To Mei Ying’s shock, there stood a young man wearing a crimson outer robe with his back turned to her. His long, black hair whipped back like strands of fine silk, along with his half-ponytail and red ribbon. By his right side was a juvenile, dressed in all black. Unlike his master, his long-braided ponytail trailed off in the massive wind as his broad black sleeves flapped back and forth.

Out of nowhere, these two incredible people had blitzed in, with silver smoke streaming around them.

“Big sister, do you know them?” asked Wei Sheng, tugging at Mei Ying’s wide pale-green sleeve.

“I…” Studying the figures, the young woman found them to be similar to the Young Master-and-servant duo from the previous night. “I guess I do.”

What the huntress felt was rather indescribable. Aside from being utterly amazed, the young woman thanked her lucky stars in meeting two cultivators with such devastating auras. It was there for a split second, alright. But as soon as Mei Ying had sensed it, the spiritual energies had dissolved into the whipping air currents. Still, the slight chill along her spine did not go away.

From above, a rain of crimson maple leaves dispersed with the mild wind. One by one, the blades fell into what was left of the wooden balcony.

Glancing over his shoulder, the young man in red flashed the huntress a friendly smile. His face was bright, jade-like, and especially pleasing to the eye. With his right hand, the person had casually caught hold of the flashing thunderbolt that was about the length of a long sword. It was incredibly dangerous; yet his pearl-white skin did not suffer a single burn or scratch.

Soon, the handsome person spun to face the opponent, who had awaited in smoke and sparks. With the warrior’s vicious presence came an immense hurtle of wind that blew Wei Sheng’s three servants off their feet. In a loud crash, the poor cultivators had tumbled across the room and into the other side, their ice-blue robes glued to the far wall.

From what Mei Ying could distinguish, the otherworldly stranger levitated upon the splintered mess that he had made in the back balcony. He had dark, fierce eyes, both flaming with rage. The person also donned a billowing pine-green robe, topped with shining gold-and-silver pauldrons and leg armor. His hair was in a high bun, tightly bounded and decorated with a golden hairpin. In his grip was a gleaming spear, which was beautifully engraved with a ferocious dragon. On the whole frontal part of his outer robe, there mirrored a greater dragon whose glare seemed to penetrate the huntress’ soul.

I feel that I have seen him before though… The young woman tried to recall the faded memory.

“Bing Wen…” The Young Master grinned, raising the crackling shaft. He was then noticed by the warrior. “If this hits someone other than Wei Sheng, it would’ve killed them instantly. Yet you threw a thunderbolt at a mortal?”

Slowly, Mei Ying lifted her right hand.

“That woman behind you is capable of stepping aside if she so values her own life.” said the stranger, in a low voice. Tearing his gaze away from the red-cladded cultivator, the man spat out, “You too have no place here!”

“Ah…” The young man in red sighed. In an instant, he crushed the flaring thunderbolt into his palm, turning the whole shaft into white dust. “…but it’s been a long while since I’ve last seen my big brother.”

“WHO THE F*CK IS YOUR BIG BROTHER?!” seethed the intruder, whirling his spear around. Locking his knees in place, he was in a combat stance. “Now, get out of my sight or—"

Just as Bing Wen stepped onto the wood floor, several thick stalks of greenery had spurted out of the hotel wall, with sharp-pointed ends. Along the vines were enormous red bulbs, unfolding their crystal petals. His eyes widened. Earth element with the rare summon of flora?!

Only those who share an intimate connection with the world itself could acquire the power to bring forth such life at will. Seeing that the flowers were not quite refined, the warrior scoffed and sliced the heads off with the serrated blade in one sweep!

“These are pathetic imitations of the divine flora art!” snapped the man, cutting down the ones that grew back. “They lack substance!”

Gleaming gold light outlined Mei Ying’s entire figure. Furrowing her eyebrows, the young woman did not break away from the person’s black glare. Hong Hua! In a single effort, a breeze of golden spiritual energy emitted from herself and into her nearby surrounding.

Straight away—a long trunk burst out from in between the floor panels. Wood plates flew everywhere. With a simple sidestep, both the Young Master and the black-cladded juvenile moved out of the verdure’s path. It had ripped through the wood, quickly growing into a soaring red flower.

Another vine whipped itself from the floor and seized hold of Bing Wen’s foot, one that already placed itself into the room. It yanked the man forward. The glamorous spear flew out of his hand and slid across the floor.

“THE F—” Swiftly, Bing Wen gathered a ball of black energy into his hand—but not before the flower head had already opened.

