Master, This Poor Disciple Died Again Today

Chapter 37: Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Other Simple Commands

Chapter 37: Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Other Simple Commands

Xue leaped, straight up. The ceiling hurtled down at them. Hui braced, flattening himself over Xues shoulder as much as possible. Xues head smashed into the ceiling with a resounding crack. They hung there, dangling from the ceiling.

Hui grimaced, then cautiously peered up. Did he kill himself?

Xues head stuck half-through the flint, his body held up by the upper half of his head. Xue growled gently, almost to himself.

Er, lets, lets get down from here, Hui muttered.

Xue smashed the ceiling with his hand. They landed on the stairs with a jolt. Xue stumbled and fell. Awkwardly, he plopped down on the stairs. Hui took the blow on his rear. He winced, legs trapped under Xue.

I found him! I found him, one of the triplets shouted.

Xue, run! Hui urged.

Lying on the floor, Xues legs pumped.

Hui clasped a hand to his face. Did you get stupider? Whats happening?Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only

Xue offered no response. His limbs smacked repeatedly against the floor and stairs.

Stand up, Xue! Turn right! Run!

Xue grappled at the floor. With some effort, he got his feet under himself and stood, turned, and ran, as Hui commanded.

At least hes got a hardy fourth-stage body, though my poor little butt isnt nearly as powerful, Hui thought, annoyed.

Behind them, the three triplets scrambled over the slate floor.

There the furnace is!

Get him!

Black rabbit?

Despite Xues best speed, the triplets rapidly caught up to them. Hui frowned. He should have bodily strength at the fourth-stage, so why

Right, the rope! His gait is strange because of the curse, and he uses the rope to hide it. Besides, ghoul-him wont have access to his movement technique. If theres one thing hed be, its slow!

I guess we have to stand and fight, huh? Hui muttered. He chewed his lip, thinking. Im not great at fighting. Id rather run away or play dead. I have Xue, but like he said, he has all the weaknesses of a ghoul, and the Mysterious Forest Sect came equipped to kill ghouls. Unlike those two idiots earlier, these three are masters at working together. They dont seem to have recognized mewell, I am disguisedbut Im only second-stage. Well momentarily have the element of surprise when I direct Xues attacks or make my own first attack, but that will only last so long, and I dont have a technique thats a sure-kill for third-stage cultivators. No, I dont fancy our odds.

He glanced up. I guess we could keep jumping up? But I feel as though we arent making any progress. Were running around this castle, but why does it feel like were running in place?

Wait! He turned to his right, toward the center. Were running around the castle but why is it taking so long?

Hui slapped Xues shoulder. Go inward, toward the center of the castle!

Xue darted into the next room. A wall rushed up at them.

As I suspected! The inner rooms are shallow. Theres a space in the heart of the castle! Xue, smash through that wall!

Raising his fist, Xue punched the wall. Fragments of flint flew at them. Hui ducked, huddling over Xues shoulder.

They burst through into cavernous darkness. An open space spread around them, extending before them in all directions.

Xue, go inside, Hui whispered.

Xue leaped. They dropped into pitch black. Hui held his breath, weightless. Five seconds. Ten.

They struck the ground with a thump-thump-thump, Xues rope striking between his feet. Black walls raised around them, ascending to the heavens. High above, the ceiling vanished into the darkness. The light spilling in from the hole Xue had punched lacked strength to light the far wall, let alone the ceiling. Except for that light, the room was pitch.

Xue, walk, Hui whispered.

Xue stepped forward. To his left, a brazier sparked alight. Hui snapped to face it, startled. The brazier sat atop a flint plinth, the bowl carved from translucent, almost smoky gray flint. An identical brazier lit to their right, and he snapped around the other way.

Mindless of the light, Xue strod forward. Braziers on plinths lit as he and Xue passed them. The braziers fires lit the room, revealing a space almost too massive to fit inside the castle. Bricks of flint lined the path underfoot, glittering with golden pyrite. Beyond the braziers, smooth flint stretched to the wall. Half-finished statues of birds lined the distant walls, their bottom halves dissolving into whirls carved into stone, heads cocked back, necks twisted at impossible angles. Somewhere between beautiful and hideous, their stone eyes watched Xue and Hui as they walked past, flickering firelight almost lending them life.

