Book 5: Chapter 36: A Chance

Book 5: Chapter 36: A Chance

Yushang was the first through the door into the prison—they came to a scene of pure bedlam. There were gouges in the floor, the glow stones were cracked, and there were several panicked-looking men and women running away from the door toward a central junction.

“East Wind—that idiot! Shit!” somebody was shouting orders. “Euthanize the subjects! We can’t risk them waking up—”

That was all Yushang needed to hear as she stormed around the corner. There were a bunch of people in robes, looking shocked and distressed, but Yushang’s attention was immediately captured. Yushang’s ability to tell who was trustworthy and who would hurt her manifested in the way they looked. Good people looked good. Bad people looked bad.

The leader who was shouting was one of the worst she had ever seen.

Yushang saw two visions overlapping each other. One vision was of a middle-aged man with close-cropped blonde hair and a slightly receding hairline. He had on goggles that reflected the light, and a broad nose. He should have been nondescript.

Yet Yushang saw a monster in him. A beast. A horrific creature that had only the worst of intentions. It wafted off him like a miasma, an aura of malevolence and callous cruelty.

The smell of blood and death filled her nose, and Yushang’s pupils dilated.

She saw his head turn toward them as needles pierced one of the man’s subordinates and lightning consumed the others.

Yushang was upon him in an instant, her sword swinging from the side, only to rebound painfully as a talisman on the man’s chest flared with green light. A sudden blast of force and fire hammered into Yushang’s chest, and her Qi screamed as something foreign ripped its way into her body. It burned as it lashed her—but her own Qi attacked it, sending the invasive energy reeling.

[Tremoring Palm]

The monster’s hand burned with more green fire as he reached for Yushang’s chest—more accurately, her heart.

He clearly wasn’t expecting Yushang to simply stomp her foot down, arrest her unbalanced body, and then increase the mass of her sword by twelve times.

[Shattering Avalanche]

The Heavy Sword fell like a meteor. It hammered again into the shield of energy, and it felt like lances of fire were being driven into her arms. Yet her hands remained on her blade—and there were few things that could stop an avalanche from the Fangs.

The green bubble popped, holding for only an instant. Ascending Mountaineer cleaved the man in two, from shoulder to hip. Yushang kept her momentum, spun around, and before the man had fully realised he was in two pieces, brought the flat on her blade down on his head.

The top half of his body turned into a fine red mist.

Yushang’s chest heaved as she staggered backward, shaking her head. The invasive Qi was still echoing around her body, and she grimaced as she circulated her Qi, trying to force it out.

Ri Zu was by her side in an instant, her hands on Yushang’s shoulders. She pulled Yushang away from the corpse, her eyes narrowed. Yushang felt the familiar, welcome touch of Ri Zu’s Qi as it instantly went to work, attacking the invasive Qi and driving it out.

“You’ll be good... but no reason not to try and speed up the purge of demonic Qi,” Ri Zu stated simply. “Han?”

“On it,” the rotund man said, reaching into his pack and pulling out one of the little packets he and Ri Zu had made; they contained the formation to draw out Demonic Qi, a wire, and a small bundle of Spiritual Herbs. Her friend slapped the seal paper on Yushang’s arm, and instantly sweet relief flooded Yushang’s body. Yushang let out a breath of relief as Ri Zu and Han stood by her side.

“Let's get these doors open!” Fenxian shouted, moving deeper into the prison. One of Ri Zu’s shadowy helpers squeaked and pointed out the way. Fenxain walked past Yushang... but paused and turned to her, clapping Yushang on the shoulder. “Nice one, Sister.”

“A fine blow,” Shao Heng agreed, before stooping down to rifle through the corpses’ belongings.

Yushang nodded to them as they moved past her with Yingwen, attempting to determine the best way to open the cell doors. Yushang tried to ignore the rumbling and roars coming from outside the prison complex.

=================

It had been three minutes, but it was three minutes that felt like an eternity as the mountain occasionally shook. There were explosions now, closer than ever, that made the caverns rumble.

Shao Heng had opened more cells, and there were Shrouded Mountain Sect disciples laying in neat rows in the hallway with medical seals slapped over them—but... it wasn’t looking good. All of them were poisoned and had massive scars from invasive surgeries.

The only bright spot was that Bi De’s Qi had suddenly surged, filling the room—and the Qi of this “East Wind” had faltered—before disappearing. Yushang allowed herself a smile at his victory.

“Got it!” Han suddenly shouted as the door shuddered and groaned.

If the first cell was bad, then this one was much, much worse.

Elder Shenhe, for that was only whom it could be, was staked to the floor. She was bound by titanic chains. Needles were stabbed all over her body, dripping poisons into her from foul-smelling reservoirs. She was covered in seals.

It was a gruesome sight, and one that made Yushang’s heart fall further.

Several roars sounded from nearby. They were close.

Ri Zu touched the woman and recoiled before pressing her hands fully to the Elder.

Three heartbeats passed.

“We have a chance,” Ri Zu stated.

The tension broke as Yingwen and Fenxian both grinned.

The roars sounded closer.

“Uh, guys?” Yun Ren shouted back down the hall. “We’re going to have some company soon, I think!”

Everybody turned back for the door.

“Either Fenxian or Yingwen should stay, so she has a friendly face and familiar Qi nearby,” Ri Zu advised. “Han, keep working on the Shrouded Mountain Sect disciples.”

“I shall stay,” Yinwen said. “Better to not have a weak link in the frontline.”

“We’ll hold for as long as you need,” Fenxian said. “Don’t let us down, Miss Ri Zu.”

Yushang nodded. They just had to hold.

She had once last glimpse of Ri Zu and Yingwen pulling off seals and pulling out needles before she marched into the hallway.

A chance. That was it.

But it had to be enough.