Chen Xigui led Ya Ai along, the two exchanging polite conversation and occasionally giggling at whatever they talked about. The guards glared at Hui and the others, all but cracking their knuckles. For their part, Hui pretended not to notice, Li Xiang maintained her usual poker face, Lu Xubo glared single-mindedly at Chen Xigui, and Ying Lin bounced along, seemingly mindless.

At last, they came to a room at the end of the hall. Again, Chen Xigui darted ahead, drawing Ya Ai with him, but this time, Hui was prepared. Grabbing Ying Lin, he leaped forward and chased Chen Xigui into the room, while Li Xiang and Lu Xubo sped up as well.

Hui passed through, and the barrier shut behind him. Li Xiang bounced off the barrier, while Lu Xubo ran forward and caught her.

Chen Xigui laughed. “Servants aren’t needed. Stay outside and keep my men company while we heal.”

Hui reached out. He summoned a bit of death qi to his hand and pressed it to the barrier. The barrier melted around the death qi. Li Xiang and Lu Xubo stumbled inside.

Chen Xigui stared, wide-eyed.

Hui retracted his arm, and the barrier returned. He laughed lightly. “Thank goodness we made it through the barrier. The Young Miss would be heartbroken if her beloved servants were separated from her.”

“That… what… how…?” Chen Xigui stuttered, gaping.

Hui turned to Lu Xubo and muttered at a stage whisper, “Ah, Junior Brother City Lord didn’t attempt to separate us again, did he? That would be very rude. One would start to wonder if City Lord had ulterior motives.”

The barrier doesn’t seem to be something Chen Xigui was activating or using his qi on, which means it’s an automated spell built into the house, or something similar. Thus, me using my death qi for a moment shouldn’t be a dead giveaway that I interfered, the way it would be if I used it directly on one of his spells.

It’s a gamble, but as long as he puts it down as a glitch, we might be able to make it a little further before he decides to outright attack us.

Chen Xigui scowled. He looked at the barrier, intact once more, and his guards on the far side of it, while Ya Ai’s “servants” stood on this side with him and Chen Xigui. He looked back and forth a few times, then shook his head. “You… how?”

“I merely walked through,” Li Xiang said truthfully.

“Myself as well, I did nothing to City Lord’s barrier,” Lu Xubo said, shrugging.

Li Xiang nodded, unbothered.

Hui snorted to himself, crossing his arms indignantly. After all, I’m the only one who interfered!

Not that Chen Xigui knows about Li Xiang’s truthsense, but Li Xiang might give me away if I blatantly lie. The one thing that almost always breaks her poker face is lying!

Chen Xigui frowned. His brows twitched.

Hui held his breath. If he decides to question us now, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll have to attack right here, with all the guards and Chen Xigui at full strength. Well, full strength for his twelve-year-old body. We can probably handle it, but… please, Chen Xigui! It’s a glitch, nothing but a glitch! Ignore us!

After a moment, Chen Xigui flicked his finger. The barrier opened again, just wide enough for one person, and Wang Xiu stepped through, stepping high over the barrier’s lower edge. She glanced around at them and nodded, but turned immediately to gaze toward the wilderness again.

Chen Xigui scowled. He pointed toward a deeply curtained chamber inside the room they stood in. “We’ll go there to commence the process. I trust you don’t need to be inside as we begin?”

“Eh, we would like that, Jun… City Lord,” Hui said.

“You—” Chen Xigui burst out, frustrated.

Despite himself, Hui suppressed a smirk. It’s too much fun to toy with brats.

Ya Ai raised her hand. She stepped away from Chen Xigui and reached for Hui. Hui stepped forward to meet her. Their hands met.

“From here, I go alone. Please watch over me from outside,” Ya Ai said, looking up into his eyes, the youthful light of her eyes shining out of her wrinkled face.

Hui stepped back. He closed his hand. “I understand, Elder Sister.”

Chen Xigui sighed. Gesturing, he called Ya Ai back to him. “At last… come along, Ya Ai.”

Ya Ai gave Hui a last lingering glance, then returned to Chen Xigui’s side with a smile. “Of course, beloved. Shall we begin?”

The two stepped into the curtained chamber.

Left alone, Li Xiang, Hui, Ying Lin, and Lu Xubo stood awkwardly, none of them looking directly at Wang Xiu. For her part, Wang Xiu gazed into the wilderness, her nose wrinkling.

Hui scooted toward the door. He tucked one of his hands in his robe and scribbled a barrier talisman on a leaf he grew there. I don’t think we’ll be able to fool Wang Xiu forever. In fact, it might even be advantageous for us to… to, to… to attack her first!

Ah, dammit, this heart demon—but then again, the fewer people involved in the inevitable battle ahead, the better it will go for us! Although it’s unlikely that Wang Xiu is his only fifth-stage cultivator, she’s the only fifth-stage here, so taking her out will improve the situation greatly for us.

