Oh, over there. Theres the other one. And hes alone! Perfect. Hui flew up to the man, pasting a polite smile on his face. Excuse , Elder Brother, but I was wondering
The man turned. Hui barely repressed the urge to widen his eyes. Tall! This man is huge!
With a frown, he crossed his arms. I thought you were going to search for that irregularity.
Hui laughed nervously. Haha, I didnt find anything, so Im back. Er, Elder Brother
Youre my elder, Long Tongshi said, frowning.
Ah hahaha! My bad habits of calling everyone elder brother finally bite in the ass! I just
Long Tongshi raised his hand. He sighed deeply. Mo Riyan, theres no need for this poor acting. You only act strange like this when you need sothing from . So, what do you need?
Hui coughed into his hand. Er, Im sorry to the real Mo Riyan, but I do need sothing! Eld dear friend, I forgot sothing on the other side of the mountains.
Its been fifty years. Im sure youre doing fine without it, Long Tongshi deadpanned.
Fiftydamn cultivators and your ridiculous tifras! Hui licked his lips. Ah, I was able to get by for fifty years, but now, Ive realized I really cant be without it!
Put in a request to the Sect Master. Im sure he wont ignore it, like hes ignored every other ssage weve sent him in the last fifty years, Long Tongshi said.
Sect Master? Hui asked. Is it soone I know? I could use this to my advantage!
Gui Delun. He isnt the Sect Master yet, but hes Sect Master in all but na, Long Tongshi said.
Hui startled. Gui Delun? I killed him! I killed him, and had Chen Wuya check that he was dead! Theres no way
Eh, wait. These n have been over here for fifty years. Of course they dont know about sothing that happened in the last ten! Ah, actually, I feel bad for them. Being so cut off from their sect that they dont even know I killed the Sect Master
A spear appeared inches from his nose. Hui jolted and jumped back. Elder Brother?
Long Tongshi narrowed his eyes. So, invader, you dont even know our Sect Master? Tell . What did you do to Mo Riyan?
Nothing, nothing, I did nothing! Hui said, putting his hands up. Fuck. I could bluff, but by the look on his face, he isnt going to listen. That and, well, my bluffing skills are a little rusty. Hearing Gui Delun startled so much that I totally gave up the ghost. Bluffing from here is battling a landslide to climb a mountain.
Long Tongshi gave him a suspicious glare. Youre wearing his skin.
Hui drew it away from his face, revealing his true face. Im wearing a snakeskin! Its a harmless transformation technique.
If thats the case, then where is Mo Riyan? Long Tongshi asked.
I dont know. What does he usually like to do on a quiet afternoon? Hui asked.
Long Tongshi glared at him.
Hui bowed apologetically, ignoring the spear in his face. Im telling the truth. I just borrowed his appearance, thats all. Im not worthy of harming a fly, let alone an innocent cultivator like Mo Riyan.
Youre what caused that irregularity in the barrier from earlier, right? So why was that resentnt demon chasing you? Long Tongshi asked suspiciously.
Hui swallowed. Would you believe that this small cultivator happened to be innocently passing by when the resentnt demon jumped out of nowhere and chased after ?
Innocently passing by and then you innocently stole my friends face? Long Tongshi asked.
Well, thats not in so many words, but yes, Hui said, nodding.
Unlikely. Draw your sword, Long Tongshi ordered him.
Hui licked his lips. I dont have one.
Whatever you fight with, draw it!
Uh. Elder Brother, Im a reaper right now. Im not on duty, but Im still not a hundred percent sure that I can not kill if I want to! I an, bopping soone one the head with a feathered fan sent their soul directly to the afterlife. Im sowhat afraid to so much as slap you, on the off chance my hand counts as a reaping weapon!
Hui shook his head. Im innocent, I really am! I wont fight you. I justall I wanted was to enter the Southern Sect Conference!
Why? Long Tongshi asked. For revenge? As the vanguard of an army? To drag that demon onto the other side and wreak havoc?
To see my kids! Hui replied honestly.
Your children? How does an Eastern Alliance cultivator have children in the Southern Sect Conference? Long Tongshi mused.
Hui nodded. Right, right. Im originally a Southern Sect Conference cultivator! Elder Brother, I was raised in Starbound Sect, and eventually beca a mber of All-Heavens Sect. Im an earnest, righteous cultivator who, due to a strange series of events, got caught on the wrong side of these barrier mountains. Elder Brother, please believe . Im innocent, totally innocent! Im a good person, trying to do good things! Thats all!
Eh? Long Tongshi, whos this? Mo Riyan asked from behind Hui.
A good person, trying to do good things, Long Tongshi deadpanned.
Hui pursed his lips. Theres no need to mock , Elder Brother. He turned and smiled at Mo Riyan. Elder Brother! Im an unfortunate Southern Sect Conference cultivator who ended up stuck on the wrong side of this mountain wall. Could you help make it to the other side?
