Hui led the way into the next chamber. A white stone bed awaited him. The lotus beast set Wu Fanyun down atop the bed, then stepped back, standing quietly in the corner. Black seed eyes stared into infinity.

“What manner of beast is this?” Gui Yutong asked, peering at the beast.

“It’s a lotus beast. Ah, pay it no mind. You can consider it a subordinate of mine,” Hui explained.

“No, no, please. Spirit beasts are a fascination of mine. I studied with Azure Fang Sect for a time, and I’ve never seen a… is it a plant-type beast? –quite like this.” Gui Yutong leaned in closer, delicately reaching out to poke its cheek.

The lotus beast bared black seed teeth and hissed.

Gui Yutong leaped back, startled.

Hui clicked his tongue. The beast glanced at him, then fell silent, falling back into its corner. It stood as still as before, as though nothing had happened.

“Elder Sister, please don’t aggravate the beast. It’s mostly tamed, but I don’t know that anyone can claim to have fully tamed one,” Hui said gently. Don’t go investigating the lotus beasts’ secrets! I can’t have you realizing that I’m using the body of a lotus beast. Not when you might be my ticket into All-Heavens Sect, at long last!

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for…” She glanced at Hui, waiting for him to give his name.

Hui cleared his throat. “Small cultivator is Xie Hao.”

Ah, dammit! I should’ve used a different name. I’ve used that one too much, too much! What if she recognizes it?

No, no, it’s fine. It’s not an uncommon name. I’m wearing a different face. No one would immediately associate that name with Xiao Hui. Hui smiled at her, refusing to let his momentary panic show.

Gui Yutong frowned, her brows knitting, then nodded, giving Hui a smile. “Fellow Daoist Xie Hao is so mysterious. No one would tell me your name, even when they spoke of you, but everyone mentioned your skill as a healer.”

Ah, that’s because I’d usually refuse to give one. But I can’t refuse to give a name when she might be my in to All-Heavens Sect. That would be far too obvious. Better to give a fake name… a fake name I hadn’t used a thousand times before! Argh, why? What a stupid mistake!

Maybe I should throw it all out and start over.

No, no. Let’s not be ridiculous. I’ve spent this long without finding a way to enter All-Heavens Sect naturally and non-obviously. At last, I’ve found my route in. I can’t ruin it now.

Rogue laughed in Hui’s mind. You know, it might have been easier for All-Heavens to recruit you if you had a name.

Hui scowled. Shut up! I’m being a mysterious senior. A mere rogue cultivator like yourself wouldn’t understand.

Ha! Your pitiful attempt to sound domineering won’t work against me! I’m around rogue cultivators all day! They’re all grand-standers! I’ve been domineered to death! Rogue replied gleefully.

Peak Lord cleared his throat. Phrasing.

Rogue snorted. Ha, you’d know all about being domineered to death, wouldn’t you, Peak Lord.

Healer pressed a hand to his temple. Will everyone shut up? I’m trying to take advantage of a fabulous opportunity for all of us.

Seeing his troubled expression, Gui Yutong stepped forward, face wrinkling in concern. “Is it impossible after all, even for you?”

Hui looked up. He turned back to the unconscious cultivator and frowned, pulling the same expression in his direction, then slowly allowed the frown to resolve. “It won’t be easy, but I think I can heal him. But… I’ll need complete silence and total isolation.” He glanced at the door, but didn’t directly say anything.

Gui Yutong nodded. “I understand.” She exited the room.

Hui gestured, sending a bit of qi into the talismanic enchantment on the wall. A stone slab activated and slid down over the door, sealing him inside. The sound-proof barrier activated, alongside an actual barrier.

Healer, I’ve adapted our comprehension of that curtain-shaped barrier in Chen Xigui’s room into a stronger barrier talisman… I think it should have potential to the seventh realm. I added the soundproofing in as well… I haven’t tested it, but you should be able to choose to activate it or not when you cast the talisman. When you have time, you should alter the barrier talismans in your complex to adopt it, First whispered to Healer. Information flowed into Healer’s head as First shared the accumulated comprehension of all the clones, compiled into a talisman formula.

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Hui nodded. Thank you, Elder Brother. I’ll do that later.

He walked back over to the unconscious cultivator lying atop his stone bed. Cracking his hands, he stretched, then snapped a finger. A set of golden needles appeared and circled around him, orbiting like planets around a star.

All the other clones neglected our award from Chen Wuya’s realm, but not this small clone! Waving his hand, Hui sent the needles forth. They hovered over the unconscious man’s body, then flew home all at once, piercing his meridians all over his body. The man coughed. Stagnant blood splattered down his chin as some of the energy released on its own, flowing around the room.

Hui gave the energy a nervous look. I hope the Immortal isn’t tracking his qi the way Chen Xigui was. I certainly don’t dare to save any, unlike that heart-demon-infected Sectgoer!

No, no, right now, I should be safe. He’s battling Master and sending his qi all over the place. There’s no way he’s going to be able to pay attention to every cultivator infected with his energy.

