The lotus clones bustled around as Hui returned, trailing Liu Guang. Hui laughed lightly as two clones ran out with a skein of silk carried over their shoulders. “Ah, never mind the mess, Senior. I’m remodeling.”

“Remodeling? What is your vision for this palace?” Liu Guang asked, earnestly curious.

Hui nodded. “Throughput and cleanliness!” Fleece—ahem, heal as many cultivators as I can, and leave the place so spic and span that they can’t possibly steal anything in return, and, of course, it’s much more easily to clean!

“Throughput…?” Liu Guang murmured.

Hui coughed. “Ah, that is, I pursue a simple life, without too much extra material. Although I would never claim to live an ascetic life, I believe I should not display my riches, but instead focus on my art of healing.” Displaying one’s riches is the quickest way to lose them! Look at the man who had this palace before me. He left furniture and curtains and rugs all over the place, and here I am, stealing them away! No, no. Better to take the riches and find somewhere to sell them so I can gain from them, than uselessly displaying them.

“An honorable goal,” Liu Guang said, nodding as he stroked his beard.

A guy who walks around coated in gold has no idea what my goal is, Hui mocked silently. Aloud, he continued, “I would have rather invited Senior once the palace was organized, but since karma brought Senior and I together today, I thought, why wait?”

Raising his hands, Hui clapped once. A larger lotus beast, one of the ones who’d matured for a while, hurried out of the palace with a jug carried carefully in its hands. Good thing I transferred these guys over from my original palace and already began moving most of my stuff over here. This way, it looks more natural for me to call out a bottle. Not that it’s unnatural to draw liquor out of my storage space, but, well… in the first place, I don’t want to give Senior the impression I’m the kind of person who keeps liquor on them at all times. More importantly, though, I don’t want to use my nodes too often around higher-realm cultivators, especially not future enemies. If they grasp the secret of the nodes… well, back in my original world, networks could be used to attack, too! Best not to open myself up to such dangers by accidentally allowing various seniors to analyze my nodes.

Hui accepted the jug from the lotus beast and nodded. The lotus beast bowed to him and wandered off. Where it stepped, the grasses and weeds grew longer behind it.

Liu Guang watched it go. “A vegetation spirit?”

“Ah, nothing so interesting. I call them lotus beasts. They’re—” Hui stopped himself. A product of the pill lotus, a dark technique that creates a dangerous, infectious poison… er… hmm. I forgot the root of my lotus arts was based in a clearly demonic technique. He cleared his throat and continued. “A type of plant beast, I believe. I discovered their progenitor,” that is, the pill lotus and Bai Jingwen, “and worked to create a sort of worker-beast and worker-clone based on the original plant beast. They’re quick-growing, hard-working, and bright for plant beasts!”

“Fascinating. They grow with life qi, I’m guessing? What a convenient life form,” Liu Guang murmured, putting a hand on his chin.

More convenient than you know, Hui thought to himself.

“You know, I have an interest in lifeforms like these,” Liu Guang mentioned, almost to himself.

Ha! If Senior wants a lotus beast, you’ll have to ask directly, and even then, I’ll say no! You want to research the secret of my worker beasts—worse, the secrets of my own current lotus bodies? Not while I breathe! Besides, there’s still the problem of my heads. I can’t have anyone realize these cultivators are clones. Not this early. Hui smiled at Liu Guang and flourished his hand, drawing out a pair of cups from his storage ring. “I’ve only been here a day or two, but I’ve found a lovely moon-viewing pond. Would Senior like to go see?”

Liu Guang nodded, and Hui led the way, smiling all along.

The air shifted. A light flashed. Liu Guang and Hui both looked up as a sword beam hurtled toward them. Seconds before it reached them, the light faded, revealing Gui Yutong. She smiled at Hui, but hesitated at the sight of Liu Guang.

Hui nodded at her. Aha! My loot is here! I was worried I was going to have to go shake it out of her, but ultimately, she came to me. Wonderful, wonderful. Four and a half stars on the delivery, it came a bit slow, but as long as everything comes intact, this small Hui has no complains! “Gui Yutong, would you like to view the moon along with Senior and me? I have a liquor here that needs tasting.”

