Bai Xue stared at him, wide-eyed. Abruptly, he laughed. "You're alive?"

"Eh... no, but I'm here," Hui said, scratching the back of his head.

Bai Xue curled his hand into a fist. He smiled, baring his teeth, his eyes narrowed almost shut, a dangerous light in them. "Haha, I'm so glad!"

Hui backed away, putting his hands up. "Er... Elder Brother doesn't look glad..."

A fist flew toward his head. Hui instantly flopped. Ahhh, this is it. I'm going to get beaten back to death!

Midair, the fist changed into an open hand. Bai Xue caught him and hugged him, letting out a deep sigh. "Dammit. Ten years! You scared me. I really thought... it was ten years!"

Coming back to life, Hui hugged him back. His stomach twisted. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know--I couldn't. I thought... I thought it might really be... so I didn't want to give anyone false hope. I'm so sorry."

Bai Xue took a deep breath, then released him, standing back. He looked at Hui for a moment, a nameless expression in his eyes, then laughed. It only sounded forced for a moment. "Ahh, after your death, I was so lonely... I couldn't help but add to the harem. I had no other option, so sad was I, but to find and recruit more beauties. Only that could drown my sorrows over dear Xiao Hui's death."

Grinning, Hui looked him in the eye. "What sorrows? You were going to do that no matter what." I understand. Bai Xue would rather laugh, than cry.

Bai Xue chuckled. "Well... Who can say, who can say. I'm glad to see you again, though I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Eh?” Hui said.

“You faked your death, right? Wanted to skip out on child-rearing, hmm?” Bai Xue asked, hooking an eyebrow.

Hui shook his head and waved his hand. “Elder Brother, no, no! I’m dead. I’m actually dead!”

“You don’t look very dead,” Bai Xue said skeptically, looking him up and down.

Hui licked his lips. How do I explain this? “Er, no, I know I don’t look very dead, but, er, I—I’m currently supposed to be a reaper in the Underworld. I snuck back to the mortal realm because our children… child is in danger!”

“Bai Xingxue, or Bai Xingxue and Li Weiqi?” Bai Xue asked.

“Both,” Hui said.

“And… you’re dead?” he asked, crossing his arms.

Hui took Bai Xue’s hand and put it to his chest. “My heart isn’t beating. If… if you’re very careful, Elder Brother, you can examine my qi. I only have death qi right now. And if Elder Sister reaper realizes I’ve snuck out again, I’m going to be pulled back down to the Underworld.”

Bai Xue looked at Hui, then laughed. He shook his head. “Only for my Xiao Hui is death a temporary prison, not a finality.”

“Elder Brother, I’m not the only person to leave behind a method for returning to life,” Hui said.

“No, but it’s usually much more difficult than the simple jaunt you make it out to be. And you usually can’t enter the cycle of reincarnation and visit the Underworld, and still return to the mortal world. Most ‘reincarnation’ techniques simply give a disparate soul a new body, rather than retrieving a soul from the Underworld. That’s a near impossible task,” Bai Xue said.

“Mmm, I know,” Hui allowed. Han Qin’s been desperately trying to retrieve his dead Elder Sister from the Underworld for a long time, and he’s higher realm than me. Though… she might also have been locked away by Fen Long on top of being dead, so his work is truly cut out for him. Breaking a small prison realm and retrieving a soul… two difficult tasks stacked on top of one another. No wonder he hasn’t freed her in all these years.

Bai Xue looked Hui up and down. “But… are you truly returned to life? You said…”

“Ah, no. That’s right. I… I am dead, right now. I have… ideas, for how to return from death, but… no. At the moment, please consider me dead,” Hui said, nodding.

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“You’re chatty, for a dead man,” Bai Xue commented.

Hui nodded. “I’m not truly dead, but I’m not truly alive.”

“So, what threat awaits your children?” Bai Xue asked, leaning back against the trunk.

“Ah! That’s right, that’s right. Do you know of the other three regions, and the cardinal sects?” Hui asked.

Bai Xue nodded. “We sometimes trade with the Eastern and Northern regions.”

“Eh,” Hui said. Isn’t it nearly impossible to leave or enter the Southern Sect Conference? So how…?

“Well… I’m overstating our ties. There’s a single smuggler who knows a route to the Eastern Realm and Northern Realm. Some of the rarest and most expensive herbs in the Southern Sect Conference come from her. Naturally, our Bai Clan has relations with her. As a unique clan in the Southern Sect Conference, we produce unique artifacts that she can trade outside the Southern Sect Conference for high prices, so we regularly trade our artifacts for her herbs,” Bai Xue said.

