Yu Di pushed hard until late at night. He hadn't noticed the time until the moon rose high in the sky, its reflected rays hitting him right in the eyes.

  He took a deep breath and relaxed his body, stopping the Qi circulation. With a small conscious effort, he teleported Bai Feng and Yu Lin out of his pocket dimension.

  Both of them sat still as statues, legs crossed, palms on lap, and a little drool coming down their mouths.

  Wait, that was just Yu Lin. She wasn't cultivating. She was sleeping.

  Yu Di chuckled silently.

  It might have been too much to ask a four year old to cultivate like an adult.

  Yu Di quietly scooped up Yu Lin into his arms and took her to bed. The moment he laid her onto the sleeping mat, she curled up around him, using him as a body pillow.

  The quiet snores coming from her and the tiny warmth made his suffering worth it. He could feel that she was almost at the peak of her cultivation and would only need a little push.

  Whereas his own cultivation was going nowhere, capped by his curse. He did reach level 5 but that was a pittance compared to his height. Still it felt good to make any progress.

  Yu Di stroked his daughter's hair.

  He couldn't live for those level ups anymore. He had to live for her. Today reminded him of that more clearly than ever before.

  The next day he awoke to Yu Lin nudging him with her legs. Somehow overnight, he wrapped his arms around her so tightly that she couldn't move.

  "Baba. Move." She used her hands this time to push his face away.

  "Alright, alright, sorry." Yu Di released his arms on her and shifted over. His whole body was sore. Every inch of it.

  He was too old for this.

  That's why today he decided he would try to avoid anyone and everyone on his way to the kitchens. He got up, washed his face, fixed his tunic, and walked out after kissing Yu Lin on the forehead.

  Bai Feng was cooking outside. She had a light bounce to her step as she hummed. Her hands blurred as she chopped up meat and vegetables.

  "Good morning Senior Bai," Yu Di said.

  "Good morning," Bai Feng said in a singsong manner.

  "You seem really happy today."

  Bai Feng threw her cleaver into the air, twirled around, and caught it in her hand.

  "I haven't felt like this in years. I'm finally breaking through that bottleneck I've been having and it's all thanks to you."

  "I'm sure you would have broken through eventually."

  Bai Feng snorted.

  "Not with the sect's cultivation manual. I went back to look at it this morning and found that the technique is wrong. I can't believe an Elder from my previous generation thought that was right."

  "Wait, your Elders modified the manuals?"

  Bai Feng nodded.

  "There's always a competition between them, trying to make their own marks on the sect. Those that succeeded gained more followers or rose in ranks to inner sect or core Elders. That's another reason why I stayed away from that. I just want to teach and learn. I don’t have the mind to modify cultivation techniques."

  Yu Di shook his head.

  "So you're telling me, that at this very moment, the disciples out there could be practicing from a range of different cultivation manuals based on the whims of these Elders who haven't potty trained yet?"

  "I wouldn't say it like that." Bai Feng pounded the flour into dough. "Everyone has their own path to cultivation and who's to say that one way is better than another?"

  Yu Di couldn't argue with that. In his own travels and his grand larceny of many secrets from many places, there rarely was a unifying theme to their cultivation methods. The only reason why it worked for him was because he distilled everything he learned or stole into the most basic, brute force way of cultivating that anyone can achieve.

  In fact, if he ever published his cultivation manual, it would have been called "Cultivating - a Dummy's Guide."

  "Is there an original cultivation manual for this sect?" Yu Di asked.

  Bai Feng had a wide grin.

  "Why? Are you planning on stealing it too?"

  "As if I would bother with such a petty sect's secret. I was just interested in seeing why people changed what they changed."

  "Yes, but you shouldn't forget that you recently had a breakthrough from solving the stone stele."

  Yu Di had almost forgotten about that. Maybe their sect manual was worth stealing after all. Who knows what else he might discover that can break his curse?

  "I can see your thoughts spinning." Bai Feng shaped the dough and put the fixings in the center to form her buns. "The only two people with the original cultivation manual are Sect Leader Gu and Grand Elder Fu. One is in closed door meditation and the other hates you. So you're out of luck."

  "All I'm hearing is that I just have to wait for Sect Leader Gu to come out and I can ask him," Yu Di said. "He seems like a nice guy."

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  "Doubt it. I've already told you that we rarely ever see the Sect Leader unless there's a major catastrophe or we're attacked by other sects. For him to treat you and little Lin like that, is surprising."

  "Maybe he's softening up in his old age. I know I am. Otherwise, I would have incinerated this sect months ago and been on my merry way."

  Bai Feng froze.

  "I kid," Yu Di said. Mostly. He wouldn't tell her that he had a few inklings like that at the start. He's not a total monster, just a reasonable one.

  "Well, we at the 'Forgotten Spirit Sect' thank you for your mercy. Here's a bun." Bai Feng pressed one of the cooked buns into Yu Di's hand. "Try not to get beat up again today. Otherwise, I'll have to start the duel with the Elders a few days early."

  "Do you feel that you're ready?" Yu Di took a large bite from the bun. Meat juices flowed into his mouth and down his chin. There was a hint of scallion and cabbage. He hadn't tasted something this good in ages.

  "I will be." Bai Feng put the other buns into the oven.

  "I smell buns!" Yu Lin shouted as she ran out of the house. "Auntie Bai, may I have one?"

  "Of course." Bai Feng passed a huge bun to the little girl.

  Yu Lin grabbed it in her tiny hands and took a bite. The bun was almost as big as her head.

  "This is so good." She chewed ferociously as if this was her last meal.

