Taken off-guard, the City Lord blinked. “She’s Wang Xiu, the notorious outlaw. I need her exterminated before my beloved arrives next week.”

“There isn’t anyone else? Someone else you need killed?” Hui prompted, hopeful.

“Hmph! Naturally, if you do well, I will give you more dangerous targets. I might even consider adding you to my Shadow Guards if you’re successful enough! But first, you have to clear the debt—”

Hui stood. He reached into his pouch and drew out two hundred spirit stones. “Your passes. Farewell. I'm a busy man.” Dammit! I’m so close, and he gives me this garbage chain-quest-like request? I’d rather pay the stones! Does he think I have infinite time to do whatever he wants? I’m a man on a mission. I have to find Li Xiang and revive my sect, okay?

The City Lord blinked at the stones in his hand, then at Hui. “Huh?”

Hui walked past him and put his foot on the windowframe. He glanced down at the kid as he did so. Ah, that’s why the scene looked so wrong. He’s tiny! He might even be shorter than Boss Xiaoran.

“You dare ignore me, Chen Xigui? Are you willing to face the wrath of the entire city?” the City Lord snapped.

Glancing down at him, Hui sighed. He paused. “Are you really sure there isn’t someone else you need dead? A vigilante woman, maybe?”

Self-aware, Hui internally put a hand on his chin. I’m bolder than usual. Is it the heart-demon?

No, I think…I think it’s because this Chen Xigui looks twelve years old! All I can see are those brats who used to tease me on my one precious minute of break. Even back then, I never treated those kids with respect. And now he’s bullying me, too, giving me such a shitty quest! Naturally, I’m unable to see him as a noble City Lord deserving of worship and respect.

Ah… I guess my first life did corrupt me, after all.

Is this an all-children problem? No…I don’t see Zhubi as a brat… but Zhubi isn’t a brat! Obviously, I wouldn’t see a not-brat as a brat. Therefore, Chen Xigui is a brat. That’s the only explanation.

“Wait, wait. I have more women I need killed,” Chen Xigui assured Hui, hurrying after him.

See? A brat, Hui decided. He turned and lowered his leg from the window’s ledge, giving Chen Xigui a polite smile. “Junior Brother should have said so earlier. Please enlighten this lowly one.”

“Junior—address me as City Lord!” Chen Xigui demanded.

“Junior Brother City Lord, you said there are… other women?” Hui asked, smiling.

Chen Xigui harrumphed. He opened his mouth to protest, but shut it and shook his head instead. “Indeed. I was going to give you this job after you squashed the first threat to prove your strength, but if you insist on rushing to your death, so be it. Shadow! Bring him the other one.”

The black-clothed man hurried up to him, passing a second scroll. Conscientiously, Hui rolled up the scroll he was holding and traded with the black-clothed man for the second scroll.

Holding his breath, he opened it. Li Xiang… Li Xiang!

A peerless jade beauty gazed back at him. Dressed in graceful yet practical white robes and clutching a sword, she gazed directly out of the portrait, her gaze just as piercing all that time ago. A pink enamel pin glistened in her hair.

It’s her. It’s Li Xiang!

Although he smiled internally, externally, Hui put on a cold air. “This paltry cultivator? Is she so terrifying that Junior Brother City Lord cannot handle her himself?”

“Naturally, I can handle her myself. However, I’m a busy man. I can’t waste my time hunting down such elusive worms. Do you have a problem with it?” Chen Xigui asked, crossing his arms.

“Mmm,” Hui said aloud. I’m starting to wonder if this Junior Brother is actually as strong as he seems. Is he boosting his strength? Or perhaps… is his foundation unstable?

I understand that Li Xiang is a sword cultivator, and naturally can fight above her level. Not wanting to get involved in a protracted battle and risk wounding himself against a sword cultivator is one thing, especially with his beloved coming to town. However, he hasn’t put this haughty persona of mine in his place, either. Even when I explicitly acted contrary and continued to call him Junior Brother, he didn’t punish me, but instead chose to tolerate it. Neither does he seem a tolerant brat, so he’s making an exception to tolerate me. That suggests there’s something strange about his cultivation, at some level or another.

Hmm… should I perhaps continue to be domineering? If he’s truly weak, then I need to, or else show weakness myself!

Eyeing Hui up, Chen Xigui remained silent as well. I know nothing about this man. On one hand, I’m confident in forcing him to take this job. He’s already come so far and even waited rather than leaving. If he’s more powerful than me, he’s at least also interested in killing the women. However, I’m not confident in truly knowing his cultivation level. Acting so overbearing could indicate that he’s hiding his true cultivation, and is instead a hidden expert at the sixth stage or higher with a penchant for killing jade beauties.

As City Lord, I must be mindful of my actions, for the sake of the city. Threats must be suppressed, but likewise, I should not provoke those I cannot afford to provoke. If he’s truly a higher level than he appears, I should put him to good use in destroying my enemies, but shouldn’t push too hard, lest I touch the reverse scale of a hidden dragon.

