Ubel threw the shovel in his hands aside and stomped on the ground.

His stomp caused the pit he dug to shatter into smaller bits, the man-sized hole widened into one that could trap four or five men of average size.

Then Ubel leaped out and took the spikes the same height as him, landed back, and planted them vertically to make the sharpened tips at the top. Once done, he left the pit and shoved some dirt and leaves onto the top, supported by small beams of wood to hold them on the surface.

Behind him, there were more of these types of traps. Some the same, some different. And Ubel did the same things throughout the southwest entrance of the forest, at least the portion that was closest to the shrine. It was a boring task to spend two weeks to plant some traps that would prove at most mildly effective.

But it was as needed as it was boring.

Ubel didn’t have the thought that he could fight those people head-on by himself, perhaps. And the damned Raven refused to turn Hong into the beast he was the night they met.

‘’It was one time of a thing, my power is always in need elsewhere. This is, after all, not the only place I try to expand.’’ He said, and Ubel didn’t swallow that lie.

It was clear The Raven intended him to suffer, even if there was truth to his words. And Ubel didn’t like this feeling of being tested, it gave him a mild disgust. This was kind of an alien experience.

But he agreed, and what he would get out of this would be, perhaps, more profitable than a few wounds. And so did Hong Seng thought, who tried to amend himself. It wasn’t helping that he always expressed how generous and merciful his lord was in updating him with the knowledge of the supposed assaulters.

Well, that was what any decent employer would do, yes?

*********

Ubel sat on a cushion in front of the dais again, with the sole company of priest Hong and a boiling kettle of tea.

Hong Seng grasped the kettle from the handle and poured the reddish tea into the crow engraved, green teacups. These were different from the ones he served before, as rather than carrying enough to sip three or four times they could contain far more. These cups were longer, too, and had no handle to hold.

Ubel held one with his bare hand and felt a slight surge of heat pass through his palm. Kind of lukewarm, a notch hotter but not disturbing. It was a kind of flow, one that made him cozy inside.

‘’Did you always have a collection of these?’’ Ubel asked after taking a small sip. It tasted bitter.

‘’You mean the cups? I did,’’ Hong Seng said. ‘’And the leaves too. They are tasty, relieve stress, and can heal minor injuries. Most of my fellow believers carry the same set as well.’’

‘’They should be pricey though,’’ Ubel guessed. ‘’A few pills that can heal wounds and replenish energy would be a better choice, wouldn’t it?’’

‘’Perhaps for you, Ubel.’’ Hong Seng said, taking a sip himself. ‘’But for us, it is better to have something that deals with both mental and muscle fatigue. Our task is not to engage in battles and get ourselves wounded, we are to travel from place to place and make people aware of our lord’s glory.’’

‘’And it is easier to make conversations with some high-quality drink, I assume?’’ Ubel asked, gazing down at the ripples on the teacup.

‘’It is, fortunately. It helped out a lot around the central regions and western shores. Villages around there have near to none tea supplies, so most elders were enthusiastic about welcoming me.’’

‘’Central regions? How come? I heard from a close friend’s family that they have one of the largest plantations there. And pretty high quality, too.’’ Ubel said.

‘’They do, and they are controlled by strict regulations. There are a few listed luxury items in the continent, tea leaves are considered to be the eighth-most expensive and those plantations, no matter how large they are, can’t produce enough for widespread use. To buy, people need to visit big cities who import them from Karnival or the towns around it, namely Chafee or Watwe. Two dozen villages also have some, but theirs are a pretty small amount and they are prohibited from expanding the farm. Or selling it to others, Emperor Shuangxing doesn’t permit unless it is for personal use.’’

‘’Why does he go through all that trouble? It must be hard to keep track of each individual’s gardens and the amount of tea in the market.’’ It was a bit inconceivable that an empire would dedicate its resources to such a regulation, from Ubel’s viewpoint.

‘’The demand is easily ten times of the supply, and this reflects on the prices as well. The more supply catches up to the demand, the less valuable the goods will be. To reap the most benefit it is essential to put some restrictions on the growth of the industry, especially when it is something that can be replicated by lone individuals.’’

