Yin Hu and the girls walked through the bandit town until they were at the same exact spot that started the whole debacle within the broken down base. The same spot they entered through the weird barrier. Same area he had encountered the guards in.

First time he saw Jun. The gang boss and his whirlwind of branches and trees while hovering in the air.

It almost felt nostalgic.

The same guards that had attacked him saw them walk closer. Straightening up quickly. Jun glared in their direction with enough ferocity that he feared she would kill them with her vision alone. A threat of violence that had them unwilling to match her gaze. After all, she was a cultivator. Young maybe, but a cultivator nonetheless.

None of them carried the same hate and anger they had previously. The anguish and trauma had time to settle. No longer a burning hot coal. If anything they looked lost and confused. Unsure whether they should say anything to Yin Hu and the girls as they passed right by them.

Eventually deciding otherwise and acting like they didn't even exist.

Yin Hu shook his head. He looked back towards the overly energetic Shui. Carrying his basic fishing tools. Seven rods, extra string, metal scraps shaped into terrible hooks, and a bunch of worms and bugs a fisherman swore would get him triple the yield if only he paid double.

Jun had jumped out of her shoes when Yin Hu pulled out a gold coin. Jumping to cover his hand before the fishermen saw what he carried with an embarrassed laugh. That conversation had been quick. She tried to pay from her own pockets but he was quick to shoot that down.

What was the point of the super rich and awesome ancestor if the disciples were going to be using their pittance of money to pay for things?

He gently moved her out of the way and gave the old lying man his fair share of coins. Ignoring the sleazy smile, lip licking, bulging eyes when he received a dozen copper coins. Yin Hu had so many of them it would have made multiple mountains.

They picked up the rods and items, Shui demanding she got to carry stuff too, and were well on their way towards the original source of his arrival. The same cave with the twice cursed Koi fish. He would savor eating every single one of the six. Preferably eating the one that attacked him without a moment's pause first.

Wonder if these flimsy and very bendable sticks will be able to hold the Koi fish's weight? Probably snap as soon as they tug once.

Yin Hu had a few super fishing rods within his bag, but they sounded terrifying. Making afraid he might blow up the mountain and cause a cave-in. Trapping himself and the girls in a cave would have been the best case scenario in this situation. Worse case was they were crushed by falling stones and a crumbling mountain above them.

First he would try the rickety fisher sticks with a string attached to them. Hoping it would work. Only if they all snapped would he attempt to use the 'Leviathan's Rod of Ruin and Abject Terror' or the 'Twenty Tentacled Kraken - The Fell Creature'.

Each one promised explosive if not downright disastrous results he had no interest in attempting unless he had no choice.

Yin Hu paused at the barrier. Watching as the translucent thing did not shift at all when the girls passed by it. Like a bubble stretching for a second before snapping back into shape a moment later without fail. But as soon as he stood in front of it, it shimmered and opened up a large gap for him.

He assumed it was something the Gang Boss was doing. Had to be. His name and persona had finally borne fruit for him. A powerful cultivator was giving him respect in the chance that he was exactly who he claimed to be. As powerful as he claimed to be.

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It made him smile something massive. Another sign of his plans showing some form of success rather than the constant failures during the beginning.

"Ancestor?" Shui stood at the tree line, head tilted and a large grin on her face.

Yin Hu stepped past the respectfully opened barrier without hurrying. More intent on sticking to the plan. His persona was finally paying him dividends, best not to mess with the working algorithm he figured out so far. He didn't want unforeseen consequences.

"Still remember the way, Shui?" He asked the little girl, bouncing and skipping next to them.

Hu Shui didn't even attempt to act like all the things she was carrying were heavy. The exact opposite. They looked as light as clouds in her hands. Further proof of the body cleansing process working as the Compendium had said it would.

Shui twirled on one foot. "Yep!"

"Do you now?" Jun said. "Hmm?"

The little girl stumbled forward and almost fell on her face. Catching herself at the last second, but instead spilled the bucket full of worms, insects, and cut up meat, meant as bait, onto the floor. Scattering the still alive insects for a chance at survival in the wild.

Jun shouted and Shui yelled out trying to grab them but stopped right before handling anything. Neither one of them wanted to touch the mess. Their eyes drifted back to him. Begging him to clean up the mess without either one needing to touch the mess.

Yin Hu smiled. With only a wave of his hand everything disappeared. Including the items in Shui's hands.

Shui got up in a hurry and ran ahead to get away from Jun's intense study. She had been dancing around the topic. Unwilling to give Jun what the older girl already knew as though she was still keeping it secret. Jun was content with teasing her.

"Let's hurry," Yin Hu motioned his head towards the direction Shui took. "Before she gets too far ahead."

It took them nearly an hour of trekking at a quick pace to finally reach the clearing he had first stepped into. Everything was the same. Not that it could have changed without outside forces intervening. He was sure no one else knew this place existed other than him and the bubbly Shui. She was currently singing a nursery song about going on trips and eating sweets on an adventure. Dumplings, noodles, and a ton of tea for the parents.

Wonder if I got some tea leaves in my spacial bag.

He sat down on a flat stone directly in front of the cave entrance. Wide enough for him to cross his legs. Giving himself a meditative pose in case he wanted to fake cultivate or find some pseudo enlightenment for the girls. Instead, he was going through his inventory.

Large pots. Fire starter kits he was not going to use unless he wanted to burn the forest. Tea kettles and tea leaves that had some strange names without any indication if they were good or not. How tasty was Jade Spring Tea? How about Jasmine Dancing Leaves? Red Plum Cold Brew Leaves?

Did he just stuff them in the pot with some water and call it finished?

"Jun!" He shouted.

She perked up from her busy work of preparing the baits and the fishing rods for him. Shui had just finished her first one while Jun had already finished four during the time Yin Hu had been searching the rice bag. Dexterity seemed to be her gift rather than strength.

"Come here."

Jun jumped to her feet and leapt to him. Only taking two long strides to reach him and stand at attention.

He pulled out a pot with rice and a kettle with some Dragon's Red Tongue Tea Leaves. Handing them to her. "Fill the pot with water and place it over the fire. I'd like to enjoy some tea too."

The plan was simple. Make her do the basics he didn't really understand. Yin Hu was not a good cook. Only an expert on rice due to necessity and an eon or many eons of time forced to eat nothing but the white grains of miraculous energy and calories.

Jun nodded, taking the pot and running off into the cave.

Maybe I should have warned her about the Koi Fish. Nah, she'll be alright.

He watched her disappear into the cave before finally pulling out his Compendium. Yin Hu needed to make sure of all the tiny details. Perfect their strange Tai chi moves and prepare their meridians for the biggest step of enhancing and purifying their Spiritual Roots.

Each one looked uncomfortable to do, stretching in odd ways. Contorting in even weirder positions—

"Ah!" Shui shouted.

Yin Hu jumped to his feet. Compendium disappearing and DragonWrath replacing it in an instant. He searched for an enemy. Prepared for battle. Rushing faster than he expected to get closer to Shui in case something had attacked her. He found nothing. The forest was quiet, serene. Nothing was obvious to him. Had she seen something he missed or what?

Jun ran out of the cave soaking wet.

Shui was on the floor rolling around like she was on fire. Slapping at her back. Tears in her eyes and rolling down her face.

"What happened?" Yin Hu reached down and held the rolling girl still. Confused.

Jun arrived next to him.

Hu Shui cried. "A bug! A bug crawled down my back!"

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