Li Xiang frowned. She stood on her tiptoes and shaded her eyes with one hand, frowning. “It’s… all dead?”

Cracked earth spread before them, completely desolate of any life. Brown leaves drooped sadly. Limp stalks sagged. A few roots laid dead along the surface, straggling between the rocks and dried, dead earth.

The guide gaped. He stumbled ahead, boots knocking clumps of dried earth along. “Just a few moments ago, it… I… I saw it myself!”

“How strange. I wonder why they wanted to show it off if it’s all dead,” Hui mused, putting a hand to his chin.

A few of the other cultivators wandered into the patch. One nudged a root with his foot. Another kicked a clump of earth, then jumped back, startled, as a piece of bone appeared under the dirt.

“There’s a powerful yin aura here, alongside a faint hint of death qi, but it seems to have been recently cleansed,” Li Xiang commented under her breath.

“I wonder who did that,” Hui said, trying to hide a grin.

Li Xiang glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She tipped her head. “Is something funny?”

“No. Er, yes, but uh… it’s a secret?” Hui tried.

Li Xiang considered, then nodded.

Lan Taijian huffed. He frowned at the guide. “Is there a reason you’re wasting our time with these… distractions?”

“Er, I… I thought our esteemed guests might want to see some of the sect. Please forgive me for leading you to such boring places. I, er, I thought we’d prepared better,” the guide said, bowing shortly. Sweat dripped down his face. He quickly mopped it up, but not before Hui saw it.

Lan Taijian tucked his arms behind him expectantly. He stared at the guide, his eyes like swords that cut through everything and saw through to the guide’s core. Tilting his head, he quirked a single eyebrow.

Still sweating, the guide swallowed and gestured him on. “Please, this way. No more distractions, I promise.”

Are we heading to the lotus, at last? Hui beamed, unable to hide his glee. He patted his storage ring, thinking about the seed sealed away inside. I’ve already thoroughly disarmed the lotus, but I can’t let my guard down. If I don’t activate my talismans just as the lotus blooms, I won’t catch all the dust inside the barrier, and the fire talismans won’t be as effective!

A quiet ping in the back of his mind caught his attention. Hui closed his eyes, then smiled again as he opened them. Good. Jin Xian is in place.

The other two sects joined them as they walked toward the lotus chamber. Rather than the previous times Hui had entered the chamber, now a wooden ramp led up into the twisting wood passage. Hui glanced around as the sects ascended the ramp. Is the lotus their trump card? Or rather, I should say, trump trap. I wonder if the other sects were brought by the first traps? It wouldn’t be unreasonable. The garden patch is a big area, and the tablet… if I hadn’t weakened the wraiths, I suspect they could have been trotted out multiple times, as well.

Of course, with me disabling the traps, they were in no danger! Actually, now that I think about it, the Southern Sect Conference owes me a favor!

Hmm, but… how can I reveal that I’m the one who disabled the traps without also revealing that I was a demonic cultivator? Er—disguised myself as a demonic cultivator. Hmm, that does sound better, but… He glanced at Lan Taijian. Not while he’s the only one around. He’ll make sure to twist my meritorious service to the Southern Sect Conference as some kind of… horrible attempt to become a demonic cultivator, somehow. I’m sure of it!

Once Master shows up, though…

A green-robed cultivator stepped up beside Lan Taijian. He murmured something into Lan Taijian’s ear. Lan Taijian’s eyes widened, and he murmured something back. The man nodded.

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Lan Taijian turned toward the retinue and waved his sleeve. “I have urgent matters to see to. Carry yourself as representatives of the sect should!”

The disciples all clasped hands to Lan Taijian, Hui and Li Xiang included. With that, Lan Taijian spun around and mounted his sword, shooting into the distance.

Hui watched him go. I wonder what they told him to lure him away. Wish I knew how to get Lan Taijian to leave that easily…

Two other people rose into the sky, following Lan Taijian. Hui recognized neither of them, but based on their clothing and the fluctuations that emanated off of them, they were the leaders of the Silk Heart and Azure Fang retinues. He snorted under his breath. Drawing away all the experts? Makes sense. How crafty, Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect!

Abruptly, Jin Xian reached out to him. A tunnel appeared in his right eye, and a moment later, he saw through Jin Xian’s right eye instead of his own. Hui blinked, startled. Can she do that because she’s a corpse I cultivated, or is this some magical technique of Fang Hua’s that Jin Xian is also able to use?

I’ll have to investigate more into corpse cultivation. I still understand so little about it!

