Chương 1: Three Flowers

Snow fell gently outside the window, while Pef was tapping on the side of his laptop, waiting for the steganogram to unfold. He was hoping the 10 Bitcoins he kept from his early mining days would be worth it. The Tao was the dream of every hacker on the planet, and by the samples presented by the Kaspersky team, it would be worth a million Bitcoins, if not more. Access to any database, any server in the world... no more need to eat dry noodles.

The blue lotus flower picture contained gigabytes of highly encrypted code, far more than its modest JPEG size indicated. He glanced by habit at the corner screen, linked to his digicam watching the backyard. Clear picture, the courtyard was well illuminated with blue and yellow lights... and yet no snow. He was fucked. Of course, they tracked him. The Tao was too powerful. Well, maybe there was a chance... he ran to the attic stairs and climbed the old wooden stairs. His bug-out backpack was ready, of course.

Carefully, he opened the attic window and cautiously drew the backpack over the phone line. And zip-line out of here! Halfway over the courtyard, the lights went out, and a red dot appeared on his chest. He let go and dropped towards the ground, but it was too late. A red flower bloomed, and his heart exploded as a. 303 bullet passed through. The red flower at his back was similar, if much larger. On the laptop's monitor a blue flower unfolded.

Tian Wushang, the half-step Immortal Emperor gazed at the Forbidden Abyss, its dark depths promising death and worse. In his hand, the blue flower of the Immortal Bodhi Lotus glinted with falling snowflakes. Behind him, 13 Quasi-Emperors drew deep breaths, and circulated their qi to close deep sword wounds. They didn't escape their treason unwounded.

"You have fought bravely, Tian. But it's time to accept the truth. There's nowhere else to go. Give us the Bodhi Lotus, and you can die with an intact body." his best friend proposed in a kind voice. Damn traitor! Tian sighed. His qi was drained, his meridians ruptured. He could perhaps strike once more, then it was over. His enemies knew that too, keeping their distance as to avoid being the unlucky sacrifice. Tian ignored them, and looked down again. The Abyss looked back, deep into his soul.

He would die either way, but perhaps... he jumped. Midair, he was struck by 13 quintessence sword intents, and his body split into a red flower, while in the middle, only the blue Bodhi Lotus remained, Immortal and indestructible. His blood splattered over the blue petals, then the Abyss disintegrated his body and soul. The lotus fell deeper, until much later it reached the Black River and began floating down the current.

A wooden sword bonked me on the head, and in front of me a cute girl, wearing blue robes with a lotus symbol on the left side, looked at me in concern.

"Pef Tian! Did I hit you too hard?" she asked in concern. I blinked away the fog, as three sets of memories struggled for supremacy inside my mind. Pef, Tian and Pef Tian... who was I? I sat down in the middle of the training arena, trying to make sense of my life. Pef Tian was a 6th level Qi Gathering cultivator of the Blue Lotus Sect. Barely above a mortal in power levels. Tian instead...

he was a supreme powerhouse, just a level beneath the top of the world, which he might have reached with that lotus flower, if he wasn't betrayed. And lastly, Pef... a scumbag hacker, always on the run from his disgruntled clients or victims. Often both. He had also almost reached the pinnacle, touched the Tao and died for it. Cryptological weapons, strategic value. One does not play with that and live to tell the tale. He was the perfect example...

A pair of green eyes appeared in front of him, as Qin Lin seemed quite worried about her childhood friend.

"Peffy... I'm sorry. You can touch my boob if it makes you feel better..." she offered and placed my hand on her chest. Hmmm. D size already, quite impressive for a 16 years old.

"I do feel a bit better. Maybe if I touched the other too?" I quipped and dodged her annoyed slap.

"You bully! Abusing such a pure flower like me..." Lin complained in a low voice, as if she didn't enjoy being bullied once in a while. Too bad she failed her Foundation Establishment and died before her 19th birthday. I blinked and hugged my friend.

"I'm better. But you're not. Lin, I don't want you to die so young!" I muttered as tears filled my eyes.

"Idiot! I'm young and healthy. Why would I die?" she wondered in innocence. Tian remembered though. He had lived this life before. His regret brought him back, not exactly the same, but similar. Too bad there were two other flowers in this body now. What a mess...

"I remembered the next 5 years. You failed your Foundation." I whispered in Qin Lin's ear, and she trembled for some reason.

"I didn't hit you that hard, moron! Barely a bump." Lin argued and poked the egg growing above my forehead. I gently drew back and kissed her rosy lips. Lin struggled for a second, then sighed and embraced me back. We kissed for a long minute, then she poked my inflated head again.

"What else do you remember?" she asked in a serious voice. I looked around. The training field was empty, but the senses of a Nascent Soul cultivator covered the entire sect with ease.

