Multiple flaming tigers rushed out from the flames in Er Niu's hands. The flaming raging beasts charged toward their opponent. Everything seemed to have slowed down for Kairi. She didn't know why but she didn't want to see the mute man die. She jumped off the platform and yanked You Sheng out of harm's way. The tigers slammed into the area where You Sheng had been. The entire area was burnt to a crisp. Kairi and You Sheng landed gracefully behind Er Niu.
Seeing You Sheng use Kairi for support, Er Niu's anger increased tenfold.
"Xiao You! You dare let another man touch you? You're my wife now!" Er Niu raged.
"Not quite. Master has agreed to my conditions when the competition started. The winner of the competition must fight me. Only if they win against me, will they be worthy of marry me," Kairi retorted.
"Ha! Then this will be yet an easy win!" he laughed. Kairi wanted to wipe that stupid look off his face badly.
"I'm the only disciple of Zhao Chen, King of the Bandits. Are you belittling Master? Do you honestly think he wouldn't train his disciple to the upmost of his abilities?"
He stiffened at her words, unable to say anything back. He knew saying anything would insult Zhao Chen and he couldn't afford to insult the leader and the strongest man of the village.
Knowing that Er Niu can't refute her words, she finally turned her attention to You Sheng.
"Are you alright?" she asked him. You Sheng didn't look at her as usual but he nodded his head. She set him down in one corner of the ring. Once she was sure he was okay, she faced Er Niu who glowered at her gentleness toward You Sheng.
The crowd erupted into whispers and Kairi caught a few words from them.
"Is she really going to fight Er Niu?"
"Even if she is Zhao Chen's disciple, I just can't see her winning."
"Has anyone even seen her fight?"
It was true no one has seen Kairi engaged in a fight before except the men who had been with Zhao Chen the night she was taken away. Even then, those men haven't seen Kairi fight once after she entered the village. All of her training had been done in a hidden area of the village as Zhao Chen didn't want anyone to learn his secret skills.
Kairi let out a sharp whistle. Her sword came flying from the distance surprising many of the villagers. Only someone on the same level as Er Niu could summon a sword from so far away. She caught her sword easily with one hand and pulled it apart. It gleamed brightly as if eager to shed some blood. Er Niu smirked and also summoned his own sword.
"Xiao You, why prolong the inevitable? You're going to marry me one way or another," Er Niu said smugly.
"I'd rather die than marry a pig like you," Kairi spat. The both of them rushed forward. Their weapons clanged loudly. A shockwave burst from the contact of both blades. People in front of the ring, raised their sleeves up to block the intense wind from the impact.
Er Niu freed one hand from his sword and a flaming tiger erupted from his hand. Kairi barely had time to escape as she used Er Niu's body as a springboard. She kicked off on him and landed on the other side of the ring. The flaming tiger slammed into the spot that Kairi had been standing before and dissipated into smoke.
"You're quite agile. I'm impressed," Er Niu smirked. "I want you more and more."
Kairi felt a shiver up her spine. There was no way she was going to marry the man in front of her. She charged forward with her sword raised. Er Niu also rushed forward. Their sword clashed back and forth. With every exchange, Kairi felt just how strong Er Niu was. She could barely hold her own against him. Releasing spiritual energy into her sword, her swings became lighter and stronger. With each swing, a green shockwave of energy burst forward. Using the light speed maneuver she learned, she circled around Er Niu slashing her sword at him. Er Niu was unable to block them all and received blow after blow. Kairi sped up even faster, slicing and dicing as she circled him. With the final move, she jumped up into the air and stabbed her sword down. An intense beam of energy struck down at Er Niu. He fell flat into the ground and didn't move anymore.
Landing softly on her feet, Kairi faced Zhao Chen. Her master looked down at her proudly and got up to his feet.
"The winner of the final phase of the competition, my disciple, Xiao You," Zhao Chen beamed brightly. The crowd erupted into cheers, laughing all around but the happy atmosphere didn't last long. Er Niu's father, Nai He, jumped into the ring. He dropped to his knees to check on his son. He gasped and glared angrily at Kairi.
"You...! How dare you hurt my son to this state?" Nai He accused.
"Anyone who enters this competition knows there will be casualties," Kairi replied as she sheathed her sword.
"Yet you saved that mute who is an outsider!" Nai He snapped. Kairi didn't turn to look at You Sheng but she replied, "Master brought him into the village. He is now part of the village. There is no outsider here."
Nai He jumped to his feet and pointed a finger at her.
"All my son wanted was to marry you! I will not forgive you for what you have done to my son today!" he snapped. Kairi's eyes bulged at Nai He's speed. She had only managed to pull her sword out halfway but with a thrust of his hand, her sword snapped shut again. He thrust his palm forward hitting Kairi square in the shoulder. Blood spilled out from her mouth as she went flying back. She managed to regain herself in midair and landed back on her feet. The palm blast had blocked one of her meridian points and she was unable to gather her spiritual energy.
