Fu Liyu led the way through the manor’s compound. They strolled past ponds full of lily pads and broad courtyards where servants scurried about. A young boy in nice clothes giggled and charged past, chased by a pretty handmaid.

Hui turned his head to watch the boy. Qi Gathering. He must be part of the clan.

In the end, it’s easy to figure out. This is the founding of a clan. For now, it’s just the main line, the father and his children. It’s not like the Bai Clan, a prosperous and aged clan… well, the Bai Clan has a few other advantages when it comes to, er, ‘advancing one’s clan’ that most clans don’t.

As to whether or not this clan succeeds… well, that all comes down to their karma.

As they walked, servants bowed all around them, greeting Fu Liyu. She passed by with her head high in the air, used to it. Hui gazed around anxiously, intensely uncomfortable. Even if they aren’t bowing for me… I still don’t like it! Don’t bow, don’t bow! If someone has to bow, let it be me!

“Big Sis!” The little boy ran over and grabbed onto Fu Liyu’s skirts. He beamed up at her. “Big Sis, let’s play catch!”

Fu Liyu’s face softened. She chuckled and shook her skirts gently free of his clutches. “Big Sis is busy, okay? Play catch with the maids. I’ll be right out.”

“But I want to play now,” the little boy complained.

“Run along. If you go play with the maids now, I’ll come out and play with you in a few minutes. Promise,” Fu Liyu said, patting his head.

The boy looked at her, then nodded. “Mhm!” He ran off, dutifully handing his ball to one of the maids.

Fu Liyu gazed after him, a small smile on her face. When she caught Hui looking, she harrumphed and rushed off. “Come. We can’t be long. Father must not know.”

Hui frowned. He focused his vision and trained his third eye on her body. Her qi passages appeared, glowing pale blue. A few glowed more faintly than the others, but no full blockages marred her cultivation. I can clear out her passages, but… it’s not as if she has a serious blockage. “Why not? Elder Si… Young Miss, why…”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Come.”

Ah. She doesn’t want prying ears to know. Hui nodded and followed after her, hurrying through the courtyard.

Together, the two of them tracked toward a small room to the side. One of the maids pushed off the wall and joined them, tucking her hands in her sleeves as she followed. The three of them entered the room together.

As the door slid shut behind them, Fu Liyu closed her eyes and made a few quick hand gestures. A small soap bubble appeared in her hands, and when she threw them out, it expanded to fill the room. “No one should be able to hear us now. We’re isolated.”

Hui’s eyes shone. An isolation barrier! Hmm, I wonder if I could adapt that into my barrier? After all, if I isolate myself completely, isn’t that the perfect stealth technique? And best of all, it’s not a high level technique, so it should be easy to figure out… relatively, anyways. Quietly, he catalogued Fu Liyu’s hand gestures and carefully memorized them for later. When I have some time, I’ll see if I can adapt and combine this barrier with one of my stronger barrier spells.

Fu Liyu’s face suddenly appeared very close to Hui. He startled back, but she grabbed his robes, holding him in place. Hui completely held back his cultivation and let her yank him, even widening his eyes in shock. She stared into his eyes and growled, “Not a word. Not a word about this, or I’ll have your tongue, then your head! Not a single word can escape about this!”

Hui put his hands up. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone!” Ah, see? Words are so valuable. So many things can be resolved by words!

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“Swear an oath. A Dao oath!” Fu Liyu demanded.

Hui swallowed. I absolutely do not want to do that! That sounds like a binding contract, and the thing I hate most in life is binding contracts! The next thing I know, I’ll owe her debt. Absolutely not!

He took a deep breath. With a confused expression, he carefully removed his robes from Fu Liyu’s grasp and stepped back, settling his hems back into place. When he spoke, he spoke quietly, his brows slightly furrowed and a downward cast to his eyes. “Young Miss, I’m but a mortal with some small comprehension of medicine and the flow of one’s energies. I have no Dao to swear by.”

“I’ll be the judge of that!” Fu Liyu stepped forward and put two fingers against Hui’s forehead.

Instantly, Hui killed his cultivation to the utmost. He swayed on his feet. The world dimmed. On the verge of faking death, he drew out death qi and masked his dantian. Alright, go ahead! Do your worst, Fu Liyu! You’ll find no cultivation here.

