Chương 3: Lessons in Language

"Ganbei!" Bailu's Young Master cheered, as he held up his cup.

"Ganbei!" Bailu and her buddy, Seiyu, shouted, as the heavenly scents of dinner invaded their noses. Sei was already drooling at the sight of the Cloud-Eater Tuna. There were so many dishes! Fish soup, seared flank, fish pie… there was even some of it raw on rice, and Seiyu was looking at it like she was about to ascend. Seiyu had made some of her tribe's food for Bailu before, but she was still unsure about it being raw. The texture was weird.

Yet she wouldn't shame her Young Master by not partaking in the food he had made for them! After what had happened, Bailu had resolved to live each day to its fullest, and without regrets! She nearly shuddered just remembering Elder Minyan's face! Getting impaled, crucified, and puppeted around by the ice shards in her muscles had really hurt! But, wow, Elder Minyan had been lenient! After they had nearly killed her son, she hadn't tormented them for a thousand years! And then… the Young Master.

They had hurt him so badly they had cracked his foundation, and knocked him all the way down to the Fifth Stage of the Initiate's Realm! Obviously, Elder Minyan's son would have been way stronger than that! To think that the Wind that Blows away the Clouds could do such damage, no wonder it had been in the restricted section! They had hit him with a technique from the Blood Arts purge—Yet he had taken pity on them, and begged the Elders to spare their lives! Sure, he didn't really look like a Young Master.

He looked a bit more like a farmer with his freckles and his slabs of muscles, and even more now that he had brought that rooster today… but his benevolence was surely that of a saint! Bailu and Seiyu had been brought to tears by his magnanimousness, and had resolved to serve him as best they could! But.. but over the month they hadn't really been too much help! He cultivated alone, and was way better at cooking and cleaning than they were!

Again, his genius shined, for even in simple tasks he could best two cultivators of the Earth Realm! They had been with him for a month already, watching over him as he diligently cultivated. He was kind of slow, but he was working on a technique—some technique involving plant growth formations of all things. But it wasn't their place to question! It was their place to serve! Even if he really didn't treat them like his property, which they were.

Young Masters were supposed to be arrogant and domineering weren't they? Like Elder Minyan, but a guy! But he wasn't. It was strange. Normally, Bailu wouldn't care, but this was the man who she owed her life to! And not just that, Seiyu owed him as well! She would do her duty and get to the bottom of things! She observed her Young Master, and nearly spat out a mouthful of wine when he fed his new pet some of the Gold-Grade Rice Seiyu had brought for them. ….

Well, he was a Young Master in terms of resources at least! That was good! They ate their fill of the delicious meal, and Bailu cleared away their dishes. Their Young Master was smiling at his cock, and stroking it when they returned.

"Alright. I'm going to head to bed tonight. Thank you for sharing the meal with me, Bailu, Seiyu."

"Young Master, do you need us to warm your bed tonight?" Seiyu asked, the same as they had asked every night. Their Young Master's smile became brittle, as it did every time they asked.

"No. Like I said before, that is unnecessary." Bailu squinted at her Young Master. She knew she was pretty. A jade beauty, like all the boys were fond of saying! Seiyu was a looker too—her tits were way bigger than she bound them down to be. It was a damn stupid tradition her people had, to hide such wonderful treasures under bandages! But both of them shoulda had their Young Master all over them. That was what Young Masters did, after all! They slaked their lusts on all the pretty girls!

That was what all Bailu's Senior Sisters had said when she was younger. And lots of men had asked her, sure! But not their Young Master. It wasn't good to go too far against one's nature! Just like it was bad for her to stop drinking! So! Young Masters were lustful beasts! But their Young Master wasn't taking his lusts out on them, which meant… Bailu slammed her hand into her palm.

"Ah, Young Master, why did you not tell us! We'll prepare the ship to the city, and take you to the finest male courtesans!" Seiyu's eyes widened, as did the Young Master's. Bailu felt proud, having figured everything out! Then the Young Master started spluttering.

"Wha—? No, no, there's no need for that!" Bailu grabbed his hands in hers.

