The Qi swirling around Mi Jin was pristine, as if he had been scoured clean of impurities and remade from scratch.

  That can't be... Bi Kan’s analytical mind reeled, rejecting the evidence before his eyes.

  Even a seasoned Inner Disciple would be weak, vulnerable for at least eight hours after purging such a venom.

  A full day at most.

  He forced his posture to remain relaxed, his face an unreadable mask.

  No. Calm down.

  I’ve already seen his potential.

  He digests pills at an abnormal rate.

  Mi Jin’s posture was ramrod straight, his amber eyes blazing with a newfound vitality.

  A bright, confident smile stretched across his face, brimming with an excitement that seemed to radiate from his very core.

  "I feel invincible!"

  Then, as quickly as the revered immortal had appeared, he vanished.

  In his place was a lowly mortal, dropping to his knees and bowing so low his forehead was inches from the stone floor.

  "Not this again..." Bi Kan muttered under his breath.

  Mi Shui slapped a palm against her own forehead, shaking her head with a mixture of exasperation and pride.

  "Gods, he's always been so earnest! But don't you think you're overdoing it, Mi Jin?!"

  A soft laugh escaped the boy as he rose, dusting off his knees.

  "B-But! Brother Bi Kan has saved me from death! Not only that, his pill gave me the strength to break through to Stage 7!"

  That wasn't the most surprising part. He hadn't just crossed a stage, he had landed squarely at its peak, his aura perfectly stable and condensed.

  A soft, weary sigh escaped Bi Kan’s lips. "Not bad at all. You're one heck of a talent, Mi Jin, just like your sister mentioned."

  Mi Shui immediately spun around, her body physically blocking Mi Jin's smug, preening expression from view.

  "I knew you were caring, big sis, but to think you praise me behind my back!" Mi Jin chirped, his hand swinging in a playful arc toward her.

  "To think you mock me to my face but are so soft behind i—"

  Before his palm could land, Mi Shui’s form vanished.

  She reappeared in a crouch beside him, her movement a fluid ripple of motion.

  Her fist, glowing with the faint red light of a Body Tempering expert, connected squarely with his gut.

  "Shut the hell up, Brat!"

  The impact was a dull, sickening thud.

  Mi Jin felt a world of pain once more—not the slow, creeping numbness of the venom, but the explosive agony of a blow from a beast, albeit one filled with sisterly love.

  His body lifted from the ground, folding around the point of impact before he was sent flying backward to crash against the hard stone wall of the abode.

  "Agk!"

  The hit nearly knocked him unconscious. His eyes rolled back, showing only the whites, before his pupils snapped back into focus.

  He wiped a trail of drool from his chin, glaring at his sister.

  "Sis! You're too mean! Why can't you be nicer?!" He scrambled to his feet, his new vitality already burning away the pain as he prepared to tango.

  "What's going on?"

  The voice, usually a gentle stream, was now a frozen river.

  It was laced with a calm patience, yet carried a scent of immense, chilling death that made the air in the room grow heavy and cold.

  Mei’s eyes were still closed peacefully, her placid smile unwavering, but an invisible pressure descended on the room.

  "H-Heek! Mei!" Mi Shui laughed awkwardly, her body rigid as she prepared to flee. "I was just... roughhousing with my brother! That's what we do! Haha! That's the Mi Family way!"

  From the corner, Ying Xia covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with suppressed giggles. "Oh? I can't believe the Lavender Flower, Mei, commands such a presence!"

  Mi Shui shot a venomous glare at Xia, her fear momentarily forgotten.

  "I see that Mi Jin has been cured," Mei said, her expression still soft and peaceful. "Have you properly thanked Bi Kan yet?"

  Mei, you should know by now he'd thank the dirt on the ground if it helped him, Bi Kan thought.

  "Of course, Sister Mei! But maybe..." Mi Jin paused, his gaze locking onto Bi Kan. "...it wasn't enough!"

