Fang Hua’s voice sounded in his mind. “I’m ready.”

Hui took a deep breath. He nodded. “Here I go.”

Circulating his qi, Hui focused on his connection to Fang Hua. He pressed his lips together, still nervous despite everything. The soul is a form of energy, like qi. I should be able to pass it through the connection, the same as my qi.

But… communicating takes energy. What if passing my soul takes so much energy that I never make it to the other side?

He hesitated another few moments, then shook his head. This time, my back is up against a wall. If I don’t risk my life here, I’ll waste away here, assuming Senior Chen Wuya doesn’t decide to kill me first. I either make it out of this realm, or die!

Grabbing onto the spider’s thread of his connection to Fang Hua, Hui poured himself into it, sending not just his qi, but his soul, and Gu Tian’s soul, as well. Chen Wuya reached out, but the second he touched Hui, Hui felt the connection straining. If the connection was spider’s silk, it frayed, barely a single thread still connected.

Hui frowned. “Patriarch, sir! You’re going to trap us all here!”

Chen Wuya released his hold. Instantly, the connection restrengthened. Hui rushed into it, leaving the dusty poppy field behind.

Eh? It was that easy? Senior seemed as if he’d do anything to escape, but he let go of me from that?

Maybe I misjudged how much he wants to escape…?

Darkness spread in all directions around Hui. The second he lifted his eyes away from the connection, the connection grew faint. Hui turned his eyes back to the connection, refusing to look away. If I get lost in that void, I’ll never escape! Don’t look away, Hui. This is the most important part!

A distant light glimmered in the darkness. Hui surged toward it. Something reached toward his ankle, scraping an inch by his skin. Hui yanked his ankle away and pushed faster. Come on, come on! He reached out, eyes narrowed.

Sunlight. A warm breeze. Bright poppies and blue skies. Hui took a deep breath. I’m free!

He reached out. His hand faded, translucent. Qi leaked out of his soul. He bit his lip, then looked at the lotus seed, bursting with life qi. If I enter that now… will the life qi destroy my soul?

Dammit, it’s that or die out here! Hui braced himself and charged into the lotus seed.

Life qi bored into his soul. It flowed all around him, brilliant and golden, wearing away at what little remained of his death qi. Hui withered up, repressed by the life qi. A sense of deadly crisis came over him as he drowned in life qi, the thick qi completely erasing the scraps of death qi that remained in his soul.

No. Come on, you can do this. The two-dantian system! He burrowed into a corner of the seed and pushed out with his death qi, opening up a void. Taking a breath, he closed his eyes and reached out with his death qi. Using a thin strand, hovering it over the life qi, he slowly worked the life qi into motion. From motion, to a circulation. The other life qi began to move, following the motion he’d initiated. From the circulation, it began to form an orb, then circulate inside that orb.

Okay, that’ll stand in for my dantian. Then next, qi passages and meridians! Using the strand of death qi, Hui drew out strands of life qi. The orb formed the center. Narrow strands stretched out from it. One by one, Hui connected them, knitting them into a network. The network took shape, creating his torso, then his limbs, then his head. A human shape formed within the seed, bursting with life qi.

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And now… Hui licked his lips, nervous. He wiggled out of his void in the seed and inserted himself into the body, superimposing his soul the same way it superimposed in his normal body.

For a long moment, Hui held his breath, expecting the life qi to ruin him again. Nothing happened. He let out the breath, and his new body became his. His limbs, his torso, his head. Hui blinked, but only saw darkness. He stretched, reaching out. A thin line of light burst open along the horizon almost like the rising sun, warm and… delicious? Weird.

I’m not being rejected. I didn’t end up back in that realm. Building a body just for me… seems to have worked!

Well, it makes sense. Didn’t Chen Wuya say? The realm rejects anyone with the soul-transferal magic on them. I didn’t transfer my soul into this body, I built it around my soul. So of course it isn’t rejected.

A dark casing cracked open around him. He poked a hand out and grabbed the casing, climbing out from within. Hui raised a hand to his eyes and looked around.

