I expected not to be allowed to access the palace for a few days at a minimum, considering there had been an assassination attempt against the Queen. To my surprise, everything continued without the slightest change.

Other than a completely new set of guards. A cover-up.

I acted unaware as I brought her breakfast once more. The Queen answered, once again in disguise, looking exactly like she always did. It took everything I had to cover up my shock, as I could sense no sign of essence on her.

"Good morning, madam," I said as I passed the tray, and I used the opportunity to touch her finger slightly, which had been enough for me to sense some kind of barrier over her gates, similar to the protective talisman.

I relaxed. She was hiding her cultivation. It was good because it meant she didn't want to ask for my help with her cultivation, which might have jeopardized our lessons.

She disappeared for a moment, supposedly to accompany the Queen while she ate. Instead, she started

"Now, where were we. Yes, the importance behind the conceptualization of the petals…" she said, once again continuing with the lecture.

Four hours later, I had my notification once more.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 20; Pity Bonus - 30 (Capped)]

[50x Return - Thousand Petals Meditation Technique Lesson, Beginner]

An excellent reward. It might still be the beginner class, but the improvement was incredible. I wanted to work harder and harder, which gave me a chance to push for more.

Just like that, another routine started. The only difference, the multiplier increased significantly. Unfortunately, that also meant I needed pills, better pills than I could create while being hidden in the corner.

Luckily, I already planted the exact thing I needed to arrange that particular thing. When the evening arrived, I took the risk of sneaking out. Finding a new apothecary store wasn't exactly easy when I had to move around for a while.

It was midnight when I arrived. Pearyin was on a desk, working hard. I checked the material. She was trying to learn how to write.

It was rude, but I couldn't resist the temptation. "Don't hold the brush too tight," I said. She flinched in fear but reacted better than I expected. She threw the brush at me, which flew fast enough to kill an ordinary man.

"Not bad," I said as I pulled down my cloak.

"Y-you're here," she gasped as she dashed forward, hugging me. I could feel her trembling, but by touching her, I could feel no sign of physical damage. She was just stressed.

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Not that I blamed her. I asked her to move to the capital, the only place where her current cultivation was unable to ensure the limits. I said nothing, just let her hug me while she calmed down. I started rubbing her shoulders gently. And, since it was a good opportunity, I finally used my improved essence massage.

The results were spectacular. I could feel her martial cultivation as clearly as mine, each touch improving her abilities more.

"Yes, I'm here," I said. "Things worked well enough, so I arrived earlier than I planned. Now, tell me how was your travel."

"Exciting," she said, though while she tried to sound brave, I could feel her stress. "There was some increase in bandit attacks, but as you asked, I spent some money to change horses often, which helped me to avoid the worst. But, I barely avoided the mess."

"What mess," I said.

"The increase of savage beast attacks," she said, her tone implying that I should have heard that. But, she was too respectful to question me. "About a week or so, the beast numbers increased significantly. There are some caravans that fell despite having Skin Refinement guards."

No wonder she was stressed.

It didn't take a genius to guess who was responsible. Lord Eirto, or more likely, the forces behind him. Otherwise, what were the changes of beast attacks increasing, giving just enough time for his forces to retreat?

The war in Markas was clearly not over. But, it was not my problem. Especially not until I could get a handle on this cultivation business.

"Not for long. I have a mission still," I said and felt her disappointment. "But I will be visiting frequently," I said, and she relaxed. "Now, show me how much you improved during your travels."

The answer, as it turned out, was almost none, but if her expectant expression was any indicator, not for lack of trying. Her talent wasn't good enough, and our unorthodox cultivation process didn't help. Her foundation and comprehension are terrible.

Luckily, I had a suitable workaround.

"Why don't you prepare the bedroom for a massage while I refine a few pills," I said. Luckily, the place she purchased had a nice workshop as well. There was no cauldron, but I had many in my inventory. As for herbs, I had collected more than I could use from the palace garden.

While she prepared everything, I started refining pills to facilitate a breakthrough in Bone Forging Realm. Difficult with my cultivation, but the quality of the medicinal plants from the palace garden was enough to bridge the gap.

Good, as breaking through to help the Queen improve would have been counter-productive.

I kept the better pills for the Queen. As I would be there to help Pearyin. I also refined some weaker pills for her to sell.

I needed funding, and selling pills was a good source as any.

When I arrived in the bedroom, I found her on the bed, with a towel but nothing else. Far more daring than our last encounter, particularly with her enthusiastic smile. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to, not with the excited smile she was wearing.

As much as I wanted to spend the whole night answering her needs, helping her breakthrough was more important. I didn't know how effective a Minor Immersion essence massage would be, but I couldn't afford to be late.

It was better to finish first.

"Work first. Take the first pill," I said as I put my hands on her shoulder, and started rubbing.

Even with my lofty expectations, its effectiveness surprised me. My fingers danced as I channeled the essence far smoother than she could ever do on her own. "Now, listen carefully. The real nature of the Forest dance…" I started, by delivering a lengthy lecture about the nature of it.

Combined, her cultivation improved rapidly, easily bypassing her lack of talent to push to the absolute Peak of Skin Refinement … then to the Bone Forging realm. It didn't even take half an hour.

"I … I broke through," she said.

"Yes. Don't move so I can help you settle it," I said as I continued massaging her back, doing my best to ignore the nature of her quickening breaths.

Until I could not and pulled the towel away…