Hui walked slowly through the mist, sliding a foot in front of him before he took a step. Mist pressed close all around, preventing him from seeing more than five feet in any direction. Even the ground was obscured by mist, as if he were walking in a gray cloud. That hole should be right in front of me, but… I don’t feel it.
Maybe the mist turned us around, or maybe it’s a pseudo-realm. Still, I’m not going to run ahead until I know. I don’t want to fall into a lo...
2021-12-04 18:30:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Bai Fenfeng’s branch had none of the sheen of the main family’s campus. Tiles hung haphazardly from roofs. Weeds sprung up in the corners of yards and gardens. Paint cracked and peeled, none of the care of the main family’s campus given to appearance. The stark contrast left her branch looking derelict, though it would be more correct to call it in need of small repairs.
Hui looked around. Unlike the main campus, the streets stood empty. No one practiced in the fields. No cultivat...
2021-12-04 18:14:25 +0000 UTC
View Post
Salt-and-pepper ponytail pulled tight, Erlan perched atop a normal-sized calligraphy brush, his foot nearly longer than the brush itself. He held Gu Tian by the back of his belt, dangling the boy between his thumb and forefinger like a piece of garbage. He chuckled and shook his head at the three of them below, smiling so broadly his eyes closed. “The masterpiece is not yet complete.”
Hui glanced around them, his back crawling. If Erlan is here… Is that Yunxu guy around?<...
2021-12-04 17:53:29 +0000 UTC
View Post
“That’s dust from a lotus-pill blossom!” Hui said. He reached for his fire talismans, then hesitated. I can’t control the output very well. I don’t want to hurt Li Xiang!
“Or dust from a lotus pill… either way, keep it away from you!” Xue agreed. She reached out her hand, then hesitated. “Dammit, I can’t use fire in this form!”
“The butterfly,” Hui suggested, pointing at the mark on her palm.
“Oh, right!” She threw her hand out, palm up...
2021-11-29 01:34:34 +0000 UTC
View Post
Lively, the town bustled around them. Li Xiang skipped ahead, hands behind her back, a smile on her face. Bai Xue, draped in a white overcoat, followed after, and Hui took the rear.
“Is it okay to go out without your entourage, Young Master?” Hui teased Xue.
“I’m not Young Master right now. I’m just an ordinary, mysterious cultivator,” Xue replied.
“You’re… in disguise?” Hui guessed, eyeing the overcoat. Er, elder sister, maybe do something about your...
2021-11-29 01:33:33 +0000 UTC
View Post
The sun slowly rose. At last, daylight flooded over the horizon. Xue sat up and blinked, looking around. “Jingwen… huh? What happened?”
“Before that, elder sister, could you release me?” Hui requested.
Xue glanced down at Hui, wrapped in her arms. She released him and stepped back. “Eh? What’re you doing there?”
“Jingwen didn’t tell me the release command,” Hui grumbled, shaking himself off. ‘Let go’ didn’t work, ‘release,’ ‘go away,’ ...
2021-11-26 03:56:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
Jingwen retreated at speed, breath catching, cheeks red not only from exertion. She rubbed her face and shook her head, trying to make them fade. Stop blushing! Stop it! You’re stronger than this!
Black shadows darted to her. Jingwen blinked, forcing her poker face back into place. She nodded, and they fell in as she ran. “Anyone follow you?”
“No,” one replied.
As one, they ran out of the main clan and into one of the sub-clans off the side. A sprawling co...
2021-11-26 03:55:47 +0000 UTC
View Post
Stars twinkled overhead. One table at a time, guests stood and wandered out, vanishing into the gardens or out into the clan proper. At last, exhausted, most of the tables empty, Hui staggered out into the cool of night. He glanced back. “Xue, come on!”
“Ah? You really want me to walk you back? Alright, alright.” Xue hauled herself upright. She followed him out into the darkness, yawning.
Hui paused, looking back. Li Xiang chattered along with the Matriarch. The Matriarch ...
2021-11-26 03:55:07 +0000 UTC
View Post
Breaking from his meditation, Hui stood and stretched. He glanced at the sun outside, already dipping low. From what Xue told me, it should be time to head down to the feast.
He looked around the room. Austere and simple, it had little more than the bed and nothing he was used to, but a closet stood in the corner. He pulled it open. Starbound Peak’s robes are fine, but mine are a little dingy. I’m sure they won’t mind if I borrow a robe or two.
A wall of bl...
2021-11-26 03:52:51 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hey everyone! Thanks for reading mtpddat. Hope you're still enjoying the crazy journey!
With all the holidays coming up, I want to do a fun bonus for everyone--a Q&A segment! If you have any burning questions about the story, the characters, my process, etc, please message them to me, and I'll choose some to put in the Q&A*!
I've never done this before, so hopefully it works out! If there's interest and it works out well, I'll do another one later :) If there's...
