Chapter 99: Journey to the Academy

Zen walked in the middle of the group with Hue Yi and Xue Shaonu leading the way, followed by the Jao twins and Deng Ai and him and Geyi Kun bringing up the rear.

“You okay, Wang Zen?” Geyi Kun said, noticing his awkward walking. “Do you need ore of my numbing herb?”

“No, I should be fine for another hour or so.” Zen said.

“Okay, when you need help don’t hesitate to cry out like a little girl and I’ll be there.”

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to cry out like you.” Zen said. He rubbed Shibi’s head, who was sitting on his shoulder and then sped up to Deng Ai. Touching him on the shoulder, Deng Ai reluctantly slowed down, although he was unsure why as he was not adding to the twins, mostly Fuu dominated, conversation.

“Can I help you with something?” Deng Ai asked, straightening his glasses.

“Yeah,” Zen looked at Shibi for a while, as if hesitating. “Can you tell me why some beasts talk and others don’t? I’ve always heard stories of beasts learning to talk and even Silicy, Xue Shaonu’s bird…”

“It’s actually a White Swallow.”

“Whatever,” Zen snapped. “Can you tell me why some do and some don’t?”

“We don’t really know why but we’ve split beasts up into 3 types.” Deng Ai held up 3 fingers. “There are Noble Type beasts, like Xue Shaonu’s Frost Swallow. From birth, they ar born with the ability to learn human tongue and they usually do and they grow to a certain, usually high, cultivation base very quickly. You know the legend of the 7 Celestial Beasts, right?”

“Yeah,” Zen said. He knew the story much like any child. “Before the Human Age, the word was ruled by 7 Celestial Beasts. To avoid conflict, they split the Original One Land into 7 continents, each ruled by one of them.”

“Yes,” Deng Ai nodded. “Some theorise that Noble Type Beasts are the closest relatives to them. Then there are Transient Type Beasts. These beasts’ intelligence increase when their cultivation base reach a certain level but unlike Noble beasts, there is no guarantee that they will reach this level. Then there are Common Types, these beasts have to get to very high levels for their intelligence to increase enough to learn human languages, and even if they reach high levels in cultivation base, that is no guarantee that their intelligence will get a boost.”

Zen rubbed Shibi’s head in thought. “What about Shibi? What is he?”

“Shibi is a Scorch Ape,” Deng Ai said, “Scorch Apes are Transient types, so if he reaches a certain level he should start learning to talk.”

Zen looked at Zen in thought. He thought he had seen and heard Shibi say his name but he was so confused that he was unsure.

There was a screech from Silicy above.

“Someone is coming from the west!” Xue Shaonu said.

Everyone took a battle stance as they looked toward the direction. They saw a figure quickly weavig through the trees.

“Is that Xi?” Jao Cong asked fearfully when they noticed that the approaching figure was a female.

Zen’s eyes widened as he recognised the figure. It was not the bandit, Xi, it was an assassin he was becoming to know, the Masked Woman! In her hands was something that made him fearful. Above each palm was a Needle Sphere!

She threw one.

“It’s going to explode!” Zen warned.

Silicy flew lower and created a strong gust of powerful, icy wind. Most of the needles were blown of course but a few found their mark, stabbing into most of the group. Silicy flew away to lick her injuries but the Masked Woman was still coming and had one more needle sphere.

“Die, Wang Zen!” She thrust her Needle Sphere and a stream of white ki needles flew to the group.

Hue Yi stepped in front of the path of the needles with both his short swords drawn. “Maja Blade Defence!” His arms moved so fast that it looked like he had multiple arms. The ki needles were all blocked by his blades which were coated in his white ki.

The Masked Woman did not stop her forward movement, instead, jumping over Hue Yi with a flip and focusing her attack on Zen, with a small blade made of ki extending at the end of her straight fingers.

Zen looked up at the attack with confusion and fear. The Masked Woman’s attack was stopped when Shaonu diverted her hand in mid-air. Shaonu tried to deliver another palm to the woman but that was blocked and answered with a kick that sent both females flying apart when the Masked Woman landed gracefully while Shaonu fell and tumbled on the ground.

“Shaonu, Fuu, get her!” Hue Yi commanded.

Shaonu shot to her feet and she and Fuu sped past the group to engage the Masked Woman. Zen watched as the battle moved further from the group.

“Why did you order them to go after her?” Zen glared at Hue Yi.

“Because other than me, they are the most capable of the group.” He said before he rushed to join them.

Although they were pushing her back, the Masked Woman was holding her own against the two Academy girls. Hue Yi knew what she was fdoing as he chased the three down. The Masked Woman was drawing the fight away from him so that she could take out both girls before it turned on a three on one, but he was quickly catching up.

The two girls were not really fighting together. One would attack while the other held back and then they would switch out. Their switching would come more constantly, blurring their fighting together but still, most of the time the Masked Woman had to only deal with one at a time. She was able to catch Shaonu’s wrist and throw her into the path of Fuu’s punch. Once Fuu knocked Shaonu down, she froze in horror but had to quickly recover as the Masked Woman thrust her ki bladed hand towards her face. Fuu blocked the attack by crossing her hands above her head, which left her open for a knee into her abdomen and then an uppercut below her chin which sent her falling back.

Hue Yi arrive, swipig his sword and forcing the woman back and away from the fallen girls. She moved fast but his blades moved just as quickly, one of them caught her mask, slicing off the corner off her mask. The piece of mask fell off, revealing her fair skin and her angry green eye.

She thrust her attack for him and he blocked by crossing his swords, sending him back. He swung his blade, shouting, “Flying Edge!” a two semi-circles of ki flew from each blade to the woman.

The Masked Woman ducked low as one passed over her head and flipped in the air as the following one cut into the ground she was on. When she landed Hue Yi thrust both his swords into her chest!

Hue Yi was confused as the felt little resistance as he stabbed at the girl, that is until her visage blurred into nothingness. She’s using some kind of ki illusionary technique! He realised as he looked behind him to where she was. But she was not attacking him, instead, she was running back to Zen and the rest of the group.

He turned on his heels and chased after her with Fuu and Shaonu joining him. It was at that moment that he realised the extent of her plan. When she was allowing herself to be pushed back by Shaonu and Fuu, it done not only to prevent her from being ganged up by the 3 of them but it was also luring the strongest members of the group away, leaving them vulnerable to her attack.

“Everyone, scatter!” Hue Yi commanded them.

They all scattered but they knew that her target was Zen, whose speed had been decreased thanks to his injury.

Heu Yi noticed the Masked Woman raise her hand behind her. Then her image began blurring, making him realise it was another illusionary technique, before a stream of needles passed through the fading illusionary image toward them.

“Needle Sphere Scatter Stream!” The Masked Woman shouted as the white needles spread for the group.

Hue Yi was more shocked at this tactic. She used the illusionary ki technique to hide the martial arts ki technique! Hue Yi knew he would not be able to activate his Maja Defence in time so he did the only thing he could. “Take cover!” He shouted as the trio tried to survive the needle shots.

Fuu was able to hide behind, however, a few needles caught her in the arms and shoulders. Shaonu leapt up, trying to get over the needles but some caught her on her way up, bringing her hard on the ground. Hue Yi got the worst as he dropped to the ground, his arms protecting his head and neck as ki needles stabbed into his back.

The three rose up, all injured by the needles but otherwise still alive and able to fight on, however, there was no one before them and more importantly, no Masked Woman and no Zen.