"Young Master! Never hold yourself back, or be ashamed! Your humble slaves here will support you in all your endeavors! Go! Go to that paradise you have denied yourself! As long as you continue your line, who cares about the small stuff?" Their Young Master stared into her earnest eyes, sucked in a breath, waited for five seconds, then let it out." I like girls." Bailu blinked at the resolute tone in his voice. Bailu just stared. Had her intuition been wrong?! He was telling the truth! How shameful of her!

"Then... why aren't you using us?" Seiyu asked. Their Young Master sighed.

"It's… well, it feels skeevy, okay? You two are basically my slaves, and have to do everything I tell you and it feels wrong. I don't…. Want to take advantage of you. I'm not that kinda guy. Besides. You two… kinda feel more like my older sisters than anything, yanno?" His voice cracked slightly. He swiftly stood, and turned.

"Good night." He told them both. Bailu and Seiyu stared after their Young Master. Bailu pressed her hand against her chest, and felt her heart beating. Seiyu's mouth was open lightly. They had hurt him so badly… and yet he still cared for them so?! He fed them. He took care of them… and now, he denied their advances to spare them… he called them his Elder Sisters! He respected them, after everything! Bailu looked at her Sworn Sister. Seiyu nodded. They would prove themselves worthy of such care!

For their Young Master… they would give it their all! ============================ My life went on. It was nice to have a pet, and Big D was my constant companion as I spent my days cultivating and well, cultivating. I finally completed what Rou had been doing—trying to combine a bunch of different plant growth techniques into one… and then I promptly tested it out on my little garden. bBy the next week my herbs and seasonings looked better than ever.

Out of everything cultivation related, that was the most interesting to me. It was so cool seeing how much stronger and healthier the plants were. And while Big D was my only male companionship… he wasn't much for conversation. Screaming at Bailu and Seiyu, yes. Actual talking, no. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. So I started trying to talk with them a bit more. After that really awkward end to dinner, the two had been… well, more open.

Before they had been snarling guardians and now… well, they were acting a lot more like the big sisters I had told them they were like. It had been a deflection on my part. An attempt to end the conversation about a topic that one part of me was perfectly fine with well... yeah. Rou didn't care too much, but I felt a bit gross even thinking about it. In any case, I learned that Bailu was from a temple that worshiped a Dragon Ancestor…

until she got kicked out from getting drunk one too many times, and beating the tar out of the head priest. Seiyu, meanwhile, was from a tribe called the Wa—a people who lived on a barren, storm-wracked archipelago and were most known for being pirates… and Seiyu had apparently been the chief's daughter. She was a literal pirate princess. On my end, unfortunately, I couldn't tell them much… but I mentioned some of the training I had done with Gramps.

The story about the piss and his wine was fast becoming my go-to for breaking the ice. It.. well, it wasn't bad. Time passed slowly, and dashed along at the same time. ================================================= Three of the Four Winds of Soaring Heaven's Isle were seated around a crystal, looking on and watching as Shen Rou cultivated. Baishi Lili was observing his form as he sparred with Bailu… and that was certainly one piece of good luck. Bailu and Seiyu were both fine cultivators of their sect….

If a bit.. Well. Neither had a lot of common sense, those girls. It was good that Shen Yu's son was merciful, considering who his parents were. Losing their Storm Wings would have been a blow. She watched as he bowed to Bailu after he received a pointer. His foundation was near perfect, but his actual combat arts were.. Lacking. It was a discrepancy, but Shen Yu had apparently convinced Minyan to spend over a decade on the boy's foundation alone, constructing it without any resources at all.

Which was incredibly slow and inefficient, but… it explained how he was able to survive their foolish girls directly hitting him with the Wind that Wipes away the Clouds.

"Hpmh. I still can't believe he's yours. Freckles, and that body. Such a brute! He looks nothing like Minyan!" Han Song said, her eyes narrow as she stared at Shen Rou.

"Have you forgotten what colour my hair was, back then?" Minyan asked, raising an eyebrow, and Song paused to think. Indeed, Minyan's hair had once been brown… and hadn't she had freckles? Of course, she had covered them with makeup, and shed them when she had refined her body, but she did have a few of them, oh, eight hundred years ago?

"As for his body yes, he looks little like me.. But…" at this the normally resolute Minyan paused, her eyes on the young man. She looked like she was struggling to speak, her eyes growing distant.

