“She grabbed my veil. Was I supposed to stand here and not retaliate?” Bai Xue asked, tutting. She lifted her hand and examined her nails, drawing attention to her delicate and shapely hands that perfectly matched the palm-print on Ying Min’s face.

Did only a few seconds pass? It felt like a minute, at least, Hui thought to himself.

“Liar. You slapped me out of nowhere, after Mo… Bai Xue suddenly started paying attention to you!” Ying Min snapped.

“Oh, that’s right. Well, I saw a bitch, and I was suddenly overcome by the urge to slap a bitch,” Bai Xue returned.

Mo Gonglu stared. His fists clenched. “You—you dare call Ying Min a—”

“I feel like the real Bai Xue would, yes. How about you, Xiao… Xiao? What would the real Bai Xue think?” Bai Xue asked Hui.

Hui blinked up at her. Elder Sister, why are you asking me?

“Xiao Xiao, Xiao Xiao, what is he, your girlfriend?” Ying Min taunted.

“He could be. Don’t tempt me,” Bai Xue shot back.

“Bai Xue! Hey!” Hui retorted. Do I get a say in this?

Mo Gonglu sneered at Hui. “What right does a servant have to speak to me like that?”

Hui furrowed his brows. A second later, his eyes widened. Oh, right, he’s ‘Bai Xue.’ I almost forgot.

Bai Xue tutted. “All the right in the world. You’re pitiful scum who can’t even dual-cultivate properly. My Xiao Xiao is a thousand times better than you.”

“Er… Elder Sister, please leave me out of this,” Hui requested humbly.

“You’re the reason this all started,” Ying Min snarled, glaring at Hui.

Eh? What did I do to insult Elder Sister Ying Min? Hui wondered, lost.

Mo Gonglu reached for his sword. “One more word.”

“That’s what I should say to you, Bai Xue.” Bai Xue’s red eyes glimmered with dark light. A fan suddenly materialized in her hand.

“What do you mean by that?” Mo Gonglu asked.

Bai Xue raised her eyebrows. She lifted the fan over her mouth and stepped backward, giving him a mockingly over-the-top bow. “Bai Xue, I’ve heard wonderful stories about your ability to swap genders. Why don’t you prove yourself here, right now?”

All the girls who hadn’t been watching suddenly looked over. A few continued to giggle and whisper in the back, but most watched silently, curious about the sudden conflict.

Mo Gonglu swallowed. He frowned. “I’ve been stuck in one form for years, everyone knows that.”

Bai Xue fluttered her fan, smirking. “Didn’t that curse get broken? And weren’t you stuck in female form?”

Sweat dripped down Mo Gonglu’s forehead. He waved his sleeve. “You’ve heard wrongly. If you intend to strike my weak points, you’ve done it. Would you like to continue insulting me, or would you like to leave before I draw my sword?”

Bai Xue strode forward once more, until her face almost touched Mo Gonglu’s. She smiled, slowly. “I would like to see your sword… fake!” Her hand snaked out and latched onto Mo Gonglu’s forehead in the space of an instant.

Mo Gonglu’s sword flew from its sheath, but even as he drew it, his arm faltered. His entire body withered, from the head down to the toes, almost deflating. His qi reversed, flowing into Bai Xue’s hand. In the space of a breath, he went from a hale and hearty young man to a dessicated corpse, rid of qi and life alike.

The entire room fell silent. All the girls stared, eyes as wide as dinner plates. Ying Min staggered back, her hands over her mouth. Across the room, Fu Liyu’s jaw dropped. She quickly covered Fu Yinfei’s eyes with her hand.

Bai Xue took a deep breath and cast Mo Gonglu’s body aside, letting out a long, satisfied sigh. As she sighed, her form shimmered. White hair turned black. Graceful, long white robes turned black and shorter. Slender limbs grew more muscular, her hips flattened, and her shoulders broadened.

“So… who else wants to deny me my own name?” Bai Xue asked, his voice a deep, pleasant tenor now. Rather than angry, he sounded amused, and yet, his red eyes glowed as they swept the room.

The girls cowered. Fu Liyu glanced around, searching for an escape. Ying Min staggered back, her face pale, and wobbled on her feet, clearly on the verge of passing out.

Hui swallowed. Bai Xue, remind me to never piss you off!

