With a somewhat forlorn expression, Hui watched the final cultivator go. There was still more alcohol to flavor with Immortal qi… Ah, oh well. I gained a lot, both in terms of the content of the alcohol, and in terms of other treasures!

“Xie Hao, good afternoon,” Gui Yutong greeted him.

Hui turned with a smile. “Elder Sister! Do you have another patient for me?”

“Not today. Today… I bring you invitations.” Gui Yutong held up a pair of wood tokens, then tossed them at Hui and Ying Lin.

Ying Lin jumped up and caught hers excitedly. “Me too?”

Gui Yutong frowned. “You intend to follow your Master, yes? And you’re fourth realm.”

“Ah! Oh, true,” Hui commented, nodding. He looked at Ying Lin. “You’ll follow me into the sect.”

“Right!” Ying Lin replied, nodding back.

Gui Yutong glanced around, clutching a third token close.

Hui sighed. It’s been a few days since she last came, so Bai Jingwen is moping in the back courtyard. Honestly, these two lovebirds… He cleared his throat. “You’ll find her sulking atop the willow tree near the pond.”

“Ah! Oh, no, it’s merely a coincidence,” Gui Yutong said, hiding the token as a blush spread over her cheeks. “I, I, of course, was… if one of the patients was high quality, I…”

Hui shook his head. “Go on. It’s been obvious to us all from the start.”

Blushing deeply, Gui Yutong ducked her head and rushed into the complex to the back garden.

Wu Fanyun scowled at Hui. “You shouldn’t encourage her.”

“To be quite honest, Elder Brother, I’d rather encourage her to pursue Bai Jingwen than cheer on her biological brother,” Hui replied, smiling placidly.

Wu Fanyun narrowed his eyes and reached for his sword. “What was that? I couldn’t hear that last part.”

Ying Lin cleared her throat. “Wu Fanyun, if you don’t wish to die a dog’s death, you’ll be better off challenging me. Master is fifth realm, and you’re merely fourth.”

Wu Fanyun blinked. He looked at Hui again and furrowed his brows, then backed up. “Why are you repressing your aura so much? Is this some perverse training?”

“The only perversion here is you,” Hui replied kindly. He drew out a fan and wafted it gently, drawing himself to his full height to look down on Wu Fanyun. “Elder Brother, consider it mental training for the weak-willed cultivators of this… country.” Right, I shouldn’t say ‘world.’ There’s terrifying beings out there willing to murder a small cultivator to death over that! Murder me straight to death!

Besides, what if other people got isekai’d alongside me? The last thing I want is to encounter an overpowered ultra-skilled isekai cultivator who went searching for other isekai’d people to test their might! Ah, not that I expect to meet one, after going so long without encountering any. I think I’m the only soul Yunxu successfully brought over.

But it never hurts to be cautious!

Hui raised the token to his forehead and inserted a bit of mental energy into it. The contents of the token burst out before his eyes, and glittering gold letters scrolled before his eyes. Welcome. You have obtained the qualifications to participate in All-Heavens Sect’s qualification tournament. Please attend at the sect gates in the second hour of the day on the day of…

Hui nodded. Wonderful. It seems to be exactly what I asked Gui Yutong for.

Flabbergasted, Wu Fanyun turned to Ying Lin. “Did he… forget about me?”

Ying Lin’s eyes glittered mischievously. “You are rather forgettable.”

Wu Fanyun’s sword whispered from its sheath. “I swore, when I left All-Heavens Sect, that I had been mocked for the last time.”

“Ah, you really shouldn’t have spoken to Master, then,” Ying Lin said with a grin, drawing Gu Tian.

Gu Tian shot a look at Wu Fanyun’s sword. Er… am I strong enough to clash with that blade? That’s a high-tier sword, made of the finest materials, and I’m… an ordinary sword from two hundred years ago in Starbound Sect…

Ying Lin ran her fingers down the length of Gu Tian’s blade, and pale sword energy covered the sword. She gestured at Wu Fanyun, egging him on.

Gu Tian breathed out. Thank goodness she knows to protect me with energy.

Ying Lin’s energy surged. A moment later, she fought it back. She grit her teeth, her energy roiling around her body. Quietly, she murmured, “Hold it back. Not yet. Master can’t know.”

Gu Tian jolted. Is that… fifth stage energy? How fast does this girl cultivate?

“Ha! Is your cultivation flawed? I won’t wait!” Wu Fanyun shouted, darting at Ying Lin.

Eyes flashing, Ying Lin charged toward Wu Fanyun, delight written all over her face. “Don’t blame me if you can’t walk later!”

