Yu Lin clenched her teeth together as she tried not to make too much noise. She felt her blood boil as the poison of the Insuda flower fought with the poison she just drank. Sweat trickled down her face as she clenched her fist in frustration. The moving carriage was not helping her.

“Master, how long will he be knocked out for?” she heard someone ask.

“At least for three days. It’s enough time for us to reach the port. Dragon Lair warned us about his martial arts skills so I made sure to invest in a bottle perfect just for him.”

“Are you going to put him in the bag?”

“There is no need for that. Look at how weak and useless he is, how can he stand up to me? Hahaha!”

“You are so powerful master! Master, how much do you think she will sell for?”

“She’s not a full-blooded dark elf so… maybe less, but she’s also the first dark elto that have lived this long so… maybe more? We will just have to bargain and see what we can get. Hahaha!”

“What about the man?”

“Hmm… he has quite a nice face. I think we can find a noble who will take a liking to his face… or maybe I will… hehehe… sometimes there are positives to being a slave trader… hahaha,” she heard Hen Huo snicker. She felt the urge to punch him in the face, yet this was not the time for it. While she was struggling she felt someone pick her torso up and rest her head on a lap. She slightly open her eyes to see Tai Yang covering her with his arms and body. ‘Why? Why is he doing this?’ she thought. The pain from within her body seemed to subside as the Insuda poison from within her won against the poison forcefully fed to her. Her body still took a toll, yet she felt better than before.

“I’m sorry. It’s all because of me again,” she heard Tai Yang muttering quietly to himself, “brother… father… Yu Lin… I’m sorry…” she glanced up at him to see his eyes tightly closed as he hovered over her, as if to protect her from the slave traders. She looked back down and took in a deep breath to calm herself down.

-

After a day of travel, the slave traders finally stopped to rest. She felt someone grab her ankle.

“What are you doing?!” she heard Tai Yang yell as she felt him pull her back.

“I have no reason to answer you,” one of the men hissed back as she felt the hands wrap around her ankles again.

“No!” she heard Tai Yang yell again.

“Y-you! You want to d-”

“Enough,” she heard Hen Huo’s voice, “hey man, if you won’t let us carry that disgusting creature, then you carry him yourself. But if you try anything… hehe… you will end up in my bed tonight,” she heard Hen Huo lick his lips and she clenched her teeth to calm herself.

“Alright,” Tai Yang’s voice rang out, “I will carry him. Where are we going?”

“Just into the tent over there. Now that you know, hurry and move your butt… or I will move it for you… hahaha!”

Yu Lin felt Tai Yang pick her up as he started to walk out of the carriage. She could hear Tai Yang breathing heavily as he was still wounded. After a moment she felt him set her down.

“Don’t think about escaping young man… or else… hehe… anyways, you two keep watch tonight. If they manage to get away, I will take your heads!”

“Yes!”

Yu Lin heard Hen Huo’s muffled footsteps walk away. She waited for a moment, to be sure, before she opened her eyes. She turned her neck up to look at Tai Yang and when they met eyes, Tai Yang’s mouth opened.

“Shh!” she quickly hushed him and he closed his mouth. She nodded to the ropes tying her and he moved to untie them, as quietly as he could. Afterwards, she sat up. She placed her hand on Tai Yang’s forehead and her eyes grew at his temperature. She picked up his hand and saw that his the tips of his fingertips were back to a light shade of purple. She bit her lip as she looked down on her wrists.

Her endless bracelet was now gone, and the only bracelet that remained was a useless one that restricted her power. She put her fingers over it as Tsugumi’s voice echoed in her head. ‘This bracelet will limit your use of magic. As long as you don’t use your chi for magic, it won’t affect your chi. It’s for your protection and for the students around you. You can only take it off at certain occasions or with permission to do so. If you force it off, then you will be expelled, no questions asked.’ She opened her eyes and looked at Tai Yang before looking down at her wrist. ‘Okay… if you will not ask me any questions, then all I need to do is deliver my answers before you have any time to retaliate,’ Yu Lin thought as she put her fingers around the bracelet, and pulled it off.

