"You!" Ken shook with rage, and her eyes flashed between confusion and fear. She tried to say something, but it came out muffled.
"Your damn auction pavilion did this to me!" He reached down to rub his legs, which he could no longer feel.
"You hurt my master!" Emerald said, her vines beginning to wrap around the terrified Yue, who couldn’t even speak.
[[Calm down, mortal!]]
"Goddess, this is her fault too!" Ken shouted, raising his clenched fist in anger.
[[You dare talk back to this queen! Don't forget your place! This queen will not repeat herself!]]
Emerald was slowly crushing Yue who was shaking and crying. She was so scared she wet herself.
"Emerald, stop!" Ken finally managed through gritted teeth. He was still angry, but he didn’t want to create any issues with the goddess.
"Master!" Emerald tried to protest, though her vines stopped crushing Yue.
"Let her go," he said, a little more calmly now. "I need to speak with her."
Emerald dropped Yue before Ken, and undid the woman’s gag. She kept close beside her, the vines still around Yue, ready to crush her if Ken asked.
Yue remained crying, a sobbing mess of a woman. She had been seconds away from death, and even now the signs of it were visible, with bruises beginning to form all along her skin.
“Stop your crying at once!” Ken almost spat at her, still clenching his teeth.
"B-brother Ken! You're alive!" Yue managed through sobbing gasps. She reached up to clear her eyes, barely able to look at him.
"I'm not your brother!” Ken shouted back at her, causing her to shrink. “Don't you see what's happened to me?"
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it! I-I didn't know!"
"Tell me! Why did your auction pavilion betray me? That bastard Ton even snapped my spine!" Somehow it had healed, though it had led to him being unable to defend himself. Being beaten wasn’t a big deal, but to be beaten without even able to raise his fists, it was a greater shame.
"I don't know. I wasn't there. I left. There was a matter in Beast Mountain Town, but then I heard that something happened to you, so I came back as quickly as I could!"
Ken’s anger almost entire dissipated. “Did you say Beast Mountain Town?”
“Y-yes…”
"What were you doing in Green Mountain?" Ken asked, his voice now serious.
"I was asked to help with an auction there. There was a family whose last member commit suicide out of shame for embarrassing the Town Lord and his family."
"What?" Ken froze, feeling his blood run cold. It couldn’t be… "Which family?" His eyes narrowed.
"It was the Leafblade family,” Yue replied. “They said the young master tried to barge in to rape the Town lord's daughter but then he was beaten by the young master of the Terraheart family."
Ken grit his teeth again, feeling his anger boil. "What? That's not what happened!” He slapped his fist against the caravan’s side. “I didn't try to rape her! That bastard, he crippled me! Zarina was promised to me and then they betrayed me! Now they're lying about me when they got rid of me and are trying to steal all my family's wealth? Those bastards! I'll kill them all!" He fumed with rage, clenching his fists again.
Yue began to connect the dots. "You're Ken Leafblade?" She gasped. Her eyes went wide with fear. "I-I didn't know, I swear. That's just what they told me! When I heard something happened to you I rushed back and found that your wife had destroyed the inn and you were both gone. I tried to punish Ton, but he used the situation to oust me from the pavilion." She looked down, unable to figure out how she could come out of this alive. "I'm glad you're alive, brother Ken."
Ken clenched his fists. "Why would you be so glad?" He glared down at her. “And don’t call me brother.”
Yue whimpered, and then lowered her gaze. She sat in the pool of her piss, growing hot with shame.
He continued to shake. "What about with the situation in Beast Mountain Town?"
"They need to wait at least three years from the confirmation of death. They said they only needed to wait two since the true master died a year before and that you..."
"What?"
"You didn't deserve the name Leafblade after trying to rape the Town Lord's daughter. Your father was a noble man, and they couldn't bring him shame after what you did..."
"Those bastards! I'll kill them all! How dare they use my father's name for their own greed!" He shook with rage again, slamming the wagon again.
"I-I know the pavilion hurt you, but I promise it wasn't because of me! I'm not affiliated with them any more. I..." She bowed her head in shame. "Please don't be angry at me." She kowtowed in front of him, shaking wildly.
"I... I need a second..." He sighed. "Set her free, Emerald. I'll decide what to do with her later."
"I..." Yue looked at Ken. "Come with me to my village. Ton could oust me because I didn’t have any strong supporters, but in my town I was the Chief's niece."
"So you can set the Chief on me?" Ken glared at her. He wouldn’t walk right into death after just escaping it. Being a Chief, he probably was quite strong, probably a Martial Warrior at the least.
"I wouldn't do that! Please believe me!" Yue begged him.
"I don't! I don't trust anyone! Every time I've trusted someone, I've been stabbed in the back!" Ken growled.
"What of Emerald? Don't you trust her?" Yue asked, trying to calm him down.