‘’Well, then other countries?’’

‘’Climate. Building restricted areas and shaping the terrain to grow out of season and weather herbs is a way, but it is not permanent. The cost is too much to even consider growing tea leaves, which doesn’t benefit the investor, and Shuanguang won’t permit such an action. At least under the covers. In open, they wouldn’t have anything much to say or do.’’

‘’...unnecessarily complex,’’ Ubel said and sighed. He took a large sip, a quarter of the cup’s contents disappeared into his belly. ‘’So, considering they are a luxury, how come you have such a wide collection?’’

‘’Smuggling. The Raven is fond of tea as much as he likes the stench of fresh meat and most of our funds come from smuggling goods through small-scale organizations, who in turn sell them to higher authorities to spread around. As teas are one of his favorites, our roots run a bit deep in the business as well.’’

‘’So the scraps are left to you? Good light.’’ Ubel said. ‘’But I thought a deity would be more...unwilling, to participate in lowly acts like thievery? The Raven, does he not frown upon this?’’

‘’We don’t act solely upon my lord’s orders.’’ Hong Seng’s voice rose a notch and his chest swelled. ‘’Most of the actions are planned by us, then it is left to my lord to decide. If he approves and finds it not detrimental to his image or power, we go with it. And if he refuses, other ideas are made until we find one pleasing to our Lord.’’

‘’Interesting enough,’’ Ubel said. ‘’Priest Hong, you are pretty proud of your lord.’’

‘’I am. He is my Lord and my savior.’’ Hong Seng cracked a smile. ‘’One can’t be proud enough with someone of his existence.’’

‘’You’ve spoken too much, my poor zealot.’’ A voice sounded beside their ears and a mist rose from the dais. This time, there as no eye rising and greeting them. ‘’Bearer of my own, how have you been doing?’’ He sounded weary.

‘’Surprisingly good,’’ Ubel replied, pointing at the small quiver with some twenty arrows in it. ‘’I’ve also learned how to make some durable arrows, so I am better off.’’

‘’How joyous!’’ The Raven exclaimed. ‘’Then grab your bow and recount your arrows. The group of seven started to move inside the forest. The priestess is still at her location.’’

‘’How?’’ Ubel asked, then answered himself before The Raven did so. ‘’You’ve said it would take at least a month for the Mazu’s believers. Then these guys weren’t in her side?’’

‘’It seems so. They...have a bit of a grudge against me. This makes them an easier target, though. Unaffiliated enemies of their kind have no one who would question their absence.’’

‘’So I will be safe from the priestess for the time being?’’

‘’Perhaps, I have no guarantee of that for now. But hurry, and get yourself ready in the shortest time. By now, they are inching closer to the territory of my blessing.’’

‘’Quite fast.’’ Ubel’s eyes narrowed. He leaped to his feet and grasped the quiver, filled with twenty-seven wooden arrows with stone heads. Not far from the entrance laid his bow, and his hatchet always hung at the side of his belt. He plucked the bow and left through the gates.

‘’Then I’ll try to return quickly,’’ Ubel said and rushed to the top of a tree, and from there chased the sunlight to the west. The first line of his traps started with the area of the blessing, after all, and making them stop there would be the best option.

The only trouble was the dark clouds traveling towards them at an extraordinary speed.

Not long after, it seemed, the rain would be inevitable.

*********

The seven people pushing through the forest halted under the wide branches of a pine tree. The one in the lead peered his head through the leaves in his face and let the raindrops swim through his cheeks. It felt chilly. The scent of wet earth smelled like it would become more prominent.

‘’We are lucky,’’ He said and returned. At least fifteen men could sit around in a circle under the tree’s shadow without disturbing each other, so his colleagues sprawled over to relax. He raised a brow. One among them with green hair looked in his way at the same time, seeming like understanding his intent to deliver a long verbal speech to ruin their mood, so he stood up.

