I really had no idea how we escaped Janice. One moment her tablet pointed at us like a weapon, words sharp enough to cut steel pouring from her mouth. The next, we stood in the penthouse suite with the door locked behind us, her lecture still echoing in my skull.
Emma collapsed onto the couch, shopping bags scattered around her feet. Christine kicked off her shoes and sprawled beside her.
"That was terrifying," Emma said.
"Your manager is scarier than those cultivators at the market." Christine stared at the ceiling.
I pulled off the sunglasses and loosened my tie. The bodyguard outfit suddenly felt ridiculous without an angry crowd to justify it. My mind drifted as I unwound, processing the day's chaos, when a thought struck me.
I was in China. The portals hadn't reached this far yet.
Why wait?
I reached out mentally to the world bead's Heavenly Dao, the familiar presence responding instantly to my call. Images and concepts flowed between us faster than words could convey. A new set of portals, spreading across this side of Earth. Coverage expanding to bring cultivation to billions more people.
But caution made me pause. Creating portals directly in Hong Kong while Emma performed here might draw unwanted connections. The Eastern Region God appearing the same night Emma Sullivan held a concert would raise questions I wasn't ready to answer.
I adjusted my mental instructions. Place the anchors now, but don't activate them yet. Instead, have them travel to Chengdu first, about a thousand miles northwest. The journey would take two or three days at the standard movement speed. The first portal would open there, then spread radially outward to cover this entire region.
The Heavenly Dao pulsed acknowledgment, already implementing the changes.
Satisfied, I headed toward my room to change for bed.
Emma emerged from the bathroom wearing that same silk nightgown, her face flushed pink when she noticed me looking. The thin fabric caught the light, revealing far more than it concealed.
Christine bounced out behind her wearing pajamas covered in cartoon robots.
"Goodnight, Ben!" She waved cheerfully, grabbing Emma's arm and pulling her toward their room.
Emma glanced back, her expression unreadable behind the blush. "Sleep well."
They disappeared through their door, leaving me alone in the hallway.
No thunderstorm tonight. No excuse for them to seek comfort in my room like last night.
Was I regretful?
Who knows.
---
The next morning everyone was up bright and early. I wore another suit and sunglasses, the cliche bodyguard look apparently my default costume for this trip. The fabric felt stiff and formal, nothing like my usual jeans and hoodies.
Christine emerged from her room wearing a matching female suit and sunglasses, her grin visible even behind the dark lenses.
"How do I look?" She struck a pose.
"Like you're taking this bodyguard thing way too seriously."
"That's the point!"
Emma appeared last, stealing whatever response I'd planned. The dress she wore looked simple at first glance, elegant black fabric that flowed when she moved. But the cut revealed her shoulders, the hem stopping just above her knees to show off legs refined by cultivation. Her hair fell in perfect waves, makeup subtle but flawless.
She caught me staring and smiled. "Ready?"
---
The concert venue loomed ahead, a massive structure surrounded by thousands of people. The crowd packed together in dense clusters, everyone trying to push closer to the entrance. Security barriers barely held them back, creating narrow pathways for staff and performers.
Our car stopped at the designated entrance.
Emma took a deep breath, adjusting her dress one final time. "Here we go."
Christine and I flanked her the moment she stepped out. The crowd erupted, voices screaming Emma's name in Chinese and English. Phones appeared instantly, a thousand cameras trying to capture the moment.
We moved forward, Christine on Emma's left, me on her right. Fans pressed against the barriers, reaching out with desperate hands. I kept pace, blocking anyone who got too close while Christine mirrored my movements on the other side.
Emma smiled and waved, playing her role perfectly despite the chaos. Her fingers brushed my arm once, seeking reassurance in the press of bodies.
The venue entrance appeared ahead, security guards pulling the doors wide.
Almost there.
We entered the building and my shoulders relaxed. Away from those bloodthirsty fans, surrounded only by staff members hurrying through corridors with equipment and clipboards. I shouldn't let my guard down, but the pressure eased enough that I could breathe without scanning for threats every half second.
Emma led us through the maze of hallways, her heels clicking against polished floors. Stage crew nodded as we passed, their eyes lingering on her with professional recognition rather than fan worship.
Her dressing room appeared at the end of a corridor, marked with a gold star bearing her name.
"I need to get ready." Emma glanced at me, then Christine. "It might take a while."
Christine pushed through the door behind her. "I'll help."
I positioned myself outside, back against the wall where I could watch both directions. The door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the corridor.
