Slowly, Nan Wuyue mentally reached into his dantian until he touched his core. After a moment of silent struggle, he pinched a single thread of qi from its depths and pulled it slowly out of his abdomen. The wisp of energy was dark and smoky, a shadowy existence impossible to detect by physical senses alone. Nan Wuyue quickly pulled out a dagger and sliced his finger, smearing the blood along the edge of the blade. As if attracted by the liquid, the thread of qi attached itself to the crimson streak, then sank slowly within the metal to turn it a dull, blackish-gray.

He tensed after that, listening for any signs of movement beyond the bedroom. But it seemed that Mo Yixuan had settled into his meditation for the night. Strange too, how his master had started picking up such quiet habits. Yet with last night's declaration of attack, he could only assume the man had been biding his time to strike.

Whatever the case, this dagger would give him an extra element of self defense. It was now imbibed with a ghostly tendril of his true qi within its depths—a potent weapon whose treasured qi could injure its user too, if not for the fact that Nan Wuyue's original core was in a time and place removed from here. He had discovered he could access shades of his future self (or was it his future past?) through sending out mental feelers in the blankness of his mind. It was a side effect of his reincarnation, he suspected, bending the rules of time to access a portion of himself that would exist in the future.

Why or how it worked, he hadn't had time to find out. And as the last thread of qi vanished into the weapon, Nan Wuyue felt a wave of exhaustion sweep through his body. It happened every time he reached for his former self or his old powers, but the backlash was only temporary. As he settled down to quell the rising waves of chaotic qi in his dantian, he began to formulate a plan of attack.

Meanwhile, Mo Yixuan was having a restless night. Unlike the previous sessions, he couldn't calm his mind enough to settle into a meditative trance. Part of the blame lay in the fact that he had to ambush Nan Wuyue tomorrow with no experience, but the rest came from his own reluctance.

Once upon a time, he too had dreamed of success and glory in the firm that had hired him as an aspiring architect. He had a passion and fondness for design ever since he was a child, but that love had stifled within the confines of the company, then died with the ashes of Shangguan Yin's betrayal. Nan Wuyue's declaration sounded less like a young disciple trying to prove himself to his master than someone determined to beat him back. Even though the current Mo Yixuan had nothing to do with the boy's grievances, it rankled him to be lumped in the same category as the original host of this body.

Instead of a sympathizer, he was pushed into playing villain instead! The fact left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. He had already gone through one lifetime with others thinking the worst of him and now had to relive it again.

The only solution was to finish this quickly. But to do that meant he'd have to pressure his disciple to improve faster, which translated to hitting him harder. Yet if the alternative was leaving Nan Wuyue to an uncertain fate...

Mo Yixuan had grown up as an only child, far removed from cousins or other family members. He hardly knew how to care for a sibling, much less a disciple who relied on his master for everything. The only time he'd tried was with Shangguan Yin, and that had turned into a disaster.

It's only repaying a debt, he reminded himself. With that simple thought, his doubts disappeared, buried beneath a comforting layer of technicalities.

That's right. I'm just cleaning up unfinished business.

None of this will matter once I've given what I owe him.

—

Five hours later, a meditating Mo Yixuan was greeted by a rush of wind to the face. Seconds before the fist stirring up the air connected, he had already turned to evade the blow. As the arm of his assailant flew past him, he easily grabbed it around the wrist and twisted it towards the owner's shoulder. All this came from pure instinct—it seemed the host's innate muscle memory was still working for his body.

Nan Wuyue hissed in pain, but countered by turning his body in mid-air in an attempt to vault over his master.

In response, Mo Yixuan threw out his palm and struck the boy against his chest. Simultaneously, he released his other arm so Nan Wuyue could be sent flying with the blow. His disciple rolled multiple times on the floor before coming to a stop.

"You're off to an early start," he remarked as he stood up.

"It's already a new day, shizun." Across from him, Nan Wuyue slowly rose to his feet, massaging his wrist with one hand. By some miracle, their little bout hadn't disturbed any of the furniture in the study.

"I see." One of Mo Yixuan's hands shook from the restless thrum that raced through his heart. He exhaled softly and opened the window behind him, letting in a twitter of birdsong. "For the house's sake, let's take this outside."

He didn't hesitate to step on the windowsill and jump into the courtyard. A flicker of bewilderment shone on Nan Wuyue's face before he steeled his expression and followed.

The moment Mo Yixuan set foot on the paved stone ground, he became aware of two things: 1) that it was very cold, and 2) he was only wearing his stockings.

Ah, I left my boots behind...

