Shaking his head, Hui focused on the array. He drew closer, reaching out his qi to connect to it. Unlike Fu Liyu’s array, the one in Bai Xue trembled, unstable. Holes opened in the array, only to close up the next moment, and bits of the spell collapsed into runes at the edges, bleeding out into Bai Xue’s qi. Even as the spell deteriorated, it desperately healed itself, but it was obvious it could only hold on for so long. It can’t handle the power of Bai Xue’s great circle fourth...
2022-08-21 17:00:11 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui extended his mental energy into the room, searching for qi. Almost instantly, he found it. The room burned with qi, blindingly brilliant. Ah! So much qi!
He flinched back, retracting his mental energy into himself, then slowly pushed it out again. This time, he observed the room slowly, with the absolute minimum of his mental energy.
Qi glowed everywhere. All the people in the room, servants and ladies alike, leaked qi, too low level to sufficiently contain their qi i...
2022-08-20 14:18:15 +0000 UTC
View Post
Amongst the motion of the room, the chattering cultivators and bustling servants, an aura caught Hui’s attention. He turned and subtly surveyed the room, searching for the aura’s source.
Han Qin, dressed as a servant, edged around the back of the banquet hall. He glanced left and right, then lifted a curtain and ducked into the rear of the hall.
Hui stood. “Elder Sister, I have something urgent to attend to. Please watch Ying Lin for me.”
“Hmm? Is something happeni...
2022-08-19 16:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
The fake Bai Xue, Mo Gonglu, settled in beside Ying Min with a laugh. One of the other girls hurried over, snatching a wine jug from a passing servant, and offered to pour him some wine. He grabbed her waist and pulled her in on his other side.
Fu Liyu watched, her face pinched from envy. Hui shook his head. Don’t pine for that fool, whether he’s disguised or not! He’s a total scum, grabbing women like that. Bai Xue would never act so uncouth!
He hurried over to the...
2022-08-18 18:21:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Three days ago, a banquet hall appeared.
No one in the village knew where it came from, or why it appeared, but it stood there atop the hill as though it had always been.
Young, brave Han Jing went to investigate it and vanished into its vaulted depths. After that, no one dared approach it. Quietly, the village folk murmured about immortals and ghosts, but even their voices remained subdued. If a great ghost or a vicious immortal chose their small village as their meeting place, t...
2022-08-17 15:00:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ying Lin and Hui passed time within the glen, Hui playing Ying Lin’s dharma protector while she consolidated her foundation. At dawn on the third day, Hui stood at last, stretching. Zhubi came back to his side reluctantly, dripping spring water down his scales. He wriggled back up to Hui’s neck. Water dripped down Hui’s spine, and he shivered. Cold!
Wiping the water off, he turned to Ying Lin and held out the robes he’d stolen from the female servant. “Here, change in...
2022-08-16 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui reached out with his mental energy as he ran through the forest. First clone!
There was a pause. After a moment, familiar mental energy met his, the first clone only giving him his attention, but no more.
Five other clones are awake, besides us. If you circulate Mount Mu’s inheritance, you can meet them. And… you probably should. We would all benefit from the storage ring being on the tree-net.
Acknowledgement. Distantly, he felt first clone allocat...
2022-08-15 20:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui’s mind surged into the tree. Golden light swirled around him. For a moment, the impression of leaves and trees flew past, and then he hung above, high in the sky. He saw himself sitting under the tree, the other disciples arrayed around him, all struggling to gain enlightenment of his technique. Hui paused for a moment. Maybe I should have let Ying Lin stay here. Gain enlightenment of this inheritance.
No, no. It’s an enlightenment that attempts to turn people into ...
2022-08-14 16:31:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
The inheritance roared through him. Golden light flared up all around his body. His hand gleamed golden, as if made of the metal. Trees flitted past his eyes. He saw the young Mount Mu grow majestic and old again, and a thousand other trees come to life and die in its shadow, worn away by the passage of time. The gold light grew brighter. His life qi surged, all if it surging along with the inheritance, whether he liked it or not. Hui gritted his teeth and pushed on. It pushed at his sanity a...
2022-08-13 15:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Both servants laid in the hut, sleeping talismans slowly burning to ash on their foreheads. Hui finished transferring the contents of Li Huang’s storage ring to Xiu Ya’s and stretched, satisfied. It’s been too long since I plundered something… er, rightfully liberated the possessions of foul demonic cultivators. None of this is particularly useful for me as a fifth stage cultivator, except for the spells. They might be pitifully under-leveled, but… given how few spells I know, a...
