During the ensuing months, one name steadily rose through the ranks on the sword tower scoreboard. The only ones to notice this were frequent visitors to the sword tower. The furore surrounding the red witch had died down but there were a few who still remembered the name. Her fame, however, was still moderate and limited to the walls of the sword tower. Only those on the leaderboard were famous sect wide. 

Bai li yue stepped out of the test room on the sixth floor and walked back to her courtyard where meixiu was practicing her sword. She had given Meixiu the go ahead to train in her courtyard away from the outer sect. That was the only help she could give her friend who was preparing for the outer sect test. 

Consequently, Meixiu spent more time in the courtyard than she did herself. She passed by without disturbing Meixiu's training and went to take a quick bath after more than a week spent in the tower. When she finished cleaning up, she found a meal laid out for her. Meixiu had returned to what she was doing. Bai li yue sighed, feeling a little bit guilty. She'd already told Meixiu several times to stop the habit of cooking, but Meixiu remained stubborn. After eating, she returned to her room when it looked like Meixiu planned to train till deep in the night. Her room was just as she'd left except for some minor differences. Some of her robes and books were out of order.

'Again?'

This was something that had been bothering her for some time now, but she chalked it up to Meixiu's inquisitive nature. She still periodically asked Bai li yue about her family and origins and went into a prolonged sulk when she deftly sidestepped the questions or ignored them. The questions seemed innocent at first, but pairing that with Meixiu rifling through stuff, she didn't have a choice but to grow wary of her new friend. 

Picking up a book narrating the life of the legendary swordsman Ouyang Li who held back 650 blackteeth bandits for four days at the dragonfang mountain pass until the arrival of the Wei tiger army, she flipped to the page recounting the battle. She turned to the next page, trying her best to suppress a yawn, but the sleepless days in the sword tower caught up with her. Exhaustion swept her away aboard a vessel floating on a dreamless sea. 

Outside in the courtyard, Meixiu stopped her sword practice after some time. She put an ear to the door and heard the soft regular breathing coming from within the room. Bai li yue was fast asleep, oblivious to the world around her. A sound coming from the courtyard behind her pulled her out of her bitter thoughts.

'Brother Shen...'

'Has she returned?' 

The young man in black asked without as much as a smile.

'She returned not long ago.'

'You've served me well as usual. Now leave us.' 

'Brother…' 

Meixiu hesitated when a pair of golden pupils zeroed in on her. She froze like a rabbit that had come face to face with a starving tiger. Squeezing her eyes shut, she blurted out the question on her mind.

'When are you going to recommend me to the inner sect? I did what you asked?'

Bang.

In a second, Meixiu hit the wall. Her body hovered in the air held upright by a tightening hand. She clawed at the hand that was gradually cutting off the supply of air to her lungs. When she'd just about ran out of oxygen, Shen duyi released her. She fell to the ground like a heavy sack of stones, gasping for air.

'I've always wondered how the Tang clan could rely on a foolish girl such as yourself. Despite your quick mind, you are still incredibly naïve. That night when you came to my courtyard and offered yourself to me, I refused so that you would realise your situation and accept your place. To my surprise, you didn't back down. Being the only person who'd noticed my interest in li yue had made you audacious. I only agreed to this foolish plan of yours because there was nothing to lose. As you know, I will be choosing two dao companions from both sects in a year's time and I wanted to get to better know my future beloved before the official announcement. Your plan pleased me, so I indulged you. I never promised you anything in return.'

Meixiu's eyes teared up. She realised the truth. She had assumed that she successfully used his interest in Bai li yue to negotiate for admittance into the inner sect. How simpleminded of her; trying to barter with a person who could destroy her with a single word! 

'In spite of your brashness, I am indeed pleased. I'll get you a place in the inner sect once li yue is mine.'

She bowed her head in thanks. As long as she entered the inner sect, she didn't care what she had to do. She'd serve up her own mother to the devil if she had to. Meixiu scrambled to her feet and took up her position outside the courtyard door where she usually stayed until he left.

Shen duyi firmly put Meixiu out of his mind. The girl was too naive to be pitied and he had no intention of recommending her to the inner sect. He had an aversion to people like her: weak and opportunistic. If she didn't serve a purpose right now, he would have had her expelled for a bogus reason. But enough about her. His beloved was waiting. 

