“Where are you going?” Tian Mo asked, jogging to keep up with Hui.
Hui slowed, changing his footwork back to normal. Whoops. I was subconsciously using the Pond-Reflecting-Moon Waltz again. “I need to get my spirit beast back. Tseng Caihong took him.”
“Er, didn’t Voice just say she was in secluded meditation? You can’t just interrupt that…”
“Tell her that,” Hui grumbled, rolling his eyes. What secluded meditation? Give me my snake back, you snake-thief!
Tian Mo paused. “Eh, wait. But the woman who stole your snake… how was she at lunch if she…”
“Now you understand.” Hui glanced around, then sped up again. I guess there’s no guarantee that the secret realm is open outside of class time, but it’s worth a try. I can always break in… I mean, go ask one of the teachers nicely if they’ll let me in.
Tian Mo squinted after him. “No…?”
“Tian Mo, you need to be more flexible. This world is shades of gray. You can’t simply exist in the black and white. Besides, aren’t you an assassin? And yet you don’t understand the principles of lying,” Hui said, shaking his head.
“Ah—she’s lying? Now it all makes sense,” Tian Mo said, nodding. “But wait, how are you going to contact her?”
“The way I attracted her attention in the first place!” Hui declared. I’ll replicate our first meeting. She’s sure to bite! Or… well, I can’t be so sure. In fact, I’m not sure at all! But it’s the best idea I have. Maybe it’s just doing something because I’m anxious and I can’t bear not doing anything, but I still have to try. And if it doesn’t work… if I can’t attract her attention by tearing at the resentment demons’ barrier, then… then I guess I’ll just free the resentment demons! One way or another, I’m one step closer to taking Zhubi back. It just so happens that I might have to tear down Eight Tiers Palace to get him, if negotiations break down completely.
Ah! Not that this small Hui would brazenly do such a thing with just the resentment demons. Obviously, they can be easily suppressed as they currently are. No… I need to figure out a way to make the resentment demons more heavens-defying, more powerful!
But how…?
“Good luck!” Tian Mo said cheerfully. He saluted to Hui’s back. That sounds like trouble. I’ll leave my good friend to it!
Hui paused. He squinted over his shoulder at Tian Mo. Between the two of us, why do I feel like Elder Brother is even more of a coward than me? Abandoning me in the lunch room, now this?
On the other hand… excellent, Elder Brother, excellent! Using your common sense to identify the flags I’m throwing, bowing out of danger… yes! Hmm, perhaps I should take him as a disciple? Ying Lin never truly comprehended the principles of death faking… perhaps an assassin would do better?
He walked on, nodding to himself, then shook his head vehemently.
Wait, hold on. A death-faking assassin? No, no, no! Hui, what are you thinking? Are you mad? Giving an assassin the power to see through all your techniques and skills? Absolutely not! Even if I’m fond of this Tian Mo, even if he has karma with death faking, I can’t do such a thing! I’d be betraying myself, and I don’t intend to become my own worst enemy. No thank you!
Still, I should encourage Tian Mo to continue to listen to these instincts of his. He can continue to live a long, fruitful life this way, by simply avoiding danger before it even happens!
Hui froze. Wait, hold on. Tian Mo has read the flags and is abandoning me to my fate. Am I making a massive mistake? Should I find another route?
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No… no. For someone like Tian Mo, I’d certainly be seeking death, but I’m in fact much higher realm. I have all kinds of secret techniques and mysterious spells that I can use to escape death. And I have to get Zhubi back. No matter what.
But… maybe I should take a precaution or two. Something to make sure I don’t die. Zhubi’s health and safety is the most important, but if I’m not alive to rescue him, then it’s all pointless! After all, one’s own life is the most important, the most important of all!
The portal to the hidden realm appeared around the corner. The portal swirled, inviting him to step inside. Hui blinked, startled. It’s open?
