“Where is he? Where’s the doctor?” a familiar high-pitched voice demanded.

Hui’s brows twitched. He sat up, slowly opening his eyes and ending his meditation. Ying Lin? What’s she doing now? Hurt her wrist again?

“He’s sleeping. He was injured! Be quiet, Ying Lin, quiet,” Aunty Wen admonished her.

“But… but the snake…”

Snake? Hui touched his neck, then stood up and poked his head out of the hut.

“He’s resting! Leave him alone! And go throw that thing away before it bites someone!” Aunty Wen insisted, standing in front of his hut, her arms out. She frowned at Ying Lin.

Ying Lin stood opposite her. A bulging cloth bag hung from her shoulder. In two dirt-streaked hands, she delicately held a gleaming white snake. The snake laid on its back insistently, exposing its belly to the sun, head cocked back and purple tongue lolling out. At the sight of Hui, her face lit up, and she held the snake out toward him. “Fairy-doctor, please help this snake! It’s a spirit beast, and I think… I think it’s injured!”

That shape… that color… that pose, could it be? Hui took a deep breath. “Zhubi?”

The snake stirred slightly in Ying Lin’s hands, but before it could escape, it fell back into playing dead again.

It’s Zhubi! It’s Zhubi, for sure! Hui smiled and reached for Zhubi. “Hand him here. I’ll fix him up.”

Aunty Wen turned to him with a frown. “You should be resting, not seeing patients! Even if he’s a spirit beast, your health comes first!”

Hui smiled, internally chuckling to himself. How many cultivators would risk their entire lives for a fifth-stage spirit beast like Zhubi? And yet, if they lose their lives going after him, they’d lose their path to immortality. Compared to all those cultivators, Aunty Wen is much wiser!

Externally, he bowed to Aunty Wen. “Small doctor appreciates your concern, but there’s no need to worry. I’m very familiar with this spirit beast. Treating him will not require me to exert myself in any way.”

“If you’re sure…” Aunty Wen said.

Ying Lin gasped. She looked at the snake in her hands, then at Hui. “He’s your pet?”

“Not my pet. He’s a companion of mine. A dear friend,” Hui replied. He gestured for her to hand Zhubi over again.

Ying Lin hesitated again, then passed Zhubi to Hui. The instant Zhubi touched Hui’s hand, he came back to life and slithered rapidly up Hui’s arm to settle around his neck. There, he flicked his tongue at Hui once, as if admonishing Hui for leaving him behind, before curling up and closing his eyes to take a nap.

“A friend…” Ying Lin murmured, a hand on her chin. She squinted at Zhubi, trying to figure it out.

Hui’s third eye ached, suddenly. He rubbed his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. When they opened, he saw thin spirit energy flowing through the air, wafting off Ying Lin. Rather to his surprise, instead of simply wafting off her, some qi also circulated inside her. It was only a trace, the smallest scrap of qi, but it was enough to consider her to have entered Qi Gathering.

Hui stared. He looked at Ying Lin. “You’re a disciple of the Fu Clan?”

Ying Lin frowned. “Huh? No.”

Aunty Wen chuckled. “Don’t be absurd. Us mere peasants have no right to join the Fu Clan. Ying Lin is an orphan, yes, but she isn’t some unknown child of the Fu Clan.”

“Then how can you—” Hui cut himself off. Does that mean she instinctively figured out how to absorb and circulate qi? It’s only at a very low level, but… to do that without any teaching or guidance, that’s exceptional. Practically unheard of! Any sect would be happy to have her.

And this Fu Clan turns up their noses at a talent like that? They have eyes, but they cannot see Mount Tai. Is it simply that they are so arrogant that they refuse to look beyond their bloodline, or are they unwilling to induct even a great talent from outside it? Either way, to refuse an incredible disciple like Ying Lin… I can’t see this Fu Clan going far.

“…Hao? Xie Hao?” Aunty Wen’s face suddenly appeared, inches from his.

Hui jolted back, startled out of his reverie. He blinked and frowned at Aunty Wen. “Eh… huh?”

“See? He’s so exhausted he’s passing out where he stands, and you still bring him a spirit beast to care for? What an inconsiderate child!” Aunty Wen chided Ying Lin, pushing Hui back into his hut. “Xie Hao, go rest up! And you, don’t wake him this time!”

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“No, no, I’m fine, I’m fine,” Hui insisted, but he barely resisted as Aunty Wen pushed him into the hut. He gave Ying Lin a thankful smile as he vanished into the hut.

She waved back, mouthing, Don’t forget about—

The door swung shut before she could finish, but Hui already knew what she’d say. Don’t forget about the banquet. He shook his head, smiling slightly.

I did promise, and I want to go to the banquet for my own ends. If worst comes to worst, I can always disguise her as someone who’s supposed to go to the banquet and have her take their place. Still, it’s best if we actually convince Fu Liyu to select Ying Lin.

It shouldn’t be too hard to convince Fu Liyu to take Ying Lin if I remove that spell array in her body, but I have no idea how to accomplish that. Hmm… I guess it all comes down to visiting the Fu Clan tomorrow.

Hui put his hand on his chin. I’ll bring Ying Lin along with me when I go to visit Han Qin. I want to see how the clan handles her, especially with her talent. Something strange is going on with this clan. I can’t put my finger on what, but I don’t like it.

