Hui darted up Starbound Peak, slipping through the trees as he followed the familiar path up the mountainside. At this time of day, plenty of disciples wandered around, but no one cast Hui a second glance.

He sprinted across the path and ducked around to the back door of the cafeteria, then rapped quietly at the door. “Sis Mei.”

The door flew open. Mei bustled out and snatched Hui into a hug. “Hui! It’s been so long, I missed you!”

“Sis Mei!” He hugged her back happily.

She released him and gave him a quick look-over, then nodded, satisfied. “Stay right there. I’ll fetch you a bowl.”

“Wait, wait, Sis Mei… Could I have some scraps instead? I’ve spotted some fat ducks out on the lake, and I want to celebrate.” Hui licked his lips and smiled.

“Oh? You know, you ought to be careful. Our Sect Leader loves ducks,” Mei warned.

Hui waved it away. “I’ll share some with him if he stops by. These are some fantastic ducks, Mei. I have to have some.”

She chuckled. “Alright, alright. I’ll grab some scraps.”

“Do you want some?” Hui offered. If she does, I’ll talk her into cooking it!

Mei shook her head. “Oh no, no, I’m quite happy with the cafeteria’s food. But let me know how it goes!” She vanished into the kitchen.

Damn. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to cook it myself. I’m no Sis Mei, but I fed myself in my first life. I can do it again.

Mei returned with a bag, bulging with bits and scraps. “They’re all fresh and clean, so if you get hungry, you can eat them, too.”

“Sis Mei! I’m going to catch those ducks, I don’t need scraps to eat!”

“Just in case, okay?” She smiled and waved, backing into the kitchen once more.

Hui sighed, shaking his head at the door. He peeked into the bag. A full bao bun glistened up at him, hot and steaming. Despite himself, Hui cracked a smile. Sis Mei, always looking out for me.

Fishing out the bun, Hui snacked on it as he wandered back to the lake. The fat ducks floated on the pond, blissfully unaware of his intents. Hui kicked off his boots, sat quietly at the lake’s edge, and spread the scraps along the shore in front of him.

He barely sat down before the ducks rushed the shore. Beady black eyes locked on Sis Mei’s scraps, they bit and flapped at each other, warring over the best bits.

The fattest duck floated on the water, uninterested in Hui’s meager offerings. It ruffled its wings and preened, casting Hui an occasional disdainful glance.

Oh, you think you’re so much better than me, you stupid duck? Hui glared at it. The duck fluttered its wings, then settle back on the water, fat and happy and completely out of Hui’s reach.

Hui reached to his bun and pulled off a piece. Casually, he tossed it to the other ducks.

The fat duck sat up at that. It puffed out its chest and glared at the other ducks. Lost in their lust for the bun, the ducks ignored it.

No one can resist Sis Mei’s cooking! Hui tossed another piece of the bun out into the water, closer to the fat duck.

The duck darted for it. Greedily, it gobbled up the scrap, bill snapping. Gliding on the lake, it gave Hui a look. Well? Another, it demanded silently.

Hui ignored it. Picking crumbs off the bun, he tossed them to the other ducks. They scrambled for them, quacking and pecking each other on the way.

Restless, the fat duck drifted closer. It glared fiercely at Hui.

Still pretending to ignore it, Hui tossed off another few scraps. A little closer. Just a little closer. He picked off a fat clump and threw it into the crowd. The ducks clamored over it, wild with hunger.

The fat duck puffed itself up and fluffed its feathers, indignant. It swam closer to shore and hissed at Hui, demanding its own scraps.

Now! Hui leaped up, drawing his sword in the same motion. Startled, the ducks blasted into a flurry around him, wings beating. The fat duck struggled, flapping hard to lift its bulk, to no avail. Hui dashed out into the shallows. Water flew. Droplets hung in the air, suspended in the moment. His sword struck, a bolt of silver in the day.

The fat duck slumped over, headless. Hui reached it in the next step and snatched it up before its neck could touch the lake. Triumphant, he leaped into the air and punched. “Yeah!”

The other ducks took to the air, honking and quacking. Wings beat wildly, loud as thunder all around Hui. Mindless of the noise, Hui dumped out the last of the scraps for the survivors and stuck his prize in the sack. Fat duck, fat duck, I’m having roast fat duck for dinner!

Hmm, but… a proper duck should have leeks. And a citrus glaze. Hui glanced up, turning his gaze to Jade Garden Peak. We have an entire peak dedicated to plants. I’m sure they won’t mind if a few little herbs and fruits vanish. I’ll pick the worst-looking ones, and leave them some gold while I’m at it—don’t want them to think I’m disrespecting their efforts! Ah, they might even thank me for helping them prune. I bet they’ve never had someone pay to take the ugly fruits before!

Humming aloud, Hui swung his bag in one hand as he skipped along the mountain. He grinned, pleased with himself. Everything is going my way for once. Defeated the secret realm, acquired the artifact, and now I’m going to have a fine dinner of roast duck!

In no time at all, he reached the foot of Jade Garden Peak. Earnest-looking disciples hurried up the path. Unlike the other disciples, their robes bore signs of wear and hard work. Mud stained their knees brown, and their hems laid in a trodden state of disrepair. Many of the disciples had shortened or altered their robes, cutting away the extra fabric or re-hemming them higher to make them more practical, more like working mortals’ robes than cultivators’. Dressed as he was in ordinary white robes, Hui still stood out amongst the Jade Garden Peak disciples.