"Nai He! You dare to strike at my disciple?" Zhao Chen roared. Nai He ignored him and charged forward. Kairi didn't have energy left to use the speed maneuver. Nai He was too fast. She resigned to her fate. She was going to die, she thought. Just then, You Sheng jumped up from the corner where he had been resting. In a blink of an eye, Kairi was already in his arms and on the opposite side of the ring. Nai He's attack blew up the section where Kairi had been before.
Everyone gasped unable to grasp what had just happened. Zhao Chen jumped down from the platform and started fighting with Nai He. They exchanged one hundred moves within seconds but it had been Zhao Chen who was struck in the end. Blood spilled from his mouth as he looked up at Nai He.
"Nai He, you dare to go against me?" Zhao Chen seethed. Nai He laughed evilly as he paced back and forth staring Zhao Chen down.
"Zhao Chen, my naïve friend. Did you really think I would let go of such a golden opportunity? I purposely led you to a royal camp so that the Prince of Eden would kill you for me. Who would've thought that you were such an escape artist? Thankfully he destroyed half of your cultivation or we wouldn't have this day!" Nai He laughed. Kairi's horror mirrored her master. So this was the real reason why Zhao Chen was so insistent on her marrying someone strong. It was because he had already lost half of his cultivation.
"Traitor!" Zhao Chen roared. He rushed forward with an attack but Nai He easily dodged it. Before Zhao Chen could throw in another attack, Nai He thrust his palm forward. Zhao Chen was struck heavily in the chest and he slammed straight into the ground. Yi Rue, who had been in the crowd, let out a shriek of horror. She pushed her way through the crowd and jumped into the ring.
"Zhao Chen!" she cried as she pulled him into her arms. He was motionless and blood seeped from everywhere on his face.
"Master!" Kairi cried as she struggled to get out of You Sheng's arms. You Sheng placed her back on her feet and she struggled over to Yi Rue and Zhao Chen. Nai He laughed at the three of them and shouted, "From now on I'm the leader of this village and as for you!" Nai He pointed a finger to Kairi. "I'll destroy your martial arts and make you marry my son. That will be a worse punishment than dying!"
His hand reached out to grab Kairi but You Sheng appeared in front of her in a flash. He caught Nai He's hand and easily broke his wrist. Nai He let out a scream as he jumped back holding onto his wrist.
"You mute! How are you able to move so fast?" he accused. A deep light chuckle escaped You Sheng's lips.
"You're simply too slow, old man," You Sheng said. Kairi gasped at the sound of his voice. That condescending yet teasing voice. She would know it from anywhere.
"Zhang Sheng...?" Kairi called out feeling unsure of herself. The man named You Sheng turned around at the sound of her voice. He then crouched down so that he was at eye level with her. Ruffling her hair with one hand, he chuckled softly.
"Troublesome girl, you've grown up quite a bit," Zhang Sheng said teasingly. His other hand reached up to his face and ripped off a thick layer of skin to reveal a handsome face underneath.
"How...?" Kairi was at a loss for words. Her eyes welled up with tears as she refused to blink. She was scared the moment she blinked, he would disappear.
"I'm sorry it took so long to find you but I'm glad that you're doing alright," he said. There was no denying that he was real. There was that kind, gentle smile. He touched her jade hairpin and she felt a wave of energy disperse through her. Once he replaced his trace on her, he got back up to his feet.
"As Prince of Eden, this village is now under Eden's rule. Anyone who goes against the royal family will be executed," Zhang Sheng's voice rang out. Everyone gasped in horror as they started to scatter from the ring. Soldiers of Eden rushed out from their hiding places and quickly surrounded the villagers.
Zhang Sheng easily brought Nai He down. Soldiers detained the unconscious Nai He and took him away. Zhang Sheng then faced the scared crowd before letting them know of the current circumstances. The village was now under Eden's protection and resources would be sent to the village to help it get back to its feet so that they wouldn't have to plunder for things anymore. The villagers rejoiced at the thought and dropped to their knees thanking him for his generosity. Once he eased the fears of the villagers, he turned his attention Zhao Chen who was still unconscious.
"Take this pill. It'll help him recuperate. In time, he'll be back to normal," Zhang Sheng said as he handed Yi Rue a glowing pill.
"A rebirth pill? How...?" Yi Rue's voice trailed off but she quickly fed it to Zhao Chen. Kairi had so many questions to ask but Zhang Sheng didn't give her the time to ask them. He jumped off the ring and started giving out orders to his soldiers. Zhao Chen was carried back by some of the villagers and Kairi suddenly felt like an outsider. Anyone could see that Kairi had some sort of relationship with Zhang Sheng. They didn't approach her like they normally did and Kairi didn't know where else to go. Zhang Sheng was busy with leading his soldiers and she didn't want to intervene. Sighing, she followed after Yi Rue.
