"We' re just going to visit an old friend of mine who lives in the mountains," he replied.
"I understand. It's always good to keep friends around at times like these," she replied, "if you want, you can keep your backpacks in one of our vaults and I can also give you a cream for those wounds," she added, pointing to Aurora's shoulders.
The girl had dense lines stamped on her shoulders from carrying two backpacks during the strongest sunny hours. A red, touch-sensitive color contrasting with the rest of her brunette body and close to two of the black lines on her skin. She pulled the clothes up again, hiding them and disguising the pain.
"I'm fine, thanks," She said and looked at Liu-Ken.
"We appreciate it, but we also have something for the scalds. She'll be fine soon," Liu-Ken said, intruding. "The dough is very good, thank you," he added, stirring away from that conversation.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you can stay for dessert, too," Mrs. Lau said. She picked up the glass in front of her and had a sip. Her nails were long and sharp, painted blue, capable of cutting off their necks if it came to that.
"Yes, we can," Liu-Ken said. "But then we have to go. We're already a little late. As you know, a cultivator must cherish his word and his ideals above all else. Arriving late goes against one of the pillars by which I stand," he said.
"Of course, I understand perfectly. I wish all my soldiers were so... polite and brave," she said, frowning, nearly releasing a muffled laugh at the end. Lying was certainly not her thing.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where the bathroom is?" Aurora asked.
"Third door on the right," she said, without even looking at her, "We'll be waiting when you get back," she added and again forced a smile.
Aurora found the last sentence strange but did not give it much importance. She thanked the woman and left the room.
She walked down the hall to the third wooden door and opened it. The place had been decorated with blue and white tiles, adorned with bird drawings, and an incense candle smelling of sunflower on a wooden shelf. Aurora had never felt such lust in a single place before. Everything there shone or had the purpose not only of beautifying but also of demonstrating the woman's wealth.
"She likes to show that she's above the others," Aurora thought to herself, her fingers sliding across some of the tiles. None of them had even a slight trace of dust.
She was about to leave when she heard two soldiers approaching. She stayed out of sight, listening to the conversation. Their footsteps drowned out the voices and one of them dragged his words.
"Yeahh-h-h-h, they're coming," he said.
"Kaji school soldiers?"
"Yeah, I heard-d-d that there were ten Level 4s and one Level 3 general-l-l," He replied. Aurora noticed right away that the soldier was a stutterer.
"There were never more than three men. But who the hell are these guests? Are they someone important? Do they belong to another school?"
"I don't know, but one of them defeated the city gang alone."
"At least someone dealt with them. You know I don't like to say this here, but Mrs. Lau still ignores the fact that there's a life beyond these walls.
"I agree. But we are doing our job-b."
"Yeah, you're right. As soon as we saw two new cultivators arriving in town, we told Mrs. Lau as she had asked us to. We did what we had to do. She must have sent someone to call the Kaji school. They had just been here; they shouldn't have gone far. There are rumors that more than a hundred Kaji soldiers are spreading throughout the various towns in this area in search of a specific cultivator. Is it that man there?"
"He must be. I heard-d that he was Level 2. The girl must be his daughter,”
"It must be, it must be. Let's just hurry. The soldiers are coming, and they have already sent a messenger saying that we have to keep them here until they arrive," he said.
Aurora's heart pounded like a drum set, the bass rising in the face of imminent doom. It was an ambush and they had fallen right into it. Only now did she understand Mrs. Lau's words. She wanted them there, at least until the soldiers of the Kaji school arrived. Liu-Ken was strong but beating a dozen trained cultivators was different from defeating a gang that could not even see the mana being dragged. She had to find a way to pass on the information to her mentor. Even if they perhaps did not have time to escape from there, at least they would not be taken by surprise. She waited until the footsteps of the two soldiers faded away and opened the door, looking both ways. She took a deep breath and remained calm, taming the black chi that had already clung to her skin.
Chapter 26
She returned to the main room. The two boys were no longer there. The captain of the soldiers was sitting, legs crossed, next to Mrs. Lau, the straw hat on his left side. They were close to the table and she was still finishing the pasta. Liu-Ken was trying a white jelly cake with a red layer on top and strawberry slices around it.
