Gu Tian lifted his flute to his lips. Hui turned back around and pressed his hands against the lotus blossom again. This time, he quietly reached out to the qi inside the blossom, sensing its composition.

Mostly qi, laced with life qi. Ah, oh well. I’ll take it. Any life qi is better than none, and I can always use the qi to advance my cultivation base.

Not too much, though! I don’t want to draw Senior Heavenly Tribulation before I’m ready!

Hui turned to Gu Tian, his expression serious. “I’m going to draw her out. Gu Tian, you help call her to the surface with your arts, then I’ll pull her free.”

Gu Tian nodded.

“Elder Brothers, could you please be ready in case she turns hostile?”

“Hostile? Isn’t it love?”

“Oh well, it’s fine.”

“As long as you don’t draw anyone here. Be quick about it. And quiet!”

“On my signal.” He turned back to the lotus.

Within the lotus, Bai Jingwen pressed her hands against Hui’s. She tipped her head, as if trying to understand, but her eyes remained as lifeless and clouded as before.

I shouldn’t think of her as Bai Jingwen. The previous lotus woman didn’t have Bai Fenfeng’s consciousness, after all. She’s merely a lotus monster using the face of Bai Jingwen. I have to be prepared to fight!

She’s an immature lotus blossom, so hopefully that means she’s weaker than Bai Fenfeng! If not… if not, we’ll just have to hope she’s not hostile!

Hui lifted his hand to his storage ring and swapped Jin Xian toward the surface, ready to grab her out at a moment’s notice. He nodded at Gu Tian and began to draw qi from the lotus.

Lotus-Bai Jingwen frowned. Her hands clenched slightly.

The first notes of the flute sounded out, plaintive and yearning. Gu Tian swayed slightly, his hair flowing on the wind. His fingers danced over the flute. The notes climbed higher. Faster and faster, soaring upward.

Bai Jingwen’s brow furrowed. She blinked, and her misty eyes grew clearer, as if on the verge of waking up.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Hui drew more qi from the lotus, circulating it into his dantian. Almost subconsciously, he followed the pattern of circulation he’d comprehended from the piece of Mount Mu earlier. Qi coursed through his body, forming new, slender qi passages through every inch of his skin. His body burned. Every iota of flesh ached, qi burning as it twisted into his muscles and organs. He trembled and nearly released the lotus.

Dammit! Even magical body cultivation hurts? No one told me it would hurt!

Gritting his teeth, Hui pushed on, determined. Veins stood out on his forehead, and sweat dripped down his forehead. I’ve already taken the first steps. I can’t stop now.

As he drew out and circulated the lotus’ qi, Bai Jingwen pressed up against the lotus petals. Her hands pushed into his, and he grabbed her hands and pulled. Soft, petal-like flesh gave under his hands. Her body had as much resistance as a ripe fruit. The slightest squeeze would burst her apart.

Even as he thought it, one of her hands crushed under his grasp. Hui jolted and looked up into her shiny black seed-like eyes, but no pain crossed her face. A second later, her hand reformed, as perfect as it had ever been.

Hui’s eyes widened. My body cultivation is that of petrification, of becoming crystal. But… petrification comes from wood. If I can also comprehend the dao of plants and plant bodies, I can incorporate both the hardness and situational healing of crystal, as well as the softness, powerful regeneration, and the deformable bodies of soft-stemmed plants. After all, Bai Jingwen doesn’t appear to be in pain, despite that gruesome injury! If I can fake injuries more easily, while feeling no pain, then won’t I be able to fake my death in new and impressive ways?

I wonder… I am in the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect, a sect that specializes in plants. Do they have a plant-based body cultivation technique? I imagine it wouldn’t suit me perfectly, but I could adapt it to my comprehension of petrified wood and soft plants!

Once I’m out of here, I should ask Ding Lao about it!

As he drew qi out of the lotus through Bai Jingwen, he quietly inserted a bit of qi into her body, examining her qi passages and the flow of her qi. She emerged slowly, her body forming out of the petals and the soft flesh of the lotus. Like the petrified wood, many small passages course through her flesh, but unlike the wood, the passages weren’t rigid. Instead, they flowed like water, constantly in flux, almost as if she had no passages at all, but merely free-flowing qi moving throughout her body!

She stepped forward. Petals wrapped around her body, becoming robes. Her soft feet pressed against the earth, and she stumbled. Hui caught her, guiding her away from the lotus. His connection to the lotus cut off, and he no longer drew in qi or life qi. His body cultivation slowed without the constant influx of qi, the new passages grinding to a halt.

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He looked into Bai Jingwen’s eyes. “Elder Sister?”

Bai Jingwen blinked. Her hands clasped Hui’s. She took a stumbling step forward and almost fell, legs as wobbly as a young deer’s. Hui caught her, but her hands squished into pulp. She fell. Her forearms and knees disintegrated into a pile of green goo.

“Gross!”

“Is she… okay?”

“There’s something wrong with her.”

Gu Tian kept playing the flute, but his notes faltered. He took a breath and lowered the flute.

A vicious light gleamed in Bai Jingwen’s eyes. Her limbs surged, growing rapidly.

“Elder Brother, keep playing!” Hui snapped. He stepped back from Bai Jingwen and casually put a hand on the lower bulb of the lotus. He continued to draw qi and life qi from the lotus, siphoning the life qi into his dantian while he circulated the qi into his body.

Gu Tian startled and raised the flute again. Bai Jingwen’s eyes turned hazy again. She laid there on the ground, regenerating quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Hui glanced at the lotus as he continued to siphon away qi. The lotus grew paler and paler, from black and deep, deep purple to charcoal and violet. The petals began to wilt at the edges, drooping away from the tight bud.

