Main Chapter: The Blooming Lotus.

After class, Xuan Yu left on a random horse down to his favored tea shop and then returned home.

Meeting him at the entrance to his court was Li Zi. Her face was splattered in thick white paint on her cheeks were two pink spots and her lip was painted a bright red. Though she and those around her didn't know it. Her face was painted like a clown's.

"Young Master, can I please take this off now?"

Of course, she wasn't doing it for fun but rather it was because she was being punished by Xuan Yu.

A certain entity was laughing away at this sight.

'She looks so cute like this. Maybe we should go for a chipmunk look next.'

'Make her walk around with stuffed cheeks? It sounds like a pain for her.'

'Weren't you the person who made her cry by cutting her hair off as a punishment?'

'That's how she preferred it originally. And she brightened up after she saw it this time around as well.'

"Young Master?"

Li Zi had brought her face up close to Xuan Yu, a hand on her forehead and his.

"You think I'm sick?"

"What else would I think when you're staring out blankly like that?"

"… You can keep the paint on."

"Young Master I was wrong! This servant was presumptuous!"

Xuan Yu ignored her and entered his room closing the door before Li Zi could follow him.

However, that didn't stop her from calling out. Continuously asking for permission to take off the paint.

In his room, Xuan Yu was focused on a bunch of papers on his desk. With Ong Zhou "ill" and Ong Jun unwilling to do anything many of the matters of the Xuan Estate were being neglected.

Servants who took pride in their job, those who wanted to work. And those who just wanted to secure their pay and their jobs turned to Xuan Yu. There were too many matters that they could not do as they please on or just did not want the responsibility for.

The Head Butler had tried to gather the servants to him, but he was incompetent. He had only seemed competent by being a channel for Ong Zhou's action.

Quickly, he handled the paperwork and questions of the servants. Then opened the door to a sulking Li Zi.

"Young Master…"

"Deliver these then go and cultivate for the rest of the day. Once you are able to fully sense Qi, you can take that stuff off."

"Yes, Young Master, just you wait I'll have this stuff off by tonight."

With that Li Zi rushed off and Xuan Yu watched her go.

'When she's close to actually doing it let me know.'

'Righto.'

Now alone Xuan Yu casted a complex spell and his body began to sink into the ground. Then as if he was a fish he moved through the earth. Down from the Xuan Estate all the way down to the Hideout he had made. Dropping down into the cavern depths he landed on his feet.

The Cavern was still desolate. But there was an evidently starving, comatose young girl.

Sending a message, the formation lit up and Baskerville appeared. Together they walked to the lightning-born tree and using a bit of Qi revealed the back of the Barakis' hand that was trapped in.

Baskerville with strenuous effort managed to tear off a bit of its flesh. That wriggled in his grasp but ultimately did nothing.

This piece of flesh was then dropped onto Li Ai. At first, nothing happened then it wriggled into her body, entering through her mouth.

Her body twisted and courted, sweat pouring from her as she frothed at the mouth.

Using hand signs Xuan Yu gathered some of the Qi from the nearby Qi Spring and allowed it to enter Li Ai.

Her body contorted unnaturally, her skin rotting and falling off in some places. In other lumps and growths appeared. Eventually, Xuan Yu directed the Qi to wrap around her placing her in a floating cocoon of sorts.

Next, he wrote a letter and gave it to Baskerville.

"Sneak into the Xuan Estate and kill this servant, leave the note behind."

Xuan Yu had picked a servant who was steadfastly loyal to Ong Zhou for this assassination. And with a speed that Xuan Yu could barely keep up with. Baskerville sped out of the cavern.

Once that was done he went back to what he had been doing here all week, re-familiarizing himself with his martial techniques and spells.

Baskerville reappeared before long. Though Ong Zhou had increased the Estate's defenses. The defense measure he was implementing were for a cultivator. And these methods would never catch a demonic beast.

Together they traveled through the portals to the Slums and Xuan Yu gazed at two pulsating monstrosities. Counting the lives within.

'3,790.'

That was now the total amount of deaths in the Slum thanks to Xuan Yu.

"Continue assailing the districts. Crush them quickly before they gather some form of resistance. If they do before you leave them no way out. Do not expect me to save you."

With that Xuan Yu returned to the cavern and using the Earthen Fish Technique swam his way back to his courtyard.

Shortly, after he entered his courtyard. Xuan Yu noticed a figure in simple yet exquisite sky-blue robes.

"Big Brother, you were out?"

Xuan Yi was poised in front of his doorway his hands still set to knock.

"What do you want?"

"I-I… I couldn't sleep."

Xuan Yu mentally stopped for a full second. He thought he had finished with these events 3 years ago.

"Will you tell me the rest of the story about Ning? I can't stop wondering what happened to Ning Zhu. None of the servants I asked knew, so I could only bother you, Big Brother."

"Come with me."

The two walked toward the pond in Xuan Yu's yard. A series of floating crimson lanterns illuminated the yard in its entirety.

Stopping near the pond he had Xuan Yu stand beside him.

"Watch Closely."

Xuan Yu performed 31 hand signs clearly and slowly. Then he slowly clasped his hands and pushed them outwards. Qi visibly flashed like lightning around him. The wind picked up blowing their robes around. Ripple after ripple began to form in the pond each moving away from the two.

Xuan Yu's hands tensed and a bead of sweat dripped down his face. In front of his knuckles from two different directions, Qi gathered. The aquamarine concentration forming into a small sparking ball, a few inches from his knuckles.

Next Xuan Yu, spread his hands apart till just his wrist were touching, his fingers slightly bent. As the ball grew bigger and bigger until it was as large as a fist.

Then it stilled and so did the area around them.

"Hah!"

Xuan Yu pushed outward and a lotus bloomed. A brilliant purple burning lotus. Spreading outward and forward as it radiated immense heat. However, as Xuan Yu aimed it upwards it did no damage to anything. Otherwise, nothing in his courtyard would have survived it not even his house.

Xuan Yi looked in awe at the fading technique and could only attribute it to one person.

"Big Brother, is this father's?"

"No, it's yours."

It was a technique Xuan Yi would develop much later in his life. That Xuan Yu had modified to be useable by the current Xuan Yi.

"Mine?"

"It's called the Blooming Lotus. Though since it was fused with the Moon Fire technique. You could call it the Blooming Moon Fire Lotus. However, you'll quickly learn its one of your most versatile and adaptable techniques."

'Your Crystalline Lotus was responsible for tearing a massive hole into my mountain.'

Thinking back Xuan Yu began to regret showing Xuan Yi this technique. But;

'I guess this also counts as taking care of him.'

The feeling of a certain necklace made those regrets quickly disperse.

"I don't intend to show you again. Memorize it and then tomorrow I'll help you practice and tell you what you wanted to hear."

With that Xuan Yu turned to leave and Xuan Yi focused on memorizing the spell that he had fallen in love with.