Master, This Poor Disciple Died Again Today

Chapter 704: False Sun in a False Sky

The sun beamed down. Brilliant blue blazed away, reflecting the suns light into Huis unprotected eyes. Hui resisted the urge to blink, even as his eyes grew itchy. Im a cultivator. I dont need to blink! Those are mere mortal limitations!

Damn, I want to blink, though. Itchy, itchy, itchy!

He waited. Frozen, staring at the sky, he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The hell are we standing around for? I have no problem with committing to the bit or playing dead for an extended period, but seriously, this is taking a long time! Why are we all standing around? Can someone explain? If I understand why were doing this, at least it wont be annoying!

No, no. Dont get impatient, Hui. Theyre freezing for a reason. Trust in playing dead! Survival comes first. Especially in this large, dangerous new realm, survival comes first! I can put up with a little impatience if it means saving my small life.

A hum sounded in the distance, steadily growing louder. Bright gold light began to spread across the sky, more brilliant than the sun. A golden eye slid slowly across the sky, wide-open, gazing down on the village. Gold light so bright it seared away all details beamed down on them, leaving pitch-dark shadows beneath the villagers, casting the rest of the world in sheer white-gold. The hum blared in Huis ears, washing out all sound.

Intense pressure slammed onto Huis shoulders. If not for his crystallized qi, his body would have crumpled. Even then, he fought against the weight, barely remaining upright. Holy shit! Holy shit, thats heavy! Im going to die! Wait, Im already playing dead. If I wasnt playing dead, Id die!

That eye is no joke. That thing its definitely related to the gold arm. The pressure feels almost identical. Besides, how many beings at that powerscale are there?

Hui shivered internally as a terrible thought came to him. Gazing up at the eye, he barely resisted the urge to lick his lips. Not many, right? There cant be many. Please tell me there arent many.

In any case, I think Ive found my adversary. The only question is has my adversary found me? Did I suppress myself enough? Casually, Hui adjusted his qi signature, adapting what little remained uncrystallized to match the fluctuations of the man beside him. Undoubtedly, that being has seen my qi signature before. But maybe it didnt notice me? Maybe it wont notice me. Im in the middle of a busy village. A needle in a veritable haystack.

Wait, let me rephrase that. Dont notice me! Please dont notice me, senpai!

Anyways. All I can do now is stand here and wait. If that eye sees me, Im powerless to escape. I have to believe. Trust in my death-faking. Its taken me this far. Surely it can take me just a little further!

The light faded. The hum quieted. Passing through the sky, the eye moved on.

Sweat dripped down Huis back. Relief flooded him, and at the same time, doubt crept in. Did it see me and choose to move on? Did it truly not see me? A being that powerful I havent even come up with new death faking techniques.

Maybe my death-faking plus needle in a haystack situation is what saved me. The combination of the two. It couldnt easily see me, and on top of that, I disguised myself just enough to pass a casual examination.

And yet, I cant be comfortable like this. I need a way to evade that beings gaze for certain. But what?

All around Hui, the townspeople abruptly jumped back to life. Uncrystallizing his qi, Hui joined them, walking casually away as if he hadnt seen anything just now.

Fake days. That terrifying eye, a false sun watching over them. Whats going on here? Why are they doing any of this? If the eye is in control, why does it want the Immortals living like mortals?

I hoped this freezing thing might give me answers, but all its given me is more questions. How frustrating. Hui shook his head.

Xiao Hui!

He froze, looking over his shoulder. Thats right. I was talking to Jie Xinlei. He smiled and bowed to her. Elder Sister?

Im going to make you my signature chicken today. You can eat it or not, but Ill make it! Once you smell it, youll totally change your mind. I know it! Jie Xinlei proclaimed, putting her hands on her hips and grinning at him.

Hui opened his mouth, then shut it. She wants to do this on her own. This is her pride. Who am I to refuse it? If she wants to make chicken, then let her make chicken. Whether I eat it or not, its more for her than for me, and theres no need to harm her because Im being suspicious.

He nodded and clasped his hands to Jie Xinlei. Then Elder Sister, Ill leave it to you.

She beamed. Wonderful! Just you wait! Pointing her finger at Hui, she ran off, vanishing into the crowd.

I wonder if shes so insistent because today is a fake day? What is a fake day?

He sighed. Too many questions. Without a way to answer them, he wandered on.

For the rest of the day, Hui marked out the boundaries of the village. From the river where hed met Jie Xinlei doing the laundry, to a forest on the far side, from the fencepost down the path into town to a bridge on the way out of it. As long as he stayed within the boundaries, he could move freely. However, at the edges, a firm, invisible wall of force prevented him from leaving.

Pausing at a distant portion of the barrier, Hui tried using death qi on the barrier. The barrier decayed, but only partially, and immediately healed the next instant. Furrowing his brows, he tried rot qi, the void technique, everything he could think of short of overloading the barrier or attempting to override it from within. Nothing worked. No matter what he tried, the barrier simply healed back to full a moment later. Powerful energy emanated from the barrier each time, almost familiar.

Hui put a hand on his chin, troubled. Im really trapped here, then. I could probably figure out how to destroy the barrier if I sunk some time into it, but how long? Days? Months? Years? Theres some strange power on the barrier, something I dont fully comprehend. Ill need to understand that first, and to understand that, Ill need time.

How often does that golden eye sweep this village? How many times will I have to fake death in order to accomplish that? Not that I have any problem with continuing to play dead, but the problem is that I dont know what that eye is looking for. I got lucky last time and it didnt notice me, but is that because I played dead properly, or simply a coincidence of being a needle in a haystack, and getting overlooked?

Nodding to himself, Hui slapped his fist into his hand. In times like these, theres only one thing to do. Continue observing! Gather more data! Once I have sufficient data, then I can act! The first mistake many small cultivators like myself make is acting without enough data. Its easy to mistake a protagonist for a face-slapping villain if one doesnt observe carefully! Instead, through the power of observation, Ill make sure I fully comprehend this situation before I act!

Nodding to himself, Hui turned around and walked back toward the village. Im certainly not just waiting for dinner. Im suspicious of that chicken, not hungry for it.

Immortal-level chicken it must be delicious, though.

Notnot that Im thinking about it! No, no. Escape. Im thinking only of escape, and of the mystery of the false day!

I wonder how juicy Immortal chicken is And she was so confident in her cooking Hui swallowed his drool, wiping his mouth.