The rest of the hunt went on uneventfully, and came to an end. In total, about eight hundred spirit beasts were slain over the three day hunt.

The Dragon Earthspine Mountains would have peaceful days for at least a decade. With the smaller population of spirit beasts in the area, the Eastheart’s miners would be able to travel to the mines safely, and the trade routes would need less patrols. It would also free up resources for the Eastheart family for other pursuits.

Once the results were tallied, his Core Disciples came out on top. The four core disciples slaughtered a good three hundred spirit beasts, or about 75 each. Yavin Redaxe, came out on top at 80 spirit beasts, including about 15 4th realm spirit beasts, which were equivalent to four 3rd realm spirit beasts for the purposes of the competition. It was an expected outcome. Yavin was the best prepared of his Core Disciples, he was meticulous with his equipment and outfits, and always tried to counter his weaknesses.  

The next group was Milton Eastheart and the two elders. They slew about one hundred and fifty spirit beasts. A respectable sum, for the three 4th realm cultivators. They were natives, and they knew the lay of the land. They were familiar with where spirit beasts usually roamed, and used it to their advantage. But ultimately, the quality of their cultivation cannot compare to his well-trained Core Disciples. They took longer to defeat the spirit beasts, and Milton needed more time to rest in between their hunts.

The third group was Celestia and his two wives, at about one hundred and ten spirit beasts. Again, entirely expected results. There were few cultivators of their realm in the competitors. Celestia herself did quite well, her haul was about fifty spirit beasts, while the two less experienced wives were split fairly equally at about thirty spirit beasts each. 

The rest of the spirit beasts were by the remaining cultivators who were mostly in the 3rd realm.

The Patriarch was a man of ceremony and spectacle, and once the count was completed, the hosts quickly arranged an award ceremony for those who won. 

Tundra beamed with pride as Yavin and his three other Core Disciples walked up to the stage to receive the reward. 

“Well done, disciple Yavin. Your preparations were thorough.” 

Yavin bowed as he received the box, he was the first to receive it. “Thank you, Sect Master. Your guidance was infinitely useful.”

After the Core disciples, there was a reward ceremony for the highest scoring hunters of the Eastheart Family, and naturally, there was also a reward, just for Milton Eastheart. Tundra knew the whole point of this part was just to cement his place as the heir apparent to the Eastheart family.

Gordon Eastheart’s face was filled with pride as he gave the reward to his son. Patriarch Gordon Eastheart was proud of Milton for achieving the highest count after the core disciples. In his eyes, there really was no shame in losing to the Core Disciples. 

Tundra felt a tinge of envy at that moment. Was it because he was closer to his family now? 

He wished one day that he could give prizes to his children too. Prizes they deserved, not because he wanted to give it to them. A part of him looked at the patriarch, and wished that his children were like his Core Disciples. 

Dedicated, and they knew what they wanted. Even if it was quite impossible for children to have the same mental state as his disciples. Disciples of sects are a self selected population, no one from an ordinary background would join a major sect and laze about, since it was an opportunity of a lifetime. Among mortals, it is even said that one would have to accumulate karmic good deeds for ten lifetimes before the heavens blessed them, and granted them the gift of cultivation. 

And so, the hunt was over. There was another grand feast after.

But Marin wasn’t there.

***

“Husband. Please speak to Marin.” Celestia approached him the moment after the award ceremony. The look in her eyes told him something wasn’t well. “She’s in her room.”

“Come with me, tell me everything.” Tundra said, and the two walked towards the guesthouse. Celestia repeated everything. Things that happened during the hunt that Tundra didn’t know. From his Mountain camp, he couldn’t hear or sense what happened down below, and wished he learned some spying abilities. The pair arrived outside of their guesthouse, and Tundra gently placed his hand on Celestia’s shoulder.

“Wait outside. I should face her alone.”

