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Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Double Dealing
After Ashu finished speaking, he turned and left with his people.
The Cidi followers within the town of Riven had either been killed by the Demon Huntress Nun or tricked into self-sacrifice by Ashu.
Only one Cidi bishop remained, currently unaccounted for.
The group returned to Gorn Village for a quick regroup.
"The Cidi bishop is most likely hiding in the church," Ashu said that evening at the dinner table.
They had a guest staying the night—Vivita Taan.
According to their agreement, since she had interfered with Ashu’s mission, she now had to personally make up for it.
Ashu hadn’t told her exactly what his mission was, but that didn’t matter. The Demon Huntress Nun had no choice but to stay and work it off.
Until Bishop Midaldas and the Cidi bishop were both dealt with, Ashu had no intention of letting her leave.
Having a powerful fighter like her around made this a golden opportunity to wipe out the remaining enemies.
"You really think the Cidi bishop could be hiding inside the Divine Mother Goddess’s church?" Vivita sounded skeptical. "That doesn’t seem very likely."
"Then let me ask you this—did you sense any Evil Power from Bishop Midaldas?"
"No..." Vivita gave Ashu a confused look. Coming from a Luminous Saint, that question carried serious weight.
She firmly believed in the Divine Mother Goddess’s justice, and naturally trusted the actions of a Luminous Saint. But what puzzled her was why she hadn’t been able to sense anything.
Ashu replied, "Exactly. And you didn’t sense anything from the Kidopriest either, right? They must be using some sort of secret technique to block off Cidi’s Evil Power. Same trick would work to cloak the Cidi bishop’s presence and shield them from the Goddess’s light."
Vivita nodded slightly. She really hadn’t sensed anything from the Kidopriest at first—until he attacked the girl’s soul. That’s when she realized the guy was bad news.
"Then I should launch a search of the church," she said, rising as she spoke, clearly ready to act immediately.
Ashu stopped her at once. "Wait. If you charge in now, Midaldas will use the classic trick—hiding in plain sight. We need to wait for the right moment."
The Cidi bishop always wore a leopard-headed hood in public. No one had seen his real face. And since it was already clear that Midaldas had ways of concealing himself, if the bishop changed clothes and cloaked his Evil Power, then even Vivita wouldn’t be able to sense a thing. He could walk right past her, and she’d think he was just another villager.
"Alright. I’ll follow your lead," Vivita said seriously, locking eyes with Ashu.
"Good. Then let’s call it a night."
Ashu’s small cottage had three bedrooms. He and Anna went into the master bedroom, leaving the guest room for Vivita.
Once inside their room, Ashu’s hands immediately started misbehaving.
Vivita’s ridiculously large chest had been bouncing in front of him all day—his mind had been stewing in desire ever since.
Without a proper release, he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
"Ashu..."
Anna already had a body that stood out among girls her age, but she wasn’t nearly as voluptuous as Vivita. Still, she was only eighteen—plenty of time to grow.
"Ashu... we have a guest. She’ll hear us," Anna whispered bashfully.
"No worries," Ashu smirked. "The Divine Mother Goddess never said anything about denying desire. You know how the term ’missionary position’ came to be, right?"
As a transmigrator, Ashu had long since filled Anna’s once-blank canvas with all kinds of moves.
Here is the translation maintaining the original structure while adapting to Western stylistic conventions:
Hearing this, Anna blushed crimson and whispered shyly, "I’m afraid my voice might be too loud... Can I use my mouth instead?"
Without hesitation.
Ashu settled onto the bed’s edge, positioning himself comfortably. Anna shifted the floor cushion closer before slowly lowering herself to her knees. Her rosebud lips parted as she began tracing featherlight kisses along his skin.
The tantalizing sensation quickly ignited Ashu’s blood. Then came the sudden enveloping warmth - moist and intoxicating.
"Mmm...Ash..." Anna murmured around him, her cerulean eyes locking with his as she guided his left hand to cradle her head. She pressed upward insistently, "Push."
The request struck Ashu like lightning. His breathing hitched - he only ever dared apply pressure during his peak moments. She’d memorized his most sensitive rhythm.
No longer holding back, he gradually increased the pressure. Anna’s body trembled with gag reflexes, yet when he tried withdrawing, her hands clamped down, demanding continuation.
This push-pull dance continued until Ashu’s climax crashed over him, spilling into Anna’s throat.
...
Dawn found them resuming their usual cultivation routine. Gorn Village lay peaceful in the predawn hours - farmers would soon rise for harvest, but for now, tranquility reigned.