Trees stood tall all around him. He stood on a dark plains, devoid of any grass or undergrowth. Huge smooth boulders piled loosely atop dark, rich earth.

Something went horribly wrong. Where am I? Did I end up in another realm entirely?

A massive shadow fell over Hui. Something huge drew close, looming over him. He flopped onto his face, instinctively playing dead. Without enough death qi, he couldn’t repress his life aura entirely, but he tried his best.

“Xiao Hui?” Fang Hua asked, her voice oddly deep.

Hui blinked. He climbed to his feet and peered up.

A giant stood over him. Prominent, dark veins crawled over pale skin, and dark eyes squinted down at him, trying to see him better. The giant extended a black-nailed hand to him, a hand as long as he was tall. “Xiao Hui, is that you?”

“Fang Hua? When did you get so big?” Hui asked, hurrying toward her. Halfway there, he looked down, then frowned. Petals sprouted over his body, forming robes that covered pale green skin. A vine wrapped around his hair, tying itself into a ponytail. He climbed onto Fang Hua’s hand, and she lifted him to eye level.

“You’re tiny. Like a doll!” she said, grinning.

From Fang Hua’s eye level, the trees he’d seen became poppies, the boulders pebbles, the rich earth topsoil. Hui took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. He frowned, looking at his tiny hands. “What went wrong?”

“At least you’re here, and have a body, now,” Fang Hua pointed out.

“But… I’m so small,” Hui said, patting himself down. The lotus beast always grows to full size. Why did I start so little?

“It’s cute. You could sell Hui dolls,” Fang Hua suggested, poking his cheek with a fingertip. He scowled at her, but she only beamed back. “Too adorable.”

“Elder Sister,” Hui complained, giving her his firmest look.

Fang Hua put a hand to her cheek and grinned. “Aww.”

Hui sighed. I don’t think Fang Hua is going to take me seriously as long as I’m like this.

A little voice in the back of his head whispered: And? What’s different?

Frowning at himself, Hui walked to the edge of Fang Hua’s hand and peered down at himself. “I got out, but what are we going to do about that?” Who’s going to carry my body? I can’t, and Fang Hua…

Fang Hua knelt and grabbed him by the belt. “Hup.” With one smooth movement, she lifted him one-handed and slung him over her shoulder.

…is a fourth-stage cultivator and could carry fifty of me without breaking a sweat! Hui finished.

Zhubi hesitated, still playing dead, then darted upright. He charged at Fang Hua. Hui braced for impact, and Fang Hua lifted her claws.

Mid-charge, Zhubi became his usual small self and flew through the air. His long body caught Hui’s neck with its tail, and he wrapped himself around Hui’s neck, settling into his usual place with a satisfied sigh.

Thank goodness. I have no idea how I’d communicate with Zhubi right now. He might try to eat this small me!

“Where to now?” Fang Hua asked. She looked at Hui, then lifted her hand to her head.

Hui sighed internally, but climbed onto her head. He sat down cross-legged and pointed. “Back to Li Xiang. I need to bring her across, too.”

The world bucked beneath him as Fang Hua nodded. Fang Hua set off across the poppies at a run. The wind billowed around Hui, attempting to pluck him off her head. He hunkered down and grabbed onto her hair, eyes squinted against the wind. I need to get big soon, before Fang Hua accidentally leaves me behind!

That reminds me… Hui cleared his throat. “Fang Hua, did you see anyone else lying in the poppies? Maybe… a low-realm plant cultivator? Er, you may know him… Gu Tian?”

“Gu Tian? I saw him, but… he was in bad shape,” Fang Hua said.

Hui frowned. Gu Tian is a lower tier than myself or Li Xiang… Especially if Li Xiang was originally an expert powerful enough to be selected as Lan Taijian’s master, the master of the Sect Master’s son. If he isn’t doing well… he might actually be in danger. He patted Fang Hua’s head for her attention. “Let’s go there first.”

Fang Hua nodded and shifted slightly, running off in a different direction. Hui held onto her hair and pressed his lips together. Gu Tian… I hope your body is fine!