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610. Staying Safe in an Assassin's Sect
🕑 Added 2023-07-01 14:00:05 +0000 UTCThey worked their way up the stairs, back and forth from platform to platform. Hui looked around as he walked, still taking in the palace around him. So big… so big! One tier is easily as many people as All-Heavens. Argh. We’re in trouble, we’re in trouble for sure! I only wanted to learn about the palace and its techniques, then reassess… but I think I might need to full-on launch a solo attack!
Come to think of it, I need to check up on Si Wang and the resentment demons. Si Wang going missing is dangerous in its own right, but the resentment demons… I didn’t see them when I was outside the sect. Where did they go? Don’t tell me, did Eight Tier Palace destroy my adorable resentment demons?
A—ahem, I mean, truly dangerous terrifying beings! In any case, the kind of terrifying beings that I don’t want to lose track of. This small disciple is going to have to break out of the sect and figure out what happened to them. Not because they’re weirdly cute, because they’re a danger to humanity, naturally. Yes, yes.
I also need to check in on Si Wang, but that one’s because I’m legitimately concerned about letting that madman anywhere near real people.
Ahead of him, Voice turned back. “I know you’re tired, but carry on. We reach the top of the stairs soon.”
Hui, walking casually up the stairs, froze. He awkwardly stooped over and began to pant. He shook his head. “Ah… it’s so… hard!”
Did I do it? Did I convince her?
Fuck! Hold up, what did I just say? Am I an AV actress? Mother—good thing Bai Xue isn’t here.
Voice shook her head at him. “Keep walking. We’ll be there soon.”
Hui nodded, panting and waving his hand, pretending to be unable to speak. Better remain silent than open my mouth and say something lewd. I’m too young to be accidentally saying horrible things.
Sighing at himself, he shook his head and continued to follow after Voice.
A prickle of killing intent tingled at the back of his mind. Hui peeked in the direction, pretending not to notice.
Down on the floor of the tier, the long-limbed Zhang Zhisho narrowed her eyes at his back.
Elder Sister, are you holding a grudge because I didn’t let you grab me? Elder Sister, did you take the wrong medicine this morning?
Hui cleared his throat. “Er, Senior Voice—”
“Voice is fine,” she replied.
“Elder Sister Voice, is Zhang Zhisho angry at me for some reason?” Hui asked.
“Ah… you are a perceptive one. Zhang Zhisho has a habit of bullying the new disciples. You would do well to steer clear of her.” Voice took a sharp turn, finally exiting the stairs to lead him down one of the platforms.
Hui swallowed. “And… ah, she wouldn’t happen to be… overly concerned about rank and level, would she?”
“Zhang Zhisho used to be an inheriting disciple of Jhizhi Zhimei,” Voice responded.
“Ah,” Hui said. He licked his lips. ‘Ah…’ more like fuck! A thousand fucks! Oooh, I’m sure she’s going to hate me! A hostage, elevated to—to nearly her former role? I’m dead, I’m so dead!
It might be easier to break out of the tier than I expected. All I have to do is lie down and let Elder Sister Zhang Zhisho murder me. Easy!
Though, on the other hand, I do have to make it back in. Dead men don’t usually stand right back up and keep going. And I can’t die and come back as a different disciple, either, since I need to maintain my role as the hostage.
Ahead of him, Voice drew to a halt. She gestured at a simple door, one among many that lined the wall. All of them were prim and well-kept, with no sign that anyone lived within aside from a few scuffs and scrapes on the doors. “These are your quarters. Everything you require should be within.”
Hui cupped his hands to her one last time and stepped inside.
A spartan space awaited him. Simple and clean, the small room held a table, chairs, and a desk. Hui closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and circulating his qi. A thin stream of qi flew toward him as he pulled inward, and he absorbed it. Clear and pure, the qi instantly assimilated with his cultivation.
Hmm… there is a low-level qi vein in here. If I were actually the cultivation realm I’m pretending to be, it would be enough to support my cultivation. As it is, it’s basically a drop in the bucket.
