Am I actually going to sleep? Absolutely not. I’m not into mortal LARPing. Already had a life of that, thanks. Not interested in a second round.

Glancing at the cot to make sure Zhang Ming wasn’t watching, Hui rubbed his hands together, then tossed a lotus seed into a gap in the floorboards. It bounced out of sight, vanishing into the crawlspace under the hut.

He settled in to meditate again. This time, though, he sent his soul into the lotus seed. Rather than growing it to his full human form, he only grew large enough to barely climb out of the seed. Peeking out of the black hull, he looked around.

He stood alone under the hut. No one else joined him in the crawspace, no one except the worms and the dirt. He crawled over to the edge of the crawspace and peeked out through a gap in the boards at the space’s front.

The harmonious village scene wound down for the day. Parents corralled their children home. Shopkeepers took their wares down. As the sun set and night took hold, the village went quiet.

Hui waited, holding his breath. Come on. Something has to come out. Something has to go wrong. Don’t disappoint me!

He waited. And waited. The moon rose.

Hui yawned. Even though I don’t have to sleep, I can still get bored. Come on. Is nothing going to happen? Is this really just a harmonious mortal LARP session? Come on!

In the dark of the night, something moved.

Pushing himself upright, Hui’s eyes widened. At last! Show yourself, evil! A slasher? A monster? Perhaps a jiangshi or ghost?

Not—not that small cultivator wants to see such danger. No, no. Of course not. In fact, I’d rather this village has no secret danger, and that it’s all small cultivator’s delusions.

It’s just… there’s so many hints I… if there isn’t something, I’d be more surprised! And under those conditions, not seeing whatever that thing is, is far worse than confronting even something as dangerous as a slasher or jiangshi! The monster always gets less scary once it’s revealed. Plus, once I know what kind of threat this village hides, I can prepare for it! I can defend against it! Right now, I know nothing. If it—whatever it is—attacks me, I’m totally at its mercy!

No, this can’t stand. I need to know. I must know!

Jie Xinlei stepped out of the dark and into the moonlight, her face pale in the silver light.

Hui pursed his lips. Boring. Come on.

A moment later, he shook his head. No, no. From the beginning, I thought it was more dystopia than slasher. Maybe if I follow her, I can find out what’s wrong with this place!

She looked left and right, then hurried toward the chief’s house. Leaping up behind her, tiny Hui scurried across the road after Jie Xinlei. Jie Xinlei stepped into the chief’s house, and Hui hurried under the floorboards after her.

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The wooden floor creaked over Hui’s head. Jie Xinlei hesitated by the door, then stepped forward, closer to the chief. A moment later, she quickly bowed, remembering herself. “Jie Xinlei greets the chief.”

“Speak, child. What is on your mind?” the chief said warmly. He moved toward the central hearth, stirring a pot dangling over the fire.

Jie Xinlei rose, but continued to cup her hands to him. “Could today be a real day?”

Hui blinked. A real day? What does that mean?

The chief chuckled. “Of course! We’ve gained a new member of the village today. It’s a joyous day.”

She let out a held breath, her chest deflating. “Then… then tomorrow?”

The chief clicked his tongue. His smile vanished. “Don’t be greedy, child.”

Standing upright, she stepped forward. “It’s just—I like the newcomer. Mother says I should think about marriage, and… I want to get to know him. A few days, just a few days—!”

“Silence.”

Jie Xinlei jumped. She quickly bowed again.

The chief stirred the pot again, his face lit from below. A deep melancholy scrawled over his face, his eyes hooded, lips pressed together. After a few seconds, he sighed. Abandoning the pot, he went to Jie Xinlei’s side. “My dear, sweet Jie Xinlei, I wish I could make all days real. I wish it wasn’t like this. I wish we didn’t need to live this way. But we can’t. We have to obey. If we refuse…”

Jie Xinlei’s face darkened. Her shoulders slumped. “I know. But… one more day? Just one?”

The elder shook his head, more regretful than before. “We live on a razor’s edge. Even existing in this way is contrary to his wishes. If we knew his wishes, perhaps… but since he is unknowable, we must bow our heads and live in fear and silence. This charade of ours pleases him. And so we can scrape by and continue to survive.”

“Why—why does he—”

The elder shot her a glare. “No more.”

Jie Xinlei bit her lip. Her eyes dropped to the floor, almost shut. Tears welled up.

Seeing her sorrow, the chief relented. He put a comforting hand on her back. “There, there. No need for tears, child. We’re allowed to live this way. It’s better than dying.”

“Can’t we… fight, or—”

“We lost the war long ago. All our warriors are dead or crippled. Now, we have no recourse but to bow our heads and agree.”

Under the floorboards, Hui watched it all play out, his brows knotted. Someone else is forcing them to do this? Could it be? Is it my eternal adversary? The gold hand… is it the same one bullying them?

No, no. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s many powerful beings out there. Many powerful Immortals beyond my ability to even comprehend. I shouldn’t jump to hasty conclusions.

Still, it is interesting that there’s a being so powerful that it’s capable of suppressing an entire village full of Immortals. Interesting… and a powerful reminder to the small little me! I may have achieved Immortality, but just because my lifespan is long, doesn’t mean the buglike me can’t be killed! New death-faking skills, I need new death-faking skills! As soon as possible, at that! I can’t continue to rest on my laurels. I need a power that allows me to cause even Immortals to double-guess my status!

Jie Xinlei nodded. She mopped at her eyes, wiping away her tears, and sniffled. “But… but eventually?”

The chief smiled gently. “Eventually, it will be a real day again. You and that boy can continue to get to know each other.”

A real day… curious. What does that mean? A real day. Hui pursed his lips. If today counts as a real day, then I’ll have to take a measure of the difference between a real day and a fake day.

Sharing a few more kind words, the chief sent Jie Xinlei away. Taking it as his cue, Hui hustled after her, quickly vacating the floorboards as she walked away.

After he left, the elder’s eyes wandered to the floor. A smile touched his lips. “Our warriors are tired and crippled. And yet, perhaps…”

Humming to himself, the elder nodded, wandering back to a small cot in his room.