The first rays of dawn shone through the crack in the door. Gentle golden light played over the wall, the barren bed, then the small form huddled beneath it, legs hugged to his chest, small head tipped against his knees, half-sagged down the wall.

Gold light struck Hui’s face. He shook his head and sat up, eyes half open. Where… where am I…?

He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching. Striking his head on the bottom of the bed, he jolted back, clutching his skull. “Owww.”

Hui crawled out from under the bed and stretched. His stomach grumbled. Sleepy, he looked around, hopeful, but the hut remained empty. No rice had materialized in the night.

Guess it’s time to go hiking.

There was no water bottle, waterskin, or any other receptacle around. Hui hauled at the rope in the well and retrieved a bucket of water. With no other recourse, he untied the bucket from the well rope, chubby little fingers struggling against the waterlogged rope, then tore off a piece of his shirt and tied it over the top as a makeshift lid. Leaving the bucket on the edge of the well, he hustled back inside and tore off a long strip of bedsheet. As he jogged back to the well, he twisted the bedsheet around itself, shortening the strip and increasing its durability. He tied the bedsheet around the bucket and hung it over his shoulder, across his body.

All my years making do with what little I had have paid off! I might be a city boy, but I know how to scrap something together better than anyone!

So thinking, he tottered off down the trail, sloshing a little water with every step.

By the time he reached the bottom of the mountain, the sun hung low in the sky, and his bucket hung empty against his body. He checked it again, but was rewarded only with the damp, empty bottom of the bucket. Hui frowned and stared up the next peak. How long will it take to climb that one?

Behind him, in the wild forest, something crashed through the woods.

Startled, Hui bolted up the path. Better to find out than stay here and end up a tasty snack!

Hours later, the sky well and truly dark, he staggered to a halt before a huge building. A placard over the door identified it as the cafeteria. Inside, older disciples joked and laughed over hearty meals. Hui’s stomach rumbled. Woozy and lightheaded with hunger, he staggered toward the door.

A hand descended, blocking his way. “Halt.”

Brows furrowed, Hui followed the arm up to find the swordsman from the stage standing over him, fierce brows furrowed. “What is Weiheng Wu’s disciple doing here?”

“This small disciple greets peak lord,” Hui mumbled. He cupped his hands and bowed, swayed, and nearly tumbled over backward. “Respectfully, Master Wu told me to seek out food here, since his own peak is devoid of food…”

At the mention of Wu’s name, the swordsman flinched. His expression hardened. “So you invited yourself to my Starbound Peak, to my cafeteria?”

“I… M, master Wu,” Hui stuttered.

The swordsman scoffed. “He might think he’s higher than the sect lord, but he’s still only lord of his peak. He has no authority here. The other peak lords might bend over backwards to please him, but not me. Run back to your master and tell him to wipe his own ass. If he wants to keep a disciple, he has to feed it, not Lan Taijian. Tell him I said that.”

“Respectfully, my master has entered seclusion,” Hui replied, cupping his fists again.

Lan Taijian’s eyebrows twitched. For a second, his expression twisted, somewhere between pity and disgust. A moment later, disgust won out, and he shooed Hui away. “Go on, scat! You aren’t one of my disciples. You don’t get to eat my food!”

Giving him puppy eyes, Hui stumbled away. Lan Taijian watched him go, arms crossed, expression stony. Only when he turned the corner away from the cafeteria did Lan Taijian turn and walk inside.

Hui turned another corner, then another and another, and approached the cafeteria from the rear, smirking to himself. You think a single holier-than-thou man at the door will stop this Xiao Hui from getting food? You underestimate the persistence of the poor!

Coming up to the back door, he knocked timidly. Footsteps hurried toward him from the far side. Quickly, he coached his expression into something delicate and pitiful.

“What, what?” A curvy older sister in the robes of an outer sect disciple opened the door.

“This poor disciple greets elder sister,” Hui said respectfully, bowing to her. “Please have pity on this poor disciple! I got lost on the peak and wandered all day and night, unable to find my way back. I’ve had nothing to eat since yesterday. Please, pretty sister?”