‘’True,’’ He said. ‘’They say Orabura’s trees have leaves all round the year. Even in the harshest winters at most a few trees near the Pierced Mountains lose their color.’’

‘’Wonders of the Qi,’’ A fat man laying on his belly muttered. ‘’And it smells better than that shithole of a village.’’

‘’Barbarians,’’ A thin, sickly boy with his back to the trunk added on.’’In which town you see people’s crap on the roads?’’

‘’In no town, you ignorant fool.’’ The green-haired man spat. ‘’Half of the villages are like that.’’

‘’And the other half releases into any river they find.’’ The leader said. ‘’But that’s not important. Shengbing, don’t get yourself wet again.’’

‘’Sir He, I’ll be fine.’’ The sickly boy responded, his eyes dangled to the side.

‘’No you won’t,’’ He Xian said. ‘’Unless you become a destructioner like Zhifang, you’ll still get sick from low body heat.’’

‘’Listen to Sir He,’’ Fatty Zhifang supported their leader, too, and rolled over to gaze at Shenbing. ‘’We don’t want you to get ill before clearing the shrine of that bastard.’’

‘’That bastard.’’ All seven muttered.

‘’Get up and prepare, we are near the area of the blessing. Once there, it will depend on luck whether we find it quick or not.’’ The group obliged and they leaped up to their feet, except those already standing.

Suddenly, the gazes of Sir He, Fatty Zhifang, and a man with a longsword at his back yelped.

‘’Ambush!’’ They each cried and moved their feet to get in front. Then everything happened at the same time.

Sir He brandished a woodcutter’s axe and swung it towards the branches blocking their vision. Fatty Zhifang took a deep breath and his body expanded into a ball of meat, protecting Shengbing with his flesh. The man at the back stepped forward and a cloud of sand drifted beneath his feet, his body blurred.

Then four arrows whizzed to their area, each following one another from behind. First one got cut by Sir He’s axe swing and the stone head turned into rubble. The second one aimed for the Shengbing but Fatty Zhifang’s body shielded him. The arrow sunk into his left shoulder and staggered him to the floor, blood seeped from the wound. Third and fourth, however, struck their targets and pierced through the kneecaps of the two behind. Arrowheads crushed the bones and tore their muscles, blood gushed out.

Two men let out pained cries, rolling on the ground. They reached for their not functioning knees, only to find that their legs below there disappeared. They, from what the group saw, flew over a few meters with the arrows’ remaining momentum.

‘’Chi Jian!?’’ Sir He looked from the corner of his eyes, saw the man in question already acting. So he took two steps back to cover for the ones behind and watched Chi Jian leap towards the source of the arrows. Sand drifted from his feet.

‘’Shengbing? Zhifang? Bu Chong?’’

‘’Aye!’’ Bu Chong shouted and took a step forward, grasping one of the javelins strapped to his back. His eyes danced around the branches and the far away Chi Jian, now tangled with a blurry man in a fight of arms.

‘’Not good-’’ Fatty Zhifang said, flinching and trembling. ‘’That arrow was too strong! It almost turned my shoulder into bone dust!’’

‘’I’m fine, thanks to Senior Zhifang,’’ Shengbing said from his senior’s back, reaching for the arrowhead buried in his shoulder. He yanked the arrow out of its place, the seeping blood frenzied. Yet before it went wild, Shengbing put his palm on the gash and activated his Qi. Deep green wood Qi infused into Fatty Zhifang’s shoulder, then traveled inside the bloodstream. Five seconds later the bleeding stopped, but the wound was persistent about disappearing.

‘’Hah!’’ Bu Chong shouted at that time. His short fingers grasping the iron javelin tightened, so did his muscles, and with a stomp, he hurled the projectile towards the running Chi Jian’s back.

Air brushed past the four men’s face, then a clang sounded. ‘’I did...’’

‘’Monster! Sir He, he is a total monster!’’ Bu Chong exclaimed no sooner than Chi Jian, who descended to their side with a pale face.

‘’Indeed, like that priest Zi Heshang! This guy is also a cripple, yet his blows were as strong as a pathfinder.’’

