Chapter 15: No Choice

"I say we kill him," the masked woman in black said, the one who'd first attacked Qin.

"No, his movements were flawless. He must've used a technique. First, let's get that from him and then we can do whatever we want." It was the masked man's turn to put forth his 'suggestion'.

I was leaning on a nearby wall, while an important discussion was going on among the attackers. Of course, the topic was about me.

"You two fools, Gang family cultivators might come here anytime soon! We should leave as fast as possible," Ling'er sharply remarked, making tight fists of her small hands. How cute...

Kicking a nearby corpse, the woman in red came near me. I stopped leaning and grabbed my sword's hilt. I didn't trust her.

Up close, she looked quite tall. Although her dress was all red, there was not a drop of blood on it. Her eyebrows were sharp and her nose pointed. She had a long face, characteristic of people in Shang desert. However, her complexion wasn't brown. It was uncommon.

Proud as a peacock, she eyed me from head to toe, like those gazes of men which made women disgusted.

"Lingling, how are you two related?" she asked without turning back.

There was pause for some time, before Ling'er answered, "I don't... I don't know him."

Well, technically the truth but damn that was cold.

A metal fan suddenly appeared on the right hand of the woman before me. She had hid it under her sleeves!

Tiiiing!

My whole body went back six steps as I deflected the swipe of that fan. This got dangerous within seconds, I slightly adjusted my stance.

"Oh, interesting... Lingling and you two, pick up the boys and head 'home'. I'll follow you in a while." She pulled out another identical fan as she ordered those three.

Boys? What boys? Oh, those brats...

They'd already fainted when old man Lang croaked. Honestly, that old fogey died a dog's death at the hands of two juniors. His whole life was a waste of Gang family's cultivation resources.

I shook my head. This was what it happened when old bodies spent too much time "playing" with vigorous young maidens. Nothing could be said now, nothing could be done.

Even his head and legs were chopped off... Rest in pieces, old man Lang.

Ling'er and the masked duo did as told, quickly going through the path they'd already thought of.

Before they disappeared, Ling'er looked at me from behind the tall wall of an empty restaurant. However, I didn't find any meaning behind that silent look. She'd went back to being expressionless.

I turned my attention to the unnecessary trouble I'd encountered. My yellow robes, my sword stance, the long sword I held, and my cleverly positioned feet; all of it, my whole being was focused on the woman before me now. She looked beautiful; I don't lie, but she looked just as dangerous.

The weather was always sunny and hot, complemented by fast moving winds. Today, it was no different.

We were in the middle of an empty street, surrounded by fallen practitioners of Gang family. Most of them were as young as me (biologically speaking).

I wanted to run. Why would I fight someone higher ranked than me when I knew I couldn't win? It was not a matter of courage. I was at a disadvantage and I was no overpowered hero.

'But if I turn back, she'll get me from behind. I can't outrun her, she is physically superior. Still, I might have a chance at stalling her until cultivators from Gang family arrive..,' that was my train of thought. I wasn't badass enough to act without thinking yet.

I looked straight at the woman five paces ahead of me. She had bent her body a little forward. Keen. Her long hands each held an unfolded fan, waiting to cut air and possibly my body.

I looked at her legs. The cut at one side of her dress made way for her right thigh to move freely. I wasn't distracted by its tenderness this time. I noticed for the first time that she was wearing sandals, their soles just as pointed as my sword's tip.

She made small cracks on the clay tiles as she walked. And, she RAN and she STRUCK!

Tiiiing!

Sparks lit up. We exchanged several moves within seconds; faster than before, faster thereafter.

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She went straight for my neck and I barely managed to sidestep. I counter-attacked by aiming at her chest, but she was powerful enough to deflect my best attack and force me to be on the defensive.

She was graceful and acute. I was careful and precise. Together, we danced on the streets, a rather dangerous dance. One misstep and anyone could die.

I rotated my sword, cleverly blocking her sharp fans. She hadn't anticipated that; she narrowed her eyes. In my mind, I could make an image of her smiling behind that translucent red mask.

This close, I felt her breath. It was hot, hot like water vapor. She smelled like pears and a little like blood.

"Hah!" she cried, bending her body backwards at an impossible angle. From below, she aimed for my legs. Like a cat, playing with her prey.

I hurriedly back-stepped, bent forward, and blocked the fan. It slid across my sword's edges and stopped just below the hilt. Safe. My hand was spared.

I took quick glances of her position from multiple angles, judging which move might be the most effective.

Using my left foot as an anchor, I rotated my whole body, adding extra force to my horizontal slash. It was meant to separate her head from her body.

Ting! Tiiiing!

She blocked again, stepping back for the first time. Not good enough, but that was the best I could do.

Whoosh!

I knew that sound, of blade cutting air. Sharp. She'd aimed for my head!

A different approach this time but deadlier than before, she slashed towards my head with both her fans.

I blocked with the flat side of my sword. The force came, pressing the sword onto my forehead. Then, she jumped up.

High over me, she continued attacking; faster than before, faster thereafter.

She'd move erratically, circling me sometimes while attacking from behind at other times. I was having difficulties even guessing which way to block. Yet, I knew, there was a certain beauty it it; in those unpredictable slashes.

Suddenly, she shut one of her fans close and sneakily slashed my shoulder with the other. Of course, I deflected it away or so I'd thought, a long cut formed on my right arm. Thankfully, I'd moved just in time, for it was just a shallow cut.

"Haha," she laughed and as unpredictable as she could get, she suddenly kicked!

I was caught off guard. The sole of her sandal pierced my thigh. I retaliated with a focused strike, but she moved sideways and managed to hit my head with her folded fan.

Tiiiiing...

No, not the sound of weapons clashing; my ears were ringing. My head started hurting and my gums started bleeding. I staggered. Was I losing?

Yes, I was. My spirit sense helped me a lot in this battle and so did the 18 different fighting techniques I deployed. Yet, the gap was too big. It couldn't be compensated with techniques alone. If only I had pills that temporarily boosted one's rank... just one rank...

I fell defeated. My knees touched the clay tiles, which had weblike cracks all over them. I noticed the coming of those metal fans, again, aimed at my neck.

I blocked them somehow and fell on a nearby dead body. My sword lay near me. Heh, it was bloodstained.

I couldn't block anymore, I didn't need to.

'Come now, faster!' I roared in my mind. I had noticed their arrival with my spirit sense, unknown to her...

"YOU! Stay where you are, woman!" two practitioners wearing red robes appeared, followed by about 30 young men, all above rank 4.

They were quite old, being at viscera purifying stage, above body tempering. On their robes, the Gang family insignia shined bright yellow.

'Huff, what a pain,' I sighed and closed my eyes.

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