“Now, there’s an easy way and a hard way to find her,” Wang Xiu announced as they flew.

“Enlighten us, Elder Sister,” Hui said, bowing.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Easy: We corner that disciple of yours and attack as if to kill… or do other terrible things. She’ll show up.”

Ying Lin tensed. “Eh?”

“Respectfully, Elder Sister, no,” Hui said, moving in front of Ying Lin.

Wang Xiu shrugged. “Then we’re stuck on the hard way: mask our presence and wander until we happen upon such a scene. She’s good at hiding herself, but she can’t stand back and watch injustice. Rather than fruitlessly wandering until we find her camp, it’s easier to trail some bandits and wait for them to act up.”

“If Elder Sister knows this bandit so well, why haven’t you caught her yet?” Hui asked.

“Ha! She’s damn slippery, and a sword cultivator to boot. I’ve been pushed to the brink of death a dozen times by her, and by the time anyone else arrives to help me suppress her, she’s already taken off. If we search in groups or bring high-realm cultivators, she backs off and finds injustice to correct elsewhere. At this point, I’m hoping you’ll succeed where I’ve failed.”

“Will we just watch, if they…” Ying Lin trailed off.

“No. If something irreversible is about to happen, I’ll step in,” Hui assured her.

Wang Xiu narrowed her eyes. “For a guy who likes killing women, you sure have an upright side.”

“I’m a hypocrite, remember?” Hui replied lazily. This Wang Xiu is… well, I can’t really say ‘too bright.’ It’s just that I’m used to working with Lu Lintei and Ding Qinwen, and that’s made me careless. I should have acted differently in front of the City Lord… but it’s too late now. Oh well, notes for next time.

Wang Xiu scoffed and turned away.

For a time, they flew around in silence. Hui glanced over at Wang Xiu as he flew. Somehow, I feel like she doesn’t like me much. Mmm… I can’t imagine why not.

A faint cry caught Hui’s ear. He whipped around, staring into the distance. A pair of swordsmen clashed over distant trees, battling viciously back and forth.

“Let’s go. Hide yourself,” Wang Xiu commanded. She dropped into the long grasses and flew low, skimming over the earth. Hui followed her lead, secretly drawing a barrier talisman around himself and Ying Lin so the grasses wouldn’t cut her as they sped through them.

“Does she come out for any dispute?” Ying Lin whispered, glancing back at Hui.

Hui shrugged. “Unlikely, but we’re more likely to find her around disputes.” After all, if she’s meting out justice, she must pay close attention to potentially unjust scenarios like fights!

Ying Lin nodded. She crouched on Hui’s sword, thoughtful.

Hui tapped her shoulder. “Ying Lin, one should stand nobly on a sword, not crouch like some common rabble.”

“But I am common rabble,” Ying Lin returned.

Hui paused. To be fair, so am I. He shrugged. “True.”

“In any case, it’s more comfortable. My legs get stiff if I stand still for too long,” Ying Lin explained.

“Ying Lin… is this yet another ploy to get Master to carry you? I’ve already said, hit fifth stage first!” Hui teased, tutting.

Ying Lin blushed. “It is not! Master!”

Hui chuckled and shook his head, leaving Ying Lin to her squatting.

They entered the forest. Although he called it a forest, it barely qualified. A small stand of scrubby trees clustered together, maybe about a square acre total. The tallest of the trees stood about four meters tall, and most only cleared two meters. Dry, thin branches snapped on Hui’s barrier as he flew into the stand. Wang Xiu flew closer. Her presence faded, and Hui suddenly found himself disregarding her, as if she was only part of the background.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

His eyes widened. A technique to lessen your presence? If I had that, I could instantly become a background corpse! Then I wouldn’t have to worry about people messing with my body after I died. I’d instantly turn into an unremarkable dead body, not worth anyone’s intention. He leaned in. “Elder Sister, share that technique with me!”

Wang Xiu gave him a look. “Do you think I give away techniques for free?”

“I recently acquired several spells by ordinary and upright means. If Elder Sister takes a liking to any of them, you can have them!” Hui assured her.

She snorted. “We’ll see.”

Ying Lin looked at Hui, her brows furrowed. Ordinary and upright? Didn’t you steal those from Song Weilai after you defeated her? Does Master perhaps mean that robbery… is upright?

A second later, her eyes lit up. Ah! But Song Weilai was evil. Therefore, robbing the evil is considered upright!

Hui scratched his neck. Why do I suddenly feel uncomfortable? As if someone’s thinking about me?