Mo Riyan blinked. Eh? Were you exiled, too? Im sorry, but the teleportation pad is one-way. It cant be activated from this side. Otherwise, I wouldve gone back to All-Heavens ages ago.
Hui sighed. Then, we have to fly around?
That would take months. Theres a storm wall far out into the Great Ocean that surrounds the continent, and its even more dangerous to pass through than the mountains, Mo Riyan said, shaking his head.
Long Tongshi sighed. You didnt have to tell him.
What? Why withhold that information? Its true no matter what kind of man he is. Even if he wants to kill us and destroy the sects, it makes no difference. We might die, but the Southern Sect Conference is just as safe as before, Mo Riyan said.
Why are you two out here, then? Hui asked, tilting his head. If its so impossible to enter, why bother with guards?
Mo Riyan laughed lightly and scratched the back of his head. Oh, its mostly exile. Were not guards so much as canaries.
Exiled from All-Heavens Sect? Hui asked. If so, I might have so interesting news for you.
Mo Riyan nodded. We dared to take a pass at Gui Yutong, and in return
He dared to take a pass at Gui Yutong, Long Tongshi declared, crossing his arms.
Then, Elder Brother, who did you take a pass at? Hui asked curiously.
Long Tongshi crossed his arms. Sect Master Gui Delun!
Hui blinked. Eh, Elder Brothers taste is so heavy?
Ahah, Long Tongshi, youve been misunderstood. He challenged the Sect Master to a duel, Mo Riyan explained, jumping in.
And got exiled for it? Hmm. I know Gui Delun is small-minded, but that seems excessive, Hui mused. Cultivators duel all the ti. Its even considered as practice. If he was a disciple, it might be rude, but not exile-for-decades rude.
Mo Riyan coughed. Ah he challenged the Sect Master perhaps, a ti or two too many.
Five hundred tis, Long Tongshi said, nodding.
Five hundred Hui choked, surprised. How even? Why?
Long Tongshi harrumphed. I waited at least an incense sticks ti between each challenge.
Thats sowhere between five and fifteen minutes, so Elder Brother, thats not a great excuse! Im surprised Gui Delun put up with it for long enough for Long Tongshi to challenge him five hundred tis! Even the tolerant would have only given him three or four challenges before I faked my death and made off in the night!
Mo Riyan leaned in and whispered, After the first dozen, most of those went to Gui Deluns secretary.
Hui shook his head. That poor secretary
And I shad him for that! And in return, he exiled , Long Tongshi said, shaking his head.
You did say you were dueling him for the right to his daughters hand. Perhaps that was the objectionable part, Mo Riyan suggested, smirking a little.
He knew that was rely an excuse, Long Tongshi said, waving his head dismissively.
You know, Im not sure that they deserve to go back Ah, no. Thats not the point! Maybe theyll let take a look at their teleportation pad if I tell them. Hui nodded. What a pitiful tale, Elder Brother.
Pitiful for Gui Delun, maybe, Mo Riyan muttered.
But Elder Brother, did you know? Gui Delun has been overthrown. Fen Long, the Patriarch, is in charge once more, Hui said, smiling.
Eh? How do you know? Mo Riyan asked, startled.
Ah its a sad tale, but I suddenly found myself on the far side of this mountain wall after I encountered a strange artifact in a secret realm, Hui said. I dont feel like making up a lengthy lie, so lets go with that.
And the resentnt demon that was chasing you? Long Tongshi asked, crossing his arms.
Elder Brother, lets forget about that, lets forget! Hui coughed. When that strange artifact teleported , I dropped down onto a burial mound, and the demon suddenly and inexplicably, due to no fault of mine, and certainly no experint or strange unforeseeable mistake, a surged out from under the burial mound. Ah! There was a landslide, at the ti. It might have undone a binding or restrictive spell. We cant know. Its simply impossible to know for sure.
Maybe it was an effect of the artifact, Mo Riyan suggested.
Long Tongshi humd, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Perhaps, perhaps. In any case, now that Gui Delun is no longer in charge, theres no reason for you two to remain in exile. Luckily, Im an expert at networks and small realms. If you let take a look at your teleportation pad, I may be able to help, Hui said.
What do nets and realms have to do with teleportation? Long Tongshi asked.
Who cares? It cant hurt. If what hes saying is true, then were stuck out here for no reason, Mo Riyan said.
Long Tongshi shook his head. You just want to return, whether theres a new leader or not.
Mo Riyan grinned. Do you not?
Long Tongshi hesitated, then nodded.
Excellent! Elder Brothers, why dont we see that teleportation pad? Hui suggested, clapping his hands together.
I still think youre suspicious, Long Tongshi muttered under his breath.
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