When I returned to the capital, I moved to Spring Palace, and quickly penned a letter from her 'allies' explaining the latest changes in the region. I wanted to have a talk with Aisnam, to understand the political ramifications of the latest changes, so that I would know exactly what could be done.

The moment I finished writing the letter, I lit a candle and put it in a prearranged window, which was a prearranged signal that declared her that we needed to talk urgently. She might be in a meeting, but her servants would alert her of that.

It wasn't the most urgent alert we agreed on, as few relied on fireworks, but my current one was the highest we had that didn't include an actual commotion. Therefore, it wasn't surprising when Aisnam arrived in her servant disguise barely a minute later.

That delay was welcome, because while waiting for her, I felt the presence of multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators as well, each approaching the capital. I added that information to the letter as well.

"Madam," I said with a nod as I passed her the sealed letter. She ripped it open, and read it, which included everything I had seen, including the presence of the flying ship that included her

"It looks like my cousin is here for another visit, this time as a proper disciple," she growled, her anger intense enough to make her forget exactly what was going on, enough for her to forget that she was supposed to be the servant. I decided to look outside the window and act like I didn't hear her.

Her anger suggested that the cousin in question was the same person responsible for her earlier plight, a plight that she had mostly recovered, but left mental marks.

However, my ploy didn't work, as her eyes widened and she realized exactly what she had slipped. "I mean …" she stammered.

"You don't have to explain. I know that cultivator families are not kind to their members when they don't have the potential. It's not your fault that they forced you to be a servant to a family member, or targeted by others," I said. "She might be a stronger cultivator and the Queen, but you're the one I value."

Aisnam blushed far more than I expected. "R-really," she said.

"Of course," I said as I crossed the distance and sealed her lips with mine. She moaned under my short yet heated kiss before I pulled back. One danger was dismantled … but many remained. "As much as I wanted to continue, you need to alert the Queen quickly to the developments," I commented, reminding her about her role.

"Y-you're right," she said as she kissed me again, and looked toward the door. But, rather than continuing forward, she moved upstairs first. When she came back, she was holding a small toy in her hand.

Only, it was radiating far too much Qi to be just a toy.

"Here, take this," she said as she passed it to me.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 50; Pity Bonus - 60 (Capped)]

[110x Return - Personal Flying Boat - Black-High Grade]

"W-what's this? It feels … strong," I muttered, acting like I didn't know exactly what she had given me. A flying boat. A strong one, considering the return of the System. I was not an expert, but I could feel that it was badly damaged, enough that it would probably last for one use, at most two.

"It's a device to enable your escape in case of an emergency," she explained quickly. "I don't know what will happen if my family discovered you, but I can't take the risk," she said.

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"What about you," I asked.

"Don't worry, I have my own methods to escape, and so does the Queen," she said. I could see that it was a lie, but I didn't confront her. As a martial artist, I wasn't supposed to know about that detail, or even the fact that what I was holding was a very expensive treasure. It was probably her last resort to escape, one last trump card, useful even under the circumstances.

The fact that she gave it to me showed how much she cared about me. I was touched, enough that I would have probably rejected it … if I hadn't already done enough to secure her safety even during the approach of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators if the situation got bad enough for her to use it. If the situation turned that badly, I could always intervene as her mysterious ally to save her.

"I still don't want to leave unless it's an emergency," I said. "I can stay in here, in one of the rooms, and as long as I stay near the basement entrance, they would probably overlook my presence," I said.

"No. That's too risky —" she started.

"Maybe, but I won't leave when there's still a chance I can help you," I said stubbornly, which, despite how it looked, wasn't exactly sacrificial. With the hidden formation I set around the capital, I was safe here regardless of the circumstances, and I didn't want to stay away from her just in case things had degraded too much.

I could stay yet hide from Aisnam, but I was reluctant to do so unless I had no other choice. Disappearing meant I would lose the chance to trigger the System consistently, which was not something I wanted to miss.

I needed to get better. As much as formations gave me incredible flexibility when it came to dealing with my enemies, I didn't ignore the fact that, the only reason I was able to do everything I wanted was the limitless Qi I was able to get from the spirit vein, and, in the process, wasting enough to actually cultivate a small sect if given enough time.

The itinerant cultivators fought for a dozen strands of Qi, while I spent millions. I would have felt far more confident if the spirit vein could be moved, but unfortunately, that was not the case. And, with multiple sects and families paying attention to the region, I couldn't even assume that I would keep it forever.

So, the stronger I got, the better.

"You're stubborn," she said. On her face, I could see the conflict. "Keep the artifact with you, and activate it if you face any danger. I don't want them to target you."

"Would they? I'm just a weak martial artist," I said.

"They would love to kill my happiness," she said as she hugged me. "I need to go, I need to deal with the emergency."

I nodded, and she left the room, returning to her throne room to arrange the defenses. The moment she went out, I left as well, using the tunnel, and soon I was at the cave, which was defended by another formation, strong enough to conceal a similar flying ship I had seen earlier.

I reached the System space, and pulled the boat, which, once again, came out as a miniature, which, unlike the one Aisnam gave, had no presence. However, I knew that, it was the quality of the System provided tool, preventing leaks.

Just like any other artifact, it came out fully refined, so all I needed was a mental command for it to turn full-sized. "Fascinating," I muttered.

The first thing I paid attention to was the size. After the previous flying ship, I expected it to be another giant device, hundreds of feet long, but it was merely thirty feet. It looked like it was designed for personal use, more similar to a sports car than a cargo ship.

A very high-end sports car, even, I thought as I examined the sleek brown surface, made from a wood I didn't recognize, but smelled amazing, inlaid with some complicated patterns that reinforced the surface. On each side, there was a bow that looked like an artifacts, giving the boat some offensive capabilities, and there was a Qi shield around it to defend against attacks.

The only problem, even as it stood still, I could feel it devouring its Qi reserves with a noticeable speed. It was luxurious and spectacular, but cheap, it was not.

Luckily, as long as I had the spirit vein, I didn't lack Qi, and with the giant formation spreading around the capital, linking it to the boat to constantly provide it with energy was trivial to someone with my expertise.

To test it, I tried to miniaturize the boat, and not only it was easy, it actually moved to settle in my dantian.

"Convenient," I muttered, ignoring the desire to use it for its virgin voyage, and instead returned to the capital. Not only multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators were getting closer, but also the Tiger Fist army, though Aisnam's family member stayed away for the moment.

Still, it was good to know I had to tools to extract Aisnam safely if things had gone worse than I expected.