"I need to talk to you," Aurora said, as soon as she entered the room.
"Aurora, that's no manners. We're guests here," Liu-Ken replied. He cut a piece of the cake and looked at the girl again. "Is it important?”
"Yes, a lot. Urgent. The highest level," Aurora said, unable to remain calm. The seconds rolled by and she knew that the soldiers were not far away. The difference between life and death was in the details.
"Would you mind giving me five minutes alone with her?" Liu-Ken politely asked Mrs. Lau.
"Of course not, but you can talk in front of us. There is nothing very secret about your passage here, is there?" she asked, a pinch of sarcasm in every word, like a snake that meanders while waiting for the right moment to attack, the tongue used to poison and defocus the opponents.
Liu-Ken looked at her and yawned. She bit her lower lip, and rubbed on each other, but said nothing. Aurora sat next to Liu-Ken and whispered in his ear what she had heard. Liu's expression remained serene, not sharing an arched eyebrow with Mrs. Lau and the soldier before them who already had his hand on his sword’s handle.
"Are you sure you heard right?" Liu-Ken asked.
"Yes, I wouldn't be wrong about something like this," Aurora replied.
"Okay. Look at me and do not take your eyes off me. When I tell you to throw yourself to the left, do it," he said.
"What?" Aurora asked but did not get an answer.
Mrs. Lau and the soldier had no idea what was happening. From their point of view, Liu-Ken, for some unknown reason, was now hovering over the ground. Lau elbowed the soldier and nodded at him. He stood up, pulling his legs away from each other, and removing the sword from the hem. The curved edge was at face level, perfect for slashing the throat of Liu-Ken if it came to that.
"Now!" Liu-Ken shouted, his voice bursting out like a blast of air, tossing the bowls and glasses over Lau's kimono. She screamed at him, insulting him and wishing him a hundred curses. Aurora threw herself to the left. An arrow broke the translucent paper of the shoji, cutting a strand of Liu-Ken's hair, who drifted smoothly at the last second, striking the ground where Aurora had previously been. "They have arrived."
"What do we do?" Aurora asked and put the bag on her back. "Do we run?"
"Leave the backpacks behind. Keep this in your pockets," Liu-Ken said. He opened one of the backpacks and removed three bottles. One of them had a yellow goo, and the others were liquids, one black, and one purple. "We're going to have to break our way out of here," Liu-Ken said.
"What are you waiting for?" Lady Lau said to the soldier. "Attack them! Those items must be valuable. I want the ring too!"
The soldier hesitated for a few seconds until he lifted his sword, his hand making a half arc before firing out towards Liu-Ken's neck. The cultivator lifted a single finger and stopped the blade mid-air. No matter how strong the soldier was, the iron was bonded to Liu-Ken's finger. What he could not see was that the man had empowered his finger with an immeasurable amount of chi, blocking the soldier’s attack and henceforth using the surrounding mana as chains fastening
the sword to his finger. Aurora, once again, was speechless as Liu-Ken's power unveiled before them. She never grew tired of seeing his techniques, nourishing herself with the hope she had of learning them. Finally, Liu unhooked his finger and used it to unleash a jet of chi that brought down the soldier and Mrs. Lau.
"Ten soldiers, isn't it?" he asked. "We're going to have to run away."
"Run away?" Aurora asked. She wanted revenge on Kaji school, and it seemed like a good opportunity for her to do so.
"Yes, if we fight now, we will end up hurting innocent people and destroying their crops. We must go back to the city and find out where the hell my friend is. He might be able to help us."
"I don't think they'll let us out of here that easily," Aurora answered. A cluster of shadows crept in on the other side of the shoji.
"I said we couldn't fight; I didn't say we shouldn't knock them down. We need to buy time," Liu-Ken said, pulling the flying sword out of the sheath.
"What do we do?!” Aurora asked, drawing her sword too. Black chi lines wrapped around the handle, trapping the girl's hand to the cold metal.
