“Now, let’s get down to business,” The ChunQing Yang Sect disciple started, “This one is Xia Lijie, given name, Xia Yu. Tell me, what has QianYan’lu been up to?” Xia Lijie leaned over the tea table to put more pressure on the prince.

The stranger who had yet to introduce himself aimed a dirty look towards Xia Lijie before inevitably sighing and following, “Deng Delun. Tell. QianYan’lu started being incredibly secretive recently.”

Ah. Putting two and two together, the second prince recognized that these two must be his competitors for the upcoming Spiritual Assembly. He was aware of why his sect was being secretive, and it was certainly no reason he could share, even if he wanted to. Avoiding eye contact, Lai XingXue said nothing as he looked at the arriving storyteller.

“I can’t say.”

Not expecting much, to begin with, Deng Delun rolled his eyes and looked at the arriving entertainment, “Well it was worth a try.”

Xia Lijie only sighed, “If your sect is developing a powerful technique this decade, it should be revealed as it was years past…”

The storyteller on the stage bowed his hands and tapped his book, passionately beginning: “The second prince of Laixu has been declared missing since last year. I’ve collected tales and theories of what could've happened to the second prince.”

Curious by the declaration, Deng Delun spoke his thoughts aloud, “Isn’t it treasonous to gossip of the royal family in this kingdom?”

“You haven’t heard? Are you not from here?” Xia Lijie happily chipped in, all too keen on drama, “The second prince of Laixu and the king have a terrible relationship. Gossip about the second prince is hence unregulated.”

Pretending as if he hadn’t heard anything, Lai XingXue tried to focus his attention elsewhere. His older half-brother was a spiteful king, and he had gotten quite used to his name being dragged through the mud. He filtered out the conversation the two older disciples were having as he concentrated on the words of the storyteller instead.

“Some say the second prince got kidnapped. Others say he died. The most popular tellings say he ran away since he was ungrateful and resented the gracious king.”

Lai XingXue listened without reacting, only lifting his head in tired agreement. Even after a year, he would be nothing more than a bastard child, ungrateful and spoiled. Since his appearance in the palace, he became no more than the result of the king’s affair, a murky shadow of the o-so pitiful crown prince. ‘Lai XingXue’ was a joke that even beggars would rank themselves higher than.

“But rumors said that the second prince was recently spotted heading to Mingsi.” The opinionated storyteller went on after he got a few more tips. “Mingsi, the land of the immortals, it would only make sense if the prince thought he had the talent to make it. But he’s certainly no Muyan-Jun¹ or LiangDi Immortal, the second prince must've become ghoul-feed by this point!” Boisterously, the man swung his arms as he matched every word he said with a gesture. “The second prince ran away to his death!”

Lai XingXue sincerely smiled hearing his master’s title, wholeheartedly agreeing to that single point.

“Huh- you must really hate the second prince,” Deng Delun analyzed, spotting the odd grin. “Did he spit on you during a festival?”

Xia Lijie waved his hands, in clear disagreement, “No-no, he’s admiring Muyan-Jun, ChunQing Yang Sect’s leader.”

“...” Lai XingXue was reconsidering his seating arrangement. “I prefer LiangDi Immortal.” Not only was he temporarily stuck with these two disciples, but they also had no taste in cultivators.

In the cultivation world, cultivators were similarly treated as idols. The admiration that came with the career was well justified due to how life-threatening the field was. The overwhelming power of a grandmaster had also become an exciting talking point. If a disciple was part of a sect with a popular and renowned cultivator, they would become a fan, more often than not.

“LiangDi Immortal barely shows up in recent tales. Hasn’t he been in seclusion for the last century by this point?” Xia Lijie remarked, all too matter of factly.

“And Muyan-Jun is anything to talk about now?” The second prince suddenly became more animated.

Deng Delun waved both of his hands in hopes of calming down the fanboys. “Stop- Let’s not talk about these cultivators.” The Yanwu disciple hoped he could bring sense to the others, “There’s certainly no right answer if you don’t include Madam Changsha.”

As expected, adding more kindle to a fire didn’t extinguish it. The bickering went on and on, yet Lai XingXue was enjoying himself. He was once so bitter in the royal palace, he resigned himself to being a hermit. The weight the palace bore was too heavy for him, after all, it was there that the courtesy name ‘Lai XingXue’ was synonymous with bad luck.

