"Why are you bringing this to the second floor?" asked the old goat as I carried two green jades the size of my head down the stairs.

Shan Sha stared at me, sipping his tea while pointing his cane at my chest.

"Well, the owl upstairs just keeps staring at me, and it's a bit unnerving. Also, I don't want to train in a place where I feel nervous, especially as I'm in some critical stages of my training," I explained, putting down the two jades and sitting in a meditative position between them.

The old man took this as a chance to slurp his tea loudly, and I stared at him as he did so. He continued without an ounce of shame.

"What? Now that you no longer have the owl staring at you, I will be staring instead," he declared.

He was doing this to annoy me and for no other reason. So, instead of falling for his bait, I closed my eyes and concentrated intensely as the two jades next to me began shining brighter.

"What kind of training is that?" he asked.

I didn't bother to open my eyes and just explained, "I need these to gather the Qi needed to activate my new technique. Think of it as a crutch, allowing me to use the technique at higher levels than normal, and then I can retrace those steps with my normal Qi."

"Are you into Qi Gathering yet?"

"No, but I can somewhat move my Qi," I explained. "Now, can you stop talking? I'm trying to concentrate on this. I think I'm pretty close to being able to use this technique freely and without the need to use the jades to gather Qi."

"That's a weird technique," the old goat commented as if he hadn't even heard the part where I asked him to be quiet. "Why do you always pick up weird techniques? Also, wouldn't it be easier to carry your jades around when using your technique?"

"That's not how this technique works, and even if it did, do you think carrying jade on my shoulders sounds convenient in a fight?" I bit back.

"Who said anything about carrying them on your shoulders? You could just as easily use a storage ring and store them," he smiled.

My eyes were closed, but I could sense that he was smiling by how he said those words. He did this kind of thing when he was leading someone to a certain point he wanted to make.

"Do I look like I'm made of money? Where would I even get a storage ring?" I was too busy concentrating on training my Dancing Jade Amour technique to come up with witty comebacks.

"You could always ask Song Song. There are rumors that the two of you are… close," he said the last part, with a deep tone in his voice that gave the word a double meaning.

I immediately opened my eyes and frowned at the old goat. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you already know what that means," he smirked deviously, enjoying the show while smugly sipping his tea. "People have been talking. People have eyes, and even I was there looking at you from a distance when you and Song Song met for the first time."

"Are you suggesting that Song Song and I are in a relationship?"

"Oh, no. I know you are too much of a shut-in to charm a woman like that. I doubt someone like Song Song can even be charmed," he snickered, looking me in the eyes and pointing his cane at my face. "Also, don't get something mixed up, brat. You're nowhere near the same social standing as her to even qualify to be her partner. At best, you would be her boy toy."

"Do cultivators have nothing better to do than babble about other people's business?" I sighed, closing my eyes again to focus on practicing Dancing Jade Armour. "Also, just to clarify, my relationship with Song Song is nothing less or more than simply professional. I would even go as far as to call her a friend, though there have been times when she doesn't act like one. But at the end of the day, people should learn to keep their mouths shut and mind their business."

"Hey, don't worry too much about it," the old man reassured me, though I could feel the teasing smirk on his face. "Though this story might have gained more traction if it wasn't for that red-haired youngster causing trouble everywhere. I just want to advise you to take advantage of these rumors. They won't go away, and nobody will believe you if you refute them, so it is best to use them. While people might be willing to mess with her potential advisor, even if only to weaken her base since there is only so much someone can sacrifice to take revenge for a servant."

I waited for the old man to continue, and he did after taking another sip. The clicking sound of him putting his teacup down rang out, "But if you're known as her secret lover or boy toy, then people wouldn't dare touch you. Because then there was a chance that Song Song might act illogically and be willing to sacrifice anything to take revenge."

From a certain perspective, his idea was sound. It was the kind of high-level scheming I would expect from someone who survived for so long in the Sect.

"No," I stated loudly and clearly before Shan Sha could spew any more of his ideas. "I would not disrespect Song Song like that. After all, if she were to one day find a good fiancée, I doubt he would like this unknown boyfriend to be around her all the time, especially when there is a perceived history and rumors between us two."

