They rounded a spring of grass, and the whole image revealed itself before them. Not just Hui’s ring, but his entire hand laid there in the grass, the ring still stuck on his crystallized finger.

Hui paused, licking his lips. Okay, so… er, how do I… free the ring? Maybe I can… He hopped off Zhubi and floated over to his hand, landing on his ring. Reaching out to the ring, he opened it and sent his hand inside.

Hui and the ring both fell to the ground. Despite his small size, Hui’s strength remained, including the ability to hover in the air; however, the hand disappeared too quickly, and he wasn’t prepared. Gasping, he pushed himself up from the tiny mud puddle he ended up in and looked around.

Zhubi peered down at him, flickering his tongue at Hui in concern.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Hui climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked at his little hands and sighed. Last time, my soul was too worn out, so I became tiny. This time, I didn’t have enough life qi, so I couldn’t grow my lotus beast body enough, and I ended up tiny again.

He looked at his crystalized pieces. I can’t sense any life qi in them… not that that’s a surprise. My body is… kind of dead. If I didn’t have a secondary body prepared, I’d be screwed.

Let that be a lesson to me! Always prepare a second body!

Hefting the ring, Hui looked at it. It was an awkward size, not quite small enough to be a bracelet or big enough to fit around his waist. It fit over his head, but… I don’t want to end up choking myself to death on my own storage ring when I get bigger!

He hesitated another moment, then held out his hand. A vine grew from his arm, and he tore it off and used it to tie the ring to his back. Experimentally, he tried drawing out a talisman.

A yellowed piece of paper descended from the heavens and draped over him, big enough to serve as a bath towel. It covered his face, blinding him and falling into his mouth.

Grappling at the talisman, Hui sent it back into the storage ring and drew a breath, wiping his face. I almost suffocated!

Not… that a fourth stage cultivator can suffocate that easily, but…

Hui patted Zhubi and leaped onto his back. “Let’s go collect the pieces of my body!”

Zhubi hissed and slithered off.

Gu Tian’s sword hovered nearby. Deep inside, Gu Tian’s soul peered out at Hui, a little baffled. What’s this feeling of neglect…? Hui, cultivators ride swords, not snakes…

Accompanied by the black sword, Hui and Zhubi slithered around the field, slowly collecting pieces of Hui’s body. Hui had to dig up some of the tiniest fragments, while others were so big he had to rest after putting them in the storage ring. Right now, I’m exhausted. I barely have any qi. I need to find a place to hole up and rest before I do anything.

But first, my body… and I can’t rest until I figure out what happened to the others. Sis Mei, Xixing… I haven’t forgotten about you. It’s just… if I leave my body here, I’m afraid I’ll never find it again.

At last, he sensed no more of his own aura in the field. Hui hesitated, then sat on top of Zhubi and sent his consciousness into the storage ring. Moving quickly so as not to waste too much energy, he organized the pieces, shaping them back into his own body. Despite the quickness of his putting himself back together, Hui frowned as he finished putting the last piece into its approximate location. No, I don’t think that’s a mistake. It’s really missing, isn’t it?

A hole gaped right in the center of his chest.

Hui pressed his lips together. My heart. I guess Gui Delun really is a meticulous guy, huh? Stole my heart…

Wait, when I put it like that, isn’t it a little… er…

No, no, I meant literally! He probably thought I couldn’t revive if he had my heart.

Not that he’s wrong. I don’t know what would happen if I tried reviving my body without a heart in this fragile state. Normally, I could probably regenerate a heart with my plant technique, but now? Now that I don’t have life qi, and my soul isn’t even in my body? I wouldn’t want to risk it.

Actually, it’d be best if I could heal my body completely before I left this body, or even released it from its crystal state. I’ll have to contemplate that for a while, and see if I can figure it out.

Ugh, I have so much to contemplate. Playing-dead talismans, healing my body, one-way barriers…

Hui pressed a hand to his forehead. Somehow, I feel like a student who’s left their summer homework untouched until the very last week of summer vacation…

He stood. “Zhubi! Let’s go back to the sect. I need to confirm everyone’s state.” No matter what, I’m reviving them all. But for now, I need to know what state they’re in, so I know how to revive them. If they’re all dead… it might take until I’m a much later stage, but… I’ll just take a leaf from Master’s book and cultivate as quickly as I can!

Not… that I think I can cultivate as fast as Master, but…

Zhubi hesitated. He looked at Hui and hissed.

“It’s been months! We’ll be safe. And besides, we’re little. We can sneak in pretty easily,” Hui bargained.

Zhubi hesitated again. He wiggled in place, uncertain.

Hui sat again and stroked Zhubi’s head placatingly. “I have the reed shoes. I can mask my aura to look like anything at all. I… can even extend it to cover you, you know? We’ll just be an ordinary spirit snake to all the All-Heavens cultivators.”

Gu Tian’s sword shook, turning its point to Hui. What about me?

“Oh… I’ll put you in my storage ring, good point,” Hui said, reaching out his hand.

Wait, wait… Before he could protest, Gu Tian’s sword vanished into Hui’s ring. Exasperated, he trembled. You’re supposed to ride your sword, you know?

“Alright, Zhubi. Let’s go.” Hui settled into a cross-legged pose and crossed his arms.

Zhubi hissed and slithered off, carrying Hui on his head.