Abruptly, the portal shifted. Zhang Zhisho stepped out, her long arms and legs appearing long before her head. She looked at Hui, then tilted her head. “Eager to get in more practice?”
“Yes!” Hui said, nodding aggressively. Let me in, let me in! I don’t even have to break in? How nice!
She nodded approvingly. “If only all my students could be so diligent.” Standing aside, she let him in.
Hui nodded at her. “Thank you, Elder Sister!” That, and someone knows I’ve entered the secret realm now. News can get around. I’m not depending on Tseng Caihong to notice on her own.
Stepping into the secret realm, Hui beelined toward the yin-filled valley. In a few moments, he reached the resentment demons. They shifted slightly in welcome, their chains jangling.
Right, so I was on the resentment demons… ah! That’s right. I used my female-body technique. Nodding to himself, Hui sat down, crossing his legs. Shifting to his plant-body technique, he absorbed the yin energy and circulated it within his body. The yin altered his body, overwriting his natural yang energy with yin. His plant form changed subtly, softening at the edges.
Hui opened his eyes. He looked around. No Tseng Caihong yet. Alright. Time for the next step!
But first, a precaution!
Still in his plant form, Hui hopped off the resentment demon and hid under its corner. The resentment demon rotated slightly to watch him, a questioning aura in its movements.
“Hide me, Elder Sibling?” Hui requested.
The resentment demon wiggled one of its smaller hands out from the ball and cupped it over him, shielding him from view.
Pulling out a strand of his life qi, Hui balled it into his hand and reached out, bringing a lotus seed out of his storage ring. Pressing the life qi into the seed, a second body grew from the seed. It sat quietly beside Hui, no more than a body. Hui put his hand on the body and stimulated its qi, growing petal clothes over it. They don’t look like my clothes, exactly, but they’re close enough to fool a casual look.
Hui circulated more and more yin into his body, completely flooding it with yin until his already-suppressed energy vanished behind the thick yin.
Tseng Caihong can see anything, but she doesn’t look for everything. If I disguise myself enough and create an obvious false body, she might overlook my real body.
It’s true that I’ve survived her killing me twice now, but that doesn’t mean I should keep counting on it. It’s better if I can avoid death outright. In this situation, where I can hide my real body while acting aggressive, I might as well attempt it!
Adjusting his body into a perfect lotus pose, Hui sent his soul into his clone. The clone blinked and looked around, and Hui took a deep breath. As he breathed, yin energy flowed easily into the clone, naturally circulating through its meridians.
Hui raised his eyebrows. Huh. The clone is even better at circulating yin than I am, in yin form?
Well, no. That makes sense. I made this clone when I was in yin mode, using yin, and it only ever has used yin energy. In fact, this clone, being a pure lotus clone, can basically be considered possessing both yin and yang attributes from the beginning. Compared to my personal body, with years of… or at least months, of yang attributes accumulating in it, naturally the from-the-beginning-yin-attributed lotus clone is better at using yin than my body is.
Leaving his real body behind, Hui hopped up onto the resentment demon. He pressed a hand against the icy-cold yin saturated chains. This time, he injected his qi carelessly, without bothering to avoid the alarm threads. Come here, Tseng Caihong! I want your attention. I’m breaking your barrier, what do you have to say about it?
The alarm sounded in his head and out loud, blaring a sharp bell tone nonstop. Hui scowled, pressing his hands against his ears. Damn! That’s annoying. So that’s what happens when you just break the alarm threads, instead of carefully approaching them! Ugh. This sucks! If nothing else, it makes it incredibly hard to concentrate on the barrier. What a primitive and yet effective technique!
From overhead, a shadow appeared. Hui gazed up, his eyes glittering. Yes! Tseng Caihong, appear! I knew it would work!
“Hmm? How strange, to find you here…” a sultry, yet familiar voice commented.
Hui stiffened. Eh? That’s not Tseng Caihong! I called the wrong Senior!