‘’Another cripple warrior?’’ Sir He and Fatty Zhifang gasped. At the same time, Bu Chong sent two more javelins flying. Two clangs sounded, then the whizzing of an arrow.

Sir He didn’t let his guard down all these moments, and now so raised more than ever. His axe glowed with crystalline white and Qi surged into the head of the weapon. With a swing, a rich silver Qi exploded and cut through the arrow coming to their side.

‘’Does this fucking deity have a fetish with maimed men!?’’ Fatty Zhifang almost roared. He had swallowed a low-grade pill to replenish the wound, and replenished the wound he wished. He now stood up, more energetic and filled with vigor, then took a step forward.

‘’Chi Jian, surround him with dust, get some in his eye too.’’ Sir He said, Chi Jian leaped again, then Sir He turned to his twin brother Zhifang. ‘’Brother, let us tangle him together so that Chong’er and Shengbing can demonstrate their arts.’’

‘’Let us not!-’’ Another arrow arrived in the middle of his sentence, Fatty Zhifang caught it, prepared this time, and broke it in half. ‘’-wait another moment then!’’ So he took a step, his body expanded into a meatball again and he rolled through the ground. Sir He cracked a smile and executed his Three Steps In One art. Like a shadow, he passed through the trees Fatty Zhifang crushed or sent flying, his speed double of Chi Jian.

Bu Chong raised another javelin, whilst checking the remaining eleven. Shengbing, at the same time, raised his hands towards where the silhouette exchanged blows with Chi Jian. Emerald colored Qi burst out and all the trees around them started to rustle without any wind.

Tell me of his steps and thoughts, let me see through the gruesome veil of truth.

His eyes took a brighter blue than before, then he shouted towards Sir He.

‘’Sir He, watch his left leg!’’

*********

Ubel felt his belly churn, sweat dripped down with raindrops from his forehead. After looking at the two bloody legs he severed, and trying to compose himself, he nocked another arrow to the string and let it go. His eyes were keen, and his body stronger than any of those in his sights. But they had Qi, as well as the advantage of more than a pair of eyes.

But this close to him, this man called Chi Jian had no much effect.

Ubel’s arrow found no target, the assaulter hid behind a veil of dust and disappeared within, and his arrow did the same. But he could hear the branches around him shake and the wind rustle, as well as knowing that raindrops were cut short at some places. And those places were the ones most close to him. So Ubel brandished his hatchet and held the bow from its mount like a buckler, awaiting the eventual strike.

Then a flash of yellow passed before his eyes and Ubel saw a sharp edge coming to get his neck. He moved backward, his reflexes acted faster than he hoped and swung the hatchet to the chest of the Chi Jian.

A bright, deep yellow exploded beneath the man’s feet and he stepped on thin air, leaping back and escaping the assault. But Ubel saw that a thin layer of Qi spread under the skin of Chi Jian, the real reason as to why he could do so. But that was not the time to inspect, or it was, but in moderation. So he pressed forward.

With a jump, Ubel chased the man. Chi Jian abruptly turned around and stabbed towards his belly, Ubel’s reflexes didn’t catch up to the motion that accurately, and even covered form instinctual fear, and the strike reached his stomach. The tip cut through almost a millimeter before stopping.

‘’You-’’ Chi Jian’s eyes widened, then he took a step behind to another branch to stand upon. ‘’Are you a cripple?’’

Ubel didn’t answer, he couldn’t answer. For a moment there, he was almost skewered. He felt death move to him so close, almost as close as it did in Yadratafos, that his body acted on its own volition.

‘’You used a Qi art?’’ It had to be. Not all techniques were meant to externally kill people. Some would invade the meridians, like a poison, or they could be a real poison that would infect the bloodstream. And others were like him, who chose to destroy the flesh rather than the spirit. And it seemed, this Chi Jian guy chose the internal method.

How pitiful he could be, trying to burn the ash?

Three seconds passed, quite a long time considering their apprehension at the moment, then both moved at the same time.

