Amongst the motion of the room, the chattering cultivators and bustling servants, an aura caught Hui’s attention. He turned and subtly surveyed the room, searching for the aura’s source.
Han Qin, dressed as a servant, edged around the back of the banquet hall. He glanced left and right, then lifted a curtain and ducked into the rear of the hall.
Hui stood. “Elder Sister, I have something urgent to attend to. Please watch Ying Lin for me.”
“Hmm? Is something happening? Are people using my name for evil?” Bai Xue asked.
“Perhaps. I’m not sure exactly what their goal is, but given that they’ve deliberately gathered so many lower-level cultivators in one place… I can’t imagine it’s anything good,” Hui said darkly.
Bai Xue nodded. “In that case, I’ll cooperate with you. When you need a distraction, let me know.”
What kind of distraction… no, I shouldn’t ask. In any case, Bai Xue is reliable. If she says she’s going to make a distraction, I can trust that she will. Hui nodded. “Understood, Elder Sister.”
Bai Xue narrowed her eyes at Mo Gonglu, licking her lips hungrily. “He’s trained himself thoroughly with yin energy. That man is practically simmering with yang.”
“He… what?” Ying Lin asked.
“Ying Lin, you’ll understand when you’re older,” Hui said quickly, before Bai Xue could explain the gory details. “Bai Xue… don’t corrupt Ying Lin.”
“No promises,” Bai Xue replied.
Hui started to go, but hesitated. “Bai Xue, this has been thought up by three cultivators. One is Fu Renyi, a fifth-stage cultivator, and another is that imposter Mo Gonglu, a fourth-stage cultivator. I’m not sure what the final member, Han Qin’s, level is, but I’d assume at least fourth. I’ll try to handle the fifth-stage cultivator I know about, but I can’t guarantee he’s the only one. Stay on guard.”
Bai Xue gave him a nod.
Hui hesitated another moment, but couldn’t wait any longer. Han Qin’s aura is fading. I have to go. He gave Bai Xue one last stern look, then hurried across the hall.
Bai Xue watched Hui go, then smiled at Ying Lin. “Come, come, sit. Drink with Elder Sister.”
Ying Lin sat hesitantly. She glanced at Hui’s back and shook her head. “I shouldn’t drink.”
“Let me at least teach you a trick or two,” Bai Xue insisted, smiling deviously. “This Elder Sister is a powerful cultivator. It’s quite the fortune for me to share techniques with you, you know?”
“Are you an immortal?” Ying Lin asked.
“Eh? No. I’m far, far below an immortal,” Bai Xue asked.
Ying Lin’s brows furrowed. “But… you seem as powerful as Fu Liyu.”
“Fu Liyu isn’t an immortal… ah. I see. No, no. We’re all cultivators, Ying Lin. We’re striving for immortality. We are not immortal. Fu Liyu is much weaker than myself or Xiao Hui, nowhere near an immortal.”
“I’ve been using the wrong term my whole life? But… all the servants…” Ying Lin asked.
Bai Xue waved her hand. “Small clans like that like to put on airs. They think it’ll make them look stronger, not knowing how absurd it looks to all the rest of the cultivators. We laugh at tiny, backwater clans like Fu Liyu’s.”
“Laugh at… then, Fu Liyu’s clan… that is, the Fu Clan… is a very small clan?” Ying Lin asked, confused.
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“Yes. In fact, the sect Xiao Hui comes from could be considered a small sect, and it has thousands of times the disciples of your Fu Clan,” Bai Xue explained.
“That many immortals—I mean, cultivators? Aren’t they rare?” Ying Lin asked, staggered by the scale.
Bai Xue smiled. “Listen to Elder Sister. I’ll explain everything.”
--
As Hui drew close to the curtain, Mo Gonglu suddenly stood. He waved at the beauties surrounding him. “I’ll be right back, cuties! You just hold tight!”
A dozen girls cooed back, waving their goodbyes.
Hui looked at the great bouquet of flowers Mo Gonglu had gathered, then at the room. Aside from a few particularly dull stragglers, Bai Xue, and the green-with-envy Fu Liyu, every girl clustered around Mo Gonglu’s chosen seat. Hui shook his head. I’m surprised Bai Xue isn’t jealous. Or could it be her standards are simply too high for these low-ranked cultivators? It isn’t as if she’s entirely undiscerning when it comes to her partners.
