Circling around the palace, Jian Jile pointed her bird toward the very top of the Eight Tiers Palace. There, atop the palace, a flat space stood out amidst the decorations.

How practical, adding a helipad to your palace, Hui noted, nodding to himself. I suppose when you’re a sect this large, you’ll actually have large beasts and immortal ships landing at your place fairly often, so it makes sense to carve out a landing pad.

That, and most sects aren’t quite as vertical as the Eight Tiers Palace is. I imagine most sects can simply have the large objects land at their periphery. Eight Tiers Palace doesn’t really have a periphery, so much as a floor, and then all the tributary sects scattered around… yes, it’s uniquely suited for a helipad.

The bird swooped down and alighted at the edge of the open space. Jian Jile climbed off, going to the bird’s head to give it a pat and murmur a few words. Hui slid off its side, dropping down to the flat top of the palace.

Jian Jile stood back. Hui looked at her. She gestured him on. “Go ahead. You’re the emissary. I’m not.”

He pressed his lips together, unwilling. You’re making me go in alone? I get the Tier Master sending me without coming along. That’s kind of the whole point of the emissary. She’s too important to visit on her own, so of course I’m the one sent ahead. But this Jian Jile not accompanying me? How will Tseng Caihong even know that I’m the emissary of the beast cultivators? Do they not know how many tiers I’ve been wandering through?

…No, actually, they probably don’t. I mean, they might suspect it, since the tier masters all expressed interest in having me as a disciple, foolishly, given my pitiful talents, but it’s not as if they know that I’ve been wandering around Eight Tiers Palace like a rogue cultivator, picking up random pieces of enlightenment here and there.

Giving Jian Jile a last nod, Hui walked across the roof of the Eight Tiers Palace. Halfway across, he paused and looked over his shoulder at Jian Jile.

“What?” she asked, putting a hand on her hip.

Hui cleared his throat. “Er, Elder Sister… how do I get inside?”

Jian Jile rolled her eyes. She stomped. Across the roof, a hatch in the floor popped open. “There.”

Hui bowed quickly. “Thank you, Elder Sister.”

Jian Jile sniffed, tossing her head. “Look first, next time.”

Hui narrowed his eyes at her incredulously. Look first? Look first! For the hidden hatch in the floor that’s the exact same color as the rest of the floor and needs someone to stomp a specific way to open it? Yes, I think I will look first, Elder Sister. I’m sure it will help me find the hidden invisible secret hatch door.

Elder Sister, it’s fine to look down on small cultivator, but at least be reasonable in your expectations of my small talents, okay?

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Jian Jile arched a brow at him.

Hui looked away quickly and scurried off for the hatch. Ah, well, but one shouldn’t insult others without due cause. I don’t need to go around giving random civilians heart demons. The people of this world have such fragile minds, fragile indeed. Who knows? Perhaps Elder Sister would crumble if I pointed out her hypocrisy. Not that I think I’m that good at giving heart demons, no no. But I’m simply worried that I might make a mistake and inflict Elder Sister with a heart demon against my will. Better to hold my tongue!

He jumped into the hatch and dropped into darkness. Instinctively, Hui flew, catching himself in midair. He gestured, sending a songbird out from his dantian to circle around in midair. Golden light radiated from the bird, lighting the space around him.

He stood in a vast empty space. As far as the eye could see, nothing but darkness. Looking up at the songbird, Hui flicked his sleeve. The songbird burst into a dozen songbirds, spreading across the vast space, tracing golden light after them. Where they passed, they cast enough light for Hui to make out the bare wooden floor below and the bare walls all around. Occasionally, one passed behind a support pillar.

Frowning, Hui hovered in place, extremely suspicious. The entire Eighth Tier is dark and empty? That can’t be right. Doesn’t Tseng Caihong have direct disciples? And wait, if she’s been kidnapping pets, where are all the beasts? Where’s her living space? Her cultivation resources?

Nameless horror crept up his spine, tickling in the pit of his stomach. Hui edged back toward the hatch. Something’s wrong. Something’s very wrong.

Behind him, the hatch slammed shut.

Hui fled toward the hatch and slammed into it. Nothing happened. The hatch held firm, not even jolting in its hinges.

He backed away nervously, getting his back to the ceiling since the walls were too far away. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. What have I done? Dammit! I should have suspected something! The Tier Master didn’t want to go, and then Jian Jile refused to accompany me, fuck, fuck, fuck! To think I’d be so careless! A trap, an obvious trap, and I walked right in! Emissary? Ha! More like patsy! I don’t even know what I’m taking the fall for, but it’s nothing good.

Casually, he knocked on the ceiling. “Jian Jile, I think I took a wrong turn, can you help?”

No response.

Hui pursed his lips. Not that I was expecting anything, but… yeah. That doesn’t bode well.

Of course, it could be that I’m not being set up. It could be that this is just how Tseng Caihong keeps her tier. But… He licked his lips. It’s suspicious.

In the far distance, one of the golden birds stopped. It circled in midair, hovering over something. Hui raised a hand to his eyes, but even extending his divine sense, he couldn’t make sense of what it hovered over. Giving a nervous look behind him, he lifted his hand, tagged the hatch with a bit of his qi, and flew over, keeping his back to the ceiling the whole way.

I could rot my way out of the ceiling with rot qi or death qi, but… I haven’t been attacked yet. I mean, this could all be Tseng Caihong’s weird sense of internal décor. Deep breath, Hui. Let’s not panic and take drastic action for no reason. Investigate first, then get the fuck out if it is as ominous as it looks.

The other birds flew back to Hui. Only the one hovering bird remained, circling slowly around the strange object on the floor.

Hui drew up to the golden bird and squinted down. Even closer, the pile of… something didn’t resolve more clearly. White… clear goop? A big pile of gelatinous slime? There’s stuff in it… it’s kind of milky and hard to see through. It’s almost like a big pile of fat dropped on the ground, but… Glancing around, he sent his divine sense out, checking again that he was alone, then dropped down to the thing. He reached out and delicately touched it.

Cold seeped into his hand. The whole mass jiggled, all the way from the top to the bottom.

Hui snatched his hand back, startled. What the hell is this thing? It’s—

The mass jiggled harder and harder, the wobbles growing more and more pronounced. Hui backed away, eyes wide, all his senses locked onto the mass.

—it’s not good, whatever it is!