A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 205

For the next two days, Qin Wei trained, if it could be called that, under the unrelenting blows of Vanessa.

Sometimes she didn't even need to hit him. Her feints were enough to make him flinch or lose balance.

Still, Qin Wei endured.

By the end of the first day, his robes were soaked with sweat, his arms bruised, and his pride hanging by a thread. But due to his training speed boost buff under Vanessa's training, his body somehow absorbed all of those experiences with more ease, giving him new insights.

On the second day, he started predicting her movements. Not dodging all of them, not yet, but at the very least, he could see them even without the assistance from Heaven's Eye. Like he could already anticipate when her foot would pivot, when her elbow would snap forward. Unfortunately, he could only anticipate. His body couldn't catch up with those speeds yet.

The night before the fight — Moonvilla;

It was a quiet, chilly evening that made warm soup feel like a blessing.

Qin Wei lifted the porcelain spoon to his lips, savoring the rich broth until a soft ding echoed in his ears and a glowing blue holographic screen materialized with a notification.

Ding!

"Pfft—!"

All of a sudden, the soup sprayed from his mouth, the spoon clattered against the bowl, and the broth splashed across his robes and the table.

"Master Icarus!" Vanessa's voice laced with concern as she hurried over, looking alarmed. "Is there a problem with the soup? Did I add too much salt?"

Qin Wei blinked at her, then at the floating screen. "No. No, it's not the soup. It's just… something unexpected." He hurriedly waved his hand. "It's alright."

[Mission 2 Completed: Improve Pubic Reputation to Positive Status. 500 credits have been added.]

He dismissed the prompt, but even before he could collect his thoughts, three more notifications appeared in quick succession:

[Mission 1 Unlocked: Evolve your Heaven's Eye to Stage 3] Reward: 3 Talent Points, 1000 Credits

[Mission 2 Unlocked: Improve your public reputation to +1000] Reward: 5000 Credits

[Mission 3 Unlocked: Take in a Mistress/Secondary Wife] Reward: 1 Talent Point

Qin Wei's brow twitched. He stared at the last one in disbelief. "Seriously? That counts as a mission?"

He leaned back, momentarily forgetting the soup, and started thinking about what could have happened for these changes to suddenly occur.

He hadn't even done anything significant for the past two days, no speeches, no heroic rescue, nor had he fought a duel, and yet somehow, his fame had shifted to positive.

How in the hell did that happen?

Then it clicked in his mind. "Is it the Talisman?"

Vanessa tilted her head, still worried. "Master Icarus… are you really okay?"

He glanced at her and gave a lopsided smile. "Nothing. Just thinking about tomorrow, and got a sudden idea. That's all."

She looked utterly confused, but Qin Wei waved it off and wiped the broth from his sleeve.

As he returned to his meal, he couldn't help but glance again at the new missions.

Heaven's Eye to stage 3? That cannot be achieved by training if it goes exactly as he wrote. He needs strong emotions for that, and frankly, there is only one such emotion Qin Wei felt in his life, and that is the extermination of House Phoenix. But he has long accepted that. Maybe he is a survivor who watched all that; he might have carried that emotion for years, but he only heard it like news, and he has already let out that emotion.

Yes, there is a

Improve public reputation to +1000? Hmm… he doesn't think it can be achieved right away, but if he wins the battle against Zion Fireheart tomorrow, his fame will reach the corners of the Empire, and perhaps, he might be able to complete it.

As for the last one, taking a concubine? The first person that came to his mind was Luna.

But then, for some reason, as his gaze fell on the woman sitting nearby who now seemed more worried than usual composed self, Qin Wei couldn't help but stare at her. Vanessa felt the gaze. "Master Icarus? You need something?"

Qin Wei shook his head, letting out an awkward smile. "No, nothing else."

Later, midnight;

Qin Wei lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. His mind was far too restless to drift into sleep.

He rolled onto his side.

Then his back.

Then his stomach.

Still no sleep.