Gu Tian let out a sigh, quietly eyeing Wu Fanyun, who swung at Ying Lin with great power and confidence in his oblivious eyes. You can’t stop a fool from seeking his own death.

--

Hui lowered the token and nodded. “Right. Are you ready, Ying Lin…”

With a high-pitched screech, Wu Fanyun flew past Hui and hurtled off into the distance, turning into a tiny sparkle on the horizon.

He turned slowly, confused. His eyes landed on Ying Lin, who still held Gu Tian at the ready, and he cocked an eyebrow.

Ying Lin quickly tucked Gu Tian behind her back. “Wow, look at how fast he’s going! Master, Wu Fanyun told me he had something urgent to attend to. He left his thanks for your hard work and told me to pass on to his sister that he had to desperately rush away.”

Does this disciple of mine think I’m blind and deaf? Even if I was distracted, I still heard what happened.

Oh well. I don’t particularly care if Ying Lin beat some sense into Wu Fanyun. The man desperately needs it. Chasing after his sister and starting a fight with Ying Lin… He’ll wind up dead without knowing why at this rate, and blame the Heavens for what is, in reality, the product of his own stupidity.

Hui put a hand on his chin. Come to think of it, isn’t that what the average cultivation protagonist does? Charge off at top speed into some wild direction and blame the Heavens for every small slight that happens to them, then overturn the Heavens when they really should just do a bit of introspection and overturn themselves instead? Have I at last encountered a protagonist?

Although, if Wu Fanyun is a protagonist… he glanced at Ying Lin. His cultivation speed is a bit slow.

“Eh? What’s Master looking at me for?” Ying Lin asked, tilting her head innocently.

Hui snorted under his breath. He reached out and rubbed Ying Lin’s head. “Yes, yes, you’re a good disciple.” I can’t let her get away completely free after sending Wu Fanyun flying like that… but we’ll leave it at this.

“Master!” Ying Lin complained, patting her mussed hair.

Gui Yutong strode out of the complex, her hair twice as mussed as Ying Lin’s and her makeup slightly smeared about the lips. She gasped a few breaths and wiped her mouth, quickly straightened her collar, then nodded at Hui and Ying Lin. “Are we ready?”

Hui coughed. “Er, is Elder Sister ready?”

Gui Yutong gave him a confused look. “I spoke with Bai Jingwen…?”

Ying Lin scooted up to Gui Yutong, pulling a hand mirror out from one of her storage devices. “Elder Sister, look.”

Gui Yutong’s cheeks colored. She closed her eyes and opened them again. White light flashed, and her clothes, hair, and makeup fixed themselves.

“You should teach Master that spell,” Ying Lin said, impressed.

“So I can teach it to you?” Hui asked, nodding at her messy hair.

“Master! It’s just, you sometimes… I’ve noticed you don’t seem to have a cosmetic spell, and at times, it can be troubling for this disciple,” Ying Lin said, nodding.

Hui frowned. He lifted his arm and sniffed. I don’t smell anything. Aren’t cultivators naturally fresh, clean, and beautiful at all times?

Or… wait. Wouldn’t that be from the mortal perspective? Other cultivators have heightened senses, so naturally, they’d be able to sense more from their fellows than mortals would. Do I have BO that only other cultivators can smell? Am I noseblind? But I’m in a lotus body, so at worst, I should smell like lotuses…

Ying Lin leaned in, interrupting his internal monologue. “Master, when you play dead, sometimes you smell like a corpse afterwards.”

Hui’s eyes widened. He nodded. “Many thanks, disciple. I had never considered such a thing!”

Internally, he screamed. Ahhhh! Oh no, oh no. How many times have I smelled of corpse around Li Xiang or Bai Xue? How many times have I been striding along, putting on a scholarly aura while smelling of corpse? It's great for playing dead, but I forgot about the aftermath! I’m so embarrassed!

“I’ll include it with the barrier spell,” Gui Yutong replied graciously.

Hui gave her a quick bow. “Small healer is very grateful.”

She looked around, her brows furrowing slightly. “Where is my brother? Wasn’t he right here?”

Hui cleared his throat and glanced at Ying Lin, who stared off into the distance, whistling to herself. He shook his head at her, then turned back to Gui Yutong with a smile. “Wu Fanyun… went on ahead of us. We should hurry to catch up to him.”

Gui Yutong nodded, clearly not overly concerned. “Shall we go? The admittance trial starts tomorrow.”

“Naturally, Elder Sister,” Hui replied, summoning Moonlight Cutter. Ying Lin hopped aboard Gu Tian, and together, they took to the skies.