Bright Future
Edrick opened a small window, bringing out his wooden pipe and a match that he lit against his own palm, puffing smoke as he looked down at the street from the third and last floor of the brothel. All whilst the two Foppoofs were catching their breath after the lengthy and exhausting session they had just gone through.
Never would they have expected their first real dual cultivation session to be like this, and certainly not with such incredible men. For measly outer disciples who had joined not even a full month ago, this was a golden opportunity that they would be able to brag about their whole lives.
“You two”
Edrick spoke after exhaling smoke.
“You aren’t the typical outer disciples, are you? And I am not talking about the fact that you are Foppoofs… I could tell that you use an unusual dual cultivation technique. You two seem to be linked together in some way”
The blond and brunette looked at each other, hesitating for a few moments. Not about whether they should talk, but whether they should continue calling him ‘Mister’, ‘Dear Customer’, and such, or just go ahead and refer to him by the correct title, even if they really shouldn’t, considering where they were.
The blue-eyed disciple cleared his throat.
“Mister Anoteros… You’ve hit the nail on the head. We are… We are a bit of a project, I guess you could say”
The brunette continued:
“The two of us were in similar situations. We are from small bourgeois families that have been a bit down on their luck lately. We were doing alright despite being Foppoofs since our families did their best to make us pass off as girls to avoid mockery and the like, but… An elder from Red Mansion came by one day, and he offered money that no one who wasn’t a noble could possibly refuse”
The brunette looked down, evidently quite affected by the fact that his family had agreed to pretty much sell him off to some complete stranger, so the blond picked up where the brunette left off.
“He managed to decipher an old dual cultivation technique from the archives of Red Mansion, and since it seemed quite powerful, he decided to put it to use immediately, but it requires two non-cultivator Foppoofs to be learned successfully…”
“...It is called ‘Resonant Energy’, and it basically allows all of one's inner energies to evolve into something new–Into versions of themselves that meld the feminine and the masculine. Once cultivated to perfection, it will apparently be a superb foundation for us to learn other techniques… But just the two of us isn’t enough. There needs to be a third person with a strong femininity or strong masculinity to regulate the new energies we produce”
The brunette spoke up once more as the blond marked a pause.
“Which is why we were sent here when you requested Foppoofs, Mister Anoteros. We are… I suppose the elder wanted to give us to you. He said that you were a great ally of Red Mansion, and that you fit the bill to regulate us. Also… He said that we would like it to serve you…”
The two Foppoofs hadn’t been so sure of this last part at first, but they had to admit that the elder had been a hundred per cent right. The instant they had begun being ‘handled’, they had grown impressively submissive and receptive. With this in mind, it indeed felt like serving Anoteros would be quite enjoyable for them.
Edrick rubbed his chin. It was a sneaky move from the Red Mansion elder, but it was indeed a nice gift. The scion presumed that the sect leader had also played a hand in this, as it was doubtful that he wouldn’t be aware of a technique being deciphered…
“The two of you are certainly excellent gifts”
The Foppoofs blushed as Edrick smiled charmingly at them.
“What is the name of this elder? I’ll have to thank him personally”
“Medemere”
They replied in unison, and although Anoteros had never interacted personally with this man, he did know who he was by simple virtue of having bothered to learn the names of all important figures of the vassal sects.
Medemere wasn’t much of a fighter. He was more of a scholar, which was why he had managed to decipher an old technique. In terms of position, he was basically the leader’s right hand due to his intellect and analytical mind. Even if not that strong for an elder, disciples of Red Mansion often sought to become his direct disciple, as he was sharp enough to know which direction those under his care should take in their cultivation efforts.
All in all, a great fellow. Albeit Anoteros had heard that he had some ‘dark’ tastes in terms of dual cultivation partners… Not that it mattered for him. Most things–Even the most repellent ones by both his old and new worlds’ standards–Seemed mild to him nowadays.
Even then, he knew better than to be open about such things. What Medemere was rumoured to be into was capable of ruining a reputation with the public completely.
Regardless…
“What are your names?”
“W-Well… It is actually quite the coincidence…”
“I-Indeed…”
“I am Nan-Nu”
The blond started. His eyes were a gorgeous blue, and his hair was short but arranged in a feminine manner, and he stood one meter and sixty-one centimeters in height.
“I am Nu-Nan”
The brunette quickly followed. His eyes were a beautiful green, his hair reached his shoulders, and he stood one meter and sixty-two centimeters in height.
“Huh. That is indeed quite a big coincidence. Are you sure you two aren’t Alrins?”
They strongly shook their heads. They were indeed from completely different families, in two completely different parts of the country. Thus, the fact that they were Foppoofs who nearly had the exact same name was truly a big coincidence…
‘Or is it?’
Anoteros wondered if he hadn’t run into the set piece of a script, but without meeting the script holder directly, there was no way to know for sure.
‘Maybe it relates to Linfeng? Their technique sounds like it might help him since he already deals with a twink and seems to have a dual cultivation technique’
The Elt scion stroked the heads of the two Foppoofs.
“Very well. You are under my protection from now on. I’ll have you go to the sect grounds of Red Mansion. There, go find Bedi and her troop, alright? You’ll be safe with them, and… They’ll also help you with your technique”
Edrick was definitely going to take ownership of them, but for now, he would rather let them learn at Red Mansion. Medemere was definitely going to pay attention to them, and his teachings should be of great assistance to their growth. Besides, with Bedi and her group, they would indeed be safe.
There wasn’t any clique better than the one sponsored by Edrick Lucien Anoteros himself–The current biggest individual ally of the sect as a whole.
“Eventually, I’ll integrate you into my residence, alright? You have a bright future”