Hui pushed open the closet doors. They opened high above him, spilling the room’s light over his small head. He took a deep breath. Here we go—

Bai Xue glanced over, then squealed and ran over, hugging him tight. “Xiao Hui, so cute!”

“Bai Xue, you’re in your male form right now,” Hui reminded him.

“Can I not find things adorable as a man?” Bai Xue admonished him. He released Hui and stepped back, looking over him. He put a hand on Hui’s head. “I knew better than to doubt my Hui. You could indeed become little! And how convincing, how utterly convincing. I can’t even sense an active technique when I’m this close to you.”

“Ah… that’s because there’s not,” Hui said, scratching his head.

“Eh… huh?” Bai Xue asked.

Hui held out his hand. A tongue of phoenix flame spat in his palm. “I used phoenix flame to destroy my old body and create my young body anew from the flames. I am actually a child right now.”

“You… you used phoenix flame for that? Wait, you can use phoenix flame for that? Xiao Hui, the number of people who would give us their life savings for that…!” Bai Xue exclaimed, leaning closer.

Hui closed his hand, dismissing the phoenix flame as he did so—or rather, calling it back inside myself. He shook his head at Bai Xue. “It’s not as easy as it looks. I have… a sort of understanding, shall we say, with the phoenixes. They choose to allow me to use the flame this way. Even then… I risk being eternally burned away, or destroyed by this flame, at any moment. I’m not sure I can cast it on anyone else safely. Nor… nor am I sure it extends lifespan. It may merely offer the appearance of youth.”

Bai Xue looked at Hui. He shook his head. “It’s phoenix flame. Of course it extends lifespan.”

Eh? If Elder Brother is so confident… Hui hesitated a moment, then shook his head. No, no. I can’t become complacent. Even if I can extend my lifespan infinitely with phoenix flame now, I’m still in danger of dying at any moment. If an Immortal reaches down from the Heavens again, I’ll be just as much a smudge of blood as if I had no phoenix flame!

Complacency is the enemy. I must continue to find more ways to preserve my little life! Principal of which… obviously, is to fake my death so perfectly that even an Immortal can’t see through it!

Ahh, my death faking technique… never perfect, always in need of improvement!

Running a hand down his face, Hui operated his snakeskin technique. His face vanished, replaced by Li Weiqi’s. He nodded at Bai Xue. “I’m ready.”

“Aww, no more tiny Hui,” Bai Xue pouted.

“I’m Li Weiqi. Aren’t I still adorable?” Hui queried.

“Not as adorable as tiny Hui,” Bai Xue insisted, shaking his head.

Hui sighed. He glanced around. No one stood in their immediate vicinity, the coast clear for now. “Shall we go, then?”

“Kidnapping tiny Hui plan, go!” Bai Xue called, laughing. He snatched up Hui by the waist and threw out a sword, leaping atop it as he hurtled into the sky.

Caught, Hui patted Bai Xue’s arm without trying to escape. “Li Weiqi. I’m Li Weiqi right now, Elder Brother.”

“Tiny Hui,” Bai Xue replied stubbornly.

Around Hui’s neck, Zhubi hissed. Hui glanced down. “That’s right. Hide in my sleeve, Zhubi. You’ll be safe there.”

Zhubi slithered down Hui’s neck and around his arm, settling in once more.

As the two of them blasted through the sky, pursuers leaped up from the sect, chasing after them. Bai Xue laughed and sped up, hurtling away with the full force of his sixth-realm cultivation.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Hui cleared his throat. “Elder Brother, the karmic incense…”

“Let me have some fun, first,” Bai Xue said, a twinkle in his eye.

“Elder Brother,” Hui protested weakly. Fun? Now isn’t the time for fun! Bai Xue’s going to get us killed!

Or… would get us killed… if most of the high-realm cultivators wouldn’t recognize us anyways. It’s mostly harmless right now, probably. Probably.

And there’s always the karmic incense if Bai Xue needs to get away.

One of the pursuers raised a hand. A lightning bolt shot from the sky and flew toward Bai Xue. Another pursuer shot a beam of sword light at them, while a third one sent an enormous horse made of water toward them. The three attacks closed in.

“Bai Xue!” Hui shouted, terrified.

“Time to try out this new attack by my Xiao Hui,” Bai Xue replied, grinning. He flicked his hand toward the three attacks.