It was getting late as Kairi finally changed out of her bloody clothing. She checked on her demon beast egg which had been extremely calm since the night before. Just then a knock came at the door.
"Xiao You? His highness, Prince Zhang Sheng is in the main room," Yi Rue called out. Kairi rushed over to the door and pulled it open. Before she could leave, Yi Rue grabbed her by the arm. "Are you going to leave with him?"
"Huh?"
"I can see it in your eyes. He is the one you're in love with. He's the reason why you don't want to marry anyone, isn't it?" Yi Rue asked.
"I..." Kairi trailed off. She wasn't sure of her feelings before but seeing him today, she thought her heart would burst. She had never felt so happy. Kairi could only nod shyly in return.
"If you leave with him, can you at least wait until Zhao Chen wakes up? I know it's selfish of me to ask this knowing that he might try to stop you but at least let him see you once before you go. He won't be able to do anything in his state anyway," Yi Rue pleaded. Kairi thought for a moment and nodded. She released her arm and Kairi rushed into the main room. Zhang Sheng was staring out the window with his hands behind his back. He had changed into his usual white robes and his hair had been combed out. He sensed her presence and slowly turned around to face her.
"Zhang Sheng, I--!" Kairi was quickly cut off. Zhang Sheng crossed the room and wrapped his arms tightly around her. His entire body shook as he held her tightly in his arms.
"You're real. You're really here," he breathed out. Was this really Zhang Sheng? Kairi was taken back by his trembling voice. How worried he must have been all this time when Kairi had disappeared. She smiled and patted his back softly.
"Stupid. That should be my line. Are you really Zhang Sheng ah? You looked so calm earlier," Kairi retorted.
"Silly girl, I'm far from being calm. If I hadn't quickly ordered my men around, I would've lost it. I wanted to tear that man who you called master to pieces. He dared to kidnap you and even tried to force you into a marriage," Zhang Sheng said angrily. His voice shook as he spoke each word. Kairi had only seen him angry once and it was a long time ago during the lantern festival. She pulled away from Zhang Sheng and took in his face. He really was as handsome as the last time she saw him. Suddenly remembering the way he looked and acted as You Sheng, she wanted to giggle. Was that honest acting or was he really that shy when he saw her? She struggled to bite back a laugh as the memory flashed in her mind.
"What?" he asked frowning.
"I didn't know the prince of Eden had such a cute side. If I had known, I wouldn't have hated you so much in the beginning," Kairi admitted. He looked confused. When his face didn't change, Kairi grinned. "You Sheng really was quite adorable despite his scarred face. Sigh... it really is too bad I won't be able to see him anymore."
Zhang Sheng grinned and leaned in until his face was only inches away from her.
"Am I really seeing this right? My troublesome girl has finally learned to smile so beautifully for me," he teased. Kairi blushed at the close proximity of his face and quickly backed away. She was right. She was really going to miss that shy and timid You Sheng. Zhang Sheng pretended to look troubled as he sighed heavily. "Acting as You Sheng did help me to see that beautiful smile... should I continue acting like You Sheng?"
She quickly decided it was time to switch the topic.
"How long are you staying here for?" Kairi asked.
"Are you planning on sending me away?" he asked back.
"It's not that... it's just... things have become uncomfortable suddenly," she tried to words things nicely.
"Between us?" His reply made her face burned.
"No! I meant the village and me. They look at me as if I'm an outsider now," she hastily explained. Zhang Sheng shrugged as he stood tall.
"It won't matter how they feel. We're leaving at first light," he replied. Already? Kairi still needed time to explain to her master.
"But my master..."
"He kidnapped you and brought you here against your will," Zhang Sheng interjected.
"Even if he did, he treated me kindly along with his wife. If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead. I can't just up and leave. At least wait until he wakes up. Let me say good bye to him," Kairi argued. His face fell at her words. She was seeing so many sides to him and it really surprised her. Just what exactly had happened during the time she had disappeared?
The two of them stared each other down for a long time. When Kairi refused to waver, he finally closed his eyes and sighed.
"Fine but if he tries to force you to stay, I won't hesitate to use force," he said.
"You suddenly sound like the bad guy, you know?" Kairi retorted.
"Are you not my future wife?" he asked slyly. Why was he suddenly bringing that up? Who's his future wife? Not her obviously.
She snorted at his question and said, "Says who?" She started to turn away but Zhang Sheng held her back.
"Is my future wife feeling shy?" he jokingly asked.
"Who's feeling shy?" she snapped and elbowed him in the stomach. He didn't follow after her but she heard him laugh even after she left the main room.