Sumptuous furniture filled the room, all of it carved from wood. Hui nudged one of the chairs and took a seat, then stood, nodding vaguely. It’s… good furniture, I guess.

Gu Tian hesitated. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Hui, biting his lip. “Er… Xie Hao, there’s only one bed.”

“You can have it. I’ll take the floor,” Hui declared distractedly.

“O…oh. Ah, yes. Of course,” Gu Tian said, embarrassed.

Hui frowned at him, then shook his head. Gu Tian… actually, I need to talk to him about something. He reached to his hip and drew his sword.

Gu Tian jumped back. “Xie Hao?”

“This sword. Do you recognize it?” Hui asked.

Confused, Gu Tian stepped forward. “This blackened sword? I…”

Hui turned the blade toward Gu Tian, showing him his own name etched in the base.

Gu Tian’s eyes widened. “I… that… that must be… a different…”

“I found it in Mysterious Heavenly Forest’s Secret Realm, at the back of a cave, on the hip of a skeletal corpse.” Hui pointed at Gu Tian’s neck. “Its neck was snapped from behind. No… not snapped. Someone completely shattered the bone.”

Gu Tian stepped back. He put a hand over his mouth. His face paled. “I…”

“Gu Tian. Is that you?” Hui asked. He paused, then shook his head. “I should rephrase. Gu Tian, did you die in that cave? Is your soul now inhabiting this young disciple? Is that why you can’t go back to Starbound Sect?”

Gu Tian turned aside. He cast his eyes down. Silently, he nodded.

Hui put his hand on Gu Tian’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know. What happened?”

“I trusted someone I shouldn’t have,” Gu Tian snarled, frustrated.

“Who?” Hui asked.

Gu Tian hesitated. After a second, he took a deep breath. “Yunxu. Lan Yunxu.”

Yunxu. Of course, obviously. The Sect Master… The second thing Gu Tian said hit Hui’s ears, and his brain trembled as though it had been struck by lightning. “L… Lan Yunxu?”

Gu Tian nodded.

Lan Yunxu. Hui took a breath. “Lan Yunxu… of Starbound Sect?”

Gu Tian nodded. “We were fellow disciples. Joined at the same time.”

“Disciple of… Lan Taijian?”

“Lan Taijian, that young boy? No. Of Sect Master Lan.”

Hui stepped back, the words almost a physical blow. Yunxu. His Eminence Yunxu, Sect Master of Black Asp Sect, is… is the disciple of Sect Master Lan from Starbound Sect?

Was. Was the disciple of Sect Master Lan.

What happened? How did he become the Sect Leader of Black Asp Sect?

“Why did he kill you? And… why revive you?” Hui asked, glancing at Gu Tian.

Gu Tian shook his head. “I don’t know. I think… he wanted to try out a new technique.”

“That’s all?” Hui asked, furrowing his brows.

Gu Tian shrugged. “He said it was of the utmost importance. That he had to, in order to complete his ultimate goal.”

“Ultimate goal…” Hui put a hand on his chin, brows furrowed.

“Why do you have this sword, Xie Hao?” Gu Tian asked.

“Huh?” Hui asked, distracted.

Gu Tian put his hand on the blackened blade. “What were you, a death cultivator, doing in the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect’s secret realm?”

Hui caught his breath. He stared at the ground, eyes wide, casually shading his eyes with his knitted hands. Oh, fuck. What do I say? What was a death cultivator like myself doing in the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect’s secret realm? I…

No, wait! That’s it!

He looked up and smiled. “The same as you, Gu Tian. I went there… before I died. A long time ago, I, too, was a righteous cultivator from Starbound Sect.”

“From Starbound Sect? Do you remember your name in life? Maybe we knew each other. Ah, do you remember the way the mountains bloomed that year, when the ancient crane passed over the sect?” Gu Tian said, his eyes going misty.

Hui cleared his throat. Danger, Hui, danger! I don’t know anything about Starbound Sect from centuries ago! “Er, no, I misspoke. I’m actually from Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect.”

“That’s a great mistake to make,” Gu Tian said. He frowned at Hui, suddenly suspicious.

“It’s not like a transferring a soul, waking up as a death cultivator, you know? My memories from life are scrambled, misty. It’s hard for me to remember things precisely. I… remember being in both Starbound and Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sects at times, but… honestly, Gu Tian, I don’t remember if I was a member of both, one, or neither. When it comes to old memories, I…” He frowned, a tragic look on his face.

“Ah, I understand, I understand. Ah, no, come to think of it… you must have turned relatively recently. Lan Taijian only recently became a fifth-stage cultivator,” Gu Tian mused.

Right, I guessed Yunxu was Lan Taijian’s disciple! Hui nodded. “That’s right. I’ve only changed recently.”

“But… it must have been very recently. Lan Taijian rose to the fifth stage less than two hundred years ago, and the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect’s secret realm only opens every two hundred years. In fact, I think it only opened recently… which…” Gu Tian frowned, confused.

Hui laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Let’s not worry too much about the details! I’m muddle-headed about the past, I’m sure I’ve said something wrong. In any case, Gu Tian, I need to practice my swordflight so I don’t embarrass myself again the next time Erlan takes us somewhere!”

“Eh. Didn’t you say there’s no such thing as face,” Gu Tian said flatly.

“It’s a very important skill for fourth tier cultivators. I really can’t continue slacking off like this! Ah, you know, I need to make sure my skills are up to par. What if we end up fighting the Mysterious Heavenly Forest Sect, or something like that? In any case, if you’ll excuse me,” Hui said, backing out of the room. With a last laugh, he turned and fled, taking the sword with him.

Gu Tian frowned after him. After a few breaths, he shook his head and laughed. “Xie Hao… you really are an odd duck.”