Meditation required sitting cross-legged, so he'd taken his shoes off last night. Then Nan Wuyue's surprise attack had distracted him too much for him to put them back on. He darted a glance at his disciple, but the boy was in the middle of leaping out of the window and didn't seem to notice. Mo Yixuan quickly slipped his bare feet beneath his robes while standing with hands behind his back, the fingernails digging into his palms. He wasn't a fighter even if this body had the skills of one, so it was rather jarring to see Nan Wuyue get the jump on him. Unarmed and wearing his usual patchy robes, his disciple looked more like a vagrant of the streets than a trained cultivator. When Nan Wuyue spoke, the sound cut crisply through the morning air.

"Shizun."

Mo Yixuan narrowed his eyes against the sun, trying to see Nan Wuyue's expression. "What is it?"

To Nan Wuyue, it just looked like his master was glaring with impatience. "I only have one question."

"Ask away."

Nan Wuyue smiled bitterly at the response. If only everything was this easy. "What brought this on?" he finally asked. "Disciple hasn't done anything to merit extra attention from shizun..."

Mo Yixuan blinked. Of course. To the boy who'd been constantly neglected by his master, his sudden attentions would be strange, if not downright off-putting.

"You're my core disciple, so of course I'd dedicate most of my time to you," Mo Yixuan reasoned plainly. "Yesterday made it clear enough that you need it."

Nan Wuyue narrowed his eyes. You mean, when you suddenly changed your tune and started to "fix" the mistakes you taught me?

"You have an imbalance of qi in your body," Mo Yixuan added in the silence. "Unless I help you get rid of it, it'll build up to dangerous levels."

Imbalance? Nan Wuyue's eyes flickered briefly with surprise. The next second they grew guarded. That's right, when my soul came back, it brought along the spiritual component of my qi. It's no wonder that he noticed the abnormality.

"Peak Lord Ouyang was of the opinion that forcing you to your limits would be best to release the excess," Mo Yixuan went on calmly. "You can treat this as a training exercise, but it'll be a battle for your life."

"I understand." Nan Wuyue paused before breaking into a wry grin. "Shizun, if that's the case, may this disciple go all out?"

Mo Yixuan nodded. "You must."

Nan Wuyue's grin widened. "As my master commands."

The next second, he charged again.

Years of hopes, extinguished. Decades of effort, wasted. Resentment as deep as the seas, hungering for a chance at payback. Whatever Mo Yixuan was offering, Nan Wuyue didn't care. All he knew was that his master had given him clear permission to attack, and he was going to wring that advantage for all it was worth.

Today, he was going to draw blood!

Mo Yixuan's brow wrinkled as Nan Wuyue's speed abruptly doubled. He managed to evade the boy, but it didn't stop him from charging him again and again.

He's going to use up all his energy at this rate, Mo Yixuan thought irritably. This isn't some endurance contest!

But gradually, he realized he'd been mistaken. Each time, Nan Wuyue grew a little faster. Each try, he came a little closer. The third charge, his hair even brushed against Mo Yixuan's robes as the latter flickered out of the way. Rather than running out of steam, the boy seemed to be unwrapping layer after layer of potential to show him his true skills.

With the fourth attack, Mo Yixuan swerved to the left before missing an incoming dagger by centimeters. Somehow, Nan Wuyue had anticipated his movements and met him in the other direction!

"There's no need for shizun to hold back against me," Nan Wuyue skipped back a few steps while holding his blade. "Rest assured this disciple will forgo the handicap!"

Cocky, was Mo Yixuan's only thought before he chopped at a bamboo stalk behind him with one hand. A section of it broke off, which he soon approximated as a short staff. "Then come!"

—

Two figures clashed fitfully in the air, their battle rattling the bamboo groves beneath them. Each time their weapons met, there was a dull sound of impact—Nan Wuyue wasn't interested in releasing his stored powers on a stick, while Mo Yixuan had fortified the bamboo with a thin layer of qi to resist his disciple's dagger. At first their fight was merely physical and relied on speed, but Nan Wuyue soon began to send energy blasts his master's way.

For Mo Yixuan, the entire thing was a fresh exercise in aerial combat and evasion tactics. He discovered that this body was naturally suited for battle, with his instincts covering much of the ignorance he had from the present day. Of course, that didn't mean much when he was merely fighting against his weak disciple, but it was heartening to see that he wouldn't be completely useless when it came time for combat.

Perhaps he could arrange to train with Ouyang Che after this.

For Nan Wuyue, it was a test of concentration and maneuverability. He had only fought his master after his cultivation improved in the future, so now it was akin to dragging around a crippled body to face off against an expert. Moving took effort for his still recuperating meridians, but it wasn't impossible. Oddly enough, his master was even underperforming to his usual standards, but maybe this was Mo Yixuan's way of toying with him.

And after I told him no handicap! As expected, he only does what he wants!

The end result was a harmonious clash between master and disciple, with the former approving of the latter's efforts while the boy strained to land a fatal blow. Nan Wuyue finally found his chance when their fight ended with Mo Yixuan's back to the hot springs. He gathered up his qi and fired a massive blast at his master—who naturally dodged—allowing the attack to hit the pool behind him.