2022-08-12 17:17:30 +0000 UTC
View Post
Slowly, Xiu Ya awoke. She lifted a hand to her face, clumsily wiping away the venom residue. Her eyes blurred, struggling against the too-bright sunlight. A silhouette crouched above her, a friendly smile on his face. As her eyes cleared, Li Huang, her fellow servant, slowly came into focus.
Xiu Ya furrowed her brows. Blearily, she propped herself up. “Li Huang, we… what…?”
A terrifying pressure slammed into her back, forcing her back to the ground. Along with it came the ...
2022-08-12 02:49:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ying Lin delicately held the snake in both hands, propping it up in front of her. The snake regarded her quietly, tipping its head. It leaned toward her wrists and flicked its tongue toward her skin. She flinched. “Please don’t bite me.”
Zhubi gently touched his nose to her wrist, then drew away. Intelligent pale-amber eyes watched for her reaction.
Ying Lin blinked. She leaned in, taking a closer look at Zhubi. “Can you… understand me?”
Zhubi bobbed his head.
2022-08-11 01:31:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
As his vision faded, Hui burrowed into his seed-core, currently located into his head. From within its protective shell, he circulated just enough of his qi to be able to hear and see what happened to his body. Quietly, he regarded Han Qin. I didn’t see that attack coming, which means our supposedly weak physician Han Qin is at least at the high fourth, if not fifth, stage. After all, even repressing my cultivation, my reflexes and perception are still enhanced. I should have been able ...
2022-08-09 16:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
At last, Han Qin stopped before a small hut at the back of the compound. He nodded at Hui and pushed the door open, gesturing for him to go first.
Hui bowed shortly to Han Qin and stepped inside, looking around the hut. Dirt floors, a simple cut, and not much else greeted him. He smiled. So this is where I die.
“So, what do you want to know about? Remnant auras? Her internal energy circulation?” Hui asked, turning to face Han Qin.
Han Qin smiled back at him. “...
2022-08-08 16:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Oh? Do I recognize you?”
Hui smiled to himself. Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao shall appear. He turned and bowed to Han Qin. “Benefactor! I didn’t get the chance to thank you properly yesterday for saving my life. My name is Xie Hao. Consider me your servant.”
“No, no, that’s not necessary. Ah, you can call me Han Qin,” Han Qin replied.
He looked Hui up and down, and a prickly sensation assaulted Hui’s skin. He’s examining me with his qi, isn...
2022-08-07 16:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
The servant led them into the complex. Hui wandered along behind him, looking around more closely this time. The grand manor’s roof was missing a tile or two, though it had been well hidden, and some of the paint chipped off the walls and pillars. The floor, though clean, showed signs of disrepair; in places, the cobbles rose and fell with unseen roots, or simply jolted up out of the earth with age. The servants wore old and worn clothes, some even cleverly patched. He raised a hand to his ...
2022-08-06 15:00:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Night passed quickly. It seemed as if no time passed before Ying Lin came knocking at Hui’s door. “Benefactor, are you ready? Let’s go!”
Hui broke out of the lotus pose and stood. He stretched and smiled at Ying Lin. “Let’s go.”
Together, the two of them set off. Ying Lin hugged her cloth bag to her protectively. As she walked, she glanced at Hui once, twice, then three times. At last, Hui turned and gave her a quizzical smile. What do you want? You’re making m...
2022-08-05 13:00:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
“Where is he? Where’s the doctor?” a familiar high-pitched voice demanded.
Hui’s brows twitched. He sat up, slowly opening his eyes and ending his meditation. Ying Lin? What’s she doing now? Hurt her wrist again?
“He’s sleeping. He was injured! Be quiet, Ying Lin, quiet,” Aunty Wen admonished her.
“But… but the snake…”
Snake? Hui touched his neck, then stood up and poked his head out of the hut.
“He’s resting! Leave h...
2022-08-04 23:00:03 +0000 UTC
View Post
Ying Lin wandered through the forest, humming to herself. Swordlights zoomed by overhead, followed by the sound of combat. She watched for a moment, then turned back to the forest and continued on, still humming. Wild herbs, wild herbs. If I find the shiny ones, the Young Miss Fu Liyu will be happy, and then she’ll have no choice but to take me to the banquet!
A faint tingle brushed her skin. Ying Lin turned, following the sensation. She wound through the forest, carefully pl...
2022-08-03 21:05:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fu Haitao and Han Qin circled down to Hui’s side. When the shuttle was about five meters above the ground, Han Qin hopped off and ran to Hui’s side, concern flashing in his eyes. Frowning slightly, he knelt beside Hui and glanced over him, quickly assessing his injuries, then reached out and felt his pulse.
Hui carefully suppressed his cultivation to the utmost, allowing not a single fluctuation to escape. Controlling his breathing and mental energy, he lowered himself to a state of...