2021-11-20 18:59:28 +0000 UTC
View Post
Back in Bai Xue’s quarters, she yawned and stretched. “I imagine Mother will throw a feast tonight, so shall I show you around the clan? If there’s anything in particular you want to see, I can accommodate that too.”
Hui thought to himself, then sat up, touching the complex talisman he’d found in the secret realm. “Do—do you have any talisman makers? I recently discovered a small talent in the area… if I could have a moment of someone’s time, I…”
“Sure! Goo...
2021-11-20 18:58:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Sitting back, Bai Xue let out a second long sigh. Broken out of his thoughts, Hui looked over. She shook her head, tossed her white hair out of her face, then stood decisively. “I haven’t even gotten the tea, and I’ve already pushed all my troubles onto you. I’m a terrible host. Wait a moment—”
The older male servant pushed the door open. “Matriarch summons Young Master Bai Xue.”
“Eh? Not again. My answer hasn’t changed,” Bai Xue complained.
“What ans...
2021-11-20 16:01:50 +0000 UTC
View Post
They strode through the streets. Bai Xue led the way imperiously, white robes sweeping over the cobbled floor. Ordinary cultivators made way for her, ducking out of her way. A few even ducked into a short bow as she passed. She paid them no mind, eyes on the horizon.
“Er, Bai Xue, you wouldn’t happen to be…” Hui started
She glanced at him and smiled.
The black-and-white robed cultivators carried the two men Hui had knocked out between them. Likely infected with lotus...
2021-11-20 15:57:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
Around the corner, four cultivators in black-and-white robes stood over two women. One, the woman from the alley, stood against the wall, fenced in by a snarling tiger. The other, Li Xiang, stood indignantly upright, spine straight, head lifted, pinned in place by a sword against her jugular. She swallowed, pale neck bobbing against the sharp blade.
“You commit violence in our city?”
A tall woman glared at Li Xiang, her white hair billowing in the wind, red eyes intent. White ...
2021-11-20 15:54:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
In the kitchen, the two men from the alley lazed against a cold stove. The woman scurried back, carrying the teapot. She set it atop a small fire, the only live heat in the room.
“Is it time?” the first man asked.
“They’re cultivators. The girl is somewhere near fourth stage, right? At least until the incense burns out,” the woman replied.
The second man shook his head, hesitating. “I’m not sure. The boy seemed… strange.”
Tossing her hair confidently,...
2021-11-20 15:48:22 +0000 UTC
View Post
Li Xiang rushed into a dark alley. Hui chased after her, whirling around the corner.
Two men cornered a female cultivator. One held her up against the wall, while the other held his sword at her throat. The woman screamed again, struggling weakly against her captor.
“You! Stop right there!” Li Xiang shouted, drawing her sword.
The man holding a sword turned, smirking. “Violence is banned within city lim—”
Li Xiang slashed at him. He barely drew his sword up i...
2021-11-20 15:42:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
Buildings rose around them. People shoved by in all directions, hurrying here and there. Hui stuck close to Li Xiang, somewhat concerned someone might try to take advantage of her, but no one paid them any attention.
A city! It’s nothing like the cities I’m used to, no gleaming steel and glass, no cars and smog, but still… the atmosphere feels the same, somehow. Despite himself, Hui relaxed a little.
A half block into the city, Li Xiang stopped abruptly. She pointed...
2021-11-14 22:28:44 +0000 UTC
View Post
“It hasn’t been a hundred years. What are you doing out of forced seclusion already?” Li Xiang asked.
Hui stepped forward. “Master let me out.”
She frowned at Weiheng Wu.
“No one is allowed to punish my disciple except myself.”
Li Xiang tipped her head. “That’s… true? I’ve never heard that before.”
Whether it’s true or not, I definitely believe Weiheng Wu thinks it’s true! Hui thought to himself. He gave Li Xiang his best smil...
2021-11-14 22:27:58 +0000 UTC
View Post
Face wrinkled in intense concentration, Hui manipulated his qi. He guided it under his skin, separating the dead layers from his body. His skin stung, but by now, the pain barely phased him. Holding a line of qi down the front of his body, he pushed out. The qi sliced through his skin, cutting a narrow line in the skin.
Yes!
Wait, wait, don’t celebrate yet. I still have to get out of this skin. Hui expanded his qi under the dead skin. It stretched, puffing up, ...
2021-11-13 14:24:31 +0000 UTC
View Post
The Sect Master descended before Hui. Hui cowered, trying not to shiver. I can’t fake my death again. He’s already seen it once.
Shit! I need a better death faking technique!
Crossing his arms, the Sect Master looked down his nose at Hui. “Do you know what you’ve done wrong?”
“Th—this small disciple repents, and accepts whatever punishment Sect Master decides!” Hui replied, throwing himself prostrate on the floor.
“Forced seclusion f...
