The other cultivators sighed, full of the same despair Hui felt. He glanced around at them and felt a sudden burst of camaraderie, something he hadn’t felt in any of his lives; not in his first life, not in Starbound Sect, not in Black Asp Sect. He shook his head, exhausted. We’re all in this together, brothers and sisters. Together, we’ll get through this!

Though no one said a word, the pace of their running lowered a beat or two. The more muscular cultivators’ breathing evened out as they took a break, and cultivators like Hui caught up. Hui ran along, his whole body aching. I’ve never faced such torture. Not even under the hands of the loan sharks! At least they would only break my bones and crush my body. They’d never… never… force me to run myself to death!

A blast of white flashed by them. The whole group jumped. A few of the quicker-witted ones, Hui included, sped up once more.

A second later, Ding Lao arrived with a laugh. “A real challenge, for the first time in a long time! I like that girl. She’s got spunk. If only you could also be like her, my pitiful, flabby brothers and sisters… Ah! But if you keep at it, and continue to train your bodies, one day… one day! One day, all my brothers and sisters will be as powerful as that girl, with gorgeous muscles glittering under the sun!” Ding Lao clenched his fist, a wide smile on his face.

“Be like her?”

“No way. Ding Lao approves, so that means… she relied on her physical body alone to move that fast?”

“Never! It’s impossible! Ding Lao and that girl… they’re both freaks!”

Hui gasped, panting too hard to speak. Sweat streamed down his face and back, and his legs ached fiercely. Dammit. I’m going to die! I’m going to sweat out my organs and die! My legs are going to fall apart. I’m dying!

On and on. Liu Baozhai slowed down and ran alongside Ding Lao, who jogged casually alongside them despite their brutal pace, not even sweating. He chattered at Liu Baozhai, who occasionally dipped her head in agreement or uttered a single syllable. Like him, she wasn’t even breathing hard, let alone sweating.

Hui narrowed his eyes in disgust. This… this… I can’t believe it! Chatting up a girl while the rest of us suffer, how could he! And he isn’t even using his qi…

Hui stopped dead. The thought hit him like thunder, roaring through his brain. Wait. He… isn’t even using his qi.

Isn’t using his qi.

When I play dead, I can’t use qi. Body cultivation… isn’t it the ultimate kind of cultivation for me?

“Hey! No slowing down!” Ding Lao shouted.

Hui dropped to his knees and kowtowed to Ding Lao and Liu Baozhai. “Seniors! Please take this small disciple under your wings! I’ll do anything, just… teach me body cultivation!”

Ding Lao’s eyes shone. “You… could it be? Have you gained enlightenment on the art of cultivating one’s muscles? Yes! It seems… you, at the very least, have broken through the first realm of body cultivation, which is… to understand the true value of body cultivation! And on your first day, too. Aha, Junior Brother, it would be an honor to teach one so gifted!”

The other cultivators shot Hui pitying looks, quietly shaking their heads.

He ignored them, instead climbing to his feet to roar off at top speed. His heart thudded, his breath came short, his legs ached, but he ignored all that. My body’s too delicate. I can’t take a lot of hits. On top of that, I need to use qi to attack. Only a little qi with the talismans, but even so, it’s still some qi! If I can learn to attack without qi, I can sneak attack from a position of absolute advantage. If I can develop a tougher body that can take more punishment before I have to get up and give up on playing dead, I can survive more encounters! This—I’m only disappointed that I didn’t think of it earlier.

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Ah! Is that what Master was trying to tell me about when he used body cultivation to piece a robe back together? Was that his way of showing me a body cultivation technique so I could play dead even better? Master! This small disciple truly lacks comprehension! When I return, I ought to bow to Master as apology for my deficient understanding!

Liu Baozhai drew up alongside him, abandoning Ding Lao. She looked at him, then frowned. “Xie… Hao?”