I did not want to be the guy friend a girl told her boyfriend not to worry about. Not only would I not do something like that on Earth, but here it was a hundred times more of a reason not to. Some people could easily kill me, and I doubted Song Song's future fiancée would lack the political power to have me executed.

Also, betraying my future fiancée like this was just asking for her to embark on some long revenge arc. I understood nothing about how someone favored from the heavens like the red-haired guy came to be. It could be because certain events aligned, and I did not want to do anything like that.

I was thinking more long-term than just what was beneficial right now.

Plus, it was a scumbag kind of thing to do. I wouldn’t want such a thing done to me, so I wouldn’t do it to others.

“Boyfriend? What is that supposed to mean?” asked the old man, testing out the new word.

This world did not have such a thing as a boyfriend or girlfriend.

“It's the new youngsters' lingo. Boyfriend or girlfriend means lover,” I said, too preoccupied to devise another excuse.

With that said, I finally heard his steps descending the stairs, leaving me in a comfortable silence. The only other presence on the second floor was Speedy, walking around like a busybody. It was one of those days when he wasn’t napping all day.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

...

After finishing my training, I walked out of the library without anyone bothering me.

The sun was about to set, but it wasn’t quite evening, and it was the perfect time to go to the cafeteria and grab some food after a day’s hard work.

In the distance, I could see the walls of the outer sect that protected us from the outside. Unlike usual, people were drawing large dark letters on those walls. But even from here, I could feel the tingle in my spine.

What was that dark paint they were putting in there made of? I had never felt such intense Qi in a non-living thing.

As I walked down the stairs and reached the bottom, many people came from the Alchemy Pagoda, each emitting a salty and ashy smell since they were constantly close to the fire. Every so often, other pungent aromas emanated from their clothes, likely related to the kind of pills they were making.

It seemed like even the Alchemists were working hard, likely creating bulk reserves of pills for when the battle came. Since they would still be assigned to battle, the Sect wouldn't be able to create so many pills when the Alchemists were out there fighting.

Everyone was preparing for war, and I even felt a sense of foreboding in my heart. My heart felt heavier seeing all this, knowing what this kind of preparation was for. Though it happened every winter, even without Hu Jin around, many people died. But with him around this time, there was a good chance something would happen...

As I climbed the stairs toward the dining hall, I halted as something came to mind.

Wait. If Hu Jin had just joined the Sect, it was extremely unlikely that he would be deployed in the war. Whatever unpredictable thing might happen, it would target Hu Jin first and foremost.

Perhaps the most dangerous place this time was in the Sect!

A sense of nervousness washed over me. All this time, the Sect had been my sanctuary, the only place where I could put my feet up and relax.

But despite the sense of foreboding, I only stopped on the stairway for a second before continuing my climb toward the top.

There was no use worrying about this now; there might even be things I couldn't predict.

Should I try to move some strings behind the scenes to stay in the Sect or get drafted?

I did not know which was the right choice. Perhaps there was no right choice to begin with.

Moving on autopilot, I ordered my usual food tray and sat on one of the free seats in the almost empty dining hall. A sense of calm washed over me as I began chowing down on my food.

Surprisingly, I was calm and rational. Sure, I was afraid, which was understandable considering that whatever Hu Jin attracted here would likely be something I could not handle. But fear and anxiety were not going to fix my problems; actions and a calmer mind, on the other hand, would help much more.

First and foremost, I had to warn some of the people I cared about in the Sect.

After finishing my meal, I returned the tray and thanked the cooks before leaving. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I looked for a certain sign and walked down a road I hadn't walked since transmigrated here.

The Training Grounds were way more crowded than I had thought. There were hundreds, if not over a thousand outer disciples training here. The cement floor was wet as if it had rained, but that was just the sweat of the guys training here.

Gross...

Some had taken off their shirts and were punching the air while using some techniques, while most were lightly sparring against some enemies. A few were trying to be alone in the corners of the training ground.