It’s nice that it’s ordinary qi, though. It’d be annoying to have to extract qi from blood qi, the way I did at the demonic sect, or… I don’t know, poison qi? Death qi?
I wouldn’t mind death qi, honestly.
“Do you need anything else?” Voice asked, standing in the door.
Hui shook his head.
She nodded. “Rest for tonight. In the morning, I’ll bring you our tier’s scripture and take you to where the rest of the disciples are practicing. The Tier Master will call on you in the afternoon.”
“Understood, Elder Sister,” Hui said, bowing. I don’t need or want to practice with the other disciples. I’ll leave a lotus clone behind and go check on the resentment demons and Si Wang!
“If you require food, there’s a cafeteria in the common area. Ah—that reminds me.” Voice reached into her sleeve and drew out a small jade slip. She threw it to Hui. “That contains a map of the Fourth Tier and the common areas of the entire Eight Tiers. Study it well.”
Study it well? You don’t have to say that twice! I need to find a stealthy route out of here to go see the resentment demons! Hui bowed again. “Thank you.”
The Voice tossed him another jade slip. “And this, this contains the Tier’s rules, and separately, the Palace’s rules.”
Hui jumped and caught it, then bowed quickly. “Thank you.”
She thought for a second, then threw him another slip. “And this is a primer on the sects that occupy each tier, their history, and their primary strengths.”
Feeling like a sippy-bird, constantly bobbing up and down, Hui caught the slip and bowed again. Is she enjoying this? Does she like watching me bow? Excuse me, Elder Sister! Please toss me all the slips at once! And while we’re at it, why are you throwing them? Walk over and put them in my little hands, okay? Making me jump and bow over here, Elder Sister has some strange hobbies!
Voice paused for a few more seconds, clearly thinking.
Hui cleared his throat. “May I request that Elder Sister thinks through the entire list of slips she carries with her, and hand me the remaining useful slips in one pile?”
Voice shook her head. “That’s all.” Closing the door, she left, footsteps quickly receding down the hall.
Staring after her through the wall, Hui sighed. I don’t know if I should be worried about Elder Sister, or relieved for her. If anyone can survive as Jizhi Zhimei’s attendant, a natural airhead like her certainly has an upper hand! She’s not going to spend too long pondering Jizhi Zhimei’s beauty or wondering at the sound of Jizhi Zhimei’s voice. It’ll simply slide off her back!
One after another, Hui pressed the slips to his forehead, absorbing the information within. The images slid neatly into his mind, and his seventh-stage brain quickly processed and stored the information. Good thing I’m not actually second-realm. Otherwise, I would have spent all night sitting here, memorizing the slips! Instead, I can simply tap and go. Like an RFID-enabled credit card!
The image of holding a credit card up to his forehead flashed through Hui’s mind, and he froze in the middle of holding a jade slip there. I… really look like an idiot right now, don’t I?
Though, on the other hand… being able to accept transactions with my forehead… credit cards… hmm…
Hui shook his head hard. No, no. Credit cards are nothing but debt slips, debt slips! I can’t. To ponder introducing such truly demonic concepts to this world is against all human morals. Not even the worst of my enemies deserve the trap of credit cards!
Piling up the jade slips in a neat stack, Hui took in his room for a second time. He nodded to himself. Now, to escape!
Comments
Green0Photon
He could also introduce secured credit cards. Pretty much the same thing, but the card company takes on the risk of any fraudulent transactions. That said, part of the evil of cards is how they make spending money so easy, even outside of the debt entrapment
Prometheus
Hui forgets that Debit cards exist and are much less evil. Perhaps this is his chance to introduce the more honorable inventions of modern economics like credit unions, loan forgiveness, and investment insurance before this world can know what true horrors a reincarnated accountant can unleash(Derivatives...*Shudders*). The demonic paths of the Dao of Money are too deep and powerful to simply overlook. They must be put to the sword at the first sign of corruption, for the safety of all.