  He leaped from his spot, executing a perfect front flip. But he didn't aim to land on his feet. He aimed to smash his forehead into the floor in another bow.

  His sister has an intense anger... and this brat... an intense kindness.

  A few moments later, Mi Jin had gathered his things. "Alright, I'll be going now. Senior Brother must be worried sick about me."

  He raised a hand, waving with a happy, grateful smile. Xia leaned against the wall, returning it.

  Mi Shui crossed her arms, spouting a final round of scoldings and warnings.

  Mei watched as he tucked the rice balls she had prepared into his robes.

  "Thank you again, everyone! Thanks to all of you..." His eyes glistened with a single, unshed tear. "...I'm standing confidently once more!"

  The heavy stone door closed behind him, leaving a quiet stillness in his wake.

  From the courtyard below, Ruo Yu’s smooth, condescending murmur drifted up, met by Mi Jin’s earnest, prideful retorts.

  A string of silence followed, thick with a tension that was palpable even through the stone walls.

  Mi Shui let out a sharp hiss of breath.

  "I'll... stabilize my Qi... so, don't bother me!" she announced to the room, before turning and locking eyes with Ying Xia one last time.

  She mouthed two silent, venomous words.

  Especially you!

  Xia stuck out her tongue, pulling down the skin beneath her left eye in a childish gesture of defiance.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Once Mi Shui had stormed into the other room, Mei clasped her hands together, a serene smile gracing her lips.

  "So, Sister Ying Xia has finally been recognized by the whole sect, eh?" Her gaze shifted, landing on Bi Kan.

  "I wonder when your time will come, Bi Kan," she mused. "Perhaps it's sooner than you think."

  Xia nodded, her hand shooting up into a thumbs-up. "Yep! When you surround yourself with geniuses like us, they'll start to get suspicious."

  She then folded her hands together, her expression shifting into one of theatrical, pleading agony.

  "H-How! How can that plague-infected bastard be with two magnificent jewels!"

  A vein throbbed in Bi Kan’s temple, a faint wisp of steam escaping his lips.

  "Inaccurate," he said flatly. "They'd only say 'one'."

  Xia’s playful expression froze. A dangerous light entered her eyes, and a flicker of golden energy almost coalesced around her hand before she caught herself.

  The memory of Mei’s powerful intervention was still fresh, a phantom ache in her ribs. She retreated.

  "Ahem." Mei cleared her throat, drawing their attention. "Shall we talk about it then?"

  Bi Kan nodded, settling down against the wall. "Yeah. In my opinion..." He stretched his neck, the movement stiff.

  "...I don't think Xia should accept it. Becoming a disciple of the Han Family."

  Mei took in his answer, her expression thoughtful, while Xia stood frozen, her eyes twitching.

  "You don't get to decide anything!" Xia snapped. "This is my choice!"

  Bi Kan’s tired eyes shot towards her. "And I said that it was only my opinion." He shook his head, looking away.

  "I didn't say you should do whatever I say."

  "But," he added, his voice low and serious, "you should listen to my points. There are many disadvantages to joining their family."

  Xia shook her head, her pigtails whipping. "So what?! Those are only born from your own paranoia!"

  "You didn't even let me list them yet, and you call me paranoid?" Bi Kan shot back, his voice rising. "You're naive, Xia."

  In a split second, Xia’s body coiled, ready to lunge. Yet, she hesitated.

  A faint, almost imperceptible pulse of charged Qi emanated from Mei’s tempered palms, a silent warning.

  "I'm not a village girl anymore, Bi Kan!" Xia’s voice was tight with frustration.

  "I can make my own decisions! I might not be as cunning as you are, but I don't just jump headfirst into problems!"

  That's your entire personality, you idiot! Bi Kan thought, a headache building behind his eyes.

  Why does my head hurt every time I talk to her?

  "If you'll just listen for a second then you'd understand my worries!" Bi Kan yelled, the sound echoing in the stone room.

