Hui adjusted his neck one last time. Experimentally, he circulated the crystallization technique. I’m not in my true body, but between plant and crystal, this body, forged from the stone of the Underworld, is surely closer to crystal.

That, and the plant technique relies on life qi. Life qi… which I no longer have. I hope it’s stored in my body, and not lost… ah, I’d have to cultivate for so long to make up for the lost life qi if I didn’t hold onto it!

His stone body resonated with the crystallization technique. Crystals grew between his severed neck and his body, connecting the two together. Hui carefully lowered his hands, and his newly reset head stayed put. He let out a held breath. Thank goodness, it worked. I’d hate to have to walk around holding my neck like some kind of bizarre monster or undead from now on.

The reaper glanced at Hui. Seeing that he’d resolved his physical issue, she turned back to Si Wang. “You’re no longer a reaper, but merely a wandering ghost. By my authority, I can return you to the Underworld at any time.”

“And then what? Your Underworld can’t hold me. It can’t hold anything. More holes than a sieve, more flimsy than an abandoned shed. How pitiful the once-noble Underworld has become!” Si Wang mocked, unintimidated.

Ah, well, that’s true. I’ve certainly taken advantage of that, Hui thought, carefully keeping his face neutral.

“If you’d quietly enter the cycle of reincarnation rather than clinging on after you were disgraced, perhaps some of that might heal,” the reaper said quietly, her voice extremely calm.

“But why would I do that, when there’s so much fun to be had up here?” Si Wang asked.

The reaper folded her arms. “Fun, like shattering the souls of mortals for no reason?”

“Haaa, you still assume the worst every time you see me,” Si Wang said, shaking his head.

“Is this not your doing?” the reaper replied, still stonefaced.

Si Wang suddenly grinned. He leaped into the air, making a quick handsign as he did. A square-shaped barrier leaped up around the reaper and Hui. The earth shook, and incense burners and pale bones exuding an ancient aura appeared from beneath the ground, marking the edges of the barrier from the outside. “I never said it wasn’t. But it’s still true that you assume the worst!”

The reaper drew her sword and jumped forward, slashing at the barrier. Her blade rebounded off its walls. The barrier stood strong, without so much as a scratch.

“Who knows a reaper better than a reaper? That barrier should hold you for long enough for me to escape!” Si Wang cackled. He turned to go.

“Wait, Elder Brother!” Hui shouted, running to the wall.

“What?” Si Wang asked, looking over his shoulder.

Hui’s eyes sparkled. “This barrier, how does it work?” If I can trap the reaper, then I can go even further in faking death! How wonderful. What an amazing technique!

“Obviously I’m not going to tell you,” Si Wang said, frowning.

“Huh? Oh—no, no, you misunderstood me. I don’t want to learn it so I can escape. No, no! Instead, I want to learn it so I can use—"

The reaper clapped her hand over Hui’s mouth. She narrowed her eyes at Si Wang. “Get out of here before I murder you.”

“Big talk for someone stuck in my trap,” Si Wang said, but he turned and fled all the same.

Hui watched him go. I feel like myself and Elder Brother have a lot in common. Although I can’t condone his actions, perhaps once we capture him, Elder Brother and I could have a few long chats about techniques and spells…

The reaper smacked him on the head. Hui jolted. He turned, giving her injured puppy dog eyes. “Elder Sister, why?”

“You were thinking useless things. I wanted to help clear your head,” she said flatly.

“Eh, Elder Sister is reading my mind?” Hui asked, mock-pouting.

The reaper rolled her eyes. “I don’t need to read your mind to know what that look on your face means. Don’t you give him that excited look.”

Hui blinked at the reaper. His eyes widened, and his mouth turned into a O shape. “Is Elder Sister jealous that I’m looking at other people? Elder Sister, it’s okay to be a little possessive, but this is going too far—”

The reaper smacked him on the head again. “Clearly I didn’t hit you hard enough to knock the useless thoughts out of your head!”

Straightening up, Hui laughed. He sat down and crossed his legs. “You can’t break out of the barrier, right? Let’s just wait here for the barrier to drop.”

I could take a stab at breaking the barrier, but I don’t really want to chase that man. He’s a bit of an idiot, but he’s powerful. One casual attack took out a huge number of my barriers. True, I know his weak point… er, well, he’s probably covered that now. Besides, that was a one-time-sneak-attack. It won’t work again.

All that to say, I don’t want to catch up to him and actually fight him. He is the only thing that actually poses a threat to my reaper self! Ugh. Even after I’m dead, I can still die? I hate it, I hate it! Soul dispersal should be abolished!

The reaper snorted. She sat opposite him, closing her eyes coldly.

Ah, phew. Elder Sister agrees with me. Hui tilted his head. “Elder Sister, was he the reaper before me?”

“Mn.”

“Why is he attacking mortals?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why did he try to kill me?”

“I don’t know.”

Hui tilted his head and grinned cheekily. “Is he jealous?”

The reaper peeked open an eye. “Silence.”

Hui closed his eyes again. His thoughts ran wild. Elder Sister doesn’t want to talk about him. Elder Brother is jealous of me. Could it be? Did Elder Martial Brother and Elder Martial Sister once… have a secret romance?

Ahhh, how bittersweet! How romantic! Two souls, meeting only after death, fated to fall in love yet unable to act on it with their fierce boss Zhu Diyu looking on, afraid to separate into the cycle of reincarnation where they might never see each other again.

If only Ying Lin was here. She’d love this.

Her eyes still shut, the reaper twitched. “My hand grows itchy.”

“Eh, Elder Sister!” Hui said. She isn’t reading my thoughts or watching my face… is she reading my energy to tell that I’m busy coming up with totally reasonable ideas? Is it really that obvious?

Or is it just that Elder Sister is too sensitive? Too sensitive… to me? Hmm, maybe Elder Brother is correct to be jealous…

“Stop thinking useless things and meditate.”

“Yes, yes,” Hui said, nodding.

He peeked at the reaper, then quietly began to circulate his cultivation again, faster and faster, pushing it toward sixth stage. Elder Sister keeps interrupting my cultivation. Let’s see if she’s doing it deliberately. She’s just told me to cultivate, after all. If she stops me… well, that’s a smoking gun.

Though… on the other hand, she might not, to avoid tipping her and Zhu Diyu’s hand. Maybe she’s willing to allow me to ascend to sixth stage, but will protest to me ascending any further.

Qi swirled toward Hui. He breathed evenly, circulating it in and out. It came too slowly for him to enter the stage of his cultivation melting.

He scowled. Dammit. I forgot. I can only cultivate death qi now. There’s some around, thanks to all these bodies, but… the barrier’s blocking most of it. I can’t possibly cultivate to the next level with this little qi.

He peeked at the reaper. Is that why she let me cultivate? She already knew I couldn’t progress? Vicious, how vicious.

Behind the reaper, something moved. Hui glanced at it on instinct.

A wall of mud towered on the horizon. At the very top of it, Si Wang laughed, his arms raised high.

Hui bolted to his feet. “Elder Sister!”