“...”
On the other hand, ReZhui watched on as ShiYan halted in her steps. A short leap away from their outstretched hands. Breathing deeply, ShiYan sighed, before she carefully folded up her sleeves until her elbows. Her arms appear healthily bony and there was light application of red paint on her fingernails. There were some obvious signs of redness from the short engagements back at the restaurant but that was all. Internally, the duo gangsters fell bewildered at how their brute strength barely injured these apparently thin, flimsy arms that may break with a single hand chop. However for ReZhui, it’s clear for any true martial artist. While appearing weak, there was firmness and toned muscular refinement hidden beneath.
“...”
ShiYan quickly analyzed their positions.
Or rather, their lack thereof. It was not textbook technique that she assumed but instead, pragmatism from decades of experience in thug life.
The older man loosened his arms, lightly flinging them about as he awaited; while the youngster crouched low. His legs tensed and pupils constricted.
“RAHHH!”
“...!”
Without a moment’s notice, the young man propelled himself forward, charging straight towards her legs. It was a simple, yet effective tackle, perfected at blinding speeds.
Seeing this, ShiYan returned in hand. Closing near her feet, the youngster felt a small palm atop his head.
“...?”
Downward force.
ShiYan carried herself over his path using the man as support. She spread her legs in a split and safely landed on her feet behind him, while the youngster, helplessly caught in his own momentum, crashed hard into the coarse tiled road, picking up considerable dust that covered his fall.
‘How did she react in time?!’ was his last thought before his face scraped the road beneath.
However, that doesn’t mean she could stop there.
“Take this, girl!”
“...!”
As soon as ShiYan touched ground, she instinctively bent her torso backwards against an incoming punch from the older gangster. Her arms steadied herself behind and her legs launched afterwards, striking the gangster with a double kick that carried her earlier momentum; more than enough to send the old man tumbling backwards despite his stable footwork.
Using the gangster as a jump platform, ShiYan gained speed and turned on her right palm, swiftly cartwheeling close to where the youngster crashed.
Given that all of this happened in mere seconds, the young man had barely recovered from that, getting up fast with a worsened face. Unfortunately for him, that fast recovery was still too long as ShiYan transitioned smoothly, soon delivering him a clean kick at the heel to the face.
“Urgh…”
It struck below his temple, but even with that inaccuracy, ShiYan’s continual energy was sufficient to send the young man into a dizzying mess, leaving her more time to deal with the other opponent uninterrupted.
“YAHH!”
She swept her feet once more across the youngster, tripping him back again to meet the ground.
“CURSE YOU!”
The older man rushed forward for a right hook to her face, but ShiYan was already aware of that. With a side glance back, she twirled on her heel and sidestepped beneath his right arm, missing his mark. Whilst that, ShiYan wrapped her arms around his now extended arm, curling to the shoulders like a snake. She stepped forward and swiftly tucked her right foot to his left like a scythe to a bundle of grass.
“...!”
Realising how she executed that so quickly and seamlessly, the old man was caught in a lock. His right arm was also not in the position to be of any assistance and he needed extra balance. But not for long…
ShiYan tried to shove him backwards, however, the old gangster, with a size and weight advantage, held on like an immovable wall. He responded with his own opposing force forwards, easily overwhelming her petite frame. Now, he planned to bring her down and render mobility a past opportunity.
The old man exerted his strength and ShiYan assisted as well, primarily their binded feet. With her extra shove, the man’s left leg lifted off the ground and not in the way he hoped for.
His left leg kicked high, unreasonably high. So much so that the only support he had left was his right leg and now, his center of mass had also shifted backwards.
“...!”
The old man just realized what he had done.
He was going to fall, and that would be a major disadvantage.
Using gravity as additional force, ShiYan tensed her body as she readied herself for the move. Arms still locked in one another, ShiYan slammed the old man hard onto the pavement below. A loud thud could be heard from where they stood.
The crowds around her reacted and flinched upon the sight.
“Eughr!”
