Eight Rules

Fang Huai walked ahead, with Li Sirou behind him.

One in front and one behind, they made their way toward their residence.

Besides having her mind locked down by the Slave Curse, Li Sirou had also been afflicted with the Spirit Binding Curse.

The curse sealed her Spirit Root and Qi Sea, leaving her cultivation no stronger than an ordinary person's.

Red Leaf Market lay a long way from Skinning Peak. Without spiritual power to bolster her, Li Sirou could only grit her teeth and struggle along on foot.

Fang Huai glanced at Li Sirou.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, as though she were holding back tears, and she stumbled as she walked.

When she met his gaze, her stubborn refusal to bow her head still showed through.

Xuansword Sect cultivators neglected body cultivation. Once cut off from spiritual energy, they were hardly any stronger than ordinary mortals.

The woman had walked for hours. Her shoes were ruined, and her feet had been rubbed raw and bloody, yet she still refused to yield.

As dusk fell, the Corpse Fiend Sect disciples released the fiendish corpses they had raised.

In mere moments, the sect was filled with the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves.

The sect rules kept those monsters from going after Fang Huai, but Li Sirou had it rough. A whole pack of monsters followed close behind her.

She clearly had the aura of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, yet her cultivation was no better than an ordinary mortal's. Such delicious, easy-to-handle flesh had caught the monsters' covetous eyes.

Li Sirou sensed the danger and could only stick close to Fang Huai's heels.

When she stayed close, the monsters backed away warily. When she fell even a little behind, they immediately grinned savagely and closed in.

Fang Huai abruptly stopped.

Li Sirou, trudging along behind him with her head down, was caught off guard. She slammed into his back and fell to the ground.

"What are you doing!" she cried, both hurt and furious.

"Quiet!"

Fang Huai lowered his voice to a whisper and crouched halfway, his wide robe falling over her.

At the same time, one hand clamped over her mouth.

Li Sirou's mind was in turmoil.

Was this demonic cultivator going to assault her here?

Her mind roared as she recalled the teachings of her sect elders.

Demonic cultivators were lecherous and cruel. Was this bastard going to take her chastity?

"Beast... I won't give in..."

Humiliation and fury surged to her head. She sank her teeth into the hand covering her mouth.

"Smack!"

A sharp slap rang out, leaving her stunned.

"Hold your breath. Don't make a sound!" Fang Huai warned. "Make so much as a peep, and I'll leave you here and go on alone."

The shadow of a colossal creature engulfed them.

Li Sirou hadn't even recovered from the slap when her heart clenched. It felt as though an invisible mountain were crushing her, leaving her unable to breathe.

She looked up and saw a giant centipede above them.

The centipede had caught her scent. Its head kept dipping down to peer at them, and drops of venom fell, eating deep pits into the ground.

A Blackfiend Centipede?

Li Sirou was horrified, her body trembling.

The Foundation Establishment demon beast was enormous, its whole body wreathed in miasma. Just one look at it made her tremble to her core.

With the demon beast so close, Li Sirou's heart pounded. She edged closer to Fang Huai, buried her face against him, and shook all over.

The Blackfiend Centipede searched for a while, but all it saw was Fang Huai, a sect disciple. After a moment's confusion, it stopped fretting and gradually moved away.

"Let's go." Fang Huai stood up, his face expressionless.

Li Sirou let out a soft sigh and tried to get up, only to find her legs had gone limp.

She had meant to ask Fang Huai for help, but when she opened her mouth, she swallowed the words.

Fang Huai kept walking farther away, without the slightest intention of looking back. The monsters behind her pressed closer step by step. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself upright and hurried after him.

They didn't reach their lodgings until nearly the end of the chou hour.

Fang Huai was fine. He was at the third layer of Body Tempering, and spiritual energy had cleansed his body, so he wasn't tired.

Li Sirou, on the other hand, hadn't slept for three days and two nights. She had walked all day and suffered one fright after another. Her eyelids were already drooping, and she was swaying on her feet.

Seeing Fang Huai lie down on the bed, she quietly closed her eyes. Half-asleep, she heard his voice ring out.

"The wild greens and potato rice are in the northeast corner. Add three stalks of poisonheart grass when you cook.

I get up at the start of the mao hour. If I don't see a vegetable dish, a soup, and a bowl of rice, I'll send you back to Red Leaf Market.