He plucked at his robes, then shook his head. I need to get a new set of blue robes. This boring white all the time is depressing me.

Unlike the other peaks, Jade Garden peak lacked any forest or wildlands. Instead, lush gardens coated its sides. Disciples peeled off the path at random intervals, leaving the road for terraced garden patches that climbed the mountain. Hui walked along casually, peering out of the corner of his eyes at the gardens as he passed them. Leeks, green onions, anything like that… and some kind of citrus! They’ve got to have them, right?

Ahead, a small knot of cultivators in long white robes caught Hui’s eye. One of the boys smiled and turned half-toward him, and he recognized his face from Starbound Peak.

Adrenaline struck his gut. Instinctively, Hui ducked away. Halfway into the weeds, he stopped, straightened his back, and stood tall. I’ve cleared up all that nonsense with Chang Bolin. There’s no need to skulk around anymore.

The Starbound Peak boy shot him a glance, then dismissed him. Hui quietly let out a breath, feeling as though he’d ducked something, somehow.

A laugh caught Hui by surprise. He glanced up at the cultivators again, searching.

In the midst of the white robes, Li Xiang smiled and tossed her hair. The pink lily clip flashed, catching the light for a moment. She glanced over. Their eyes met.

Li Xiang’s face lit up. She peeled away from the group and jogged over to Hui. “Xiao Hui! Or should I say Weiheng Hui, you trickster?”

“I didn’t lie. Xiao Hui is my name, too,” Hui said honestly, shrugging. Still, he glanced at his feet, slightly embarrassed. An uncomfortable sensation shifted in his gut, one he rarely felt. It doesn’t feel very good to pull one over someone as pure as Li Xiang. It’s so easy it’s almost pathetic, really.

She sighed and shook her head at him. A light slap barely ruffled his hair. “Alright, alright, I forgive you. I was the one in the wrong, wasn’t I? Running off and calling your master a bad person to your face, when I’ve never met him! Of course you hid it from me. I must have seemed a fool, blindly trusting my Master without ever confirming reality, then claiming to be a protector of justice!”

“Not at all,” Hui said, then remembered she could see through lies and coughed. “Er, okay. A little.”

Li Xiang beamed at him. A light peal of laughter escaped her. “You’re very kind, Hui.”

Images flashed through his head. Stringing up Chang Bolin. Forcing him into a qi deviation. Using Bai Xue in the secret realm, the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect disciples crumping under the ghoul’s unfeeling fists.

“Am I?” he murmured. He lifted a hand to pet Zhubi, lips twisting.

Zhubi hissed happily and wound around his fingers.

“Mmm, should I confirm it before I speak this time, too? But I think I’m right,” Li Xiang said. His downcast eyes suddenly found hers gazing at him, Li Xiang bent almost double to look up at him.

Startled, Hui jumped back. Li Xiang giggled and straightened, tossing her hair back over her shoulders. “What are you up on Jade Garden Peak for?”

“Er…” Hui instinctively shifted the bloody bag behind his back, though he wasn’t sure why. “Leeks, and… citrus, and uh… ginger?”

“Pill ingredients, then, the same as us! There’s some thousand-year ginger up another few gardens, I’ve heard,” Li Xiang said.

“Thank you, Elder Sister,” Hui replied, bowing formally. It’s not for pills at all, though.

Actually… I could use company at my duck roast. “Li Xiang, would you like—”

“Xiang! Hurry!” one of the girls called.

The male cultivators all glared fiercely at Hui. He bit his lip to silence himself. Right! I forgot, she’s their idol! I can’t be so bold in view of everyone, or Starbound Peak will have it out for me again!

Lan Taijian is one thing, but I don’t want to have to sneak up to see Sis Mei every day!

“Hmm?” Li Xiang asked him, tilting her head.

“It’s nothing. I’ll see you later,” Hui said, rushing off at random into the gardens.

Li Xiang glanced after him, then shrugged. She turned and ran back to her friends, pausing once to wave before she went. “See you!”

--

Singing under his breath, an older man walked through the quiet forest, soft steps barely disturbing the grass underfoot. As he drew near, the songbirds stopped singing, then, in one great burst, took to the air. Leaves dropped off the trees as he approached, spontaneously wilting.

“I’m coming, pretties,” he murmured, a bright smile on his face.

The path curved down, leading toward a lake. Still water reflected the sun, almost a mirror. Milling around at the edge of the lake, a flock of ducks wandered, confused and downtrodden.

“What is it? What happened, pretties?” the older man asked, rushing over to them.

The ducks quacked half-heartedly and ignored him.

The older man froze. He looked around. “Wait. Where’s Fatty?”

He sniffed. The scent of blood caught in his nose. Startled, he ran to the lake’s edge. There, in the water, a faint sheen of blood and a few mussed feathers floated amidst the lotuses.

The older man’s eyes narrowed. He clenched his fist, shattering the bag of feed to scraps of cloth and a flying mess of seeds and fruit. The ducks scurried around his feet, hungrily pecking at the feed.

He gazed up at the sky. A single tear streaked down his cheek. “Whoever did this to you, Fatty… I’ll make them pay.”