“Courting Death?” Someone said in the distance.

Xing turned to his right, watching as a young man walked out of the forest wearing yellow and white robes swaying as the wind caressed the river bay.

The grass crunched beneath his feet as he slowly approached Xing and his men. Such arrogance, does he not like life? Xing mused.

As the young man came closer, Xing realised he knew him. That PALE-FACE bastard! He hissed.

“You.” Xing said coldly.

“Yes…me.” The young master replied with a sniveling smile.

“You sent those fools to attack me in the Red Lantern didn’t you.”

“No…” He said waving his sleeves he snapped a fan free. “Not after you, I should say truly…but that thing you have in your arms.”

“Thing?” Xing growled venomously.

A cold draft caressed the river bay. Goosebumps rose from the back of Xing’s neck. He pulsed his Qi once more, realising that one warrior stay hidden within the forest as the young master continually approached him.

“Yes. Thing. That child’s existence in Huaxia is disrespectful give her to me and I’ll put her where she needs to be.” The Young Master spat, tone laced in disgust.

“Were you the one that beat up Old Man Qing?” Xing asked softly.

“Does it matter who did what to whom, or when?” He asked, raising his hands to the sky.

The young master pulled a pouch from his sleeve, then lightly tossing it in his palm with a sniveling grin painted across his face. “I have twenty gold coins here. I believe that’s a fair price for the demoness!”

Xing looked at young master then the pouch confused. It was as if he’d just been spat at. Did he just try to buy my daughter? He thought sourly.

The young master walked up to Xing, staying at least thirty meters off from him. “Young Master Tao, he’s dangerous!” A wayward bastard spat.

“So is my pouch,” He harrumphed in response.

He flashed a grim smile at Xing, then licked his lips as he stared at Zhao Li, ready to take her from him. Not a chance in the Eighteen HELLS!

The young master tossed the pouch at Xing, coins dinging as it flew through the air. A thudding ding echoed as the pouch flopped to the ground, sliding a few meters off from Xing.

He stared at the brown pouch, gold beaming through the slightly opened knot. This infuriated Xing, the slimy feeling that aroused him, disgusted him. Is this how the wealthy see things? Xing thought, No…this is how the immoral see things.

“Come on you fool, pick it up. You can mold that into FIVE GOLDEN TAELS!” The young master said calmly. “That’s enough to buy yourself a small siychean,”

“Is that the price your father bought your mother?” Xing spat back.

“YOU BASTARD! You know nothing of my mother!”

“Hoo, and for the sounds of it…you certainly don’t know either.”

The smug he had on his face, dissipated instantly.

Xing stepped towards Tao, his men flared their Qi in response. It was like watching the embers of a candle try to imitate a flame.

He wanted to laugh, but with the fury that burned within his soul, was going to be used to extinguish this…Young Master.

One that deserved was a slow death.

“You think the world is yours, eh?” Xing said coldly. “I can smell the entitlement on you. The only thing your entitled to…is the slow death I plan to give you!”

The six men charged toward Xing, swords, knives and quarterstaves rocked behind their back. Xing lips curled into a knowing smile, then he shook his head as he lips drew to a line.

He nestled Li’er in his left hand, then looked into his emerald eyes and smiled gently. “Don’t worry Li’er…Daddy’s will kill all of them for making you drop your toy.”

A surge of killing aura flooded from Xing like mist after a thunderstorm. The six men stopped, feeling the killing aura hit them in their chest and stepped back in unison.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Fright gripping them, warning them that what they were about to do…was a mistake.

A mistake that could cost them their lives.

“Wasn’t he supposed to be of the Divination Realm?” One pleaded from behind.

“PEI JIN!” Another cried out.

“SONG MENG…YOU BASTARD…YOU LIED!”

“Accentuation Realm practitioner” Another whispered.

As they scuttled back further, like the vermin they were, scared of the death they were about to feel.

Xing growled into a laugh, then stepped killing aura shaking the trees around him as if an earth quake was quivering throughout the lands. “You brought eleven men, to deal with me?” He said coldly. “YOU NEED AT LEAST FORTY TO EVEN TOUCH ME.”

Xing shot towards Xia Tao, Iron Shredding Claws thrumming in his hands. He brought his hand down, ready to cleave the right of the young master but two assailants appeared in front of him, sword and hand raised up against Young Master Tao.

“You two.” Xing hissed, seeing the two men who barged into his quarters at the Red Lantern Tavern, “you woke my daughter. Now I’m going to permanently put you to sleep!”

Eight embers of light pulsed, catching Xing’s attention. As confident as he was, he hated fighting multiple people at once, as it forced him to use his Mind Dantian, which had only expanded once, unlike his Soul and Core Dantian.

The only problem with using his Mind Dantian in a fight, it consumed a lot more Qi than his Soul and Core Dantian ever did, which made him use it sparingly.