"You won't like this, but we have no other option," Liu-Ken said. "When I say so, grab onto me and don't let go until I tell you. Save your sword. You won't need it now."
Aurora nodded her head. Whatever Liu-Ken's miraculous idea was, there nothing was worse than being captured and possibly tortured or killed because of a power she could not even control. Aurora saved her small sword, now weighing twice as much as it did. Her hands were swollen and with the white imprint of the iron already engraved on her skin. The chi returned to her meridians. The energy flowed throughout them, hopping between quiet and rough. Fear tamed Aurora and the chi concentration in her Dantian wobbled, spilling over to the rest of her body.
"Focus," Liu-Ken said, "Take a deep breath. Let's leave now. When I start running, follow me. Don't look back," Liu-Ken said.
"You're gonna die! You will pay for dirtying my kimono!" Mrs. Lau shouted, revealing her true facet; detestable, rude, evil, highlighting the wrinkles she had hidden with her makeup.
"Ignore her," Liu-Ken said.
The Kaji school soldiers were awaiting them outside. No one even dared to take a step further than authorized. The level 2 captain had long looked forward to a fight where he could reveal the technique he had been training until then. The war was still going on, but he had been removed from the front lines, thrown into the villages on the outskirts, where he had been unable to find a worthy adversary. The chance had now suddenly arisen, and he was not going to waste it.
He was so absorbed in his imagination, dreaming of glorious worlds, visions in which he was called to meet the leader of the Kaji school, where he was accepted as one of its protectors and where he was feared by half the world, that he only sensed the mana absorption too late.
A light blue gust, in a half-moon, ripped the translucent paper and jolted all the soldiers, throwing them against the stone wall. The attack was not strong enough to tear the metal armor of any soldier and they did not spend more than five seconds getting up. Instead of getting angry, the captain just let out a long laugh, gargling midway through, his breath clouding his vision inside the helmet he was wearing. The soldiers looked at them without understanding what was going on, wondering if the man had finally lost his lucidity.
"This will be even better than I expected," he said. "Catch them!" he added, shouting and pointing at Aurora and Liu-Ken, whom were now running towards the wall's exit.
Liu-Ken was behind Aurora, the flying sword spinning on his back, shielding them from any possible attack. The soldiers ran after them, the captain walking, step by step, straightening his armor. He was in no hurry, knowing perfectly well that they had nowhere to go. They would be followed to the end of the world if necessary. One of the soldiers had already left on one of the horses to warn the rest of the troops that they had located them. After all, the captain could feel that the chi of one of them was not normal, that he was disturbing the mana around him.
Liu-Ken and Aurora had already crossed the well when one of the soldiers hurled a spear at them. Liu-Ken seized the moment, grabbing Aurora by her waist and run even faster. A mist of dust hoisted behind them, a thick brown curtain giving them a few extra seconds.
"Go to my back and hold onto me when I land," he said.
"When you land?" Aurora asked, bowing her right eyebrow, confused.
Liu-Ken skidded across the earth, dodging the spear that landed inches away from him, jumping until he covered part of the sun, squatting and stretching his right hand. Halfway down, he stretched his hand, and the flying sword flew to him. He grasped it, placed it under his feet, and landed on the ground, wobbling before recovering his stability. Aurora ran, hopped on the sword, and clung to the mentor's waist, the high-speed descent tugging her skin back. The wind struck her eyes and moistened them. The workers stopped to see what was going on. The soldiers were running after them, and the general was still laughing.
Aurora tried to stay on top of the sword, her feet swinging on the thin blade. Liu-Ken held a lateral posture, with one foot in front of the other, lowering himself and stabilizing his body. It was certainly not the first time he had taken a risk like that. The sword made its way down the slope, destroying any boulder along the way, the metal tip loaded with blue chi. The buildings were nearer, and people were stopping to follow them. Murmurs grew, some secretly supporting them. They were against anything that involved the Kaji school and Mrs. Lau.
"Hold on tight now," Liu-Ken said as they were about to reach the finish line.