That’s enough! Any more, and it’ll be too obvious. I don’t want anyone to suspect that the lotus is in bad shape… or worse, to try and charge this small cultivator for damages!

Hui dropped his hand from the lotus. He stepped toward Bai Jingwen. “Elder Sister, can you hear me?”

Bai Jingwen blinked at him. Her lips twitched. Her limbs reformed, and she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

Hui held his hand behind his back and flickered his fingers over the storage ring. Jin Xian appeared silently behind him. She licked her fangs, narrowing her eyes at Bai Jingwen.

“Elder Sister, do you remember me?” he tried.

“Something’s gone wrong…”

“The beauty’s all… gushy.”

“Get ready. She isn’t stable.”

The triplets gestured. One drew his sword, while another summoned fire with a flick of his sleeve. The third raised his fists.

Gu Tian continued to play his flute, but backed slowly away from Bai Jingwen.

Bai Jingwen staggered forward. She twitched, off-balance. Her eyes rolled back, and she threw back her head.

Dammit! Hui threw out a handful of talismans. Barriers closed in around Bai Jingwen, one golden layer after another.

Bai Jingwen howled. The barrier muffled the sound. The powerful sound waves slammed into the barrier and shattered it apart one layer at a time. The second the final barrier broke, Jin Xian and the sword-wielding triplet raced in. The second triplet threw gouts of fire at Bai Jingwen, and Hui threw out a fistful of fire talismans.

Fire broke in waves over Bai Jingwen. Her arms went up in fire. She screamed in horror and backed away, staring at her flaming arms. Her arms crinkled to black charcoal and fell off, but a second later, new arms grew.

Jin Xian lashed out. Green wires flew from her fingertips. Bai Jingwen spun and charged at Jin Xian, unaware of the wires. The green wires caught on Bai Jingwen and sunk into her skin. Jin Xian drew her hand back, manipulating her fingers. Bai Jingwen went slack, then jerked away, drawn by the threads.

Yes! Puppeteering arts are the best! When they aren’t used against me, that is. Hui grinned, already relaxing.

Bai Jingwen dug in her heels and stopped herself dead. The green threads strained at her, attempting to pull her free. She reached up and yanked blindly at the green wires. Like thread through dough, the wires cut through her soft flesh and broke free.

Hui’s eyes widened. Her body’s too soft for the wires to get a good hold! With a body cultivation art like that, I’ll never have to fear the Xi clan again. I need it, I need it!

He darted in, drawing the black dagger. Bai Jingwen whirled to face him. She bared her teeth and lunged, raking her claws. Her hand blurred, moving faster than Hui could see, let alone counter. Hui’s eyes widened. I’m dead!

Jin Xian leaped in front of him, blocking Bai Jingwen’s attack with her own claws. Claws flashed. Bai Jingwen’s claws continuously collapsed and reformed, but despite that, she fought Jin Xian on even footing.

Hui backed away, lowering the dagger. Dammit! She’s too fast. I need to back her into a corner somehow.

Or… stop her where she stands!

“Jin Xian!” Hui shouted, throwing out talismans. They struck the floor, forming a line in front of him. Jin Xian instantly fell back, darting to Hui’s side. Bai Jingwen charged after her, eyes blank.

As she crossed the line of talismans, Hui snapped his fingers. Ice charged up at Bai Jingwen. She flinched and leaped into the air. The ice caught her leg.

Rather than allow the ice to catch her, Bai Jingwen instantly severed her leg and continued upward. She landed and hopped, listing to the side. A vine twisted out of her severed leg and slowly grew thicker, vine bending into joints, the bud on the end sprouting toes, a heel, and growing into a foot.

Her regeneration is slowing. Good! We can defeat her!

Hui glanced at Bai Jingwen. She battled Jin Xian, hobbling backward on a too-small leg. Jin Xian pressed her back, outmatching her at the moment. Seeing he had a moment, he slashed at the ice, cutting the leg free. He waved his sleeve and collected the leg into his storage ring. Now I can study the leg later, at my leisure. It’s a stretch, but with some luck, I might be able to connect the petrification and the soft deformation technique, even if I can’t find a Mysterious Heavenly Forest body cultivation technique!

“Watch out!”

“Behind!”

“She’s coming!”

Hui dropped to the ground, going limp. Claws raked through the air where he’d been seconds ago. Bai Jingwen snarled, but before she could chase him, Jin Xian materialized. She whirled and kicked Bai Jingwen in the head. Bai Jingwen’s neck tore. Green and purple gunk splattered over Hui and the ground. Bai Jingwen stumbled back a step. A bud appeared from her neck, quickly blossoming into another head. The new head bared its teeth at Jin Xian, and the two rushed at one another again.

Bai Jingwen and Jin Xian fought back and forth over him. They trampled over Hui, martial arts slippers slamming down on his back, arms, hips, and legs. Hui flinched, gritting his teeth. Good thing I fell on my face! I’d be ruined if I fell on my back!

Jin Xian stomped her foot on Hui’s back and landed a fierce kick on Bai Jingwen. Her foot scythed through Bai Jingwen’s midriff and cut her in two horizontally.

Hui jumped up, unwilling to be trampled any longer. He threw a dozen talismans at Bai Jingwen’s lower half. Fire roasted her legs, burning them to cinders.

The second triplet charged at Bai Jingwen’s upper half, throwing handfuls of fire. Her body withered up. She diminished down to a single seed.

The triplets paused. Hui hefted a handful of talismans.

“Is she… dead?”