What to do? It was still dark in the night, which meant I should be home, not snooping around outside. How'd my friend know said person was on their way towards my home though?

To see that they'd need to be right next to my house. Though, to be honest any cultivator coming towards my part of the town was on their way towards my house. Still, they must be quite close to my home by now.

I decided to do something reckless, as I wouldn't arrive home in time if that person did something stupid. Like setting a fire, something that was very easy to do as a cultivator.

I flared my qi, and bend the gravity of the planet slightly upwards. As expected I fell off the the face of the earth, falling upwards until I cleared the treeline. Strangely calm, I set myself to fall forwards, towards town now, as my upwards speed slowly bled away and I accelerated forwards. I didn't drop, as gravity pulled me forwards instead of downwards. As I passed the two thirds mark to my home I turned around, and reversed the gravity, having it pull me slightly down and bleed off my speed forwards. Then I flared my qi again, and increased the power of gravity acting on me.

I landed near my front door, only a small cloud of dust announcing my arrival. That worked way better than expected. I dashed inside of my home as I spread my aura around me, searching for whoever tried to sneak up on my house.

I put my tome and my spirit stones into a small bag as I found them. I had never seen that person, but knew I needn't have worried. They were only just in the second realm. And while the man did indeed plan to lit my house on fire - evidenced by the tinder and firekit in his pack - he was moving slowly. Carefully.

Good enough for me. He decided to cross me, so he'd learn my wrath. I checked on my qi, and was quite surprised to see only a small part of my core had been exhausted. Perfect.

What to do with him though? My bottom line would stay as is. I would not kill a person!

But he didn't need to know that! How many people did I need again? Two dozen second realm cultivators? Well, he was going to be the first.

Did I strike now, or wait until he actually did something.

I'd wait.

He moved really slow. If he didn't speed up he'd still be on his way when the sun rose. I couldn't do anything to speed things up, so I sat down, and started drafting his employment contract, which would be enforced by a heavenly oath.

Half an hour later, with me just finishing the second draft, he finally arrived at my house. As planned, he started laying the tinder and firewood against my house.

I stood up, it was time to move.

With a small flare of my qi the cultivator fell down, flat on his stomach. Sudden acceleration of the brain worked really well to disable people.

I moved outside, picked up all the wood and tinder, as well as an unconscious cultivator. I deposited the wood in my store room, and the cultivator in my cellar. Within moments he was bound tight and gagged. I sat down on my chair, and started a third draft. This needed to be perfect. No loopholes whatsoever.

When my aura detected his eyes moving sometime later, I stood up.

"I see you're awake. Good." I said.

He shook his head back and forth, obviously wanting to say something.

"Look." I started. "I really don't care why you wanted to burn my house. Fact is, you tried. And we can't have that. I will allow you to speak now. If you scream, there will be consequences. Understood?"

He nodded frantically, and I moved to ungag him.

"Please don't kill me. They forced me. I didn't want to. But they forced me." He cried.

"They?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The … …" He said.

"So you can't tell. So you probably swore a heavenly oath." I stated. "That's unfortunate. But doesn't change much. First things first, are you compelled to tell them the truth?" I asked.

"No."

"Good enough. Here is how things are going to go. You will stay here, under my watch, until you can swear a heavenly oath again, so a maximum of a week. You are going to swear to work for me, the exact words of which I will provide. Afterwards, we will see. Understood?" I asked.

He nodded up and down.

"Good, how long until then?" I asked.

"Two days." He answered.

"Perfect. Enough time to finish that contract then." I stated. "Did they set a time limit on your task?"

"No. But they didn't need to." He answered.

Problematic. But I could not trust this guy, especially if his taskmasters had leverage over him. Leverage enough he risked crossing the mayor.

"By the endless heavens, I swear this to Triss. I will not divulge her secrets to anyone without her consent, neither by speech, or by thought. I will not divulge her secrets in any way I can think of.

Additionally, I will work for her, and follow her orders, if provided a fair payment. I will protect her life should it be in danger, even if it endangers my own. This I swear." He said.

Perfect. I allowed a small smile to appear on my face.

"Very good. Let's get to it then." I said. “All I'm going to tell you now is a secret. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. So, I'm going to pack some stuff that I can't afford to lose. I am going to leave the house to visit the town hall, and announce my break through. You will burn my house down while I am there. I need a new one anyways.” I explained. “Any questions?”

“Yes, What am I going to do once I am done.” He asked.

“Obviously you’re going to go to your taskmaster and tell them you completed their task. And if they don't give you all they have on you then the mayor will know all you know about them. After all you paid someone to deliver a letter to the town hall beforehand.” I explained. “Now, after you’re free of them, meet me at my new house when it’s finished. Until then, just live your life like nothing happened. Or cultivate a bit.” I said.

He nodded, and turned to leave.

“Wait a moment longer.” I said. “Seeing as you are my employee now we need to advance your cultivation faster.”

“And how would we do that, you’re barely in the second realm yourself.” He said.

“And that's where you are wrong. I broke into the third realm the night we met.” I said.

