Maruti used the golden ring, and in the blink of an eye, she appeared outside the entrance of the cave again. The familiar cold wind brushed against her cheeks as she stepped inside. The damp smell of stone and moss filled her nose, and her footsteps echoed faintly as she walked deeper.
Just as she expected, Xing Liang was lying there, his back turned to her.
"Yo! Old man, I returned!" Maruti called out casually, her voice bouncing off the cave walls.
But there was no reply.
She frowned, tilting her head. "What happened?" she muttered, walking closer until she was right behind him. She crouched down and leaned forward. "Old man? Hello?"
Still no response. He didn't even flinch.
Annoyed, Maruti puffed her cheeks, deciding to scare him a little. She quickly moved to his side and shouted, "BOO!"
For a second, she saw it—Xing Liang's lips pressed into a pout, his cheeks puffed out like a sulking child who didn't get candy. But the moment she noticed, he rolled over to his other side, once again leaving his back facing her.
Maruti let out a heavy sigh. "Are you angry?" she asked in a softer tone.
"Hmph, why would I not be?" Xing Liang finally spoke, his voice deep but dripping with frustration. "Do you even know how it feels when there's finally someone you can talk to after all this time, but that person doesn't bother showing up? I'm so freaking lonely here!" His voice cracked at the end, and he let out a long, pitiful sigh.
"I told you to visit me once every two days, didn't I? Yet here you are… ignoring me…" Another sigh slipped out, longer and heavier than before.
Maruti scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "Umm… sorry, okay? Don't take it to heart. I know, I know… sitting here with nothing to do must be boring as hell." She tried to lighten the mood with her usual casual tone, but Xing Liang didn't seem convinced.
"Be more sincere," he demanded, rolling his eyes at her. "Or else I'm not forgiving you!"
"You—!" Maruti's lips twitched twice. She wanted to explode, but she forced herself to hold it back. Then, suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. Her eyes gleamed mischievously.
She straightened up and pointed dramatically toward the cave entrance. "Look! I brought you a tall, muscular, hot, and sexy barbarian girl!"
Xing Liang immediately bolted upright, his eyes shining with excitement. "Where?!"
BAM!
Maruti's foot flew right into his face, sending him stumbling back. "Freaking pervert!" she shouted, glaring down at him with her fists clenched.
"Now you want me to be more sincere?" Her knuckles cracked as she flexed her fingers, ready to hit him again.
Xing Liang rubbed his aching face with both hands, his voice trembling. "N-no need, no need! This much is enough! I'm already in tears!"
He hurriedly stood up, trying to laugh it off as he wiped at the corner of his eyes. Then he turned around and waved her over. "Come with me!"
Maruti just exhaled sharply through her nose and followed him deeper into the cave.
As Maruti went further inside, she was surprised to see a huge, spacious cave room. It almost looked like a secret home hidden in the mountain. There was even a bed in one corner and a small kitchen-like area with neatly arranged pots and pans. But what caught her attention the most were the stone walls.
The walls were covered with drawings and images of barbarian girls in different poses. They looked like models, yet not the usual kind. These women were tall, muscular, and not very feminine. Still, each of them had a strong charm—some gave off a tomboyish vibe, while others looked bold like gyarus. Their wild energy almost made the room feel alive.
Maruti blinked a few times, then let out a laugh.
"You sure are one hell of a fan of barbarians!" she said with a teasing smile.
"Of course, and I'm proud of it," Xing Liang answered, his faint smile making his serious face soften for a moment. "But that's not the reason these images are here."
"Then why?" Maruti tilted her head, her curiosity clear in her wide eyes.
"Motivation," he replied simply. "Everyone needs motivation to achieve something. But remember, discipline is just as important as motivation." His voice carried a strange calmness as he walked toward the center of the room.
He sat cross-legged on the smooth stone floor, and with a gesture, he signaled Maruti to do the same. She hesitated for a moment, then sat cross-legged in front of him, her eyes fixed on him as if waiting for some big secret to be revealed.
"Now," Xing Liang's voice grew deeper, like a monk giving a sermon, "I will teach you about Taoism."
Maruti leaned forward a little, her brows furrowed in curiosity.
"The essence of Taoism," he continued slowly, "is to do the opposite of what you wish to achieve. If you want to be strong, then be light. If you want to know more, then first know nothing."
Maruti's eyes narrowed, and she blurted, "What? How does that even work?" Her voice carried pure puzzlement.
Xing Liang chuckled softly. "Haha… Only cool things can become hot. Only dry things can get wet. That is the law of nature. Everything exists in balance. Look at the constellations—so powerful, yet not eternal. Meanwhile, progenitor vampires, though not the strongest, are ageless. Isn't that ironic?" His words echoed through the cave, his tone steady and deep.