"Not much, but enough. We have to find Elder Sister Jin Shuang." I said in a more resolute voice. I had the beginning of a plan in mind, but first I needed a Formation to cover my cultivation yard. Lin took my hand, and eyed me with a worried glance.

"Your eyes are still blurry, Brother Pef. Medicine Hall first!" she decided and dragged me towards that building. Memories began to set, as familiar places and people gained names and descriptions as we walked. Customs as well, since an Outer Disciple like myself had to be careful not to offend a higher realm. The yellow robes of the Foundation cultivators were the first sign, while the green robes of the Core Elders were a deadly threat.

As for the white robes of the three Nascent Soul Venerables, they were impressive indeed... but they all died in 3 minutes when the Blood Pact cultivators attacked in 5 years. Only the few of us inside the Sect Library got out with the Thousand Li Gate, a rather simple teleport formation available to poor sects. Part of me, the original perhaps, rebelled at the thought of calling the Blue Lotus a poor sect, but it was true. Tian had seen so much better, it was unbelievable.

Crossing continents in a single step wasn't even that hard. Pef kept looking around for communication talismans and jade tablets, no doubt attempting to resume his hacking career in this new world. But what about me? These three flowers in my mind... they were all dead. A bit later I sat on a medical bed and had an old disciple in yellow robes poke me in the head again.

"I see. Someone has a big bubu.." he muttered in a disgusted voice, since I wasn't gored by a wild beast. A minute later, I was kicked out... literally. My head felt good, and instead I scraped my hands and knees from the friction. And my ass hurt. Damn this cultivation world! What's wrong with saying "Thanks, old man!" The guy was over 200 years old... Luckily, my palms got scabbed by the time we reached the Formation Hall. Showing up with bleeding hands might be a bad form mistake.

"We are looking for Elder Sister Jin Shuang!" Lin announced the disciple guarding the door. The man ignored her, since he wasn't paid to carry messages. He was a guard. I sighed and took out a small bit of silver from my pocket, and shook hands with the brave guard.

"I'll go call the Elder Sister." the man announced in a happy voice, while Lin stared in confusion.

"Money is the lubricant of the world, Junior Sister. Among other things." I advised her in a wise tone. Qin Lin thought deeply for a minute, then blushed and punched me in the shoulder. At least she's not stupid... just a bit slow. A minute later, a tall woman with legs longer than mine came out, and I know because her yellow robes had slits at the sides to show off her legs. Nice view! Elder Sister Jin Shuang also died 5 years later, but it took her much longer... and it wasn't a happy death.

Women tended to be abused a bit more, for some reason.

"What is it, juniors?" she asked with a bored voice.

"I want a Concealment Formation around my courtyard, big sister!" I proclaimed in a brave voice. Elder Sister Jin Shuang frowned for a second, then glanced at Qin Lin and smiled.

"I see. You are that age, after all..." she understood and winked at me in fake secrecy. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Qin Lin took a bit longer to understand, then blushed and turned around. Elder Sister Jin Shuang bumped my shoulder and held her thumb up for good luck.

Then we went to my courtyard and let the Elder Sister do her Formation magic, placing spirit stones and flags in a protective array that should conceal my activities from bored old men who lacked internet to watch porn.

"If the Venerables insist, the Formation will shatter, just so you know. I can't truly block a Nascent Soul. Not yet." Elder Sister Jin Shuang said while sipping tea, and her other hand tapped the table for payment. I was of course too poor to pay for such a Formation right now. In cash, I mean. I had other things of value. I tapped my forehead, where the big bubu had come and gone.

"I wanted this Formation so I could speak with you freely, Sister Jin. Due to an accident, I remembered the next 5 years. Your death was not pretty." Lin sighed and poured us more tea. It would be a long talk, but it had to be done. And since Jin and I had been romantically involved after Lin had died 3 years later, I knew pretty much all about her. Elder Sister Jin Shuang listened to my story with a calm face, although I already knew what was in her heart. She didn't want to die, and especially not that way.

However, demonic cultivators were people too, and had needs. Base needs, but needs all the same. And our sect had too few pretty women for so many attackers, so they shared...

"The tea has turned bitter..." Jin whispered as my story ended. Lin was quite pale, although her role in the story was less important, merely setting me up for another relation after she died.

"The good news is, I also remember how to reach Core Realm. It won't be easy, and we may need your help in the first year... but after we are all three in Foundation realm, we can go find the resources." I added as a sweet cherry on top. Lin nodded eagerly, since my plan was indeed much better than dying.

"So, in three years we become lovers, you and I?" Sister Jin asked in a curious tone.

"... Mostly by accident, to be fair. We went inside the Steep Yellow Canyon to find blue ganoderma for a sect mission. And you extracted the beast core from a Yellow Lizard Beast, only it was not the core." I said with a grimace. Lin smiled and raised a hand.