No, no, I mean… I… shouldn’t investigate corpse cultivation any deeper! I’m a righteous cultivator, righteous!

But… but Fang Hua entrusted her future cultivation to me. I can’t simply abandon her, can I? Corpse cultivation might be unrighteous, but… what’s unrighteous about helping a fellow cultivator strengthen her cultivation? I need to learn more about corpse cultivation, but to help my fellow cultivator! That’s all!

Moral quandary decided, he focused on what Jin Xian was seeing. In her eyes, the lotus trembled, bud full and fat, on the verge of blooming. The Black Asp cultivators were being directed into a corner, behind an illusion of a wall. Gu Tian frowned at Jin Xian, confused.

“Xie Hao? Are you alright? You were gone for so long earlier…”

Hui startled. Right, I put Jin Xian in a snakeskin that looks like me—er, Xie Hao! I’m not there, so naturally they think she’s the real one! She even has the death aura I put on when I was Xie Hao…

Can I talk through this link?

Hui reached out mentally. He cleared his throat. Rather than him speaking, Jin Xian spoke. “Elder Brother, please don’t worry. I was merely lost in contemplation.”

Gu Tian furrowed his brows with stern concern. “Stay alert. Now is not the time to lose yourself in thought. The critical moment is upon us.”

“Critical moment?” Hui asked.

“Were you not listening to Master Erlan at all? I—” Gu Tian looked up abruptly and held his hand out, silencing Hui. “Just… follow me!” he hissed.

Hui grabbed Gu Tian’s arm. Glancing around, he drew him a few steps away from the other disciples. He looked him in the eye and reached out with a strand of mental energy, transmitting his voice. “Gu Tian, do you want to return to Starbound Sect?”

Gu Tian’s eyes widened. He bit his lip, then shook his head. “I… I can’t. I’m… and you, you’re a death cultivator!”

“I have a way. A way to get both of us back. If you want it, Gu Tian, I can return you to Starbound Sect! But you have to trust me, and you can’t join in the attack here!”

Gu Tian frowned. “But if I don’t bloom the lotus… Master Erlan will kill me.”

Hui shook his head. “Bloom the lotus. I can—don’t worry about that part. This small cultivator will handle it. But afterwards, you have to stick with me. You can’t attack the sects. If you do that, I’ll vouch for you.”

“I… How? Xie Hao, can’t you tell me how?”

Hui shook his head. “There’s no time. Gu Tian, this is the moment you decide. Do you want to be a sea sponge forever, soaking up the scraps at the bottom of a demonic sect? Or will you return to being a cultivator?”

Gu Tian bit his lip. His hand clenched on his flute, knuckles whitening.

“Xiao Hui, what’s wrong?”

Hui blinked, startled back to his own body. Li Xiang frowned at him, a hand out across his chest. She nodded in front of him. “You were about to walk into the wall.”

Wood blocked off the way ahead. Hui backed off a step and turned. “Ah, I… must not have been paying attention. Many thanks to Elder Sister for saving this small cultivator!”

Li Xiang tilted her head at him. After a moment, she nodded.

Hui put a hand over his left eye, peering back through Jin Xian’s vision. She stood quietly beside Gu Tian, who frowned, gripping his flute tight. He took a deep breath and dropped his hand. I’ve done everything I can. At this point, it’s up to Gu Tian. If he chooses to be a demonic cultivator… then from this moment on, he’s my enemy! If he chooses to become a righteous cultivator again, then I’ll do everything I can to ensure his safety. I’m an inheriting disciple, and he was once a member of Starbound Sect. It shouldn’t be impossible to bring him into the sect, especially not if Master is there to smooth things over with the Sect Master.

He knows more than he’s letting on, both with the past, as well as when it comes Lan Yunxu’s current plans. He might just be a second-stage disciple, but he knows more than anyone but Yunxu and Erlan. If anyone knows why those two are interested in me, it’s him!

The wood tunnel grew narrower, then abruptly widened. Hui and the other cultivators stepped out into the lotus chamber.

“Are those… Qi Seeds?”

“What’s that big flower?”

Li Xiang stepped in front of Hui, drawing her sword. “A Lotus Pill Blossom! Be on guard!”

“On guard… from what?”

Hui’s right eye flickered. In Jin Xian’s vision, Erlan signaled Gu Tian.

Gu Tian stepped forward. He lifted his flute, then hesitated. His eyes flashed to Jin Xian, disguised as Hui.

Hui had Jin Xian nod. Play it! I can destroy the lotus easiest in the moment that it blooms!

Gu Tian took a deep breath and raised his flute to his lips.