In his ten years in the Starbound Sect, he’d only visited his own peak and Starbound Peak. Pills offered more danger than assistance to someone who hadn’t yet cultivated, except for the very low-level body-tempering pills and liquids they offered in the outer sect. Standing at the base of the peak, he gazed up at the smoke streaming away on the wind. This close, the seemingly unified stream of smoke broke into dozens of smaller streams, each one with its own color and pattern. Most of the smoke breezed away in gray, white, or black, but one belched out blobs of green smoke, and another gave off a thin red mist that drifted away on the wind.

He wandered up the peak, following the Cauldron Peak daoists. Hui stood out amidst the disciples as the only black-haired, black-eyed one. Bright colors, multicolored streaks, splashes of neon or white… not a single disciple around him bore a fully natural coloration. A passing fairy maiden pulled a headful of rainbow-colored hair into a ponytail, while a male cultivator batted a mess of pink curls out of his eyes.

Hui nudged one of the passing cultivators, one with orange streaks in her black hair, almost like a reverse tiger’s markings. “Excuse me. Where could I find a pillmaster?”

She gave him a look. “Anywhere.”

“Oh… I suppose so,” Hui muttered. He reached out for a passing cultivator.

The cultivator caught his hand. “You’re looking for someone to refine a pill for you?”

Hui nodded.

She nodded as well. “Be patient.”

Confused, Hui lowered his hand and nodded.

More and more cultivators massed in the path with him. Around the corner, a town center spread out on the side of the peak. Cultivators manned shops, some shouting out to the passerby, others sitting back and waiting. Placards over the shops shouted out their names. Five Mysterious Mists. Silver Vine Pill Refinery. Jade Hand: Raw Materials.

Ah, now I understand. Hui turned in a circle, taking in all the shops. One in the corner caught his eye. Immaculate Purple-Gold Medicines. A second placard along the side of the shop proclaimed, Finest medicines and pills for all your ailments!

His qi trembled again. The venom wore thin, draining steadily from his system. He jogged over, dodging through his fellow disciples. “Shopkeep! Shopkeep!”

“Eh? Huh? Whoozat? A customer?” A blue-haired, pink-eyed girl sat bolt upright in the back of the shop, hair mussed, eyes half-closed. Where cabinets weren’t, strange charts wallpapered the walls. Toward the back, strange masks and gloves dangled, lining the rear of the building.

On closer examination, cobwebs crowded the corners. The interior laid decrepit, not kept up at all. A pill furnace tipped against one wall, its lid embedded in the wall beside it. I gotta get away. I don’t have time to mess around with a bad shop!

“Nothing, nothing, just passing through,” Hui said with a light laugh, turning away.

A hand closed around his shoulder. “I heard you call out for the shopkeep. I’m right here.”

Hui glanced at the blue-fingernailed hand gripping his shoulder. A chill ran down his back. Oh no. “Er, haha, I… wrong shop?”

“Not at all. Your qi’s all out of whack, isn’t it? I can feel it from here. Sit down, sit down. I’ll fix you right up.” She guided him firmly to a dusty bench in the back.

Unable to escape, Hui followed her and sat. “Fairy maiden, what’s your name?”

“You can call me Xixing, Qin Xixing. Relax your qi and let me in. I’m going to do a full probe of your system.”

Hui nodded and closed his eyes, loosening his muscles. Foreign qi probed into him, searching around. Uncomfortable, Hui twitched. Ugh. Feels weird.

After a breath’s time, Qin Xixing retreated. “Wow. You’re fucked up, huh? There’s mud-grass horses all up in here.”

“Can you fix it?” Hui asked.

“Sure. It’s pretty simple. See, the problem here is that you’ve blasted your passageways with qi without opening any of your meridians first. As much qi as you’ve gathered, you should have at least two meridians open. Without them… well, I’d be more surprised if your qi wasn’t rioting.”

She rifled around in a box. Pills rattled, and something clanked. She pulled out a chalky white orb, frowned at it, then replaced it with a shiny blue pill. “Ah, that’s the one. Take this pill, then meditate.”

“And that’s all?” Hui asked, accepting the pill. That’s easier than I expected.

Qin Xixing tipped her head. “Mmm… sort of?”

“Sort of?”

“I’ll help you open your meridians from outside. Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”

Hui tensed. He shied away from Xixing. “Why did you say that?”

“No reason. Take the pill.” She approached, her eyes wild, hands reaching in claws.

Hui shifted toward the edge of the bench. His eyes darted toward the exit. Gently, he set the pill on the bench beside him. “Ah, on second thought, I’m going to get another opinion.”

“Another opinion? You doubt my expert assessment?” Xixing demanded, crossing her arms.

Hui jumped up and ran for the exit. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just—”

His qi revolted, twisting inside him. Hui jolted, tripping.

“Haha! Patients should sit still and take their medicine!” Hands as strong as steel gripped him from behind. He struggled, but to no avail. Manhandling him to face her, Xixing grabbed him by the chin, forced his jaw open, and popped the pill inside. Hui tried to spit it out, but before he could, Xixing clamped his mouth and nose shut and tipped his head back.

He held his breath and reached for his qi. If I play dead, she should—

The pill melted in his mouth. A bitter liquid slipped down his throat. Instinctively, Hui gagged, then swallowed.

Despair overcame him. Defeated, he made eye contact with Xixing.

She grinned, baring her teeth. “Good little patient.”

Hui shivered. Master, this poor disciple is going to die again today…