Just as the chaos was simmering down, a voice echoed from outside the room, bursting through the door with great urgency.

"Ritta! What's with the noise...?!"

It was Uriel, with her white hair waving behind her from running too fast.

When she arrived at the room, just as any bodyguard would do, she looked for Henrietta's figure. Since she was literally in the middle of the room, though, Uriel didn't miss her.

Next, she looked around, checking the presences around... only to gasp, holding her breath.

"M-Master...!" She stammered, one word pertaining to two at once.

Yifa, her former master, who taught her the basics like she was her own daughter, and Xu Tao, who had become her new master. Both were standing awkwardly, eyes on Henrietta who was still burying her face against Xu Tao's back.

But other than those familiar figures, there were also two more unknown faces around. Both female, and from the way they stood, were no pushovers either.

"Uriel, huh..." Xu Tao addressed her before she could raise her own question, asking, "It seems like Henrietta won't be letting go anytime soon. Can you lead these two to another room first?"

After being called, Uriel finally snapped back to her senses. She actually thought at first that she was just hallucinating, seeing an illusion of Xu Tao. But now, she was convinced. For some reason, he had returned earlier than they expected!

"H-Huh?! Ah, yes!"

She straightened up, facing the other two girls—Jehanne and Wu Zetian—before bowing respectfully to them. "Visitors, please follow me."

"No!"

"...Eh?"

But beyond their expectations, Jehanne refused. She pouted as she stomped toward Xu Tao, hugging his right arm tight. "I'm not leaving Sir Tao with this woman, just the two of them, alone!"

"Well said, little girl." Even Zetian smiled, hearing her exclaimed words. "Then, I shall follow your steps. I shan't leave my Emperor's side, no matter what you say."

True to her words, she followed Jehanne's example, moving to Xu Tao's left side and pulling his arm tight against her chest.

"...?"

Of course, despite having three girls literally wrapped around him, Xu Tao's mind was filled with nothing but confusion. "You girls... I can't move like this."

If he wanted to, he could easily slip past their hold. After all, right now, he wasn't the same Xu Tao who was only at the Golden Core Stage, but one who was at the pinnacle, the Divine Heaven Immortal Stage! However, doing that would also mean moving away from Henrietta.

Given that his senses couldn't really figure out her mental state without actually using a prying technique, he chose to remain still instead.

"Then, Master Tao, I'll be returning to my duties for now."

As if to break the awkward silence, it was Yifa who finally spoke. Now that she was back on this side, she was no longer wearing her sporty attire, but rather, her usual maid outfit. Her strength, too, returned to its actual level, at the Platinum Level, or Nascent Soul Stage.

Though it wasn't like she didn't get any benefits from her trip to Alkryon. Not only did she gain better Qi Control, she even honed her Faceless Shadow Technique into a stage higher than before!

Despite her cultivation remaining the same, if she ever fought against her self from before meeting Xu Tao... then she'd win 100% of the time.

As she walked past Uriel, she unhesitatingly grabbed her by the cuff of her uniform, dragging her away. "Come on, my former disciple. We've still got a lot of things to do."

"W-Wait, Master! But, Ritta is...!"

"Leave her for now. She's... well, anyway, it's nothing to worry about."

With dismissive words, Yifa didn't take no for an answer and dragged Uriel out of the room. After the door was closed, only silence remained...

But at the same time, the pressure increased.

"Sir Tao?" The first to talk was Jehanne, unable to hold back her curiosity. "Could I ask you to enlighten me? Who might this woman be...?"

"A woman? She's barely of age, naught but a little girl," Zetian added. "Still, I'm curious myself, my Emperor. Pray tell me, who this girl might be to you?"

"Shut up!"

But the one to answer wasn't Xu Tao himself, but the "girl" in question.

"Who the fuck are you two, anyway?! Why did you come together with my Master?!" Henrietta shouted, her eyes barely peeking from Xu Tao's back.

"What a foul-mouthed girl!" Jehanne gasped. "You should give respect to your elders!"

"What elder? Other than that grandma over there, you look no older than me, anyway!"

"Huh?! I'm 19 years old, for your information! I'm definitely older than you!"

"And I'm turning 20 in three days! Wouldn't that make me older than you, little girl?!"

"G-Grandma...?" Zetian parroted the words, shocked that she was caught in their crossfire.

Xu Tao, who was literally in the middle of it, sighed tiredly. "You two... calm down. You're just both pots calling the kettle black, you know? Your ages are practically the same."

If talking about ages, both of them were nothing but babies when compared to him or Wu Zetian.

After all, Zetian herself had lived in the cultivation world for over three thousand years, as far as the books of legend went. While Xu Tao had actually lived way over 10,000 years, excluding the time he spent in his final indoor cultivation.

"But Sir Tao! This girl dares...!"

"Master, you should be taking up my side, not hers!"

"Alright, enough." Xu Tao clapped his hands, causing everyone in the room to stiffen up.

It was a casual action, but one loaded with a mysterious technique, robbing the girls of their freedom of movement. Seeing that the technique took effect, Xu Tao walked out of the girls' grasp before standing about five steps away, turning around to face them.

"All of you, if you don't behave right now, then I won't be courteous either."

His warning lacked a sense of threat, but the object he took out made them shiver to their bones. A primal fear rising in their hearts.

In his hands was a familiar figure. A footwear made out of a rubbery footing, with two straps along it where the foot goes, held in place.

It was the most brutal and accessible weapon of Asian mothers, other than the infamous "stick"!

The flip-flops!

The air froze as three figures nodded in assent.

At that moment, they decided to throw their grievances out the window, making up with each other instantly!

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