Fu Liyu’s qi entered his body. She searched around, her qi almost ticklish as it explored, then frowned and retracted her qi. “You’re telling the truth.”

Hui bowed. With a straight face, he replied. “I wouldn’t dare to lie to an immortal!”

Speaking of, what’s with this village calling anyone with cultivation an immortal? Is that how mortals see us? It’s true that we live long lives, but… none of us are immortal. Not until we ascend.

Well, if that’s the case, I should do the same! Ha, even a piddling second stage cultivator can become an immortal, as long as you’re talking to a mortal.

Hmm, it really does depend on your perspective. After all, to a mortal who only lives a single sixty-year cycle and some, someone who lives five hundred years might as well be immortal.

Standing once more, he looked at Fu Liyu. “Young Miss… now that we’re alone, will you tell me what it is that ails you, that you didn’t want anyone to know of, not even your father?”

Fu Liyu took a deep breath. She looked at her servant, who bowed and backed out of the isolation barrier. Turning back to Hui, she shot him a glare. “Show the least hostility, and Mei Yu will tear your throat out in a heartbeat.”

Hui bowed. Not much of a threat. I didn’t sense any cultivation from that Mei Yu. If she’s cultivated at all, she’s only at the Qi Gathering stage.

Fu Liyu paced the room, her face tense. At last, she turned and faced Hui. “You’re a doctor Aunty Wen brought, so I’ll trust your skills.”

Eh, really? It wasn’t much of a test… then again, a clan this small? They might get scammers unable to cure even that low level of injury. Honestly, if I came here with my full cultivation revealed, the clan would probably be on its knees, begging me for help!

But that wouldn’t be any good. I’m avoiding All-Heavens’ attention right now, not growing my renown!

Completely serious, she stared into his eyes. “I’ve had other partners before now. Remove any scraps of their energy from my qi!”

Hui blinked. That’s all?

No, no. I guess in ancient eras, a girl’s purity was tantamount. I can’t judge things by my time period. It’s messed up, but… Hui sighed. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Eld… Young Miss, this small doctor can do that for you. However… may I ask who it is this banquet is being held for?”

“Only the most eligible bachelor in the entire cultivation world. The handsomest, the most powerful, with the highest cultivation speed and most incredible foundation…”

Hui frowned. Most powerful? Fastest cultivator? Could she be talking about… Master?

Almost at the same moment, he shook his head. No, no… I don’t think anyone considered Master an eligible bachelor. He would’ve had to leave his peak for that, if nothing else. And besides, he’s ascended now. If he’s taking Daoist partners, which I doubt he is, he’d take them amongst immortals.

I don’t know what it is, but Master gave off that, er, how do I put it?—single dog, no, um, squab, er, eternal virgin—no, er—that’s it! He gave off a cultivating-purity aura. Yes, yes. A proper and upright cultivator who maintained his purity.

“Naturally, it’s… Bai Xue!” Fu Liyu said with a firm nod.

Startled, Hui almost spat. He shook his head and rubbed his ears. “Bai… Xue?”

“What, you don’t believe he’d come to a small sect like this?” Fu Liyu asked, scowling.

“No, I… er, if it comes to, er, previous partners, I don’t think Bai Xue will discriminate…” Hui said weakly. They’d be a damn hypocrite if they did… but given their personal morals and general take on dual cultivation, I don’t think they’d be bothered regardless.

She makes a good point, though. What’s Bai Xue doing wasting their time with a bunch of tiny sects like this? It’s suspicious. Are they up to something? Hui frowned, putting his hand on his chin.

Fu Liyu turned away with a huff. “If you can’t, just say so!”

Hui waved his hand dismissively, still caught in thought. “I can, I can. It’s trivia…”

Hui! What are you doing? Argh, I’m not here to gain renown! I can’t let my fifth-stage cultivation slip out, not in my qi or in my words! He forced his frown back on his face, rubbing his chin while he gazed intensely at Fu Liyu. “It’s quite difficult, but… with strenuous effort, I believe I can…”

Fu Liyu nodded and pulled open her robes. “Then, let’s begin.”