Chen Xigui cleared his throat at last. Tossing his hair, he looked down his nose at Hui. “Is she to your tastes? There are more women deserving of execution, if not. However, that woman is the principal thorn in my side.”

Hui froze. He blinked at Chen Xigui. To my tastes? Er, I feel like Junior Brother… misunderstood something important…

Ah well. I’ll roll with it. Besides, Li Xiang is a beauty. It’s not as if I’m admitting anything bad to agree with him. Hui nodded. “Indeed, she is very much to my tastes. Where can I find her?”

A cold smile crawled over Chen Xigui’s face. Good. I calculated correctly. This man does like killing beauties, and moreover, his sense of beauty is proper! It’s unfortunate that his morals have been misplaced, but at least he’s upright in terms of what he finds desirable. If he preferred killing uglies, I’d be in trouble.

Chen Xigui snapped his fingers. “Your guide.”

A woman flipped through the window. She landed beside Chen Xigui with a thump, her legs planted, arms crossed, an enormous razor-like blade strapped to her back. Dressed in black robes in the regional style with a dark-red undershirt fully visible beneath a loose collar that draped open to her waist, she would have looked more at home in Boss Xiaoran’s tavern than beside the elegant, childlike City Lord. Red wraps bound her ankles and wrists, and her feet were bare. Muscular limbs and a short haircut finished out the look. She tossed a nod at Hui and smiled.

Hui startled. Hold on a second… “Eh, isn’t this—isn’t she the one you just asked me to kill?”

“That was a test. You couldn’t have killed me, anyways,” Wang Xiu replied flippantly.

Chen Xigui nodded. He glanced at Hui from the corner of his eyes and scoffed. “Wang Xiu is skilled in the clone arts. You would have faced a clone.”

“Is that so? Elder Sister, we should have a conversation,” Hui said, eyes glittering.

“She’s Elder Sister, but I’m Junior Brother?” Chen Xigui protested.

Wang Xiu glanced down at Chen Xigui and chuckled. “If you didn’t look like a junior, you wouldn’t get called junior.”

“Elder Sister is indeed brilliant, to see through something even the honorable City Lord could not,” Hui said, nodding to Wang Xiu.

Chen Xigui’s face reddened. “You—”

“Oh? I didn’t expect this one to be so perceptive. To see my brilliance so early, indeed, shows brilliance in yourself,” Wang Xiu returned the compliment.

Hui bowed. “This small cultivator isn’t worthy of such honor.”

“Small? If we’re talking about small cultivators, one must acknowledge the City Lord,” Wang Xiu replied.

“Enough!” Chen Xigui snapped. He glared at the two of them. “You test my patience. Are you not afraid of the wrath of a City Lord?”

“Bring it on, kiddo,” Wang Xiu said, reaching for her blade.

Hui waved his hands and bowed. “Junior Brother City Lord, please forgive Elder Sister. She knows not what she says.”

“She knows exactly what she said,” Wang Xiu replied, smirking exactly like her portrait in the poster. “C’mon. I’ve heard that whoever beats a City Lord becomes the City Lord. Shall we find out if All Heavens Sect still upholds that rule? I’m curious.”

Ah! I forgot! Chen Xigui is an All Heavens cultivator, after all. I shouldn’t have been so incautious!

But… well, he didn’t recognize me, so…

It’s not like it was with the other All Heavens cultivators, Liu Lintei, Ding Qinwen, and Zhi Ahn, who caught me in Starbound Sect and could recognize my aura and habits. Nor does he likely return to the sect often, as the City Lord of such a far-flung city. Given the time spans cultivators operate on, it’s quite possible he hasn’t returned to the sect in the last century or more, and has little interest in the general operations of All Heavens Sect, let alone in their latest attack.

In fact, he may even be isolating himself from the sect right now. All Heavens is full of power-hungry cultivators, willing to do anything to promote themselves, even annihilate other righteous sects. If he’s weakened by his current illness, he may be hiding from the rest of his sect to prevent them realizing his weakness and striking. Especially if he really is embezzling sect funds on top of being weakened, he’s not likely to pay much attention to the sect, or return very often, to avoid too much attention falling on him.

The real clincher is him not mentioning Li Xiang’s name, nor affiliation with Starbound Sect. If he was closely aligned with his sect, he’d almost certainly mention it, but instead, if he knows either, he hasn’t thought it worthy of mention. Thus, for whatever reason, we can conclude that this man isn’t much interested in his own sect.

Although, if it’s as those rogue cultivators said, and their investigation is meant to fail, it means he’s involved with someone relatively high up in All Heavens Sect, someone with enough power to control who’s sent to investigate him. And then, of course, there’s the matter of his beloved.

Interesting… I’ll keep an eye on him and see if I can figure this out.

Killing intent surged in Chen Xigui’s eyes. He reached for his sword.

Hui leaped forward. “Elder Sister, Junior Brother, there’s a guest in the room. Let’s not play out our family disputes in front of guests, please?”

“Ah, that’s right. Since I’m the bigger cultivator, I’ll let it go,” Wang Xiu said, releasing her blade.