Nearly in the same moment, a pressure snapped through the air. Qi swirled all around them. A huge array appeared on the floor and began to spin, bearing down on all the room’s inhabitants. The girls screamed as the pressure pressed them to the floor, and Bai Xue fell to a knee, barely able to maintain his posture. Beside Hui, Ying Lin toppled over, on the verge of passing out.

Hui lifted his hand and extended his aura to Ying Lin, relieving her from the pressure. She gasped a breath and sat up abruptly, startled, her eyes wide. “Wh… what?”

“Pressure. A high level cultivator can exude it and force others around them to bow. Stay near me, and I’ll keep you safe,” Hui explained shortly.

Ying Lin nodded. She scooted closer to Hui and followed as he walked over to Bai Xue’s side.

Before his hand could land on Bai Xue’s shoulder, Bai Xue held his hand up. He slowly forced himself back to his feet. Veins stood out on his forehead, and all the blood flowed from his head, leaving him pale, but he pushed himself upright once more nonetheless. Lip curled in distaste, he narrowed his eyes. “Apologies, Xiao Hui. It seems I set off our fifth-stage friend a bit early with my little stunt.”

“It’s fine. Everything should be ready. Bai Xue, if you focus inside yourself…” Hui hinted meaningfully.

Before he could finish, Fu Renyi stepped out from the curtain. Beside him stood Han Qin, hands hidden inside his sleeves. Fu Renyi glanced at Fu Liyu, who laid atop Fu Yinfei, desperately protecting him against the pressure as best she could. He snorted, then turned to Hui. “I don’t believe I invited you.”

“Respectfully, sir, you invited this pitiful servant,” Hui replied, bowing.

“Quit the act. You aren’t Li Huang. Show me your real face,” Fu Renyi replied, frowning.

Hui bowed again. “I decline.” If I show you my true face and you realize who I am, I’ll be forced to kill you. I might have to kill you anyways, but I don’t want to lock myself into murder. Fu Renyi, I’m doing this for your own good!

Aside to Bai Xue, he gritted his teeth, then whispered, “Keep calling me Xiao Xiao.”

Bai Xue nodded, grinning widely.

“A pair of snakes, acting as dragons,” Fu Renyi hissed, eyes slitting in anger. “Dry reeds and rotten wood.” He flicked his hand, and a pale blue sword materialized in his grasp.

Eh, what is that? Hui wondered, wide-eyed. He stumbled back. Holding out his own hand, he called out to the clones for Gu Tian’s sword. In an instant, the black sword appeared in his palm.

Bai Xue stepped forward, summoning his fans. “How are we dividing this up?”

“I’ll take Fu Renyi, and Elder Brother takes Han Qin?” Hui suggested, pointing at each as he spoke. I think Han Qin is only fourth stage, though I can’t be sure. There’s something strange about his energy.

Bai Xue laughed, pleased. He snapped a fan shut and pointed it at Han Qin, striking an aggressive pose. “I need to vent some of this excess yang energy, anyways. Come, let us dance.”

Han Qin bowed shortly, a mocking smile on his face. “I’ve always dreamed of vivisecting someone with a mysterious physiology like your Bai Clan. Bai Xue, your body will entertain me for hours after we finish.”

Bai Xue smirked. “When we’re talking about my body, usually the hours of entertainment come before we finish.”

Hui pressed his lips together, forcing himself not to scowl. Bai Xue, can you stop being horny for one second? We’re in a tense situation here!

“Master, and me?” Ying Lin asked.

“Rescue the girls. Get them out of the way of the fight. Out of the array, but… I suspect that’s impossible,” Hui said, looking at Fu Renyi.

Fu Renyi scoffed. “Naturally. After all this time, I won’t let you stop me.”

Without another word, he lunged at Hui. As if on signal, Han Qin lunged at Bai Xue in the same moment.

Hui frowned fiercely and raised Gu Tian’s sword, reinforcing it with his own qi, but internally, he screamed. Shit! Shit! I’m so low on talismans, I haven’t had the time to investigate the new one, I’m screwed, I’m—

New talismans? Rogue, you have some, right?

Eh? Right here. A variety. Two of the void talisman.

Hui felt his robes grow ever so slightly heavier.

A new talisman? I’m so bored. Let me study, let me study it, please!

Flicking his hand, he transferred the new talisman to the network. One of the other clones received it happily. I’ll make copies for everyone who’s interested! It looks like an any-elemental talisman formula—half finished, but if we substitute the old talisman formulas into the center of the fifth-stage talisman formula, it should—

Shhh, he’s fighting! We can talk talismans later!

Right, right, sorry!