Ubel threw his hatchet to him, who evaded, and it struck into a tree further away, the sharp head sunk into the bark and clattered for a moment before stopping. Then he pulled out an arrow from his quiver within the same moment, which he readied to shoot at the Chi Jian.

Chi Jian, however, didn’t strike. Instead, a storm of dust rose from his hands and rushed over to Ubel while the man retreated. His feet like the slippery tongue of a snake, he moved through the branches and escaped from Ubel’s close-quarter reach.

But with him opening the distance, the power of his art weakened and left out a gap in the dust that allowed Ubel to see again.

Please, just don’t die.

Then Ubel let loose the arrow.

Ubel’s eyes locked on the arrow, rather than the inevitable target it would hunt. He suffered enough from causing two people to wail in pain.

But he didn’t expect it to fail.

From afar, something sparked. It was a javelin, an iron-headed javelin with a wooden base. Like his arrow, it flew with an unseen speed and crashed right onto the arrow. They collided, sparks bordering blazes appeared, then were cut short by the rain, and both exploded into splinters.

He destroyed it? Ubel understood in an instant what was wrong. He had a better physique and vision than any individual in the assaulters’ group. But his proficiency lacked. Compared to the bare-chested, javelin-throwing guy, his ability to aim and shoot was clearly lacking. After all, from what Ubel could guess, the enemy was one forged by battles and slaughter while he, himself, was one raw material with only the blood of animals in his hands.

So what would happen if they were equal in strength? Ubel shuddered, as he knew that in a moment’s notice he would be skewered from his heart. He is a danger. He was the most immediate danger in his hands. Ubel assumed so, so he moved.

With dizzying speed he threw two arrows in an instant, they both swam in the air for a moment before being struck down by two more. They exploded into rubble and splinters again.

‘’No damn way.’’ Ubel shot another one, ended up watching with opened mouth. An axe swing from their supposed leader stopped the arrow. Ubel shot one more, again, and his jaw dropped. The mountain-like fat man, called Fatty Zhifang, caught the arrow between his palm and crushed it with no effort. Then he saw Chi Jian coming up to him again, this time followed by the Fatty Zhifang and the middle-aged axe-wielding Sir He.

Scowling, Ubel pulled one more arrow. He nocked it, then let it loose.

The arrow whistled across the branches and the leaves and found itself looming over the Fatty Zhifang’s rolling, wet, muddled body.

‘’No damn way!’’ Ubel’s jaw dropped. The rotating ball of fat deflected the arrow. Ubel shot one more, a javelin flew his way and intercepted the shot. One more followed, another one intercepted and the first of the trio, Chi Jian, arrived.

His arrival was tense but not unexpected, Ubel kept him in his line of sight the whole moment for he feared what the man could accomplish in a group fight. And his fears were right, as the first thing he did was to make another storm of dust swallow Ubel’s position.

Ubel choked on the dirty air and soon a brown cloud covered his vision. Coughing and stumbling on his place, he nocked one more arrow and awaited. All sounds were lost other than the splattering drops of rain and his heavy breathing, and also a faint rumbling.

No you didn’t!

It was a rumbling indeed, the crashings of the meatball Fatty Zhifang crushing through the trees and plants on his way. His voice came nearer. It became clearer. Then Ubel found his footing lost, the tree swayed under him to the back.

‘’Uwah-’’ Ubel’s cry of shock was cut short, the man called Sir He descended upon him with a silver glinting axe strike. With a slash, an aura spread and the silver image exploded into a crescent moon. And like a falling moon, it fell.

A light gash spread through Ubel’s chest and he crashed into the softened ground. Ubel moved his limbs but something didn’t allow him to get out. It was like a swamp, he sank into the mud the more he moved.

Another blade strike followed, this time by Chi Jian, and his sword appeared right above Ubel’s neck. The sharp edge threatened to spurt a fountain of blood.

Ubel’s eyes trembled, his mud-tangled limbs found a new strength in fear of death, and in anger to The Raven.