He wandered over to the curtain, casually pressing against the wall and crouching down as if exhausted. Quietly, he listened to the voices behind the curtain.
“… this banquet is nice. I can already tell my cultivation will improve by leaps and bounds. We should hold another banquet in a year or two, so I can fully ascend to fifth stage.”
Mo Gonglu? No way he’s the mastermind. I won’t believe it, Hui thought.
“You press your luck!” Han Qin snapped.
There was a pause. Clothes rustled. “Mo Gonglu, please. Have mercy on our small clan. Isn’t this enough to keep our secret?”
Mo Gonglu sneered. “One banquet isn’t enough. Don’t forget, you’re the ones who approached me and offered a bribe to keep me from acknowledging my son. I’d quite happily acknowledge Fu Yinfei as my child, if it wasn’t for you.”
Wait, isn’t Fu Yinfei Fu Renyi’s child? Fu Renyi and Mo Gonglu had a child? How? They’re both men! They—
Calm down, Hui, calm down. Even in this wide world where men can become women, it isn’t as though everyone is Bai Xue. Think. Use logic.
Mo Gonglu was Fu Liyu’s fiancé. I know he left his aura in her. And I’ve seen Fu Liyu treat Fu Yinfei with unusual gentleness. Following that logic… isn’t it more likely that Fu Yinfei is Fu Liyu and Mo Gonglu’s child, rather than Fu Renyi’s?
How terrible! She must have been carrying his child when he broke up the marriage. Not only did he go ahead and continue the breakup, but he also held his acknowledgement of his own child over the clan’s head to blackmail them into holding a banquet for him to roleplay Bai Xue and cavort with all kinds of women. That Mo Gonglu… I thought he was scum, but he’s truly a scum amongst scum!
Hui frowned. But… where does the array inside Fu Liyu come in? And why did Han Qin kill me? Because I might have discovered that Fu Yinfei was Fu Liyu’s child? It’s possible, but… no, that doesn’t feel right. Especially if they approached Mo Gonglu with this… ‘bribe.’ Isn’t it more likely that it’s a trap?
“We can talk about what else you’re going to do to keep that secret of yours later. For now, bring out the good alcohol. The swill you’re serving up now barely has two hundred years on it.” Mo Gonglu stomped back through the curtain. Hui barely had time to turn away before he pushed by.
Mo Gonglu cast him a look, then paused and scoffed. “I bet you dream of this kind of thing. Unfortunately, a servant like you will never be able to achieve such glory.”
Hui blinked at him. Elder Brother, I have to fight the real Bai Xue out of my bed. I’m constantly beset by beauties your flowers over there couldn’t hold a candle to. You… really have no idea who you’re talking to.
Mo Gonglu smirked and swaggered by, holding his arms out to the ladies. “Don’t you fret. Bai Xue’s back!”
Hui stared after him, then shook his head. …What a scum.
Voices from the far side of the wall caught his ear once more. Hui stilled, focusing.
“Is it ready?” Fu Renyi asked.
“Nearly. It needs a bit more time to charge,” Han Qin replied.
“We can extend the banquet until tomorrow morning, but no longer. Ensure the array is ready by then.”
“We’re nearly there. No need to rush.”
“We’ll run out of wine,” Fu Renyi explained flatly.
Han Qin fell silent. After a moment, he snorted. “By tomorrow, then. No later.”
Two sets of footsteps approached the curtain. Hui pushed away from the wall and grabbed a jug of alcohol, quickly joining the servants in filling cups. He made his way around the hall and quietly rejoined Bai Xue, slipping in beside her. Ying Lin scooted to the side to make room for him, and somewhat uncomfortably, he took the spot she opened.
“So?” Bai Xue asked quietly.
“There’s some kind of array,” Hui explained.
“Where?” Bai Xue asked, glancing around.
Hui shook his head. “That… I don’t know. Bai Xue, protect me. I’m going to search for the array. If worst comes to worst, I may need your distraction.”
Bai Xue chuckled. “I’ve been waiting all night for my opportunity. Just say the word.”
Hui settled his breathing and entered the lotus pose. Entering a meditative state, he stretched his mental energy around him, searching for the telltale qi signature of an array. Where is it? They said it’s charging, so it must have qi. If I find it, I can study it, and once I study it, I can understand it and dismantle it!
But first, I have to find it.