by Tao Wong
Qiu Yue looked angry at the interruption, but her face smoothed out when her father shot her a glance.
Wu Ying retreated further at Fairy Yang’s words, switching hands to ‘sheathe’ the practice weapon in his left hand. He flexed his right and then crouched slightly, placing his hand on the blade’s hilt.
Yu Fei snorted, pointing his weapon at Wu Ying and triggered his own chi, making the weapon head glow. Flames licked at the edges of the great-axe, and the pair stilled. In a fight where both parties stopped moving, it was the party that settled that would lose. It required patience to wait, discipline to stay on the cusp of movement, and focus to catch that moment when the opponent relaxed.
Silence enveloped the group, broken only by the clash of weapons in other arenas. A wind blew through the grounds, bringing with it a reminder of the winter chill. Wu Ying breathed in through his nose, smelling the hints of served lunch and the smell of clean sweat, the touch of heat from released fire chi reminding him of his opponent.
It was Yu Fei who moved first, catching that brief fraction of a second when Wu Ying lowered his weight further.
Settling.
Yu Fei charged; polearm raised at an angle as he pushed his chi into the blade. It extended the tip of the great-axe by half a foot. Targeted at his shoulder, Wu Ying would have no choice but to dodge or be injured severely. If he tried to block the attack, the polearm could dip around to cut on the other side. More, that settling motion was often an indicator of mental relaxation.
The axe head was only a foot from his shoulder before Wu Ying acted. First, a sidestep forward to position his body away from the attack. Of course, Yu Fei tracked the motion, his own weapon flicking down and to the side to cut at Wu Ying. In turn, Wu Ying took another short step, but this time Wu Ying’s body dropped low. And then, a third step with the back foot forward and in the other direction, crossing Yu Fei’s centerline and under the polearm. The larger weapon, already having changed course twice, failed to keep up. As he rose, Wu Ying finally drew his jian.
Dragon unsheathes his Claws.
The cut was filled with the unaspected chi of Wu Ying’s cultivation, empowered to give the attack a blunter but wider edge. It struck at the edge of Yu Fei’s inner thigh of his leading leg and rose in a slash, so fast that by the time Wu Ying finished his motion, the sound of the strike had just reached the audience. Yu Fei staggered, unable to support himself any longer.
Wu Ying retreated, wary of a return strike. It never arrived, leaving the group below stunned by the sudden end.
“And done,” Fairy Yang announced, clapping her hands together. “Come. Let us eat. I believe Disciple Li has arranged for a special lunch.”
The nobles all smiled at the woman, some moving closer to the Elder as she led the way to the dining hall. On the stage, Yu Fei massaged the badly bruised inner thigh, already forgotten. Wu Ying switched hands on his sword as he walked over and offered Yu Fei a hand up.
“My apologies. It was a little hard,” Wu Ying said.
“It was a good blow,” Yu Fei said, taking the hand and letting Wu Ying pull him to his feet. Gingerly, Yu Fei walked towards the edge of the stage. “And a good trick.”
“I had to get into your measure somehow,” Wu Ying replied. “Nice trick with the chi-blade.”
Yu Fei nodded, and then at Qiu Yue’s unhappy call, waved goodbye to Wu Ying before he hobbled off to return the practice weapon and rejoin the group. Left alone in the arena, Wu Ying shook his head.
Politics.
Even in the Sect, it seemed that some forms of politics could not be avoided. Perhaps if he was not with Li Yao, he might have been overlooked. Not attracted the regard of those in high places. But… Wu Ying let his gaze rest on his girlfriend, on the way she chivied people along with a bright smile and words that might be mistaken.
As a cultivator, one grew through challenge and following their heart. Not by shirking problems before they arrived or fearing the future. If you quailed before something as simple as peer pressure, how would you stand against the heavens themselves?
Let what troubles may come, come. He had a sword and a steady heart. All else would fall where they would.
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The End
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading this! I hope you had fun reading this story. Check back on the store (https://payhip.com/TaoWongAuthor) to see if we released any additional short stories!
In addition, please check out my other series, the Adventures on Brad (a slice-of-life fantasy LitRPG), the System Apocalypse (a post-apocalyptic LitRPG) and A Thousand Li (a cultivation xanxia series), and Hidden Wishes (an urban fantasy Gamelit). Book one of each series is named:
A Healer’s Gift (Book 1 of the Adventures on Brad)
Life in the North (Book 1 of the System Apocalypse)
A Thousand Li: The First Step (Book 1 of the A Thousand Li series)
A Gamer’s Wish (Book 1 of the Hidden Wishes series)
For more great information about LitRPG series, check out the Facebook groups:
- LitRPG Society
- LitRPG Books
If you’d like to support me directly, I now have a Patreon page where previews of all my new books can be found!
Tao Wong Patreon
About the Author
Tao Wong is an avid fantasy and sci-fi reader who spends his time working and writing in the North of Canada. He’s spent way too many years doing martial arts of many forms, and having broken himself too often, he now spends his time writing about fantasy worlds.
For updates on the series and his other books (and special one-shot stories), please visit the author’s website: http://www.mylifemytao.com
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About the Publisher
Starlit Publishing is wholly owned and operated by Tao Wong. It is a science fiction and fantasy publisher focused on the LitRPG & cultivation genres. Their focus is on promoting new, upcoming authors in the genre whose writing challenges the existing stereotypes while giving a rip-roaring good read.
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