course, what did you think this all was? Just me showing off that technique?"
"You did say you used it often, to distract people?"
"Well yes, it's very effective if they don't know it's coming."
"Plus they will have to clean themselves off after."
"Hey! What are you implying? It doesn't always do that. It just carries on what was happening when it's activated. It's often best used on bored guards, some don't even notice it happened, even after I dismiss it."
"Right, and I'm sure their dream is never, ever, influenced by yourself."
"Well sometimes, of course. You never know what angle you'll have to take to get the better of a mark or their guardsmen. Whatever it takes to keep them occupied for the longest time. Time is very valuable in my business." Apollo nodded sagely.
"The business of giving people horny dreams? Do I owe you money now?" Shae continued to tease.
"Hey, I'm no pervert!" Apollo gasped in mock offense. Clearly still enjoying the banter. "I'm especially not a professional pervert."
"Says the woman who regularly changes their apparent gender."
"Pffft, weak comeback. Gender has nothing to do with sexuality or perversions. I can't even pretend to be offended by that." Apollo said flatly. "And now that you've spoiled the mood, back to the lesson portion."
"Yes, hentai sensei." She quipped and bowed in a different style than usual, having to stop suddenly in the middle of the road to do so.
Apollo squinted her eyes at the young woman, "Why do I feel like you just called me a pervert again, but in a respectful way."
Shae smirked. "I said: yes, pervert teacher. Though it could translate to other things, I suppose. I only ever picked up a few words in that language."
"And two of those few words were pervert and teacher?"
Shae coughed into her sleeve. "Yes."
Apollo shook her head and smirked, "Right. So, my pervert student, what have you learned?"
"Uh, some qi techniques are surprisingly versatile?"
"I meant about your personal horny-business."
"Well... I'm a lot more... Wait, I thought you didn't want details?"
"I don't. So don't finish that thought. What I mean is: what should you do next time you have pent-up urges?"
"Well I don't think this world has hookup-apps yet, so come find you?"
"What!? No! Just take care of it on your own. Resisting your body's instinctual drives is just as bad as ignoring pain during training." Apollo reached over to swat the younger woman, but she was purposefully slow and Shae stepped away.
"Okay, sure, fine. I didn't think it was that big of a deal." She lowered her voice and kept mumbling. "Though, completely solo isn't my preferred method."
Apollo swung again and made sure to make enough contact to sting a little. "What about 'I don't want more details' was confusing?" She huffed. "Next you're going to reveal that no one has given you the yin qi talk yet."
The young woman tilted her head, that sounds familiar, is that what Yun almost mentioned? She looked back to see Apollo giving her a look. She coughed into her sleeve and looked away.
"Oh, hells below will take me before I give you that talk. I've already gotten far too involved in your... personal affairs."
The young woman frowned and kicked some dust off the ground. "Why'd you have to say it like that? Emphasizing you?"
"Because I've heard you argue with Master Long. I know you will complain about how it's not possible or something. I've heard stories about lost souls, they never understand virgin yin."
"Virgin yin? Oh now you have to explain it, you can't just leave me with that nonsense phrase." Shae pleaded loudly.
"See! You've already called it nonsense. Shae, as mature and Wise as you might be, please remember this is a different world. One with qi. Things won't always work like you expect. Especially when people and the creation of life is involved."
She opened her mouth to complain again, but stopped to huff and pout instead.
Apollo looked over and snorted a laugh. "Fine, I'll give you one more piece of life saving advice. While I don't use my technique as a brothel service, other cultivators are not so scrupulous. However, even if it's someone you think is safe, don't let anyone do that for you, especially if they want you to pay for it." She gave a breath's pause so it could sink in.
"I don't think-"
The older cultivator raised a hand, then an eyebrow.
"No details?" Shae asked.
Apollo nodded. "Instead, if you really need some intimate relief, save up some money and go to the actual brothels in town. They are much more trustworthy."
Shae was suddenly confused. "That's not the 'instead' I was expecting."
The older woman chuckled. "Many look down on them, but they are businesses and need to preserve their reputation, especially for the more expensive offerings. Many are run by cultivators and know what's important to cultivators. Regardless of your preferences, which I don't want to know, go to one that is staffed exclusively by women. There is at least one at the sect town below the first mountain." She paused again. "But do that after you check out the library and learn more about this world. And please. Set aside your previous knowledge; verify that you actually know what you think you know."
Shae nodded along, concentrating on all the things she would need to look up.
"And don't yell at the books or librarians."
Shae gasped, "I would never!"
"And don't burn the place down on a fit of rage!"
Shae gasped again, or tried to, but made a weak squawking noise instead.
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