Hui flicked his hand, sending the talisman toward the wall. A hanging scroll fluttered, as if in the wind, the talisman visible for a moment before the scroll fell back into place. A second barrier appeared on the inside of the first, this one a barrier that Hui controlled. Unlike Chen Xigui’s barrier, Hui’s wound around the inside of the entire wall. A faint shimmer appeared, rustling the art, but aside from that, it barely disrupted the room.

Now, even if he calls his guards, there will be at least a brief moment before they break in. A moment… that could mean everything to us!

He glanced around the room. A huge chamber, it stretched ahead of them, as well as to either side. From the door, you can see across the room to the far wall dead ahead of the door, but to the right and left, there’s plenty of blind spots. If we can lure Wang Xiu away from the door, we can probably attack her in the corner, and no one will know!

Hui reached into his robes again and began to draw a sound-deadening talisman. He cast a look at Li Xiang, then nodded toward the far left corner. Li Xiang followed his gaze and nodded, understanding. Casually, he leaned toward Ying Lin, and a stack of paper slips exchanged hands.

As Ying Lin pulled away from Hui, she walked over to Lu Xubo and grinned. “Elder Brother, look at this art!”

“Eh? What art?” Lu Xubo asked. Led by Ying Lin, he moved over in front of the door, so that the two of them blocked most of the view into the room.

Hui and Ying Lin exchanged a look, and Hui nodded. Good job, my disciple! A wise disciple indeed. You grow with every day!

“Itchy?” Wang Xiu asked abruptly.

Hui stopped dead. “Huh?”

She gestured at her chest, reaching a hand under her robes. “Itchy?”

Hui glanced down, where his hand had lapsed halfway through drawing the sound-deadening talisman. He coughed. “Er… yes.”

“Sensitive skin? I have a cream for that,” Wang Xiu said conversationally.

Hui cast a desperate look at Li Xiang. Distract her! I need to throw this talisman!

Li Xiang startled. She turned around woodenly, then pointed into the left corner. “Look at this art!”

Li Xiang! Isn’t that the same line Ying Lin used! Won’t she notice? Hui cried silently.

“Huh? What, that mirror? Does a mirror count as art?” Wang Xiu mused, leaning forward to peer around the corner.

“No, no. Look, over here, closer,” Li Xiang said, pointing at an oversized wall scroll beside the mirror.

“That… I can see it fine from here,” Wang Xiu replied, brows furrowing.

“I want you to come over here,” Li Xiang said bluntly, walking to the left.

Elder Sister! Hui shouted in his heart.

“Eh? Sure. Why?” Wang Xiu asked. She followed Li Xiang to the left.

That… how… why…

Ah, oh well, it worked! Who cares why it worked, as long as it did! Hui finished drawing the talisman and quickly threw it under the wall scroll, beside the barrier talisman. He watched the guards outside silently, prepared to retract the talisman if any of them reacted to the sudden silencing of the room. Busy chatting and lounging around, none of the guards reacted.

Phew. Hui looked down at his other hand. A small stone tablet sat in his palm. It glittered with bright life force, warm and steady.

Ya Ai gave me her life tablet. I remember these from my novels… these are often stored by sects, and will dim or break if the sect member is injured or dies. I wonder if Starbound Sect had them?

Ah, it’s not unusual if I never saw them. Usually they’re kept by the sect elders or the Sect Master. Although… they’d all be broken now, if they did exist.

…

But I’m going to bring everyone back. It’ll be fine!

He closed his hand around the tablet, bringing himself back to the present. As long as the life tablet is clear, Ya Ai’s life is not in danger. We should attack Wang Xiu now, to get her out of the way before we attack Chen Xigui!

While Li Xiang attacks Wang Xiu, I’ll examine the curtained room and check its barriers. Likely I can break them with death qi, but if they have a more sophisticated mechanism than the simple barrier installed in the mansion, it might take me some time. Better to figure out how to break it now, before Ya Ai gets into a dangerous situation.

Hui moved over to the curtained room. He lifted a hand to its side.

Wang Xiu looked up, turning her back to Li Xiang. “Hey! Don’t touch that!” She took a step toward Hui.

A silver blade shimmered at her neck. Li Xiang narrowed her eyes. “I challenge you to a battle.”

Elder Sister! Directly attack her from behind, instead! Hui took a deep breath. No, no. Li Xiang would never do that. Instead, I should be happy that she can defeat Wang Xiu even in an open and upright battle.

Wang Xiu stiffened. “You… that sword… could it be? How?” Her eyes widened, darting between Hui and Lu Xubo. “Then… one of you… Weiheng Hui?”

Hui pressed his hand to the barrier. “Elder Sister, now!”

Wang Xiu charged at Hui, but Li Xiang blocked her way. Swords clashed.

Hui gave Li Xiang one last look, then closed his eyes and focused on the barrier. Elder Sister, I’m trusting you!