Kael turned around and his expression shifted. He needed to get out of this before Melissa actually challenged him to a duel. The way she was looking at him made it clear she wanted answers, and he was completely unprepared to give them honestly.
"I'm disappointed. You can't even understand my pointers."
Melissa bent forward apologizing immediately, her face showing genuine distress at his disapproval.
"Forgive me for being so dumb, Senior Brother."
He sighed. Time to bullshit his way through this. The key was to sound confident and vague at the same time.
"Do you know what the way of the sword actually is?"
She paused, thinking carefully about the question. Her eyes narrowed as she considered it seriously.
"For me, the sword is a weapon and a person. You treat it like a companion but also it limits your variables. The weapon restricts the user instead of freeing them."
Kael made a dismissive sound. She was actually making sense, which was the problem. If he said she was right, he looked like an idiot for calling her dumb. If he said she was wrong, he needed to justify it with something that didn't fall apart under scrutiny.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
The other cultivators in the pavilion immediately started murmuring to each other, and he felt their attention shift toward him. They were waiting to see what the Fifth Elder would say next, probably expecting some profound wisdom.
"What now? Is he saying she's wrong?"
"I don't understand what she said but it sounded profound."
"Yes, yes, Lady Melissa is definitely strong."
Perfect. Their confusion works in my favor.
Kael started walking slowly around the pavilion, buying himself time to think. He needed to construct something that sounded deep while being completely unfalsifiable. The best lies were the ones that couldn't be tested.
"Man has but one life. The small existence of a mortal's lifespan is symbolized as the grass here. I wish that every cultivator realizes their own unique path and not lean into the sword alone. A sword can topple battlefields, yes, but it can also save millions of people. It's not the grass that's important in the end, but the cut. The intention behind the blade matters more than the blade itself."
Now I need to leave before she asks follow-up questions.
Melissa's eyes went wide as his words settled in. She actually blushed, her face turning a shade of pink that made her look even younger than her actual age.
"I didn't expect your knowledge to be so high, Senior Brother. Your understanding of the sword path is incredible. I apologize for my impulsiveness."
Don't you blush now. This is exactly the kind of situation that leads to complicated problems.
She immediately sat down into a meditation stance without another word, her body settling naturally into the proper posture. Her eyes closed and she began drawing in the ambient spiritual energy around her, starting her cultivation just from the vague pointers he'd given her.
Kael stepped away from the training ground and made his way toward the library proper. He was looking for books for Vivian now, something that would actually help her progress without getting him killed. His fingers ran along the spines as he read the titles, scanning through the different sections.
"What books should I choose now?"
The system chimed in helpfully, displaying an arrow that pointed toward a specific section on a higher shelf. Kael followed the direction and pulled down a thick leather-bound volume. He opened it carefully and read the title on the first page.
"Techniques for Prodigy Disciples with Godly Master."
Hehe. Good timing from you, system.
The irony wasn't lost on him. He had no idea what was actually in the book, but the title alone suggested it was exactly what Vivian needed. He tucked it under his arm and was about to leave when he noticed someone watching him from between the shelves.
It was Ruyan, the actual librarian of the Sword Pavilion. She was Melissa's twin sister and the Ninth Elder of the sect, though she rarely came up in conversations because most people didn't care about the librarian. She'd been organizing scrolls when Kael entered, her movements quiet and practiced.
"What're you reading?"
Kael didn't have time for this conversation.
"Shoo. Go away."
He left without waiting for her response. Ruyan just stood there between the shelves, watching him disappear around the corner of the library. Her expression didn't change, but there was something in her eyes that suggested she'd been watching him for a long time.
Vivian had spent the entire time since Kael left her quarters examining the book he'd explicitly told her not to touch. She knew how Kael worked. If he said something was trash, it usually meant the opposite. In her last life, he'd taught her specific cultivation techniques that enhanced her body in particular ways—things that made her more responsive to his touch, more sensitive to dual cultivation.
If he was hiding this book in his personal quarters, it had to contain something important. Something he didn't want her to learn too quickly.