Gui Yutong furrowed her brows at Hui. He nodded subtly. It’s fine, Elder Sister. Ah… I truly don’t mind if half the sect gets drunk on this immortal-qi liquor. Though… I guess I understand her hesitance. It does have qi from her troublesome half-brother in it.

After a moment, Gui Yutong nodded. Ah, I see. I wasn’t interrupting anything. He was just building bonds with his new compatriots. I’m not barging in, I’m simply joining the party. “If Fellow Daoist Xie Hao insists, then I’ll join.”

Mmm-hmm. I’d be happy either way, but this way, it looks like all I want to do is moon-viewing with some fine liquor. After all, if I chased her off, Liu Guang might become suspicious. Now we’re simply having a party. Hui nodded and walked on.

Another bolt of light shot down from the heavens. Furrowing his brows, Hui looked up. Who is it now?

A random disciple Hui didn’t recognize carried a squirming form over his shoulder. He nodded at Liu Guang. “Master, I caught this breaking away. What should I do with it?”

This? Hui squinted. Ah! That woman! The woman I healed. He coughed, stepping forward before Liu Guang could. “You! I told you it was pointless to run away. Come here and be a good test subject.”

She startled. “You—but I—”

Right, I ‘died’ for her. But I can’t let her say it. The sect might pick up on who I am! Before she could finish her sentence, Hui coughed and continued. “Ha! You thought you killed me, no? But that was merely a clone.”

Her expression fell. She fought harder against the disciple. “I’ll never go back. I’d rather die!”

Liu Guang sighed. He flicked his sleeve, and her eyes instantly dulled. She went limp on the disciple’s shoulder. With another flick of his sleeve, Liu Guang called her to his side. Hui caught her and quickly checked her pulse. Still alive, just asleep.

Overhead, the disciple bowed and quickly flew off.

“You ought to keep your test subjects more safely than that,” Liu Guang admonished Hui.

“Yes, yes, of course, Senior,” Hui said. He smiled, biting his cheeks silently. Fuck. Had to be seen by both of them, huh? “Unfortunately, it was my clone who intercepted her, so…” He held his hands up, shrugging.

Liu Guang shook his head sympathetically. “I understand. After all, test subjects are best when they’re close to one’s own cultivation level. I, too, manage my test subjects with clones. You might want to purchase a few items… nets, chains, and the like, that will allow your clones to better control your test subjects.”

“Thank you for your guidance,” Hui said, bowing.

Gui Yutong frowned at Hui. Her brows furrowed. “Test subjects…?”

Oh, come on. You saw my vat of pickled—ahem. My healing bottle full of cultivators. Is it that surprising that I use ‘test subjects?’ Although… this small cultivator would like to protest. I’m not using test subjects at all, dammit!

Ah… wait. Hold on. He looked at the woman in his arms. Isn’t… isn’t this a typical romance loop? I free a girl from a horrible situation, she tries to escape, she’s brought back and forced to stay, only to find out that I’m truly benevolent toward her… fuck! I’ve thrown up too many death flags! Ahem… that is, romance flags.

Argh! I want a harem, but with women I like, not with… random women I pick up off the street! Li Xiang, Bai Xue… I’ll have to be careful about setting off romance flags with too many women! Gui Yutong has already raised a few flags with me… and even if it’s all playacting, I can’t afford to raise flags with any other cultivator anywhere Gui Delun can see!

He looked at the woman again, then sighed. Throwing his hand out, he summoned one of the reserve lotus beasts in his chest and passed the woman to the short beast. “Keep an eye on her. Don’t let her escape.”

The lotus beast nodded and let out a squeaky string of almost-syllables. Vines grew from its arms and wound around the woman’s wrists and ankles.

Hui nodded. “Let me know if she escapes.”

Nodding, the lotus beast bowed shortly and ran off toward Hui’s palace, hefting the woman in its arms.

“Yes, yes.” Hui turned back to Liu Guang and Gui Yutong. “Should we…?”

Liu Guang chuckled. “Before someone else shows up, let’s.”