“Ah! Apologies, Elder Sister. This small cultivator is suppressing his death aura,” Hui apologized, ducking his head.

Liu Baozhai nodded, face as flat as ever. She held out her hand.

Hui looked at it, then at her.

“Take it.”

Hesitant, Hui grabbed her hand.

It felt cold and hard under his hand, but quickly warmed up under his touch. A smooth, rocky surface curved away beneath his hand. He frowned. “Feels like… jade?”

She nodded. “White Jade Body Cultivation Technique.”

“Is that your technique?” Hui asked, slightly confused.

Liu Baozhai looked at him. She frowned, just faintly.

“Er, Elder Sister?”

“Inspect it,” she demanded.

“Inspect… it?”

“My hand.”

Hui blinked, then scratched his head. Er… is this… is she a sports girl? Is that why she’s okay with me investigating her hand with qi? Like how Ding Lao doesn’t seem to think of sharing qi as problematic the way everyone else does. He hesitated another second, then sent a bit of qi into her hand to inspect it.

Cold. Hard as stone. Veins and qi passages coiled through her body, as stiff as the rest of her, as if they’d been carved into place.

He yanked his hand away, startled. Their eyes met.

“Not suitable,” she said quietly.

Isn’t your technique a bloodline technique? Of course it’s not suitable for a small cultivator from a nameless mortal family like me!

…Ah, speaking of which. I should give that lady who sent me off some gold. I can do that much.

Wait, but where was my home? I… fell asleep on the way to the sect.

Hui sighed. Oh well, I’ll figure it out.

Still… her body cultivation technique… although I can’t use it, I can use the idea. Transmute the flesh into something stronger, something with magical properties. Leave behind my fleshly body and ascend to a stronger, more permanent form!

But… what?

Hui put a hand on his chin, thinking. Not undead flesh. That’s… I don’t want to become a ghoul. True, they have incredible regenerative power, but…

Hmm… there’s the snake shed’s regeneration technique. I have to lose a skin to use that, though, and currently, I’m only strong enough to use that technique thrice in succession. Besides, I don’t want to rely on that. It’s too obvious! What if I’m badly injured to the point I’ll die, but in a situation where I’m not free to do something so obvious as shed my skin? What if I need to take a beating without being able to shed my skin in the middle of it? I need a tough body for that, a tough body that can regenerate itself without overtly using qi, at that. But… only at the right time! If I immediately regenerate, that could kill my death-faking!

Maybe she’s right. Maybe a technique like that isn’t suited to me at all. I’ll set it aside for now.

Then what about Ding Lao’s technique?

He looked at Ding Lao. Putting a hand to his back, he remembered the rowdy qi that surged into him. With that... I couldn’t help but run. Then… is that his technique? Or is his qi always like that?

The only time my qi was like that, I almost died! Unsuitable, unsuitable! This poor disciple's qi passages aren’t strong enough!

Between the two… if I had to pick one, Liu Baozhai’s technique is closer to what I want! No qi required, a magnificent body that can take a beating far beyond any ordinary cultivator! Ding Lao’s unrivaledly powerful qi and surging energy is not for a humble cultivator like me. I want to play dead, not charge headlong into battle.

It’s settled. White Jade Body Cultivation Technique, I don’t care if you’re a bloodline technique! I’m going to comprehend you… in my own way! Decided, Hui clenched his fist.

“Hey! No slacking!” Ding Lao shouted.

“Understood, Elder Brother!” Hui called back, pushing himself faster. He surged to the front of the pack, ignoring the pain in his body. Until then… anything, to make this body of mine stronger and play dead more successfully!

The other cultivators looked at Hui, sadness in their eyes.

“Ah. He’s gone insane, hasn’t he.”

“He’s lost it. There’s no future for him in cultivation anymore. If he’s fallen in with Ding Lao, from here on out… his only path is body cultivation!”

“Don’t tell me… will we have two Ding Laos from now on?”