“Come out!” Erlan ordered.

Instantly, the disciples leaped out of the palace. Gu Tian stood by the window, then looked back at Hui.

Hui climbed out from under the bed and straightened his robes with a decisive snap. Tossing his hair, he strode over to the window and stood beside Gu Tian, back straight, shoulders squared, the picture of a hero.

Gu Tian glanced at him. Under his breath, he muttered, “Who is this, and what happened to Xie Hao?”

Hui elbowed him.

Erlan strode on the air, pacing back and forth before them. A pleasant smile on his face, his hands tucked behind his back, he emanated the air of a scholar… or would have, if not for the bloodlust that poured through. “So? If you speak up now, I won’t punish you.”

Hui started to open his mouth, then slammed it shut. Don’t be stupid, Hui! How many times did the loan sharks use that line on you? They never meant it! The quicker you speak, the sooner your punishment starts, and the worse it is! Mouth shut, Hui! He might not find you yet!

Erlan’s eyes passed over them one by one. Hui stood there, gazing into the middle distance. Erlan glanced past him without pausing. His brows knitted deeper, and he sighed. “I understand that we are hardly righteous cultivators, but please. We’re in the middle of a righteous sect right now, ostensibly seeking righteous recognition. Mind your behavior. Theft is fine, injury is fine, but please don’t kill or do something stupid like… attacking an ancient tree that the sect treasures!”

“We would never do that. Don’t be ridiculous!” one of the cultivators shouted.

“The Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect is clearly attacking us because we’re a demonic sect!”

Hui cleared his throat. Stomping his foot, he declared, “Absolutely ludicrous! Who would slice a piece off Mount Mu?”

“Right! It’s absolute insanity! We’re demonic, but not shameless!”

Erlan froze. He stared over the assembled cultivators again, frowning. “Who said Mount Mu? No one has mentioned Mount Mu yet!”

Gu Tian glanced at Hui from the corner of his eyes. Hui gave him a sharp nudge. Don’t give me away, you fool! You think I won't drag you down with me? The loan sharks also taught me that snitches get stitches, alright?

Erlan’s eyes hesitated on Hui and Gu Tian. Hui put on a stern, disapproving expression and shook his head a little. Silently, he murmured to himself, Who could have done this?

Beside him, Gu Tian sighed.

“Alright, alright. I won’t ask any more. Don’t get caught a second time. If you do…” His eyes flashed. Bloodlust surged, and the air twisted with black ink. Erlan’s voice distorted, twisted deeper by the waves on the air. “If I can’t figure out who to punish… I’ll punish you all together.”

The cultivators fell back. A few began to murmur amongst themselves. Glances shot from one cultivator to another, fierce and vicious.

Hui swallowed. He nodded sagely, the same as many of the other cultivators around him, and threw his own glances around the group, but internally, he bowed repeatedly to Erlan. Understood, Senior! This small cultivator heeds your teachings!

With that, Erlan waved his hand, dismissing them. The other cultivators flew off, most back to the palace, but some shot off into the distance.

Hui turned away. This small cultivator has gotten too used to being a demonic cultivator! Hui, restrain yourself! Now is not the time to act out.

Besides, I need to figure out if the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect set any more traps for the other righteous sects. I can’t be getting into trouble.

Hui nodded to himself. Ah, it’s fine. I have the piece of Mount Mu now. I can sit quietly and cultivate until Erlan goes back to ignoring us, then head out to wander around the sect again. That aura of death qi, for example… I need to take a look at that.

Erlan paused. “Gu Tian, come with me.”

Gu Tian stiffened. Hui glanced at him, raising his eyebrows.

“Gu Tian,” Erlan called, almost sing-song.

A thousand emotions flickered over Gu Tian’s face. His hand clenched on the flute, and he scowled at the floor.

Erlan breathed in.

“I’m coming,” Gu Tian said. He smiled, smoothing his emotions away, and strode over to the window. Erlan flicked his sleeve, and Gu Tian flew into the air. Snatching him out of the air by his belt, Erlan flew off. Gu Tian drooped from his hand, limbs loose.

