Nodding, Bai Xue took off. As the other disciples left, Hui stood on his tiptoes, craning his neck. He caught sight of Fa Chuyou and rushed to her side, grabbing her sleeve seconds before she mounted her sword to fly off. “Elder Sister!”

She shook him off her sleeve and tossed her hair, reaching for her sword again. “Hmph. Talk to that Bai Xue of yours!”

“Elder Sister, I… I, I—I got materials to refine into my skin!” Hui called.

“You can’t win me over with something that paltry,” Fa Chuyou said, crossing her arms.

Hui glanced around, then leaned in to whisper in her ear, “It’s a scrap of shed skin from the snake ancestor in the trial realm!”

Fa Chuyou stood bolt upright. She whirled, a broad smile on her face. “Why didn’t you say so from the start? A quasi-Immortal material? Xie Hao, don’t hold back! Bring it out, bring it out!”

Hui reached into his robes and carefully drew out the scrap of skin. It wavered on the air, dry and thin, seemingly ready to fall into dust at any moment. Fa Chuyou delicately accepted it into her hands, holding her breath as she drew it close. Her eyes grew larger and larger, and a smile spread across her face.

Fa Chuyou looked up, a hungry look in her eye. “Xie Hao, I won’t take no for an answer. I’m refining your skin, right here, right now!”

“Fa Chuyou, a moment, a moment?” Hui tried, edging backwards. Er, I, I might have made her too excited!

She practically bobbled in place, shivering with excitement. Fa Chuyou hugged herself. “Hurry. I can’t wait!”

Hui nodded. “Come wait outside my vertebra, and I’ll be right out.”

“Of course, of course!” she said, nodding eagerly.

Hui bolted off down the skeleton, Fa Chuyou on his heels, so close he almost tripped as she nearly stepped on his feet. They bolted down to his vertebra. Hui darted inside and removed his ghoul-skin, then glanced around. Ah, dammit. I don’t have anything to bribe the reaper with this time! I… I guess I’ll just have to trust Fa Chuyou…

Wait! I know!

Hui flicked his hand, summoning Jin Xian from his storage ring. She stood there blankly. He gestured for her to hold her hands out, and she complied. He folded the skin and draped it over her arms, then touched her head to his. He fed some of his mental energy and qi into her forehead, cementing it on the black slash mark that made up the jiangshi talisman. With that, Hui sat down in his vertebra to meditate. I can’t send my mental energy very far, but I might be able to reach further if I can root it in Jin Xian. Since I forged her with my qi, and she’s my refined corpse, she ought to have more resonance with my qi and mental energy than any other material or person.

In the end, I’ll have to see how far and how long I can push it! Worse case, Fa Chuyou should think twice before doing anything too ridiculous with Jin Xian there… I hope, anyways?

He pointed out of the vertebra. Jin Xian bowed and walked outside, carrying the ghoul-skin with her.

Fa Chuyou stood just outside, vibrating with excitement. She frowned at the sight of Jin Xian, but a second later, her eyes lit up. “I understand. Of course, Xie Hao! You can’t risk going outside in your true form in midday. Come, come. I’ll refine you.”

Hui cleared his throat. Using Jin Xian’s voice, he said, “Elder Sister, please don’t add anything… too obvious?”

“I have the snakeskin now. What else would I add? This heavenly material… ah, Xie Hao, don’t worry, don’t worry. Trust Elder Sister. You’re in good hands now,” Fa Chuyou assured him. She put a hand on Jin Xian’s shoulder and looked lovingly at the skin in her hands.

Jin Xian twitched and bit at Fa Chuyou’s hand.

Fa Chuyou yanked her hand back before she could bite. She laughed. “Come on, come on!”

Jin Xian followed her stiffly, hopping along. Fa Chuyou rushed ahead, then had to wait while Jin Xian caught up. After a few times, she grew frustrated and drew out her flying sword. “Come on, I’ll carry you.”

She snatched up Jin Xian and leaped onto her sword. The two blasted off toward the Corpse Refining Valley.

The further they went from the snake skeleton, the more strain pushed on Hui’s forehead. He immersed himself deeper into meditation, feeding qi into his mental energy. More, faster, circulating his qi to match the growing draw of his mental energy. I need to exercise my mental energy more often. I’ve neglected it recently! Since… since second stage, practically!

He furrowed his brows, pushing himself further. I can’t give up yet. I’ll use this as an opportunity to grow my mental energy!

Fa Chuyou and Jin Xian reached Fa Chuyou’s cultivation area in the Corpse Refining Valley. Hui’s field of vision narrowed, the world growing darker around him. He surged his qi harder, pouring more into his mental energy. Slowly, his vision recovered.

At Fa Chuyou’s approach, a large, gangly corpse climbed out of the coffin. It gripped the edge of the coffin with two hands, then another two hands. Two legs kicked out of the coffin, followed by another two, and then a last two stepped out of the coffin.

Damn. The corpse just keeps coming! How much did Fa Chuyou graft onto that corpse?

A chill premonition ran down Hui’s spine. He took a deep breath and dismissed the feeling. It’s fine, it’s fine! Once I comprehend the snake-skin disguise technique, I can cover up whatever she does to the ghoul skin.

…Can the snake skin technique hide extra limbs?

…

Fa Chuyou said she’d only use the snake skin. I’m safe, I’m safe.

Probably.

Lifting the ghoul skin carefully from Jin Xian’s arms, Fa Chuyou lowered it into the coffin. Humming to herself, she bustled around, adjusting the fluid, adding dashes of this and that. Hui watched quietly through Jin Xian’s eyes, curious. It’d be even more valuable to my corpse cultivation if I could be there and sense her qi flow, but I don’t want to run afoul of the reaper.

Ah! Not that this righteous cultivator is going to continue to refine corpses, aside from Jin Xian. I’m a righteous cultivator, a righteous cultivator.

Fa Chuyou muttered to herself as she worked. “Quasi-Immortal material… quasi-Immortal! I need potent solvents. The strongest binding agents. Mmm… luckily the ancestor left a scrap of quasi-Immortal qi inside the skin, or else I wouldn’t be able to work with it at all. But getting exposed to quasi-Immortal qi this early… Xie Hao, this is good fortune for both of us!”

Eh? The snake ancestor left qi inside the skin? I couldn’t sense it. Or rather… I didn’t check! Ah! Next time, I’ll check!

She left the ghoul skin to marinate for a time. The skin scrap floated on top of the liquid. Despite its seeming delicacy, the skin did not dissolve at all into the liquid. Fa Chuyou returned, bending over the coffin. She swirled qi into the liquid and the ghoul skin, wrapping the snake shed into the liquid. The snake shed trembled, resisting her efforts.

“Go—on! Dissolve!” Fa Chuyou cried, pushing herself further.

Even through Jin Xian, Hui felt the force of the energy pouring into the coffin. He licked his lips, nervous. What if she fails? What if she can’t—

“Ah!” Fa Chuyou stumbled back. A flash of red light burst out of the coffin.

“Fa Chuyou!” Hui shouted.