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604. Calling Home
🕑 Added 2023-06-25 15:00:03 +0000 UTCHui put his hands on Bai Xue’s chest, calling out to the teleportation formation at the same time. Using the quantum communication technique, but without a karmic connection… I’ll just call out to whoever’s on the other side of the formation! After all, it’s not like there’s a specific person I want to talk to. Anyone who can teleport me out of here works!
I wonder if anyone has ever worked as hard as I have to get kidnapped…?
“Hello, who is this?” a voice asked, from the far end of Hui’s connection.
Hui jolted. He pushed the connection into Bai Xue and nodded at him. Now, our plan, Elder Brother!
On the far side of the connection, a beautiful female cultivator, Tian Honghua, furrowed her brows in confusion. I remember hearing from Shue Yinyue that the mission was a failure, that her blood clone was destroyed and all the other cultivators died too. So who is this?
A bloodsoaked man appeared before her, his image floating in her mind. She startled. “Is that you, Gu Liyuan?”
“Ah… it’s me. I’m…” Gu Liyuan coughed. Blood splattered from his mouth and leaked down his chin. In the image, he lurched pitifully, every inch of his body drawn out in pain.
“What happened? I thought everyone died. Did you survive?” she asked, concerned.
“Mmm. Barely. I’m… I don’t think I can make it. But… it’s good to see you… one last time… before I die. At least my eyes are gifted with a flower before my—”
Hui jabbed Bai Xue in the stomach and scowled. Don’t flirt with the cultivator on the other side of the connection! You’re dying, dying! Not scouting for more wives!
Ugh. I should have expected this. At the end of the day, I’m the only one who can fake death as convincingly as I like! Ahhh. Put up with Bai Xue’s amateur acting for now! Believe in him! Surely they won’t inspect this too closely!
Struck by Hui, Bai Xue coughed in actual pain.
On the far side of the connection, Tian Honghua tensed, sympathetic. He’s in so much pain. He must be on the verge of death! “Hurry to the teleportation formation. I’ll bring you back!”
“It’s… too late for me. But… I’ve… I’ve managed to capture him,” Bai Xue said dramatically. He rested his hand on Hui and sent Hui’s image through himself, to Hui, who sent it through the connection to Tian Honghua.
Hui pursed his lips. How strange. I’m not used to being a patch panel.
Tian Honghua’s eyes widened. “The mission wasn’t a failure?”
Giving a sad, tragic smile, Bai Xue shook his head. “No. Anything for… the sect…”
“Eh?” Tian Honghua furrowed her brows. Was Gu Liyuan so devoted…?
“Hurry. I don’t have long. Once I’m dead, nothing will restrain the boy,” Bai Xue urged her.
“Of course.” Snapping back into business mode, Tian Honghua put her thoughts to the back of her mind. He’s dying. It’s not strange at all if he acts a little out of character near death. She turned. “Activate the formation!”
All around her, other cultivators jumped up and poured their qi into the permanent formation on the floor. It glowed, calling out to the one-way formation beside Hui and Bai Xue.
Bai Xue looked down at Hui. He coughed blood dramatically and pushed Hui away from him, toward the teleportation formation. “Go.”
Hui looked back at Bai Xue as he stumbled backward, his steps guided by years of faking his own death. Compared to death, faking a fall is easy!
He met Bai Xue’s gaze and nodded, saying his farewell with his eyes.
Bai Xue nodded back, then dramatically fell over, slumping to the earth. “Tian Honghua, I—”
Hui entered the teleportation formation and vanished, no longer able to send Bai Xue qi. The communication cut off.
Bai Xue stood up and dusted himself off. He drew at the snakeskin and threw it away, sending the bloodstained thing far from him. With a blast of fire from his hand, he burned it to dust, then patted down his robes and stretched.
“Good luck, Hui,” he murmured, half to himself, then peered at the talismans. And now… I don’t think Hui will mind if I show these to Father, will he…?
--
In Eight Tiers Palace
The bloodstained figure slumped bonelessly, losing even the power to hold his head up. He reached weakly toward her in her vision. “Tian Honghua, I…”
The image vanished. The communication ended. No more messages appeared in her mind.
“You—what?” Tian Honghua asked to herself. She took a deep breath. His last words… to be unable to hear them… what a tragedy! I’ll never know what he meant to say.
She sniffed a little. I know I get sentimental easily, but… even so… farewell, Gu Liyuan. I’ll remember you well.
The teleportation formation glowed brighter and brighter, fighting the protective formation around the Southern Sect Conference. The light burst into a blaze. A blinding flash burst before them, and a small figure appeared in the center of the teleportation formation.
Putting on her best boss face, Tian Honghua threw out her hand. “Secure him!”
Startled, Hui jolted. He stared, wide-eyed, as a dozen burly cultivators closed in on him. There’s no need to secure me! I’ve already been secured! Elder Siblings, be gentle! I’m only a small cultivator, only a small cultivator—!
The cultivators reached out. Hui hunkered down. The image of getting attacked in the library by all his fellow cultivators played out in the back of his mind, and he tensed. Don’t play dead, don’t play dead, don’t play dead! You can do this, Hui! Don’t give yourself away!
Seconds before they touched him, the cultivators threw out their hands. A dozen spells landed on him from a dozen different directions. Hui went still, his eyes flashing from one spell to the next. That one’s a healing spell… that one’s physically restraining me—interesting, I’ll store that data to examine it later… oh, checking my cultivation—yes, yes, I’ve lowered it appropriately… that one…
Hmm. Hmmm. He looked up, locking eyes with the cultivator casting that spell.
The cultivator’s eyes widened. He jumped back. “An imposter! He’s in disguise!”
Hui licked his lips. Well. Shit.
Comments
Trasen56
She might've been so fast no one but Hui will even remember her lol
Green0Photon
I think Ying Lin was even more talented, actually. Wasn't it less than a year since Hui found her to her ascending? Even Weihung Wu wasn't that insanely quick about things. At least he had the time to find a disciple. Lin just exploded upwards.
Trasen56
Interesting to note that Hui already has, and will continue to have, a much larger impact on the world than either of them. At most they will be footnotes in history; These two were so talented they ascended to heaven in but a few years of cultivation. Whereas Hui is already a major figure, and his legend will continue to grow.
Green0Photon
For a second I thought this was dumb. But now I can't stop laughing. Because they're just going to stick him with the kids as a disciple and it'll be so good.
Green0Photon
Hui just casually handing out treasures to Bai Xue that their sect can study to grow more powerful. Jeez. Really, despite not feeling enough like his master or disciple, anyone else would not dispute that Hui is just like his master in his stupid ability to comprehend things quickly. Except that it's just slow enough that he'll actually stay around for a little while.
Robert Mullins
Not exactly according to plan. He'll probably end up as a disciple of the sevt capturing him again. Because they'll think he was an unrelated kid used as a body double.