[Anna Kagreia: Magical Essence Manipulation Proficiency +1]
[Critical Return! Vessel receives: Magical Essence Manipulation Proficiency +25!]
Perched on the rooftop facing the rising sun, Ashu meditated. While cultivating himself, he also reaped benefits from Anna’s parallel efforts.
Yet today felt different. The Magical Essence flowed more vigorously than ever, condensing with unprecedented efficiency. Even accounting for their growing proficiency, this acceleration defied logic.
"Velocity should decrease with dual cultivation draining ambient essence."
"Normally, with a thinner concentration, the speed should decrease.
But instead, it was increasing."
Ceasing his practice, Ashu focused on investigation. After repeated trials, he noticed faint Divine Radiance shimmering across his skin during essence absorption.
"The Goddess’s blessing..." Realization dawned. The Luminous Saint title wasn’t merely ceremonial - the Holy Light actively enhanced his cultivation!
Elated, Ashu plunged back into focused practice. When he finally opened his eyes, breakfast aromas wafted from below where Anna stood gazing upward.
"Deep blue now..." she murmured.
"What?" Ashu tilted his head.
"I said, come down for dinner, mid-level cultivator."
Ashu couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t expected that just a few days would turn him into a mid-level cultivator.
Back in the day, someone at this level in a border village would have been treated like royalty by the villagers. Of course, that was still the case now.
But he didn’t want to be treated like that in Gorn Village. That kind of empty reverence wasn’t really his style.
He manipulated the Magical Essence, forming steps in the air, walking down from the roof one step at a time.
With his increasing control over the Magical Essence and the stabilizing energy inside his body, these flashy maneuvers had become second nature to him.
Vivita sat in the living room, watching Ashu as he descended. "No wonder you’re a ’Luminous Saint’ certified by the Divine Mother Goddess. Your cultivation speed even surpasses that of a saintess with spiritual perception at the twelfth tier."
"Vivita." Ashu entered the room. Their dining and living areas were combined, and Vivita sat at the table, waiting for dinner to begin. "After the Cidi followers’ stronghold collapsed, many of the lower-level followers scattered. Some are in ’Riven’ town, while others fled into the wilderness. We’ll hunt down the cultists after dinner."
"That’s my job," Vivita replied, but then paused and asked, "Is that also your mission?"
"Kind of."
Ashu’s Divine Points had reached two thousand four hundred, up from the initial four hundred twenty. Vivita had already hunted down about twenty cultists in ’Riven’ town.
The remaining fifteen had committed suicide, and those didn’t count towards the system’s rewards.
He was curious—would his cultivation speed increase even more with the Holy Light’s assistance as his Divine Points continued to rise?
He figured he might as well put Vivita to use. If it worked, great. If not, at least she’d be the one busy with it.
Anna, who had been serving dinner, spoke up immediately when she heard Ashu’s plan: "I want to go too."
"Of course."
After not getting what he wanted last night, today would be a perfect opportunity to take Anna out, maybe even find a chance for some outdoor action.
After dinner, the three of them made their way to the back mountain. Leia was still guarding the woman—the one summoned by the Cidi followers to please the Town Mayor of ’Riven.’
The woman had woken up by now, trembling in the corner by the tree roots, hugging her arms in fear.
She still had vivid memories of the cruel scene, but at the time, she had been unable to react due to the Evil Power binding her. Now that the sorcerer was dead and she was free, she began to sob uncontrollably.
Leia was at a loss for what to do. Ashu had asked her only to guard the woman, but Leia had no idea how to comfort her.
Vivita glanced at Leia and then at the woman, immediately thinking of the Town Mayor’s office in ’Riven.’
Outside that office were unmistakable large vines, likely the work of this Forest Elf.
She surmised that this elf must be a teammate of the ’Luminous Saint,’ working quietly together to rid the world of evil.
Vivita’s respect for the group grew in that moment.
"Leave it to me," Vivita said, stepping forward and kneeling before the woman. She spoke gently, "I’ve killed that cultist, and he paid the ultimate price. But what you’ve lost, I cannot bring back. The future is still long, and I pray the Divine Mother Goddess will soothe your soul."
As she spoke, a ball of light formed in Vivita’s hand and gently sank into the woman’s body.
The woman’s trembling slowly ceased, her eyes closed, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep.
"It’s a shame the local church isn’t the right place for this... otherwise, I’d take her there and apply for a compensation grant."
