The distance between Pearyin's cave and the capital wasn't particularly grueling for me. Once I arrived, I didn't waste any time before stepping into the secret entrance, and walking forward.
"Now, the best position to drain some Qi," I muttered as I moved. The best location was the direct opposite of the stone door, but eliminating that option didn't take long. It was inevitable that, as I drained the Qi, there would be some fluctuations in the surrounding motes, and the last thing I needed was to alarm Aisnam.
Instead, I picked a spot halfway in the tunnel. A nice compromise between Qi density and distance. Then, I crossed my legs, pushed my meditation technique to the limit, and started gathering Qi. "There are unexpected benefits of having a superior meditation technique," I muttered. Cheating was certainly beneficial.
Five minutes had been enough for me to gather ten strands of cursed Qi into an orb, holding it tight under my control. I was confident that I could make that orb far bigger, but I decided not to take a big risk during the first trip.
It would be the first time I used my meditation technique while running. And,
Just to be on the safe side, I wrapped it with half a strand of my own Qi before I pulled it into my body. A layer of essence to keep it hidden, and I traveled back without a problem. Carrying ten strands had been easy.
"Hello, sweetie," I said as entered the cave once more. "Continue meditating, I'll be busy," I added when I noticed she was about to say something. Then, I used several wards to create an exact copy of Aisnam's purification setup before letting the cursed Qi I had gathered into the pseudo-storage it represented.
I wished I knew a talisman that could be used to store Qi. It would have made things so much easier.
The Qi density in the room doubled immediately. It would have increased even more, but Pearyin's suction was enough to handle the rest.
I settled next to her. "How do you feel?" I asked as I once again checked her body.
"Slightly more energetic, stir," she answered obediently. I waited for a moment, wondering if she would ask a question about anything … including my displays, which, at this point, revealed my status as a Qi cultivator. Yet, Pearyin avoided asking even a question, accepting it silently.
Her mentality was truly difficult to understand.
"Good. I need to observe you a bit. Let's work on your reading in that time," I said, and started tutoring her. The difference between her earlier and current learning speed was different enough to be noticeable. A good detail, as it turned the fifteen-minute teaching session into something truly useful.
Unfortunately, the results of her consumption were different. The signs of starvation started to get more intense. I added four more Profound-Low Grade purification charms before her dantian reached its absorption limit and left some Qi to nourish her body.
Finding a solution was fortunate, though I would have preferred one that hadn't increased cursed Qi consumption to an absurd degree. The setup required hundreds of strands of Qi to keep active.
"I'll be back in a moment," I said as I kissed her temple, and left for another round of Qi delivery. This time, I gathered fifty strands of Cursed Qi. It was more difficult to carry that much. I doubted that I could have lasted an hour.
Luckily, my mobility allowed me to handle the distance in minutes.
Three more repeats, and I had to move deeper into the tunnel, because Qi density had lessened significantly. It increases the risk, but taking that risk was inevitable to give Pearyin enough Qi to keep her satiated for a full day.
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However, getting close to the stone gate had an unintended consequence. As I pulled the Cursed Qi, familiar whispers filled my mind, once again with the promises of endless rivers of blood and glory. This time, I chose to ignore them rather than retreat in fear.
"That's the last delivery of the day," I muttered as I dumped the last orb of dense Qi into the pseudo-storage. "It should be enough until my last visit," I said.
"Thank you, sir. You're too good to me," she whispered.
"Think nothing of it, sweetie," I said. "It's an investment. You're going to help me a lot as well."
"My life is yours—" she started, but I pressed my finger against her lips.
"Nothing too dramatic, honey," I said with a chuckle. "Now, before I leave, why don't you show me the results of your study session?"
She blushed, but said nothing as she grabbed a brush, slowly writing the new words she had practiced in my absence. "Fascinating," I said, which was not an exaggeration. She had progressed significantly. She was still a Beginner, but I could see that Minor Familiarity wasn't too far away.
She had improved more than she had all month. Incredible, considering she wasn't cheating like I was.
"Excellent," I said, feeling curious whether it was affecting only ordinary skills. "Now, why don't you show me your Forest Dance stance."
"Yes, sir," she said obediently, and went through the katas I had taught her, from Initiate to Connate. "Focus on initiate moves, and repeat thirty times," I ordered. She followed that direction under my gaze. She was more proficient in those moves than writing, yet her rate of improvement was once again dozens of times better than her earlier achievement.
Her physique might be greedy beyond belief for Qi, but it was clear that the benefits were equally impressive. I hadn't experienced such a sharp increase in my learning capability, and unless she was holding back seriously, neither did Aisnam.
"Good, let me teach you a new technique. It is called Rabbit Dash, and its only function is to run faster," I said, then showed her the self-derived moves.
"Is this how you can run that fast, sir?" she said.
"Sure, what did you think?"
She blushed. "I thought it was a cultivation technique."
"No, it's a martial arts technique," I replied. "Now, show me."
Another martial artist might not have appreciated learning a technique that could be only used to run fast, especially since, learning multiple arts affected the purity of their essence. Pearyin clearly didn't share that perspective, and learned the technique even more enthusiasm than Forest Dance.
Though, knowing her weird dedication, it might not be about the strategic benefits of such a technique. She might be just excited about learning a technique I knew.
I didn't question it. Regardless of the reason, having the ability to run faster would be helpful.
While she practiced under my guidance, I wrote a letter to Aisnam, arguably from the mysterious organization, which included a general summary of my deliveries for Markas, with some mentions that Tiger Fist had brought far more Connate Realm martial artists than they had shown.
As for the reward, I added a note that it was rather sensitive in nature, so I chose to deliver via her messenger. The reason for that was simple. I wanted to read her in real time as I made my cultivation-related requests. Based on her reaction, I could change my requests.
Also, having an excuse to question her about the nature of the cultivation would be useful as well.
"I'm about to leave. I'll try to return tomorrow, but make sure you stay here even if I can't," I said. "But, before I leave, repeat the rules," I said.
"I won't leave the cave no matter what happens. If someone discovers me, I'll claim that I'm a martial artist trying to perfect my art through traveling. If they insist on fighting, but are strong enough to deal with them, I will run away toward the Capital, and will go to the cave entrance you described."
"And, what if you can't ditch them until the capital."
"I'm going to use five flame talismans in the pattern you taught me and target them in the air, then hide and wait for you. And, if I got discovered by other cultivators first, I'm going to claim that I was a new recruit by the sect, but before I could be sent, my recruiter had been killed by a crazy swords master."
"Perfect," I said. I hoped that it wouldn't be necessary, but extra preparation never hurt.
With that done, I returned to the secret tunnel. I deserved a rest. However, as I walked, I touched the cursed Qi that filled the tunnel, trying to see if the amount increased enough to sustain Pearyin's consumption.
It did not.
However, as I passed in front of the stone door while poking Qi, I felt a presence in my mind, similar to the earlier vogue promises … but this time, it was not another delirious choppy fever-dream vision.
It was a whisper.
"Have you taken enough of my Qi, little cultivator?" the voice said, filled with promises of blood and victory.
I pointedly ignored that whisper as I went into the Spring Palace, hoping that I wasn't making a horrible mistake.