"But... I thought we had a great time in the city... don't you want to do more things like that?" Pan Tian asked, "Is it because of the assassins? I'm truly sorry about that. We shouldn't have gone to the Golden Carp... it's just... I wanted you to have fun. Sorry, Ithilix... I'm not trying to be a bitch. We would've taken you too if... well... you know."

"This one understands and appreciates your concern for this one's life," Ithilix said.

"Please, Tian. It's not like that, okay?" Jie said, "It's just... I have to cultivate. I loved being with you guys. It might be the best day of my life other than the day I met my master. It's not that I don't care or... that I don't want to do this stuff... I just... I can't explain right now, but I don't have a choice. I have to work every second I can because if I don't... well I just have to. Okay?"

"Okay," Pan Tian said, "I suppose it's more important than I realized..."

"I promise that it is," Jie said. "But, the valley and dungeon sound like they'd be good for me. So, I guess I'll go. Though I don't have a group. Who are you guys going with?"

"Well... I was going to go with Ithilix, but we don't have anyone decent for the other two spots," Pan Tian said.

"What do you mean you don't have anyone? Aren't you both some of the strongest students in the outer court?" Jie asked.

"Well... yes," Pan Tian said.

"Nobody wishes to be in a group with this one," Ithilix said.

"Don't say that. I want to go with you," Pan Tian said, "but... yes that's basically the problem. So, you could come with us if you want, but we still need a fourth. Or, we could just power through with the three of us. It could be difficult though. Even for you, Jie."

"What about you, Zhanshi? Aren't you going? You don't have a problem with Ithilix do you?" Jie asked.

Pan Zhanshi and Ithilix shared a look and they both smiled. "No," he said, "not at all. I'd love to go with you three if I could but..."

"It's not his fault," Pan Tian said, "our family insisted he go with an important young master's group. To help forge connections for our family. They wanted me to do the same, but I've convinced them that Ithilix could give us a chance to establish connections with the Hive's master craftsmen."

"Would the Hive trade with them?" Jie asked.

"This one does not know. This one can try though. If this one's mission is deemed a success," Ithilix said.

"You mean if you don't get murdered?" Jie asked.

"Yes, Princess," Ithilix said.

"Please don't call me that," Jie said, "so I guess it'll be the three of us then. I'm sorry you can't come Zhanshi."

"Me too," Pan Zhanshi said, "it'd be amazing to have you carry us through... I mean um... to fight by your side staring death in the face together, forging unbreakable bonds between us."

"You're such an idiot," Pan Tian said with a giggle.

"Bah. You just don't appreciate my finely tuned charisma," Pan Zhanshi said, "it must be because you're my twin. You get some kind of immunity to my charm. Without it, you'd be helpless and at my mercy. Isn't that right, Ithilix?"

Ithilix nodded sagely. "This one cannot help but agree," she said, "you're surely irresistible."

"You see?" Pan Zhanshi said.

"That was this one's first sarcasm. Did this one do it correctly?" Ithilix said.

Pan Tian and Ithilix high-fived.

"Oh no! What happened to the sweet Ithilix I first met? You're corrupting her, sis!" Pan Zhanshi said.

Jie chuckled but stepped away and snuck off with a wave goodbye to Ithilix while the siblings argued.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

***

When Jie entered her residence, she immediately noted that the healing pills she'd laid out for Ming were missing. But the old snake didn't look any better so she doubted they'd helped him much if at all. Jie hoped he'd pull through and heal himself, but if anything... he'd been slowly getting worse.

Jie bit her knuckle as she looked him over and thought about what Elder Shi and Jiang Feng had said before... about rumors of a healer beyond the Cursed Lands. How do I get the Headmaster to speak about that if he never does? She wondered.

Maybe she could buy him off? But even Jiang Feng hadn't managed to do so...

Perhaps there was something else the Headmaster wanted? Would Elder Shi know? The thought wasn't a new one, but she'd failed to ask before things between herself and Elder Shi had turned... tense.

And now, Jie felt guilty about the idea of asking Elder Shi for help when she wasn't willing to offer her help in return. Still... she needed to know. For Ming's sake...

