All around them, children scooted to the side, revealing room for Hui and Tian Mo to sit. A few tables suddenly bristled, the children putting up their shoulders and elbows and blocking off seats on the benches.

Hui noted those children quietly, memorizing their faces. Some of those are Da Gongji’s friends and supporters, no doubt, but some of them are likely those who were bullied by Da Gongji to the extent that they no longer consider it safe to even so much as risk retribution. Either way, they can be considered as being on Da Gongji’s side, though those who are coerced through bullying, I can probably pull to my side with a little more casual teasing of Da Gongji.

I suppose I can’t be too mad at Tian Mo. I couldn’t have gotten a clearer picture of the power dynamics of these children if I’d tried.

Tian Mo’s eyes lit up, and he scurried over to a distant table. Hui followed at a more stately pace, pausing to snatch a bite of the rice. The pure, almost creamy flavor melted over his tongue, and he stopped in place for a moment, eyes shut in ecstasy. Sis Mei beats them by a mile on technique, but there’s only so much technique can do to cover up bad materials. These materials, on the other hand! This is spirit rice of the highest purity. All you need to do is a simple boil to bring these flavors to the forefront!

I should snag some spirit rice to bring back to Sis Mei. I can’t imagine how good her cooking would be with this high-quality rice!

“Gui Hui, over here!” Tian Mo called.

“Coming, coming,” Hui replied, startled back to reality.

A group of boys and girls looked up at him, some in amazement, some in silence, at least one with open derision. Hui gave them a quick bobbed bow and sat down beside Tian Mo.

“Whoa! You really stood up to Da Gongji?” one of the girls whispered.

“Seriously! I think we have a new dorm leader,” a boy agreed.

“Were those spell techniques? You already know spells?” a bookish-looking girl effused, leaning forward.

“Ha, Da Gongji deserved it,” another boy chipped in, tipping his head back.

Hui gave a humble smile and laughed a little, embarrassed. It really doesn’t feel right to be congratulated for bullying a child. No matter how much the child deserved it!

“You’re new here? I didn’t know the sect was recruiting disciples,” the disapproving child said.

“Ah… small cultivator is a hostage,” Hui explained.

All the children retracted from him. They stared, eyes big.

“Gui Hui! You can’t simply say that,” Tian Mo told him.

“Why can’t I? Eight Tiers Palace is the one that took me hostage. Why am I not allowed to say so?” Hui asked.

“Well, that’s… it’s not done,” Tian Mo said.

Hui looked around at the assembled children. “So? Will you treat me differently, knowing that I am a hostage?”

They looked around one another. A few of them shook their heads.

“After all, he still beat Da Gongji.”

“That’s true. I don’t want to fight the kid that beat the dorm leader.”

“He’s powerful. What else matters? Isn’t that what the adults always say?”

Hui pointed at the last child. “Not so!”

“Not so?” she asked, startled.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Hui shook his head. “What matters the most is not strength. It is survival. If the strongest man faces an assassin who attacks him in a moment of distraction, what does that make him?”

The children looked around at one another. A few shrugged.

“Dead. It makes him dead. The number one thing you require, out of everything, is the ability to survive! Strength is nothing in the end. What we cultivators are chasing is immortality. Long life! Survival!”

Big eyes stared blankly at Hui.

Hui rubbed the back of his neck. Ah. Maybe that was… an advanced topic for children. “Eh… that’s what I think, anyways.”

“He does have a point,” the haughty boy said.

“It’s an interesting perspective. Especially since we’re assassins… or will be. What did they say? ‘Only the elite of the elite will survive’… perhaps the teachers also believe that survival is the most important,” one of the girls murmured.

A boy gasped. “Could it be? Is this a secret teaching? Were we meant to unlock this through contemplation and meditation on their teachings?”

One of the girls’ eyes went glassy. An aura of enlightenment gathered around her.

Uh… whoops. I’d like to apologize to all of the assassin masters. I might have… accidentally… corrupted your disciples.

Or rather, not! If all these children are death fodder, meant to die in assassin training, then I want to see them survive! If a few small words of mine are enough for them to realize that survival is in fact the most important aspect to becoming immortal, then I’m quite pleased! Pleased indeed. Yes, yes.

Hui nodded to himself and took another bite of the rice. Damn, this rice is delicious, though. I don’t eat anymore, but I should really do it more often. High-realm food has got to be incredibly delicious, if mere fourth-stage rice tastes this good.

Though… isn’t fourth-stage rice wasted on these disciples?

Hui paused for a moment, then shrugged. They have a vastly larger region than the Southern Sect Conference. Perhaps they grow so much high-realm rice that it’s a total waste to bother with growing anything below fourth-realm rice.

I have to note, though, this fourth-realm rice gives me way more qi than the tiny qi vein in my room. If I continue coming to the cafeteria, it will easily become my primary source of qi. Is that intentional? And if so, why? Isn’t practicing inedia usually a huge element of cultivation? Why encourage the disciples to eat by making qi far more available from the cafeteria than from the air and qi veins around them?

Well, I can always start by asking my fellow disciples.

Hui cleared his throat. “Elder Brothers, Sisters… why is the rice so much richer in qi than the qi veins in our room?”

“Eh? Can you absorb it? Isn’t it too high realm for us? I thought it was meant to be more like poison resistance training against qi too concentrated for us low realm cultivators,” one of the girls commented.

“Ah, no, no. I simply meant… once we can absorb it,” Hui said, nodding. Right, right. I suppose qi past a certain concentration would be like poison.

Is that really all the high-realm rice is about? It could be, I suppose.

“Oh, right,” the girl said, nodding. “Something to look forward to!”

“Sometimes they add actual poisons in, as well,” a boy told Hui.

Another boy nodded. “The first one to identify the poison gets dessert!”

Hui put his bowl down and pushed it away from him. You know what, I’m not hungry. After all, poisons are terrifying! There’s cumulative poisons, and poisons that can completely corrupt one’s body and cultivation. Even if the poison is far lower realm than me, it can still cause long-term problems for me! I’m never going to eat at the cafeteria again!

Is everything in an assassin sect terrifying? Even the dining room is dangerous. I don’t like it, I don’t like it at all!

Murderous intent flew at Hui from across the room. He turned sharply to find Da Gongji glaring at his back.

While the rice was unexpected, this is not. I suppose I have a rival now. Hui turned back around. Strangely, I’ve never had a rival before, though I guess that’s mostly from my policy of ensuring anyone who endangers me will not survive. But, well… unless he’s a Ying Lin-like existence, this Da Gongji is unlikely to pose a danger to me. I wonder what this will be like.

Of course, one can never be too cautious. I never know when I’m going to encounter another protagonist or hidden villain. If Da Gongji ever shows the slightest sign of becoming a protagonist or villain, I’ll make sure to eliminate him quickly, before he can kill this small cultivator.

…but let’s not blow this situation out of proportion. After all, he’s an elementary school bully, terrorizing the lunch room. It’s not as if he’s a serious threat to me. Nor would I expect him to be. And it’s not as if I’m excited to kill—the opposite, in fact! Especially when it comes to children!

Instead, I should gently course-correct him. He’s still young. With a little nudge or two in the right direction, I might be able to set him on the right path through life. Then I’ve done everyone a service.

Hui nodded to himself, turning away from Da Gongji. After all, he’s still a kid. There’s no need to take this situation so seriously. Instead, I should focus my energy on avoiding the poisoned rice!

Da Gongji squinted at Hui’s back. He clenched his fist. Humiliating me like that, then ignoring me? I’ll make you rue the day you picked on Da Gongji! You’ll regret ever having been born by the time I’m done with you. Mark my words!