  Xia let out a soft breath, her shoulders slumping as she calmed her nerves.

  "Then stop sounding like you're trying to parent me. I'm older than you are! Not a little girl!"

  "Alright," Bi Kan said, his own anger deflating. "I get it."

  I might have sounded a bit too controlling.

  He looked at her, at the fierce independence burning in her eyes.

  I don't want someone who just agrees with me.

  That would just make them a puppet on a string.

  "All I'm trying to get at is... we need to know their goals firsthand," Bi Kan said, leaning forward, his hands clasped together on the table.

  "If they're willing to go to war with the LingHu family in the race to crown a new Sect Master."

  As Mei moved quietly in the background, preparing tea, the pieces clicked together in Xia’s mind.

  "You're saying that... the LingHu family and the Han family aren't on good terms?"

  Grand Elder Qixia, she's young and prodigal... Xia bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously curling into the fabric of her robes.

  If I join the Han Family... will I be wiped out alongside them if they lose?

  "LingHu Qixia may not care for the feud personally," Bi Kan explained, "but she is their Grand Elder. She won't stand by idly if the Han family harms her own."

  Mei returned with a tray, placing the steaming cups of tea on the table between them.

  Bi Kan’s gaze landed on her for a moment before he picked up his cup.

  "We don't know which side we're on," he continued, his voice low. "It'll get messy once the sect's politics close in."

  Ming Mei stared down at the table, her own eyes clouded with conflict.

  "Well, it doesn't matter," Bi Kan declared suddenly. "I don't plan on choosing."

  Mei and Xia both looked up, their expressions mirroring each other's surprise.

  They awaited his explanation, a part of them perhaps already knowing what he would say.

  They understood that the higher-ups were not to be trusted with one's whole heart.

  There are people who take the throne and would cast away their most loyal servant if they became a threat to the crown.

  Bi Kan’s gaze drifted to the ceiling, as if looking at the deep, uncaring cosmos beyond.

  "After all, I hardly care about it. It's too much of a hassle. It's better to rely on yourself."

  "Hm?" He looked down, seeing the flicker of disappointment in their eyes.

  "And here I thought you'd enlighten us with your wisdom, Bi Kan," Mei said with a soft chuckle. "But it appears you really are still... stubborn."

  Xia took it all in—the warning, the risk, the almost certain conflict with a prodigy who could rival the Sect Master's legacy.

  "Alright, I understand," she said, her voice firm.

  "I'll consider my options. I won't take your words lightly, Bi Kan."

  She looked up at him, her green eyes clear and resolved. "But, it'll be my choice... alright? No matter what it is..."

  "I'll always be there."

  The simple sentence was not directed at her.

  His head was turned away, his tone brushing it off as a simple statement of fact. But to Xia, it meant the world.

  I know how far you'd go for me, Bi Kan... The image of his exhausted, blood-soaked form appearing like a vengeful god after her brutal defeat at Hao Xua's hands was burned into her memory.

  Even when everything collapsed, she knew he would appear, pulling a secret from his robes—a blade, a strange substance, a path to victory.

  "But I'd prefer you choose the option that is less of a hassle," he added, his voice dry. "I can't absorb political impact and turn it into my own power."

  Xia scoffed, shaking her head. "I know, I know..."

  Bi Kan turned towards Mei as she took a delicate sip of her tea.

  "What about you, Mei? Xia might be a genius in her own right, but she's not as bright as you."

  "Hey!" Xia protested from the side.

  "I doubt that you didn't get any offers yet."

  Mei cracked open one eye, a serene calm in her lavender gaze.

  "You live in a sacred place within the Inner Court. You have backing, don't you?"

  She gave a slight nod. "Yes, but it's nothing as grand as Xia's. I've mostly been taken care of by an Elder, though it is not yet official."

  "Nothing as grand... but it's still way beyond what I thought," he let out a nervous laugh, the sound dry in his throat.