Ahead, at the end of the path, a flint altar stood. Rising from its rear, a bird carved from the altar struggled to free itself from the flint, its wings featherless and bound to the altar, back half bleeding into the stone.

The altar itself stood empty. Hui frowned. Did someone already loot this hidden realm and take the treasure?

Here he is!

Wait, whats this?

Did we find the artifact? Is this it? The treasure of this realm?

Sorry, ancestor, but theres an entire sect treating your failure as a treasured realm, Hui replied, twisting his lips.

However this altar does not revive, nor allow someone to return to life. Instead, the altar, and the entire spell array I built into this space, raise the dead to unlife.

I should destroy it, but I can feel that I am close to discovering the secret. If I can unlock the secret, then this altar will revive anyone below fifth stage to true life. If I do not manage to unlock the secret, and this message remains, then I leave this altar, and this realm, to you in the far future who inherits it and unlocks the secret to its true abilities. Ah, but I dont want any of my enemies to get their hands on it

There was a pause. Hui looked around him, investigating the space, but found no hints. Blackness pressed on his eyes, thick and heavy. No sign of walls, nor a ceiling, nor a floor presented themselves. His feet dangled in space, but he didnt fall. He tried to lift his hand off the altar, but couldnt budge his grip.

A snap resounded in the silence. Oh! I know! Ill restrict the level of visitors. No one above the third stage. That way, even if they hate me, theyll be too weak to use this altar to hurt me. Ah, I knew it. Im a genius.

Then, to you to whom the threads of karma extend, I gift you my work and my legacy.

What legacy! Youre throwing your trash at me and hoping I finish it for you! Hui shouted into the void. All youre doing is giving me work! This isnt a gift at all!

It isnt trash, the voice replied, reproachful.

Hui covered his mouth and cowered. Oh shit! I didnt think he could hear!

Hmm I dont know why, but I felt like you might have said that, o inheritor of mine. This is merely a recording, however, so have no fear, and listen. There is knowledge of the laws of life and death locked in this altar. At your low realm, you may not be able to sense it yet, let alone comprehend it, but if karma has led you to me, and our paths were meant to cross, then these laws will be of great use to you in the future.

Laws of life and death? Hui frowned and sent his qi into the altar.

Something great and incomprehensible welled up at his quest. He felt the largeness of it, the shape of it. It tickled at his mind, something he could not yet understand but wanted to. If I could understand it, Id break through. That certainty rolled in his mind. Desperately, he memorized the feeling of it, the odd sensation of the laws pressing against his consciousness. Maybe, later, I can

Fire filled his vision. Hui stared, startled.

Ah! That ghoul is back!

Kill him. We dont need another ghoul.

Gross, uglys here.

He talked. Is he an undead cultivator?

Does it matter? He deserves death even more so, then.

Kill, kill!

Hui dropped below the altar. Fire rushed over him, scorching past the sides of the altar.

Im back? Where did I go? Hui wondered. That space what was it?

From this altar, you have limited control of the secret realm, the voice continued, fading away into echoes. This entire realm is a spell array, so please handle it with care.

Xue darted beside him. Down his side, his skin crisped to almost black, and his clothes and hair bore singe marks. The ghoul looked at him, waiting for a command.

Eh? Xuewait. I told him to come to me. Its only been moments. It felt much longer, but not much time has passed in the real world.

Hui bit his lip. He glanced at the altar, then pressed his hand against it again. Expel everyone but me and Xue!

Insufficient authority,a cool female voice replied.

What can I do? he asked the altar.

No reply.

Argh! Of course it wouldnt be that useful!

The triplets darted in. They stood over him, crowding around the far side of the altar. One reached out his hand and patted down the slate, the same as Hui had done.

Empty?

Its already been stolen.

No treasure for us.

As one, they turned toward Xue.

Huis stomach sunk. Oh no.

Lets not be hasty.

Theres still the furnace.

Treasure!