In the kitchen, the two men from the alley lazed against a cold stove. The woman scurried back, carrying the teapot. She set it atop a small fire, the only live heat in the room.

“Is it time?” the first man asked.

“They’re cultivators. The girl is somewhere near fourth stage, right? At least until the incense burns out,” the woman replied.

The second man shook his head, hesitating. “I’m not sure. The boy seemed… strange.”

Tossing her hair confidently, the woman laughed. “Does it matter? They drank the tea. The incense is burning. If they resist the incense, they’ll still get put down by the tea. Even a fourth-stage cultivator couldn’t resist both of them at once.”

A pair of low thumps rang out. The trio looked up.

“Time to go,” the woman said, smiling.

They walked single-file through a narrow passage at the back of the restaurant. At a door, the second man paused. He pushed the door open and whistled, low and quiet. Another few cultivators, skinny as whips with an empty look in their eyes, followed them in.

“What was that for? They’re unconscious,” the woman admonished him. She pushed open the rear panel of the hidden room.

Hui and Li Xiang laid sprawled off the benches. The cups rolled into the corner, fresh chips marring the porcelain. The thick scent of incense rolled out of the room, cloyingly thick.

“Just in case,” the second man murmured. He kicked Hui, hesitant.

Hui’s head lolled to the side, eyes rolled back.

“So what is it this time? The usual? Take the girl to the brothels, sell the boy to the demonic cultivators?” the first man asked, giving the two an appraising eye.

“Mmm. Where are the lotus pills? Before they wake up, let’s make sure they’re addicted. That girl was a serious fighter. We can’t risk her escaping. That girl last week already tainted our reputation for delivering hardworking bodies,” the woman said. She patted down her robes, searching.

The second man frowned at Hui, then crouched. He reached out and put a hand on Hui’s neck, right over where the flipped-over snake laid. “Er… the boy, he’s… dead.”

“Dead? Never,” the woman said, furrowing her brows.

“Did you overdose the tea? His cultivation isn’t high.”

“I—he must be sensitive to it! I’ve been doing this for years, and I’ve never overdosed anyone,” the woman said, flustered.

“We can still sell him to the demonic cultivators. They could use more corpses to refine,” the first man suggested.

“He won’t be worth as much dead. Mind the dosage next time,” the second man replied. He hefted Hui upright by his armpits.

“Is that enough evidence for you?”

The second man frowned. “What?”

“I didn’t say anything,” the first man replied. The dull-eyed cultivators stared blankly, jaws slack.

“It’s more than enough,” Li Xiang replied. She leaped to her feet and drew her sword. “As you said, they’re all involved in this horrible act! These people are not righteous at all!”

“Huh?” the second man asked.

Hui twisted free of the second man’s arms. He whipped around and kicked the second man in the groin. “For justice!”

“Wait! We weren’t lying about the law! They’ll come, the city council will come—” the woman said, backing away.

“And? When they find this operation, will they turn a blind eye?” Hui asked. He drew his sword as well. It’s a good thing I still had those pills from Zhubi’s venom. I showed Li Xiang how Zhubi ‘plays dead,’ and she learned it like that! I was ready to jump in and suppress her qi the same as I did Bai Xue’s if I had to, but she’s a quick learner. If she isn’t a high-ranking elder’s disciple, the sect is blind!

Well… either that, or Zhubi’s technique is utterly elementary to a nearly-fourth-stage cultivator.

I’m glad I told her to hold her breath, too, after I smelled that scent on the ‘victim’ woman over there. That incense—I bet it was something nasty. I had to breathe a little, small second-stage cultivator that I am, and I feel woozy already.

The woman backed away. “Get them! Don’t let them escape!” She sprinted down the narrow hallway away from the room.

The five remaining cultivators ringed Hui and Li Xiang. Hui grimaced, but drew out one of his talismans. Farewell, my spirit stones! “Li Xiang, to me!”

Li Xiang slashed one of the hollow-eyed cultivators across the chest and fell back. Blood coursed down the man’s robes, but he barely reacted. She frowned. “Hui, there’s something strange about—”

“Activate!”