2022-08-02 06:00:00 +0000 UTC
View Post
The young lady identified as Ying Min threw back her head and laughed. Unlike Fu Liyu, who had an elegant, if somewhat small, figure, her short spring green robes revealed long legs and an hourglass body with a round, pinchable rear end. Behind her, a man wearing a green crown and matching robes looped one hand around Ying Min and supported her on the sword, coincidentally pressing himself up tight against that round behind. Hui’s eyes narrowed. My dream of riding the sword together wit...
2022-08-01 16:00:08 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui took a step back. “I’ve done all I can for now. My apologies for failing.”
“You did better than the rest,” Fu Liyu replied haughtily. She fluffed her hair and drew her robes back on, casting a quick dust-repelling spell as she did so to clean the blood off her inner robes.
Hesitating, Hui chanced a look at Fu Liyu. This is a great opportunity to casually run into Bai Xue and ask them for help. I shouldn’t give up on this! Besides, that array… if it really is ...
2022-07-31 16:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui examined the array closely, floating near, then far, circling around it to get a full view of the intricacies of the spell. Although at a passing glance, it looks similar to Senior Chen Wuya’s, on closer inspection… well, let’s just say that Senior would probably peck me to death if I suggested it looked like his array. It’s quite sloppy and amateurish. In fact, it really reminds me more of… of, er, my attempt to modify his array to turn it into a ghost flag. But that was an...
2022-07-30 15:55:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui stumbled back, throwing his hands up. “Eh? You—eh?”
She frowned. “You’re here to cleanse my qi, yes? Won’t you need contact with bare skin?”
Hui blinked. Do… most people need skin-on-skin contact to manipulate qi? Wait—is that why dual cultivation, or even simply sharing your qi, is such a taboo in this world? An epiphany struck him, and he staggered back. I… never saw it that way before! When you phrase it like that—
Another epiph...
2022-07-30 15:48:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Fu Liyu led the way through the manor’s compound. They strolled past ponds full of lily pads and broad courtyards where servants scurried about. A young boy in nice clothes giggled and charged past, chased by a pretty handmaid.
Hui turned his head to watch the boy. Qi Gathering. He must be part of the clan.
In the end, it’s easy to figure out. This is the founding of a clan. For now, it’s just the main line, the father and his children. It’s not like the Bai C...
2022-07-29 06:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui managed to escape to his feet and yanked free of Aunty Wen. Adjusting the hems of his robes, he walked on his own. “So, Madam… I understand the Young Miss needs some help?”
“Oh, just call me Aunty Wen like everyone else,” she said, slapping him hard on the shoulder. She drew back her hand and gripped it, a pained expression on her face.
A second too late, Hui flinched. “Ow!”
Aunty Wen frowned at him, still gripping her hand.
Shit, blending in with...
2022-07-28 19:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui jostled around in the bag for a while, quietly cultivating. Abruptly, the bag tipped, and Hui and the rest of the lotus seeds tumbled out. Hui executed a neat roll and came to his feet, then remembered he’d been kidnapped and toppled over, playing dead.
“Lotus fairy? Lotus fairy!” Ying Lin hurriedly stuffed the lotus pods back in her bag while staring desperately at Hui. “No, my fairy! Hold on, I’ll save you!”
Eh, if you want to save me… the lotus seeds can w...
2022-07-27 20:00:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui flew through the air. A tree loomed wide in his vision. He ducked back into the lotus seed and closed the lid over himself. The seed hit the tree with a distinctive thunk, and a white figure went tumbling out.
Hui righted himself in midair and looked back at the girl indignantly. “Ying Lin, how rude! Don’t you know manners?”
Ying Lin’s eyes went wide. Already-round eyes in a round face became almost coin-shaped when she stared. When her jaw dropped, her entire...
2022-07-26 19:00:16 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sun shone overhead. Clear skies stretched in all directions. Heat wavered off the stony path and shimmered on the surface of the pond. A single lotus bloomed among the reeds and pondgrass, delicate white petals spreading wide.
A few moments later, the lotus dropped its petals. A fat seed sat in the seed pod. The seed pod dried, and the seed began to fall out.
“Lucky!”
Kneeling, a young woman plucked the lotus pod and stuck it in her sack with a few other lotus pods. ...
2022-07-23 02:00:02 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui glanced back as he flew off, somewhat surprised to find no one following him. I guess… that Zhi Ahn guy really did cover for me. Huh. I didn’t expect it.
I guess even amongst All Heavens Sect, there’s still those who I can trust in. Or… at least rely on not to make stupid decisions.
He put a hand to his chin. So much to do. I need to finish my death-faking talisman, research one-way barriers… ah! And all my attacks are too weak now, except for t...
2022-07-18 15:00:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