She read through the first few pages carefully, her eyes scanning the techniques described there. The writing was clear and technical, clearly written by someone who actually understood what they were talking about.
"As expected. This has real knowledge in it."
The book contained sword cultivation techniques that went far beyond the basics. There were sections on enhancing physical prowess, on manipulating spiritual energy through the body, on channeling power through the blade itself. All of it was practical and detailed.
The door to her quarters suddenly slammed open and Kael came running in, humming some off-key melody that made Vivian's eyes twitch slightly. He seemed far too cheerful for someone who'd just been in the middle of bullshitting an entire sect.
"Disciple, look what I found!"
Vivian quickly hid the book under her pillow and arranged her face into something neutral and waiting. She straightened her posture and met his eyes.
"I've been waiting for you, Master."
"Here, take a look at this."
She took the book he offered and opened it, scanning the first page. What she read made her breath catch in her throat.
"You'll die while cultivating if you aren't a child of fate."
She closed the book and looked up at him, her tone carefully controlled.
"Master, it says here I need to be special or I'll die during the cultivation process. Is that what you mean?"
Kael already knew from the system that she had the highest tier of fate possible—Child of Fate status that was almost unheard of among ordinary disciples. But the way she'd phrased the question bothered him. There was something underneath it, some weight that suggested memories.
"Don't worry about that. Do you think I'll use you without making sure you can handle it?"
Her entire body went cold. Completely, utterly cold in a way that made the temperature in the room seem to drop.
He used me plenty. As a furnace for his cultivation. For extracting my blood. For things I can't even think about without feeling sick.
She turned away and looked toward the window, her jaw clenching so hard it probably hurt.
"Hey, I know you've been attached to that book I told you not to touch, but this one's perfect for you. This is exactly what you need right now."
She gave him a look that could probably kill someone if looks had actual power behind them.
Kael suddenly realized his mistake. He'd given her an advanced cultivation technique specifically designed for children of fate, and she didn't even know how to cultivate at a basic level yet. She couldn't even circulate spiritual energy properly. Of course she would be suspicious and angry about it.
Oh, how dumb I am. I just handed her a powerful book and she doesn't know the fundamentals.
He walked over and patted her head gently, trying to defuse the tension that was building in the room like a storm.
"Don't worry. I will teach you once in a while too. We'll go through it together."
Once I learn it first, that is.
She stared at him hard, her eyes searching his face for answers to questions she hadn't asked out loud.
"Does he know about my rebirth? Is that why he's giving me a child of fate technique?"
"Master, do you think I'm actually a child of fate?"
"I do think so. But don't ask for minor details like that—things written in books about fate are usually written for scams anyway. Most of it is nonsense meant to scare people into buying more books."
I can't tell her directly that she's a child of fate. That would raise too many questions about how I know.
He spent the next hour explaining cultivation principles to her, mostly by reading directly from the system screens that appeared whenever he needed information. He just read the words out loud like he understood everything deeply, when in reality the system was doing all the actual thinking.
Vivian settled into a meditation stance while he stood in front of her. His hand rested on her head, fingers stroking her hair gently as he read from the scriptures. His voice was calm and steady, speaking about qi circulation and meridian pathways and spiritual energy alignment.
The spiritual energy around her began to stabilize gradually. It flowed in the patterns he described, moving through her body in the way the system explained. Her natural bloodline and fate guided her cultivation instinctively, making up for his complete lack of actual teaching ability.
The door to his quarters burst open suddenly without warning.
"Senior, I still had a few questions about the technique you mentioned—"
Melissa stopped dead in the doorway. Kael stood towering over Vivian, who was bent forward in meditation stance. Her face was completely flushed from the intensity of the qi circulation, and her breathing was heavy and shallow. From this angle, it looked like something entirely different than what was actually happening.
"Who knew brother had such specific fetishes?"
She screamed, her voice echoing through the hallway outside.
"Senior Brother, doing this in broad daylight? In your own quarters?"
Kael turned, his hand still on Vivian's head.
"I'm only teaching her. This is a legitimate cultivation technique."