2021-11-13 14:22:40 +0000 UTC
View Post
At the bottom of the peak, Hui paused and looked back. He isn’t behind me? That old man… he’s definitely a high-ranking cultivator. I got the impression he could flick me to death. I thought I could put off my death by another few seconds, but it seems like… he’s letting me go?
He hesitated another few seconds, then shrugged and walked on. I guess… he wasn’t willing to kill me over the duck? He didn’t want to look stupid in front of the whole sect, chasing a...
2021-11-13 14:21:26 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui crouched close over the pot, biting his lip. Hovering his hand over the pot, he sent a thread of qi inside. It’s getting a bit too warm on the left… I’ll let that side burn down, and feed the right! He scurried around the pot and bent low, snatching up a pipe to feed air into the fire. Huffing and puffing, he stoked the fire on the right side. The right side of the pot warmed.
He wiped his forehead and sat back, breathing out. Whew! Cooking is hard work!
<...
2021-11-13 14:19:53 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui wandered along the gardens, searching. A few Jade Garden Peak disciples tended to their gardens, hunching over plants to feed them qi or carefully watering them. None of them gave Hui a second glance.
He moved confidently, enjoying his stroll. Ahead, a stand of tall, bright green shoots caught his eye. Leeks! Can’t have duck without them.
He glanced left and right. Seeing no one around, he bent and examined the leeks closely. Most stood tall and young, a brilliant g...
2021-11-13 14:18:54 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hui darted up Starbound Peak, slipping through the trees as he followed the familiar path up the mountainside. At this time of day, plenty of disciples wandered around, but no one cast Hui a second glance.
He sprinted across the path and ducked around to the back door of the cafeteria, then rapped quietly at the door. “Sis Mei.”
The door flew open. Mei bustled out and snatched Hui into a hug. “Hui! It’s been so long, I missed you!”
“Sis Mei!” He hugged her back...
2021-11-13 14:13:41 +0000 UTC
View Post
A river rushed through the forest, a hundred meters wide. White water rushed past jagged rocks. Mist sprayed into the air, forming rainbows low above the river.
For a dozen meters until the river, the forest gave way to a meadow. On the far side, an identical gap stretched before the forest continued. Up ahead, a bridge arced over the river. Red-lacquered wood pushed high above the water. A pair of cultivators stood to either side of the bridge, dressed in familiar white robes.
Pe...
2021-11-13 14:10:09 +0000 UTC
View Post
Xue released him. He plopped to his hands and knees, only just catching himself before he hit the ground. She looked around, surveying the forest around them.
Climbing to his feet, Hui copied her, equally lost. Forest spread in all directions. Trees rose high around them, canopies reaching to the heavens. Dim twilight light softened the day to near night. Thick undergrowth, tangled with briars and thorns, hinted at a lack of human activity.
Xue huffed. “Dammit. It looks like we ...
2021-11-06 20:29:01 +0000 UTC
View Post
Walls of force snapped up around Xue and Hui. Hui held onto Xue for one more second, and then the walls expelled him, throwing him backward. Hui plunged toward the earth below.
“I said I’d make you my furnace, and I will!”
“You’re ours, now!”
“Teehee.”
Hui’s back slammed into Xue’s ice slide. He reached out blindly and grabbed ahold, desperate. His fingers slipped down the ice. He kicked, grappling at the ice. He found a grip at the edge, where the ...
2021-11-06 20:27:39 +0000 UTC
View Post
The triplets charged at him from the left and the right. Hui glanced at them. “Xue, defend me.”
Xue jumped up and lunged at the nearer triplet. The second one danced back. The first’s sword met Xue’s claws. A blast of fire burst through the air. Xue narrowly ducked it and diverted, charging toward the fire-throwing second triplet.
As I thought, they’re disregarding me. Whether they’ve noticed me giving orders to Xue or not, they’ve decided I’m less of a threat ...
2021-11-06 19:52:04 +0000 UTC
View Post
Xue leaped, straight up. The ceiling hurtled down at them. Hui braced, flattening himself over Xue’s shoulder as much as possible. Xue’s head smashed into the ceiling with a resounding crack. They hung there, dangling from the ceiling.
Hui grimaced, then cautiously peered up. Did he kill himself?
Xue’s head stuck half-through the flint, his body held up by the upper half of his head. Xue growled gently, almost to himself.
“Er, let’s, let’s get d...
2021-11-06 19:39:38 +0000 UTC
View Post
A blast of air, stirring the ghoul skin’s hair. Xue rushed past him and pressed against the door, dragging Hui after him by the wrist. He shoved against it once, twice, then leaned on it, handsome face plastered to the door like a dog begging to go out.
It worked! Resisting the urge to laugh at Xue’s antics, Hui grabbed Xue’s hand and peeled the fingers away from his wrist.
Xue tightened his grip on Hui.
“Hey, hey, ow—” Hui twisted his wrist, tryin...
2021-11-06 18:42:59 +0000 UTC
View Post
