Martial arts and dance had always seemed a synergistic combination of movement. Controlled motion and force allowing those truly proficient to re-direct attacks and the energy behind those strikes. For someone practicing the [Tessenjutsu] technique aligned with the water element, they managed to embrace the nature of flowing water to add a fluidity of movement that elevated the martial dance to a new level.

The fan as a weapon was something most people would dismiss, they would see an elegant, brightly displayed piece of fluff and think nothing of it. I had settled on the Gunsen fan as my choice of weapon because of the mix of materials used in construction.

The outer spines were made from sharpened metal and could be used as daggers, able to parry attacks from sword and spear. The inner spines were made from hardened wood, they had been treated and hardened by the Sect until they were as robust and strong as the metal outer spines. Each of these parts could be controlled by Qi, along with a trigger mechanism that had been crafted to allow me to release individually or en mass each fortified spine.

Learning to manipulate 78 meridian channels in ever-increasing convolutions and sequences with the ten spines of the Tessen had required dedication that only performing under the watchful eye of Elder Shadow could illicit. He had forced me to learn to link Qi meridians in individual sequences, paired, clusters and link those permutations with one spine, two, three, a pair, three pairs. The amount of time I spent understanding how to take real advantage of my Platinum Spirit Root often left me wishing I'd only managed Iron rank.

Although the Tessen worked on the same principle of darts or throwing daggers, the range of attack was limited. But when forced to fight without my bow, the Gunsen fan gave me the most versatility. What I had discovered as I practiced the [Tessenjutsu] was another facet to combat that had to be incorporated with every attack. The material and motion of the fan meshed well with the flowing fabric of the Hanfu that I wore, allowing me to obscure my movements or include the flowing fabric to foul the attacks of my opponents.

Not only could I make use of the fabric contained in my own Hanfu, fabric that had been treated and made more resilient, arrays of protection and defense stitched into seams and embroidery, I could also use the fan to tangle an opponent's clothing, trapping them as they found themselves fighting their own clothing as my Qi powered with the air element allowed me limited control

This was the strategy I would have implemented if any of them wore the Hanfu, but they were dressed in bits of leather and fur, nothing that I could use to foil their attacks. The Eoraptor, a variable I hadn't considered before attacking, offset my inability to gain control of their clothing to spoil and confuse. His attacks, voracious and frenzied released pent of frustration as claws and teeth continued to savage whatever came within range.

I was able to use parry those attacks whenever I came within range, each attempt met with my Tessen, ignoring scales to open flesh. A quick thrust and one of the eyes burst, forcing the animal to ignore me completely. [White Crane Opens Wing] was one of the beginning forms of [Tessenjutsu] that I had learned, the technique allowed me to use my affinity with air and the open sweeping motion of the Tessen to add an additional dimension to a standard attack.

The technique required me to close and snap open the ribs of the fan, simulating the beating of crane wings to be effective. The wind that had been little more than a morning breeze responded to my command, moving as I directed. Debris, sand, and dirt responded to the growing winds, limiting visibility.

Once the three combatants were a knotted mess of confusion, lashing out indiscriminately, I concentrated my attacks on the Eoraptor. I wanted these men alive, and able to answer questions. I wasn't certain the first man attacked by the Eoraptor would live, but I doubted it. He had been completely surprised when attacked and had had no time to defend.

Targeting the Eoraptor, I leaped into the air, my legs empowered with Qi and [Lightning's Rush]. My Hanfu flowing around my legs, the leap appeared as if I had taken flight. Once I reached the highest point, I created the ice platform that had become second nature for me by this point. Spinning, waiting for the right moment, my fall became more glide than leap, as my momentum accepted gravities embrace. When I landed, I implemented [Spin and Dive Into the Ocean], a killing move that empowered my Qi into the metal spines of the Tessen.

The already razor-sharp spines met with no resistance as the Qi created a fine molecular filament of ice along the edge and tips allowing the fan to separate the Eoraptor's head from its body in one graceful execution, the attack transferring the energy that my body absorbed from landing into the strike adding additional force.

The below of rage from the Eoraptor's mate was the only warning I received before it left the nest and entered the fray. I had been keeping a small amount of Qi focused on the animal because I knew at some point it would feel an instinctive need to act, if not to protect her mate, then to protect the eggs.

But she had waited too long to make a difference. If she had acted in tandem with the male Eoraptor, they would have been successful in killing the bandits, but I doubted it would have made a difference for me. The cliff's outcroppings contained enough hand and footholds that I could reach safety or find a fallback position if I needed to retreat. The Eoraptors could not fly, so once I was safe, I would have peppered them with arrows until they were defeated.

I met her desperate attack with a certain compassion, killing her swiftly and cleanly. I might have been wished I could allow her to survive, but she was destined to die no matter my actions. She would not leave the nest, even starving herself to death without her mate to bring food. She was constrained by instinct, and her death would have been a lingering painful process as thirst and hunger plagued her until the end. My killing her was a small mercy.

Battle ended; I checked the three men for life-signs. The first had died as I'd thought, guts spilled out with his life's blood, his eyes frozen in pain and disbelief at the moment of death. Of the other two, both were seriously hurt, as I untangled my Hanfu and freed them from the remains of the Eoraptor, I thought likely that the other non-cultivator would die too.

The cultivator had deep lacerations to arms and face. Wounds bleeding profusely, but easily staunched with a bit of cloth scavenged from my spatial ring. I considered feeding both a restorative pill I'd made but decided against it. I did spare one for the cultivator, while I was binding his more serious wounds. I wasn't sure my efforts would save his life, but I thought if the farmers were going to get any satisfaction or answers then they would need to question him.

As for any loot? Everything they owned was a Hodge-Podge of scavenged goods. Their weapons were dented and dinged, their clothing not much better than rags, even the hair ties they used were bits of animal skin braided into short lengths.

The Eoraptors were where the real loot was contained. I harvested each beast collecting cores, claws, skin, teeth, as well as the brains, livers, and hearts. I did butcher as much of the meat as possible too. The organs could be dried and used in pills or potions, but the meat would make for high-density Qi meals. The meat I planned on giving to my family.

Of all the items I scavenged, it was the Eoraptor's eggs that were the real treasure. Beast Hall paid well for eggs, going so far as to loan every Sect member who left on missions a special carry pouch. It had some of the same abilities as my spatial ring, but it had the added benefit of sustaining the life growing within eggs, placing them in stasis while until they could be moved to a Sect incubator.

It was only when my attention was completely diverted, paying close attention to the eggs and making sure not to damage them as I transferred them, that I realized the idiocy of turning my back on a cultivator, even one that was bound and injured. If not for the fact that my Qi perception was still engaged and extended, the arc of fire that came slashing towards me might have reduced me to ash.

The aura of a beginning stage cultivator that the man had projected was fake. He was hiding his real abilities behind an array or treasure of some kind. Now that he was no longer hiding who he was, or his real cultivation level, I understood how these men had remained hidden and effective.

His appearance, his weapon, his abilities had all been an elaborate rouse. And it had almost worked. His smirk as he kicked aside one of the rocks, that they had used to create a fire pit, and retrieved a ring. His actions were intended to be humiliating, instead, they only stoked my fury. I watched as he withdrew and equipped clothing and weapon that would make this a real test of skills and ability.