Legacy of Hatred

Chapter 385: Devilish

Liam and Grace didn’t move from the underground hall for two whole months.

The longest the pair had spent in the same location was three weeks, and it had been inside a carriage. So, that longer, more private cohabitation should have caused plenty of problems, especially now that the nature of their relationship had changed, but nothing of the sort happened.

When Liam and Grace got down to it, they were extremely serious. No night’s invasions happened, either.

As for the task that demanded such prolonged, serious seclusion, it was none other than the mastering of the new martial arts.

Liam had his talent on his side. He was basically built to use Qi. His body almost made him a native of the cultivation world, increasing his training pace to levels no one could match.

Nevertheless, Liam had to deal with rank 3 martial arts, which demanded an absurd, unsustainable amount of Qi, limiting how many training sessions he could perform in a row.

Liam also had a secondary project, one close to his heart. He owned his inherited Hatred now. He was and felt the true son of the Ancestral Snake, which completed the Qi mastery’s second layer.

Summoning the black Qi was instinctive for Liam, and its power even surpassed Lancelot’s flames, enhancing all of his techniques and actions. It could still get stronger, but that would come from his cultivation’s growth.

Instead, the third layer, the shocking ability to manipulate the Qi that Horace had shown against the white-masked man, was still uncharted territory for Liam. Alchemy would make him better at that, but he lacked the ingredients now.

So, Liam could only perform tests in a vacuum, attempting to give precise purposes to his Qi as he did with the alchemical flames.

Of course, none of the attempts came close to what Liam had seen his Master do, but he didn’t relent. Like with alchemy and archery, he knew practice would eventually bear fruit. Moreover, his failures only confirmed how great Horace Rauret had been.

Meanwhile, Grace had rank 2 martial arts to master for the most part. Her dantian facilitated her training. It was so flexible and unpolluted that everything suited her, and the inheritance’s goods were abundant enough for her to create an even more perfect arsenal.

However, talent stood above suitability. Grace had inborn limits. As smart and serious as she was, her soil, her body, was a hindrance, an anchor that weighed on each step she took deeper into the cultivation world.

Grace struggled to move her Qi as smoothly as Liam. Her meridians were partially clogged and of worse quality, requiring active efforts to bend that energy to her demands, a strain that was often painful.

That was where the Meridian-Cleansing elixirs showed their value. They weren’t an immediate fix. It would take massive quantities to improve Grace’s meridians by a significant, permanent amount, and they even had to be paired with other alchemical products to produce balanced results.

Still, the elixirs helped, allowing Grace to match Liam’s training speed, starting a project he planned to continue once he refilled his stashes. The Heavens might have deemed Grace unworthy of greatness, so Liam would defy them through alchemy.

If Liam had to transform Grace into a fellow diabolical fiend to do so, he would. After all, making her monstrously strong was the utmost expression of his desire to protect her.

Throughout that intense training session, both Liam and Grace didn’t forget to cultivate. Liam developed five more minor roots, bringing their total number to nineteen. Instead, Grace arrived at twenty-three, being only two short of the stage’s peak.

That slower growth wasn’t Grace’s fault. Liam paid close attention to how often she cultivated, but she never once defied his orders. He had simply been right about a cultivation’s increasing requirements.

Grace burned through immense quantities of spirit stones, her presence growing significantly heavier, but her minor roots demanded more nutrients so close to the stage’s peak.

Liam also became eighteen during the seclusion, not that he noticed or recalled. He was a cultivator in body and mind, barely keeping track of periods he couldn’t help but find brief at that point in his life.

As for the magical items, Liam’s mental capacity was full after binding the fan. There were tools that didn’t require that procedure in the pile, but he could leave that for Grace to handle. She knew best anyway.

Despite the more difficult martial arts and not relying on elixirs, Liam finished training first. Still, he switched to full immersion in Qi mastery instead of pressuring Grace to leave.

Grace finished soon afterward and began the awaited final preparations. At some point, she set up a tent inside the hall for some reason, and Liam understood why only after she came out.

Grace had changed, her new attire being far fancier. Her robe was still black but tight on her torso and large on her sleeves, the latter featuring blood-red floral patterns. She wore a second layer underneath, matching that red shade, its edges peeking from the first’s overlap on her chest.

A tight blood-red belt clung to Grace’s abdomen, right below her ribcage, highlighting her slender figure. From it, the lower part of her robe stretched, also blood-red, hiding most of her black trousers.

Two long earrings hung from Grace’s ears, while her hair was partially combed into a bun through a luxurious hairpin, leaving bangs at the sides of her face and long strands down her back and chest. The hairstyle feigned a certain wildness despite being carefully curated.