Wind lashed out from the talisman. The two men ducked, but the three dull-eyed cultivators stared at it, numb. The wind blade sliced into them at waist-height. They fell back and thumped into the wall. Under the force of the blow, the wall broke away from the building and flopped into the alley beyond.

“Er…” Hui looked at his spent talisman, now little more than a few scraps of thread. I hope that wasn’t a load-bearing structure…

The two men jumped up and ran at Hui, drawing their blades. Li Xiang engaged them both at once. Three swords flashed. Li Xiang dodged and ducked, parried. Her sword danced, almost alive. Eyes narrowed, hair flying, she deflected a wild slash and continued the stroke down, slicing across the man’s exposed leg. He cried out and fell back.

In the chaos, Hui fell back, fading into the background.

The second man jumped up to take the first one’s place, but in two quick moves, she freed the sword from his hand. It flew across the alley and embedded itself in the wall of the building opposite.

“Surrender, and I’ll hand you off to the appropriate authorities,” Li Xiang snapped.

“I give up!” the second man said, showing his hands.

Fallen to the side, the first man raised his hand at Li Xiang. “Black-Ink—”

“Ah, I don’t think so,” Hui said, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. Zhubi leapt from his wrist and sunk his fangs into the man’s neck.

The man shuddered and toppled to the ground.

“Do you surrender? Truly, this time?” Hui asked the second man, smiling. Zhubi coiled atop his wrist, baring his fangs at the man.

“I… I surrender,” the man whispered.

Hui looked at his hands. I masked my qi with death qi there, and the man didn’t react to my presence. Admittedly, it was a chaotic situation, but… doesn’t that mean I have potential as a stealth fighter?

I haven’t had much karma with sword techniques so far, so… at least there’s some hope!

“Hui, can you watch these men? I have to catch the woman,” Li Xiang said, sheathing her sword.

“Eh? I… probably?” Hui said, glancing at the men.

One of the men laid on the ground, twitching under the effects of Zhubi’s venom. The other crouched, eyes narrowed, watching Hui closely. The three dull-eyed cultivators climbed to their feet, but didn’t attack. Without anyone to lead them, they stood vaguely, swords in hand.

I wonder what happened to them. I heard the woman mention lotus pills… is that what they were given? Is it some kind of narcotic?

He nodded to himself, reminiscing. My loan-shark ‘friends’ used to work with dealers to get people addicted, get them to take out stupid loans to drain them of all their money, then dump them gods-only-know where when they had nothing left.

A few of the addicts worked alongside me for a while, but they usually burned out and died within a month or two. They were hollow-eyed and slender, just like these men here, but they had ungodly strength when they thought they’d get another hit out of the deal.

If these men share those traits… I’m glad these idiots didn’t use them to their full potential!

Li Xiang nodded once at Hui, then ran off.

“Who are you? Where are you from? Are you demonic cultivators, pretending to be righteous?” the man asked.

“I’m not a demonic cultivator,” Hui said.

The man gave him a look. “You were dead, I felt it. Your qi had extinguished. Are you undead, perhaps? Your skin looks fantastic for an undead, senior.”

Hui shook his head. “We’re disciples from Starbound Sect.”

The man cast him a skeptical look. “You don’t have to lie. Demonic cultivators are allowed in Twin Elemental city.”

Turning his head to gaze at the sky, Hui let off a heavy sigh. You tried to sell me into slavery, and now you’re convinced I’m the demonic cultivator? You’re going to make this small disciple cry, okay?

“Stop her! Someone catch that woman!”

“Get her!”

“I’ve caught this criminal for you, now—umph!”

Hui whipped his head around. Li Xiang?

Zhubi hissed. He turned back around to find the second man crawling off. He pointed his hand at the man. “Zhubi!”

The snake launched at the man and bit his leg. Convulsing, the man managed to crawl another two, three steps before he collapsed. Hui knelt to collect Zhubi, who slithered happily up to his neck.

“You, stay here,” he ordered the dull-eyed cultivators, and ran toward the ruckus.