Long Tongshi looked at the meditating Hui, emanating a cold, dark aura. He scowled. “I don’t trust him.”

“Why not? He hasn’t been threatening, not even once,” Mo Riyan said.

Long Tongshi shook his head. “He broke through the barrier with ease. We shouldn’t dismiss him. He’s stronger than he looks.”

“You’re getting worked up over nothing,” Mo Riyan said, shaking his head. He nodded at Hui. “If he wanted to kill us, and he was really that powerful, we’d already be dead.”

“He wants the teleportation formation. If—”

“If he killed us, nothing would change. The teleportation formation would be exactly the same as it is now. Stop being so paranoid,” Mo Riyan said. He sat down opposite Hui, leaning on his hand to watch Hui.

Long Tongshi snorted. He shifted his spear to his other hand. “At least one of us should keep watch.”

“Keep what watch? Outside? If the Eastern Alliance attacks, there’s nothing the two of us can do that will stop them. We’ll sound the alarm and die. Keep watch over Fellow Daoist over there? I’m doing that,” Mo Riyan reasoned, shrugging. “If this strange Fellow Daoist succeeds, though, we can escape this hellhole and stick someone else with guard duty.”

“What if he’s an Eastern Alliance spy?” Long Tongshi argued.

“Then he enters the Southern Sect Conference. How much damage can one man do? It’s not as if the Southern Sect Conference is entirely without protectors. Especially if Patriarch Fen Long has awoken again,” Mo Riyan said, waving his hand.

“You think he’s telling the truth about that?” Long Tongshi said. He gave Mo Riyan a skeptical look.

Mo Riyan put his hands up. “So cynical! What’s the worst that can happen? Let’s let him struggle a bit. He’s done no harm yet.”

“It might be too late, after he acts,” Long Tongshi grumbled.

Rolling his eyes, Mo Riyan turned away. “Or he opens the teleportation portal and we go home for the first time in fifty years. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, that’s what I say.”

“Is that how you ended up here, instead of with Gui Yutong’s hand?” Long Tongshi asked dryly.

Mo Riyan jumped to his feet. He drew his sword. “That’s enough. We’ll settle this the usual way.”

Long Tongshi’s eyes flashed with excitement. He flourished his sword. “As you wish.”

“As if you weren’t waiting for this,” Mo Riyan said, rolling his eyes again.

The two leaped at one another. Heavy blows echoed through the carved chamber, while the dragons writhed in the firelight.

It sure got noisy all of a sudden… I hope the resentment demon didn’t return, Hui thought, the sounds of battle dimly reaching his ears. He bit his lip, looking back down the length of the karmic thread. I can’t go back now, though. To leave might mean forfeiting my contact with Fang Hua forever, since it’s not as if I know exactly how to enter this mode with the karmic threads. I’ll just have to… hope they protect me!

“Xiao Hui.”

Hui looked up. “Fang Hua!”

“I’ve brought them. Can you communicate directly with them, or do I need to act as relay?” Fang Hua asked, a coldness in her voice that indicated she had no interest in acting as relay.

Er… I don’t want to cause problems for Elder Sister! Let’s see, let’s see. Hui focused on the threads again, picking through the cold, dark threads. Two clustered close to Fang Hua’s, and he touched one of them.

“Hello?” Hui tried.

“It’s you! That Weiheng Hui! I didn’t realize how famous you were. Hey, Weiheng Hui, do you need another wife?” Shen Aiguo said excitedly.

“Shen Aiguo! Show some respect!” Lao Ning called out. “Senior Weiheng Hui, please forgive my Junior Martial Sister.”

“Ah, that’s alright, that’s alright. I’m dead, in any case. In no position to be taking wives,” Hui said, waving his hand.

“I’m dead, too, so it’s fine. I have twenty thousand spirit stones now, just so you know,” Shen Aiguo said, nodding.

“Shen Aiguo!” Lao Ning grumbled, frustrated.

Hui cleared his throat. Let’s get this back on subject before we totally forget the point of this. “Elder Brother, Elder Sister, have you ever seen a one-way teleportation formation while you were in All-Heavens Sect? Perhaps one that led to the Eastern Alliance.”

“Ah! I remember. The idiot duo’s exile, remember?” Shen Aiguo said, slapping Lao Ning’s shoulder.

Lao Ning shook his head. “Shen Aiguo, watch your tongue. They’re our seniors! They aren’t the ‘idiot duo,’ they’re just a pair of dimwitted disciples who got exiled by the Sect Master for hitting on his daughter.”

“Barking up the wrong tree, there,” Shen Aiguo muttered, shaking her head.

“Ah… yes. I’ve informed them,” Hui said.

“You’re the one who married her,” Shen Aiguo said, giggling.

Hui licked his lips. “Well, I er, was aware at the time, and I was only covering for Bai Jingwen. Elder Sister, the teleportation formula?”

“Ha! I knew it.” Shen Aiguo put a hand on her chin, thinking back. After a second, she nodded. “I remember it. What do you need with it?”

“I’m on the other side of that teleportation formation. I’d be incredibly grateful if you would activate it for me,” Hui said earnestly.

Shen Aiguo licked her lips. She glanced at Lao Ning.

Lao Ning stepped forward. “Senior—”

“Hui is fine, just Hui,” Hui said quickly.

“Weiheng Hui, we’re… ghouls,” Lao Ning said.

“Death cultivators,” Shen Aiguo interjected.

“All-Heavens is an exorcist sect,” Lao Ning continued.

Hui took a deep breath. That’s true. I didn’t think about that. Even though we reformed All-Heavens Sect… at the end of the day, it is fundamentally an exorcist sect, and Lao Ning and Shen Aiguo are now death cultivators. Unless it’s one of my friends, I can’t guarantee they can visit the sect unharmed.

“Can you contact anyone from All-Heavens and ask them to activate the formation? Li Xiang? Fen Long?” Hui tried.

“Li Xiang? No way! And the Patriarch? I might, but… he’s busy,” Shen Aiguo said.

Eh? Why is their reaction to Li Xiang stronger than their previous sect’s patriarch…?

No, no. That’s not the point. Someone else, someone else I know at All-Heavens, who won’t attack a few ghouls as long as they have my name… Hui’s eyes lit up. “What about Song Wei?”

“Song Wei?” Lao Ning and Shen Aiguo exchanged a glance.

“Is it no good?” Hui asked.

“No, no. He’s good. He’s very good!” Shen Aiguo said, nodding a little too enthusiastically. A grin spread over her face. “Senior is so brilliant! Yes, we’ll contact Song Wei. He’ll surely help Senior.”

Hui frowned, then shrugged to himself. Any port in a storm. Whatever it is that’s troubling them about Song Wei, as long as he gets me into the Southern Sect Conference, it’s all fine by me. “Then, please do. I’ll be waiting here, but there seems to be some kind of battle. Please hurry, Elder Siblings!”

“Ah? Yes, of course!” Lao Ning said, jumping up. He fled the chat.

Shen Aiguo hesitated a moment longer. She shot Hui a flirtatious wink. “Between you and me… it’s thirty thousand spirit stones.”

“Eh?” Hui asked. Is she flirting with me…?

“Shen Aiguo!” Lao Ning shouted distantly.

“Oh, I have to go! Think about it,” Shen Aiguo said, rushing off.

Hui blinked. I’m so confused.

Oh well. As long as I get past this barrier!