He unleashed his puppy dog eyes at her.

“Oh no, lost? How’d you end up all the way up here? This is the inner sect, you know! Starbound Peak!”

Pasting a startled expression on his face, Hui jumped. Backing away, he shook his head. “I… this small disciple is not worthy of Starbound Peak’s food. If… if elder sister can point the way…” He stumbled over his own feet and almost fell, tottering back upright.

“No, no, no! Not at all. You poor dear. Sit here and wait. I’ll make you a bowl of congee, something gentle for your poor empty stomach. When you’re done, wait here. I’ll walk you back down the mountain to the other new disciples.”

“Elder sister!” Hui blinked away tears, deeply touched.

She chuckled and patted his head. “Sit still, now. I’ll be right back.”

Hui perched on the back stairs, a self-satisfied grin on his face. Take that, Lan Taijian. This disciple of Weiheng Wu is going to eat your delicious food, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

A few minutes later, the elder sister came back out, a bowl of steaming congee in one hand and a few bao buns wrapped in a paper in her other. “Here, eat this now, and take these for later. It’s a long walk back, you might need the food.”

Delighted, Hui took the offered food. “Thank you, elder sister!”

She beamed at him, watching him slurp up the congee. “Don’t eat it too fast, alright?”

He savored the congee, tasting the rice. The food warmed his gut and suffused his body with energy, more than from usual food. “Is this spiritual rice?”

The elder sister held a finger to her lips and smiled.

Understanding, Hui nodded and went back to eating. He glanced at the elder sister, a thought on his mind. Between spoonfuls, he asked, “Does Lan Taijian not like Weiheng Wu?”

She shook her head and sighed. “Now, where’d you hear that already? It’s true, though. They’re rivals. Or… should I say, Lan Taijian treats Weiheng Wu as his rival, but he’s never once been reflected in Weiheng Wu’s eyes.”

“Ah,” Hui said, biting back a “sounds about right.”

She nodded. “Lan Taijian was born a genius, a rare talent seen once in a generation. That, and he’s the precious son of the sect master, showered with all the resources and love you can imagine. At two hundred and seven years old, he was the youngest to reach fifth stage in sect history, and thus the youngest to be granted a peak. In recognition of his incredible feat, the sect master granted him Starbound Peak and made himself lord of the mountain instead.”

In recognition of his feat, or because he’s the sect master’s precious son? Hui thought to himself.

“Weiheng Wu only arrived a hundred or so years ago. Despite being much younger, he quickly caught up to Lan Taijian. Less than a hundred years after Lan Taijian set the record for youngest peak lord, he smashed that record. Lately, his cultivation speed has slowed, but the smart money says he’s simply biding his time, building up his strength to ensure he becomes the most powerful sixth stage cultivator imaginable. Rumor is, he’s ready to progress to the sixth stage and surpass Lan Taijian any day now.

“Lan Taijian can’t stand it. Some little no-name outsider, sweeping into the sect and bursting past him in strength? It’s enough to drive anyone into a rage, let alone someone as prideful as Lan Taijian. It doesn’t help that Weiheng Wu formed a larger peak than Starbound Peak. And, well, his personality…”

“Weiheng Wu formed his peak?” Hui asked, startled. At fifth stage? Isn’t that too early to move mountains?

“So I’ve heard. I wasn’t around yet when he did it. They say he formed it out of his will and the power of his aura alone.”

Hui stared at her, wide-eyed. “For real?”

She nodded. “For real.”

There’s no way that’s true. That has to be exaggeration. That airheaded master? How could he accomplish something like that? Remaining silent, Hui turned back to his congee and scraped the bottom of the bowl, slurping up the last of the rice. “Thanks for the meal! It was delicious!”

She smiled and ruffled his hair again. “Wait out here, and big sis will walk you home.”

With that, she vanished back into the cafeteria.

Satisfied, his small stomach stuffed full of warm, delicious food, Hui leaned back against the stairs to wait. I knew it. Being a cultivator really is wonderful.