Qiu cannot help but feel a bit restless when she returns to their chambers alongside Ling after another class. With Shun away to handle her ‘duties as a Dai’ and Ling being in an uncharacteristically bright mood Qiu can’t help but feel like something is off. Her apprehension only grows when she notices a variety of strange instruments upon entering their room.
“So, uh, what exactly is all this for?”
Ling hums happily while picking up a dressage whip the redhead has less than fond memories of. She holds the tip between two fingers and the handle in her other hand, bending the entire thing to test its flexibility before turning to Qiu with a loving smile.
“In dual cultivation unless one uses a predatory method it takes far more effort for the stronger party to benefit from it if the other party is at least a stage below their own. These tools shall assist us in focusing entirely on you during this session.”
She adds while gesturing at the wide variety of ropes, chains, cloths and other implements Qiu does not recognize. The redhead gulps at the sheer amount of different objects present and desperately attempts to refrain from trying to imagine how long it would take to go through every last one of them. Her reddening cheeks show exactly how well she is doing in that endeavor. Even Ling’s brows rise at the veritable arsenal resting both atop and below the three extra tables Shun has placed against one of the walls.
“Shun?”
“Yes, mistress?”
“Where did you get all of these?”
“From our Dai clan’s stockpile of course.”
“The Dai clan has a stockpile of…” She waves her hand at the objects. “...this?”
“Indeed. As faithful servants to the Li we have spent many generations ensuring your family has everything they require. Qi suppressing cuffs, spiritual chains and artifact pulleys are but a few amongst them. This section of our stockpile in particular has grown greatly under your father’s rule. The dressage whip in particular is an oft requested item by Sect Master Li.”
“I did not need to know not.” Ling says while dropping the whip like it’s on fire. Her lips curl in disgust while she considers actually burning it to ash.
“You most assuredly asked, my lady.”
The ice princess looks decidedly unamused at Shun’s deadpan reply. Her smile returns however at Qiu’s next words and she kindly saunters over to her to cup her cheek in the palm of her hand.
“Let’s, uh, just bring these back, all right? I’m still advancing at a decent pace, no need to rush it.”
“On the contrary, my dear Qiu. It is vital you improve. It is all well and good for us to catch up to you but love is all about give and take. Even if you say it’s not required, we want to help you.”
“We were keeping all this secret right? People might start asking questions if we borrow this, best to just return it and say it was a miscommunication.”
“Please rest assured Miss Qiu, the Dai greatly value secrecy. Even should every single Dai find out about this not a single word shall leak to anyone outside of our clan, not even another Li could command us to share a secret without our liege’s permission.”
Qiu looks at Shun in shock as she mercilessly hammers the last nail in the coffin. Shun only feels a slight twinge of guilt at the betrayal and quickly pushes it down. After all, she has several goals for bringing such a wide range of tools and does not intend to let complaints get in the way of them. Ling greatly enjoys Qiu’s fidgeting and increasing blush as Shun explains each tool's functions in turn. Ling lovingly looks into her eyes while she walks closer to the redhead. Sauntering towards her with a skip in her step and her hands held behind her Qiu can’t help but be transfixed by her beauty. The way she looks so relaxed makes the redhead believe it might not be so bad to do this more often if she gets to see the ice princess this way because of it. Staring into her eyes as if they hold the secrets of the universe Ling gently takes one of Qiu’s hands in her own and pulls it to her chest letting her heart beat lull the girl into a sense of comfort.
Her loving smile splits into a wicked grin at the exact moment she clamps the manacles behind her back around Qiu’s wrist. She licks her lips when Qiu jumps at the sound of them locking in place and struggles briefly when Ling reaches for her second hand. The freckled girl gulps like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s sight knowing its fate is sealed. She nervously averts her eyes and lets out a squeal when Ling uses the opportunity to blow into her ear. When she turns back towards the black haired maiden she finds her already walking away. Qiu did not believe it possible but her worries grow further when Shun hands her a large metal plate with a half ring attached to one side and a formation encrusted upon the other.
“Wh… what’s that for?”
“Why, this is quite the wonderful tool. You simply inject your qi into the formation here and do this.”
She loops a thick chain through the ring and tosses it formation side up towards the ceiling. Ice sprouts from it the moment it makes contact, a thick layer covering the entire plate and freezing it in place. Ling rakes her hand over the chain hanging from both sides of the ring.
“It’ll stick to any surface you want. Quite convenient wouldn’t you say dear heart~”
“Y… yeah?”