“Let it go! Let what go? You’re the one who started it!” Chen Xigui fumed. He narrowed his eyes, and his killing intent surged. For a second, Hui thought he might one-sidedly attack Wang Xiu, but then, with visible effort, he reigned in his killing intent. Harrumphing, he flicked his sleeve. “In the end, I am the City Lord, after all. I’m magnanimous enough to let such a small slight go.”

Wang Xiu snorted. “Any slight against you is small by defin—”

“Elder Sister, daylight rapidly escapes us. We should get started so the sun is in our favor as we travel,” Hui hurriedly interrupted Wang Xiu before she could provoke Chen Xigui into actually attacking them. Prodding him a bit is alright, but we’re quickly approaching his bottom line, alright? He’s a small person, so therefore his face must also be thin!

Chen Xigui narrowed his eyes. Why do I feel as if that man just insulted me?

Wang Xiu hopped onto the window frame and nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

Hui followed her, drawing Moonlight Cutter as she drew her blade. The two of them leaped atop their swords and flew off, zooming into the sky.

As they flew, Wang Xiu glanced over at Hui and shook her head. “Something about that kid… I just can’t help but treat him like a brat every time. Even though he’s a fifth-stage master who’s stuck like that because of a qi deviation, it’s still…”

“Ah, it’s a qi deviation? I thought he chose to look like that,” Hui said, somehow relieved. It’s a bit strange to choose to be twelve forever. At least pick fifteen or eighteen.

She nodded. “His chosen appearance was that of a proper forty-something man with a beard before, but during a battle with a powerful female cultivator, he was backed into a corner and had to draw on his innate qi. Since almost no one uses their innate qi unless they have to, he had no idea that he had a unique innate qi that would age him in reverse when used. He’s been steadily getting younger in appearance each year since. He can no longer alter the age he appears as, nor stop himself from de-aging.”

“Then… does he only have twelve years left to live?” Hui queried. I remember a movie back in my world like that…

“That’s why he’s so desperate about this beloved of his. Supposedly, she’s some kind of pure invert qi user, or something… I don’t quite understand the mechanics behind it, but her techniques should allow him to end this deadly illness of his and return to his previous state,” she explained.

Hui cringed. “His beloved? He… in that form?”

Wang Xiu squinted at him. Her eyes widened, and she waved her hand. “Ah… no, no. She has a technique that should be able to balance both of their qi. Not dual-cultivation, no. Well… what they do once he becomes old enough is no one’s business, but I don’t think she’s… no.”

“Then… wait, if she’s just going to heal him, why does he call her beloved? Does she know that he wants to marry her?” Hui asked.

Wang Xiu laughed. “She doesn’t have many suitors. From what I understand, she’s the one who asked for him to be her husband, after she saw the portrait of how he used to look. Ah… she has her own situation, after all.”

“Eh?” Hui asked. Wait, if she has an invert technique, and it perfectly matches Chen Xigui’s current illness, then… “Does she look like an old granny?”

“Shhh,” Wang Xiu said, smirking.

Hui’s eyes widened. In his head, he imagined the childlike Chen Xigui walking alongside Boss Xiaoran in red wedding robes, and he shuddered. Dear heavens. That’s a sight too spicy for the eyes.

“In any case, he’s added a caveat that they aren’t to be wed until and if she completely heals his illness, so it won’t happen the way you’re probably imagining,” Wang Xiu followed up. “Still, he calls her beloved and treats her with great respect in case she really can heal his wounds. Even if he’s a brat, he’s at least wise enough to be kind to his future benefactor.”

“At least there’s that,” Hui agreed.

Speaking of brats… He glanced at Wang Xiu and gave a quick bow. “Elder Sister, do you mind if I bring out my disciple?”

“Bring… out?” Wang Xiu asked.

Hui gestured, and Ying Lin appeared, a dumpling held between two chopsticks, her mouth open. She glanced around, then hurriedly chomped down the dumpling. “Master! I was eating!”

“Eating? We don’t need to eat,” Hui frowned. What bad habits is Healer teaching her?

Ah… there’s this really nice spirit food restaurant here… those are thousand-year-ginseng-and-seven-color-chard dumplings, you know? It's good for the body! Healer rebuffed him.

Are you spoiling our disciple? Hui asked, shaking his head.

Eh, Sectgoer, you’re the one who bought her nice robes, and now you’re accusing me of spoiling her?

Seeing the conversation going nowhere, Hui shook his head. He nodded behind Ying Lin. “Disciple, this is our guide.”

Ying Lin turned and bowed to Wang Xiu. “Disciple greets elder.”

Wang Xiu snorted. “Another brat?”

Ying Lin’s brows furrowed, but she said nothing.

Hui leaned in. “Ah, don’t take it personally. She works for a forty-year-old man who currently looks like a brat… naturally, she has something of a bias against br—young people.”

“Eh… huh? A forty-year-old brat?” Ying Lin asked, confused.

Wang Xiu laughed aloud. “I’ll use that one on him next time.”