I Am A Cultivator Not A Fish

Step Six: Get Saved by Someone Even More Dangerous

If anyone had told me this morning that I'd be dragged through my own sect like a stolen chicken, I would've called them insane.

Yet here I was. Being yanked along by a grinning demon girl while an angry elder tried to end my reincarnated existence.

"Can you slow down?!" I wheezed.

Yue laughed, gripping my wrist tighter. "What, Supreme Lord? Out of breath already?" Supreme Lord? Oh, right. My past title. Now? I was just a guy trying not to die.

Behind us, Elder Zhao's roar practically shattered the sky.

"LONG FEI JIAN, IF YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE...!!!"

I threw a glance over my shoulder....BAD IDEA.

Elder Zhao was flying. And he was not alone. He had summoned his disciples. A literal mob of sect members was now storming after us.

Yue let out a low whistle. "Wow, you pissed off a whole sect. I like you already."

I groaned. "This is normal for me."

Yue grinned. "Good. Then you won't mind this."

Before I could ask what "this" was.... She yanked me into a backflip off the sect walls.

WE WERE FALLING. AGAIN.

I screamed. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

Yue laughed. "Relax! I planned this!" We crashed into the roof of a pavilion, rolled off, and landed in a lotus pond.

SPLASH! Cold. Very cold.

I resurfaced, gasping, only to see Yue already lounging on the water's surface like it was a luxury bed. She was floating. Like it was nothing.

I glared. "You could've warned me!"

She smirked. "Where's the fun in that?" I was going to die of stress.

"THERE THEY ARE!" Oh. Right. The mob.

I whipped around to see Elder Zhao and his disciples storming the pavilion.

"Oh, great," I muttered.

Yue stretched lazily. "Guess we're out of time."

I frowned. "For what?" She grinned.

"For our grand escape." She flicked her wrist.....and suddenly, the water around us rose. A tidal wave erupted from the pond.

Elder Zhao, and his disciples stumbled back in shock.

I gawked. "You...?! You can control water?!"

Yue winked. "Demon arts, baby." Oh, wonderful. I had befriended a walking disaster.

Before I could protest, she grabbed my collar, and yanked me under. The last thing I heard was Elder Zhao's furious scream.

Then.... Darkness. And then... We were gone.

Step Seven: Almost Drown Because of Your "Savior"

The moment Yue yanked me under, I realized something very important.

I. CAN'T. BREATHE.

I thrashed, trying to swim up, but Yue's grip was ironclad. I flailed, sending a string of bubbles into the water. She was kidnapping me.

In broad daylight. UNDERWATER.

Yue, meanwhile, glided like an elegant koi fish, completely unbothered by the fact that I was on the verge of death.

I tried to shout, but that only made more bubbles escape my mouth. My vision blurred.

Just as I was about to meet my second reincarnation, Yue rolled her eyes, and tapped my forehead.

A sudden gust of warmth filled my chest. And then.... I could breathe.

UNDERWATER. My lungs worked perfectly.

I blinked. "What the.....?" Yue grinned, speaking clearly despite the water.

"You're welcome."

I scowled. "YOU COULD'VE WARNED ME!"

She shrugged. "Eh. More fun this way. I swore internally.

I had survived betrayal, reincarnation, and a sect elder trying to murder me....only to get stuck with a lunatic.

Before I could protest, Yue grabbed my wrist again, and dragged me deeper. The pond's depths opened into an underground cave.

I gawked. "This was here the whole time?"

Yue smirked. "Did you think I was randomly jumping into water?" Honestly? Yes.

But I kept that to myself. We glided through the tunnel, finally emerging in a hidden grotto. A small island sat in the middle, surrounded by glowing blue water. Yue pulled me onto land, finally letting go. I collapsed, coughing.

I was a cultivator. Not a fish. She stretched, looking way too pleased with herself.

"Well, that was fun!"

I glared. "YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"

Yue waved me off. "You were fine."

I groaned, running a hand down my face. "Why am I even here?"

Yue grinned. "Because now we're partners."

I froze. "Excuse me—WHAT?!"

She smirked. "Congratulations. You just got recruited by the Demon Sect."

Oh.....!. Oh, no..!!!. I stared at Yue, my brain buffering like a broken transmission jade.

"…Sorry, WHAT?"

Yue stretched lazily. "I said..."

"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME!" I shouted. "What do you mean, I joined the Demon Sect?!"

Yue smirked. "Oh, you thought you had a choice?" I froze.

…Oh no. I knew that tone. That was the "Congratulations, you've been kidnapped" tone.

I took a deep breath. "Listen, Yue...."

"No, you listen." Yue poked my forehead like I was a misbehaving puppy. "You've already set foot here. That means you're part of us now."

I blinked. "That's… that's not how sect recruitment works!"

Yue grinned. "It is in the Demon Sect."

I gawked. "That's literally cult behavior."

"Exactly." I mentally screamed. This was bad.

I had just spent two entire lifetimes climbing the cultivation ladder, only to get forcefully recruited into the most wanted sect in existence. I was pretty sure the Heavenly Pavilion would skin me alive if they found out.

Correction: skin me, deep-fry me, and use my ashes as incense.

I forced a smile. "Okay. Fun little misunderstanding. I'll just be leaving now..."

Yue blocked my path. "Nope. You're one of us now."

I exhaled. "And what happens if I refuse?"

Yue tilted her head, looking genuinely curious. "Oh, well… We'd have to erase your memories. Or kill you."

"…That escalated fast."

She shrugged. "Demon Sect rules."

I groaned, rubbing my temples. "I CAN'T BE A DEMON CULTIVATOR."

Yue smirked. "Why not?"

"I'M LITERALLY THE REINCARNATED SUPREME LORD."

She snorted. "REALLY...? If it's true! But then, Not anymore."

I clutched my chest like I had been stabbed. She had a point. I wasn't the Supreme Lord anymore.

I was a nobody in this life. I groaned. "Fine. What do you even want from me?"

Yue grinned, eyes glinting. "You'll see."

Oh no. I had a very bad feeling about this.