Suddenly, a whirlpool of Qi appeared above Ubel’s head. Chi Jian froze from the abrupt sight, his blow slowed down for a single moment. And in that instant, the whirlpool exploded like a bomb.

‘’Grr-!’’ The aquamarine explosion swallowed Chi Jian, together with half of Ubel’s upper body. Former tumbled back in a sorry state, half his left arm painted with blood, while the latter escaped from his position.

Now finding a chance to regain his footing, Ubel rolled to the side. A javelin traced blood from his cheek and sunk into the mud.

He had not much time to adapt to the sudden scent of blood and burning, nor the rushing meatball Zhifang. And from his back Sir He approached again, so Ubel found himself surrounded from three sides, Chi Jian chased after him the moment he escaped from the momentary pain.

Ubel’s breathing roughened, his mind started to work. Then a deep blue veil of light sprang on his skin, pulsing with a dangerous aura only recognizable by non-cripples.

Ubel shot back and swept his left leg to the lower body of Sir He, whom he deemed the second most dangerous after the javelin guy.

‘’Sir He, watch his left leg!’’ Then a shout sounded from afar, Ubel found himself swept over with delight.

*********

‘’That is such bullshit!’’ Bu Chong spat at the sight. Although his vision was still hazy and multitudes of trees blocked his sight, he saw how his javelin missed from Shengbing’s art. Then the unexpected occurred.

‘’Sir He!’’ Shengbing cried out. ‘’How did he got faster?’’

‘’How can I know!?’’ Bu Chong readied another javelin. His eyes darted around the fast-moving targets and the limping Sir He, under the furious attacks of The Raven’s cripple warrior. His ankle was broken, utterly crushed into a paste. But his agility didn’t waver, nor did his will to fight, and he blocked over ten blows of fists and kicks.

‘’Shengbing, hurry and tell me where he will move next.’’ Bu Chong raised his javelin. ‘’I’ll use Blood Expansion.’’

Shengbing gazed at his side, his cheeks looked quite red.

‘’Don’t dawdle, come on!’’ From Bu Chong’s, fingertips red lines spurted, nine of them, and gathered at his back in the forms of cloaks. One of them flowed forth and enveloped the javelin, gave it a sickening aura of blood.

‘’Thirteen steps left to Sir He, Ten centimeters below the second branch from the tree six steps behind him.’’ Shengbing halted his gaze and told, Bu Chong saw his Qi drain again. They could strike seven more times together, and he could do two times more by himself. Then their Qi would deplete altogether and they would be forced to fight in close quarters.

Which was something both avoided as often as possible.

‘’Six seconds, five, four-’’ Shengbing started counting, Bu Chong tensed his muscles. ‘’-three, two, one!’’

The javelin flew forth like a streak of bloody lightning. Its color eye-catching and its might mind-rumbling, it reached before the battlefield of the four.

This time both of their jaws dropped.

The believer, suddenly, evaded a punch from Sir He and took two steps back, upon where Chi Jian slashed his sword. The believer lowered his body and rotated with a sweep of his elbow, crushing of bones sounded from Chi Jian’s ribcage and he flew back from the sheer force.

The javelin arrived right at that time, together with Fatty Zhifang’s rolling, glorious belly. They both seemed as if they could squeeze the man into a skewered paste of flesh, yet failed to do so.

The believer moved in an unrecognizable way, his body just launched itself to his right with no initial clue, and the javelin struck right into Fatty Zhifang’s stomach.

‘’Phugh!’’ He puked blood and bounced back like the ball he was, tumbling down several trees along the way. He ended up coughing a mouthful of blood and stood up again. His figure, although wounded, still looked as powerful as ever, or even more than before.

‘’Bu Chong! Make this scum into a shish kebab for me! I’ll eat him whole!’’ He roared, took out the javelin with no grunt of pain, and threw it aside.

‘’Chi Jian!’’ Sir He shouted at that time, once more dealing with the furious, yet undisciplined martial arts of the believer. ‘’We need you!’’