Maruti stared at him, her lips parting slightly. "Progenitor vampires are ageless?" she thought in her mind, though she kept her thoughts to herself.
At that moment, Xing Liang stood up slowly. His movements were controlled, each step deliberate. He extended his hand gracefully, as if his very body was explaining his words.
"Every two polar opposite things are connected in strange ways. No being is perfect. Each one has strengths and weaknesses."
He raised his hand higher, his body flowing into martial arts stances, every movement sharp yet smooth.
"These opposites are yin and yang," he explained, his voice calm but firm. "To grow closer to perfection, you must balance them, The Balance is called tao and achive mastery over it called taoism. If you want to defeat someone faster than you, don't try to match their speed—be more precise. If you want to defeat someone bigger and sturdier, don't fight with pure destruction—be flexible instead."
His hands and legs moved with rhythm, each strike, block, and stance carrying meaning. The sound of his steps echoed softly in the cave.
"Do you see?" he continued. "Fastness carries the weakness of less precision. Berserk power carries the weakness of no flexibility in mind or body. But when these opposite qualities support each other, their weaknesses fade, and their strength multiplies."
He suddenly stopped and let his body relax, before sitting back down in front of Maruti.
"Didd you understand anything?" he asked, his sharp eyes locking onto hers.
Maruti looked left, then right, her lips pressing together as she tried to make sense of it all. Finally, she nodded with a small smile.
"Yes… yes… I think so," she said, though her unsure tone betrayed her confusion.
Xing Liang let out a long sigh before speaking again.
"I know your goal. You want to combine ancient martial arts with magic and essence stones. And second, you want to strengthen your willpower enough to block someone from using essence stones—just like I did to you."
"In short, I want to defeat people who are much stronger than me, both in mana and physical strength!" Maruti quickly added, correcting herself.
"Yes, exactly. That's why first you should focus on learning ancient martial arts. I know you're familiar with essence stones and magic, but ancient martial arts are very rare—" Xing Liang was saying, when Maruti cut him off.
"I know ancient martial arts!" she interrupted with confidence.
"You know? How? Since when?" Xing Liang stared at her with wide eyes, his voice full of disbelief.
"I'm quite the powerhouse myself, you know?" Maruti said proudly, rubbing her nose with a smug look.
To prove her words, she performed a few martial arts moves right in front of him. Xing Liang watched carefully, his amazement clear on his face. He could see she wasn't bluffing.
"Ha! I knew it! A worthy disciple would come to me sooner or later. Using that fate essence stone was truly a good decision!" He felt proud of himself, smiling with satisfaction.
"Well then, I'll teach you some killer moves in the coming days. You'll have to learn and improve them on your own—you can't just copy what I show. And second, you must train your will and mind until they're strong enough to shatter the will of others!" Xing Liang said firmly.
—————
Time passed quickly, and soon afternoon faded into evening. In the kingdom of the church, peace reigned as always.
The walls of the buildings were painted mostly white and golden yellow. White symbolized purity and peace, while golden yellow honored the hair color of Seraphine, the goddess they worshipped.
Legends said that long ago, the church kingdom and the current demon realm were actually one united state, ruled under Seraphine's divine authority. But now they were separated into two distinct lands.
Despite sharing most of its borders with the demon realm, the church kingdom was its complete opposite. Here, there was no crime at all. Life was so safe and honest that most houses didn't even have doors.
Every religion was welcomed within its borders, and gender equality was a law that everyone respected. Instead of a king, the church was ruled by a pope and four bishops. The pope held authority like a monarch, while the bishops stood as the highest pillars of power below him.
When Esdeath arrived in the kingdom, she was amazed by how easy it was. Normally, the journey would have taken three or four days if she had traveled alone. But now, as an archduchess and with Lortell's invitation to go there, she was able to use the official government teleportation portal.
In a single step, she found herself standing in the middle of the holy land of the church kingdom.
But they were not alone. Four figures were already waiting for them.
The first was a woman with the mature beauty of someone in her late thirties. Her silver hair had a faint blue tint, and her black-and-white nun's attire tightly hugged her curvy figure. Her face was strikingly similar to Calista Seraphine's back at the academy. This woman was none other than Calista's mother, Ceres Seraphine—the leader of the four bishops.
The second was a young woman in her early twenties. Her golden hair shimmered under the evening light, and her face carried a fresh, youthful charm that made her stand out immediately.
The third was a teenage girl with soft pink hair and a creamy pale complexion. She, too, wore the nun's robes, giving her a gentle and innocent presence.
And lastly was the most unusual of all. A slim, almost delicate-looking girl with black hair and blue eyes—the rarest hair colour in the world, just like Esdeath herself.
These were the four bishops of the church kingdom, and they had personally come to welcome her—or rather, to welcome Lortell.