“Could I meet with this smuggler?” Hui requested. In the worst case that Elder Sister Reaper finds out about my lotus seeds and destroys my link back to them, it’ll be good to have a backup route into the Southern Sect Conference.

“The next time she stops by, I’ll call on you. It might not be for another year or decade, though,” Bai Xue warned him.

Hui sagged. That’s useless. I suppose I’ll have to rely on the lotus seeds, and if they fail, Song Wei and the one-way teleportation formula. He waved his hand. “Never mind, never mind. No, no. The threat… that is, the Eastern region has heard about a new ‘rising power’ in our Southern region. If I’m guessing right, that threat…”

“Is Li Xiang,” Bai Xue finished. He nodded. “She’s rapidly ascended in realms recently. As a sword cultivator, who naturally can fight above her realm, she’s quickly becoming one of the most powerful cultivators in the South.”

Hui blinked. Huh. I’m glad to hear she’s doing well! That explains why everyone treats her with even more respect than Fen Long. “Ah, yourself as well, I believe. They mentioned two ascendent cultivators.” I think they said both were women, but Bai Xue is sometimes a woman, and it’s not as if I’d expect an outsider to understand the intricacies of the Bai Clan.

“Oh? I’m flattered,” Bai Xue said, giving him that slow smile that Hui recognized most from when Bai Xue teased him. He blushed faintly on reflex, even though there was no reason to.

Focus, Hui. Now isn’t the time. Hui waved his hand. “In any case, Elder Brother, a high-realm—er, fifth-realm-or-so cultivator is headed to kidnap our children. Since neither you, nor I, nor Li Xiang can guard them at all hours of the day, I’m posing as a threat so they understand the importance of cultivation—and more importantly, run away and find someone to help them rather than try to fight the attacker!”

“Mmm… that’s reasonable. I’ll send someone to secretly watch them, but you do have a point. I won’t prevent you from motivating those children. They… can be a bit unruly.” Bai Xue put his hand on his chin and shook his head, staring out into the forest. He sighed. “Both Li Xiang and I have so much on our plates. We can’t spend all our time raising a single child. And without someone to advocate for them, Bai Xingue can’t thrive in my harem. Putting them here in Starbound Sect is our compromise, but I’ll admit that it isn’t an ideal solution.”

“Your harem? How many children do you have?” Hui asked. It’s been ten years. That could be a lot of children! Ten, at least!

“Hmm… twenty or so?” Bai Xue estimated.

“Twenty?” Hui asked, startled.

Bai Xue looked at Hui from the corner of his eyes. He grinned. “I only bore one of them, though.”

“Oh… oh!” Hui blushed. Eh. So all the rest are all wives, not husbands. But then, then, that means…

“Well, I never wanted to bear many children. Once I bore one, I discovered how truly unpleasant the process was, and that was enough for me. But I’m quite willing to allow others to bear my children,” Bai Xue mused.

“Mmm,” Hui said. Does that mean… we’re over?

“We can still have fun, though. Deciding not to bear children doesn’t mean my female side has to stay unsatisfied forever,” Bai Xue purred, drawing Hui toward him. Halfway there, his body shifted, becoming soft and curved instead, black hair turning to white. She smiled at Hui. “Xiao Hui, it’s been ten years… have you missed me?”

“Y—yes,” Hui stuttered. He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. I don’t have much time. I shouldn’t, but… but… I—

A whistle pierced through the sky. Two others responded in the same tone.

Bai Xue looked up abruptly, then sighed. “My attendants have found me. Damn it.”

“Eh?” Hui asked, still lost somewhere in the more simple parts of his mind.

She stepped away. “Xiao Hui, you only have death qi, right? Lately, death cultivators have been a plague on the Bai Clan. If my attendants see you, they’ll assume you’re a death cultivator and attack on sight.”

“So far, no one’s attacked me,” Hui said. I did think it was a bit strange, but if death cultivators are indeed plaguing the land, shouldn’t I face much more danger…?

“Starbound Sect isn’t the Bai Clan. And... even standing beside you, you don't give off the aura of a death cultivator,” Bai Xue said.

"Ah," Hui said. Right. I do instinctively repress my qi almost constantly, since I don't want to be challenged by bloodthirsty rivals... that, and I know as well as anyone how hated death cultivators are!

She glanced up, then looked back at Hui. “Xiao Hui, I’ll be back. I have commitments to attend to. Look after our child well. If we encounter one another again, I won’t let my attendants get in our way!”

With that, Bai Xue leaped into the sky.

Hui gazed after her. I already miss her. Bai Xue, I’m so sorry I had to leave you so soon. I’ll be back. I’ll be back, I promise! I won’t let death get in my way ever again!