Chapter 445: The Secrets of Hul Ping

There was always the possibility that this was some sort of trap, so Kai double-checked the young man's soul again. No trace of a shroud and just Nascent Foundation strength. Probably the sort of cultivator who was the strongest in his village, but utterly outclassed in a larger sect where even Earth Souls served. Since his life had already been spared, there was no point not hearing him out.

"Alright, get up and explain," Kai said.

"I have too much respect for you to do that," Hul Ping said, his face still in the dirt. "You saved my life when I would have thrown it away, and then fought the entire Verdant River sect."

"If you're afraid of me, bowing isn't going to protect you. Come on, get up and tell me why you sought me out."

After several long seconds, the young man slowly rose to his feet. He clasped his hands and gave a smaller bow, as if to make absolutely sure his respect was clear, before he spoke again.

"Everyone else is spreading rumors about you, but I knew they were untrue. I'd always heard what Yul Wei Ren did to every woman in range, and I saw it for myself when he dishonored my sister. You... would never do such a thing, right?"

"I'm married," Kai said, then realized that didn't mean much here. "I'd never violate that oath."

"I knew it!" Hul Ping looked surprisingly enthusiastic, then remembered to lower his head again. "I realize now that I'm not strong enough strike at Yul Wei Ren. My cultivation base isn't even strong enough to help you directly. But... because of you, I am still a member of the sect. I can come and go in their walls and bring you information. Isn't that worth something?"

"Won't they suspect you, when you're the only one who comes back alive?"

"Not if you strike me first. I can be the only survivor, and I can give them false information about your whereabouts. That would help, wouldn't it?"

Kai folded his arms as he stared down at the young man... he seemed earnest, if a little foolhardy. After trying to think about potential pitfalls or traps, Kai decided that he had multiple low risk options. The only question was whether any of them were worth the trouble.

"And what do you get out of all this?" Kai asked.

"I would like to ask for the chance to kill Yul Wei Ren myself, but..." Hul Ping's gaze dropped. "I know that may be impossible. But if my actions lead to his death, that would be enough. You do intend to kill him, right?"

"Most likely. And who do you represent? You said you were a Verdant River sect member, but you never gave me a clan name."

"That is because it was dissolved. My sisters are all dead or claimed by others, so unless I can somehow revive us... our clan is dead. Now I am only Hul Ping."

Realizing that he was actually going to go through this this, Kai gave the young man a closer look. Physically he was unremarkable, similar to many other cultivators except his short hair and ragged cloak. His soul...

<

Name: Clanless Hul Ping

Total Power: 257

Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 19% (209)

Riverbed Stance (+10)

Physique: F-2 (34)

Soul Level: 2 (4)

>

...was actually marginally more interesting than Kai had thought at first. Hul Ping seemed to be stuck at the first hurdle of the Nascent Foundation stage, so not an extraordinary cultivator, and still had F-rank Physique. But he also had an additional component of his soul called the Riverbed Stance. Not particularly powerful, but not many techniques existed at such a low level, so it must be a polished one.

Kai realized with mild amusement that they were both technically at the Nascent Foundation stage. But for once, a cultivator didn't pretend that made them anything like equals.

"If you want to work together," Kai said slowly, "tell me what happened after the attack."

"I'm afraid I don't have much useful information for you there. It was chaos, of course. I considered trying to kill Yul Wei Ren, but even without his main protector, there were too many other guards. So instead I helped maintain order, trying to get closer to him."

"And? Did it accomplish anything?"

"Yes, I was accepted as a personal guard for one of the young masters." Hul Ping gave him another bow. "A lesser sect, to be sure, but it let me get close enough to listen. And several days ago, there was a meeting between the heirs that I think might be useful to you. It was a serious matter, something that one such as I would normally never be allowed to hear."

"Go ahead, then."

"There was an argument between Yul Wei Ren and the one they call the Poison Prince, the young master of the Purple River sect. Of course the Masterful Crown clan has the higher position, but the Poison Prince is a Sky Soul of-"

"I'm familiar."

"Yes, well... I fear I didn't understand everything." Hul Ping swallowed and his gaze shifted away. "They seemed to be arguing about the work of another young master, the heir to the Verdant River sect. Apparently he hadn't done what he was supposed to, or was failing to deliver, or was otherwise inadequate. Both scorned him, but then the Poison Prince suggested that Yul Wei Ren had failed to deliver on some promise as well."

