A blast of superheated mist blasted into the room as the two met. Hui cowered back, nearly thrown back by the force of the clash. Lesser cultivators went flying, thrown to the walls of the room.

Fenfeng attacked. Her sword traced a frosty trail through the air. Flicking his fans casually, Xue blocked. Heat wavered in the air over his fans, killing the frosty aura of Fenfeng’s sword. She leaped back, putting room between them. Xue chased after her, blazing through the air. He flapped the fan once, twice. Waves of fire rushed at Fenfeng. She raised her sword and barely blocked. Fire rushed by around her.

Bai Xue smirked. He fanned, and the flames rushed up, encircling Fenfeng. She slammed her hand down, summoning ice around her, but the flames steadily burned away, melting the ice. Closer and closer they grew, ice diminishing around her.

“Zhang Zhou! Now!” Fenfeng shouted.

A demonic cultivator stepped out from the crowd, dark robes flowing. Black marks crawled over his skin, shifting constantly. He raised his hand and clenched his fist.

Bai Xue stiffened. His face paled, and he plummeted from the sky.

The fire spluttered out. Fenfeng laughed, throwing her head back.

“Bai Xue!” Hui shouted. He sprinted for him as he fell, arms out.

Bai Fenfeng laughed. “Did you think me so ill-prepared as to forget about you? Once you started poking around, I naturally called the man who cursed you here! Even if you’re a powerful cultivator, there’s nothing you can do against the curse!”

Demonic cultivators and Fenfeng’s branch members closed in around Hui, blocking his route to Bai Xue. He drew his sword and fired off a talisman, but it barely impacted the crowd.

Li Xiang darted to Hui’s side. She slashed left and right, cutting away black and black-and-white-robed cultivators alike. Hui gave her a nod. She nodded back, and together, they charged through the crowd.

Zhang Zhou glanced down. Pure black eyes regarded them coldly.

Hui fired a wind talisman at him. Wind rushed past him, not even stirring his robes. Hui clicked his tongue. Figures it wouldn’t work.

Zhang Zhou lifted his hand. Casually, he flicked his finger at the two of them. One of the cursed symbols on his finger lifted off his skin and rushed down at them. It grew larger as it plummeted, from as small as a fingernail to wider than Hui was tall. Smaller cursed symbols streamed off its rear. Hui grit his teeth and ran on, eyes locked on Bai Xue. He’s almost hit the ground! I’ll have to take the blow!

A hand closed around the back of his belt. Li Xiang threw Hui back. She reached out and caught Bai Xue. The cursed symbol struck Li Xiang and Bai Xue. She took another step, stumbling, then fell to the ground. The symbol rotated and smashed down on them, pinning them to the ground. Li Xiang struggled, trying to break free. It pressed down harder. The stone cracked under them. In her arms, Bai Xue laid limp, eyes rolled back, skin paling steadily.

Master, if you’re going to come help, now’s the time! Hui thought, despairing.

Wait—I have to use the jade, right?

Use the jade… how? Smash it? Send qi into it? Break it in half? I don't want to destroy it if it turns out I had to twist the bird’s head or poke the eye or something to signal him!

Master! You forgot to tell me how to use the jade!

Bai Xue’s face twisted. Purple veins appeared through translucent skin. His rolled-back eyes twitched, and Hui realized—They’re not rolled back! They’ve turned white!

Hui layered three wind talismans on top of one another and fired them at Zhang Zhou at once.

Zhang Zhou stared, still expressionless. Engrossed in the sight below him, he didn’t even blink when the three wind talismans’ Boulder-Cutting Wind broke across his shoulders, even when it shoved him ever-so-slightly back.

A sharp crack rang out. The ground sunk around Li Xiang and Bai Xue. Fractures broke across the surface of the rock, and they sank lower. All at once, the ground gave way, rocks tumbling, crashing against the ground. The two fell into the darkness, into a sub-cave beneath the cave.

“Li Xiang! Bai Xue!” Hui ran to the edge of the hole.

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They laid in a hollow in the rock, about as large as a room. Water dripped from stalactites on the ceiling and pooled in shallow puddles in the rock. The cursed symbol still pinned them to the floor, symbols twining.

Before Hui could jump in, Zhang Zhou twisted his fingers. Hui froze, locked in place. Something cold but familiar gripped his limbs and immobilized them. He glanced down. Black symbols crawled around his wrists and ankles, binding him where he stood.

“Die,” Fenfeng snarled. An icicle spiraled through the air, hurtling at his head.

Instinctively, Hui killed his qi and went limp. It did nothing. The cursed symbols held him in place, keeping him from falling.

No! Not my trump card!

If I shed my skin… I can’t move, that wouldn’t help! If I stagnate my qi—no, that doesn’t help either!

I need more ways to fake my death!

Ah, not that it matters. This small disciple is about to experience death for real. I’m sorry, Master… you’ll have to repay my debt.

A hand batted the icicle away. Zhang Zhou shook his head at Fenfeng, still impassive. He gestured, and the cursed symbol holding Li Xiang and Bai Xue retreated to the top of the hole.