She felt a zap run through her body and she swallowed hard. She felt energy run through her as she closed her eyes to regulate her chi center. After a moment she answered them and looked into Tai Yang’s worried eyes. She leaned into his ear.

“After they all fall asleep, we will run. Do you understand?” she whispered. He nodded his head. “Also… promise me, that you won’t ever utter a word about what you are going to witness right now. If you promise me that, I will save you but if you can’t, then I can’t.” Tai Yang nodded his head again. Yu Lin placed two of her fingers on his forehead and sent a bit of her chi inside. He grimaced for a moment before looking back at her with surprised eyes.

“Insurance… if you ever break your promise, I will know,” she said as she dug her thumb into her pointer finger. Blood seeped out of a small cut and she used her chi energy to refine the blood until it turned into a small pill. She handed the pill to Tai Yang. She watched as he looked down at it, confused for a moment. After that, he looked up at her and understood as he popped the pill into his mouth. He scrunched his face up as he held onto his chest. Yu Lin spun him around as she placed her hand on his back. She closed her eyes and insert her chi energy inside of him to regulate his injuries.

She frowned as she felt that his chi energy was different from anything that had ever encountered. ‘What’s this? Why is hi-’ her hand flew back as she felt his chi energy push her back.

“Agh!” he yelped before falling backward into Yu Lin’s lap.

“What was that?!” one of the guards outside yelled. Yu Lin looked up to see the flap of the tent opening and she waved her hand up.

The guard peeked inside and glared at her.

“What was that young man?”

“I think he was having nightmares,” Yu Lin replied.

“Really?” the guard looked at her suspiciously.

“He is sleeping and I am injured here. What do you think I can do in this situation?”

“Hmm… ok then… but keep that dirty creature’s mouth shut! Or else… I will send you into my master’s arms. Do you understand?!”

“I understand… sorry,” Yu Lin responded. The guard’s gaze went down to Tai Yang and he spat on the ground.

“Disgusting halfie,” he said before closing the flap to the tent again. Yu Lin let out a small breath before she looked back down at Tai Yang. She wiped the trickling sweat off his forehead as she watched his chest move up in down. She picked his hand up to see that the shade of purple was gone now, yet his body was still too weak. She placed her hand on his chest and healed his internal wounds. Afterwards she waited for sleep to come to the people outside.

-

After about four hours she stood up from where she was sitting. She looked down at Tai Yang, who she covered with her cloak, before turning her head back to the tent door. She waved her hand into the air, and the area around the whole camp gave off a different aura. She stepped out of the tent to see the two guards standing there, chatting with each other.

“We got a big fish this time, right brother?”

“That’s right… I can’t wait for the time to split the pay… hahaha! I might even have some fun at the red district later!”

“Brother!” one of them yelled, “don’t forget about me! Hahahaha!” the two continued to make perverted remarks. Yu Lin walked passed them as she headed into the biggest tent that was heavily guarded by five soldiers.

When she entered the tent she saw Hen Huo snoring away as he slept in a wooden bed. She looked to see his robes were laid out on a table besides him. She went and started to search his clothes. ‘Where is it?’ she thought as she moved the clothes around, but she couldn’t find her endless bracelet.

“Mmmm…” she heard Hen Huo whine in his sleep and she turned around to see he had the endless bracelet around his wrist. She narrowed her eyes at him before walking up and picking his hand up. She started to pull the bracelet off when Hen Huo started to shift around.

“Who is it?!” Hen Huo hissed as his eyes started to open. Yu Lin waved her hand in the air as she brought her hand up to his face.

“Hen Huo, it’s me,” she said. She looked as Hen Huo look straight into her eyes and smirked. His eyes were drunk with lust as he held onto her hand.

“Madam… why are you here?” Hen Huo asked as he brushed his face into her hand.

“What are you talking? You were the one who walked into my dance house with your men.”

“I did? Oh… I did.”