Ken looked to Emerald. "I do trust her. You're nowhere near on her level. She would be willing to die for me, and I would die for her."
"Brother Ken, we-"
"Don't call me brother!" Ken growled again, causing Yue to shrink again.
"Young sir Leaf. We haven't known each other for long, but I swear I don't have any ill intentions against you. I did try to get closer to you in order to establish a connection to your master, but I would never have harmed you."
[[Ask her if she's a virgin.]]
"!!!" Ken cleared his throat. "Are you a virgin?"
Yue looked up at him horrified, and then quickly looked down. "I... I am. Is that what you want from me?"
[[How lucky! You can use her to get back your body. Dual cultivate with her and I will deal with the rest.]]
"I need your innocence,” Ken said, though slowly his rage was changing to something else.
"Will you let me live?" Yue asked, swallowing. Her innocence for her life, it wasn’t a terrible deal.
"I..." Ken stared into her eyes. He could see the fear, the look of betrayal within them. "No." He felt sick to his stomach.
She gasped. "P-please don't kill me! Ken, please, I'm begging you! I'll do whatever you ask!"
"That's not what I mean!” Ken shouted quickly. “The situation before, it had nothing to do with you.” He shook his head, getting rid of his dark thoughts. “How did you get caught by these guys anyway?"
"It took a little while before I was ousted. Then I tried to go to the nearby city, but I was attacked by beasts and my guards abandoned me. I was then captured by these merchants not that long ago.”
"I won't rape you and I won't kill you." He sighed. "You didn't do anything to me."
"I... I didn't hear what really happened back then, in your town. Will you tell me what happened?"
"It doesn't matter,” Ken said, shaking his head.
"I just want to know the truth. They said that you had tried to rape the Town Lord's daughter and then Ton said that you had barged in and started problems with the pavilion. I don't think you did that."
Ken sighed. He wasn’t sure if Yue was trying to take advantage of the situation in order to get him to treat her nicer, but there wasn’t much she could do like this.
He started to tell her about his story, the true story, from his point of view. He told her about the deal that the Town Lord had made with his family, which he had quickly changed once his family had been nearly destroyed.
He talked about how he had a fortunate encounter, though remained intentionally vague, and then spoke about Emerald, and how they had only met not long ago, and she was his servant.
Then he spoke about what happened at the pavilion, and how he awoke like this, saving her after someone tried to bother him.
Yue could only think that he was both fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. His luck had given him something people could only dream of, and something which people would only find in their nightmares.
"You!" Ken shook with rage, and her eyes flashed between confusion and fear. She tried to say something, but it came out muffled.
"Your damn auction pavilion did this to me!" He reached down to rub his legs, which he could no longer feel.
"You hurt my master!" Emerald said, her vines beginning to wrap around the terrified Yue, who couldn’t even speak.
[[Calm down, mortal!]]
"Goddess, this is her fault too!" Ken shouted, raising his clenched fist in anger.
[[You dare talk back to this queen! Don't forget your place! This queen will not repeat herself!]]
Emerald was slowly crushing Yue who was shaking and crying. She was so scared she wet herself.
"Emerald, stop!" Ken finally managed through gritted teeth. He was still angry, but he didn’t want to create any issues with the goddess.
"Master!" Emerald tried to protest, though her vines stopped crushing Yue.
"Let her go," he said, a little more calmly now. "I need to speak with her."
Emerald dropped Yue before Ken, and undid the woman’s gag. She kept close beside her, the vines still around Yue, ready to crush her if Ken asked.
Yue remained crying, a sobbing mess of a woman. She had been seconds away from death, and even now the signs of it were visible, with bruises beginning to form all along her skin.
“Stop your crying at once!” Ken almost spat at her, still clenching his teeth.
"B-brother Ken! You're alive!" Yue managed through sobbing gasps. She reached up to clear her eyes, barely able to look at him.
"I'm not your brother!” Ken shouted back at her, causing her to shrink. “Don't you see what's happened to me?"
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it! I-I didn't know!"
"Tell me! Why did your auction pavilion betray me? That bastard Ton even snapped my spine!" Somehow it had healed, though it had led to him being unable to defend himself. Being beaten wasn’t a big deal, but to be beaten without even able to raise his fists, it was a greater shame.
"I don't know. I wasn't there. I left. There was a matter in Beast Mountain Town, but then I heard that something happened to you, so I came back as quickly as I could!"
Ken’s anger almost entire dissipated. “Did you say Beast Mountain Town?”
“Y-yes…”
"What were you doing in Green Mountain?" Ken asked, his voice now serious.
"I was asked to help with an auction there. There was a family whose last member commit suicide out of shame for embarrassing the Town Lord and his family."
"What?" Ken froze, feeling his blood run cold. It couldn’t be… "Which family?" His eyes narrowed.
"It was the Leafblade family,” Yue replied. “They said the young master tried to barge in to rape the Town lord's daughter but then he was beaten by the young master of the Terraheart family."
