The Chaotic Immortal Sect

At the bridgehead where the wind had fallen still, a crow was performing a Daoist salute toward the two of them. Bi Qiong and Xu Yuan were stunned for a moment, then immediately returned the salute.

"Greetings, Immortal Elder."

Within the territory of the Hidden Moon Sect, they would never assume this black crow was ordinary. For all they knew, it might be the dwelling place of some disciple's—or even deacon's—divided soul. They could not afford to be disrespectful.

"You seem quite polite. Why didn't you pay the road-opening fee earlier?"

The crow asked in an odd accent, then produced an iron token from who knew where.

"Eh? You actually came from the mining district, and Fellow Daoist Rong Ling brought you here?"

The black crow's tone became even stranger. "Did you offend her? No, that can't be right. If that were the case, you shouldn't have lived long enough to reach me."

"Perhaps Immortal Elder Rong Ling forgot," Xu Yuan added at the right moment, though inwardly he suspected this was another warning.

"Forget it." The black crow flapped its wings. "Follow me."

With that, the black crow led the way ahead and brought the two inside.

Gesturing with its wings toward two registers on the table, it said, "These are the disciple registers. Sign your names and birth dates, then drip three drops of fingertip blood onto them. From then on, you will be disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect."

As soon as it finished speaking, Xu Yuan and Bi Qiong hurried forward and completed the registration as the crow instructed.

The instant his name was written down, Xu Yuan suddenly felt as though some colossal thing deep within the mountain had stirred, then glanced in this direction. But the sensation lasted only a moment before vanishing without a trace.

When he looked at Bi Qiong, she seemed to have felt the same thing.

Yet the black crow paid them no heed. It merely tossed over two more iron tokens. "These are your identity plaques. Do not lose them, or when the Yin soldiers make their inspections, you will not escape having your skin flayed and bones pulled apart."

Casually uttering such horrifying words, the black crow continued, "Oh, right. With these identity plaques, you may go to the Dharma Repository to receive a basic breathing technique of the sect, and to the Merit Hall to collect this month's provisions."

After giving its instructions, a large door at their side opened.

"Go on."

Xu Yuan paused, then cautiously asked, "Immortal Elder, will accommodations in the mountain be assigned to the two of us?"

"You ignorant little brat who knows neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth—you dare dream of such fine things? Get moving. Do not disturb this Daoist master's cultivation."

There was nothing more to ask. Though Xu Yuan could not understand how asking for a place to live counted as not knowing the height of heaven or the depth of earth. Even down in the mines, they had at least been given a shabby thatched hut.

After offering a salute, Xu Yuan and Bi Qiong left through the side door.

As they walked, both of them felt rather lost. So this was entering an immortal sect? Why was it nothing like they had imagined?

"Don't look at me. I know very little about what goes on inside immortal sects as well. That Rong... my lord only mentioned a few things now and then."

"Then let's go." Xu Yuan sighed, then comforted himself. "Perhaps there will be other arrangements once we get there."

They were still walking along mountain paths. For some reason, after arriving here, both felt that the forests on either side concealed many strange things. Those ancient trees and withered vines seemed alive, watching the two of them with sinister eyes.

The staring made their skin prickle, and they could not help quickening their pace. Before long, they saw ahead an oval light curtain shaped like an egg.

Knowing they had truly reached the core territory of the Hidden Moon Sect, both hung their identity plaques from their waists. Then, with hearts full of excitement and unease, they stepped inside.

What they saw was utterly unlike anything they had imagined.

Xu Yuan looked overhead. There was no immortal aura drifting through the air, no rainbow light radiating in all directions. Instead, crimson-black smoke drifted across the dim sky, obscuring most of the nightscape. Faces seemed to form and dissolve within that black smoke, making for a profoundly bizarre sight.

What lay ahead of Bi Qiong was no better. Chaotic buildings sprawled in disorder, rows upon rows of low wooden houses stretching forward until tall structures could finally be seen far in the distance. Filthy water and blood flowed along both sides of the street, and there was even a huge pile of excrement from some unknown creature.

The hawkers' stalls displayed evil ghost souls, demon beast essence nests, the heartwood of tree demons that had gained sentience—but more often, all manner of human bones and human blood. Beside one stall squatted a bare-chested man with a sign stuck diagonally into his head.

Freshest flesh, blood, and immortal bones. Clearly priced, fair to young and old alike.

As for the customers, every one of them wore grayish-brown Daoist robes. Some had grown extra ears, some were missing eyes; some had cleft mouths and absent noses, protruding fangs, swollen bellies, or many legs. There were all kinds.

Past those vendors, the wooden houses on both sides bore signs such as Blood Hall, cultivator spirit-flesh shops, and medicine-testing recruitment stations. The place was bustling beyond measure.

Yet the one thing missing was the immortal aura the two had sought.

As the two fell silent, someone in the busy market seemed to notice these two "newcomers."

In an instant, several groups of people crowded around them.

"Are you new junior brothers? Interested in learning about the special offer newly launched by our Blood Hall? Sell one portion of blood and receive payment for two, as long as you promise to come sell once every month afterward."

"Selling flesh, Junior Brother? We count seven taels as one jin. One jin earns you three low-grade spirit stones. For such a little bit of flesh and blood, just eat something nourishing and it'll grow back."

"Junior Brother, I can see your body is sturdy enough. Would you like to test medicine at our Medicine Hall? We guarantee it won't kill you. Even if you die, we guarantee full compensation."

All kinds of voices flooded his ears at once. Xu Yuan looked at the eager faces before him and had no idea how to respond. Amid the chaos, he even felt someone's hand reaching toward his **, frightening him into hastily bursting out of the encirclement.

Grabbing Bi Qiong, who was calling for help nearby, the two fled far from that group of "enthusiastic" greeters. Only then did Bi Qiong say to Xu Yuan with a laugh that was more helpless than amused, "Someone just told me to sell myself. They said I could become an immortal courtesan—feel good, earn spirit stones, and even increase my cultivation."

Seeing Bi Qiong's face full of grief and indignation, Xu Yuan pursed his lips and said nothing about how he had nearly been assaulted just now.

After a long while, the two looked at each other, then gave bitter smiles. Why was this Hidden Moon Sect so different from what they had imagined?

Just as each of them was brooding, the black qi in the sky suddenly scattered completely. Then, from somewhere on the street, someone let out a strange cry.

"The moon has risen!"

At that shout, everyone on the street shuddered. Then, with the speed of thunder before one could cover one's ears, they swiftly packed up their things and vanished in every direction.

"What's going on?"

The two of them watched everyone else's actions in bafflement. Wasn't it just the moon rising? Why were they acting as if the sky were falling?

Just as they were guessing what might be wrong, a thick fog suddenly rose from every direction along the long street, blanketing all sides in the blink of an eye.

As the fog was about to swallow the place where Xu Yuan stood, he vaguely caught sight of towering figures within it, striding toward them with heavy steps.

"New here? Hurry up and hide over here!"

A voice came from nearby. The two hurriedly looked around, but found no trace of anyone.

"Under your feet—beneath the house!"

With that reminder, Xu Yuan finally noticed a gap beneath a house some distance away. It was pitch-black inside, and all he could see was a head poking out.

Seeing that Xu Yuan and the other person were still watching, the protruding head flared up. "Are you two tired of living, still standing there gawking? Before the moon even arrives, the ghostly mist of the yin soldiers alone will be enough to make you suffer. Hurry up and crawl in!"