As the sky gradually brightened,
Ashu's proficiency had reached the point where he could control magical essence as effortlessly as moving his fingers.
The elusive magical essence in the air was no longer difficult to grasp. Whatever he wished to do with it, he could.
It was as if he could use the magical essence as long as he could work on the farm with his hands.
Of course, this was still limited to the basic knowledge of a cultivator.
Glancing at Anna, who was still absorbed in analyzing the mark, Ashu returned to the kitchen and began preparing the rice porridge for breakfast.
Afterward.
He took the two small buckets meant for their bathwater and carried them outside to water the vegetable garden.
Just then.
Carol's father, who had been working all night, was returning from the neighboring village and passed by Ashu's front door. He was an older man, and not only had he stayed awake all night, but he had also been constantly on the move.
At that moment, his bald head, already severely thinning, was oily and grimy, with so few remaining hairs that it looked like a handful could fall out with just a slight tug.
His complexion was sallow and haggard, and his dark eye bags made him look like a walking corpse cursed by some sort of spell.
However, behind him, a mysterious figure cloaked in gray followed closely.
"Whoosh—"
Ashu poured the water into the irrigation channel, and the sound caught Carol's father's attention.
He turned his head, slowed his pace, and soon came to a stop.
"Ashu?" Carol's father looked at Ashu, then his gaze quickly shifted to Anna on the roof. A thought suddenly struck him. "Heh, Ashu, didn't you say that woman was your wife? Why is she sleeping on the roof?"
Carol's father sneered inwardly. He had already seen through everything.
Ashu must have paid for something to hire Anna Kagreia. Saying she was his wife who had returned from afar was all lies! No one would make such a beautiful woman sleep on the roof at night.
Now, with dawn barely breaking, Anna Kagreia must have spent the entire night up there!
"Indeed!!"
The mysterious figure, wrapped in a gray cloak, spoke in a low voice.
Upon seeing Anna deep in thought while analyzing the mark, the figure froze in place.
Upon hearing this.
Carol's father quickly explained, "Master Wizard, don't be misled by the Saintess's lofty status. She's actually a native of our village. She just went away to study for over ten years. There's nothing noble about her."
Before he could finish, a clump of fresh manure fell from the sky and landed squarely on Carol's father's bald head.
Plop—
The manure, still wet, splashed upon impact, and even the wizard didn't react quickly enough to avoid it. The foul substance splattered all over him.
This was Ashu's doing.
He didn't respond to Carol's father's mockery immediately; instead, he had used his control over magical essence to aim the manure precisely.
"Damn it!" The wizard beneath the gray cloak cursed, hurriedly using a cleaning spell to remove the orange-yellow manure stains from his robes. "Who is he?"
The wizard immediately recognized that the one who had launched this attack was Ashu.
Carol's father reached up to scratch his head and, upon seeing the mess, the sleep deprivation from staying up all night was instantly replaced with frustration.
"Who the hell did this!? Ashu? Was it you? Master Wizard, he's the son of the knight from our village. Yesterday, he suddenly learned some magic, but my daughter's talent is far superior to his. If you just teach her a bit..."
Before Carol's father could finish his sentence, the wizard interrupted, "Is he the knight who's already dead?"
"Yes, he's been dead for over ten years."
"I see." The wizard seemed to relax slightly. He flipped his right hand and pulled out a two-meter-long, gnarled wooden staff, turning to face Ashu. "Kid, I'll give you one chance. Come here and apologize on your knees. Or, I'll drown you in the cesspool."
"You're the wizard from Creekwater Village?" Ashu locked eyes with the wizard without backing down. "You're welcome to come try, but even if I die, I'll twist your head off."
Creekwater Village was also a small border village, but they had a wizard there. Though not officially recognized by the Cultivator Guild, occasionally people would hire the wizard for tasks that common folk couldn't handle.
Wizards were more diligent than priests in their work, but they often used unscrupulous methods. They completed their commissions, but how they went about it—whether it led to a backlash or curse—was anyone's guess.
When Ashu saw Carol's father with the wizard, he knew that this wizard must have been hired as a tutor.
