The Guide Always Wants to Run - Chapter 1

On a dark, windy night, it was the perfect time for murder and theft.

The night was unusually quiet. Several figures darted across the sky, faster than any bird hunting in the night. A few birds, startled by the sudden presence, flapped wildly and fell into the underbrush, transforming into human forms as they hit the ground only to transform into human forms the moment they hit the ground.

“That was close. I smell something foul. Evil cultivators.”

“I thought we were dead for sure. Let’s get out of here before they notice us.”

The birds transformed once again, flapping their wings as they flew in the opposite direction.

Moments later, a group of people landed near the patch of grass where the birds had just fled. One of them calculated with a twist of his fingers, his gaze scanning the sky.

“They went east. After them.”

Beneath the night sky, one person soared eastward on a flute, streaking through the air like lightning. Within seconds, she had pulled hundreds of meters ahead, easily losing her pursuers. Qin Xiao looked back at the diminishing figures behind her and scoffed.

“Useless fools.”

When the first golden ray of dawn crept up from the east, it bathed Qin Xiao in light. She looked like a divine being wrapped in celestial grace. Dressed in flowing blue robes, her long hair streamed behind her as she stood with her hands behind her back. Under her feet was not a sword, but a green flute roughly one meter long. It shimmered with gold patterns that flickered in and out of view. Whether it was the sunlight playing tricks or the flute’s hidden magic, it could easily be mistaken for a blade at first glance.

Once she confirmed that those dogged hypocrites had been thrown off her trail, Qin Xiao veered off toward a cliff. Upon landing, she reached into the air and retrieved a palm-sized object from the void.

The item was milky white, round like a disc, with spiral patterns etched into its surface. Staring at it for too long made the eyes swim.

Qin Xiao turned it over in her hands, then held it up to the morning sun. She squinted, fiddling with it this way and that.

“Is this thing… the so-called divine artifact?”

Just as she considered activating it to see what it might do, a rustle reached her ears. It wasn’t just one sound; there were several.

In the span of a few breaths, five figures emerged from their hiding spots, surrounding her from all directions against the cliff’s edge.

“Qin Xiao! You shameless wretch. You dared use such despicable tricks!”

“If you know what’s good for you, hand over the artifact. We might let you live.”

“Qin Xiao!” roared a man with a limp. “We end this here and now.”

Qin Xiao glanced lazily at their lower halves, her tone full of mocking curiosity.

“I thought you all would spend at least an hour in ecstasy. But you… none of you could perform?”

The group exchanged awkward glances and turned their eyes away, shame burning in their cheeks. One of them, anger overtaking his embarrassment, shouted, “You demonic cultivator! Hand over the artifact, or we won’t even leave a complete corpse!”

Qin Xiao gave a disdainful laugh. She extended her hand, and the green flute appeared in her grip. Lifting it to her lips, she smirked.

“Wanna try again?”

The group instinctively stepped back, their eyes filled with caution.

“Qin Xiao, don’t think that just because you have the Dreambringer Gentleman’s Flute, you can do whatever you please. We… we’re not afraid of you!”

She understood these despicable scoundrels well enough. On any other day, they would’ve turned tail the moment they saw her. Especially after being entranced by illusions and made to experience fake intimacy. Squinting at the expressions on their faces, she suddenly laughed. With a flick of her wrist, another disc-like object appeared in her hand.

“You’re after this, aren’t you?”

The appearance of the artifact had shaken the entire cultivation world. Many had fought for it, only to be defeated by Qin Xiao and her Dreambringer Flute. Every one of them ended up trapped in illusions, wrapped in lewd dreams they didn’t understand.

The five exchanged quick glances, then nodded.

“Yes. Just be smart and hand it over.”

Qin Xiao gave them a troubled look.

“I could give it to you… but there’s one condition.”

The five faces lit up with hope, which quickly turned to suspicion.

“You’re a demonic cultivator, and you think you can negotiate with us? What if the righteous sects catch up to you? They won’t be nearly as kind.”

Qin Xiao stepped back.

“Say one more word and I’ll destroy it.”

The five froze. They seemed to forget that the artifact wasn’t so easily destroyed.

Her eyes turned icy as she focused on the limping man.