‘’Right there!’’ Chi Jian said, struggling to his feet. A part of his robe sunk together with his chest inside. Blood tainted his dark grey robe. His eyes flashed and his palm rose, a whirlwind of dust arose within the center of it.

Contrary to the other dust storms he created, which served only to obstruct the vision and distract the enemy, this one was the real deal. One intended to sever the flesh and eat at the bones.

Oh, it could also blind someone, too.

Fatty Zhifang joined the fray as his storm largened into the size of an average man and the believer found himself under pressure. Even Chi Jian, although a bit late by now, could see that their enemy wasn’t a real crippled warrior like Zi Heshang. Or he was, but without the expertise to control ambient Qi and their body.

If he was, Chi Jian doubted he would survive the first encounter they had.

But that was an if, and this was now. And now, the light favored them.

But the ominous rain continued to drop, and for whom no one knew.

*********

Ubel ducked away from an axe swing to his head but another sword strike came in its stead. Taking a step back, he narrowly avoided the tip and started retreating.

These men had better of him, Ubel reminded himself once more. They were better in fighting, richer in experience, more proficient in weapon mastery. Like Yuan Shu, whom Ubel had carved his face to his memory a long time ago.

Fatty Zhifang rolled towards him again and caught him from behind, a boom and a tremble later Ubel was flying further back into the forest. The rain intensified a few seconds before, too, and a piercing cold encroached to all participating in the fight. It was, however, more prominent on Ubel.

‘’Dam-’’ A bloody javelin flashed before his eyes and sprawled blood, his blood, all over his chest. It took a finger-sized piece of flesh out of Ubel’s shoulder and flew further into the gloomy darkness of the forest. Ubel found himself stumbling back.

I need to get back. He had to get back. Not later, but now.

Grasping the mount of his bow harder, Ubel stopped his tripping and launched himself back with a leap. Fatty Zhifang and Sir He didn’t wait for him to act all the time and were on his back already. Chi Jian, too, followed behind them, but with lesser agility. Perhaps because of the terrifying, crackling whirlwind in his hands. Ubel knew how hard it was to maintain the balance of Qi to make a technique work in the midst of a battle.

He also couldn’t keep the Qi on his skin longer. With each wound, his mind got dizzier. His already measly control of Qi slipped more often than not.

The wind whistled at that time, Ubel saw another bloody javelin coming for him. Annoying.

Ubel gathered as much Qi as he could without losing control, which was only the size of a toddler’s fist, and pointed it towards the incoming strike. He let go, the free Qi exploded into a ring of force that propelled him to the front.

The javelin missed, trio right behind him cursed aloud, Ubel continued to retreat.

Soon, four more javelins flew forth, but all missed again. They were also almost out of the range of the javelin guy, Ubel estimated, and were near the ground traps he planted.

So he descended to the ground and covered his legs with a blue-colored veil of light. His speed increased, and his opponents were left behind a few dozen meters.

A few more voices rang out, talking about his suspicious descent and weird movements. Ubel sighed.

He halted right before a not-so-hidden pit and nocked an arrow, then shot it at the unexpecting Fatty Zhifang. The man rotated like the ball he was again, rolled down the trees and deflected the arrow with pure velocity. Ubel wanted to shout in frustration, so he did.

‘’Dammit!’’ He placed another arrow on the string, let it loose. His aim was the same. Fatty Zhifang took the strike the same, not even a scratch appeared on his rolling back.

Ubel shot one more arrow, Fatty Zhifang defended and increased his speed again. Sir He and Chi Jian followed behind, now everyone was again on the brink of clashing in close quarters.

But Ubel cut that possibility short.

The moment Fatty Zhifang reached two dozen meters away from him, Ubel stomped on the ground. Vibrations spread, trees’ rustling suppressed the dripping rain’s sound.

The ground cracked under his feet into a large ravine, Fatty Zhifang fell right into it. He let out a wild scream at the sight of tens of stakes approaching closer to his vision. Sir He shouted, Chi Jian scowled and ran forth to his rescue.

But it was futile.

