Ethan slid the adjoining door shut and stepped back into the main executive suite. Mary and Louisa were sitting at the polished mahogany table, eating with quiet, hesitant movements. The rich, savory aroma of the spiritual beast poultry had color returning to their pale cheeks, but their eyes still carried the fragile darting of prey that hadn’t fully processed escaping the trap.

The moment Ethan crossed the threshold, Mary quickly set her wooden chopsticks down. She reached for a smaller silver platter in the center of the table, which held the choice, thick cuts of roasted breast and thigh meat.

"We... we saved the best portions for you, Ethan," Mary said softly, her voice carrying a deep layer of reverent, maternal gratitude. "You have been moving all day, fighting for us, carrying us... Please, you must eat to replenish your strength."

Ethan offered a relaxed, smooth smile as he walked over. He didn’t want to distress them by acting like a detached immortal who had no need for mortal sustenance, so he pulled up a velvet-lined chair. "Thank you, Sister Mary. I will indulge a bit."

He picked up a piece of the succulent beast meat. The spiritual density locked within the flesh was minuscule but the savory seasoning was excellent, providing a comforting, grounding heat.

As they ate, the initial suffocating silence of the room began to thaw, replaced by a quiet, intimate atmosphere. Louisa looked at Ethan over the rim of her water glass, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she gathered her courage to speak.

"Ethan," Louisa whispered, her fingers nervously tracing the edge of her clean cotton sleeve. "What... what will happen to our house now? The windows, the door... everything is destroyed. And those men... will more of them come looking for us?"

Ethan set his chopsticks down, his vibrant amethyst eyes locking onto the young girl’s gaze with an absolute, unyielding calm that instantly acted as an anchor for her panic. "The house is merely wood and clay, Sister Louisa. It can be rebuilt, or replaced entirely once the grand selection is over. As for the usurers, you do not need to spend a single second worrying about their shadows. I dismantled their leadership core tonight; any low-tier lackeys left hiding in the dark will be far too busy fleeing the province or fighting over the scraps of their ruined syndicate to ever dare look in your direction again. Tomorrow, you are safe."

Mary let out a long, shuddering breath, her shoulders visibly dropping as Ethan’s words completely dissolved the lingering knot of terror in her chest. "I still cannot believe we are sitting in the Golden Pavilion," she murmured, looking around the lavishly furnished room with its silk drapes and glowing arrays. "It feels like a dream... a terrifying, beautiful dream."

"Then let it be a peaceful one," Ethan replied smoothly, standing up from the table as they finished the last of the food. He gestured toward the massive king-sized bed lined with pristine, high-grade white silk. "The night is getting late. You two take the bed. I will occupy the sofa over here; my body requires very little space to rest."

He turned toward the large velvet sofa, prepared to settle in for the night to maintain a respectful, gentlemanly distance.

"No!"

Louisa’s sharp, frantic exclamation cut through the room before Ethan could even take a step. She lunged forward from the edge of the bed, her hands reaching out to grab the hem of his tunic with white-knuckled desperation.

"Please... don’t sleep all the way over there, Ethan," Louisa pleaded, her large eyes welling up with a sudden, overwhelming wave of residual panic. "The—the shadows near the window... every time I close my eyes, I feel like those monsters are going to break through the glass again. Please stay close."

Mary stood up as well, her face exploding into a deep, burning crimson from the absolute, unseemly embarrassment of what she was about to ask. She was a mature widow, a mother, yet looking at the dark windows of the frontier town, her psychological trauma completely stripped away her pride.

"She is right, Ethan... please do not refuse us," Mary whispered, her voice trembling as she walked over, her hands hesitantly resting against his broad chest, feeling the solid, radiating warmth of his powerful frame. "The bed is easily large enough for three. We... we are simply too terrified to be separated from you tonight. Just let us stay within your reach. Please."

Ethan looked down at the two trembling women, his mind reading the raw traces of authentic fear still lingering in their bodys. He knew that forcing them to sleep alone across the room would only result in a night of sleepless hyperventilation.

Letting out a soft, helpless, and incredibly gentle sigh, Ethan’s lips curled into a comforting smile. "Very well," he murmured, his voice dropping into a deep, soothing baritone. "If it brings your minds peace, I will stay." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The relief on their faces was instantaneous. Mary and Louisa quickly climbed onto the massive bed, settling into the center of the plush mattress. Ethan slid in right beside them, resting his back against the heavy wooden headboard.

Immediately, without a single shred of hesitation, both women converged upon him. Louisa curled her small body against his left side, burying her face into his shoulder while wrapping her arm securely around his waist. Mary moved in from the right, letting out a long, broken sigh of pure relief as she rested her head directly over his chest, her fingers clutching the fabric of his white tunic as if he were the only solid object keeping her from drowning in an abyss.

Enveloped by their soft, trembling bodies and the intoxicating blend of their clean scents, Ethan rest his arms over their shoulders, pulling them firmly against his massive, unyielding physique. As the protective warmth of his restricted spiritual energy passively radiated from his skin, the residual terror completely melted away from their minds, allowing the widow and her daughter to finally drift into a deep, unbroken sleep.

-------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??