  One of these days Yu Di would have to teach her how to eat properly. Didn't her mother feed her?

  "Anyway, you be good, Yu Lin," Yu Di said. "I'm going to work in the kitchens. Stay here with Senior Bai."

  "Okay." At least that's what Yu Di thought she said in between large bites of that bun.

  Yu Di traveled the most obscure route he could think of. It helped that he swept the floors of the entire sect for weeks. Most of the other servants chose other direct routes. The few that he saw avoided his gaze.

  The only odd thing was that he didn't see any of the servants that signed the Qi contract. Had Fu Homei rounded them up? Didn't she agree to help Bai Feng?

  Yu Di passed by a female servant that struggled to lift a large stack of bricks.

  "Can I help you?" he asked.

  The servant shook her head.

  "Please, let me help." Yu Di took a step toward the woman.

  The servant flinched and ran away, leaving her stack of bricks in disarray.

  That was weird. Normally people wanted his help.

  That wasn't the only time that happened. Despite it being a deserted route, none of the servants talked with him. Even the disciples avoided him. And it wasn't just women, but men too.

  Yu Di was greeted again by Cui Ying at the sect kitchen. This time he had lost his empathy and had a scowl to replace it.

  Yu Di cupped his hands and bowed his head.

  "Good morning head servant Cui."

  "Did you do it?"

  "I thought I told you yesterday that I didn't touch those women."

  "No, not that. There are rumors going around that you are abusing your child. You and Senior Bai are doing unspeakable things to her. And you were trying to force other servants into some depraved cult."

  Yu Di didn't know what to say to that. Actually he did.

  "Head servant Cui, you've known me for a while now. Do you think I would do something like that?"

  "I don't know you that well," Cui Ying said. "You could be one way in front of others while a demon in private."

  "Have the rumors about me become so bad? You've seen my daughter. Does she seem like she's been abused?"

  Cui Ying sighed.

  "No. As far as I could see, you're a good father."

  "Who is spreading these rumors about me?"

  Cui Ying pressed his lips together.

  "Come on head servant Cui," Yu Di said. "You're the most connected person in this entire sect. You have to know."

  "It was another disciple. Fu Homei."

  "Grand Elder's granddaughter?"

  "So you know."

  "Yeah, she's the one that threatened me the other day."

  Cui Ying scratched his head.

  "Well, if you know that, then I don't need to hide the fact that she said that you forced her into some demonic contract. You did the same to the other servants."

  "She said that?"

  "No. One of the other servants did."

  That was something at least. She is still under the Qi contract. But for her to get around his orders is concerning.

  Yu Di shook his head. He never planned on using it that way, but her actions forced his hand. Now he had to deal with the rumors.

  “Is it true?” Cui Ying asked.

  “All I can say is that she threatened me and I had to do what I had to. You’ve been in this sect long enough to understand that. None of us want to be here.”

  “In either case, nobody wants to work with you. So I have arranged something for you instead.”

  “You mean no one wants to be around me. They’re afraid I’ll mind control them or something?”

  Cui Ying nodded.

  “I was ordered by Elder Li to arrange things for you.”

  Yu Di cupped his hand and bowed his head.

  “Thank you head servant Cui.”

  “Don’t thank me. Grand Elder Fu ordered me to tell you to release his granddaughter. Otherwise, he will execute you.”

  Yu Di clenched his fist. He looked around to see if he could spot anyone hiding around the corners. This was not his first ambush.

  Cui Ying stumbled backwards, scrambling away from Yu Di.

  “It’s not me! I’m just the messenger. Don’t kill me, please.”

  Yu Di glared at the fallen man. He took a deep breath and relaxed his Qi. He did it again. That creeping feeling of dread, of hatred, of fear that forced his body to react.

  Yu Di offered the fallen man his hand.

  “I apologize to head servant Cui. That wasn’t aimed at you.”

  Cui Ying flinched. With a shaking hand, he took Yu Di’s hand and lifted himself up.

  “Grand Elder Fu knows how weak I am. He wouldn’t have told me to be your executioner. All he told me was that you need to bring the Qi contract to him before sundown. Or else, he will send his personal disciples.”

  “Ugh, sect politics. Why does it always have to be sect politics?” Yu Di rubbed the back of his head.

  “I know this is hard, but unless you can break the sect’s protective formation and fly away, you’re stuck here just like me. Try not to make any more enemies.”

  Yu Di laughed.

  “Is there anyone else I can piss off?”

  “No. I think everyone in the sect is against you and Senior Bai now. Maybe not Sect Leader Gu, but he’s in closed door meditation.”

  Yu Di nodded. Gu Zi already saved him once. He wouldn’t want to tread on his charity too much, even if he was giving him preferential treatment for some reason.

  “I do have one last question, head servant Cui,” Yu Di said. “If Senior Bai becomes an Elder, can she protect me from Grand Elder Fu?”

  Cui Ying looked in the distance as if recalling something.

  “Probably? As far as I know, every Elder runs their own part of the sect like a small kingdom within these walls. The Grand Elder is no different. He just enforces order among everyone.”

  “Like a judge?”

  “Correct. The only exception to this understanding is Sect Leader Gu. While he rarely interferes with Grand Elder Fu’s decisions, he has on rare occasions protected disciples that he prized for whatever reason. So you might gain a measure of protection with Sect Leader Gu backing you.” Cui Ying clasped his hand on Yu Di’s shoulder. “Just don’t piss him off.”

  “I’ll try.” Yu Di laughed. With his luck, he knew it was only a matter of time.