plumnovel Chapter 601: The Puppeteer’s Shadow
Chapter 601: The Puppeteer’s Shadow
"What is bothering you, my heaven?" said Louisa. She moved closer, wrapping her arms tightly around Ethan’s side as they walked down the bustling avenue, intentionally making her voice sound as sweet and comforting as possible.
Before becoming his woman, she had never paid close attention to such subtle details, but after those four days of absolute intimacy, she had developed the constant habit of watching her man. Now, she could clearly read his expression, and she noticed the deep, brewing anger hidden behind his calm face.
"We are being heavily watched, and I believe someone high up wants to use me as a tool for something," said Ethan. His voice was a barely audible whisper, his piercing amethyst eyes looking straight ahead without a hint of emotion. "Do not say another word. Just keep walking normally."
"We understand," said Mary. Her face grew pale, and she instinctively gripped the edges of her new silk jacket, a sudden wave of fear silencing both her and Roy as they picked up their pace.
"Welcome back, Young Master Ethan!" said the shop owner as the group stepped inside the luxurious tailor shop. The merchant practically flew from behind the counter, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"I am here to clear my balance," said Ethan. He tapped his new blade-carved silver ring, causing a massive, clinking mountain of medium-grade spirit stones to materialize directly onto the main counter. "Here are thirty-eight thousand, seven hundred and fifty-six stones. Check the count."
"It is absolutely perfect, Young Master! Perfect!" said the owner. His hands shook with pure euphoria as he stared at the glittering fortune, which represented more than five years of regular shop profits delivered in just a few days.
"And this is for your excellent service," said Ethan. He tossed a small bag containing an extra fifty medium-grade spirit stones directly to the young female attendant who had delivered the chests to their suite.
"Thank you so much, My Lord! May the heavens bless your path!" said the young attendant. She dropped to her knees in a deep, emotional reverence, tears of gratitude welling up in her eyes at the immense tip.
"Thank you for the prompt home delivery," said Ethan.
"Please, come back anytime! We are entirely at your service, Lord Ethan!" said the owner, bowing repeatedly alongside his entire staff as the group turned to leave. To them, this dominant young man was no longer just a wealthy customer; he was their absolute lucky star.
"The streets are getting completely packed," said Roy. He braced his shoulders, trying to clear a path through the dense crowd that now clogged the main avenue, making it almost impossible to take a single step forward.
"Is the citadel always this chaotic during the recruitment season?" said Ethan. He looked around, his dominant posture naturally forcing the surrounding people to give him a few inches of breathing room.
"Yes, every single selection is exactly like this," said Mary. "People from the entire frontier region flood into this zone because this is the only examination outpost for thousands of miles. The closest one from here is several months of travel away."
"The competition gets incredibly brutal the closer you get to the central main pavilion," said Mary. She looked at Ethan with deep, lingering amazement. "To be completely honest, the frontier usually harbors the useless descendants of the main world—but that is only in comparison to the true elites. They are still incredibly dangerous, and their heavily armed bodyguards are even worse. I am still completely stunned by how effortlessly you dismantled those two men back there."
"You did exceptionally well too, Roy," said Ethan. He glanced back at his brother-in-law, a rare nod of genuine approval on his face. "It is clear that your hard training is paying off."
"Thank you, Master!" said Roy. His eyes lit up with instant pride, his posture straightening in his new Star Iron armor.
"From today onward, we will train together," said Ethan. He flashed a shameless, roguish grin. "You need to sharpen your skills even more. Every single minute that I am not inside your sister, I will dedicate entirely to you."
"Ethan!" said Louisa. She shrieked in absolute embarrassment, her face turning as red as a fire element core as she hit his arm playfully.
"Thank you, Brother-in-law!" said Roy. He stumbled over his words, completely frozen and unsure of how to react to such direct bluntness, his face a mix of confusion and awkwardness.
"Stop standing there like a statue and thank him properly, you foolish boy!" said Mary. She chuckled loudly, shaking her head at her son’s dense expression. "He is literally sacrificing his final minutes of pleasure just to help you advance."
"Mother is right, Roy," said Mary. Her tone became slightly more practical as she looked at the distant towers of the pavilion. "Other people might not know, but I do. The disciples inside the Heavenly Sword Pavilion are squeezed to their absolute limits. Training and survival take up every waking second. Once you enter those gates, intimacy becomes an absolute luxury. Unless Ethan proves himself to be the absolute best among the new recruits, he won’t even be able to touch Louisa for months."
"Intimacy will become a luxury, you say?" said Ethan. He let out a low, confident chuckle, his arm tightening around his bride’s waist.
Louisa stayed quiet for a long moment, the festive atmosphere around them suddenly carrying a heavier weight. She looked up at the massive, distant walls of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, realizing for the first time that their peaceful days together were numbered. The pressure inside that sect would be immense, and her man would be fighting against the true elites of the world.
She leaned up on her tip-toes, brushing her lips directly against his ear, her voice dropping to a sultry, heavy whisper.
"If that is the case, I will make sure to leave you completely empty before you go, my titan," said Louisa.
Ethan’s piercing amethyst eyes instantly flared with dark amusement, a proud, dominant smirk breaking across his face.
Louisa released a secret smile playing on her lips. Over the last few days, she had discovered something incredibly bizarre yet hilarious about her husband. The compliments that truly pleased Ethan’s ego actually sounded like insults to anyone else. He absolutely loved being called a monster, a titan, a freak of nature, or a tripod.
In fact, she had discovered this completely by accident during an intense, breathless argument in their suite. Frustrated and exhausted by his relentless, dominant endurance, she had yelled at him in a fit of pure, blushing anger, calling him a literal monster. Instead of being offended, Ethan had simply laughed shamelessly, flexing his muscles and joking that he indeed carried a hidden third leg.
Since that day, Louisa had abandoned all standard, sweet praises. She actively looked for the most absurd, intimidating words to describe his physical prowess, realizing that teasing her shameless tyrant this way was absolutely delightful.
"I will hold you to that promise tonight, my clever queen," said Ethan. He gave her hips a firm, possessive squeeze, his mood completely restored as they walked back toward their lodgings.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??