She picks one end of the chain up and locks the clasp in place on Qiu’s manacles. Pulling on both the manacles and the chain she ensures both are firmly secured before nodding to herself. The ice princess fixes Qiu with a kind smile that does not match the look in her eyes while she directs a curt gesture towards Shun. Without hesitation the maidservant pulls on the other end of the chain until Qiu is practically dangling above the ground, only barely able to reach the floor.
“Excitement adds to efficiency when it comes to dual cultivation. This shall keep you on your toes.” She adds with a smirk while slowly bringing her hand to Qiu’s chest. When it is nearly touching her arm lashes out like a snake and her fingers curl around the front of Qiu’s servant outfit tearing the robe apart in one smooth move. Only the two sleeves survive her attack. She steps closer until their noses nearly touch, relishing in the way Qiu’s hitched breath sends hot air across her face while she sensually trails her hands all the way from her hips up her sides, over her shoulders and into her sleeves, the seams tearing bit by bit until both pieces of cloth fall to the floor and her hands are raised all the way to the girl’s wrists. The soft cloth of Ling’s robe brushing across her front sends pleasant tingles through Qiu even as the pressure of her mistress leaning against her threatens her fragile balance.
“There, that should be enough, no?”
Ling laughs uproariously at Qiu’s impression of a kicked dog when she moves away, ignoring Shun’s comment of ‘not acting like a lady’ as she does so. She picks up a thin bracelet made of warm looking gold and daintily puts it on while pointedly ignoring Shun’s eye roll. Flexing her fingers and feigning wonder as she looks at them she speaks softly without turning back around.
“Qiu, do you know what this is?”
“No.”
“Hmm?”
“No, mistress.”
“This artifact is quite the treasure, it allows the wielder to channel their qi through it and transforms it into fire qi. Of course it only allows a slight amount but one that shall suffice for our current purposes.”
She forms a small plume of blue fire from her hand to draw Qiu’s attention away from her lie. Had the sect truly possessed an artifact capable of allowing them to use both fire and ice at their leisure they would be far, far more powerful than they are now. Given the vast gaps in Qiu’s knowledge and her aversion to artifacts in general she highly doubts the girl will realize that simple fact. What she does not expect is for Qiu’s face to pale at the sight.
“You- you can’t be serious.” She shivers while unconsciously pulling on the chain to put more distance between herself and the flame. Panic blossoms in her chest when it doesn’t budge an inch and grows until she nearly hyperventilates when she sees Ling’s face twist into a furious glare.
“I won’t actually burn you. Do you have that little trust in me?” Ling spits while thrusting the bracelet in front of her face. The way Qiu’s shoulders slacken and the fear fades from her eyes angers her even more. “This thing here. This is simply to add to the excitement, to leave your heart pounding at the thought that every one of my touches could be cold as ice or hot enough to burn your skin. To leave you breathless in anticipation of what each caress will bring until you beg for more.”
She pulls back and channels a mote of ice qi through her veins to calm herself. While Qiu’s reaction certainly hurts, her anger comes from far deeper. She pushes the thought away to forget the massive weight on her shoulders and smacks the redhead’s rear. Qiu yelps at the fire qi invading her.
“Best refine it before it wreaks havoc on your veins, dear heart. Fire is an excellent way of purging weakness yet you must not tarry lest it burns away more than you want it to.”
Ling soothingly runs her chilled palm over the girl’s freckled butt, her ice qi clashing with the fire to temper the results further. She kneads the reddened cheek while Qiu lets out sweet whimpers. All at once she recalls her hand and spanks the other buttcheek sending more blazing hot qi roiling through her veins. Once more she follows it up with a cool caress and watches the two types of qi war while Qiu strains to control them. Before long the freckled girl is panting in exhaustion, her open lips curling into a satisfied smile at her success. Ling’s hair billows behind her as her eyes go cold, without the ice qi Qiu would have failed entirely to manage the fire qi in time yet she smiles as if that is enough? The ice princess’s shoulders shake while she raises her hand once more.
“Mistress.”
Ling’s anger vanishes like snow before the sun when she sees the toys Shun is offering her. Two small cups rounded at the bottom with a short chain hanging from them each ending in a small cylinder. The metal contraption is inlaid with formations across its entire length. Ling jingles the two objects behind Qiu’s back while she steps around her side, arm still extended behind the girl to keep them out of view.
“Can you guess what I am holding, my dear Qiu?”