Head first onto the ground, the gangster’s eyes rolled back from the recoil. Saliva splattered out from his gaping mouth and eventually foam rose from its depths. Despite his incredible durability, with the earlier brawl back at the restaurant and his already aging body, another severe blow to the head was all she needed to bring down this lifelong gangster into a state of unconsciousness. It would be quite a long while before he could get back up from such a concussion.
“...”
ShiYan, still fine and well from all that has happened besides her hands, readily got up from her half-squat, really relieved that her clothes had barely gotten dirty. After her impromptu inspection, she turned to the youngster, who has now regained his sense of balance, and is obviously different from before the fight.
His demeanor had changed drastically.
From his optimistic, borderline wild nature with his canine-bared grin, the ailing youngster has fallen dark and solemn. His ruined face showed no arrogance. Rather, it was expressionless, as if all his desire now is to bring her down as soon as possible, no matter that cost. He no longer underestimated ShiYan; that her first interference was just on a chancing whim.
She was the real deal, and he had to take his steps seriously. Otherwise, he will face the same ridicule and pity as his newfound ally.
“... . Come forth, scum.”
ShiYan spoke plainly.
Silently, the youngster gritted his teeth at the realization, but reverted otherwise.
A step forward. Another stride. Third stomp.
A roundhouse kick.
“...!”
ShiYan ducked and returned a leg sweep. However, even he was nimble, and the youngster skipped up at the last second.
While airborne, he launched a simple frontal kick to the stationary ShiYan, aiming straight at her face.
“...!”
Immediately, ShiYan leaned backwards and followed up with a backflip, getting out of his reach. Evenso, the youngster was not done yet. He still had energy within him.
Landing smoothly, the youngster charged forward with a tough punch at the recovering ShiYan. Thankfully for her, ShiYan made it in time to connect the blow, driving her outstretched elbow into his hardened fist. The resulting collision caused her to slide back considerably.
Minor grunts could be heard from her as she contracted her core.
Knowing he was on the trend to push further, the young man shook off the blistering pain of his red knuckles and pursued regardless. Another punch thrusted in towards her, but ShiYan tilted her side in the nick of time.
The youngster continued with an uppercut to her abdomen. Although, one more tight elbow connected instead. The sheer power of this blow momentarily lifted ShiYan airborne and sent her flying backwards. Her feet crunched solid upon landing and she resumed her stable footwork.
A sidekick flew overhead.
A back kick missed its target, and two sharp jabs met her elbows.
“urgh…”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The youngster was relentless with his long chain of offensive attacks, barely giving the youthful teen a breather.
Despite this, ShiYan remained calm and acted accordingly. At first, she clearly got pushed back, however, she has now stuck her ground. From his flurry of blows of every limb, she blocked with her elbows and knees. For those that were deemed too risky and potentially filthy, she dodged and countered.
A straight punch was launched and ShiYan began the bind.
However, the youngster managed to pull away just in time, knowing how he may have no counter to it. It was too much of a risk.
In the end, all ShiYan did was tore off his ruined sleeves and scratched his arm red.
It scorched a searing pain but that was the least of his priorities.
“...!”
Taking this gap of inactivity, ShiYan tried to grasp the lead once again, landing a clean, well placed vertical punch right towards his heart. A deep thud sounded from the impact and the youngster groaned silently in agony.
Falling back in staggered steps, the young man immediately applied pressure to his chest. He sincerely felt his pulse stop and then restarted at an irregular rhythm.
Together, the onlookers grimaced at the outcome.
The young man, nearly tripping across the fainted figure of the older gangster, choked, coughed and wheezed heavily. Drowsiness crept up his mind, the more he retreated. All in all, he was on the verge of breaking down. Additionally, that large surge of attacks had unfortunately blasted away most of his remaining stamina, so currently, it was as if he suddenly had another adult man strapped to his weakening body.
However, ShiYan ignored all of that.
It was her turn.
Without resistance, a rapid chain of vertical punches followed suit, crushing his core.
Helplessly bent forwards from the failing torso muscles, the youngster’s head fell right into her reach, and ShiYan made full use of that.
Transitioning smoothly out of that chain, she spread her arms out like a soaring crane.
