“Sister Hu, so this is where we part ways.”

Gu Yang raised the cup of wine to his mouth and tossed it to the ground with a clang as it shattered, the others following suit.

Hu Die had decided to leave the sect to get married. Although it was permissible to stay on and cultivate, most cultivators who end up falling in love with outsiders tended to also leave the sect. In Hu Die’s case, the suitor who had asked her parents to introduce him to her happened to be an old acquaintance whom she really liked.

A number of days ago, the girls at her peak – as well as the other peaks, who were also cultivating the path of rottenness, had discovered that she was leaving. Hu Die had given no sign of it before, so they were all shocked. In fact, even for Hu Die herself, her decision had been rather sudden.

There had been a clamour of emotions going on back then – disbelief, mostly, but in the end, the girls all accepted it. Nothing was more important than the happiness of their beloved big disciple sister. Therefore, during the eve of her departure, the group had decided to throw her a little private farewell party of their own right after the official sect’s banquet.

“Nobody really parts ways in the path of Rotten Dao,” said Hu Die breezily, drinking to her toast and shattering her cup as well. “Brothers and sisters, today our parting is only physical. We’ll always travel this path and be the same of heart.”

The group of cultivators nodded at each other. This was particularly true – their camaraderie was something that would never die or ebb away that easily. They’ve been through a lot with each other, in a way very few other cultivators have.

“We’ll miss your leadership, da-shijie,” wept a few girls. “But all the same, we wish you happiness. Farewell, Hu Die-shijie.”

“Thank you,” Hu Die inclined her head with a smile. “Min Yi, my sister, I shall pass the torch to you. All of you, listen to Min Yi from now on. As chief cultivator of the Rotten Dao in our peak, all tasks and responsibilities will go to her. I trust that all of you love Min Yi as much as I do, however, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to accept.”

Min Yi smiled back gently and turned to the others.

“I’ll look after all of you from now on,” she said, brightly.

The girls cheered and Gu Yang grinned. Min Yi was an excellent choice overall. She was kind and firm as well as gentle, so the little group was in very good hands.

As the night wore on, Li Mei somehow ended up standing next to Hu Die as they looked down at the rolling clouds below. The atmosphere between them was solemn, but also easy.

“Da-shijie, what will you do from now on?”

“Hmm, I have a few things planned out,” replied Hu Die. “For one, I’d like to start a bookstore with my husband selling these special cultivation manuals.”

“You don’t mean—?” Li Mei was startled.

“He knows about the path,” said Hu Die, smiling despite herself. “He’s a rare one, that boy.”

Li Mei nodded. “So you’ve met him before?”

“Yes,” came Hu Die’s answer. “We met passingly in the Jianghu during a tournament. He had insanely high cultivation for his age. In the evening, when he was leaving the tavern, one of his cultivation manuals had fallen from his pouch. This was precisely the first cultivation manual you ever saw in our hideout.”

Hu Die pulled the manual out from her sleeve.

“Li-Li, you may have this,” she smiled, pushing the book into the surprised girl’s hands. “It was a keepsake I’ve had for many years, but I no longer need it as I have the person himself. Someday, Li-Li, you might also find a person like this. Be it a man or a woman, Shijie has faith in you, whatever you decide to do in the future.”

Fighting down tears of gratefulness, Li Mei grinned back at her eldest disciple sister. She clutched the manual in her hands – the precious manual who had led her down a path of many friends, comrades and good memories.

As the dawn approached, Hu Die got into a carriage. Looking back once, her ruby lips curved into a proud and fulfilled arch.

“Well, this is it,” said Min Yi, smiling into the sunrise with Li Mei and the others around her. Li Mei nodded resolutely.

And so it was – until next time! The Path of the Rotten Dao never ends!