Hui ran back to the palace. The triplets chased after him, close at his heels. Hui glanced back a few tis, but never caught sight of Ding Lao. Did it really shake him that much to see his cousin trapped beneath the tablet?
If hes that shocked, does that an that the ordinary cultivators dont know about the sect using disgraced cultivators souls and karma to feed the trees?
Hes not chasing?
Why not?
Who cares? As long as hes not after us, were free!
The triplets paused. Hui jumped ahead one tree, then turned and looked back. Are you going?
The triplets nodded. We might as well.
Theres no reason to stick around.
Huang Yan might co to find us. Youre better off staying away from us.
Hui hesitated. He looked at the triplets. Er, Elder Brothers could you take back to the lotus?
Why?
Shell kill you!
The third triplets eyes sparkled. Oh, I got it. You fell in love with the beauty in the lotus!
Hui blinked, taken aback. Fell in love?
The triplet patted his back. Of course, of course. Theres no need to be shy.
I Hui started to protest, then stopped himself. Wait, wait, no. The triplets gave up an entire secret realm to go after Bai Xue. If anyone would help do sothing for love, its these three! Who cares if Im in love with Jingwen or not? If it gets to the lotus so I can absorb it and the qi seeds life qi, Ill take it.
He made a bashful expression and stared at the floor, scuffing his foot. Its not like that at all.
The other two triplets circled around him, beaming.
You shouldve said so!
Well help you et her.
If its for love, well move heaven and earth! After helping us escape Ding Lao, how could we not pay you back?
Helping you? Hui asked.
That illusion of Ding Bo. That was your doing, right?
Hes gone.
No longer with us.
Hui nodded slowly. Thats right, the triplets know that sothing bad happened to Ding Bo. Are they not ordinary cultivators? Actually, co to think of it, they can also enter the secret area with the plants. Dont tell .Are the triplets important to the sect?
They were sent to the secret area, and chosen for the tournant, as well. I guess all along, signs have pointed at the truth. I failed to see Mount Tai before !
Right, right. So Elder Brothers, youll take to see the lotus? Hui asked.
The three grinned. They shook their heads.
Dont be so anxious.
Not right away.
Youll just run into Huang Yan, and shell kill you again. No, no. Trust your Elder Brothers. Well co back for you after dark, when Huang Yan likes to cultivate in seclusion. All the other cultivators scurry off then, without Huang Yan to keep them working! Youll have the lotus beauty all to yourself. The third triplet winked.
Ah, thats not necessary, Elder Brothers, Hui said shyly. He rubbed his cheeks, managing sothing of a blush.
The triplets exchanged a glance, and the third one patted him on the back. Rember. When you hear a knock at your window co out! Its your Elder Brothers, the Gao Trio!
This disciple hears and obeys, Hui replied, cupping his hands. Ah, Elder Brothers, the third window from the left on the upper floor belongs to this small cultivator.
The triplets nodded.
Then, until tonight!
See ya later!
Make sure you clean up for the lotus beauty!
With that, the three leaped off, bounding through the trees. Hui remained bowed until they vanished into the distance, then stood and raced for the palace. I dont want to get caught whenever Ding Lao wakes up!
Ah, and I can finally study the piece I stoleer, righteously borrowedfrom Mount Mu! If Im lucky, I should be able to make so breakthroughs on the path of body cultivation while I wait for the triplets.
The palace lood up. Hui bounded over to it and leaped in the window to his room. Settling in the corner, he sat down and held the piece of Mount Mu in his lap. He began to ditate, seeking enlightennt on his path of body cultivation.
Crystallization. Petrification. Transmuting the body from flesh into crystal. Crystal that can heal and grow, or lay broken, depending on my needs. Crystal that can take heavier blows than my flesh, and propel faster away from danger!
The piece of Mount Mu glowed green. Souls glistened inside it, tiny scraps of karma and soul left over when he cut it off.
Even Mount Mu is fed with souls? Or is it perhaps that all this ti, this forest has only been able to grow because Mysterious Heavenly Forest is feeding it the flesh and souls of cultivators?
Ah but it shows how both internal energy and the soul can possess a crystallized body! Hui reached out and put a tiny bit of his qi into the piece. The souls squird faster, speeding in pulses along the green qi veins embedded in the scrap.