"The round ball under the tail is the aphrodisiac gland... errr. I do study to become an alchemist." Me and Sister Jin smiled at each other in an awkward grin.

"I can see that. And then you had to be responsible, and we stayed together, for two more years..." I nodded for a second, then stopped.

"Sister Lina Mu from the Library joined us a year later. We were researching old rituals for a sect mission... and you uttered the forbidden words out loud. The Yin-Yang Formation activated, then our blood got hot and well... it's not bad with three people either." I muttered while my neck turned red and I began to sweat as both girls stared at me.

"Sister Jin... your life seems quite exciting." Lin offered in a timid voice. She laughed and drank more tea.

"At least we have the Formation to cover up my mistakes." I held up a finger.

"Don't call them mistakes, Sister Jin. You and Lina became good friends, and she missed you greatly after we escaped the attack. There's a teleport formation in the Library, but well... you didn't make it." I said in a softer voice.

"Are you going to invite Elder Sister Lina and share this story too?" Qin Lin asked as the conversation changed tone.

"Well... you two died, so you don't lose anything if your lives are changed. Lina joined the Frozen Pavilion, severed her emotions to forget the pain... she might want the same in this life." I said in a sad voice. Sister Jin tapped the tea table, eyes closed in deep thought.

"Brother Pef is right. We should struggle to reach Core Realm first. Without power, our lives may still end too soon."

"We'll talk tomorrow, Sister Jin. Me and Lin have youthful energy to spend... thus the Concealment Formation." I pointed out with a smile. The Elder Sister grinned, then leaned and whispered some advice to her junior. Lin blushed like the sun while Sister Jin rode her sword away, giggling like a child. Lin drew close, and kissed me for a minute.

"She said it tastes bitter at first, but it gets better." she whispered while untying my robes. Pef Tian had almost no experience with women, beside teasing his friend, or sneaking to watch the sect sisters bathe... Qin Lin also had no experience, beside being bullied by her best friend. However, Tian and Pef had plenty of experience, mostly since Tian had lived over 50000 years and had tasted the dew of many pretty flowers, while Pef had watched perhaps too many hentai anime.

This once, the three flowers were of one mind, and decided to make Qin Lin's first time a wonderful experience. She learned well, and got over the bitter taste. By morning, Qin Lin got brave enough to taste it again, then fell asleep on the job. I smiled, and placed my hands beneath my head, staring at the ceiling of my pitiful cultivator abode.

Tian got working at repairing my cultivation method and clearing my meridians of impurities and other gunk, although it would take months to create a perfect cultivation vessel. My meager qi was not enough, and would also need supplements, hopefully a precious herb or spiritual fruit, but not a strong one. A high level fruit could simply burn my meridians with too much energy. Sigh. All this priceless knowledge in my head, and I was still too weak.

My hacker mind wanted to scout, find a merchant or auction house and start trading... scamming people. We might do that later. Becoming an Immortal Emperor was incredibly expensive, so much so that the largest sects or the Imperial Dynasty failed to cultivate one in ages. Tian knew of old legends, Immortals who supposedly Ascended beyond this mortal coil, and the Bodhi Lotus should still be there.

Our own fate was probably tied to the Bodhi Dao as well, since all three of us had a blue lotus as their last sight before death. I kept my breathing soft, and circulated my qi according to the Blue Lotus Sutra that all Outer Disciples got when joining the sect. Click. Tian found a misplaced node and corrected the cycle, improving the cultivation ease by a few percents. Then one more. And more... A tingle chime in my ear announced Sister Jin entering my courtyard, with a wooden box smelling delicious.

Ah, a Whisper Chime array. Advanced stuff, mostly used by Core cultivators. But Jin was pretty good at her Formations. Tian also knew how to make her much better, but he was burned... and died for it. Only when Jin proved herself... so in 5 years or more.

"Brother Pef, wake up! Are you decent?" she asked, while hesitating outside the door. I glanced down, where Qin Lin was holding my dick in her mouth like a pacifier.

"I am decent, yes" I declared with a grin. Sister Jin entered and glared at me.

"Your junior sister, on the other hand..." I continued in a careless voice.

"Why did I suspect this would happen?" Jin muttered while setting our breakfast on the tea table. I plugged Lin's mouth with my thumb and extracted my dick, then dressed myself, all while holding Lin pacified with my thumb.

"You're doing this on purpose, right?" Jin guessed at random, while sneaking a peak at my naked ass.

"And who instructed Qin Lin to taste it? Any idea, big sister?" I argued rhetorically.

"... Come and eat while it's hot. You too Lin." Sister Jin demanded in a stern voice, making Lin stop pretending and start dressing as well. As I started piling up food on my plate, Jin caught my wrist and examined my meridians.

"You're already changing your cultivation?"

