CHAPTER 13: GET WANG ZEN

Ding Wu and the masked woman fought heavily. Ding Wu was more aggressive, forcing the woman back with each punch and kick that she either dodged or blocked. The woman picked her spots and countered with a punch that would bypass Ding Wu’s defences.

Ding Wu was able to land a kick at the woman’s core, sending her skipping away. A smile spread across his lips before it disappeared when he collapsed to his knees. If we continue like this, I will surely lose, Ding Wu thought to himself. I must end this as quickly as I can.

Both the masked woman’s and Ding Wu’s hands began glowing with energy, Ding Wu was activating Savage Strike while she was gathering qi needles for a Needle Sphere.

Ding Wu’s attack finished forming first and he sped forward, covering a lot of ground to the masked woman’s surprise. When his hand was closing in to finish her off a wall of earth burst out from the ground between them. Ding Wu frowned but continued on, hitting the wall and smashing a hole through it.

“My love, you saved me!” The masked woman said to the bandit.

He got up, grunted and fell to his knees. “Their Earth user is powerful. I had to flee. The child, did you kill him?”

“No,” the masked woman looked at Ding Wu with disdain, “He had a protector who is proving more troublesome than I initially thought he’d be.”

The bandit looked at Ding Wu, allowing his senses to sweep over the man. “He’s a Master cultivator. It should be expected.” The bandit rose to his feet once again. “Anyways, he shouldn’t be able to protect the child from both of us.”

“I agree,” the woman said, creating another ki sphere above her palm.

They both split up and began approaching Wang Zen’s position. Ding Wu stepped back slowly, keeping himself between them and Wang Zen.

“Master Wang,” Ding Wu said as his head whipped from his two combatants, “Master Wang!”

Wang Zen looked on in worry, his feet trembling slightly.

“Zen’er!”

Wang Zen snapped out of his stupor. “Y-Yes?”

“I need you to prepare yourself to fight.”

“I-I-I…”

“You have no choice, sir. You have a sword don’t you?”

Wang Zen gulped before he reached back and squeezed the hilt of his blade. “Y-Yes.”

“Then its time you use it to defend yourself,” Ding Wu said. “You think you can do that?”

Wang Zen drew his sword, the short blade whistling as it was freed from its sheath. “Yes,” Wang Zen said, hoping he sounded confident.

“Good,” Ding Wu said before dashing to the male criminal, “Then I’ll leave the witch to you! I’ve softened her up a bit!”

“Get him!” The man said as he faced down the charging Ding Wu. “I’ll handle him!”

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The woman charged for Wang Zen who stood in place, staring at her as she came closer.

Jun Nee grabbed his arm, “We need to find cover before she uses those needles.” She pulled him along and he allowed her to while Bhiki followed behind. Wang Zen saw that she was leading them to a boulder which would provide adequate cover.

The masked woman burst into a sprint and thrust her sphere of needles forward, “Needle Stream!” The needles shot out towards the two children. Wang Zen pushed Jun Nee behind the boulder and Bhiki jumped on their back just as a spray of needles rained on their position. They pelted the boulder, cracking huge chunks off it but none reached them.

In the moment of stillness, Wang Zen took a breath. “Jun Nee, stay here.” Wang Zen leapt over the boulder.

“Stay? But she’s after you! Shouldn’t you be the one to stay?” Jun Nee shouted after Wang Zen who was running for the woman.

Wang Zen slashed at the woman but she stopped the motion by grabbing his wrist. She twisted it, forcing him to drop his sword. She punched him, making his nose bleed and his knees buckle. She straightened her fingers and ki coalesced at their ends forming a makeshift blade. Before she could thrust it to his neck, Bhiki jumped onto her. The red monkey bit and scratched at her, causing her to let go of Wang Zen’s hand. The boy collapsed to his knees as he watched Bhiki fend off the screaming woman. She eventually grabbed a hold of the creature’s tale and slammed it on the ground.

Wang Zen activated his Blits Punch and dashed forward. She back stepped, barely keeping ahead of his punches except for the last two which pushed her back onto her rear. She leapt back onto her feet but something else caught her eye.

Spikes shot off the ground, forcing Ding Wu away from the male criminal. While dodging an Earth Pike, he took his eyes off him a second and when he returned them, the bandit was gone. He had little time to ponder this as a hole opened up from the ground and the bandit jumped out, punching him under the chin with an uppercut. Ding Wu hurtled back from the blow and before landing with a thud.

Soil rose from the ground and shoved the prone Ding Wu away before an Earth Pike stabbed at the place where he used to be.

“Aw great!” Ding Wu said as he got to his feet. “I’m dirty now.” Ding Wu dusted himself off.

“That’s a strange way to say thank you,” Yibing said as he walked up beside Ding Wu.

Ding Wu smiled before digging out a long piece of grass which he chewed. “Sorry, sir.”

“You’re taking it easy, aren’t you?” Yibing said, looking at the grass in his mouth.

“Sorry, Boss.” Ding Wu said. “I can’t help it, since you’re here and he’s…” Ding Wu looked at the bandit as more men came to circle him, “…surrounded.”

The bandit frowned. “You think simply having more men will help?”

“You look pretty banged up so I’m going to say, ‘Yes.’” Ding Wu said.

There was a moment of stillness before… they attacked! The man fended off the first two attackers but failed to block a kick in the midriff from Ding Wu. Blood came out of his mouth as he fell to the ground. He rolled out of the way as Yibing smashed down at his position but was hit by a kick from the man, sending him rolling away.

The man opened up a hole but it was closed quickly. The man looked at Yibing whose hands were clasped together in concentration. “Not this time,” Yibing gruffly said. “Ding Wu!”

“On it!” Ding Wu said, his hands crackling with electricity. He thrust his hand out and the electricity snaked out and struck the bandit, causing him to scream in pain.

“NO!” The masked woman sprinted toward them.

Yibing gathered an Earth Boulder in his hand before he charged for the bandit.

“NO!” She said coming closer to stop them. Just before she was about to reach them, she was tackled away. She watched as Yibing threw the boulder at the man’s face, before he hurtled away, blood coming out of his smashed face. “Nooooo!” She screamed, knowing that he was dead.

She looked at the one who tackled him and was surprised to see that it was Wang Zen who looked equally as surprised.

“You stopped me from saving my love,” she said in a voice filled with so much hate that it sent shivers down Wang Zen’s spine. “For what you’ve done, I will kill YOU!”

Ding Wu jumped in front of Wang Zen while the rest of the men surrounded her.

“You think we’d let you do that?” Yibing said.

“Watch your back, child,” The woman said as she rose to her feet, “for this is not the last you see of me. Not by a long shot!” She threw something on the ground and smoke bellowed from beneath her feet, rising and shrouding he when the smoke faded, she was gone.