QT: Don't fall in love with the Male Lead
Chapter 200: Don't walk into the enemy's den

Years pass.

Xi Zirui survives by doing jobs for humans. The kind of jobs no one else will do, at least not at the prices he charges.

Whenever someone wants to get rid of someone they know how to find him -- and that Xi Zirui never says no to a job.

Whether it's children, women, entire families; he'll wipe everyone out.

He has no mercy for humans because they wouldn't have any mercy for him.

The only human he has ever loved is long gone, and no one showed her mercy either. He imagines the face of the haughty cultivator over the ones of every person he kills.

Not for any sentimental reasons, not because it makes him feel better about the task at hand, but because he wants to keep his face fresh in his mind.

He hasn't forgotten the promise he made in front of Tuya's grave.

Years pass, he grows from a scrawny child into a gangly teenager, and then he starts getting other kinds of proposals.

Men and women come to him offering him profitable employment opportunities in their bustling brothels. Xi Zirui usually threatens to divorce their head from their shoulders, so it's a proposition he only hears once from each person.

He knows if he would let them, that's all the humans would see him as.

To them, a spirit fox is only worth something dead or on its back.

No one knows who he is, but sometimes those humans' eyes grow so round with greed that he worries they can see right through his disguise.

Time passes.

When he grows from a gangly teenage into a tall young man, the offers triple and Xi Zirui's patience thins.

He knows he's ready. All this time he has been honing his martial arts skill, practicing all the fundamentals Tuya thought him, and then whatever he managed to pick up on his journeys.

He's ready to make his move against his enemies.

He knows that the cultivators who attacked him that day belong to the Heavenly Dragon sect, an old sect that has its grounds suspended over a lake on a valley between two mountains.

In the years he has been wondering around Jianghu(1), Xi Zirui has collected all the information he can about them.

Which is how he knows that every few years they host open trials for wandering martial artists who would like to prove their mettle and join their ranks.

On a bright spring day, Xi Zirui collects all his meager possessions and heads towards Heavenly Dragon valley.

It's time he meets his fate.

---

He expected there to be a lot of hopeful young men and woman hoping to join the sect, but he isn't prepared for the sheer size of the crowd that gathers outside of Heavenly Dragon's gates, waiting to hear their instructions.

When the announcement comes Xi Zirui almost scoffs.

A self-important man, standing on top of the wall, shouts down at the gathered martial artists, as if they are all below his notice. "All those who manage to bring us the most spirit creatures from around the valley and the mountains, will be awarded the chance to be tested by one of our sect masters."

It's utterly predictable, and it makes Xi Zirui's blood boil.

Larger creatures, more powerful, like dragons, phoenixes, qilins and the lot have long disappeared -- hunted to extinction, Xi Zirui suspects.

But beings like him, and whatever animals manage to cultivate a human form are still around -- and free game.

Xi Zirui has no interest in killing any of them.

So his strategy is a simple one. He tracks and shadows the cultivators who seem more adept, following them through the woods unnoticed, and when they have a sizeable amount of kills under their belts he ambushes and kills them -- stealing their prey, after a short, remorseful prayer to the creatures he can't help but think of as his cousins.

He does this three times, until he's sure no one has a bigger catch than him, and that no one will be able to find the bodies of the cultivators he attacked.

After six hours of hunt, everyone returns to Heavenly Dragon sect gates to present their kills.

Xi Zirui is by far and away the victor, drawing the jealous eye of many participants.

They let him walk into the sect grounds first, like ignorant farmers opening the hen house to the wolf.

---

Heavenly Dragon's masters all seem bored about the proceedings.

They're seated behind a long table, wearing pale coloured light robes, as a concession to the mild spring heat, and glittering hair crowns.

Xi Zirui's eyes immediately drift towards the man seating at the center of the table, the man whose cold gaze he will never forget. His heavy-lidded eyes pass over Xi Zirui without a spark of recognition.

Xi Zirui has to school his features not to smile.

He can't believe he's finally here.

Each master has behind them an orderly line of disciples. All of them looking on with interest at the proceedings. Only one young man has no one standing behind him, he's clearly the youngest master of them all.

Someone catches Xi Zirui's eyes, a young man, a few years younger than him, standing behind the man in the center. Xi Zirui recognizes him as the boy who helped him get away in the alley behind the inn.

Now that he's older all the baby fat has melted away from his cheeks, making his features look sharp and chiseled. His eyes, which used to look so wide-eyed and innocent, now sparkle with poorly hidden mischief.

He winks when he catches Xi Zirui looking at him, who promptly turns away with a scowl.

After all the participants have been selected, the man in the middle raises from his seat and raises a porcelain cup to everyone gathered in front of him.

"Congratulations to you all for making it this far." He takes a sip of his wine. "And an anticipated farewell to all those who will make it no further."

---

They are pitted against each other in rounds of combat meant to highlight their martial arts and cultivation prowess.

Xi Zirui has an unfair advantage due to being a fox, he's faster and has better vision than most, even when using his abilities at their minimum not to draw too much attention to himself.

He has an easy time getting rid of his competition. His light-stepping is clearly superior, and so are his sword forms and hand to hand combat.

In the end, he is the clear winner of the makeshift tournament, but all those who end up ranking in the Top 10 are offered a place in Heavenly Dragon sect.

Xi Zirui goes last, on account of having taken first place.

Unlike with the other competitors, all masters stand up when it's time to entice him to become their disciple.

Including the man in the middle.

Each master introduces themselves, clarifies their preferred technique and their achievements and that of their students.

When it comes to the turn of the man in the middle, he smirks mildly, and says only, "I am Heavenly Dragon's sect leader and its most accomplished grandmaster in three generations." He waves behind himself to indicate the large number of disciples behind him, which far surpasses that of the other masters. "My disciples can attest to that."

Xi Zirui nods politely, as he did for all other masters.

When it comes to the last master's turn he coughs awkwardly and spares Xi Zirui an apologetic smile. He has offered each competitor a chance to be his disciple, but no one has taken him up on it.

He tells Xi Zirui the same thing he told everyone else, "I just became a master this year, and as you can see have no disciples, yet. However, I'm happy to teach you everything I know in the way that best fits your skills."

Xi Zirui nods and takes a step forward. "Then please accept this humble one as your disciple." He bows deeply to the youngest man. Who will be his shizun, from now on.

The silence that falls after his words is deafening.

---

Despite their shock, no one tries to stop Xi Zirui from becoming the disciple of the least experienced master, and he's allowed to kneel at his feet, recite his vows and serve him tea like all other disciples.

His shizun's name is Su Xueyi, and Xi Zirui is going to be his first disciple, all disciples his shizun takes after him, regardless of their age, will defer to him -- call him dashixiong(1) and respect him as a senior.

Which is exactly why Xi Zirui chose Su Xueyi has a shizun. He's the one who'll afford him the most authority inside Heavenly Dragon from the get go.

Of course, no one else seems to realize that, most people just shake their head at him as if he's squandering his great potential.

The boy who helped him is giving him a long appraising look. Xi Zirui tenses for a moment, when he sees him approach, but has fully relaxed and adopted a neutral posture by the time he reaches him.

"I'm Han Yu," he says, introducing himself with a smirk. "And you're the most interesting thing to happen to this sect in years."

Xi Zirui returns the smirk, despite himself. "On that, we agree."

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