Su Yan stared at the crescent spring. The reflection showed the back of a head. When he scratched, it scratched. When he looked up, it looked up.
Yuan Qi slithered to the water's edge. He did not see himself—he saw Su Yan. "A-Ying... are you the great villain?"
Su Yan's voice was barely audible. "I thought I stood with them."
"A-Ying, whichever side you stand on, I stand beside you."
* * *
The ancient corpse of Tian Qingzi stirred. He rose straight up, white brows dragging, empty sockets fixed on Su Yan.
"I kept this body for today!" the dead man roared.
His Xiyi Domain erupted, swallowing Xue Ying'an. Within it, a red-bean spirit plant sprouted in the dried Jade Pool, flooding it with medicinal power. Towers of light ignited. Rivers of qi roared back to life.
Su Yan grabbed Yuan Qi and retreated. "Bell!"
The ancient bell sulked in the dark sea of the Bubbling Spring secret. No response.
Tian Qingzi threw a punch. The air shattered, and Su Yan felt himself dragged toward the fist. He raised the snapped blade and slashed.
Then the old man's power collapsed. The red-bean plant had vanished—Xue Ying'an, thinking only of his immortal fortune, had yanked it from the pool.
The blade swept through. Tian Qingzi's head rolled into the crescent spring, eyes wide with hate.
His headless body knelt before Su Yan, then toppled.
* * *
Xue Ying'an stood frozen, the struggling plant clutched under his arm. Su Yan bowed low. "You saved my life."
"You saved mine first." The youth scratched his head. "Does that make us sworn brothers?"
Su Yan smiled. "It does."
He lit the crescent spring with Pure Yang Fire. The immortal eyes in the water shrieked and leaped out, scurrying across the sand. Su Yan cut them down one by one.
Afterward, he taught Xue Ying'an the spirit-root refinement art. The youth learned quickly, planting the red-bean root in his Jade Pool. Its spiritual light swept clear the hidden traps ahead.
Yuan Qi got beaten black and blue for his envy. The root even struck Su Yan, though its light shattered against his indestructible true spirit.
"I need one too," Su Yan muttered, picking up his body. "My flesh is too weak."