“Hen Huo,” Yu Lin leaned in, “what a beautiful jade bangle you have on,” she said as she held his hand up. Hen Huo’s eyes shifted to the endless bracelet and he smiled.

“Yes… it’s beautiful… do you like it?”

“Yes, I like it very much.”

“Do you want it?”

“Will you give it to me?”

“Hehe… if you listen to me I will give it to you.”

“Alright then, I will listen to you.”

“Good girl,” Hen Huo said as he pulled Yu Lin underneath him and smiled as he started to lean in towards her. She brought her hand up and pushed him back.

“I need the payment first… you know, my dance club is not free,” Yu Lin said. Hen Huo licked his lips.

“Ok then, let me give it to you first,” Hen Huo took off the endless bracelet and pushed it onto Yu Lin’s wrist. As he did this Yu Lin looked at the small bag that hung around his neck swing back and forth. “Now then, let’s continue.”

“Wait,” Yu Lin said as she held him back, “tell me… what is this?” she held the bag up to that he could see it. He glanced at it for a short moment before looking at her with a smug expression.

“My special bag.”

“Special bag? What does it do?”

“I can keep my slaves in there if they try to run… it’s a great tool, and probably one of the only magical tools that can keep living beings inside of it… and keep them alive.”

“How did our great sir obtain such a thing?”

“Hehehe… I killed my master for it, because my master didn’t want to give to me… such a great tool would be a waste in his hands.”

“How many people, or living things can you store in it?”

“Why are you so curious?” Hen Huo said as he glared at her.

“I have grew up in this dance house my whole life. I am curious about the outside world. Could a great sir like you enlighten me?”

“Hehehe… alright. It can store up to as many as one thousand soldiers… hahaha!” Hen Huo laughed. Yu Lin squinted her eyes at him and pulled the bag off from his neck before pushing him off of her.

“Ah! You wench!” Hen Huo yelled and an herb appeared in Yu Lin’s hand and she burned it. She held it up and watch as Hen Huo breathed in the smoke. When he did his movements became unstable.

“Master!” she heard soldiers from outside yell and she burned more of the herb as she waved her hand. As the soldiers all entered the room, they instantly inhaled the smoke. All their movements became disoriented as they rocked side to side. Yu Lin opened the bag that she pulled from Hen Huo’s neck and watched as it grew in size, as it was now like a regular sack. She held open as she looked at the men in front of her.

“Masters,” she said and they all looked up at her with lustful eyes and a flushed face, “come… come and have fun in our dance house. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed,” she said. All the men started giggling as they each slowly crawled into the bag. After the last one went in, Yu Lin closed the bag and left the tent. She waved her hand and open her mouth.

“Men!” she yelled and all the men, even the ones in their tent, ran out and stood in front of her.

“Yes, master?” they all answered in unison. Yu Lin burned more of the herb and held it in front of her and all those men became disoriented also.

“Today, drinks and women will all be on me. Let’s all have some fun men!” she yelled as she held the bag open. The men all chuckled as they all entered the bag. After they did, Yu Lin closed the bag and tied the bag into a necklace around her neck. She scavaged the area for more of the men, and when she didn’t find any more she went back to the tent where Tai Yang was in.

She found him sleeping peacefully on the ground where she had left him. She picked him up and brought him into the big tent. She set him on the bed and checked his situation. ‘He seemed to be fine now,’ she thought. She let out a sigh of relief as she walked back outsides. She looked at the area around and waved her hand into the air. The camp suddenly disappeared to people outside of the perimeter as it looked just like a normal forest. After that, she went back inside the tent. She looked down at Tai Yang who was still sleeping and pushed him to the side of the bed.

“I am so tired,” she said as she laid next to him. She felt all her energy drain out of her and she closed her eyes, “just for today I will share the bed with you,” she muttered as she relaxed on the bed. After a moment she opened her eyes to stare into the darkness. ‘Lan Hei Kong… a skill you have given me… the very same skill you used to kill me… I will use it to give back to you what you have given to me,’ a murderous aura can be felt from Yu Lin before she closed back her eyes and went to sleep.