Not even a second passed before the meatball Zhifang fell right onto the initial few spikes. Their tops trembled under the weight and speed, yet once the momentum was delivered all left was the impalement. Poles of spiky wood pierced through his eyes and throat and belly, even into his crotch. His scream died in his throat with him.

‘’Brother!’’ Sir He’s shout shook the surroundings. ‘’You- you!’’ His voice cracked, hoarse.

Chi Jian stopped on top of a branch of oak, wide-eyed. He gulped.

Shengbing and Bu Chong approaching from afar halted their steps from the yell.

Bu Chong trembled, his fists clenched.

Ubel smiled. Tears flowed from his eyes, they reddened until even crimson wasn’t a word enough to describe its bloody tinge. Yet, he managed to crack a smile.

‘’You monster!’’ Sir He lunged forward and ignored all the visible traps. He didn’t even need to look out for them at this point, side-stepping them by leaping from tree to tree proved more effective.

Ubel watched him come closer and closer, the distance was only a handful of meters when he awoke from his stupor.

He hurriedly gathered another ball of Qi instead of nocking an arrow, he thought the range was too dangerous for that. So he made it explode right in Sir He’s face, they both flew backward.

Chi Jian recame to his senses, then he joined the fray as well. His right hand rose into the air, raindrops ceased falling for a moment, then descended with the whirlwind of dust in his palm.

The earth accompanied the howling winds and floated up, the storm gathered power as it marched towards the maddened Sir He and desperate Ubel.

Shengbing wanted to inch closer, Bu Chong stopped him from advancing and readied another javelin. He launched successive shots without caring for either the storm or Sir He. Else, he wouldn’t be able to hit anything.

The bloody javelins whistled over their heads and landed above and below the two combatants, now brawling like two drunken men. They punched and kicked, sent flurry of slaps and head-butted each other. One forgot to use the bow, the other the axe.

Ubel’s quiver landed on the mud, his bow flew over to another pit revealed by their fight. The storm of dust appeared in his vision at that time, approaching with a majestic size.

As they exchanged one more move, Ubel retreated and gathered another ball of Qi. Sir He didn’t seem to let him do as he wished, though, and threw himself over him. But he stumbled on another pit’s edge as well, tumbled down, rolled on the wet mud. Then his body disappeared into the pit.

So, now free, Ubel approached the storm on his own volition. He punched with the ball of Qi in his hand.

Two wild forces collided, Ubel’s mixed Qi and physical strength triumphed over the one backed by a shaken will.

The storm scattered into particles of smaller dust, the rain swallowed it whole. Chi Jian’s legs wobbled upon the tree he stood.

Ubel then looked over at the pit Sir He landed on. He had crawled out of it meanwhile, grasping at dirt and weed, as if they were lifelong friends. From his eyes, Ubel saw fire, and bright silver, tainted by pain.

Ubel didn’t dally further. He took a step forward and came before Sir He, almost out of the pit. He looked down, his opponent looked above.

Their gazes connected, Sir He grumbled.

Then Ubel kicked him.

Kicked him down.

Sir He fell into the spike-ridden pit again, this time unable to avoid the sharp tips, and suffered the fate of his twin brother. Blood spurted, washed over the dirt.

An inaudible chattering passed through Ubel’s ears, so he turned around. He saw Chi Jian shouting before turning back, running away. Far from him, the duo of javelin wielder and the other youth looked on with tears in their eyes. They cursed, the sickly Shengbing attempted to come closer.

‘’Leave!’’ Ubel shouted at them. They froze for a moment, Chi Jian landed next to his compatriots.

‘’Leave!’’ Ubel said, again. ‘’Leave before I kill more of you! Leave!’’

Leaving was what they did, with more incomprehensible words.

Ubel’s gaze didn’t leave their backs for some time, they disappeared.

His eyes fell on the corpse lying beneath the pit, impaled by woods. Ubel felt more tears flowing out, and a wider smile accompanying it.

Why did I enjoy this? He put his palm over his face. His tears streamed down his cheeks, more prominent than the rain.

Why do I feel so good?

Why? He wondered.

Why?