But... killing people? And not just that but exterminating an entire family? Jie looked down at her hands imagining the blood that was already there and the room seemed to spin.

They'd hate me for what I've already done... how can I kill anyone? Jie thought.

Xue wound himself through her legs and looked up at her with big eyes. She stroked his fur.

"What do I do, Xue?" Jie muttered, "What do I do...?"

The days passed quickly, busy as Jie was with all her training. Weeks blurred into months...

Jie had hoped that things between herself and Elder Shi would improve with time, but they hadn't. Despite that, Jie had finally asked Elder Shi about the Headmaster, trying to find out anything Jie might be able to use to get him to talk about the Cursed Lands.

But Elder Shi had been cold, distant, and unhelpful. Each time Jie pressed, Elder Shi said only that she didn't know, and seemed unwilling to even attempt to find out.

Jie became increasingly certain that she would have to speak to the Headmaster herself. But it was difficult for a student to see him and Jiang Feng had already warned that he reacted poorly to being asked about the Cursed Lands.

Jie wanted to have a plan to deal with that before asking him. Something that might at least have a chance of swaying him. But she knew nothing about the man.

Jie had even gone so far as to try probing the other elders with questions about Headmaster Siluvius in a desperate effort to find out what could persuade him. But she'd largely been laughed off, brushed aside, or outright told not to involve herself in gossip.

The latter of which irritated Jie most. Especially as the school and its elders seemed to take no issue with gossiping about her, or her supposed bodyguards. But, when the time came to discuss something of practical use to her, suddenly they were paragons of virtue.

One good thing was that the bracelet her friends had gifted her gave her cultivation speed a massive boost without sacrificing quality in the slightest. With its help, combined with a large amount of cultivation resources and tireless training and cultivating, Jie had broken through multiple times and was now at the eighth star of the Expert rank.

And... when she focused on the memory stones, she saw some of her friends' favorite moments of their time together. Looking at those memories warmed Jie's heart and helped calm her frantic thoughts. Particularly when her mind began to fixate on the fact that Ming was dying. That she needed to kill one day. And what an absolute coward she was being for avoiding doing so.

Especially when she was confident that she could get Elder Shi to help her with the Headmaster if she would only promise to help Elder Shi kill the Chen family. A family that seemed utterly, irredeemably evil. A family that tried to rob Jie before she'd even known their name, tortured her friends on stage, and tried to assassinate her and her friends. And yet... she still could not bring herself to promise Elder Shi that she would help to kill them all.

And Jie hated herself for it.

Maybe I am a coward and a fool... Jie thought.

Jie was vastly stronger now than she'd been when she first came to this world. Probably the strongest student in the entire school. At least in the outer court. The only stronger students were those in the inner court working on becoming elders themselves. And yet she hadn't felt so helpless since she'd left Earth.

Jie considered perhaps becoming an elder of the school to get closer to the Headmaster so she could learn about the Cursed Lands.

But even the weakest elder was at the Elementalist rank. And Jie wasn't sure Ming had the time that might be required for her to break through. Not to mention there was no guarantee she could get the Headmaster to talk even if she did become an elder. Or how long it would take for her to do so if she could get him to talk.

Technically, she was close to the Elementalist rank. Just a few stars to go... but not only was every star a much larger gap than before, but the difference between the lower and middle dantian was more profound. Often requiring deeper insights. At least that's what Elder Shi said.

Sparring with Elder Shi continued to show how immense the gap was between the lower and middle dantian as even with Jie nearing the threshold, Elder Shi still beat her with little effort. Though Elder Shi had started using her qi in their practice sessions. Something Jie took as a small win and a display of the progress she'd made.

Still, no matter how hard Jie worked. No matter how many sleepless nights she cultivated as hard as she could, there was always further to go. But she was determined not to let Ming down... determined not to lose him... and to think of something to do for Elder Shi too.

But no matter how bloody her own hands would become, Jie never wanted to kill innocents. It would be hard enough to accept killing those who deserved it. But innocents? No... if she ever did that, she would become the very thing she hated most in this world.