There was a puff of gold pollen. He had instinctively inhaled. The gust of black spiritual threads dissipated.

Though feeling the numbness in his fingers, Bing Wen tightened his jaw. His eyelids grew heavy, but he held on. In a fit of anger, the man snapped the red flower off from the stem in one easy grip. He tossed the head away and crushed the greenery that wrapped around his foot.

“Bing Wen, ah!” The Young Master laughed from the sideview. “A lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit!”

It had been a long time since anyone had pulled off a trick on the warrior.

Though the man fought to stay awake, the floor dipped one way over the other. He staggered back.

A flash of pale green darted into the corner of Bing Wen’s dimming peripheral. Several pangs of blows, back-to-back, drove up into his solar plexus from below. So fast! A pair of solemn gold eyes slipped into view. Who…?

Another small fist rammed into the aching crevice of his ribcage, knocking the air out of Bing Wen once more. The man choked. His knees gave in.

Like a gentle breeze, the huntress grabbed hold of Bing Wen’s wrist as he fell forward. There was a full spin on the maiden’s heel. Her back met his chest, and his hand was effortlessly thrown over her small shoulder in one seamless motion.

It was then that Bing Wen felt his weight roll forward and down toward the hard floor. Just as he flipped over the young woman’s shoulder, the white ceiling fell over his view, and his skull slammed back onto the ground.

A shadow reeled toward him in a whirl of momentum.

“F*cking Hell…!” Bing Wen hissed, struggling to overcome his blurry vision. He tried to move, but the dizziness was overwhelming. Who the f*ck is this person?!

With Bing Wen on his back and Mei Ying over him, there was a dead drop of her knees into the warrior’s throbbing solar plexus. A piercing pain flooded through. Any breaths taken by the man were lost. Bones cracked like crushed branches.

Suddenly, wood burst under the brawny man’s back.

There was an ear-deafening crash as the deck caved in, along with the two people. In one heap, both the huntress and the warrior had plunged into the next hotel floor below. People screamed and scurried away.

From far above, Wei Sheng cried out, “BIG SISTER!”

The back of Bing Wen’s steel-like head struck against wood before snapping forward again. Shit! His head throbbed immensely while being rattled like a fool’s.

Ringing wove from one ear through the other. The man tried to shake himself awake.

Bones continued to break under the young woman’s kneecaps as they dug deeper in between the warrior’s ribcage area. Mei Ying tightened her jaw as pain bounced back, traveling through her legs. Her hands, both of which were seized upon the man’s wide shoulders, did not relent. She refused to let go.

Bing Wen could not breath, feeling the air sucked out of his lungs.

Again, the hard surface beneath the opponents split open. Planks fell through the gap, and the two people plunged right into the empty third deck.

Another bang came to the warrior’s head as his back collided against wood. He could no longer think clearly nor could he open his eyes. The bottom of his rib cage snapped. It was from the crushing weight of the huntress’ knees.

With darkening vision, the man could only make out a few broken bones barely poking out of his pine-green robe.

Then, the floor under Bing Wen cracked one more time.

Like a shot, the two people dove right into the darkness, followed by an additional cracking surface.

❁❁❁

Opening her eyes, Mei Ying found that she had landed on top of the unconscious intruder. Their final landing brought wooden splinters tumbling down the hole from overhead. They had dropped a long way from the fifth floor. The glimmering gold light around her vanished.

Sparring with a Heaven Immortal all these years…sure paid off in a way. Budging her right knee, the young woman gasped. She winced. Slowly, she moved her legs. I did not want to do this, but if Bing Wen wreaks havoc here, everyone else will have died.

Mei Ying was about to sigh out a breath of relief when she remembered—

“A-AHHHHH!” A woman screamed.

The huntress was not alone.

Feeling her cheeks flush, the startled maiden lifted her head and turned to explain, "W-Wait! He's still alive, ah!"

As people scattered and shouted across the expansive room with tall sparkling pillars and banners, Mei Ying quickly found a pair of wintry, silver eyes glowering at her. Her throat went dry. Her heart nearly plummeted.

“What’s this?” asked a man, dressed in the familiar sky-blue outer robe.

Around the person’s marble-white neck were hoops of silver. The collars of his attire bore a vibrant multi-colored pattern of geometric embroideries. As usual, he wore the elegant blue ribbon around his forehead. Sure enough, a dark sneer made its way into the shifu’s mouth.

