The night passed peacefully. A large hog snuffled through the temple’s dilapidated gardens in the early morning hours, but Hui released a bit of his pressure, and it rushed off in fear. Aside from that, he encountered no monsters or dangerous animals, let alone any true spirit beasts or demonic creatures.

Well, putting aside my encounter with a certain demonic fox, anyways.

Ying Lin rose first, yawning and stretching as she emerged from the hut. She glanced down at Hui in surprise. “Master, you didn’t rest?”

“Cultivators don’t need to eat or sleep,” Hui said.

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t,” Ying Lin replied.

Mmm, though, while I do like eating, it is nice that I don’t have to sleep… but then, I suppose someone like Lu Lintei would probably chose to sleep over eat, if she had to pick one of the things we don’t have to do! To each their own, Hui thought, looking over Ying Lin.

At last, he shrugged. “If you still need to sleep, then sleep. If you get exhausted, then sleep. Cultivators can become exhausted and pass out. It might take longer than anyone else, but it can happen.”

Ying Lin nodded, though she still frowned, as if she hadn’t said everything. Hui waited, but rather than explaining herself, she ran off toward the temple.

Looking after her, Hui sighed. I really ought to drop her off at a trustworthy sect. She’d benefit greatly from being around other cultivators… and I don’t mean deviants like myself, or Bao Huli, or even Ji Taiyu. Standard, righteous cultivators. She needs to understand what ordinary cultivators are like. Right now, she’s essentially a shut-in from the countryside.

Hui rose, dusting off his robes. Rather than follow Ying Lin, he raised a hand and drew an earth talisman in the air with qi. The hut collapsed back into the ground, roof and all. The ground opened up and swallowed the wooden bed inside. In a moment, nothing remained of Hui and Ying Lin’s hut.

Not as if it matters, but… it’s still better not to leave traces.

He headed toward the temple. Ji Taiyu jumped out of his hut as Hui passed, bumping into him. Ji Taiyu rebounded, unable to shove Hui away with his third-tier cultivation. He threw out his arms for the door, missed the grab, and toppled onto his butt.

A second later, Hui staggered back. “Master! You startled me!”

Ji Taiyu blinked, looking at Hui, then himself.

Er… Hui stumbled again and fell backward as well, putting on a pained expression. “Ow…”

Ji Taiyu’s expression brightened, though his brows remained faintly furrowed. He hopped to his feet and offered Hui a hand. “Be more careful, disciple. I didn’t want to injure you, so I threw myself backward. A mere bump from someone at my power level could obliterate you, after all.”

Ah… those are my lines. I’m very sorry, Ji Taiyu. Hui took Ji Taiyu’s hand, subtly sending him a pulse of life qi as he did so.

The knot in Ji Taiyu’s brows unwound, and he rubbed his shoulder, then rolled it out, nodding to himself. He walked away, whistling aloud. “I’m in fine form this morning!”

Killing intent surged at Hui. He leaped backward, throwing up his hands on instinct and barely repressing the urge to play dead. From the depths of the hut, glowing eyes narrowed at him. Bao Huli’s sharp fangs glittered in the darkness, full of the promise of death.

On Hui’s neck, Zhubi reared up, displaying his own fangs.

Apologies, Elder Sister! I momentarily forgot that sharing qi was unacceptable in this world! I swear, I’m not interested in your Master! I swear it! Hui cried silently, shaking his head and waving his hands desperately.

“Master!” Ying Lin called from the distance.

Glad to have an excuse, Hui raced off. “Ying Lin? What is it?”

“Third Disciple? Did something happen?” Ji Taiyu shouted at the same instant.

The two of them raced around the corner of the temple. Bao Huli followed a moment later, though her fangs had vanished and her ears and tail were properly tucked away.

A group of cultivators stood in the temple’s front lawn. The lead, a woman, put her hands on her hips and grinned at them, boldly waving as they turned the corner. She wore short men’s robes in red, the only ornamentation a purple sash and small jade token at her hip. Behind her, four men in ragged robes lazed about, most carrying boxes on their backs, or standing near them, set on the ground. Ying Lin stood by the temple’s door, and she raced to Hui’s side as soon as he appeared.

Hui eyed the woman. At least fourth stage. Most of her helpers are at the same level. In fact, their cultivation is so even that it’s suspicious. I wonder if they’re all disguising their true level?

Then again, it isn’t uncommon, out here in the wilds. It’s more dangerous than amongst sects, even demonic sects. Having your true level in your back pocket as a trump doesn’t hurt, and it keeps those madmen looking for fights to test their strength from targeting you. Not… that I speak from experience, or anything.

“Ji Taiyu! It’s been a while. Did you catch the abandoned temple’s monster?” the woman asked.

“We haven’t seen hide nor hair of it, unfortunately. Song Weilai, have your travels been fruitful?” Ji Taiyu asked, his eyes crinkling in a smile.

Song Weilai slapped the woven, sealed basket at her side. The basket shuddered, and a growl came from within. “Fruitful, indeed! That’s the growl of a first-class spirit beast you hear. In here’s a four-hundred-years-old weasel, and that’s just one beast! We’ll have more spirit stones than we’ll know what to do with, once we drop them off at Azure Fang Sect!”

Her men laughed, nodding along with Song Weilai.

Ah, I see. She captures and sells spirit beasts. Hmm, it makes sense. In a sect like Azure Fang, that relies entirely upon spirit beasts for cultivation, it’s impossible that they’d be able to organically raise enough spirit beasts to sate the entire sect’s needs. Even if they could, they’d still need fresh blood from outside to breed their beasts. For rogue cultivators like us… like Ji Taiyu and Song Wielai, selling live spirit beasts is a reasonable, well-paying job. It’s better than selling them for materials, after all.