Ken grit his teeth again, feeling his anger boil. "What? That's not what happened!” He slapped his fist against the caravan’s side. “I didn't try to rape her! That bastard, he crippled me! Zarina was promised to me and then they betrayed me! Now they're lying about me when they got rid of me and are trying to steal all my family's wealth? Those bastards! I'll kill them all!" He fumed with rage, clenching his fists again.
Yue began to connect the dots. "You're Ken Leafblade?" She gasped. Her eyes went wide with fear. "I-I didn't know, I swear. That's just what they told me! When I heard something happened to you I rushed back and found that your wife had destroyed the inn and you were both gone. I tried to punish Ton, but he used the situation to oust me from the pavilion." She looked down, unable to figure out how she could come out of this alive. "I'm glad you're alive, brother Ken."
Ken clenched his fists. "Why would you be so glad?" He glared down at her. “And don’t call me brother.”
Yue whimpered, and then lowered her gaze. She sat in the pool of her piss, growing hot with shame.
He continued to shake. "What about with the situation in Beast Mountain Town?"
"They need to wait at least three years from the confirmation of death. They said they only needed to wait two since the true master died a year before and that you..."
"What?"
"You didn't deserve the name Leafblade after trying to rape the Town Lord's daughter. Your father was a noble man, and they couldn't bring him shame after what you did..."
"Those bastards! I'll kill them all! How dare they use my father's name for their own greed!" He shook with rage again, slamming the wagon again.
"I-I know the pavilion hurt you, but I promise it wasn't because of me! I'm not affiliated with them any more. I..." She bowed her head in shame. "Please don't be angry at me." She kowtowed in front of him, shaking wildly.
"I... I need a second..." He sighed. "Set her free, Emerald. I'll decide what to do with her later."
"I..." Yue looked at Ken. "Come with me to my village. Ton could oust me because I didn’t have any strong supporters, but in my town I was the Chief's niece."
"So you can set the Chief on me?" Ken glared at her. He wouldn’t walk right into death after just escaping it. Being a Chief, he probably was quite strong, probably a Martial Warrior at the least.
"I wouldn't do that! Please believe me!" Yue begged him.
"I don't! I don't trust anyone! Every time I've trusted someone, I've been stabbed in the back!" Ken growled.
"What of Emerald? Don't you trust her?" Yue asked, trying to calm him down.
Ken looked to Emerald. "I do trust her. You're nowhere near on her level. She would be willing to die for me, and I would die for her."
"Brother Ken, we-"
"Don't call me brother!" Ken growled again, causing Yue to shrink again.
"Young sir Leaf. We haven't known each other for long, but I swear I don't have any ill intentions against you. I did try to get closer to you in order to establish a connection to your master, but I would never have harmed you."
[[Ask her if she's a virgin.]]
"!!!" Ken cleared his throat. "Are you a virgin?"
Yue looked up at him horrified, and then quickly looked down. "I... I am. Is that what you want from me?"
[[How lucky! You can use her to get back your body. Dual cultivate with her and I will deal with the rest.]]
"I need your innocence,” Ken said, though slowly his rage was changing to something else.
"Will you let me live?" Yue asked, swallowing. Her innocence for her life, it wasn’t a terrible deal.
"I..." Ken stared into her eyes. He could see the fear, the look of betrayal within them. "No." He felt sick to his stomach.
She gasped. "P-please don't kill me! Ken, please, I'm begging you! I'll do whatever you ask!"
"That's not what I mean!” Ken shouted quickly. “The situation before, it had nothing to do with you.” He shook his head, getting rid of his dark thoughts. “How did you get caught by these guys anyway?"
"It took a little while before I was ousted. Then I tried to go to the nearby city, but I was attacked by beasts and my guards abandoned me. I was then captured by these merchants not that long ago.”
"I won't rape you and I won't kill you." He sighed. "You didn't do anything to me."
"I... I didn't hear what really happened back then, in your town. Will you tell me what happened?"
"It doesn't matter,” Ken said, shaking his head.
"I just want to know the truth. They said that you had tried to rape the Town Lord's daughter and then Ton said that you had barged in and started problems with the pavilion. I don't think you did that."
Ken sighed. He wasn’t sure if Yue was trying to take advantage of the situation in order to get him to treat her nicer, but there wasn’t much she could do like this.
He started to tell her about his story, the true story, from his point of view. He told her about the deal that the Town Lord had made with his family, which he had quickly changed once his family had been nearly destroyed.
He talked about how he had a fortunate encounter, though remained intentionally vague, and then spoke about Emerald, and how they had only met not long ago, and she was his servant.
Then he spoke about what happened at the pavilion, and how he awoke like this, saving her after someone tried to bother him.
Yue could only think that he was both fortunate and unfortunate at the same time. His luck had given him something people could only dream of, and something which people would only find in their nightmares.