“Alright. I will come back later.” Celestia answered, and then after a moment’s pause, she wished. “Good luck.” Tundra wondered whether she already expected that she would not go in. The door creaked open and he saw Marin on the bed. 

Sibling rivalry now gave context to her actions. She was the loser in this contest betweens siblings. “Marin.”

Marin didn’t turn to face him. In some patriarchal parts of their world, this would be an offense. But Tundra let it slide. It was not the day to harp on old wisdom, nor did he really want to impose such rules on her. 

He walked to her side of the bed and sat next to her. Her eyes were only slightly red, but the pillow was a little moist. 

“I heard about everything from Celestia.”

Marin shifted. 

“I wish I knew earlier.” Tundra confessed he was not aware of the subtle undercurrents among siblings. As someone who grew up an orphan, there were just certain family dynamics that were not immediately obvious to him. He also never had to compete for the affections of his Sect Master. His talent was clear to all, so his hard work was almost always rewarded. 

Not just that, Tundra grew up gifted with talent, and so, he never ever nursed a feeling of insecurity in his heart. Even against stronger cultivators, he always believed that all he needed was more preparation, and more time.

Marin seemed so frail, so vulnerable at this moment. He remembered their conversation by the lake, and hesitated. Was it right to show affection at this time, when she said she didn’t want it?

A part of himself wavered. 

He decided to place his hand on her shoulder, and tapped her. He tried to figure out reassuring words that were appropriate for the situation. There were masters in every generation that knew the exact words to say, but Tundra wasn’t one of those. So he said nothing. 

His palm was warm, and her shoulder was cold. Marin shifted in the bed. She still didn’t want to look at him. Tundra wondered what she was thinking.

Tundra sat there anyway. A wise old woman once told him that sometimes, all he needed to do was be present. He wasn’t present for most of his family in his first life. He would stay next to her until she kicked him out. 

So he waited. 

“-you’re not leaving.” Marin said after quite a few minutes of silence. Tundra sat there, his hands still on her shoulder. 

“Should I?” Tundra asked. He was happy that she finally said a word. 

There was a time when the Verdant Snow was a great sect. Romantic struggles and battles were common amongst his disciples, at least before the Zuja plague exploded. His elders frequently had to manage families and resolve these romantic disputes. In hindsight, he wished he participated in those matters. The experience would’ve come in handy. 

“Why are you here?” His wife asked, her voice shaky.  

Tundra looked at her, and this time she turned to look at him. He saw in her eyes a mix of fear, worry, and confusion. He sighed, as his own heart was in turmoil. He wanted to build a family from what was just the shadow of it. She didn’t want to be a part of this. She was forced into it. Everything was an act. A role she had to play.

So yes, maybe there really wasn’t a reason for him to be there. 

But what would people think if a Sect Master abandoned his wife? Even if she did not love him, there were duties society expected from a husband. Ancient wisdom bound families together in marriage. The union of two clans thus made both of them allies. 

“Because you are still my wife.” Tundra answered. Despite Marin’s wishes, she wasn’t at the point where she could step out and demand separation. 

Marin stared at him like he was mad, and then laughed. It wasn’t a happy laughter, instead, it was a kind of mad, frustrated laugh. She sat up. “My mind’s a mess. My heart’s filled with confusion, sadness and frustration. I’m in a marriage I never wanted, but yes, at this point, you are my husband. You are still my husband.”

She adjusted her robe, and with swift pull, her robes fell to the side, and on the mattress. It revealed her skin and her body. 

“You won’t be able to help me untangle these things in my heart. The feelings I have with my family, the frustrations I held within for so long for my fate. ”

Tundra admired the exposed beauty, even if she wasn’t really smiling. She looked torn, as if this was something she did to drown out something else in her heart.

“But since you won’t leave, do what a husband does, and help me numb the pain. Make me forget them. If for a while. Remind me that I am still worth something.” Marin said, as she moved closer. The scent of her skin, her flesh was pleasant to his senses. “Would you?” 

