This was the first time Gao Yang had ever heard how the outside world viewed the Azure Mountain Sect.
So… this was their impression?
He asked, curiosity piqued, "If this place is such a pit of death to you, why come here at all?"
Xiao Yun sobbed, "My family's poor. They said the sect pays well, so they sent me here."
So that was it.
He thought back to how his father had once joked about beating him to death and hauling his corpse to the sect gates. Perhaps it hadn't been a joke at all.
For those who could become disciples of the Azure Mountain Sect, even false immortality meant fortune and survival.
Gao Yang softened his tone. "Don't be afraid. As long as you do your work honestly, you'll be safe."
She lifted her tear-streaked face, eyes shimmering. "But… you just said you'd eat me."
He gave a weary laugh. Changing her view of the sect would take more than kind words. "Enough. Go now."
The next morning, dawn bells rang through the halls.
The Immortal Mistress herself presided over the morning lecture. Her lessons were far more profound than those of First Senior Brother; Gao Yang struggled to understand even half of what she said.
He had planned to seek Fifth Senior Sister afterward for guidance—but before he could leave, the Immortal Mistress called, "Thirteen, stay."
When the others departed, she said, "Give me your hand."
Gao Yang obeyed.
She pricked his fingertip, and a drop of blood welled up. Bringing it to her lips, she tasted it, smiling faintly. "So the Immortal Pill remains within you."
A chill coiled through Gao Yang's gut. He forced a naive smile. "Master… do you mean to take it back?"
She waved a hand. "Daoist Dan Yang is still in seclusion. Now is not the time. Focus on your cultivation—I'll pass you a new mantra."
A pulse of pure qi flowed into his meridians. But the moment it did, her brows knitted.
"The Bai Family's secret art?"
Gao Yang's secret was useless before her perception.
Her voice cooled. "You've been consorting with the Bai Clan?"
He quickly bowed. "This disciple only wished to improve and begged Twelfth Sister for a cultivation chant. I didn't know it was the Bai Family's art."
Her expression eased, though her tone carried warning. "Speak of this to no one. If the Bai Family learns of it, they'll cleanse their lineage. Not only you—Twelfth Sister will die as well. Understood?"
"Yes, Master."
Satisfied, she said, "Since you've grasped their method, I'll teach you a Daoist art of my own."
Gao Yang bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Master."
"You practice the Seven Fiends Night Prowl—it drains your blood and qi. Even with the Bai art, that won't sustain you forever. I will teach you a technique called the Exorcising Seal. It draws upon pure yang qi to suppress spirits. Watch closely."
She raised her palm, qi spiraling upward.
"Drink!"
Her shout echoed like thunder as she struck at the air. Five golden sigils flared in sequence, humming with sacred power.
Each time one appeared, Gao Yang's heart lurched violently in his chest, as though being wrenched out of his ribs. Sweat soaked his robes; his lips turned white.
When the last seal faded, he bowed shakily. "Thank you… Master."
Her gaze lingered. "Thirteen, your body…" She seized his wrist again, sensing. The longer she examined, the deeper her frown became. But she said nothing in the end.
"Enough. Rest if you're unwell. Practice when you can."
He bowed and left, pulse racing. Did she suspect something?
Back in his quarters, Gao Yang collapsed to the floor, trembling. The unease only worsened until bile rose in his throat.
He doubled over, vomiting.
"Master!" Xiao Yun's voice squeaked. She rushed to his side.
"I'll fetch the Immortal Mistress!"
He caught her wrist weakly. "No. Tell no one."
He dragged himself to bed and sat cross-legged, forcing his qi to flow. By nightfall, the pain dulled, though exhaustion lingered.
Raising his hand, he remembered the Exorcising Seal.
He tried to channel yang qi into his palm. Nothing. Again and again—failure.
So he summoned the Seven Fiends Night Prowl instead. Shadows and cold energy gathered, swirling together into a knot of darkness.
To his astonishment—it worked.
A sphere of mingled death and malice pulsed above his hand.
Even as a Natural Yin Body, this defied logic.
Following her gestures, he struck at the air. Each blow left a black mark suspended in the void, leaking a chill that spread across the room.
The temperature dropped sharply. The air grew heavy.
Xiao Yun froze mid-task. Her breath misted in the gloom as invisible pressure crushed down on her chest. Terror seized her heart—she could feel something else in the room with them, breathing behind her, unseen.
And then her world went black.
When Gao Yang looked up, Xiao Yun lay crumpled on the floor, her skin turning dark violet—yin qi flooding her veins.
He finally realized how thick the miasma had become. The air was alive with it. If the Exorcising Seal could do this by accident… what would it do if struck directly?
He would need to test it—later.
For now, he lifted Xiao Yun onto the bed and channeled his energy, purging the corruption from her fragile body.
Next door, Twelfth Sister's eyes snapped open. Her blade was already in hand.
"Something's here again?"
She moved silently to Gao Yang's door and reached for the handle—only to hiss as a burning pain flared through her fingers. Thin tendrils of yin qi crawled up her skin, gnawing at her protective aura.
Her eyes narrowed. "What in the hells…"
If it hurt this much outside, what about Thirteen inside?
She kicked the door open.
A wave of black air burst out, hitting her full in the face. The world swam for a moment—and then Gao Yang stood before her, calm and pale.
"Thirteen!" she barked. "Are you all right? A wraith got in, didn't it?"
He blinked innocently. "A what?"
She looked past him.
Xiao Yun was awake, quietly cleaning the floor.
The traces of yin qi were already dissipating, but she wasn't fooled. "What were you doing just now?"
"Cultivating," Gao Yang said smoothly.