My aura expanded, and pressed on his from all sides. He flinched, before dropping to his knees.

“Excuse my rudeness exalted mistress. I would be glad to gain your insights.” He said.

“That's not necessary.” I stated. “Especially not when someone can see it. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now. Have you ever mediated, and just observed qi?” I asked.

“Yes. The insights were too profound for me to understand.” He answered.

“Pah, there are no insights to gain in there. That's just normal qi that's filled with a short moment of the past. Anyways. You cleanse the qi of this memory if you watch it, gaining pure qi, useful for cultivating.” I explained. “After all your cultivating speed is mainly limited by the qi you can gather.”

“Thank you for the insights.” He said.

“Good. Now, let's get to it. You know the plan. We’ll see each other in a few days.” I said.

I left the house with a bag slung over my shoulder. I would miss my cozy home, but needs called for a bigger, more grandiose house. A house that would allow me to run a second business as well as expand my current business.

---

Velgo watched as his new employer left the house. The seamstress was strange. Obviously very powerful, sure of herself. But also cruel and hellishly smart. That oath she forced him into would restrict him for life, and finding a way around it seemed impossible. All wouldn't be so bad though, she did promise him fair pay, and the secret she told him would be valuable indeed, if it worked.

At least he could safe his wife. He waited a little longer, before leaving through the front door, a small fire burning on the counter. Instead of running, what his usual reaction would have been, he just walked along like he had been told.

He went into the forest until leaving the sight of the town, swapped his robe to a different one, a ragged and slightly ripped robe filled with a little blood, and returned into the town on a different entrance. The guards watched him with interest, searching for any treasures he could have fought for, but found nothing they could tax for the mayor. Disappointed, they returned to watching the forest edge.

Velgo smiled a little. His first task had been completed ‘get seen by the guards wearing this robe’. He went to one of the stalls standing there for an occasion like this, and dressed into a third robe, before leaving the town’s edge, and moving deeper into the town. He had a successful task to report, and a medicine to get.

Looking up in the sky, he saw a plume of black smoke rising into the air. His fire had been successful. Cries came up around him, as the townsfolk rushed towards the nearest well, to douse the fire, and stop it from spreading. It’d be too late for the one house that mattered though.

He knocked at one of the backdoors in a tall, three story building in the middle of the town. A building he could have too, if he had the money. Which he didn't. A servant opened the door, and saw his appearance.

“Come in. I will tell the master of your arrival.” She said.

“Thank you.” He answered.

Now he just had to wait. The merchant liked his power plays after all.

“Velgo my boy. So good to see you succeeded in your task. It would have been a shame if someone else had bought the medicine you need, wouldn't it?” The disgusting merchant said.

“Master Merchant.” He said with a deep bow. “I am overjoyed to tell you I managed to complete your task.”

“Ah yes. I can see the smoke from here. Good job. Really good job. Here is your medicine, now get out.” He said dismissively.

“Of course. I wish you a pleasant day.” He said.

The moment he left the merchant’s home, he took off running home. No time to lose. He arrived at the small house his wife and he owned, and ran inside.

“Velgo, where have you been?” A weak voice asked.

He rushed in the back, and fell to his knees, seeing his wife still alive. Not well, but alive.

“I got what we needed.” He stated.

“I hope you didn't do something stupid again?” She asked weakly.

“Of course not.” He answered silently. “Now, take this.”

Carefully, he fed the spiritual medicine to his wife. Now it was time to wait. To wait and plan.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“Better.” She said, looking at him.

Her eyes soon found the robe he was wearing, and widened a little.

“You did something stupid!” She chided. “Never do that again!”

“Of course. I promise.” He said.

As long as your life is in no peril, he added, silently, to himself.

Three weeks later, and Velgo was out of the house again. The fire was still THE talk of the town, and many angry cultivators were stalking the streets, searching for the culprit, seeing as their robes were lost in the fire.

Hell, Velgo still shuddered from the memory of the angry scream coming from the town hall that day. Someone was going to die for that, one way or the other. Anyways, for now he had an oath to fulfill.

He didn't take long to arrive at the seamstress’s new house. It was near the ruins of her hold one, but grander. Three stories high, instead of the two from before. And richly decorated. It fit better to someone this powerful, though the building lacked a fourth story. How the mistress managed to get such a building build after her whole shop burned down was a mystery to him, but she did seem quite well off to him.

He entered the building, but didn't see the woman he expected to see. Just a normal looking mortal standing there.

“Hello master cultivator.” She said. “What can I do for you?”

“I am here to speak the Miss Triss.” He said. “I am looking for work.”

“I will call the mistress immediately. Please take a seat. Would you like some refreshments while you wait?” She asked.

“No, thank you.” He said.

“Very well.” She said, beating a small bell.

The woman left, and another entered the shop from another door, and manned the counter. A few minutes later the first mortal returned, and bid him to follow.

“The mistress is expecting you.” She said as they neared a large, decorated door at the end of the hallway.

He nodded to the mortal, and knocked as the woman retreated back towards the shop.

“Enter.” A voice called.