“Hah…”
Her fingers bent and stiffened. They protruded out like an eagle readying its claws, and it dived in for its spotted prey.
The eagle accelerated fast.
So fast that it became a blur and without a chance to notice, its target was suddenly pierced with sharp talons on both sides, delivering it instant death.
ShiYan’s ten fingers slammed particular acupuncture points, encompassing the area around his temple. They were needles for a purpose.
A purpose to render the opponent unconscious.
And that, it truly did.
“...”
From the agonising pain swelling all over his body, akin to a balloon ready to burst, the last he saw was her stern expression. A righteous gaze.
Her fingers reverberated shockwaves that echoed and rippled within his skull with great intensity. Erratic blood flushed out and into his brain, rendering all thought useless. Finally, there was a stinging, high-pitched screech which rang loudly in his inner ear.
It was ShiYan’s finishing move.
.
.
.
A moment of silence filled the street, before she readily released her grip. Deep scarlet dots were clearly visible from their departure and the youngster had blacked out long before. His eyes were rolled up, leaving bloodshot whites.
“...”
His head tilted and cranked lower. A small stream of blood began to trickle from his ears.
First sound was the fall of his knees, and the second, his head, and the last was his upper torso. Coincidentally, the two gang leaders collapsed near one another, although not in a regretful embrace.
The match was over, and ShiYan emerged the victor.
With that, she simply stood, taking in all that had happened and the setting she was currently in.
At the same time, murmurs began to crept up amongst the crowd before one lady raised her hands for a respectable clap. The gesture quickly spread, and everyone erupted into cheers of congratulations for her martial prowess and the satisfaction of entertaining them all with a good fight.
Realising the ruckus she had accidentally made, ShiYan dismissed them with a short bow, recognising their compliments.
In regards to the remaining thugs, their faces remained plastered with expressions of disbelief and fear. For they believed they were the ones who dared to extort and plunder through intimidation and might, their lowly, uncivilized selves were now finding themselves on the other end of the stick.
It was common knowledge within the societies of outlaws and vagabonds that greed reigned over all judgements, and this is the fundamental principle by which all operate. Those who carry out banditry will face banditry by their own kinmen. Ultimately, the strongest shall hoard all the stolen by force, while whatever leftovers are scavenged by the less powerful.
The latter was them, and begrudgingly, their captains.
However, not in all their lives, they have witnessed their money taken away by a petite and youthful beauty of a girl.
Right immediately, ShiYan rolled the leaders’ bodies over as she searched for their money bags.
In the end, she gathered several beefy bags of silver taels from all the thugs of the Resolute Sand and Vine Cutter. Feeling the weight in her hands, ShiYan then tied them together in a bundle using some string. Meanwhile, the subordinates rushed forward to their respective leaders. They executed some hopeless first aid on their injuries before lifting their unconscious bodies carefully onto their backs, along with their other knocked out members.
“...”
ShiYan turned to them once she was finished. Her eyes were still full of suspicion and caution.
“What else?” She blurted.
Akin to tamed wild dogs, they whimpered at her voice and avoided her hostile gaze.
“...”
Eventually, one member, with a severe burn to the neck from boiling hot tea, replied feebly.
“A-are we-Does Young Lady need anything more f-from us peasants…”
He looked like he would break out into a nervous sweat from that mere interaction.
“... . What the hell?”
ShiYan was growing irritated.
She couldn’t believe their sudden docility. However, she remained optimistic. Laxing her gaze, the girl informed them well.
“If you scumbags have finally realised the errors in your ways, then I advise turning over a new leaf. Quit your banditry and start repaying your karma by leading a more moral and honest life.”
“...”
“Moreover, that’s not only towards you all, but for the rest of the groups that are not within my reach. Tell them this clearly, that I sent them a message…Return to the workforce, whether it be the farms or construction, otherwise this will befall upon those I come across. Remember, I can tell your kind apart very easily.”
She pointed at the bodies of the two captains with boldness and held her head high. It was her warning.
“Yes, Madam! Sorry, Madam!” came the thugs in unison. With that, ShiYan clarified one last thing.