Grace had also darkened her lips, and her expression had changed, reeking of elegant arrogance, confidence, and maturity.

The earrings and the hairpin were rank 2 magical items, but Liam could hardly focus on that detail. He didn’t even realize he had stood up while his mind absorbed the scene.

Grace wasn’t exactly voluptuous, but she had undeniable curves in the right places, and her new attire left little to the imagination, especially in the chest and back areas. She was a graceful beauty rather than a vulgar one.

Honestly, now that Liam could see that silhouette in its entirety and with such precision, he could only describe it as perfect.

Of course, Liam’s brain had already drawn that picture through the accumulated sensations, but there was something else to the scene. The combination of that blood-red color, make-up, expression, and general vibe gave Grace a devilish appeal, like a dangerous elegance men couldn’t help but willingly succumb to.

Liam had always said that Grace was beautiful. He had even begun to react to that trait, and sleeping together had almost sent his brain into overdrive, but he felt proper fireworks in his mind now.

"Master Liam," Grace called, even her voice conveying the dangerous vibe of her new persona. "If you are to stare at me for so long, you should at least compliment me."

And Liam knew that it was improper to think such vulgar things about women, but only one adjective could describe what he felt. Grace was too sensual for him even to think about anything else.

"You look good," Liam held back his true feelings, trying and failing to divert his gaze, "But why the special attire?"

"Your prized possession obviously has a plan," Grace remained vague, taking slow steps toward Liam. "Looking the part is one way of implementing it."

Liam could only watch as Grace reached him. Up close, she was even sexier, so much so that his hand began to rise toward her. It scared him how much he wanted her, barely refraining from touching her at the last second.

"Master," Grace called, her voice a sensual whisper as Liam used that very hand to tilt his head away. "It’s unhealthy to hold back."

Liam wasn’t shy. Embarrassment had never held him back. His self-control was simply on the verge of shattering, and it took the entirety of himself to keep it together.

"Master, all of me is at your service," Grace insisted. "I’d be pleased if you’d allow yourself a moment of selfishness."

Liam knew that he shouldn’t, but he lowered his hand, allowing his face to point at Grace again, his intense gaze making him look like a predator ready to eat her whole.

Liam had a vow he couldn’t break, but he also had desires. He wouldn’t fall prey to them, but there was a tiny wish he theoretically had every right to demand.

"If you don’t mind," Liam said, "Always dress like this."

The compliment would have usually flushed Grace’s cheeks, but her temptress act kept her demeanor under control.

"I take it you like my attire?" Grace teased, her dark lips curling into a small smile.

"Yes," Liam seriously confirmed. "You are incredibly beautiful."

Grace half-turned, leaning her shoulder against Liam’s chest, throwing a devilish look up at him. "I’ll wear this often. For you."

Liam didn’t lift his arms around Grace. He just stared at her, taking in that dangerous beauty, navigating the irreconcilable conundrum between remaining faithful to his lover and sticking to his new stance on life, to the seemingly absurd desire of swallowing both her and Melissa.

Searching for a solution reminded Liam about what Grace had said about her Clan’s Patriarch. He couldn’t conceive of having multiple lovers, but the idea didn’t sound too bad anymore.

Actually, Liam even recalled something his Master told him in what seemed like a different life.

’Women should crawl at my feet in the presence of my greatness,’ Liam repeated in his mind. ’Is this what Master meant? He even said the opposite would bring shame to his name.’

Unknowingly to Liam, he was searching for justifications to cross the line, but he ended up finding a way to postpone the matter.

’I’m not great yet,’ Liam stated in his mind. He knew he still didn’t understand that stuff well anyway, so he would take it slow. Regret was worse than anything else, and those appealing benefits during the process made it both easier and harder to wait.

Grace eventually reached for Liam’s face, parting his messy strands so that she could read him better. The event reminded Liam of an issue that had become annoying, so he summoned his rank 1 knife and pulled his hair, ready to slash.

Nevertheless, Grace’s hand snapped at Liam’s wrist, holding it firmly, stopping the knife before it could cut anything.

"What are you doing?" Grace asked, her face cold now.

"I’m cutting my hair," Liam calmly stated. "It’s getting in the way too often."

"Master Liam, this won’t do," Grace exclaimed. "It’s my duty to sell your services. Your appearance is part of the package, so mine to handle."

Grace was using her money voice, so Liam took her seriously, looking down at himself. He was still shirtless, and his ring wouldn’t do much to solve that issue.

"I’m actually also almost out of clothes," Liam revealed.

"Isn’t this serendipitous?" Grace wondered. "Since you have decided how I should dress, I will, too. It’s a basic trade."