“No, mistress?”
“A shame, you would have been rewarded had you been correct but alas.” She holds the two toys in front of Qiu’s face as she continues. “You were not. Let it not be said I am without kindness however. I shall give you another chance. Tell me, Qiu. What are these?”
“Strange earrings?”
“Do these look like they have the right shape for that, dear heart?”
“No?”
“Exactly, these go here.” She places the small cup over the redhead’s nipple. “They too are made to channel qi. Ah, don’t look at me like that, this one has to have qi inserted from the inside. You must maintain a constant flow through them in order for them to maintain suction. Should they fall at any point before I tell you to drop them you shall be punished. Severely. Is that clear?”
“Y- yes mistress.”
“Good girl. Now channel some of your earth qi into these cylinders at the bottom, slowly increase the amount until I tell you to stop.”
Small shards of rock begin to form atop the cylinder, the weight beginning to pull Qiu’s nipples down ever so slightly. By the time Ling instructs her to stop each cylinder is encased in a layer of earth as thick as her thumb. Were it normal stone the weight would have proven no obstacle to a cultivator’s physique but given that Qiu’s arts focus on packing it as tightly as possible the rock is far denser and heavier than it should be. Yet even then it only pulls her bouncy chest down slightly, far less than it should. The goal is not the weight itself however, merely the extra focus it shall require to keep the nipple cups attached. Ling smiles to herself. Qiu shall have to constantly adjust her flow to channel the correct amount into the cups, too little and they shall fall, too much and the suction may grow painful.
She flicks one to give the freckled beauty a little taste of what’s to come. Placing her hands on Qiu’s hips she sensually runs them down her legs, maintaining eye contact while she slowly sinks onto her knees as her palms slide lower and lower. Qiu bites her lip and angles her crotch forward, barely staying balanced atop the tips of her toes as she does. With a wicked smile Ling stands back up, straightens her clothes and takes a step back. Leaving the redhead utterly unsatisfied she elegantly sits down and waves Shun over.
“I am quite parched, dear. Make me a cup of tea will you.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
“W- wait, what about me?”
“Oh, how uncourteous of me. Would you like one too, Qiu?”
“That’s not what I mean!” the chains jingle when she yells. Qiu’s brow furrows and her cheek twitches while she tries to prevent the weights from falling. Her lapse in concentration causes her to sway. She narrowly manages to catch herself but causes the chains to swing even harder prompting a villainous laugh from the princess.
“Patience, Qiu. Do not let yourself be controlled by your desires. I told you that you would be rewarded if you answered my question correctly did I not? Yet you failed twice. Is it not to be expected that there would be punishment.”
“You didn’t say there wou-”
“That is why the punishment is light. I’m aware I cannot expect you to understand obvious implications. All you need to do is wait.” She hides her smug smile behind her cup and takes a sip. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply she detects chamomile, peppermint and ginger. She lets out a content sigh and nods gratefully at Shun, amazed as always at the maidservant’s delightful blends. Without opening her eyes even once she slowly enjoys the fragrance of her tea while listening to Qiu’s groans. Sparing the redhead a quick look she notices she’s beginning to sweat and kindly opens her fan, sending a gust of wind to cool her. Qiu hisses when it nearly causes her to tip and she accidentally puts too much qi into the suction cups.
“Oh I'm so sorry, Qiu. I mistakenly thought you were stronger.” Ling gasps with her hands over her mouth and makes her way over to the girl. “Here, let me wipe you down as an apology.”
It is hard to tell whether the hissing comes from Qiu’s mouth or from the rapidly evaporating sweat as Ling runs her palm over the redhead’s supple skin. Using only the heat produced by the fire she channels inside herself Ling pretends to carefully dry her, ignoring the fact that the heat causes the redhead to sweat even further. Blue flames flicker atop the back of the ice princess's hand, cast out before they can burn her from the inside. Occasionally she lessens the intensity of her qi and sends it straight into Qiu instead, constantly leaving the girl guessing which manner of torment she’ll be afflicted with.
She slowly walks around her, caressing and teasing from all directions while sending her qi throughout her entire body. By the time she has made her way up from the girl’s hips, stroked her way over her abs and teasingly ran over her chest on the very edge of the spots she knows affect Qiu most she no longer needs to insert her ice alongside the fire. Her eye twitches at how rapidly the girl has learned to use it to her advantage, the young genius’s talent shining through once more. She pushes down her jealousy and swears debts shall be paid in time and she shall demand quite the remuneration. The redhead laughs when Ling’s palm brushes her armpit. Her laugh dies halfway when Ling feigns anger. The princess only succeeds in keeping a straight face just long enough to finish her words.
