Breakthrough

"Fiona, do you know that old man?" I asked. He gave me some sort of dangerous vibes, especially after Fiona touched the crystal ball. Could that also track the location of cultivators with spiritual essence?

No, I doubt it. They have a reputation to withhold and the laws of the city to follow, otherwise, the Pavilion will become a major turning point in kingdom politics. They'd have access to nearly all of the information of the cultivators on the continent, and the people would even know that they were being monitored.

"No daddy, I don't think I know him. But, I do feel like we've met before..." Fiona answered as we walked down the street. She clapped her hands together. "Oh! He was there in the royal palace, when, uh... daddy was meeting his friends."

"Do you remember anything about him? Cultivation base, name? Anything?"

Fiona shook her head. "No, he wasn't suspicious and has never talked in our meetings together either. Don't know much about him."

"You couldn't see his cultivation base either?"

She shook her head again. How unfortunate, it seems that this nagging feeling won't go away. I hate being in situations where the strength of the enemy is unknown, especially now when I'm weak, and cannot defend myself.

As an assassin, all the intel was delivered to me, and I just had to carry out the task. Espionage and intelligence gathering was never the thing for me, even though they paid well. Shucks not having any education, most of my learning was done through reading books of many kinds of genres.

Speaking of which, the circumstances on this continent remind me of 1984, George Orwell's dystopian novel, I thought, as I picked up a piece of paper from the ground.

It read: "CALLING ALL LOOSE CULTIVATORS: Enlisting any cultivators who are interested in fighting for the Great Malindor against the treacherous Glendorians. REWARDS: xx xx xx"

Propaganda and surveillance; already two checkmarks for the boxes. Throw in some authoritarian politics, some perversions of truth and, well, here you go! The novel 1984 in a cultivation world, how fun...

Well, as long as 'big brother' or any of the political superpowers of the continent don't torture, no, don't even touch a strand of hair on Fiona, we'll get along just fine. Just because she's a princess doesn't mean she is obligated to defend her kingdom, nor be pried for secrets about it! That line goes especially towards Snowy-Boy, Fiona's fiance. Hmph, if he ever dares to use his relationship with her to get an upper hand in politics, you can be sure this dagger of mine will start slicing and dicing.

"Daddy?" She asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "What're you thinking about?"

"Ah, nothing. Just wondering what we should do next." I replied and patted her head gently. "Do you have any ideas?"

She moved my hand away, irritated.

Eh? How can... affection be annoying? Am I pampering her too much? Or maybe she's just a feisty girl... likes to play push and pull, huh? What a tsundere. She's still so cute though.

Fiona snapped her fingers under my nose. "Snap out of it, daddy. You're out again."

"Eh," I scratched my head in embarrassment. Saying 'I was thinking about you' would just push her further away.

She looked up at the evening sky and the sunset. "Let's try and help daddy breakthrough tonight, and try to make it out of Malindor."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, nodding quickly. She's uneasy. Must be worried about being tracked right in the center of the enemy territory, which I agree with. The inn at Windholt last time kept records of our spiritual essence, which led to that attack from the city guards and the encounter with the city lord. We need to remain low-profile and steer clear of those with high status.

___________

Fiona dragged me to the edge of the city, near the outskirts of the mountain. The sky was turning darker by the second and I was worried about traveling in the dark. It doesn't seem so safe anymore... darn, how could I forget, as a former assassin? The darkness is the best cover. If we meet the bandits like last time, they'd be in so many and better positions to ambush us.

Femme fatale! I'm forgetting crucial information after I uh, obsess, over Fiona. H-how cruel... oh god, if one day she learns how to play coquettishly with me, I don't know if I can handle it. I mean, her just laying on my chest like a little kitten almost tore my heartstrings...

"Daddy." She tugged my shirt and pointed to a rabbit near the side of the dirt path. "There."

"Go and kill it?"

"Yep, we need dinner, too."

"Are you hungry, Fio- AAAH!!"

"The only hungry thing around here is the rabbit. Second-ranked beast. Be careful, Daddy," she said with a grin.

'You sly, little thing! Don't come crying at me when there's nothing to eat for tonight!' I yelled inwardly, as the rabbit lunged at my arm. Why the hell does that thing have fangs, for goodness sake?

I moved to the left to dodge another attempt from the rabbit to pounce on me.

Fiona sat on the rock, commentating on my battle, which made me want to cry.

"Hell Rabbits, as we call it, is found throughout the continent, as one of the basic foods for spiritual beasts. But they're carnivorous as well, hunting other small animals and bugs that don't cultivate. Beware their sharp teeth and special skill 'Hyper Fang' when their fur turns red."

Uh, you mean like now, Fiona? The rabbit started to tremble as its fur turned into more of a brownish color under the dark sky.

I held up Heartbreak and dashed, launching an attack. The rabbit turned, looked at me head-on with bloodshot eyes and snarled, showing its fangs.

"Oh, and their speed and strength double while under that state," Fiona added as something flew towards me.

I raised my hackles. "Pfftt, Fiona, you could have told me that earlier!" I said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She just wants to torment me, wuuu...

The rabbit fell on the grass with a loud plop, gasping for its final breath.

"Now, daddy, concentrate on the Frost Devil Arts, and direct a layer of Ice Qi onto your dagger."

I did as Fiona told me. Closing my eyes, I quickly repeated the Frost Devil Arts in my mind, and a cold wave trembled throughout my body. I shuddered. 'Okay, now direct this stream of energy, or qi, into Heartbreak...'

There we go, I think I did this right. Heartbreak glowed a light shade of blue. I looked over, and Fiona nodded. "Get ready for a burst of energy, it might hurt," she added softly. I could tell she was nervous, which means I can't mess this up.

Schlick. I pierced the heart of the dying rabbit, and another cold stream of energy rushed upwards through my arm. I shuddered again. Sitting down cross-legged, I cursed, 'damn, I won't get used to this cold...'

Fiona ran over, a little shaky. "Daddy, are you alright?"

The cold energy now ran and swirled in my dantian, bringing a cool, calming sensation throughout my body. Not the same freezing, sharp pain when I recited the Devil Arts, much to my surprise.

The waves in my spiritual sea started to churn. This is it, my breakthrough, I'd thought, as it calmed down and condensed, increasing the size of my dantian. I opened my eyes and muttered, "Qi Foundation Realm Stage 2."

Fiona heaved a sigh of relief and patted my back. "You did it, daddy, your first breakthrough!"

I beamed at the sight of her smiling face. "It couldn't have been done without you."

"Ehe," she chuckled before worry took over, and her voice dropped a few tones. "Are you still alright? Feel any different, or the urge to kill more?"

"I don't feel any different at all, Fiona," I replied, hugging her. "I've said this many times, don't you worry about me. I'll always be there for you."

"Mhm."