Confused, Li Xiang climbed to her feet cautiously, looking around.

“Who do you think will win?” he asked Hui emotionlessly.

Eh… huh? Hui blinked, startled.

“Who do you want to win?”

Hui licked his lips and found that his mouth could move. “I want them both to get out alive!”

“Choose,” Zhang Zhou demanded.

Hui stared defiantly.

Zhang Zhou kicked Hui in the shins.

A sharp crack rang out. Hui wanted to fall, but the cursed symbols held him upright, all his weight on his newly broken legs. He grit his teeth, unwilling to scream. A pitiful sound escaped, whiny and pathetic.

D-dammit! You—you think this… bothers the great me? Back in my first life, they—they… they broke my legs in two places, once! One break? Ch—child’s play!

“Choose,” Zhang Zhou repeated.

Below, Li Xiang backed away. A ghoul-form Bai Xue lunged at her, teeth bared, hands clawed. She deflected him with the flat of her blade, teeth gritted, and backed away again. Her shoulders hit the cave wall.

Zhang Zhou’s eyes flitted downward, then back up to Hui. “There isn’t much time left. Choose.”

Hui swallowed, forcing the screams back down his throat. He gritted his teeth and glared into Zhang Zhou’s eyes. “Both!”

I’m a coward, I hate pain, but I won’t betray my friends! After all this time, I’m finally living the dream. I finally have people who care for me, who hang out with me and chat with me! I’m not going to choose! Kill this small disciple if you have to, but I won’t choose one of my friends to kill the other!

Zhang Zhou blinked. He lifted his leg again.

Hui tensed.

“Bai Xue!” A blur flashed past, hurtling for the curse mark. Braid streaming after her, Jingwen slashed at it with all her might.

The curse shuddered. Ice sheeted over it. She hauled back her sword and slashed again, then again. With every blow, the curse mark flashed, struggling.

Zhang Zhou flicked his fingers. Again, a mark flew off them and caught Jingwen in the shoulder, throwing her back. She hit the distant wall in a poof of dust and fell, limp.

The curse mark barrier over the hole wavered, still recovering from the onslaught.

Now! Hui threw all his death qi at the death qi that made up the curse mark. The curse marks fought back, refusing to be broken. Hui narrowed his eyes and pushed harder, shoving it all out, every last scrap. His qi flooded out Zhang Zhou’s qi, and the black marks shattered. He threw himself into the wavering curse mark. The mark held him for a moment, then shuddered, and he fell through into the hole.

Zhang Zhou blinked down at him, impassive.

Hui breathed out. It was a gamble that all my death qi could break a single curse he inflicted. I figured he wouldn’t put too much energy into restraining a small cultivator like myself—after all, why would a righteous cultivator like me have death qi, and normal qi is nullified by death qi, so normal righteous cultivators would be caught with even a scrap of his energy—but if he put even an iota of strength into the marks, they would’ve held me!

Thank you, Jingwen! You saved me having to bluff the demonic cultivator into tossing me down! I’m not sure this guy has a sense of humor—he might’ve just killed this small cultivator!

Traces of death qi chased after him. He reached out to them, curious. The traces sank into his skin and curled back around his dantian. Hui inspected them.

Black ducks circled around his dantian for a few seconds before they turned back into a smooth stream of death qi. Only a mere drop remained, barely enough to circulate.

Hui blinked. Huh.

He struck the ground. Pain jolted through his legs, and this time, he screamed. No point to holding onto pride any longer!

“Hui! Hold on, I’ll save you!” Li Xiang shouted.

“No! Protect yourself, I’m fine!” Hui replied.

“Your legs—”

“Fine! They’re fine!” He jabbed his hand down his robes and swallowed the last of the red pills. His legs burned. Muscles twisted. Bones cracked. Hui clenched his hands tight, fingernails biting into his palms. Blood welled up around his fingertips, only to heal seconds later.

Bai Xue turned. White eyes gazed at Hui. He staggered a step toward Hui, then bolted to him, gliding over the ground.

“Yeah, that’s right! Come here!” Hui shouted.

“Hui, no!” Li Xiang called. She chased him, but too slow.

“You sacrifice yourself so both can live. Pathetic. They will continue to fight once you are gone,” Zhang Zhou commented.

Bai Xue grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him, mouth wide. Thick strands of half-congealed spit strung from his jaws. A blast of cold breath assaulted Hui’s face, carrying the scent of death and rot with it.

“Li Xiang, trust me!” Hui replied. He grabbed Bai Xue’s shoulders, pushing himself away from the ghoul.

Narrowing his eyes, Hui wrapped the scraps of death qi around his dantian. They barely managed to cover his qi, even spread as thinly as he could manage. He quashed his qi down, stifling it so the death qi could obscure it more easily. Even then, the scraps struggled.

Bai Xue paused. He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed.

“Hug!” Hui ordered.

Blinking, Bai Xue hesitated, then drew Hui into his arms.

Alright, here goes nothing! Hui put a hand on Bai Xue’s forehead and reached out with his qi.