Flanked on both sides of Kong were also two or three other Song cultivators, with arms crossed against their chests. Behind them were other young men dressed in all-black, with the top half of their faces concealed by steel-gray eye masks. Feng Bao sect disciples. A few others though were draped in apricot-orange robes. Their dark brows raised slightly at the peculiar scene that literally fell before them.

Immediately, Mei Ying realized that she and the unconscious Bing Wen had caved into the lobby floor of the hotel. At once, a few staff members rushed into the stupendous room, nearly stumbling over one another. The person at the counter looked as though he wanted to cry.

“Young Miss!”

Looking up, the huntress saw that the Young Master and the servant were both staring down the ceiling gap from all the way up. Huh?

The juvenile in black swept his long-braided ponytail over his shoulder. In a louder voice, he yelled out, “YOUNG MISS!”

“Xiao Li…” Lowering his face, the Young Master murmured a few words to the servant.

Right away, the two young men jumped down. Like ethereal beings, their outer robes rippled in the air as they both landed perfectly on either side of Mei Ying and the fainted warrior. Not a shimmer of spiritual energy shrouded their presences.

While lowering her eyes, the maiden tried to lift one knee from the fainted warrior. She could not. It was too painful, and her entire face was hot from embarrassment.

“Hmph!” It was clear that Kong enjoyed the humiliation that Mei Ying endured despite her changed appearance. He did not appear to have recognized her though. But his sneer nearly diminished when the red-robed cultivator quietly stepped in front of the huntress.

With long, dark hair flowing back, the handsome young man’s glare was unnerving.

Regardless, the shifu loudly began, “How strange that someone is already fighting, and it is not even the first day of the tournament! I thought it was a time for greetings and good manners as guests, not for a wild display of destruction.”

“Yes…” With one foot forward, a Feng Bao sect disciple smiled coolly. His masked self was rather amused by the poor unconscious man. “With that type of display, you should watch out for her in the arena."

In a whirlwind, Kong turned his head to the speaker.

“My friends, we all pity the person…” One of the other cultivators, dressed in apricot-orange, spoke up while unfolding his colorful fan. “…who was taken down by this beauty. Is this what we can agree on?”

A few of the Song cultivators nodded eagerly. Their shifu snapped his glare onto them. Instantly, they became still.

“We must remember that some are newcomers to events like these.” continued the friendly cultivator, waving his fan.

“Well said.” Another Feng Bao sect disciple chimed in. “The Xie sect are benevolent as expected.”

“Despite what has caused the fight, she is clearly the victor and someone to steer from.” The Xie peak master added, smiling gently. His disciples murmured in agreement. “The rabbit cannot be underestimated. It can still bite back. Let this be a reminder of what we should all expect from the tournament.”

While the cultivators talked among themselves, the huntress gradually looked up. They seemed to have mostly forgotten about her.

With a sweep of his wide crimson sleeve, the Young Master shielded Mei Ying from view. A trembling hotel servant approached them, only for the person to casually say, “Put the damage fees on my tab.”

The cool response was enough to send the attendant over to the lobby's front counter and grab some papers. They speedily took a brush and black ink from another worker. Before they could forget, the servant scribbled down the costs down for file-keeping.

Taken back by surprise, the maiden stared at her friend with awe. Ah, it was not like she could split the fees with him… Remorse itched at the heart.

Quietly, the red-robed cultivator surveyed the entire room of peach coral and gold furnishings and numerous cultivators. He was rather unimpressed by their auras, titles, and appearances. Turning around, the young man knelt on one knee before the huntress.

He leaned in close and whispered, “Are you alright?”

“Ah, it appears that…I cannot walk right now…” The maiden lowered her head a bit in apology. “I am sorry. I overdid it…”

There was a lingering silence. Mei Ying glanced up into the Young Master’s soft eyes. The person did not laugh. He was not even angry, upset, or disappointed in her.

With a lop-sided grin, the good-looking junior assured her, “Yes, but as long as you are alright, then, you will do better next time.” His expression was tender. Carefully, the cultivator picked a few wood splinters out of the young woman’s hair. “You...are a very skilled cultivator. Do not forget that."

The huntress’ chest felt light. For such a simple praise, it made the weight on her shoulders feel a bit lighter.

In the world of cultivation, when one is useless, there are few who would be good to them without reason or motive. Aside from her family, Shifu, and Shaman Xia, the first person who was good to her without asking anything in return was Yue Liang. Though the huntress had made new friends who grew to care for her like their own, she was not useless when they met.

'One day, you will be very skilled. Just be careful next time when you are out at dusk.'