  Having Xia and Mei around really does show me how far behind I am. His fists clenched at his sides, the knuckles turning white.

  Though, it makes the pain worth it. I know what I must do, so that... I can prevent that from happening again.

  The skies morphed into darkness. Lin stared up at the looming night, watching the tiny sparks of distant stars blend into the black canvas.

  "Did I really miss them?" The girl with brown hair tied back by a golden hairpin, Shen Zhantian, scrambled her fingers through her hair in frustration.

  "Aghh! That Bi Kan! I need to ask him about that beast! I can't find it anywhere!"

  Lin swung her feet from her perch on a tree trunk, her calm, stoic expression unwavering, though a flicker of her own frustration churned within.

  "Mhm. They just left, in fact."

  Her feet crossed, and she settled into a lotus position. "Why can't I absorb Qi... It's been days."

  Shen Zhantian noticed the slight tremor in the girl's voice.

  "Don't worry, Little Lin. It's not a race. Sometimes there are just people who aren't fated to be an Immortal."

  She patted Lin's head. It took all of Lin's willpower not to bite the hand off.

  "You're mocking me. Go away." Her own small hand came to rest on the haft of the axe at her waist.

  Shen Zhantian took a hasty step back, a lump forming in her throat. "W-Well... It'll come soon! Eventually..."

  She stretched her arms, cracking her knuckles. "Guess I'll just eavesdrop on them, then I'll blackmail them for whatever crucial information they gather."

  Zhantian rubbed her hands together with a sinister smile. Lin looked at her as if she were crazy.

  "That would be good," Lin said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Lin wants to know what Big Brother Bi Kan and Sis Xia are up to at this... old ancestor's... place."

  Zhantian spun to face her. "Huh? What do you mean, Lin? Old Ancestor? Is it Bi Kan's grandfather? A powerful... family?! That Zombie actually has—"

  "No. Why are you jumping to conclusions? Even I'm not that stupid."

  T-This brat... she has such a sharp tongue while keeping a stoic face! What kind of personality is that?!

  "If I remember correctly, as Big Sis Xia told me," Lin continued, "it was an Old Man... very old. Something... Han."

  Zhantian nodded, already dashing forward. "Alright! Just have to look for this Old Man Han!"

  As she ran through the forest path, heading toward the Outer Court, she skidded to a halt.

  The evening breeze felt suddenly cold against her skin.

  "Han... Han... Han...?"

  Her posture straightened, her bravado dissolving into a dawning dread.

  "There's no way... did Lin really mean...?"

  The wind whipped around him, a constant, howling presence on the high mountain path.

  It pulled at the hem of his grey-green robes, threatening to steal the warmth from his already exhausted body.

  It was the windiest night he had ever experienced.

  Even with the dark, bruised bags beneath his eyes, his pupils were etched with the focus of a sharpened blade, analyzing every shadow, every guard's posture, every flicker of light from the grand palace before them.

  Bi Kan sighed, placing his palm against his right eye as if to physically hold the weariness at bay.

  "Are you ready, Xia?"

  Her spatial ring glinted in the cold moonlight.

  Her green eyes were fixed on the three massive characters carved into the black stone above the palace gates.

  Han.

  "We're already here, aren't we," she said, her voice a flat statement of fact.

  The duo had finally arrived.

  Bi Kan’s hands were hidden deep within the sleeves of his robes, his fingers loose but ready.

  Xia planted her hands on her hips, her chin lifted in a defiant tilt as she stared up at the imposing structure.

  "The party," she declared, a reckless grin spreading across her face. "Let's create as much chaos as we want!"

  Bi Kan had already seen this coming.

  She was making jokes, even now, while they stood on the thin, sharp line between life and death.

  "Right, Bi Kan?" She turned to him.

  The pale moonlight caught the sharp planes of her face, illuminating her smile with a brilliant, almost defiant light.