Bai li yue was sitting up asleep, head propped on the low table and half of an open book dangling off its edge. He crouched beside her and tucked the hair obscuring her captivating features behind her ear. She looked haggard. 

'You are pushing yourself too hard, li yue. It breaks my heart to see you like this. I constantly wonder what it is you are chasing after? Will you tell me the truth once we become closer?'

He had to hold himself back from shaking her awake. 

'No, not yet. It's still too early. She'll be shocked to see me here. We'll have all the time in the world to talk once I make the announcement.' 

He calmed his racing heart and stayed quietly by her side until it was time to leave. Dawn will be breaking soon and he didn't want to be seen leaving her courtyard. Rumours would tip off the elders who had already put forward a shortlist of candidates for the position of his dao companion. 

'Feed her more. She looks undernourished.'    He gave Meixiu the new order as he slipped out of the courtyard and melded with the shadows.

Watching the direction in which he left, meixiu collected herself. 

'I am the only Tang clan female to have come this far. My ambition is far greater than my sense of honour. Who cares if I'm using sister li yue to further my path? I'm doing her a favour anyway.'

She gathered her resolve and headed back to her room in the outer sect. 

Bai li yue woke up refreshed despite her awkward posture. She picked up the book that had fallen on the ground during the night. Today was an important day for her. She had earned enough money to make a small first installment on her pill debt. Meixiu had already left when she came out of her room. They'd missed each other again so she simply left her an encouraging note before leaving. She didn't know when next she'd be back in her courtyard. 

The payment went smoothly. She looked at her bereft badge with sadness. It somehow felt lighter to the touch when she held it now. She was reminded of her sect point problems back in her former sect. It was the same problem all over again. She was an impoverished lout here too but for a different reason. Passing by the library, she borrowed another book to read with her dwindling sect points during her free time in the sword tower. This was an autobiography of the sword sage Ximen Jin. He was a minglou continent cultivator who had saved the now collapsed Sinking city during the last realm war against half devils. 

She'd begun reading books about the lives of sword masters as a way to pass time, but those books turned out to be great resources for understanding the mind of true swordsmen. From the books, she learned about concepts that she hadn't been able to put into words. The books all developed ideas on sword dao, sword heart, sword body. These were concepts that naturally manifested after dedicating oneself to the sword. It demonstrated an attitude and reflected a creed. The sword became the wielder, and the wielder, indistinguishable from his blade. A swordmaster was one who had the potential to become one with his sword and harness the full capabilities of the sword in his hand. She lovingly touched the black sword wrapped in cloth and strapped to her back. The books had given her a better understanding of her sword. Although it still lay dormant, it had become an extension of her hand. It was now her most reliable partner. 

She passed by the cultivation tower that she still hadn't entered. She was stuck at the threshold of the lord realm after her most recent breakthrough. At the moment, the cultivation tower was out of bounds to her. 

'I need points to cultivate. At the same time, I need to cultivate to earn more points. What a headache!'

She needed to earn sect points first to enjoy the cultivation facilities. It was, all in all, an impossible situation for her. She decided to stick to the option that at least generated sect points in order to pay off her debt. It would require her living from hand to mouth until such a time when she was debt free, but she was ready to do her best. 

She returned to the sword tower and paid the fee using the last remaining sect points in her badge. To her astonishment, the fifty sect points gained her a one month stay from the seventh to the ninth floor.

'Are you sure this is correct?'

'You'll understand why very soon.' 

The elder-in-training waved her away without bothering to explain further. She borrowed the stairs to get to the seventh floor. Unlike the lower floors, the stairway from the fifth floor upwards was devoid of people. She didn't meet anyone on her way up apart from a small group of students softly conversing on the fifth floor stairwell. They quickly hid the paper envelopes in their hands and threw curious looks her way as she passed by. When they realised that she was an ordinary student, one of them sidled up to her.

'Pssst! Psst! Fellow student, are you here to buy some blue dust or some blackroot incense? You'll reach the seventh floor in one day guaranteed.'

Oh! Drugs!

Bai li yue didn't know whether to be surprised or curse her innocence. Of course! This world had drugs. They are human beings! She bypassed the drug dealers without a word and continued going up.