Thus, these two were just two sides of the same coin, and there was no need to waste time with pleasantries.
Seeing Ashu stand his ground like this, the wizard hesitated for a moment. A novice just starting out—what gave him the confidence to act so boldly?
Could it be the woman on the roof giving him courage?
"Heh, kid, I'll give you credit for your guts. I'll let you off this time," the wizard said, choosing caution.
He didn't understand Ashu, nor did he know Anna Kagreia. Acting rashly might backfire, and since he had already agreed to Carol's father's commission to stay in Gorn Village for a few days, he might as well observe these two further. After figuring out their strength, he could then exact his revenge.
With that.
The wizard walked past Carol's father, leaning on his staff as he moved forward.
Seeing this, Carol's father didn't dare delay. He quickly scooped up some dirt from the side of the road and rubbed it on his head before chasing after the wizard.
"Master Wizard, Master Wizard, you saw it too! That kid's been acting incredibly arrogant since yesterday. It's one thing to bully someone like me, an ordinary person, but now he's even daring to go after you!"
"What are you trying to say?" The wizard glanced at Carol's father with disdain. "You want to pay me to do two things?"
"No, no, no, Master Wizard, you misunderstood."
"However, that woman is quite something. If you help me get her, I'll gladly help you deal with that kid," the wizard said, his voice tinged with excitement.
But Carol's father looked distressed as he replied, "Master Wizard, I... I can't do anything about it. She's a cultivator who came back, and even the priests from the Cultivator Guild treat her with the utmost respect."
"Ridiculous. You think I'm asking you to kidnap her? I've been researching some potions. All you need to do is find a way to get them to drink it," the wizard said with a sinister smile.
...
Back at Ashu's home,
Breakfast was ready, but Anna remained on the roof, still deep in thought as she analyzed the mark.
Ashu stood in the front yard, waiting for her for about fifteen minutes before she finally snapped out of her analysis.
"I did it, Ashu! I did it!"
Anna's fair face was full of joy as she leaped down from the roof and into Ashu's arms.
"I did it! Thanks to the inspiration you gave me, I finally deciphered part of the mark. In about ten days or so, I should be able to fully decode it!"
"That's great." Ashu's system had already made it clear that it was a mark of an evil god, tied to divine power. Who knew how terrifying it could be? Even if Anna deciphered it, how would they go about eliminating it? "Let's eat first."
"Mm-hmm!"
In high spirits, Anna ate two large bowls of food.
After rubbing her now-round belly, she finally spoke, "What about you? How are you doing? I could feel the traces of you controlling the magical essence in the air, and it seems like nothing went wrong. Did you gain anything?"
Ashu was slightly surprised and asked, "You could even feel that?"
"Don't underestimate a twelfth-stage spiritual perception."
"Then, if you were a law enforcer, wouldn't you be able to catch any cultivator culprit just by looking around?"
"Hehe, if a twelfth-stage spiritual perception could only be used to be a law enforcer, then that would mean this world has undergone a major upgrade. Don't change the subject. Tell me about you."
Ashu sat down on a wooden chair and tried to control the rice bowl, dish, and utensils with magical essence, sending them flying toward the kitchen. He said, "Through my 'exploration,' I found that my control over magical essence has become more flexible."
Seeing this, Anna quickly stood up, walked over to Ashu, and pressed her forehead against his. She gazed deeply into his eyes with her striking blue ones.
"Oh, the consumption is really low, which means your control over magical essence has improved a lot. My goodness! You couldn't possibly be the legendary genius, could you? This rate of progress is comparable to a trainee witch in the Witch's Guild!"
Anna released Ashu, then hugged his neck tightly from behind. "We're definitely a pair destined to be together. You've awakened me, I've taught you—if we have children, I can't even imagine how smart they would be."
Upon hearing this,
Ashu flicked his fingers, using magical essence to lock the door and the curtains. He then pulled Anna toward him.
She willingly straddled his lap, her face flushing slightly.
"Then let's try now!"
"Okay. We'll try while I teach you new things."