Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

Chapter 168: Ann Reed's Story

The place had lots of candles and vintage decor, overlooked part of the fjord. It was moderately busy, considering the price of the services there.

A waiter, an Aspirant of the sect, soon attended to Liam and Ann, taking their orders before leaving them a drink to enjoy while they waited.

Ann and Liam smiled from time to time, having talked about various things about each other on the way here. They only knew each other as cultivators, but both sides wanted to know about the other.

Ann came from a common background, like most of the Demon Gate disciples. Her fate with the sect began a little differently than Liam's. Instead of being kidnapped by a group, she was sold after the town she lived in fell to an enemy city.

Of the group of 60 slaves Demon Gate bought from the victors of that confrontation, Ann and two other current members of the sect had survived the difficult awakening experiment on one of the sect's islands.

As she explained her past, Liam could understand why she didn't seem to harbor so much hatred toward the sect. Her anger was directed at her city's enemies, who indiscriminately enslaved people who had nothing to do with the defeated government.

She had lost her mother and her only brother in that confrontation, while she did not know what had happened to her old father.

The last time she had seen her father, he had left the city in a trading caravan belonging to an old acquaintance, in search of an opportunity to improve their lives. The conflict that had killed his family had happened in the meantime, and now Ann thought that if he was still alive, he probably thought she had died.

Liam also spoke about himself, not specifying where his predecessor had come from, but explaining how he had ended up in the hands of Demon Gate.

Despite the depth of the subject, they eventually reached a lighter moment, sighing and then smiling as they talked about how they had changed since arriving in Thirteen. It had taken Ann longer than Liam to reach her current position, but because of her profession, she was in an even better position than him, as she did not have the enemies he had.

"When do you plan to move to the inner wing?" she asked as she looked into his eyes.

"Soon, I would say. But I still have some things to sort out, and I'd like to spend some time under the guidance of the Senior Badders before I go to the inner wing.

I'm still too weak to advance. I don't want to experience the same things over there as I did here, just when things are settling down for me." He laughed before taking a sip of his wine.

Things were indeed improving, though his situation was still much more hectic than that of people like Electa and Ann.

She laughed, aware of his difficulties. "Yes, it makes sense. You'd be sent on missions outside the sect all the time being part of the inner area, and you'd have less time than here to take care of your profession.

Actually, you're right. If you sacrifice some extra time here, you might enter the inner sect as a Third Class Runemaster. You will already enter an inner city with deeper morals and opportunities having such a position."

Ann had been planning her ascension to the inner wing for a long time and knew exactly what the best-case scenario would be for her. Becoming an Officer as a Third Class Runemaster would free her from certain mundane responsibilities and put her in charge of a group that was friendlier to someone in her condition.

"Besides, by extending my stay here, I might take some friends from town with me... It would be terrible to lose their company, Ann," He said, feeling good enough to call her by her first name.

She watched him as her cheeks grew hot, but she was used to Liam's constant flirting. Thinking of something, she narrowed her eyes. "You're interesting. How many women are you seeing these days, Liam? I know about Nance and a blonde girl. Are there any others?"

"You seem to be watching me, Ann..." He didn't answer her right away.

"I didn't even have to. Things around you always happen with great fervor. The rumors reached my ears without me having to do any research." She explained before continuing, "But you didn't answer my question. You're already close to two, as far as I know. But there are more? And you're still after me?"

"Why not?" He moved forward, coming closer to her, only half of the round table separating them. "Are you jealous, Ann?"

"I'm afraid not." She laughed as she relaxed in her chair. Still looking at him, she asked, "What if I told you I prefer girls?"

He became completely still, opening his mouth slightly as he continued to stare at her.

Liam had never thought of such a possibility!

"I'd be surprised." He laughed as he leaned back in his chair. "But is that a preference or your only option?"

A situation he had never experienced flashed through his mind, making him imagine cultivating with Ann and someone else.

Ann more or less realized what Liam had in mind. "You... I wasn't expecting that response."

She couldn't help but be interested. In fact, she preferred women to men. Such relationships weren't welcome in this society and women like her were often talked about badly and had their reputations ruined when such stories became public.

Ann had only said that to Liam to test him and make him lose interest in her, but she hadn't expected him to handle it so well. If it had happened the way she wanted, she would have said it was a joke and that she only said it to throw him off. But she changed her plans.

"It's a preference of mine, I'd say. I've never been with a man before; most of them are disgusting and repulsive. But I've been interested in a few, even if nothing has happened." She was sincere, speaking more quietly for fear of being overheard by others.

"Are you interested in me?" He wondered where this conversation was going. "I wouldn't share my current women with anyone else, but I wouldn't mind sharing yours with you."

Ann felt a shiver run through her body and couldn't ignore the sudden warmth she felt. Breathing faster, she played with fire. "Why do you think I would share my girls with you? Maybe I really am interested in you. But that doesn't mean I'd give you everything I have. I still prefer flowers."

"Hehe, it's no problem. You can keep preferring them." He gestured at her. "But tasting the same old meat can be monotonous. Let me introduce you to something else and I'll change your worldview."

Biting her lip slightly, she played with him while the food came to them. "Let's say I accept. What would you do?"

"First, I'd make you feel something none of your friends have ever made. Then I would convince you to bring one of them to me and we would play together."

"I'm curious about that part of your plans..." She murmured, quite flushed, a few drops of sweat running down her body. "How can three people do this together? Biologically, it's not possible for three people to be together at the same time."

Liam almost burst out laughing at her comment. 'Ann's creativity isn't that good. She would be shocked at the things that exist in my former world...'

"You are wrong. Even though it's mechanically impossible for three to be simultaneously in the same way that only two could be, that doesn't mean it's not possible for the experience to be wonderful for everyone involved." He showed her one of his hands and said, "I can show it to you."

She looked at his eyes and then at his hands, back to his eyes and back to his hands. As she hesitated for a moment, she moved one of her hands until it was over his.

"I am interested. I hope you won't disappoint me." She ventured, tempted by the idea of a threesome that Liam had mentioned.

Liam laughed until their food arrived, giving Ann a chance to breathe easier and let her burning body calm down a bit.

Liam didn't intend to cultivate with Ann right away. Unlike what he knew about Electa and Grace, he wasn't sure how far Ann would go to get stronger. The only thing he knew right now was that he wanted to bring her into dual cultivation.

'I will give Ann a test and see how she feels about dual cultivation. If she doesn't mind, I'll present her with the option after we've spent some time together.'

He planned as he ate, leaving Ann to think about the idea of being with two people at once.

The red-haired girl's mind was racing and soon she was considering who among her 'friends' might be willing to be with her and Liam at the same time. Fortunately, she had enough names to come up with an interesting target.

'Let me see what he can do first. I'm really curious to see how a man gets along with a woman... Especially after all the fuss he's made.' She looked at him defiantly.

Ann had already heard from her not-so-intimate friends about their experiences with men. But it didn't seem as interesting as being with a girl. Would Liam surprise her or disappoint her? She felt really intrigued and spent the rest of the meeting with him with this thought going back and forth in her mind.

Feeling something like an itch nagging at her, she took one of his hands after they left the previous restaurant and reached the street of her dormitory. "Let's go to my room. I want to see what you have that gives you so much confidence."

Liam let himself be carried away, enjoying the sensation caused by the girl's strange behavior.