I looked around for a certain someone and easily found him. Unlike everyone here, the guy I was looking for was fat as heck. His fat jiggled around under his wide uniform as he threw a punch.

It was quite a comedic sight, but I held my tongue.

As I approached Yang Cho, who no longer had his muscular body, a round of snickers stopped me in my tracks, and I turned toward the source.

It was just some normal-looking disciples exchanging whispers between each other and snickering while looking at Yang Cho.

To some degree, I understood why they were laughing. Perhaps if I were an outsider, a chuckle would have also slipped out and I would have done the same as them.

But this was my friend. This was unacceptable...

Closing my eyes, I felt the simmer of Qi inside myself, and with a heavy nudge, the Qi bubbled up. I was almost there...

I recalled a certain event, of how the large serpent I had met had caused me to freeze in place with its presence. Though I had no such presence, theoretically, I should be able to imitate it.

Though I had no control over my Qi, I was still skilled enough to open the dam gates and have it burst out like a tidal wave. Then I filled that tidal wave with every negative emotion possible and tried to think of my worst memories.

Times when I wanted to hit my manager for talking to me like I was a nobody, that time I wanted to kill Ye An for attempting to murder me. That one inner disciple who came and disturbed my peace.

I wanted to kill them all!

All manner of malice and negative emotions burst through me as Qi mixed with negative emotions burst out, and everyone around me stopped moving.

The people I was targeting seemed to have caught the most of it, as they immediately stopped laughing at Yang Cho and turned toward me. At first, there was a trace of fear behind their gaze, but whether it was due to stupid bravado or bravery, they somehow regained their senses and frowned.

As expected, an imitation of something the snake monstrous beast had done naturally was just that... a poor imitation. This was a poor version of something like Killing Intent. Still, it was not quite there, mostly because I lacked the necessary experience to build something into it.

One of the people in the group who had been snickering at Yang Cho took a step toward me. He looked ready for a fight, but one of his friends put a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. That caused the guy to lose all the momentum of the fighting spirit he had built up, and he no longer even looked at me. Instead, he stared at the ground and tried to make himself less visible.

Even though I likely wouldn't have lost in a fight against him, Song Song's guardianship seemed to protect me from more than inner disciples or outer elders.

"Yo! Liu Feng, what're you doing all the way here?" Yang Cho called out to me with a wide smile.

Deciding not to ruin the mood, I smiled back and walked toward my chubby friend. As I got closer, it felt like Yang Cho had somehow grown taller and even fatter than when I met him.

"It's rare to see you outside of the library these days," Yang Cho said as he sat down on the pavement floor, taking a breather. "Nowadays, people have been busier than usual, if you haven't noticed. We are getting closer to the Beast Wave each day, and any day, the names of those conscripted will be announced."

Despite whether they were going to be picked or not, everyone who had been in the Sect for two years or more was likely training. I should be doing that, too, and there was no room for small talk or secretive meetings in a place like this.

Instead, I went straight to the point and whispered to him, "Don't question this. But if Hu Jin is still in the Sect when the Beast Wave comes around, you should immediately leave even if you aren't drafted. Take my cousins with you too, if you can. They're good kids."

Yang Cho's smile slipped off his face, and he nodded without asking questions. Soon after, the smile returned, and he began telling me the usual gossip he had overheard in the Sect.

"By the way, did you know that Hu Jin defeated an inner sect disciple and actually crippled the guy's cultivation?" Yang Cho stated. "Now an inner elder demands reparations, and Hu Jin is imprisoned."

It was just another of the usual shenanigans that Hu Jin had been involved in since he came here. This was just another piece of gossip...

But this one came with another terrifying realization.

There was actually a good chance that Hu Jin would also be deployed if one of the many people he pissed off since coming here decided to pull some strings from behind the scenes. It could likely be some kind of ploy to kill Hu Jin. But I was willing to bet everything I owned that Hu Jin would only become stronger after the ordeal.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath, now having a hard time keeping my emotions under control.

In this case, both outside and inside of the Sect had the potential to mess things up.

Was there any right choice in this mess?