Screeching, screaming, and crying echoed through the forest near Zunzon Road as the sun settled on the horizon. The terrified screams gradually faded into an eerie silence. Blood soaked the ground, splattering green leaves and covering the earth in a gruesome tableau.
A lone man, desperate and panicked, ran through the forest towards the road, hoping against hope that he might survive if he reached it. Deep down, however, he knew nothing would stop the demoness from annihilating every single bandit clan living in these woods. He cursed the fool who had kidnapped her children. The one rule among the bandits of this forest was never to mess with one of the great sects or the imperial palace. But those idiots had kidnapped the offspring of the Blazing Heavenly Demoness. Damn those bastards, he thought, as a sharp burning sensation shot through his neck.
In a surreal moment, he blinked and saw his own body running headless from a disembodied perspective. Realization struck just as his consciousness faded into oblivion.
Li Mei watched as the head fell to the ground, then calmly cleaned her sword. She gave the headless body a look of disdain before turning back towards the forest, her mission far from over.
Green Wood Brotherhood, Forest near Zunzon Road
In the heart of the forest near Zunzon Road lay a small village built by the Green Wood Brotherhood, a group of misfits surviving on petty thievery and robbery. Normally filled with laughter and banter, the village was eerily silent today, as if no one lived there.
Inside one of the modest huts, a man with a prominent scar across his eye kept a vigilant watch. Periodically, he would peer outside, scanning the area for any sign of movement. Each time he did, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He was terrified, but as the leader of the brotherhood, he felt it was his duty to protect his people, even if it meant being the first to fall under the blade of the Blazing Heavenly Demoness.
Blazing Heavenly Demoness was the fearsome title given to Li Mei Cha Mu, the second child of the Blazing Dawn Sect’s leader. When she was a young Grade 2 martial artist, she participated in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament held by Mount Hua, where she defeated 43 participants without a single break using her Heavenly Blazing Blade technique. The technique inflicted a burning sensation before delivering a fatal blow, and what began as a joke among tournament participants became a well-known and feared title after she single-handedly destroyed the Great Moon Palace, an infamous assassination guild. Her reputation spread across the entire central plains.
The scar-eyed bandit leader looked to his left, where the brotherhood members huddled in fear. Young bandits tried to keep everyone calm with reassuring looks and slow hand gestures, while women bandits held their hands over the children’s mouths to stifle any sound. The tension in the air was palpable.
The bandit leader dared not even swallow his fear as he peeked outside once more, praying for any sign of safety but expecting the worst.
As he strained to see through the gloom, a figure emerged from the shadows, slowly advancing into the village. The figure was drenched in blood, radiating a murderous aura that sent chills down his spine. His heart sank as he glanced at the members of his brotherhood, quivering in fear. The thought of abandoning them or witnessing their demise was unbearable.
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Suddenly, the sound of wood splintering and crackling filled the air. The demoness was breaking down walls, entering house after house in her relentless search for any living soul. The thunderous roar of her sword, burning and slicing through wood, grew louder and more frantic with each failed discovery.
He realized, with a jolt of terror, that her Qi detection had pinpointed their location. Peeking out again, he saw her head snap sharply in his direction, her blood-covered form exuding an aura of pure menace.
Images of happier days with the brotherhood flashed before his eyes—moments of camaraderie, laughter, and shared struggles. The thought of those days ending, of never seeing the children grow up, was haunting. Summoning a sudden resolve, he rushed out of the hut.
"We surrender! We’ll do anything! I beg you, please spare our brotherhood!" he pleaded, falling to his knees with desperation in his voice.
Li Mei, the Blazing Heavenly Demoness, halted her advance. Her eyes, cold and unyielding, bore into his. She stepped forward, her sword still glowing with residual heat. The scar-eyed bandit leader's heart pounded in his chest as he waited for her response, praying that his plea would be enough to save his people.
She placed her sword near his neck and said in a calm, chilling voice, "Why do you think I would do that?"
The scar-eyed bandit leader felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he spoke, trying to keep his voice steady. "I might have an idea of who did it."
"Why do you think I would care about that when I can just kill every single bandit here? They will all die with you," she replied, her voice devoid of mercy.
At that moment, Han Cha Mu, her husband, entered the village, his clothes soaked in blood. "Lili! They have kids here!" he shouted.
Li Mei shot him a sharp glare, causing him to stop in his tracks and survey the surroundings. It might have appeared as if Han was intimidated, but in reality, it was a signal, meaning ‘we have company.’ He extended his Qi aura and, sure enough, detected three energies observing from afar, likely through binoculars.
These mysterious observers had been appearing intermittently during their clearing of the forest. Li Mei and Han had already deduced that the kidnapping was orchestrated not by bandits but by a political rival, given the suspicious timing and execution.
This massacre of bandits served as a message, a display of power to the enemy, whoever they might be, and also a misdirection. Once their rampage was complete, the enemy would assume that Li Mei's suspicions had been dismissed after her vengeance was sated.
"We surrender! We’ll do anything! I beg you, please spare our brotherhood!" the scar-eyed bandit leader pleaded, his voice filled with desperation.
Li Mei's gaze softened slightly as she considered his plea. "You have information, then speak. But know this: if you lie or waste my time, there will be no mercy."
"I... I know they came from Konsa City, from the Shenzhou Province direction, on horseback. About 20-30 of them searched the forest all night," he stammered.
Li Mei's eyes narrowed. "And you think this is enough to spare your village?"
"I... saw one of them use a technique. It was Shining Blade Sect’s Charm Footsteps," he added quickly.
Li Mei and Han’s eyes widened momentarily but their expressions quickly returned to normal.
"I will spare your village," Li Mei said. The scar-eyed bandit leader felt a glimmer of hope, but it was short-lived as she continued, "But you have to die, and I will take the people here under my wing."
Though he didn’t like the outcome, he knew he had no say in it. At least his people would survive. A martial artist never goes back on their word, and a martial artist of Li Mei's caliber would definitely not.
Li Mei had keep the illusion because there was no way, Shining Blade Sect acted out just because there was power vacuum being made in the second prince faction. Someone was backing them or making them do this.
"I understand," Scared Eye Bandit said, just before feeling a burning sensation on his neck before death came swiftly.
Han sighed, witnessing the scene. They had to kill him; otherwise, the hidden observers would figure out that the scar-eyed bandit had revealed their identity. The observers would have killed everyone in the village to find out what the bandit had told Li Mei. It was better to make a show where Li Mei killed him and then took in the village.
It would appear to the observers as though Li Mei had acted in a rage and taken the village in because of her sympathy for the children, still maintaining the illusion that she had acted in blind fury.