37 Refreshing

As his soul re-entered his body, Van woke up with a panicked start.

"Wait, how much time do I have left?!"

Those were the first words that came out of Van's mouth as he sat up. When he sat up, he realized that he was in a soft feather bed. He was also wearing fresh clothing made of airy silk. It glimmered in the sunlight, not too bright and not too dim, giving him the impression that it wasn't any ordinary silk. It felt cool to the touch and had a very soft texture.

Van enjoyed the feeling and sat on the bed, feeling the fabric. His mind blanked as his mind started to drift. He was entranced in the feeling of the fabric. The only thought on his mind was on how much pleasure it gave him as it wrapped his body, as soft and delicate as a mother's touch.

Van heard the sound of a well-oiled door opening. He looked to find a girl dressed in maid's clothing. Van's eyes started to shine. He seemed to teleport as he instantly appeared at her side. He started inspecting every piece of the clothing.

I like this kind of fashion!

Van nodded approvingly as he felt the fabric between his two fingers. The maid stood there with a dark expression on her face. Suddenly, she spoke up.

"Master, may I ask what you are doing?"

"Eep!"

Van squeaked in fear as he noticed the expression the maid's face. An angry dark aura started to invade the area.

"I apologize!"

Van prostrated himself to the ground and made sure that his forehead touched the ground. The malicious aura receded from the room.

"As long as you realize your mistake master."

Van slowly lifted his head up to find that the maid had a smile upon her face. She was currently curtseying to him.

"P..p..p..lllease stand!"

Van said nervously. In just one moment, the maid had gone from murderous psychopath to a regular maid that one would see.

"Master, would you like something to drink or eat?"

Van nodded.

"Could I have a glass of Spirit Passion Fruit Juice and a plate of those fancy crackers?"

The maid silently left to go fulfill his orders. Van wiped his forehead, his hand coming away full of sweat. He had thought that he was going to die at that moment. He had even prayed to a god, if there was any, to deliver his condolences to his aunt, Ghan, and grandfather.

Van sat on the bed and cultivated. He broke through to the mid stages of the 1st Stage of Inner Discovery and continued on to stabilize his cultivation. When he had finished, the maid came in as if on a queue. She set down the silver platter and Van happily dug into the meal. He licked his fingers afterward and chewed on one of the ice cubes.

"Could you draw me a bath? After all the fainting over the past few days I think I'm starting to stink."

Van smiled, trying to make further amends for his mistake. The maid smiled back, this time more genuine. She then left abruptly to go prepare his bath for him.

Van sat there in silence and reflected on what he had experienced in the memory world of his ancestor. It seemed as if tragedy had befallen his ancestor and that he needed to get stronger, quicker to get his revenge. He couldn't stand anyone that threatened his family. Even one that had killed his ancestor in ancient times.

Van gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. He would definitely encounter pressure from that god. He had to get powerful quick to protect his family from any possible harm.

At that moment, the maid came back in and declared that the bath was ready.

"The bath is ready Master."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

He let the maid guide him to the bath. He found himself in what seemed to be a roman style open-air bath. There were many spiritual herbs that were placed in the bath to give it medicinal qualities.

Van sighed with pleasure as he felt the hot water against his skin. He could see the water around him slowly fill with grime from the constant cultivating and dust from the times that he had fallen. He picked up a brush from nearby and commenced his cleaning.

After about half an hour, Van got out of the bath and put on the clothing that the maid had laid out for him before she left. They were of better quality than his old clothing.

I forgot to ask her where I am and what her name was. I should probably do that.

Van decided to go on a search for her. Not much later, Van found her bringing in his lunch. He decided to bring up the subject.

"May I inquire to what your name is?"

Van smiled, trying to establish a connection with the maid. She looked at him weirdly but decided to answer anyways.

"My name is Maria."

She answered curtly and went back to dusting a few trinkets in the corner of the room. Van tried to continue the conversation without making it awkward.

"So... Maria. Where am I exactly?"

"You're in the City Lord's Palace in one of his VIP guest rooms."

Van froze in shock. He didn't think that his new teacher would treat him so well. Van's favorability towards the City Lord instantly rose up by 100 points.

"Look, Maria. Could we put things past us and try to have a fresh start with our relationship?"

"As I told you, Master, as long as you realize your mistake."

Van smiled. He didn't want to be on bad terms with the maid that was serving him. He wasn't a bad guy and he didn't want people to get a bad impression of him either. Despite his efforts, he still took pride in hearing praises from others. He knew it was a childish thing, but some habits stick.