Hui moved to the window, watching as the two vanished into the forest. Huh. That almost… reminded me of myself, when the loan sharks would come knocking. Better to give up than fight and prolong the pain, right, Gu Tian?

What’s his and Erlan’s relationship? If Gu Tian was a righteous cultivator at Starbound Sect at the same time as Lan Yunxu… I understand their relationship. But what’s Erlan have to do with it? Erlan… well, he’s Yunxu’s lackey, that much is clear. Maybe he has control over Gu Tian when Yunxu isn’t here?

Mmm… to be fair, Yunxu doesn’t seem to care about Gu Tian, while Erlan is always hanging around him.

Hui’s eyes lit up. He put a hand to his lips, shocked. “Could it be? Is Erlan… jealous?”

He shook his head. “No, surely not. But…”

But if I assume that, if Erlan only cares about Gu Tian because he’s jealous of Gu Tian’s …closeness with Yunxu, then it all falls into place!

The only question is… is Yunxu close with Gu Tian?

Well, it doesn’t matter. Regardless of the reality, as long as Erlan thinks so, he’ll still be jealous of Gu Tian!

“But then… Ah, I’ll have to ask Gu Tian when he gets back.” Hui shook his head. At this point, it’s just internal politics of a demonic sect. It doesn’t have anything to do with… whatever they’re doing.

He stepped to the window and glanced around. No sign of Sect Master Mu nor Erlan. He nodded to himself, then leaped out the window onto the branch and ran on. Charging through the forest, he raced toward the place he’d sensed death qi.

Until Gu Tian gets back… this small cultivator will stay out of trouble! All I’ll do is look. Not touch, not hurt, and definitely no cutting bits off. Safe, I’ll play it safe! After all, looking never hurt anyone!

Up ahead, Mount Mu beamed its golden light over the sect. Though no more death qi filled the area, a faint aura of death remained. Hui closed his eyes, extending his mental energy around him. His eyes opened wide, and he leaped off the branch. Bouncing from tree to tree, he descended toward the tablet.

Earlier, the tablet sat solidly on the forest floor, undisturbed and whole, as if nothing could break it. Now, a crack ran down the center of the tablet from the top to the bottom. The two pieces laid beside one another, and at a glance, they appeared whole, but a closer look revealed an offset. The characters no longer lined up, but shifted slightly up and down along the central crack.

From that crack, death aura leaked out.

Hui descended. Again, doubt creeped up on him. I shouldn’t be here. This enlightenment isn’t for me.

Wait! I’m not here to seek enlightenment. This—these aren’t my thoughts! This is a mental field, repulsing me, and any other cultivator who happens by! I absolutely cannot leave it alone!

He dropped the last dozen meters to the ground and landed on the tablet with a thump. Ice cold death aura swirled around his ankles. Death qi sapped his strength, eating away at his qi. The life qi songbirds trembled feebly in his dantian, repressed by the cold.

Death qi… but also a powerful aura of repression! Hui crouched down and slapped the tablet, thoughtful. Instinctively, he started to inject qi into it, but held back at the last second. No, no. The tree almost killed me earlier, and that was before I aggravated the whole sect. If they detect someone messing with the tablet now, Sect Master Mu is liable to kill me where I stand.

Iciness rushed up his arm, toward his shoulder. He circulated his own death qi, quietly absorbing some of the death aura that leaked out. Hui bit his lip, then stood.

It’s definitely repressing something. Or should I say… sealing it? Sealing it… with death qi. Even without inserting my qi, it’s obvious there’s no vast pool of death qi beneath this tablet. If anything… if they’re repressing it with death qi… it might be a massive sea of life qi!

Hui trembled. He glanced down, suddenly hesitant to leave the tablet behind. Life qi. I need life qi! Ah, if only I could safely absorb the life qi… No, no, Hui, not now. Wait until Sect Master Mu calms down—I mean, don’t do it, Hui! It’s ridiculously dangerous! Erlan’s beating alone… no, no, no! Be safe, be safe!