The Sect Master could not remember when was the last time he tasted the pleasures of the flesh. His hand reached out and touched her soft waist. “Very well. I would be a fool not to eat the food served to me.”

Marin smiled weakly. She was using him. Maybe she wanted to avoid the conversation altogether. She didn’t want to deal with the underlying issue. She didn’t want him to keep digging, and make her expose her feelings. 

She didn’t want to talk about it. So, this was her defense.

Her hands curled around his neck, and pulled him towards her body. Even as her fingers touched him sensually, all he felt was the coldness of her skin. A coping mechanism. But Tundra decided to just let her do what she wanted, and so, the husband and wife engaged in the carnal act of lovemaking, even if the love was lacking from one of them. 

It was nothing more than an outlet for her frustrations. 

Nothing more than a dose of pleasure to temporarily drown her sorrows. 

***

“How is she?” Celestia asked when Tundra left the room after what was two, maybe three hours. The guest rooms all came with a sound-suppression formation, for privacy, and so she heard nothing. 

Tundra stretched. He was sweaty, yet refreshed. “The underlying cause remains, but for now, the pain is suppressed.”

Celestia’s nose twitched, and the Sect Master remembered that women’s noses were incredibly sensitive. She didn’t ask, but she knew.

The two just stood there quietly, awkwardly for a moment. Tundra decided it was time to get back to work.  “I’ll have to start work on the pills. The victors won’t wait too long for it.” 

The sixth wife bowed. “Alright. May I enter the room?” 

Tundra paused. “Yes, but give her some time to clean up.”

***

Celestia came into the room and saw a soaked mattress. There was a sweaty scent in the air that still lingered. Marin jumped when she saw Celestia walk into the room.

“Oh! I- Uh- I should ask the servants to clean up.” Marin’s face was flushed, but the sixth wife was relieved to see her appearance. Marin seemed more relaxed and calm. She knew what happened. A woman didn’t need many clues to tell.   

The four petite maids carried the entire mattress out of the room, and swapped in a new clean one. They worked quickly, and left the two to their own devices soon after.

“You told him.” Marin spoke, as the two finally sat down. The maid also brought a tea set for them, and some refreshments. Local fruits. 

“Yes.” Celestia said. 

“Why?”

“Why not?” Celestia countered. In her mind, she saw a member of the family in distress, if she didn’t tell Tundra, who else should she speak to? “Would you prefer I approach your family?”

That made Marin pale. “No. No no no. That would make things worse. I cannot show them this shameful, vulnerable side of me.” 

Celestia wondered what else her fellow co-wife guarded herself against. Patriarch Gordon Eastheart seemed normal enough, as normal as male-centric cultivation families were. “What- what happened? Would you tell me?”

Marin looked at the younger cultivator in the eye, and shook her head. “No. Not- not yet. Not until I’m ready.”

“Then we will wait.” 

“We?”

“I’m sure Tundra wants to know.” Celestia said. “Everyone will want to know.”

“No.” Marin countered. “I wouldn’t let the world know about it.”

“The families are bonded together by marriage, as is convention. If there is some injustice to you-”

Marin shook her head. “There is no injustice. No injustice in the eyes of society. Just my heart is not willing to accept my lesser place in society, and I lack the power to make life different for myself.”

That bit of confession made Celestia frown. There is injustice, even if it wasn’t one in the eyes of society. The patriarchal cultivation society did not consider political marriages to be unjust, but required that the two sides come to it willingly. 

There was a strain of patriarchal belief that held sway in their society. The child must listen to the father. The younger sister must obey the elder brother. The wife must obey the husband. 

Marin wasn’t the first, and would not be the last to fight against the patriarchal forces. It is why many female cultivators move to the lands where the matriarchy is stronger, only to find it is more of the same. It is also why these two aspects of society often find conflict with each other. There were many brutal wars between the matriarchy and patriarchy, even if the recent era was relatively peaceful.

