Radiant

"Aren't you looking radiant today? You seem to have increased in beauty overnight… Heh, isn't it impressive what Lord Edrick can do? I can just feel that a weight has been taken off your shoulders, how are you feeling, Jingyi?" Linmin met the residence's first maid early in the morning, and although the girl had certainly been pretty the day before, now that she was totally relaxed and without any fear, her looks had simply been allowed to bloom to their truest extent.

Formerly, Jingyi would always seem somewhat tense, her shoulders bent inward as though trying to make herself smaller, she stood tall now, her soft green eyes had gained a new spark, one earned through acceptance and submission to a greater force.

"I feel great, Lord Linmin, I haven't felt so light in years" the maid smiled, an expression as bright as the sun, it would normally be a bit off-putting to witness such a dire change in behaviour overnight, but the second wife knew exactly why that was the case, and to him, it seemed only natural for anyone of a sane mind to be propelled to the height of joy and happiness by merely being granted Edrick's attention, anyone outside the walls of this house would surely disagree, but that did not matter, the truth only laid closed-off within here.

"I have spoken with Lord Edrick- Firstly, he agreed to get the necessary equipment to get you tested for physiques and the likes… Secondly, you have been officially put on trial for the position of not only headmaid, which would make you overseer all of the future maids, no matter their position, and also, as Lord Edrick personal maid, which would mean that you would accompany him on most official outings" Linmin glanced around and then grinned "Increases your chances of receiving some attention as well, I am certain that this is a big plus in your eyes… Oh, and for the remuneration, I suppose that it is settled now?"

"It is my honour to serve, Master, it does not feel correct to ask for more than this"

"Good, that is the right attitude- Though, you'll still surely receive some allowance from time to time, having independence is a valued quality in this household, even as a maid, you need to possess it, understood?"

"Understood"

"Alright then, you'll be following me today, yesterday, we didn't have much time and I merely showed you the basic things and went over the superficial details, but although a most rewarding position, the work of a headmaid is not simple by any means, you need to know everything about the residence, and know how to perform any tasks, you'll have to overlook the training of future maids and help them settle into their positions"

"So that's what we'll start doing from today, you are already familiar with the kitchen, and the setting of the table, as well as service- We'll start with the laundry… Do not be mistaken, the materials used for clothing here are completely different to what you were used to, everything is expensive and tailor-made, quite a lot was made by Fanqia, in fact, the uniform you were right now was sewn by her hands" Linmin led the way, Jingyi attentively following like a duckling would chase after its mother.

Like with everything else in the residence, there was more than a single room dedicated to the cleaning of soiled clothing, but the one Linmin went to was the largest.

"The fabrics differ from garment to garment, so there are several different ways to clean clothes, the first step is to know how to differentiate them from one another…"

Whilst Jingyi was busy learning about her new occupation, moving from room to room, in which the second wife would always speak in length about the precise methods of doing things, give tips and tricks, the travel in between room instead filled with explanations on what expressions to make depending on the situation, how to stand, how to address guests depending on their status, and relationship to the lord.

"Lord Linmin, if I may ask, what is happening over here?" eventually, they arrived near the front entrance, where the foppoof was intending on making demonstrations about how to greet people, as well as point out areas that could be missed whilst cleaning.

"Oh this? Merely another project of Lord Edrick, this residence wasn't this large when we first got here, you know? But naturally, some renovations and expansions were necessary, would you believe it if I told you that until recently, this place wasn't so well insulated? Oh, and the baths… So lacking in regality- But I suppose that you wonder about the purpose of this particular expansion? These builders are working on what Lord Edrick calls a 'Viewing Room', a completely new addition to the residence"

"What is the purpose of a 'Viewing Room'?"

"That is a surprise, you'll get to learn very soon however, Lord Edrick intends on using it very soon, with your assistance- I believe you'll find this new room's use to be most exquisite"

"I see"

This made Jingyi wonder where her master had gone to, but she didn't want to ask more questions that did not relate to the current situation, and remained silent as Linmin went back to explaining.

Anoteros had left early in the morning, stepping outside and bearing witness to a most impressive sight, the sun was bright and the snow had ceased to fall, after the stormy night, it seemed like calm had took place, and the snow was slowly melting, the temperature was still low, but the additional light made everything feel much warmer.

He took Hui to the library as per usual, noticing that Shu was already here, eager to put Edrick's advices to use, but he did not acknowledge the dealer's presence, and instead headed to the main building for his daily training with the toxic elder, but now, the trouble had become double as his lovely godmother was part of the course as well now.

Thankfully, the two women weren't as eager to milk him as before, or rather, they were intending on milking him in moderation, as this was supposed to be training after all, only that now, on top of having to deal with a toxin from Ting Zhenniao, Ku Xing would also help practise the two encyclopedia techniques she had taught him.

He had yet to go through all of the bones within his body, in fact, the Encyclopedia Of Self-Affliction was a rather slow technique to properly cultivate, so he wasn't even fully done with his right hand yet, as larger bones required multiple cultivation sessions to be deemed done with, and taking into account the different kinds of damage that needed to be inflicted as well, it made every single bone a real adventure.

With both elders helping him, Edrick was getting smothered in between the most experienced women he had ever met, whilst under the effect of a toxin, and with a broken bone as well.

If anything, the training had gotten even more complicated and arduous, but Anoteros found it more enjoyable in the end, even if he ended up spent and in need of recovery, said rest would be spent with them both.

After getting through this, ejaculating inside of them without any protection, he placed himself in a strategic position, and intercepted the first person he was interested in that crossed his path.

"Oh hey, if it isn't, Prosecutor Yi…"