Hui skipped back. The sword cut through the front of his robes. Feathers flew free, bright red like blood.

“You aren’t living your truth, either,” Li Xiang accused him.

Hui touched the cut robes. Not… my truth?

No, that’s fair. I’ve changed, thanks to the world. This isn’t my truth. It’s just a momentary form.

It’s as I realized. I cannot allow the world to change me, if I’m challenging the world.

But in order to learn how to harness these powers, I need to make temporary adjustments. Allowances. If I’m unwilling to bend and change, I’m unable to become stronger. I’ve always been willing to make temporary changes to my body and form in order to learn new powers.

Besides, I don’t want the world to realize… well. What I’ve realized. I don’t know how much the Golden Immortal will be able to see or understand from looking at me. It’s best if it looks like I don’t understand anything.

Though, to be fair, I have no idea how I became a Vermillion Bird. I absorbed that trash realm… I have a lot of birds in me… but aside from that, the details are fuzzy. Was the Vermillion Bird in that realm? Or am I just, uh, you know, combining with the birds I’ve always carried around? I was in a pretty unstable state in that realm, and then I did something somewhat, er, ridiculous, so anything’s possible.

I didn’t take as much care toward my own state as I should have, but on the other hand, I was in a bit of a rush… for this exact reason! Li Xiang, why are you attacking me? I’ve done nothing to you!

“Li Xiang!” Hui shouted, even as he ran backward.

“I can’t tolerate those who refuse the truth,” Li Xiang returned flatly, chasing after him.

“Li Xiang, let’s not be rash. We can use our words, okay?” Hui tried.

“No.”

“Ah… no… haha, I’m sure there’s still things to be said.”

“Rejected.”

“Li Xiang! You’re being unreasonable!”

“You’re the unreasonable one.”

Each phrase came accompanied by a slash, and on Hui’s part, he danced backward, dodging each attack. His body moved faster than usual, his limbs lighter and stronger. Is that because I’m using a Vermillion Bird’s body right now? It makes sense, right? As much sense as anything has made, this far.

The one thing I’m sure of, is that I am not the Vermillion Bird. It’s merely the way the world has chosen to comprehend me, in its broken state, but it is not… well, as Li Xiang would put it, it is not my truth. I think the best way to comprehend waking up as the Vermillion Bird as, is to understand it as a symptom of the world breaking down.

Still, it’s handy to use while I’ve got it!

Li Xiang closed the distance. She swiped at his neck.

Hui swayed back. The blade scraped by his skin, drawing a single line of blood. He touched his throat, feeling the wet, and leaped further away. “Elder Sister, let’s be reasonable. There’s no need to kill this small cultivator for a few small lies.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“Hmph.” Li Xiang paused, though she didn’t put her sword away.

Retreating to a safe distance, Hui paused. She wasn’t seriously trying to kill me. She didn’t use a single magical technique or beam of sword light. I shouldn’t be too hasty here. She’s still willing to listen, even if she insists otherwise.

“Li Xiang, listen for a moment. You are a sword. You always have been. However, are you not also a woman?” Hui asked, spreading his hands.

She squinted at him. “What do you mean?”

“Your body wasn’t formed from nothing. It was born, as earnestly as anything else. True, it belonged to someone else at the time, but she gave it to you. There’s no untruth in accepting this as your body.”

“But it isn’t mine.”

“It wasn’t yours, but it is now. It was a gift. You should treasure it, not rush to throw it away,” Hui insisted.

Li Xiang’s brows furrowed. She lowered her sword. “How did you speak to her?”

Hui pointed at her sword. “She lived in there, for a time. I met her as she died.”

“She… gifted this, to me?” Li Xiang asked, surprised.

Hui nodded. “You were her sword. When you gained her body, she was temporarily located into your sword. She wanted you to live on, and continue to grow stronger.”

She lowered her sword. Slowly, she sheathed it. “I see.”

Letting out a breath, Hui stepped forward. “Then, will you come with me? I need you at my side, for what I’m attempting to do.”

Li Xiang hesitated. After a moment, she nodded.

A thought that was his thought, and also not his thought, flashed through his mind. Ah… though, if the plan I’m thinking of works, I don’t think she’ll like it much… but in the end, I still need her.

Hui furrowed his brows. What was that?

Not something I should worry about.

…

I hear you.

Shut up, you hear nothing.

Is there a reason for—

Yes.

…

If you say so.

Hui looked overhead, but saw nothing. Well, if this is one of my plans, I probably shouldn’t think too hard about it. Still, why the hell did you spawn me as a bird?

No answer, huh. Well, then again, if I can’t figure it out, I really doubt head-clone can figure it out, either. It might just be a thing that happened—

Shut up! Stop thinking about it!

Oh. Er, okay. Sorry.

It’s fine. Just—just focus on your timeline, okay?

My timeline? There’s more—

Shhh, okay? Shhh!

“Hui?” Li Xiang asked, looking aside at him.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts. Er, shall we go, Elder Sister? There’s a few more people I want to pick up.”

Li Xiang nodded.

Hui took to the air. I didn’t see Bai Xue on my first run, but given it’s been at least five hundred years, and even Song Wei, who’s much lower realm, ascended, she’s almost certainly ascended as well. I don’t know where she is, but I know where to start asking. Bonus points, it’s the same place I need to go to find Song Wei!

This time, when he flew, a few sects spotted the Immortal Realm. Gold-dressed cultivators attacked the sects. The sects fought back, but they were clearly outmatched by the gold cultivators. Hui paused for a moment, watching.

Huh. I guess that’s what happens when you empty the garbage can back into the Immortal Realm. It just gets shoved back into the garbage can.

Well, not unforeseen. They were in the garbage can for a reason, and that reason wasn’t because they defeated the Golden Immortal and his men.

Li Xiang followed his gaze. “Do you want to help?”

Hui shook his head. “No. There’s no point.”

“No point?”

Well, since I’m pretty sure this isn’t our final timeline, there really isn’t any point. And the next loop, they’ll probably be back in the garbage bin.

Hmm. I need to power them up. It’ll be nice to have a stronger army for the final loop. At least strong enough to distract the Golden Immortal while I prepare to destroy him.

“No point.”

Li Xiang looked away. “If you insist.”

Eh, really? That was easier than I expected.

Li Xiang has changed.

We’re both older now. A lot has happened to us. It would be stranger if we didn’t change.

Hui nodded. “To the brothel?”

Li Xiang nodded back, then froze. “To the… what?”

“Ah… haha, Elder Sister will just have to trust me!” Hui said quickly, and flew off, using the full speed of his Vermilion Bird body.

“Weiheng Hui…” Li Xiang chased after him, squinting at his back.

“I was only born today, Li Xiang! I’m innocent!”

“Impossible,” Li Xiang snapped.

“It’s true, it’s really true!” Hui sped up even more. Next time, I’ll have to remember not to mention it aloud!