"He has the same frame that mine Elder Brother had." Song froze, and Lili herself paused. Nobody dared to speak after those words left Minyan's lips, for she never invoked the memory of her Honoured Elder Brother lightly. All of them knew the tale of Tianzhe Minhao. The man who had raised her after the death of their parents, sacrificing everything for his little sister, and eventually giving his life to ensure she could make it to Soaring Heaven's Isle.

He had died in battle against a Spirit Beast, the mortal managing to slay it before succumbing to his wounds. Even after nearly a thousand years, Minyan still honoured his memory; she never failed to observe the anniversary of his death, even coming out of closed door cultivation to pay her respects. His funerary tablet and ashes were seated in a shrine that looked out over the sea, far below the floating Island. Minyan still thought the world of the man even nearly a thousand years after he had passed on.

Hells, the only reason why she had accepted Shen Yu's advances was because of a reason the man didn't even realise. They had all been drinking together, centuries ago. Minyan had left to get more booze. Shen Yu had found Minyan's memorial shrine… and then, in his drunken stupor, the man had kowtowed to her brother's tablet, poured it a drink, and then respectfully asked permission to court his sister. Minyan had come back to see Shen Yu doing that… and the rest was history.

And if Minayn said he looked a bit like her brother… well. Who would dare question that? Lili sighed. There was obviously something up. But if Minyan was bringing her brother into this.. Then she meant that she had at least some connection to the boy. ================================ Lady Minyan came to visit again, and check on my progress. It was nice having tea with her.

"Bailu and Seiyu.. Well, they're alright, I guess. I've started sparring with them, and they're really good at that." I said, as I swirled my tea. Minyan chuckled slightly.

"Indeed. That is their greatest…. And only strength. Sometimes I wonder about those two fools." We lapsed into companionable silence. Then, I spoke again.

"How are things on… well, your end? I'm not causing too much trouble for you, am I?" Minyan glanced at me, before looking away.

"There's a bit of suspicion, but… they're leaving things alone. Worry not about your Auntie. I shall keep my promise to your grandfather without fail." I paused at her, referring to herself as my Auntie, then bowed my head.

"Thank you for everything." Once more, there was silence, and then Big D flapped in through the window. The rooster landed on my shoulder as was his custom… and then he noticed Minyan, and cocked his head to the side.

"A rooster for a pet?" she asked.

"Hes the only other man allowed up here." I replied.

"But he's real smart. Watch this! Big D, bow." The rooster hopped off my shoulder, arranged himself in front of Minyan, and executed a perfect bow. Minyan raised an eyebrow.

"How noble a beast." she deadpanned.

"He's a big help. The crops are attracting a lot of bugs now. I'm actually afraid he'll get fat." I told her, as I stroked his feathers. Minyan frowned.

"There's an anti-pest ward around this place. If a bug is getting in, it's no ordinary vermin." I blinked.

"Well, I can show you if you'd like." Minyan nodded, and then we were off to the garden, Big D on my shoulder. Minyan raised an eyebrow as we got to them, and bent over, looking at them closely. Big D spotted a katydid, and immediately lunged for it, kicking it viciously off the garlic and then pecking it to death.

"How did you get them to be like this?" Minyan asked.

"They're full of Qi." I showed her the technique.

"It's great. It's almost like the plants and the earth are speaking to me." I said. Minyan took the scroll. For a moment I thought the look on her face was strange. But then the look was gone.

"Interesting." she stated simply.

"These are quite… interesting. I'll have someone reinforce the wards. Until then, keep up the good work, Big D." The rooster glanced up and looked like he nodded, his beak full of bug. We walked and talked a little more, but eventually she had to go… but before she did, she handed me a scroll.

"There is one last thing. My sisters wish for you to learn more about our history. Read this, and memorize it—all true members of our sect have," So that night I sat down to read… and one passage stuck out to me.

"In Qi-rich soil the men-folk planted the seed of the God Ship—selected carefully from the best and strongest trees of the forest. With their souls, and the help of the Spirit did they nurture it, and with their deep voices they sung it into shape." The men-folk? Grew the God Ship? Soaring Heaven's Isle cut down trees, and hammered them together like normal shipwrights. This… well. What the hell. I glanced further down the passage, as it detailed some of the ritual they had used.