“So xiao-didi², you never introduced yourself.” Xia Lijie finally concluded after going on a rant about his sect leader, selling him like one would their most prized possession.

The public would always detest ‘Lai XingXue.’ Still, Lai XingXue remained optimistic.

“Wen Bing. Wen Bing of QianYan’lu.”

The lie tasted repulsive on his tongue, but somehow, he didn’t mind.

By the time the three youths had finished talking, night had approached, creeping in all too quickly. A peculiar mist sank into the air. Clutching his fabric bag, Lai XingXue watched as a purple-tinted ghost breeze by them. The second prince rubbed his eyes as if he suddenly went blind. Xie Lijie’s expression shifted to something best described as drunk, it was as if he was competing with the ghost to look more questionable.

But Deng Delun only shrugged his shoulders, “Ah. I forgot about this.” He unattached his red sect amulet from his waist and cracked it open in half. The illusion and mist shattered. “My shizun has been cursing shixiongs and my protection amulets, so it would attract ghosts.”

“Cursing protection amulets…” Lai XingXue didn’t know if he should laugh. “Your shizun is a bit eccentric, huh..”

“Wait no-” Xia Lijie rushed over to grab the two pieces in Deng Delun’s hands. He hurriedly attempted to put the fractured pieces back together.

Now it was Deng Delun’s turn to be confused, “What are you trying to do?”

“Put it back together.” The ChunQing Yang Sect disciple declared.

“Why?”

Lai XingXue realized it without being told, “You know that ghost we saw just now, didn’t you?”

“I already broke it. There’s nothing I can do about it now.” Deng Delun confirmed.

“That was Fenfen…”

“Who?”

“His tea attendant lover” Lai XingXue remembered briefly. It felt all too hurtful to see someone so desperate. So instead he drew out a package of talismans paper he had bought coupled with a calligraphy brush.

“Deng-qianbei, you’re from Yanwu sect aren’t you, your master must've taught you how to recreate the ‘ghost attraction’ effect, right?” Yanwu sect’s art and techniques bordered on demonic cultivation. The arts trod a fine line and were incredibly specific to recreate, but the research brought results. So although on the line of unorthodox, any complaints directed were easily submerged.

“Talisman…” Deng Delun paused and shook his head. “My shizun… teaches a bit weirdly.”

Xia Lijie became more distraught. “Wen Bing, How about you?”

“It’s- I don’t know either, but I can try.” He didn’t know the first thing about Yanwu’s techniques but the prince felt as if it was necessary to at least try. Using the wall as support, Lai XingXue testingly wrote down the symbol for ‘ghost repulsion’ on the talisman. The rogue ink enunciated the matter where the organization and radicals of the original symbol were now formatted in a reversed manner. It was the second prince’s rough guess of what a ‘ghost attraction’ talisman would have looked like. It seemed so peculiar it was almost abstract art.

Withdrawing his brush, the paper began to crisp at the edges as if its edges were set near open flame. The talisman’s edges became charred with green and the mist from prior reappeared. A faint purple hung around Xia Lijie, but before the image could fully come to focus, the talisman... exploded. It came apart in bright ghostly green as it spread the ash of the burnt paper.

A second-rate talisman was only so much, but Lai XingXue didn’t know it would be a ticking time bomb. He wilted and looked at the even more dejected senior.

Deng Delun cut the ice, speaking up, “I’ll get my master to make a new one. It’ll take time, Yanwu Sect’s in Ningdu.”

“Ningdu’s two kingdoms away. Fenfen’s spirit would have already dispersed by that time!” Xie Lijie spat.

Lai XingXue suggested, “How about we get another grandmaster to recreate it then?”

“Then do you know anyone outside of Yanwu sect who’s mastered these techniques?”

Silence.

“Then I’ll handle it.” The Yanwu disciple said.

Not many words were said after that minute and the second prince let the burnt dust of his talisman blow away. Xia Lijie had taken off in his spiritual sword in a huff after quick goodbyes. Deng Delun followed in about the same manner, Lai XingXue supposed it was likely guilt over unintentionally breaking the only lead they had in the case.

Yet the second prince felt a bit jealous. The seniors came from kingdoms respectively far away and had an easy method to accommodate the distance. He could only straighten the fabric bag hooked over his shoulder before walking into the sleepless night.