“I have a grudge with Qi Xuan. If you kill him for me, the artifact is yours.”

Qi Xuan noticed the other four glancing his way and panicked.

“Don’t fall for her lies! She wants to divide us and pick us off one by one. First me, then you!”

“Qin Xiao, you black-hearted vixen! All I wanted was to borrow your cauldron for a while. It’s not my fault your cauldron got herself killed. I can even find you another one!”

Her eyes turned red. Her grip on the artifact tightened. Rage twisted through her.

“So none of you want the artifact after all?”

A puff of white mist escaped from the artifact. It began to glow softly, the light expanding until it nearly enveloped her.

“Wait! Let’s talk!”

Qin Xiao had been chasing Qi Xuan for a long time. Last time, she had only managed to break one of his legs. Now, her lips curled into a smile.

“Qi Xuan. You made your worst mistake when you touched my cauldron.”

Her cauldron had been gentle, kind, and thoughtful. She had known what she was and stayed by her side willingly. Qin Xiao had believed she would stay until her tribulation, perhaps even forever, until that accident changed everything.

She had been so proud, so stubborn. She hadn’t even waited for her to come. She had chosen death.

Thud.

One after another, blades pierced Qi Xuan’s body. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at the weapons stabbing through him from behind. Even in death, he could not believe he had been killed by his own sworn brothers.

Qin Xiao watched him collapse. Her mood, dark and restless for so long, felt a little lighter.

The artifact returned to normal, the glow vanishing as if it had never existed.

Unbeknownst to her, the spiral patterns on its surface began to rotate slowly. First in circles, then faster and faster, like ripples in water.

The four remaining men looked at the corpse, then at each other. Guiltily, they averted their eyes and wiped their hands.

“Qin Xiao. Qi Xuan is dead. You should keep your word and hand over the artifact.”

She smiled like a blooming flower.

“Didn’t you say I’m a demonic cultivator? If I am, why would I keep my word? This artifact… I still have use for it.”

If the rumors were true, she could follow the trace and find her cauldron again.

With a flick of her wrist, the twenty-centimeter flute stretched to over a meter. She leapt onto it and shot off into the sky.

“Not playing with you anymore.”

The four gaped and quickly summoned their weapons, giving chase.

“She tricked us!”

They clashed mid-air, spells flaring.

Qin Xiao held the artifact in one hand and drew out a giant ruler with the other. A single swing churned the sky, rumbled thunder, and shifted the heavens. The bright morning sky turned pitch black, thunder rolling and lightning cracking. It felt like the world itself had turned upside down.

Two strikes from the giant ruler nearly knocked the four off their flying swords.

“What’s going on? Who summoned thunder?”

“Someone’s undergoing a tribulation!”

“Something’s wrong. Let’s get out of here!”

When the sky turned dark and lightning began to fall, any cultivator with sense knew to run. Lightning tribulations were dangerous. Surviving one was never guaranteed.

The four exchanged a look and scattered in different directions.

Qin Xiao stared at the sky, then at the glowing giant ruler in her hand.

“How odd. You’ve never summoned thunder before.”

She tossed the ruler back into her spatial pouch.

Two steps later, lightning struck less than a meter in front of her. She had no time to draw her weapon. Thunder roared in her ears, silver bolts crackled and danced around her, darting like mischievous children. They circled her, forming a prison of sparks.

Strange. It’s not time for my tribulation yet.

She calculated with her fingers. The numbers didn’t add up.

Just then, the artifact trembled in her hand, nearly escaping her grip. She tightened her hold. White mist spilled from its edges like fog. At its center, the spiral spun wildly. An unseen force lifted her into the air, carrying her toward the storm’s eye.

She grabbed her Dreambringer Flute in one hand and tried to fling the artifact away with the other, but her palm stuck to it as though fused. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t come off.

A blinding white light flashed. For a moment, she saw the sky split open above her. The light vanished into a swirling vortex that spun like a black hole.

BOOM—

Lightning lit the sky. Qin Xiao barely caught a glimpse of a massive creature hurtling toward her. She had no time to dodge. The beast collided with her, sending her hurtling into the swirling darkness.

In a flash, Qin Xiao and the artifact that had thrown the cultivation world into chaos vanished into the void.