Squabbles between cultivators with thin skins and massive egos were inevitable, but this one sounded like it got at something deeper. These young men were the heirs of their sects or clans, and their meeting at the Verdant River sect wasn't accidental. Kai wished that he knew more about the details of why they met, but let Hul Ping keep speaking.

"They became so angry that the Poison Prince actually hurled a drop of poison at Yul Wei Ren. It was deflected by Grandpa Wan, of course, but Yul Wei Ren began to shout for vengeance. The Poison Prince immediately acted again, beginning to draw on another technique. At that moment the young master of the Coiling Island sect stood up, puncturing his technique as well as stopping Grandpa Wan from attacking.

"This, uh..." Hul Ping had to take a deep breath. "This all takes a long time to describe, but it happened in an instant. Everyone had attacked, but only the strongest knew the full truth, even I barely followed their actions. Xir Xan Khan - that's the last young master - tried to make peace, and eventually Yul Wei Ren stopped demanding that he execute anyone. They went on to pretend as if it hadn't happened."

"But tensions are clearly reaching a boiling point." Kai nodded thoughtfully as he considered what could make these sons of privilege actually fight each other. "And you don't know more about what it was about?"

"I could only guess. They did discuss immortality, so it may be related to their elixirs. Also, the heir to the Verdant River sect's position was much reduced... I am 80% certain that he has done something wrong. The Masterful Crown clan is losing face over it, so much so that they have guests from foreign sects and clans coming to visit."

"And they're all still meeting with one another?"

"Yes. Some call for chasing you down, but they are still meeting. I... could go back and pass information, like I told you earlier."

"Maybe, but not yet." Kai turned away from the young man and gestured into the trees. "You're from around here, right? What do you know about the Redtree sect?"

"It tried to betray the Masterful Crown clan and was destroyed." Hul Ping blinked as if this was minor history, then when he saw Kai was still waiting, stumbled on. "I understand they were fairly powerful, with fire spells that are extraordinary in the Southern Rivers. Not as extraordinary as the Verdant River sect, of course, but they could not be called ordinary. Really, the ordinariness is somewhere between completely ordinary and-"

"I've got it. Could their survivors be banding together? I've been seeing some of them lately."

"I believe their survivors scattered. But their command medallions were very potent, because their patriarch was a craftsman of great strength, and so they are still prized. They are symbols of resistance, for anyone who hates the Verdant River sect. There is a reward for each medallion captured, back at the sect."

So there was a little more to the story than he'd surmised at first. As far as Kai was concerned, that was justification enough to attempt this new strategy.

"You... you are open to my suggestion?" Hul Ping asked nervously. "Please, if you agree, I will do my utmost to help you. I've never seen anyone who could-"

"Yes, we can try this."

"Thank you! If you spare me, I will tell them you are in a completely different-"

"No, actually, you're going to give them accurate information about my current location..."

Kai went on to give Hul Ping some real information about his movements, since that would only strengthen his position as an informant. Of course, Kai would be nowhere near when the next execution squads came, but it was no surprise that he'd move on. As far as he was concerned, if Hul Ping failed or died, there were no losses for him, but if he could actually mislead and bring back information, it would be like having a spy in Yul Wei Ren's inner circle.

Once they had exchanged information, of course, it was time for the last step. Hul Ping squared his shoulders as bravely as he could and closed his eyes. "Then strike me, so they believe that I really survived. Hit me as hard as you can."

"I'm not going to do that, but brace yourself." A full hit would obviously be lethal, but Kai pulled Tyrant's Claw out of his soul and raked it across the young man's chest.

Even though Hul Ping lost a lot of blood, and coughed more from his mouth, he managed to struggle back to his feet with determination in his eyes. Kai formed a Manticore Quill without any poison and shot it through his upper arm, where it pierced flesh and entangled in the cloth, then shot a few holes through his lower robes. By the time he was done, Hul Ping was struggling to stand, and when he collapsed onto a flying sword to float back, he really did look like he'd barely survived.

As Kai watched, he wondered just what might come of this. Potentially nothing, but potentially a new angle on the battle. He'd never imagined that things would develop this way, but would definitely take advantage of it.

Whichever way that went, however, he would remain in the wilds. Kai turned away, planning a visit to the Redtree sect.