“Oh, you laugh at me?”
“I didn’t mea-”
“Take this!”
“Ahahahahaha”
Without mercy Ling brings her other hand up and tickles both armpits. She bites her lip to prevent herself from laughing along and drops her hands lower, unwilling to spare Qiu's freckled sides from the same fate.
“Stahahahaph, stahp, please stahahahaph!”
“Very well, let it not be said your mistress is heartless.”
She steps back once more, innocently clasping her hands behind her back while looking at the mess Qiu is slowly turning into. Sweat stained red locks sticking to her brow, flushed cheeks red enough to nearly obscure her freckles, soft pouty lips half open to gasp for air and emerald eyes pleading her for more. Ling licks her lips as she lets her shawl drop. Qiu’s eyes burn into her behind when she gasps, turns around and bends over to pick it up while keeping her legs straightened, the contours of her petite yet shapely rear barely visible through her robe. The ice princess sways her hips while walking towards the table to place her shawl down atop it. She smiles knowingly at the redhead when she looks back over her shoulder.
Qiu averts her eyes like a child caught with its hand in the cookie jar just long enough for Ling to face away once more. Her breath catches when she sees her mistress’s hands lower, slowly undoing her sash and letting it drop. Ling turns back to face her as she opens one side of her robe putting a pale shoulder on display even as the rest remains hidden. A wicked grin shows on her face as she steps closer to the redhead and ever so slowly pulls the second half of her robe aside. Just before her chest is revealed Qiu’s view is obscured and she lets out a low groan when Shun ties the blindfold firmly around her head. Ling lets out an unhinged laugh at her dismay.
“Oh don’t pout like that, dear heart. You’ll get your satisfaction soon.” Qiu feels a finger brush her cheek as Ling continues. “Let’s play a little game, guess which one of us is touching you and you’ll be rewarded. Get it wrong and, well, I'm sure you know.”
While she cannot see it Qiu can imagine the exact smile the statement is accompanied with. She feels a tingle deep inside when her mistress’s face pops into her head and bites her lip at the expression she imagines. A soft palm lifts her leg and lets it rest atop a shoulder. Holding her thigh wet lips place sweet kisses all over it while a probing finger runs up and down her slit. Qiu blushes when she imagines the strings of fluid sticking to them whenever the fingers pull back. The wet sounds her flower makes whenever the finger slides across it makes her moan loudly. The moan’s pitch heightens when a thumb finds the small bud at the top and softly rolls over it.
“Sh- Shun.”
“Wrong,” Ling’s voice resounds from between her legs. “Add more weight.”
“What do you mean?”
Her palm slowly grows colder as it goes higher and higher to flick the cylinder hanging from Qiu’s chest.
“More. Weight.”
She yelps when Ling roughly pulls it down before letting it spring back up. She dares not hesitate and promptly channels more earth qi into it until Ling tells her to stop. Without any time to catch her breath she feels teeth shut around her clit while a tongue flicks across it. A single finger runs over her slit, twisting and turning until it is covered in her juices before it drops lower and teases her other opening. Qiu lets out a series of gasps when it slowly goes deeper and deeper into her rear. A long drawn out moan forces its way past her lips when the finger curls and goes up and down while the teeth clamp down harder on her clitoris. The embarrassment of imagining her liquids splattering across her mistress’s face drives her wild and causes her to come again even before her first orgasm dies down. The method combined with the fact that she didn’t notice the ice princess move away leads her to answer with confidence after her spasms die down.
“Ling!”
“I am afraid you are mistaken, Miss Qiu.” Shun answers from between her legs.
“More weight.”
With gritted teeth Qiu pushes more qi into the cylinder until the strain breaks her focus and one of the cups falls. The temperature drops and a chilling wind blows through the room when Shun fails to suppress a yelp at the weight painfully dropping onto her shoulder.
“You dare hur-”
“Mistress, this one requests to choose the method by which the Shen shall be punished.”
Ling smiles warmly at Shun while gently rubbing the brunette’s shoulder.
“Of course, my dear. Anything you want it to be, we don’t need to be anywhere for a week. We have plenty of time.”
Qiu shivers at the cruel words spoken oh so lovingly to the maid. She gulps and chuckles nervously when she feels two pairs of eyes menacingly bore into her.