The hour of yin arrived, and in just a few hours, the sun will rise, but Qin Wei still couldn't sleep.

He sat up slowly, crossed his legs, and inhaled deeply. "Calm. Focus."

He began to meditate, regulating his breath. The tension in his chest softened, bit by bit, as he drowned his thoughts in meditation. His fast heartbeat slowed. His pulse steadied.

A soft chime echoed in his mind, but he wasn't aware of it.

[You are in sync with nature. Synchronization achieved: 1%]

An hour into this meditation, on the rooftop, a shadow moved.

A slender figure landed silently on the window frame.

Luna slipped in noiselessly and tiptoed across the floor like a stalking cat.

Her gaze fell upon Qin Wei, seated on his bed, body upright, hands resting on his knees, eyes closed in deep focus.

"Master Icarus…" she whispered.

There was no response from Qin Wei.

Ch: The Night before the duel 2

"Master Icarus, it's me… I need to talk to you…" She spoke again.

But there is no response from Qin Wei.

She frowned, reached out, and gently nudged his shoulder. "Master Icarus… wake up… It's urgent."

Still nothing. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Luna bit her lip, hesitating. Her gaze dipped to his peaceful expression. "He's seriously meditating? Right now? But I need to talk to him right now. There's not much time. How to wake him up?"

A teasing smirk tugged at her lips as something clicked in her head. "Yup, there's a perfect way to wake up a man who is too lost in his own world."

She slid onto the bed and climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist.

Still there was no reaction.

"Really now? Even with this?" she thought mischievously.

But then, she felt a certain reaction from below his waist.

Her eyes gleamed.

"Aha… so it's not like your body's asleep," she murmured and leaned in, lips brushing against his.

In that instant, the air around them crackled.

Qin Wei's eyes shot open, glowing with his Heaven's Eyes. A shockwave of Aether burst from his body, pushing her away.

"Wha…!"

Before she could react, she tumbled back with a soft grunt, lying on her back

"Ah? Luna… what the hell are you doing?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

She blinked up at him, with her cheeks flushed. Her expression softened slightly as she answered. "I tried calling you. Nudging you. Shaking you. You were completely unresponsive. And I don't have much time until dawn. So, i thought this would work."

Qin Wei exhaled heavily, his eyes turning normal. "You scared the crap out of me for a second," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

There was a beat of silence. Then, almost teasingly, Luna murmured, "But… it worked, didn't it?"

Qin Wei closed his eyes, the bridge of his nose tightening with frustration. "Don't do that again," he said, his voice low but steady.

Luna lowered her gaze, nodding without a word.

Qin Wei exhaled with a deep sigh. But just as the moment calmed, the flickering light of the holographic screen caught his attention. He turned his head slightly to glance at it.

[Synchronization with Nature has been disrupted. Current Sync: 18%]

And then, it vanished.

No explanation. No details. Just… gone.

Qin Wei frowned. "Synchronization with nature?" He filed the thought away for later. No time to explore any new things. He turned his attention back to Luna, who was fidgeting slightly with something tucked inside her sleeve.

"Alright… what is it?" he asked.

Luna looked up and then pulled out a thin, elegant weapon from her robes. A dagger… no, more like a long needle forged from black titanium steel, the kind only high ranking ancient organizations crafted. She held it out with both hands.

"Master Icarus, I heard about the duel. I… I was worried. So I came in a hurry to give you this. It has the ability to pierce through any defenses. That Zion Fireheart wouldn't be a match to Master Icarus with this weapon."

Qin Wei blinked at the blade, tempted for a second. "You know I can't use borrowed weapons," he said After a pause, he added. "And I was the one who put the condition in the first place."

Luna nodded. "I know." Her grip tightened, then loosened as she slowly extended the weapon closer. "But it's not a borrowed weapon if I give it away to Master Icarus. I already severed the soul link. It's yours now."

Qin Wei stared at her, stunned by her act. "But that dagger… wasn't it your late mother's gift? It has been with you since childhood."