Oh well, I’ll figure it out later. Hui flicked his fingers again, casting the sound-suppressive layer over the barrier. He suppressed his own cultivation and glanced at Ying Lin. She took a deep breath, then adjusted her own cultivation to suppress it slightly.

Overhead, the two cultivators darted at each other in beams of swordlight. At a glance, they appeared to be fourth-realm cultivators, no threat to Hui or Wang Xiu. They exchanged blows, the flurry so fast even Hui’s eyes had trouble keeping up.

Ying Lin stared eagerly, drinking in the battle. She nodded to herself, her hands and feet twitching as she practiced the techniques in her head.

The two parted. One panted, holding his arm. It hung limply from his shoulder. Blood ran down his hand and dripped into the trees. The other stood tall and mighty, his sword lowered and eyes narrowed.

“You—stealing my treasure! You know I was there first!” the injured one shouted.

“Hmph. The technique belongs to whoever has the most karma with it. I, as the stronger of the two of us, naturally am better suited to comprehend the technique,” the other responded, flicking his sleeve.

He darted back and raised a hand. Qi gathered in his palm. The projection of a mighty flood dragon appeared behind him, its mouth gaping wide and its eyes glittering. Shaped out of lightning, it glittered and zapped, emanating power. From head to tail, it stretched a hundred meters wide, and stood more than a dozen meters tall.

The injured cultivator scowled. He backed up as well and raised his good hand. A green condor appeared behind him, stretching massive, meters-long wings across the sky. The wind rushed all around it, condensing into bright green talons. It let out a fierce cry and bared its claws at the dragon.

Zhubi let out a little hiss, dark eyes staring at the dragon.

“We’re in luck. This thief has made our job easy,” Wang Xiu said, eyes glittering.

“If this is enough to draw out that vigilante, then she must be busy all the time. Even in the Fu Clan, disputes of this level happened every other day,” Ying Lin said, frowning.

Hui sighed. “It’s true, but… it wouldn’t stop her.”

The flood dragon and the condor flew at one another. Bolts of lightning shot off the dragon’s body, digging away at the condor’s windy pinions. The condor screeched, and a tornado flew from its beak to tunnel into the dragon’s body.

Hui watched in awe, barely holding back on the urge to clap. A real cultivator battle! Wow! They’re so much fun when I don’t have to fight in them!

The flood dragon’s eyes glittered, and it surged forth, whiskers zapping furiously in the wind. It smashed into the condor. The condor smashed apart, letting out a last sad cry as it vanished.

The injured cultivator grit his teeth and fell back, desperately fleeing the rushing flood dragon.

Laughing, the other cultivator flew after his flood dragon. He flicked his sleeve, pushing the spell to fly out even faster. “Give up!”

Hui stepped forward. I can’t watch a man be murdered, can I?

Wang Xiu held her hand out, blocking his way. She shook her head.

If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late. Hui pushed her hand aside and leaped up.

“You fool,” Wang Xiu snapped, frustrated.

Hui rushed up between the two cultivators. As he flew, he tried to activate his crystallization technique, but strangely, it failed. What? Eh… is it because I’m a plant? Flesh, then crystal? Or… argh, there’s no time! Hui grit his teeth and activated a barrier talisman as he slammed into the dragon. Lightning crackled across the sky as the dragon smashed into a thousand pieces. He took a deep breath, fiercely let out a bloodcurdling scream, and fell backward, playing dead. The barrier flickered out, already burned nearly to nothing by the collision.

Both cultivators stared. The uninjured one’s brows furrowed. “I’ve heard the phrase ‘rushing to one’s death,’ but I’ve never seen anyone live it out quite so literally.”

The other one jolted into action and caught Hui before he fell. Tearfully, he stared down at Hui. “Benefactor… why?”

Playing dead, Hui coughed silently in his head. Er, Elder Brother, if I told you I played dead on instinct when I got last-second cold feet at the idea of intervening in your battle… would you believe me?

Argh, in my head, I leaped in nobly and stopped the dragon with one hand! How did I end up flopping over instead? Damn my powerful play-dead instincts!

Down below, Wang Xiu frowned. She leaned in to Ying Lin. “He didn’t die to a move of that level… did he?”

“It’s simply Master’s way of handling things,” Ying Lin replied, nodding proudly.

“What does that mean?” Wang Xiu asked.

Ying Lin gave her a mysterious smile. “Wait and see.”

Eh, no, I… just… I made a mistake! Hui cried silently.