The qi passages remain. If anything, they beco more nurous. More nurous and finer. Is that necessary for crystallization, or a side-effect of it being a tree?
He poured more qi into the scrap, digging deeper. Maybe the qi passages are so thin because its only the surface of Mount Mu. If I could see the full tree, Id know for sure. But Mount Mu its terrifying! It could kill . And if it doesnt, itll alert Sect Master Mu, and hell kill ! Ill have to make do with understanding the piece I have.
The door slamd open. Gu Tian stomped in, expression stormy. He threw his flute on the table and plopped down in a chair, crossing his arms.
Startled from his ditation, Hui quickly tucked the piece of Mount Mu into his storage ring and stood. Gu Tian, did sothing happen?
Gu Tian jumped. He sat upright and brushed his hair back, embarrassed. The stormy expression, too, vanished. Ah! I didnt see you there. No nothing, nothing.
Hui walked over and sat across from Gu Tian. Sothing happened. What was it?
Gu Tian twisted his lips and stared out the window. You wouldnt understand.
Was it the Lotus Pill Blossom?
Gu Tian jolted. He stared at Hui. How?
Just a guess, a guess, Hui said, waving his hand. If I hadnt seen you activating the blossoms last ti in Twin Elental City, and didnt know they had one here, I could never have guessed it!
For another few seconds, Gu Tian stared at Hui. At last, he shook his head. You really are an odd du
Hui coughed.
Are you okay?
A cold, a cold, Hui said, waving his hand.
Gu Tian sighed, slumping in his chair again. You guessed it, though. Ive been asked to activate yet another Lotus Pill Blossom, at just the right ti. With the Southern Sect Conference coming up its not hard to guess what that ans. I dont want to, but Im too weak to fight back! Erlan would kill . If I want to stay alive, I
He put his head in his hands and shook his head. Im so weak, Hui. To stay alive, Ill beco anyones lackey, do the dirtiest deeds. I soone as pathetic as deserved to stay dead. Licking the boots of villains to stay alive how sad.
No! Hui declared. He jumped up and threw his hand out, adamant. Absolutely not. Theres nothing wrong with deciding to live! It takes a true man to do whatever it takes to survive, no matter what that ans. As long as you stay alive at the end of the day, you always have another chance. Another route! Theres no such thing as cowardice when it cos to staying alive. Fake your death, forsake your sect, whatever you need to do to survive!
Gu Tian looked at him, then laughed aloud. I guess a death cultivator would say so. Look at , talking away, when you chose to live even after bearing the sha of being brought back to life as an abominable being, sothing any righteous sect would exterminate in a heartbeat. Im still a living human, but here I am, giving up.
Thats right. As long as youre alive Gu Tian, the world is open to you. If you have to activate the Lotus Pill Blossoms now, do it so that you can survive to fight back another day. Better yet, escape to Starbound Sect when you have the chance! Hui suggested.
I cant. Im Gu Tian sighed, looking at his hands. If they knew, they would
Who cares? Dont let them! Beco a rogue cultivator, if thats what it takes. Put on soone elses face. Theres always a way to survive, as long as you keep your eye on the goal!
After all this ti after all these cris, can I really Gu Tian murmured.
You can. And Huis eyes glittered. Why dont you co with ? Im going to visit the Lotus Pill Blossom tonight.
Youeh? What? Gu Tian asked.
Hui clicked his tongue and smiled mysteriously. I have deep connections within Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect. Dont underestimate this small cultivator!
Gu Tian hesitated, then nodded. Ill do it. Ill go. Maybemaybe I can make up for everything Ive done wrong.
Thats the spirit! Hui cheered. With Gu Tian there, I wonder if I can draw out even more life qi by using his flute? Or would it be death qi? But the last lotus had death qi because they were feeding it dead cultivators. Will this one have ordinary qi, because theyre feeding it spirit stones?
One way or another, I need to destroy, or at least weaken, the Lotus Pill Blossom! Itll have life qi, too, the only question is how much. Even if its not as much life qi as the first had death qi, it should be more life qi than an average plant, given the Lotus Pill Blossoms vitality and strength. Hui nodded firmly to himself.
He stood up from his chair and walked back over to the corner to sit, this ti hiding himself behind the bed. From around the beds corner, he called, Dont go far. Well head out as twilight falls.
Understood, Gu Tian replied.
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