Every society creates its own rules. Some evolved organically, some were imposed by the powerful. 

Celestia had long found her own peace and acceptance with the patriarchy, and decided it was better to find someone she could trust to share her life with. 

But everyone's dreams were a little different. 

Elly wasn’t the ambitious sort. To Celestia, the fourth wife seemed like she just wanted to be a good daughter, a good wife, and a good mother. She wasn’t a good mother, since she did pamper her children a little too much, and was probably too lenient on them, but her goals were simple.

Celestia, she thought herself to be not too different from Elly. She had a little bit more worldly experience, and enjoyed wandering from place to place, but she wanted a home, too. Maybe she was a little greedy and wanted it all, but she didn’t think she was that different from Elly.

The sixth wife looked at Marin as she dressed herself in a fresh set of clean clothes. Marin wished she was born a boy. She wanted power, because it meant independence. She wanted control over her own life. 

“Will you be alright, Marin?” Celestia asked again. Marin looked like she was ready to head out again. Her eyes were no longer red or swollen. 

“No.” Marin answered in a rare bit of honesty. “But I would say, the pain is under control.”

Celestia decided it was best to stay with her. “Let me walk with you. We could see the town, eat something nice and look out for some nice clothes. We can even drink, and drown these sorrows away.”

The fifth wife didn’t refuse, and was relieved to have the conversation guided towards lighter grounds. “The clothing designs and tastes of the Eastheart lands may not suit you.”

“The outcome doesn’t matter that much.” Celestia countered. “I merely enjoy the process of having clothes made.”

***

They spent another week in the Eastheart mansion, Tundra spent almost all of it in the workshop preparing pills. The materials harvested by the various cultivators were made into pills, and that was only for their portion of materials. The Core Disciples, and his wives would only receive their pills once they returned to the Verdant Snow. 

Once Tundra fulfilled his duties to the Hunt’s participants, it was time to leave. 

“Father-in-law, your hospitality during these few weeks have been impeccable.” Tundra thought it was fit to give the special pill at the end of the trip. He bowed, his three wives behind him bowed with him. “This is a present from us, as a gesture of our gratitude.”

Patriarch Gordon Eastheart received the gift in the presence of the entire Eastheart family. There were cheers, and the Patriarch’s smile was practiced. 

They had to make it an event. All of them were in their ceremonial functions robe, even his three wives. A ‘sending-off’ ceremony. The Easthearts were big on such things, and Tundra could see why Marin found it irritating. 

All these things were meant to magnify their own importance. Solidify their place in society.

They would leave, and this would be the end of it. For now. 

The convoy departed, and Elly brought up the topic from the earlier trip. “What’s next, husband?”

Tundra thought for a moment. “We rest, consolidate, and grow our strength.”

His immediate task was to work on all the materials in their spatial pouches. Pills needed to be made, and he had a huge backlog to clear. 

Over the next few months, there were a few things on his mind. 

First thing was the plot by the three descendants of the Blackshore family to get close to his family. He wondered whether there were any developments during their absence.

Next, and perhaps the most important, was the Imperial Summon from Princess Luharl, for alchemy masters in about eight months. This was a trip he had to make, and he needed to prepare accordingly.

The third matter was his promise to his family. He would need to make a trip to the shipyards to acquire a Flying Ship. That should significantly improve their travel times from place to place. 

Fourth, was the issue with the Yellow Cloud’s formation master. His prisoner. He was fairly willing to just let this remain the way it is. If the Yellow Cloud wasn’t willing to negotiate, he’ll just have to keep the woman in custody for as long as needed. 

Then, the fifth matter was an incident he recalled from his past life. There would be an explosion incident at the Scarlet Thunder Sect, and he needed to figure out who and what was the cause. Of the five, he decided it was time to visit the Scarlet Lightning City, and see through the incident with the Scarlet Thunder. 

His instincts told him there were bigger forces at play.