I frowned, and pulled out my own scroll. If they did that like that, then maybe this would work… and maybe I could have some freedom. Nothing was more free than growing your own skyship. That said, everything about growing a ship said it needed multiple people to power it… Maybe I could get Bailu and Seiyu to help? ======================================= When their Young Master asked for their help on a project, Bailu and Seiyu had been ecstatic to help!

He told them there was a secret technique they needed to learn, and they could assist him on whatever he was doing. However, the technique proved that he was truly Elder Minyan's son. It was sublime, it was beautiful. It was a bitch and a half to get to work properly, especially because her cultivation clearly didn't like what he was trying to show her. Bailu melted another set of herbs and groaned.

"It's alright. You did better that time." Her Young Master said, encouragingly. Bailu sighed. Why couldn't he just scold her like a normal cultivator? So Bailu tried again, this time, making her Qi go into a different— The plant exploded, coating herself and the Young Master in green. Bailu flushed." Baka-Sama, keep it up, and you'll get it eventually." Seiyu told her At that, their Young Master's head whipped to Seiyu." Baka-Sama?" He asked, looking dumbfounded. Bailu was glad for the change in subject.

"Seiyu, my dearest friend, bestowed upon me a title from her tribe, the Wa! It is a title of utmost respect, It means Great Lady!" Their Young Master stared at Seiyu, who was smiling that strange little smile she got whenever Bailu told people about her title.

".... It doesn't mean Great Lady, it means idiot." Bailu froze. What? There was no way her greatest friend would…. She paused, and turned to Seiyu. Seiyu was gaping at their Young Master, and her eyes widened. She shot in front of their him, and took his hands from her." Anata wa Wako hanashimasu?!"

"Uh, just a few words…? I made the sushi because I've heard you muttering sometimes."

"Young Master—!" Seiyu gasped, pure joy sparking in her eyes. Bailu, however, felt her eyebrow start to twitch. Seiyu hadn't denied that Baka-Sama meant idiot. She had been calling Bailu that for forty years. She had proudly told people that her title was Baka-Sama—!

"Oi. You barbarian bitch." Bailu snarled, her Qi starting to rise around her. Seiyu froze, and sweat started to bead on her forehead.

".... Sama does mean Lord or Lady." Seiyu tried. Bailu punched her in the jaw, flinging her away from the Young Master." Kuso sakana! Ahoga!" Seiyu roared, as she rocketed to her feet. Their Qi clashed, as it had a thousand times before. Their Young Master sighed, and both of them froze.

"No Qi techniques." he decreed. ==================== Six hours later, both of them were laying on the cratered ground and panting. They were evenly matched, as they always had been. Their Young Master looked at them, seeming exasperated. Do you two have anything to say to each other?" he asked,"I've got nothing to say to her." Bailu grunted. How dare she? Forty years? Bailu thought they were friends!

"Like I would speak to her." Seiyu agreed. This was the end of their friendship, damn it! Bailu would never talk to that bitch again! Their Young Master sighed.

"Seiyu. Why did you start calling her that?" he asked. Seiyu's eyes widened. She looked away.

"Seiyu. Tell me." the Young Master insisted.

"She had just stolen the last of my wine from home." Seiyu said, after a moment. Bailu paused, craning her neck to look at Seiyu.

"Wait, shit, I did?"

"Yes! It was the last gift I ever received from my mother!" Seiyu growled back. Bailu paused. She had held Seiyu as her friend cried when she learned about the death of her mother. And she had drank the last of that gift?!

".. and all you did was that?" Bailu asked, incredulous. Bailu, if somebody had drank the wine Seiyu had given her.. She would have killed them.

"You were the only person who didn't treat me like a barbarian." Bailu digested her friend's words. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Then, she spoke. For any other person, these words would never exit her mouth. But… this was Seiyu. And she never would have known unless their Young Master had forced them to talk. And really, it was kind of dumb to be mad about it.

"I'm sorry." Seiyu's eyes widened, then she looked away.

"I'm sorry too." Their Young Master smiled at them.

"I'll run you both a bath, so you can talk this out, eh?" he asked. Bailu looked to her best friend and Sworn Sister. Seiyu nodded. Both of them sprung up, and captured their prey.

"Such a benevolent Young Master! As thanks, your Senior Sisters will wash your back!" Bailu cheered, locking her arm around his neck." Ara ara. We have to make sure he's very clean, don't we?" Seiyu asked. Their Young Master's eyes bugged out comically.