The next two hours dragged. Staff members rushed past carrying costumes, instruments, sound equipment. The building's energy shifted as the venue filled, distant sounds of thousands of voices filtering through walls and floors. Excited chatter in multiple languages, the occasional scream when someone spotted a celebrity.
My mind wandered to the portal anchors traveling toward Chengdu. By tomorrow night, cultivation would spread across China. Millions more people gaining access to the Eastern Region, discovering their affinities, beginning their journeys.
The dressing room door opened.
Christine stepped out first, her grin stretching ear to ear. Then Emma emerged, and whatever thoughts I'd been having evaporated.
The outfit clung to every curve her cultivation had refined. Black leather pants hugged her legs, paired with a top that revealed far more skin than fabric. Her shoulders, her arms, her stomach where the material cut away. And the neckline plunged deep, exposing cleavage that would make every camera in the venue focus exactly where the record label intended.
Emma's face burned crimson, her eyes meeting mine for half a second before darting away.
My expression must have shown something, because she rushed to explain before I could speak.
"Umm, the record label recommended that I wear more sexy outfits. Is it too much?"
Too much? Every fan out there would record this. Upload it to YouTube within minutes of the performance ending. Screenshots would flood social media, edited and shared and saved by millions.
I reached into the world bead, searching through the various items I'd collected. My fingers found soft fabric, a shawl that matched her outfit's color scheme perfectly. Pure coincidence, or maybe the Heavenly Dao had a sense of humor.
I stepped forward, draping the shawl across her shoulders. The material fell naturally, covering the exposed cleavage while still framing her figure. It looked intentional, like part of the outfit rather than an afterthought.
Emma's blush intensified, her breath catching as my hands adjusted the fabric. The intimate gesture hung between us, neither quite meeting the other's eyes.
I nodded, stepping back.
"Better."
Christine snickered behind her hand, clearly enjoying the awkward tension. "Ready to go?"
Emma touched the shawl, fingers tracing the edge where it draped across her chest. "Yeah. Let's go."
We moved toward the stage, following the corridor that led backstage. The sound of the crowd grew louder with each step, thousands of voices creating a wall of noise that vibrated through the floor.
Christine and I stayed behind the stage while Emma walked in, the crowd making my ears go deaf with cheering. The roar hit like a physical force, thousands of voices merging into one massive wall of sound that vibrated through my chest. I winced, glad my cultivation had enhanced my body enough that the noise wouldn't cause permanent damage.
She really was popular.
The music started, bass thumping through speakers powerful enough to shake the floor. Emma's voice cut through it all, clear and perfect despite the chaos. I couldn't see much from our position backstage, just glimpses of her silhouette moving across the stage, the crowd's phones creating a sea of glowing lights in the darkness beyond.
For the next half hour she sang and danced. The performance was impressive. Her voice never wavered, hitting notes that seemed impossible while simultaneously moving with choreography that would exhaust most people within minutes. Cultivation gave her the stamina, but the skill came from years of practice and natural talent.
The music faded and Emma retreated toward us, breathing harder than before. Sweat glistened on her forehead, dampening the edges of her hair. I pulled out a towel from the world bead, stepping forward to press it gently against her skin.
"You're doing great out there."
Her eyes widened slightly at the gesture, lips parting like she wanted to say something before settling on a quiet, "Thank you."
"That was amazing!" Christine bounced on her toes, practically vibrating with excitement. "The way you hit that high note in the third song, and the dance move where you spun around? Everyone went crazy! Did you hear them screaming? That was incredible! You're so talented, Emma!"
My praise seemed lackluster in comparison. Just a simple compliment while Christine gushed with genuine enthusiasm. But I hoped Emma would understand that I was impressed, even if I didn't express it with Christine's energy.
Emma's smile warmed as she looked between us. "I'm glad you're both enjoying it."
She disappeared back onto stage, the crowd erupting again when she appeared. Another half hour of song and dance followed, her voice projecting across the venue with the same perfect clarity as before. But when she returned for her second break, sweat covered more than just her forehead. It dampened her hair, made the fabric of her outfit cling even tighter to her skin, traced lines down her neck and arms.
I toweled her off again like before, wiping the moisture from her face and neck with careful strokes. Her blush became more evident, color rising in her cheeks that had nothing to do with exertion. Maybe she was embarrassed that she was sweating? Was it unladylike or something? She was working hard. I would find it strange if she didn't sweat, cultivation or not.