A massive explosion of water soared into the skies, and Mo Yixuan instinctively raised a sleeve to cover his face. The same instant, Nan Wuyue put on another burst of qi-infused speed and tackled his master around the waist, sending them plummeting over the edge.

Splash!

Mo Yixuan's eyes flew open as they fell into the water together. The blast of heat and bubbles momentarily blinded his vision as his bamboo stick was stripped from his hands, its natural buoyancy giving it a clear escape to the water's surface. As the haze cleared, he caught sight of Nan Wuyue's face.

The boy was holding his breath, but the killer intent in his eyes was unmistakable. Water sent his long dark hair billowing about him like a silken screen, framing that sharp and stubborn face. Yet drawn by his instincts screaming danger, Mo Yixuan's eyes soon flickered to the dagger in his disciple's hand which was heading towards his heart.

In slow motion, he watched as the blade pierced through his robes and stabbed into his flesh, sending up a sudden bloom of red in the water. The next second, a chilly sensation entered his chest, and he could have sworn the dagger turned black—but it was only for an instant.

Immediately after, his instincts kicked in as he grabbed Nan Wuyue's arm and wrenched the dagger out. Then he hauled them both upright, above and out of the spring. Water flowed off them in streams as the two of them rose right into the air, supported by Mo Yixuan's flying skills.

Nan Wuyue coughed a few times, but didn't struggle. His eyes were fixated on the bleeding gash in his master's chest now staining his robes red. He even raised the dagger to strike again, but Mo Yixuan quickly knocked it out of his fingers until it plopped into the spring below.

The uncomfortable chill in his chest was fading away, to be replaced by a more present sensation of pain. As Mo Yixuan continued to stare at his disciple in silence, Nan Wuyue suddenly lifted his head. Their eyes met, and his disciple's lips quirked into a smirk.

"Shizun, I got you."

"Mm," Mo Yixuan acknowledged with a small frown. Much to his frustration, he hadn't managed to dodge that last blow in time. However, the injury hurt far less than he expected.

"Is it a deep wound?" Nan Wuyue asked next, and then moved to pull open Mo Yixuan's robes without asking for permission.

Startled by his disciple's bold advances, Mo Yixuan could only follow the boy's gaze to his chest, where a vertical slit from the recent dagger wound stood out in stark relief against his pale skin. Yet before their eyes, the injury was already closing up and soon healed into flawless skin. If it wasn't for the bloodstains and lingering throbs of pain, Mo Yixuan might have doubted he was stabbed at all.

He was pleasantly surprised to find his healing abilities so strong.

Nan Wuyue was equally disappointed to see these results. In his mind, Mo Yixuan had gotten stabbed on purpose just so he could show off how far apart the two really were! Even with his qi strengthened dagger, he was nothing in his master's eyes.

Still, his smirk didn't leave his face. The tendril of qi he'd bonded with the dagger was a special mix of pure spiritual qi. It didn't have a solid form in this time and was thus untraceable to anyone but himself. By now it should've entered his master's body, small and unnoticed, through one of his most vulnerable areas. From this, he could begin to extend his puppet strings...

"Shizun," Nan Wuyue suddenly spoke up. "I like this form of training. We should do it more often."

"Mm, approved."Mo Yixuan replied offhandedly. He actually looks pleased. Maybe this could help him overcome his masochistic tendencies one day?

"Did shizun let me stab you by choice?" Nan Wuyue went on.

You think I'm crazy enough to do that? Mo Yixuan's expression couldn't help turning incredulous. If he wanted to be stabbed, he'd do it himself!

Nan Wuyue read it as disdain and managed a chuckle. "I see, then next time I'll make sure shizun doesn't need to slow down for my sake."

Mo Yixuan opened his mouth to explain before discarding the idea. He couldn't very well let Nan Wuyue know he'd only been slow because he wasn't completely used to this body yet. Instead he said, "Your attitude is good."

"Of course, because shizun's personally helping me improve," Nan Wuyue managed with a wry smile.

Now that I've finally figured out your motives, I'll certainly have more motivation to get stronger.

Mo Yixuan wrinkled his brows, sensing something off about Nan Wuyue's tone. But he didn't have time to speak before they were interrupted.

A small paper crane had flitted into his sights with an impatient air. Before Mo Yixuan could process the item, it flapped its wings and demanded in a lofty voice, "Peak Lord Mo, come to the sect leader's hall immediately!"

Ruyi

Well, currently CRP is first in the strawpoll, so here's your chapter. I'm currently re-reading on PtD so I can write another chapter of that too since it came in second place. Anyways, have fun and stuff!

Here is a song to keep you amused while you read. It's one of few I have for my CRP "playlist." I couldn't find the right picture I wanted for this release, so enjoy that instead. I even picked a version with English subtitles. ^-^