Also, you're not allowed to sleep before I get up!"

"Mean demonic cultivator, making me eat poisonous weeds. I hope you poison yourself to death!" Li Sirou muttered as she reluctantly began washing vegetables and cooking.

She had no idea how to make a vegetable dish, soup, and rice.

After a long struggle and several attempts she had to throw out, she finally managed to make a pot of unrecognizable wild-vegetable porridge, a plate of blackened greens, and a few half-cooked lumps of potato rice.

Pinching herself over and over with her fingernails, Li Sirou fought off her drowsiness. Only when her ears began ringing did Fang Huai show signs of waking.

He stretched and got up. "Bring me a basin of water and help me wash up."

"Wash, wash, wash. You stink. You really should wash."

Muttering under her breath, Li Sirou ladled cold water from the water jar into a basin and unwillingly carried it over to Fang Huai.

She was a dignified mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and exceptionally beautiful to boot.

Back at the Xuansword Sect, male cultivators had vied to flatter her. Here, she'd become a servant girl, carrying water and cooking.

The thought filled her with regret.

A few days ago, she'd sneaked out of the sect to prove herself. She'd planned to bring back a few demonic cultivators' heads, but instead of killing any, she'd gotten herself captured.

If only she'd known!

"Corpse Fiend Sect cultivators shed their mortal skin when they cultivate, replacing it with new skin formed from spiritual energy. We don't stink.

On the contrary, you Xuansword Sect cultivators are the ones who keep your mortal skin on. You're the ones who truly stink to high heaven."

Fang Huai rubbed the soles of his feet and said without looking up, "The water's too cold. Next time, remember to warm it beforehand."

Then he walked to the table and picked up his chopsticks.

Li Sirou immediately grew nervous. If this demonic cultivator saw the awful food she'd made, would he kill her in a fit of rage?

But Fang Huai ate with gusto. Under Li Sirou's astonished gaze, he polished off every last bite.

"What's the incantation for the Thousand Threads Entwining Jade Hands?"

Li Sirou's eyes darted about as she wondered whether to make something up and fool him.

Before she could come up with anything, Fang Huai spoke again. "I have an important use for this art. If you dare lie to me, I swear on my Dao heart that I'll strip you naked and throw you out."

The accursed demonic cultivator!

Li Sirou had no choice but to teach him, fighting off her drowsiness.

Fang Huai memorized the incantation, then took the other party's [Thousand Threads Entwining Jade Hands Proficiency (White)] and said:

"A sect has its rules, just as a family has its rules. Since you belong to me now, you'll follow mine. Listen carefully to these eight rules.

"First: Every day, have meals and hot water ready at the start of the mao hour and the end of the shen hour. Don't go to sleep before I do, and don't still be asleep after I wake up.

"Second: Sweep the room three times a day: once after the mao hour, once in the middle of the wei hour, and once before the hai hour. Don't leave a speck of dust or a single cobweb in any corner or crevice.

"Third: When teaching me Xuansword Sect techniques or secret arts, tell me the truth. Don't hide anything or make things up.

"Fourth: When I'm in seclusion, stand guard outside my door. If a sect disciple comes to visit, report it to me first. Don't answer them without permission, and don't reveal anything about what goes on inside.

"Fifth: Use the Thousand Threads Entwining Jade Hands to massage my meridians every day for at least half a shichen. Don't slack off.

"Sixth: When we go out, stay within one zhang of me. Don't meet privately with sect disciples. If we encounter a demon beast or an enemy attack, follow my orders. Don't act on your own, and don't turn tail and run.

"Seventh: Recite the Corpse Fiend Sect rules and precepts every day. Before I go to bed, I'll quiz you on three of them. Don't stumble over a single word. Don't complain about the Corpse Fiend Sect or speak ill of me in private. If I hear you, you won't be allowed to sleep that night.

"Eighth: Wherever and whenever, obey me without question. Don't lie, talk back, or defy me in any way. If I decide to add a rule on the spur of the moment, you must follow it without conditions.

"Break any one rule, and I'll cut your daily rations at best. At worst, I'll send you back to Red Leaf Market!"

After finishing, Fang Huai swept his gaze over Li Sirou.

"Have you memorized all eight rules? Repeat them now. If you miss anything, you won't be closing your eyes tonight."