Vivian's face was deeply flushed, yes, but not from what Melissa was thinking. Her breathing was heavy because of the intense spiritual energy flowing through her body, the way her meridians were being opened and activated for the first time. But her body was responding in other ways too—ways that had nothing to do with actual cultivation.
"That look on her face doesn't look like someone who's learning, Senior Brother."
He sighed and gently helped Vivian break out of her meditation trance. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the sudden change.
"So what's it, Melissa? What do you need?"
She immediately joined her hands together in a respectful gesture, looking embarrassed about her interruption.
"I came to ask a few questions about the technique, but let's do that after you two are... finished. I sincerely thank you for your teachings, Senior Brother."
Kael laughed, genuinely amused by her misunderstanding.
"I just said a few random things earlier. There's nothing to thank for, really."
Melissa clearly thought he was being modest about his own wisdom. Her eyes shone with respect and admiration.
Damn these genius people. They actually learn something valuable from every piece of nonsense I say.
"Here, let's sit and talk properly. You had questions, right?"
She sat on the edge of the bed and they talked for a while about cultivation and sword techniques and the way of the path. Kael mostly made things up on the spot, stringing together vague philosophical statements with technical-sounding words. Somehow it all sounded profound and wise when he said it with confidence.
"Oh yes, Ruyan asked me to check something with you earlier. Wait, what's with that outfit your disciple is wearing?"
Melissa's gaze drifted down to Vivian's stockings—the special servant outfit Kael had made her wear. She seemed genuinely interested in the design, reaching out to examine the fabric more closely.
Vivian was shocked by the sudden attention. She'd assumed the entire outfit was purely for Kael's gratification, some weird fetish thing he'd made her wear.
Kael quickly came up with an explanation.
"I noticed that disciples shouldn't wear long skirts or long sleeves in their normal uniforms—it makes fighting difficult in actual combat. So I killed some demonic spiders from the outer sect territories and made this outfit from their silk. The fabric has better stretchability than regular cloth, provides decent defense against cuts, and doesn't tear or shred easily. It's purely practical."
Vivian felt something shift in her understanding of him. Was he being practical and logical, or was she just rationalizing his actual perversions? The outfit definitely was practical—the flexibility was genuinely good for movement, and the spider silk was known for its durability. But that didn't necessarily mean his original intention wasn't exactly what she'd suspected.
Melissa suddenly clung to him. Her hand touched his chest with deliberate familiarity, her fingers tracing the fabric of his robe.
"Senior Brother, don't you have an extra one of these outfits? It looks like it would be useful for my cultivation too."
Oh no. This is exactly the kind of situation that leads to serious problems.
"Oh... yes. I do have an extra one lying around somewhere."
[HOST, YOU ARE WEAK TO WOMEN.]
"Shut up. Give me another pair—black ones if possible."
He retrieved the spare outfit from his storage and handed it to Melissa with what he hoped was a professional expression.
"Alright, you should go now. I need to continue teaching Vivian."
He turned back to Vivian and resumed the cultivation instruction. He deliberately kept his eyes forward, not watching as Melissa began changing clothes behind him. The fabric rustled softly as she undressed and changed into the new outfit.
"What's this sound?"
He turned slightly without thinking, just a casual glance to check what was going on. His brain completely short-circuited.
Melissa was in the middle of changing. Her undergarments were exposed, and more importantly, her bare thick thighs were visible in the afternoon light. They were muscular from years of cultivation practice, smooth and toned in a way that made his thoughts scatter.
"Squeeze me between them."
The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. Quiet and desperate and absolutely mortifying.
Melissa looked at him in complete confusion.
"What did you say, Senior Brother?"
Kael's face flushed bright red, and he turned away fast, already cursing himself internally.
"Nothing, nothing. I didn't say anything important."
Shit. This is what happens when you're around beautiful women.
Vivian watched him from her position on the floor where she was still recovering from the meditation. Her expression didn't show anything, but her mind was working. Her new master was definitely not the pure demon she'd expected based on the fragmented game memories. He was something more complicated, something more dangerous in a completely different way.