Hui rushed forward, interrupting Bao Huli’s line of sight. “Ying Lin, why don’t we disciples get in some practical practice?”

“I still haven’t finished lecturing,” Ji Taiyu said.

Bao Huli threw herself in front of Ji Taiyu, batting her long eyelashes. “This disciple doesn’t understand. Master, please explain it a second time, just for me?”

Ji Taiyu drew himself upright. “Ah, if you insist. You see here, disciple…”

Ying Lin frowned at Hui as he dragged her off. “I was still learning!”

“Ying Lin, that Bao Huli is a dangerous being. She’s targeting Ji Taiyu for now, but who knows when she’ll switch her target to you or me? We’re better off playing it safe and not drawing her ire,” Hui explained hurriedly.

“Dangerous? Should we leave?” Ying Lin asked.

Hui considered, then shook his head. In the end, she’s a fox demon at the same stage as myself. I ought to be able to fight her, if worst comes to worst, and she really has no reason to target Ying Lin or myself, as long as we don’t get between her and her victim. I suppose I’ll step in if she attempts to drain all of Ji Taiyu’s life essence, but she’s been reasonable so far, and I’m not one to meddle in the affairs of others if I don’t have to.

For all I know, Ji Taiyu is perfectly aware that Bao Huli is a fox, and this whole Master-Disciple thing is some weird roleplay, after all. In any case, as long as no one’s life is endangered, this small cultivator will happily abide by the principles of noninterference.

“Then… can Master describe the movement technique to me?” Ying Lin asked curiously.

Hui cleared his throat. “Er, I… I…” Right, right. Ying Lin still needs a movement technique!

Ying Lin tilted her head, gazing up at him innocently.

“I—think it’s better to learn by doing! Ying Lin, here.” He tapped her forehead, temporarily opening her eye apertures.

Ying Lin gazed around in awe. “Master… all this light, is it—”

“It’s qi. Watch me, and circulate your qi like I do! Compared to that Ji Taiyu’s technique, mine is superior… ahem, better suited to fleeing, which is more important than fighting! Ah, it can be used in battle too. It’s an adaptation of the Bai Clan technique…” Hui paused. Wait. I could only use that because I could swap between qi and death qi, or qi and life qi. Can Ying Lin use it?

“An adaptation?” Ying Lin asked.

Well… well, putting aside the swap-step, a beginner can still use the rest of the movement technique. Until she learns to process life or death qi… or any other kind of qi, she can use the basic steps of the technique. Hui nodded. “Out of respect for the Bai Clan, I really shouldn’t pass this down, but Bai Xue has harassed me enough. Consider this revenge for your sexual harassment, you horny furnace!”

“Eh, revenge?” Bai Xue asked from within Hui’s robes, his voice deep once more.

Hui almost jumped out of his skin. He batted at his robes wildly as if a bug ran around inside them, and finally pulled out the very last piece of a smoldering talisman. When did I… wait. When Mortal transferred all his equipment to me… that talisman he used to talk to Bai Xue, did he not fully extinguish it? Mortal, hey! There’s no need to sabotage me. Same team, same team!

“Sexual harassment? What’s that? It sounds like fun,” Bai Xue said, laughing.

“Greetings, Senior,” Ying Lin said, bowing to the talisman.

“Oh! Your cute little disciple is there, too? Greetings, greetings. Xiao Hui, don’t tell me, did you call me for a dual cultivation technique? It’s too early for you and that disciple, too early!”

From across the way, Bao Huli looked up sharply. Her eyes glittered with a dangerous light.

“Bai Xue! Now is not the time to talk about—about that kind of thing!” Hui hissed, glancing back at Bao Huli. You’re going to get me and my disciple targeted by a demon fox, you know!

“You never think it’s time to talk about it, but it’s always time to talk about dual cultivation,” Bai Xue replied lazily, yawning.

“Master, what’s dual cultivation?” Ying Lin asked.

Bai Xue chuckled. “When a pair of cultivators love each other very much… or even a little bit, honestly... or they think each other is attractive, and they’re kind of bored—”

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“Bai Xue!” Hui interrupted him.

“Ah, I was joking. Really, it’s just the name for techniques to swap qi between cultivators. People like to fetishize it, but it’s as simple as that. It can be very beneficial… or not, it depends on who uses it, and how. Fundamentally, it’s not that different from any other cultivation technique, it’s just one that’s more often abused and misused than the rest of them.

“Anyways, Hui, what happened? You said you were about to die,” Bai Xue asked, getting down to business at last.

“That was a different clone. I think… he’s probably fine, now? He’s…” Hui reached out to the node for the mortal clone, but saw only darkness. “Underground? Anyways, you know we’re very resilient.”

“Mmm. I’d like to test that resilience, one day,” Bai Xue murmured to himself thoughtfully.

Hui narrowed his eyes at the talisman and shook his head, refusing to indulge Bai Xue.

“Master, what about the movement technique?” Ying Lin asked.

Hui nodded. “That’s right. Bai Xue, I’m going to pass your clan’s movement technique down to Ying Lin.”

“Xiao Hui… are you looking to owe me a big favor?” Bai Xue hummed, a strange energy in his voice.