The stoppage was going to be abrupt but safe. However, the general had other ideas.
His body was ignited by a scarlet red that blinded everyone who looked at him for more than a few seconds. The brownish iris reddened. Gathering a huge amount of fire chi in his hand and sliding one leg back, he threw a flaming ball at a dizzying speed, the flames blazing the air, leaving behind a faint red line and sparks that quickly vanished.
Liu-Ken flipped the sword until it stood on its side, stretching a foot out, forcibly breaking it. Aurora was still clinging to him, almost flying, if it wasn't for the swollen fingers that clutched the low-quality clothes. They were about to stop when the fireball slammed the ground two meters away and the explosion tossed them into the air. They rolled over the ground, bouncing, cutting themselves on the small rocks, their heads spinning around until they finally landed already with their clothes torn and blood lying on the surface. Aurora's secret was now revealed before all passers-by; the black lines on her body, placing her in the spotlight.
The general laughed again. He slid down the slope, his body still glowing, soldiers accompanying him both in the front and back. Liu-Ken was the first to get up. He walked towards Aurora and helped her to get up. The girl’s elbows were bloody, and her clothes were ripped apart.
"This is going to be harder than I thought. You will probably have to use your chi," he said.
"What if I can't control it?" Aurora asked him. "There are too many people here,"
"I believe in you. You can do it. This is the right time to prove that you are the one who dominates the black chi and not it over you. Prove to me that your desire for revenge is not in vain," Liu-Ken said. He stretched out his hand and the flying sword came to him.
The soldiers, including the general, were already down the street. All of them were wearing a metal armor, their swords curved and ablaze. The general was the only one who kept his sword in the sheath, his chi all focused on his fists. He removed the kabuto, the helmet with a steel horn on each side, designed to protect his neck from arrows and sword attacks that could come from any angle, and put it down on the ground.
"Let's have some fun, then," he said, his voice hoarse. "Finally, a challenge."
"Aurora, are you ready? I'll take care of him. You have to take care of the others."
"But there are eight soldiers! And they have flaming swords."
"And you have black chi.
Now, use what I taught you. Take a deep breath. Visualize the future you want. Fight for it. Or are you going to let them take away your possibility of revenge?" Liu-Ken asked her. He had squinted his eyebrows and placed his hands on Aurora's shoulders. "It's your time to shine," he added.
Aurora smiled, "I won't fail you this time."
"I'm going to buy you a few seconds. Focus. Let the chi flow throughout your body. Don't be afraid to let it go. We'll need all the help we can get," Liu-Ken said and looked at Kagu. "Even from you, old friend. You're the ace up our sleeve," Liu-Ken said.
He stepped forward, the flying sword beside his leg. The general's long blonde hair featured red threads amongst them. A slender man in his thirties, his beard trimmed and lined up, fat nose, and bushy eyebrows. He removed all the armor, throwing it on the ground, producing a deafening noise. He punched and kicked the air, also adding some stretching to his physical exercise.
"I'm ready. Let's do it?" he said, a confident smile rising upon his lips, as well as a dimple on each cheek. "The armor weighs too much and with this heat, it becomes impossible to have it for exceedingly long. And, please, don't tell me you think you can fight nine members of the Kaji school and get away with it.”
"I don't need to get away unharmed, just alive," Liu-Ken answered. He stretched one leg and bent the other, positioning the sword diagonally, covering one eye and overshadowing half his face.
"Funny. Attack the girl. Have no mercy. Remember who we are," the general said. "I'll take care of him. I think we're on the same level," he said.
"Aurora, you're going to have to hurry. I don't know how long I can hold them off," Liu-Ken said. A drop of sweat ran down the right side of his face.
However, Aurora did not answer. She was beyond the mortal world, envisioning a world where Kaji's school no longer took advantage of the smaller cities and those that already lived with few possessions. In this imaginary world, Bardolph and his wife were still alive, waving to Aurora every time she left home with Liu-Ken for another mission or training in a beautiful and isolated place, far from any distraction.
Awakening: (The Necromancer's Legacy Book 1) Page 14