Aunty Wen knocked on his door. Hui startled and turned. She peeked into the hut and passed him a bowl of congee. “Here. Have some food. I won’t feed you every night, but you’re injured tonight.”

“Ah… thank you,” Hui said. He took the rice and smiled at her.

Aunty Wen nodded back and retreated.

In the silence, Hui stared at the rice. He took a small bite of the rice and spat it out. So bad! It tastes wrong. Nothing like Sis Mei’s congee.

Sis Mei… He twisted his lips and sighed, pushing the bowl away from him, his appetite gone.

Another knock at the door. He reached for the bowl, forcing a smile. “Ah, I was just about to—”

Ying Lin opened the door a handspan and squeezed inside. At the sight of the untouched congee, her eyes lit up. “Ooh! Fairies don’t eat, right? Let me eat that for you, so Aunty Wen won’t suspect.”

Hui pushed the bowl toward her. Ying Lin snatched it up and gobbled it down sloppily. Rice stuck to her lips and ran down her chin.

As she ate, she glanced at him, then gestured with her chopsticks. “Mmm! We need to figure out how to get me invited to the banquet. I thought about it, and just looking pretty isn’t enough. After all, I’m already pretty.”

“First, stop talking when you eat, and don’t point at people with your chopsticks,” Hui replied, but he smiled a little.

“Right! I don’t know how to be fancy. My parents were servants in the manor, but…” She twisted her lips.

Hui nodded. They’re dead, aren’t they? Otherwise, why would she be living alone with Aunty Wen?

Parents… ah, I still haven’t sent that woman any money. The woman who sent me off… was she my mother? Well, one way or another, now that I’ve descended to the mortal world, I should fulfil that promise of mine. When I was lower stages, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find her, but at this level… if I can’t find a mortal like her, no one can.

“Is that snake a fairy, too?” Ying Lin asked suddenly.

Hui glanced at her, then chuckled, raising a hand to stroke Zhubi. “No. He’s a spirit beast. I’m not a fairy either, for that matter.”

“Whatever you say, fairy. Hey, so look.” She set down the empty bowl and pulled out her cloth sack. Lifting the flap, she showed him a spirit herb, still stuck in a clump of earth. “What do you think? Has it been ruined?”

Hui looked at the stalk and twisted his lips. Er… fucked if I know. I can sense spiritual energy from it, but I’m the opposite of an expert when it comes to spirit plants. I have no karma with pills and alchemy, and that includes spiritual herbs. If it was a plant beast, that would be one thing, but unless sensing its life qi is enough to indicate its efficacy, there’s… not much I can do.

Ying Lin looked at his face and tipped her head, confused. “But… isn’t fairy a plant fairy? Shouldn’t you know?”

Hui coughed. “I’m not a fairy, much less a…” Okay, to be fair, I am a plant. “In any case, I think you did your best to harvest that spirit plant, and, er, you probably couldn’t have done any better.”

“But fairy—”

“Learned Sir, maybe? Doctor? I’d even take ‘lowly servant,’ but please, stop calling me fairy,” Hui begged her.

Ying Lin thought for a moment, then glanced at him. “B…benefactor?”

“I haven’t done anything for you yet,” Hui rebuked her.

“But you will!” Ying Lin insisted, her eyes glittering.

I… oh well, whatever. It’s better than fairy. Hui sighed. “You really won’t call me Xie Hao?”

Ying Lin shook her head. “How could I? F…benefactor deserves my respect.”

Hui sighed out. He shoved her toward the door. “Alright, you helped fair… you helped me eat the rice. Go on, go out before you ruin your reputation.”

“Eh? How?” Ying Lin asked.

“Staying in a room with an unknown man, alone at night—”

Ying Lin tilted her head. “But Fu Liyu spends her nights with all kinds of men, and she’s the Young Miss. I heard it from the servants.”

Hui rubbed his temples. “Don’t copy Fu Liyu, okay? She… er, she has her own circumstances.” What kind of rumor was that, anyways? All kinds of men? I only sensed a few auras in her, and most of them belonged to her father or the family physician, both of which would have been left in her during training, or medical treatment. The servants are talking trash about her for sleeping with her fiancé and one other guy?

Eh, well, in this time period… I guess they would.

“Anyways, go, go. Take the bowl back to Aunty Wen and pass her my thanks,” Hui said, pushing her toward the door.

“You’ll come with me tomorrow? When I deliver the herb?” Ying Lin asked, resisting his shove.

Hui nodded. “Of course.” I was going to bring her along anyways. This way, I don’t have to give her an excuse!

Ying Lin beamed at him. She grabbed up the bowl and skipped out the door. “See you tomorrow, then!”

“Ying Lin! What did I tell you about bothering the doctor?” Aunty Wen shouted.

Ying Lin jumped and ran, feet pattering off into the distance. Aunty Wen stomped after her, breathing heavily.

Hui laughed quietly and drew himself upright, slowly entering meditation once more. It’s good to be out here. In the noise. If I was alone, in my sect, I…

He shook his head. Mmm. Now’s not the time for that. The array in Fu Liyu… if I study it a little more, maybe I can figure out why it gave me the same feeling as one of Chen Wuya’s arrays before I head back tomorrow.

…Speaking of, where is Chen Wuya?