“Alright, you may leave.”
She shooed them away, like birds in a park, and at her words, they all perked up. The gangsters wailed their final pieces of gratitude before the group finally scurried out of the scene, never to be seen again.
Meanwhile, the surrounding passersby quickly began to disperse and separate, attending back to their own business. After all, they were all higher class people with an educated importance on place and time. With this commotion ended, their presence here served no purpose. Hence, any lingering reactions were taken along with their cliques.
This also made it easier for ShiYan, as she looked to this situation as one not worth garnering necessary attention.
She sighed deeply and took out a pink silk handkerchief from her pocket sleeves after unfolding them.
As she turned around to head back inside however, ShiYan’s path was suddenly blocked by a certain individual.
“...?..!”
Raising her gaze upwards, ShiYan was immediately caught off guard, spooked at who was in front of her. She yelped softly in surprise. An adorable youthful voice.
In the face of her expected reaction, the individual returned her an amused, proud smile. Yet, their eyes also met, filled with a sincerity of longing for reunion.
“N-no way…”
ShiYan’s hand covered her mouth in shock.
It was a recognisable face of a young male teen of later fourteen. He wore layers of thicker clothes, optimal for travel and daily use, and donned a long dark brown garment. Being only a head shorter than his large frame, ShiYan’s neck had less of a problem cranked upwards. Her ears also turned a bright tomato red.
“R-ReZhui…is that truly you? No, it-it is you!”
Altogether, her ‘performance’ was what ReZhui intended with his act. Satisfied, he raised his right hand for a light wave.
“You were not expecting this, aren’t you, ShiYan?”
“...”
“Well, here I am, in all my glory! I hope I made it in time because-”
“TAKE THIS!”
“...!”
A speeding kick went overhead, blowing some loose strands of his tight hair bun.
“Whoa.”
ReZhui ducked in the nick of time, and effortlessly asked back, bewildered.
“Is this how you return a greeting now? It wasn’t like this the last time so, what gives?”
“RAH!”
One more came swinging from the side, and another, and another. It was a large barrage of high mobility kicks. However, ReZhui continued to dodge and block every blow she threw at him.
“Didn’t you just beat up those two guys earlier? You must be feeling tired, right?”
He asked plainly.
“STAY STILL! Just…let me…”
A vertical fist launched forward, and ReZhui readily caught it within his palm, temporarily halting any further assault.
“Just tell me slowly, what did I do this time?”
“You saw the entire thing, didn’t you?”
“...W-what if I said no?”
“That convinces me otherwise, ReZhui. Try better with your tongue!”
Her cheeks flush a brighter red.
“Alright, alright, I did…and it was a fantastic display of your Dao and martial prowess, ShiYan. …”
ReZhui saw her face lowered and darkened.
“So you witnessed all of it from the start…but never bothered to lend a helping hand in my lone fight against two fully-grown men?!”
“...ah well…”
ReZhui averted her gaze, “I was going to if things go south. You do not know how much self-restraint I had to experience throughout- ”
She gritted her teeth.
“At the very least, you called out to me and cheered for your support!”
ShiYan whined loudly.
“Ah…haha…”
All around them, for those who stayed behind for other purposes, they turned a glance back to this escalation, confused at how her demeanor changed drastically from a righteous hero into a regular teenage girl. This was also the thoughts of HuaYan and WeiQi who suddenly felt a great sense of deja vu.
“...”
“...”
As they continued to witness this shining display of adolescence with such eyes, HuaYan was the first to break their silence in the midst of the other’s squabble, grooming his goatee while he spoke.
“Poor ReZhui, truly what a feisty girl he has got himself with. WeiQi, shall we pour water on this fire?”
“... . I agree.”
She then shoved him forwards, nearly tripping him over.
“W-what was that for?”
“You’re the loud mouth out of the two of us so the stage’s all yours.”
She held out an open palm.
“...”
Seeing her serious expression, HuaYan just sighed.
“Wish me luck then… and that I do not get kicked to tomorrow.”
He muttered the last part in prayer.