"Of course. I do remember a better method. Are you interested, Sister Jin?" I asked with a sincere voice.

"... We are not lovers, Brother Pef. I barely know you." she said while glancing at the side.

"Obviously, Sister Jin. You were still in Foundation Realm 5 years later. I learned this after, from a Daoist monk selling charms on the roadside. Turns out, the old master failed his Soul Transformation and got stuck. Is he still my master, if we never met in this life?" I mused in a thoughtful voice.

"... he would still be a Peak Nascent Soul, Pef! Far stronger than our Venerables. Perhaps even combined." Sister Jin exclaimed in awe.

"Not at combat. The man was a bit off, his soul shattered. His knowledge was immense though. Still is, I guess." I mused to myself.

"Maybe we can find him? I would like to have a Nascent Soul master... only the Core disciples get personal training from a Nascent Soul." Qin Lin proposed in a hesitant tone. Well, I was far beyond that old man in knowledge by now, but karma... once a master, always a master. I might even help him recover and ascend again. A Tier 5 Soul Mending pill was expensive right now, but it won't be in a decade. Even Jin seemed a bit eager, as would anyone of such low cultivation realm.

An old grandpa to teach everything he knows... almost like a plot in a story. Tian didn't get to his heights without standing on the shoulders of giants.

"Well, I know where the old master will be in 5 years. Pretty hard to find him today, with our low levels." I answered with a shrug and kept eating. Sister Jin poured me tea, which wasn't exactly proper from a higher ranked cultivator, but then... I wasn't really. I did tell her I reached Core Realm once. And she understood what it meant, unlike Qin Lin. Regaining cultivation was much easier than stumbling blindly, and risking your life and soul due to lack of knowledge and preparation.

And I even proved it by changing my cultivation last night. Jin was smart. Formation Masters had to be smart anyway, unlike the punch types that filled most sects.

"Sister Jin is so smart." I said after sipping the tea. Her eyes glinted for a second.

"Smart and kind. I didn't turn you in, for the Venerables to search your soul and gain 5 years of future knowledge." Jin pointed out with a colder voice.

"Elder Sister! How... Pef wants to save our lives!" Lin protested in outrage. Jin waved her hand, and her early Foundation Realm qi flooded the room, pressing down on me and Lin.

"This Concealment Formation cost me resources. Your future cultivation will cost me even more. So, what do I get?" she demanded in a cold tone. Pef's mind lit up for a scam, but he was mortal and didn't understand karma.

"Saving a life means taking care of it for the future. In a year at most, I will regain my Core. And then you too, Sister Jin. Lin... needs special help, or she will die at Foundation. A tier 3 pill, called Meridian Mending." I spoke instead.

"You consider me yours already, Brother Pef. I don't agree. Maybe when we are both at Core Realm." Sister Jin said in a level voice.

"Your agreement is not relevant, dear Jin. I failed you in my last life, I won't fail you now. Lin too. I won't let you die again." I declared with a clear voice. Qin Lin sobbed and hugged my arm, while Sister Jin glared at me.

"Hmmm. A Tier 3 pill costs 20000 spirit stones. Perhaps more if it's a rare recipe. You don't have a single spirit stone, Brother Pef." she pointed out in a softer voice, and retracted her oppressive qi. Ah, the provider test. I smiled sweetly.

"The knowledge is here, my dear sister. Some of it you can use now, some later, and some can be sold. For example, in 3 weeks a merchant caravan will get attacked in the Sparse Ridge, with only one survivor to tell the tale. The auction house in Green Ridge City will have to delay their presentation for 3 months." Sister Jin smiled sweetly, and poured me more tea. Then some for Qin Lin as well.

"Good. Knowledge like that is worth good money, and perhaps a favor with a merchant company. Try to remember more, and I will fund your Core ascension, Brother Pef. Maybe even a pill for Sister Lin."

"Bring a blank Formation plate, next time. I do have something you can use right now." I said in a soft whisper. Jin grinned, then drew closer and kissed my cheek, leaving a sweet fragrance of orchids and white roses. I remembered Tian loved that smell too.

"I can see why future me did like you, Junior Brother Pef Tian. We might get back together in a year..." she said with a teasing tone, and waved her fingers. Jin left like a breeze, and Lin stared after her in awe.

"Peffy, Jin is so amazing. I mean, she blackmailed us, but with style! I want to learn how to do that..." Lin whispered as if she found her hero. I sighed inward. Fine, Pef could get a turn and scam Jin out of her pants next time. Robes, whatever!

"We'll make her taste the bitter taste, tomorrow. I heard it gets better later." I spoke gently, and Lin punched my shoulder.

"Me first!" she demanded and pushed me down, tugging at my robes eagerly. I let Lin have some sexy fun, while Pef plotted our revenge and Tian worked on fixing my body again. Soon, we will have our revenge!