“You can pet my hair all you like!” Hui grit out.

“Bigger,” Bai Xue insisted.

“You—” Hui started, but then sighed. Ah, oh well. I already owe him a dozen favors. What’s one more? “Fine, whatever.”

“Really? Whatever?” Bai Xue asked, excited.

“Not—not whatever! But something.”

Bai Xue clicked his tongue. After a moment, he sighed. “I was only teasing you, anyways. I don’t really mind. You’ve adapted it so much that it’s basically your own technique. Besides, Father likes you, so it’s just a matter of convincing Mother, and she doesn’t much care one way or another, since… you’re practically family.”

Practically family? Hui wondered. He bowed to the talisman. “My thanks, Bai Xue.”

Ying Lin leaned toward Hui. “Master… disciple has been wondering something for a while, now.”

“Hmm? Go ahead,” Hui said, moving to snuff the talisman for certain this time.

“Is Bai Xue… your lover?”

Hui froze.

From the other end of the talisman came raucous laughter. “I would be, if this prude ever opened his legs! Ah, Xiao Hui, don’t forget, you’re still my fiancé… Talk to you later, my love.”

With that, the talisman burned out.

“Fiancé? Ah! Disciple understands,” Ying Lin said, nodding.

Still frozen, Hui stared at the ash slipping between his fingers. My fiancé? I—I completely forgot! At the time, it was necessary, but after all this time… after all this time, I never took it back! If I’d taken it back immediately, everyone would understand, but by now it’s a misunderstanding that’s lasted years! I’m going to look as scummy as Mo Gonglu if I take it back now!

Bai Xue, you never clarified that? You never explained it to your mother?

Argh, why would they? They probably think it’s all a big joke! And it keeps them from getting paired up with some random other cultivator they don’t care for. Dammit, dammit… What a tangled web I’ve weaved.

Maybe… if I ask nicely… Bai Xue would explain?

Ha! More like tease me and demand favors. No, no, that’s no good. It won’t accomplish anything at all.

Hui took a deep breath and turned to Ying Lin. He put on a smile, but it came out a little exhausted. “Ying Lin… treat yourself preciously. Only promise yourself to someone you really love! Once you give yourself away, it can’t be taken back!”

Ying Lin frowned. Eh? Why’s Master telling me this? Why does it feel like he’s speaking from the heart, as if he experienced it? Tentatively, she tried, “Master, but… you seem to like Bai Xue?”

“Of course I like Bai Xue! It’s not a matter of like or dislike!” Hui replied firmly. It’s a matter of giving a trickster my entire future for a moment’s respite! Bai Xue, you’re laughing your head off right now, aren’t you? Dammit!

“Eh… okay?” Ying Lin replied. The world of adults is scary. I don’t understand it at all!

Hui waved his hand. “It isn’t important. Ying Lin, disregard everything a certain Bai Xue says or does! They’ll only lead you down the wrong path.”

“Disciple hears and obeys!” Ying Lin replied earnestly.

“Then, watch me closely. I’m going to demonstrate the movement technique now,” Hui said. He looked back to ensure Ying Lin watched him, then strode forward, following the strange pattern of Bai Xue’s footwork technique. Ying Lin followed, then began to copy him. Clumsy at first, she quickly learned the foundation of the technique, and when Hui only exerted second-stage energy, she could nearly keep up with him. The swap-step, however, remained out of her reach.

Hui stopped, and Ying Lin caught up. Frustrated, she thumped down. “Master, I can’t. That one step… I can see how you do it, but I just don’t have… whatever it is that you do!”

“No, no, Ying Lin… I should have said ahead of time. The swap step requires a different type of qi. Once you can use a different form of qi than ordinary qi, you can swap between your two different types in that step, and you’ll be able to move like I did,” Hui reassured her.

“Different types of qi? Master, there’s different types of qi?” Ying Lin asked.

Hui nodded. “Death qi, life qi, yin and yang energy, even different elements of qi. You’re still a beginner, so you’ve only worked with qi, but there are a great many kinds of qi and energy in the world.”

Ying Lin put a hand on her chin, pondering. “Bai Xue switches between yin and yang, doesn’t he… she?”

“Correct.”

“And Master… you use death qi, right? The qi was cold and dark, so it couldn’t be life qi,” Ying Lin guessed.

Hui paused. “That is correct, but don’t say it so easily. People get the wrong impression about death qi. They think it’s only used by demonic cultivators. In reality, anyone can use it, but it’s easier to abuse or misuse than other kinds of qi, so it gets a bad reputation.”

“Ah! Like dual cultivation!” Ying Lin said, nodding to herself.

Hui froze. Death qi is like dual cultivation? His mind instantly went to the ducks, and he took a deep breath, forcing himself not to go any further. No, no, no. She simply means in that it can be misused! Not… not anything else.

Ying Lin… why did you have to make everything I’ve ever done suddenly filthy? Hui shook his head at her, crossing his arms.

Ying Lin glanced around and rubbed the back of her neck. Strange. Why do I feel like I’ve said something wrong? I don’t think anything I said was wrong, though…