Hui drew a slow breath, using it to steady the flow of his own qi. He hovered a hand over one of the needles, then gently lowered his finger and tapped it, not to drive it any deeper, but simply to read the energy that flowed into the needle.

A burst of vicious energy boiled into him, the same as the first time. Hui yanked his hand back, but too slow. A bit of the energy crawled in his hand, seeking out his meridians.

Hui sent his death qi to his fingertip, introducing it to the energy. Rather than infecting the energy, though, the death qi slid off, like oil off water.

He grimaced. I guess it is Immortal qi, after all!

Moving quickly, Hui severed his hand. His hand struck the floor and bounced, then twitched. The fingers clenched of their own accord, clawing at the air.

Holy shit! Quick, someone get me a chainsaw to strap onto my stump! Hui thought, backing away. He flicked his wrist, regrowing his hand as the severed hand flipped over and stood on its fingertips. It hopped around, then turned, pointing its fingers toward Hui.

Hui licked his lips. “I don’t suppose you’ll be dead by dawn?”

The hand lunged at him.

Hui kicked it back. He flipped his hand, summoning Moonlight Cutter, then threw the sword at his former hand. The hand leaped up again, flying toward him, but the sword intercepted it midair and pinned it to the wall. The hand clenched and clawed, fighting the sword, but couldn’t escape the wall.

“And stay down,” Hui muttered. He pushed his hair back and took a deep breath, regarding his struggling hand. I could remove the energy from this man by drawing it into a body part and then severing that body part, but… first off, that requires me to sever my hand again, and secondly and more importantly, I have no way to guarantee I’ll survive the encounter with Immortal qi! I just pledged to not put myself in a situation where I have to chose death, and this could easily become that kind of situation!

The man tensed, suddenly. His hands curled into claws and scraped at the stone beneath him. His hands carved rifts into the solid stone, breaking through it as easily as though it was wet mud.

Oh shit! If I don’t do something, the Immortal qi is going to overtake that man, and then I’ll have an entire man possessed by the Immortal after me, instead of just a hand! Hui quickly drew talisman symbols in the air, his flickering fingers almost appearing to form hand-signs. The needles bit deeper, paralyzing the man. He jolted to a halt, his entire body stiffening. This isn’t what I wanted to do, but it’s better than letting him attack this small cultivator! This meridian paralyzation thing is reversible… I think? Er, the needles didn’t come with an instruction manual, so I’ve mostly been using trial and error. I didn’t want to pierce anyone’s meridians so deeply as to paralyze their qi flow, but this Immortal qi left me no choice!

Hui gulped. It’s not my fault there’s no cultivator equivalent of medical school! I’m just a small cultivator doing my best out here!

Though, the closest thing to cultivator medical school… is probably All-Heavens Sect. After all, they specialize in life qi, and life qi is a fantastic method for healing wounds.

Ah! Cursed All-Heavens Sect! You didn’t let me in, so I was forced to resort to trial and error in the medical field! Therefore, if this man is permanently paralyzed because I messed up, it’s your fault! Clearly your fault for refusing to teach me, and not mine!

Taking a deep breath, Hui regarded the cultivator laid out before him again. All that being said, I have no idea where to start here. Death qi is useless, and I doubt life qi will do much. I’d rather not drain the Immortal qi into someone or something else… He glanced at the hand pinned to the wall, still struggling against the sword. That’s just trading one problem for another, whether it’s risking my small life directly by allowing Imortal qi into me, or risking my life indirectly by putting the qi into something or someone else.

Hui’s barrier wavered, as if someone knocked against it. He turned to find a massive black crow rapping its claws against the door, eyes glowing red.

Chen Wuya? Hui waved his hand, dismissing the barrier for just a moment to allow the crow inside.

Chen Wuya fluttered over and hopped down on the stone bed, looking down at the man. “Immortal qi, huh? I thought I sensed that miserable energy.”

“Does Senior have a way to handle it?” Hui asked politely. It can’t hurt to ask!

“I’ve sealed every member of the Immortal Realm. Naturally, I can handle it,” Chen Wuya declared, puffing up his feathers.

“Ah?” Hui asked, confused. I know Senior is powerful, but I thought he was only powerful at the level of ninth realm, or maybe a wandering immortal, not powerful enough to seal the entire Immortal realm.

Chen Wuya shuffled his wings, rearranging his feathers with his beak. “Well… that was in a past life, anyways.”

Hui pressed his lips together. In a past life, I could summon a metal horse with a tap of my finger and fly through the sky at hundreds of kilometers an hour as a mortal. This kind of ‘past life’ ability, isn’t it completely meaningless to bring up now?

Chen Wuya’s head snapped up. His eyes glowed bright, and his beak shut with a threatening clack.

Hui cowered back. “Eh? Senior, don’t punish small cultivator for a few wayward thoughts, there’s nothing I can do about—Senior! Senior, please!”