In Danger

Yechen could tell that he was in danger… Not that this was a novel realisation on his part. It had been clear from the start, considering that he had been brought to the Elt ancestral grounds. They were well-known as evil cultivators by people throughout the country, and that was despite their close connection to the crown…

The two clan members he had met in particular had basically abducted him. Although the alchemy tools and resources he was provided were beyond incredible, it was pretty clear that he wasn’t in a very good spot.

He was stuck inside the white-haired woman’s residence. Her name was Lui, and she was intimidating and probably genuinely unhinged. Not only was she built like an amazonian–Standing at two meters in height–But looked like she could kill a bear with a flick of her finger… Also, Yechen had quickly made a rather concerning discovery about her.

At first, Yechen had been somewhat dazzled. Despite her rather serious scars, Lui was definitely a gorgeous woman, and the alchemy hero could not lie–He found tall and muscular women to be extremely attractive… As such, he had let his intrusive thoughts win on one occasion and used his ‘gift’ on her.

It was the same gift he had used to get the best stuff at the tournament. Basically, everything was centered around his eyes. His eyes had a special connection to the general system everyone possessed, which allowed him to perceive clear and detailed information about not only objects, but also living beings.

Of course, there were things beyond his level. Lui was part of this category since she was clearly way stronger than he. It was to the point that Yechen could probably not even fathom how powerful she truly was.

However, his gift also had more aspects to it.

Through his eyes, he had access to all sorts of abilities. Most of them very minor, but for example, he could connect his eyes and brain to slow his perception of time, allowing him to view things in slow motion, but think at a regular speed for a few moments at a time.

When practising alchemy–Which sometimes required precise and minute adjustments–This particular trick was extremely useful, allowing him to perform said adjustments basically instantly. This was how he could produce pills and other alchemical products that appeared to be beyond what he should be capable of. It was all about micro and macro management.

In any case… He could also peer through matter with his eyes. It was useful to see certain aspects of resources or items, things that the regular appraisal might not mention because of his relatively low strength at the moment.

…It was shameful and disrespectful, but he had not been able to stop himself from trying to peek at Lui’s naked body underneath her robes. This was a decision he sorely regretted. Not because she noticed anything–She had been unaware–But because he discovered that she was a Duookois. She had a man-rod. The whole masculine package… And those things were impressively large.

Before, he found it flattering that she seemed to show some interest in him. Now? He took it as a threat.

He might be overreacting. Duookois had both male and female apparel after all. Perhaps she intended to use the latter with him... But he would rather not tempt fate in this regard, especially with what she was equipped with. That thing could split people in half, he was certain.

Ever since he took notice of this, he also realised the likely reason why she had quite a few personal handmaidens… Or why her manservants felt… Off. He had first assumed that it was merely because she was a dominant woman. With the new knowledge, though? It painted a grim picture for these male subordinates.

‘Well… Hopefully, they enjoy it, at least?’

Yechen felt a strong urge to run away, but he could not find any way out, no matter how hard he tried to think of something. Not only was he stuck inside a secure, high-noble residence, but he was constantly under close surveillance by manservants from up close and handmaidens from far away.

He was allowed to go outside and breathe some fresh air every day, but the security did not relax. On the contrary, it only got worse… And it wasn’t like he could just take off running. He was a talented alchemist, but a cultivator? He was barely a beginner.

His plan had been to develop his skills to prepare powerful pills and potions, so that he could push his cultivation forward by great leaps. Such a method was not recommended. Consuming elixirs and the like to progress left excessive amounts of impurities. Not just naturally-formed ones, due to the forceful nature of the advancements, but also impurities from what was consumed, which would act similarly to poison.

However, he was confident that his alchemy skills could help bypass or solve these problems altogether…

At the moment, though, he could only keep experimenting and training, showing that he was busy bettering himself, and maybe–Just maybe, Lui would decide to leave him alone, not bother him as he showed promise.

She was a high-noble, after all. She had first taken him in for his alchemy skills. Thus, as long as he presented results in that area, Lui should deem that it would be counterproductive to… Use him in another manner.

Despite the rattling truth he had discovered about Lui, though. Yechen couldn’t help but think about the man. He had not seen him since that first meeting where he had broken the arm of that alchemist senior, but he just couldn’t shake him off his mind.

That man was even taller than Lui and built like an absolute beast. What Yechen remembered the most, however… Was how strangely sinister he had felt for a few moments. The impression had barely lasted a few seconds, but it had been oddly memorable.

Yechen had felt like a rabbit that had accidentally run right in front of a starving tiger. It had felt like an apex predator had just locked onto him. He could not help but think that the high-noble man wanted to do something… Bad–Something very bad.

Regardless of it all, Yechen finished preparing some healing pills. The recipe itself was still simplistic, but rather than constantly attempting more and more difficult recipes, Yechen preferred to expand his repertoire. Which was great since the manuals Lui provided him were atrociously thick.

These things were whole encyclopedias... They weren’t curated alchemy cookbooks. They featured what seemed to be every known recipe. Even products with the same exact effects were described in great detail. It was perfect for Yechen to expand his knowledge of the subject and gather more experience before tackling more complicated tasks.

Focused on a page about yet another simplistic healing pill, he didn’t notice that someone approached him and leaned forward to poke his cheek.

He jumped up in surprise, making the person giggle charmingly.

“Dear Guest, are you not bored, holing yourself up in this room all day long? I have ideas so that you may unwind and clear your mind”

“...What would be these ideas?”

“I could call a whore over. You are a man, aren’t you? You should empty your balls every once in a while”

Yechen was taken aback by how direct the offer was.

“I… I think I am fine in this regard”

“Mmh…? Are you sure? I can get you real professionals. I mean girls who can siphon you of all you have to offer down there, with wide hips, and-”

“I am really fine, I swear!”

“Mmh… Are you perhaps not into the opposite sex?”

“I am! I just… I just don’t feel like it”

“How odd… I'd better not find you choking your chicken then!”

The handmaiden left the room giggling.

‘...I really need to leave this place…’