His eyes continually fixated on the Young Master as he scampered back into the forest, which proved to be an error.

Three kicks riddled Xing’s stomach, forcing him back, but he kicked himself backwards, avoiding a sword slash and a quarterstaff eviscerate his back.

He ducked under a sword, slapping the wielder in the chest, which sent him flying ten meters.

Xing thrummed Qi into his right hand, then spun violently. Fending off the assault the nine assailants that converged on him.

Once they stepped back, he swirled the Qi in Core Dantian, performed an Instantenous Step then charged towards the bastard he sent flying.

He appeared in front of him, his face centimeters away from his own. The swordsman spun, but Xing was already behind him, Iron Shredding Claw vibrating violently.

Xing severed his hand in one smooth motion, then hit the back of his neck with a tempered strike, killing him instantly.

“WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING?!” Xia Tao roared in disgust.

“DYING!” Xing retorted, with a grim smile

“KILL HIM!”

The nine remaining fools converged on Xing. He weaved through them like a leaf does wind, striking and incapacitating with little effort.

One charged at him with gnashed teeth, only to be sent to the ground with a back slap. Another tried to distract him by throwing a knife at Li’er, only for that very knife to embedded into his left eye socket.

Two assailants drifted back, trying to mask their fear, as they tried to calmed themselves. Xing defended a wayward sword slashed that barely missed his neck.

He turned, stepping into the bastard’s range. He waved his right hand shredding his sword hand, forcing him to the ground.

The gap between the remaining fools grew, showing how easily Xing dismantled, but also how much they feared for their life.

The funny thing is, it would’ve been much worst if he didn’t have Li’er in his left hand. Something the assailants realised, but that didn’t stop them.

Majority of Xing’s blocks, dodges and deflect were an effort to protect her…which only served to infuriate him further, by the second.

Despite that fury, Xing knew he had to remain calm, or he’d make a fatal mistake. One he couldn’t afford, especially after losing so many people in recent time. Elder Zhu…Master…I can’t be that fool anymore

Xing didn’t know Li’er’s biological mother and father, but he felt that he could’ve saved them.

He didn’t.

Elder Zhu was a friend, despite knowing him for such a short time. If he’d known the trouble that was brewing, he would’ve done things different.

But now, it was too late.

Too late for them, but not for me…not for LI’ER!

His Master, Chaoxiang, the one who taught him everything he knew about life and martial arts was dead.

Master Chaoxiang he charged him with protecting Li’er, something he knew he could do, if only these fools would just leave him alone!

Xing buried his knee into the last knife wielder’s back, then went pivoted right, kicking off the ground, twirling as he used his qinggong to separate himself.

The remaining five men eyed him, throwing stones imbued with Qi, but he swatted them away like flies. The moment he landed on the ground, the bastards that attacked him in the Red Lantern Tavern finally made their move.

Xing kicked himself off the ground, spinning striking both of them with a kick and acupoint strike.

The kick sent the swordsman to the ground, whilst the bare-fisted bastard avoided his acupoint from being struck.

Xing spun as he landed, catching the quarterstaff, with his hand then flicked it toward the sword wielder who swatted away, only for Xing to slash the quarter-staffman’s. across the chest with his Iron Shredding Claw.

The moment he cried out in pain, a burning sensation erupted from Xing’s right side, forcing him to grab it. A sword shot right past him, blood trailing from the blade.

Fury pulsed into Xing’s eyes and his Qi surged from within Soul, Core and Mind Dantian. He tried to calm himself, but the way his Qi swirled it began thrashing against his second meridian point.

The meridian point that would’ve allowed him to ascend to the Qi Perception Realm!

Xing landed on the ground, catching a quarterstaff before it could hit Li’er. Three men appeared in the air swords and quarterstaves ready to strike him down.

He kicked the bastard in the chest, sending him flying, and shot towards the sword wielder. He grabbed the sword with his bare hand, shattering the blade with a fistful of Qi then waved the shards of the sword into the bastard’s eyes, watching him drop to the ground, in a scream of agony.

The quarterstaff-man kicked off the air with his qinggong, trying to escape but only succeeded in croaking out in pain when Xing crushed his throat with a squeeze. “That’s for trying to kill Li’er!” He growled.

As the quarterstaff bastard’s Qi extinguished like a dwindling candle as Xing shot toward another attacker.

One by One.

Man after Man.

Xing dispatched these hired warriors in a matter of two minutes. He left the bastards that attacked him in Red Lantern Tavern. He winced, feeling the wound within his left side ache.

As men lay around Xing, in a wayward circle. Anger, Fury and Desolation were displayed.

The Qi roiling within Xing didn’t lessen but roared even louder as if shattering concrete slabs with each pulse of his heartbeat.

“Poetic isn’t it,” Xing said coldly. “All of this started from a knock on the door, Yet, it ends in a river of blood.”