Song Weilai looked up at Hui, and her eyes rested on Zhubi. “Look at that! What a handsome spirit beast. How much for that one?”

“Zhubi isn’t for sale,” Hui said, raising his hand protectively.

Song Weilai furrowed her brows. She stared at Zhubi intently for a moment, then turned to Hui. “He isn’t branded. He’s a wild beast, not your beast. Why not sell him?”

“Zhubi’s my friend, not my beast,” Hui insisted. Zhubi reared up and hissed at Song Weilai, clearly displeased.

She put her hands up and backed off. “Alright, alright, I understand. But if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

Hui bowed silently. As if! I take it back. Spirit beast salesmen are the worst! Go find your own spirit beasts, you damn spirit beast cultivators! If you don’t have karma with the beast, don’t find a salesman to capture them anyways!

Song Weilai swept her eyes over the group. Her gaze hesitated on Bao Huli, who gave her an innocent stare back, but she moved on without comment. “Ji Taiyu, heading on to Twin Elemental City?”

“There’s a cold spring nearby I wanted to visit on the way. I’ve recently acquired a few disciples, as you can see, and the spring would assist in tempering their bodies and minds,” Ji Taiyu replied earnestly.

“What a good idea! We could all use some tempering, isn’t that right, boys?” Song Weilai said, turning to her assistants. They nodded amongst themselves, and Song Weilai turned back to Ji Taiyu with a beaming smile. “Why don’t we go together?”

“Naturally,” Ji Taiyu agreed. He turned and headed off. Song Weilai grabbed up her basket and fell in beside him, and in no time, the two were laughing like old friends.

Bao Huli followed close at her Master’s heels, suspicious and bitter. The assistants stuck by Song Weilai, while Hui fell to the back to observe them all, not comfortable with mixing in with unknown cultivators.

Hui shot Song Weilai’s back a suspicious glance. You aren’t still after my Zhubi, are you?

“Master, are we going to the cold spring?” Ying Lin asked, coming up alongside him.

“Yes. In the end, you could use the tempering, and besides, I can’t waste this opportunity to question someone with connections to a subordinate sect to All Heavens Sect,” Hui murmured back quietly, mindful to quickly cast Fu Liyu’s sound-absorbing barrier before he did so.

Learning more about All Heavens Sect is almost as valuable as learning about Li Xiang. Besides, if Li Xiang is involved in Azure Fang Sect somehow, or acting as a rogue cultivator in the vicinity, Song Weilai, as someone who searches around the area as part of her job, might have heard of her. I don’t like it, but until Song Weilai directly threatens Zhubi, it’s worth sticking around to question her.

After all, at the end of the day, Song Weilai is a businessman. If I, for example, ran into someone with a unique talisman formula, I’d naturally ask them if I could see it. It’s their right to be protective of their formula afterward, but it’s not as if I would progress to stealing it immediately. I should be wary, but it is Song Weilai’s job to find and kidna—capture spiritual beasts. It would be more unnatural if she didn’t show interest in Zhubi.

“Understood,” Ying Lin replied, nodding.

Hui flicked his fingers, dispelling the sound-absorbing array. Barely a second later, Ji Taiyu gestured.

“Come along. We’ll mount our swords for now. Bao Huli, to me.” He stepped atop his sword, lying on the ground. Bao Huli walked over and joined him, and the sword floated into the air.

Somewhere along the way, Bao Huli had convinced Ji Taiyu that he could fly on a sword, despite being third-stage, but only when Bao Huli was present to be a lucky charm for his own abilities. Whatever mind-bending convincing she’d done, she’d done it before Hui arrived, a fact that made Hui sigh every time he remembered it. I wish I’d been there to see it!

Ying Lin moved to Hui’s side, but before she could join him, Hui flipped his hand over, summoning Gu Tian. “This sword can fly on its own. Use it and follow me.”

“Eh? You’re giving this to me?”

“Him. His name is Gu Tian. He’s a…” Hui hesitated, thinking of the great many things Gu Tian had been. A righteous cultivator, a demonic cultivator, a clone, a soul, a sword… After a moment, he coughed. “He’s a sword spirit, powerful enough to fly on his own. In a pinch, he should be able to shoot out a third-level sword beam. From today forth, consider him your sword.”

After all, it’s not as if I need a third-level sword. I have Moonlight Cutter now.

Ying Lin smiled, accepting the sword. “Thank you, Master!”

Hui nodded. It’s good if we can appear at the fourth-realm level when we’re surrounded by fourth-realm cultivators.

Gu Tian stared at Hui. Pawning me off? Am I really just a sword to you, now? You know I’m a human soul, not a sword spirit!

A moment later, Gu Tian sighed. Oh well. There are worse fates. He floated over and hovered before Ying Lin’s feet. Ying Lin stared in awe, then stepped aboard. She wobbled a bit, then found her balance, and Gu Tian lifted off the ground.

Hui watched her go, barely hiding a smile, then flicked his sleeve and summoned Moonlight Cutter. In the space of a breath, he’d caught up to the others.

“That’s an impressive sword. I don’t suppose you’re looking to sell?” Song Weilai asked, drawing up alongside him.

Hui shook his head, bowing, and went to move away, but a second later, he swung back. “Song Weilai… do you buy talismans?”

“Talismans? Sure. What do you have?”

For the first time since she’d arrived, Hui’s face brightened. He reached into his robes, secretly pulling his old, now-useless talismans from the node. “I am a talisman-maker. What would you say of purchasing a few of my wares…?”