"Still killing it out there," I said, trying to ease whatever discomfort made her face flush.
Christine appeared with a water bottle, practically shoving it into Emma's hands. "You need to stay hydrated! That last set was even better than the first one. The energy you brought when you did that jump? Everyone lost their minds! I thought the building was going to collapse from all the screaming. You're absolutely amazing!"
Emma took a long drink, her throat working as she swallowed. The blush never quite faded, even as she caught her breath and prepared for the next set.
"One more," she said, voice slightly hoarse. "Then we're done."
She walked back onto stage, and the crowd welcomed her like a conquering hero returning home.
The final half hour hit harder than the previous sets. Emma poured everything she had left into the performance, her movements sharper, her voice somehow reaching even higher notes despite the exhaustion that must have been building. The crowd fed off her energy, their screams and cheers creating a feedback loop that pushed her to give more.
When she finally retreated backstage, she looked ready to collapse.
I grabbed a fresh towel, wiping the sweat from her face and neck with gentle strokes. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, eyes half closed from the exertion. Christine hovered nearby with another water bottle, ready to thrust it into Emma's hands the moment I finished.
The crowd erupted into a new chant, thousands of voices synchronizing into a single word repeated over and over.
"Encore! Encore! Encore!"
The building shook from the force of it. I glanced at Emma, raising an eyebrow in silent question. She couldn't possibly have more energy left after three straight sets.
Emma met my eyes and nodded, pushing herself upright on trembling legs.
I watched her walk back onto the stage, wondering where she found the strength. The crowd went absolutely insane when she appeared, the noise level somehow climbing even higher than before.
The music started, a melody I didn't recognize. Emma's voice cut through the chaos, singing lyrics she'd never performed publicly before. A new song. She was debuting new material as an encore, giving these fans something nobody else had heard yet.
The crowd lost whatever remaining sanity they possessed.
Phones lifted everywhere, desperate to record this moment. Bodies pressed against barriers, security struggling to maintain the lines. The energy in the venue reached a fever pitch, threatening to overflow into pure chaos.
The performance continued, Emma's voice soaring through the venue with that new song nobody had heard before. But something felt off. Not wrong exactly, just different. A subtle pressure in the air that made my skin tingle, like static electricity building before a storm.
I frowned, trying to identify the sensation. It didn't feel threatening, but it definitely wasn't normal. The energy seemed to pulse in waves, flowing outward from the stage in rhythm with Emma's singing. Each note carried something extra, something beyond just sound and melody.
The Heavenly Dao stirred in my chest, sending images and concepts flooding through my mind faster than conscious thought.
Emma's affinities. Soul, Mind, and Life.
I blinked, processing the information. That combination was incredibly rare. The Heavenly Dao showed me fragments of knowledge from Jihasti's memories, techniques and abilities associated with those three elements working together. Charm techniques that could influence hearts and minds, making targets fall desperately in love or obey commands without question. Manipulation so subtle the victims never realized they'd been affected.
But Emma hadn't learned any cultivation techniques yet. She was only at Body Tempering fifth layer, barely scratched the surface of what her affinities could accomplish.
The Heavenly Dao sent another pulse of understanding.
Her aptitude was extremely high. So high that even without formal training, even without conscious effort, her natural energy leaked out during emotional moments. When she poured her heart into performing, when she gave everything to her music, that raw talent manifested as an unconscious influence on everyone watching.
I glanced at the crowd, seeing them with new awareness. The glazed expressions, the complete fixation on Emma's every movement, the way they swayed in perfect sync with her music. Not just fans enjoying a concert. They were being subtly influenced, drawn deeper into the performance by energy they couldn't perceive.
Christine stood beside me with that same entranced look, completely unaware anything unusual was happening. Her eyes never left Emma, her smile dreamy and unfocused.
My higher cultivation let me feel the influence without being affected by it. The energy washed over me like a gentle breeze, noticeable but harmless. Everyone else just experienced the pull, their emotions amplified and directed without realizing the difference between natural enthusiasm and supernatural charm.
I watched Emma sing, her body moving with practiced grace despite the exhaustion. She had no idea what she was doing to these people. No clue that her talent extended beyond just vocal ability and stage presence.
Should I take her as a disciple? Teach her to control this power before it spiraled out of control?
Or maybe the Eastern Region God should appear to her. Offer guidance from a divine figure rather than a bodyguard she barely knew.
The song built toward its climax, Emma's voice reaching impossible heights. The crowd screamed their devotion, completely lost in the moment she'd created.