Li Xiang hurtled down into a nearby forest, just far enough away to be out of the sight of the blue-robed cultivators. Hui glanced back. Distantly, fire encircled the blue cultivators and cut off their line of sight.

Good. They won’t notice us hiding here. And since we could fly literally anywhere, and there’s a war going on, they probably won’t expect us to hide so close. Hui followed Li Xiang down and into the trees.

“I did good, huh?” Bai Xue asked from beside him.

Hui startled. “Eh? When did you get there, Elder Brother?”

Bai Xue sighed. He shook his head. “Not even watching when I act impressive. Tsk, tsk.”

The four of them landed in a small clearing. Hui raised his hand, casting a barrier. After a moment’s thought, he added another two barriers, the later two adjusted to block their qi signatures from exuding through the force wall.

Opposite him, Li Xiang set down the balled-up cultivator. He climbed to his feet, dusting himself off, and looked down on all three of them. “How dare you lay hands on this Prince! Bow and apologize right this moment, and I might ask my men to spare your lives.”

Bai Xue chuckled under his breath. “Someone doesn’t understand the situation he’s in. Ahhh… how tempting.” He lifted his fan, gently wafting it, only his burning eyes peering out from the top.

You know, I’m just going to pretend like I didn’t hear that. Hui cleared his throat. He nodded at the Prince. “Please excuse us, Your Eminence. It’s just, my friend here thought you had some incredible spells. She noticed that you were about to die, and rescued you, because those techniques of yours were so interesting. Please, could you demonstrate them for us?”

“That’s not true,” Li Xiang grumbled.

Hui pressed his lips together, barely managing to keep a smile. Li Xiang! I know you know it isn’t true, but could you at least let me spin a tale for a few seconds?

The Prince tossed his head and lifted his chin, looking down on them. “Hmph. You think you’re good enough to see this Prince’s techniques?”

Ah… I see. We’ve found a Young Master. This is going to be hard.

Oh well. From the start, this whole plan was doomed. Let’s send him back to his handlers and be on with our way.

Hui bowed. “Our apologies, Your Eminence. If that’s the case, then—”

“No.”

Hui startled. He looked at Li Xiang.

She crossed her arms firmly. “Learn a few techniques. You’re too helpless.”

Bai Xue edged closer. He looked aside at the Prince, his eyes slightly narrowed. “Give me half an hour with him. Please. I’m begging you. I’ll have him crying out for mercy in no time.”

“I don’t agree with the use of torture,” Li Xiang countered.

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Uh, I don’t think Bai Xue was talking about torture… No, I think I’ll leave that one be. Hui cleared his throat. “Li Xiang, we don’t need to trouble this Prince. I’m sure we can find someone or something else to learn from.”

“No. You’ll continue to neglect your studies. You always focus on your goals, to the detriment of your martial prowess. I can’t allow that to continue.”

Hui flinched. I… I can’t counter that! It’s true! It’s too true! “But, Elder Sister, is this the way to go about it? He clearly doesn’t want to share his moves. But maybe someone else will?”

“Right. Be on your way, scum. Perhaps I’ll be merciful if you lick my boots before you go,” the Prince declared haughtily.

Bai Xue pushed by Hui, irritation rolling off his form. In two strides, he crossed to the Prince and caught him by the chin. The Prince backed away, but couldn’t escape Bai Xue’s grip. He wavered off-balance, unable to escape Bai Xue’s grip.

Eyes glittering with the promise of violence, Bai Xue drew him close. Flames lapped at his robes and hair, flickering around him in a hellish aura. Fierce killing intent flew at the Prince. His knees gave out, his eyes wide.

Whoa. I need to take notes! Bai Xue looks way more like the Landlord of the Underworld than I ever do! Impressive, impressive. Hui nodded, watching eagerly.

“Give us your techniques, or die here,” Bai Xue whispered, voice as deadly dangerous as the hiss of a venomous snake.

“This…this Prince has never given anything up for free, not since I was a child!” the Prince protested, but his voice broke a little.

Li Xiang looked at Bai Xue, then back at the Prince. “He’s telling the truth. He will kill you.”

Hui’s eyes lit up. “Ah! If you think about it, Your Eminence, you still aren’t giving anything up for free. You’re trading your techniques for your life. And what’s more precious than your life? After all, if you no longer have your life, you no longer have any techniques, nor power, nor strength.”

The Prince bared his teeth. “I won’t give in so easily.”

Smiling gently, Hui moved closer. He tilted his head, just a little. “You like being a Prince, right? You know, I might know a few people in the Underworld.”

Hui called out to his connection to the Underworld. Cold death qi and yin energy flowed through him, forming a dark aura around him. Pure, utter black oozed out from him, so utterly black that it seemed to suck in the light from around him, an antihalo of darkness. Although he didn’t know it, black filled his eyes, leaching all the white and color from them.

The Prince flinched back. His skin trembled.

“And you know, Your Eminence, I can pull a few strings, you know? Maybe you can end up as a Prince in the next life. Or maybe…” His grin turned mean. “Maybe you can end up as the lowliest of your lowly servants. The one you like to step on and grind into the dirt for no reason at all, the one you haven’t thought of in ages as anything more than a bug.

“How would you like that, Your Eminence? Reborn as not a bug, because bugs are, after all, nothing more than beasts, and can only be pitied. No. Reborn as a lowly servant, as someone who must take others’ orders, who others step on, who picks up others’ filth and scrubs others’ latrines. Would you enjoy that?”

The Prince paled. He shook his head, even despite Bai Xue’s tight hold.

Hui stepped back, retracting his aura. His appearance returned to normal. He smiled gently once more. “Things to consider, Your Eminence. Please, choose wisely!”

Still gripping the Prince, Bai Xue stared at Hui. His colors changed from black to white as the female version reappeared. Her gaze remained unchanged, directed solely at Hui.

“Eh… what?” Hui asked, unable to bear her intense gaze any longer.

“If the Prince wasn’t here, I’d have you in my bed right this instant,” Bai Xue whispered huskily.

“Ah… er, my apologies,” Hui murmured, not really sure how to respond to that. Er, did I do something attractive? The… the darkness thing? Was that hot?

I guess the Bai Clan was always half-demonic, so I can’t be too surprised if Bai Xue is attracted to demonic men.

The Prince’s eyes turned to Li Xiang, and he paled further. The man… woman holding me is terrifying, the humble, scraping servant is terrifying… what is that woman hiding? What can she do?

Li Xiang looked back at him. She tilted her head.

He put his hands up. “I—I’ll teach you everything. Please. Just… let me go afterward?”

“Of course, of course, Your Eminence!” Hui said, nodding happily. Wonderful, wonderful. It wasn’t nearly as hard as I feared!