Not the time. Now is not the time! Hui shouted silently. Externally, he clung to Bai Xue’s robes and shut his mouth. His hands twitched, drawing the first half of the barrier talisman on the air. It hovered there in brilliant gold light, ready to launch at a moment’s notice. Just in case this doesn’t work out…

The three attacks drilled toward Bai Xue’s palm. The chaos qi attack reached out toward them, shimmering the air around his hand.

BAM!

The attacks clashed. Lightning deflected off in all directions. The water horse collapsed completely, splashing down on the cultivators below. The sword light dissipated, vanishing in a bright flash.

Transferring the half-finished barrier talisman to his robes, Hui put a hand on his chin thoughtfully. Each attack interacted differently with the chaos qi. The horse falling apart…that’s expected, since the chaos qi would attack the qi structures holding it together directly, and once they’re gone, it’s just a mass of water. The sword beam vanished… I guess the chaos qi attacked the sword qi, or something? I’d have to study that one more to be sure of what happened. And the lightning… the attack summoned and manipulated a force that already existed. After all, the cultivator called down a lightning strike from the atmosphere, rather than creating lightning from qi. The chaos qi destroyed the qi structures around the lightning that shaped and directed it, but the lightning itself couldn’t be destroyed.

“That stung a bit,” Bai Xue commented, shaking his hand.

Luckily, Elder Brother is sixth realm, so it didn’t hurt him to get struck by remnant lightning! Lucky, too lucky. We have to hurry on out of here before someone launches an attack the chaos qi can’t negate! Hui patted Bai Xue’s chest. “Run, Elder Brother!”

“Already? But I’m having so much fun,” Bai Xue returned, shaking his head at Hui.

“No, no. We have to run!” Hui insisted.

Bai Xue sighed. “I suppose I am kidnapping you, after all.” He flew off, sword bursting into the distance.

The acceleration flatted Hui against Bai Xue’s chest, and he squinted slightly against the wind before exerting a little bit of his qi to shield himself.

“Apologies. I’m in my male form right now, so you can’t enjoy the sensation,” Bai Xue said, patting Hui’s head.

Hui blushed. “Elder Brother!” I wasn’t thinking that at all. Why did you have to go put that thought in my mind?

“Hmm, but this disguise covers my whole body. Maybe I can swap to female form,” Bai Xue mused aloud.

“Elder Brother, please. What if the pursuers see your body shape change? Won’t that be incredibly suspicious?” Hui reminded him.

“I suppose you’re right.” Disappointed, Bai Xue sighed.

More and more cultivators leaped out of All-Heavens Sect. They closed in from all directions. Bai Xue shot directly up, holding Hui close.

Hui patted Bai Xue again. “Elder Brother, the incense.”

“What incense?” Bai Xue asked.

“You know what incense!” Hui responded, startled. Did Elder Brother forget…? No, no, it couldn’t be! Surely he’s just teasing! I won’t rise to it, I won’t rise to it this time!

Flying out of a nearby peak, Li Xiang bared her sword. “Catch them!”

Li Xiang and Hui made eye contact. Li Xiang nodded, just a little. Hui nodded back. She knows it’s us. Good. I know I just told her, but… but there’s no such thing as being sure enough! Especially with such a dangerous maneuver. It would be terrible to die to a friendly hand, terrible indeed!

The cultivators flew toward them. As they flew, they fell into a formation. They bared their swords, then swung them all at once. A constellation of sword lights zipped toward Bai Xue and Hui. The lights twisted and spun together, weaving a nearly impenetrable net of sword light around them.

Bai Xue’s eyes glittered. He darted at the net, charging into it rather than avoiding it. Calling another one of the chaos talismans to his hand, he thrust his hand at the nearest beam of sword light.

Hui held his breath. Is it going to work against a sword beam this empowered…? The spell formation, the multiple sword lights…

The sword light dissipated. Bai Xue darted through the hole in the net with a laugh. “Xiao Hui, I love this new attack of yours! You’ll have to teach me.”

Hui narrowed his eyes at him. “Bai Xue…”

Laughing, Bai Xue drew the inch of incense remaining out of his robes. “Alright, alright. I won’t play any longer if it’s making little Hui so nervous.”

He lit the incense. A heady smoke wafted from the tiny stick, encasing them.

All the cultivators suddenly paused and looked around, furrowing their brows. They looked at the swords in their hands, then at one another. A few started to shrug, while other cultivators dashed to their friends and asked them questions, concern in their voices.

With one last glance back at Li Xiang, Bai Xue dashed away, stealing Hui with him.