Chapter 27

Flawless skin was tainted by blue, last night’s sex not having fully healed. Him being at the tenth stage, and having purer yang energy, did not balance out such treatment. So, when he left the next day, Fu Yilan immediately started planning. She looked for Senior Brother Deng but couldn’t find him. Her hope had been that he would take her along on one of the missions that were further away. Instead, the one who found her was her Senior Sister with a smile on her face that seemed a little bit too sweet.

“There you are my lovely junior sister. We have a mission to Phoenix Lake City. Some bandits are being a nuisance near there, so I thought I’d honor my promise and take you along.” Handing her the mission slip, she walked past, hips swaying more than they usually did. Fu Yilan smiled after her. It seemed like she didn’t need her senior brother after all.

They met at the front gate the next day, both having packed light. Fu Yilan had the talismans she’d bought, as well as her dress she’d commissioned all those months ago. Apart from that, she held some money, exchanged with the rest of her merit points. Though if it got truly problematic, she could just find a man that would support her. Something that had seemed so immoral when she first stepped through those gates was now just a part of her life.

They got moving; it was a week-long journey there after all. Rushing through the countryside, Fu Yilan enjoyed the feeling of the breeze rustling her hair as they traveled. Having told the branch leader of the mission, he insisted she take the anal beads as well, not just the vibrating beetle which had somehow become her constant travel companion. She didn’t mind though. Having grown since advancing, she could keep them from rubbing together inside her ass, ensuring that the pleasure she felt was minimized. It was just too convenient not having to poo, especially when on the road. And the bit of pleasure that came through was quite alright with her, if she was being honest.

No one barred their path as they passed through their sect’s lands, the color scheme of their robes well known. Night after night, they slept in small inns. Green farmland flew by, farmers working in the mud to secure their next harvest. After three days, they reached an area that was perfect for rice farming, small rivers snaking through the countryside. It was a place of bridges, both big and small. Maybe someone had just put down two logs, roughly held together. Other times they were solidly constructed, stone and mortar ensuring it would survive the rain that would come and find them in fall.

Only rarely did they cross paths with another cultivator. Sometimes, cultivators decided to leave their sect and open up small ones of their own. Either they had given up on their dream of immortality, or they sought new experiences to push them further. It was all so interesting and exciting, seeing a part of the world she otherwise never would have learned of. Beggar Fu Yilan would have stayed the rest of her life in Three River Town.

Finding the bandits was easy with the locals being all too happy to guide them to their hideout. Moving along one of the many rivers, they soon came upon an assortment of little huts ringed by a wall of sharpened tree trunks. Simple in design but sufficient to keep away wild animals at night. Striding up to the gate, three slashes with Senior Sister Yang’s guandao, a long polearm with a curved blade at the end, let it fall to the ground. It whirled by her side casually, kicking up dust at the speed it was going.

“Whoever has taken charge of this stinking lot, get out here!” Her challenge ran through the courtyard, drawing the eyes of men that were in turn drawing their weapons. Two beautiful women barging into their hideout by themselves? How convenient.

“So, what can I do for you two beauties? Looking for a real warrior’s spear instead of whatever those proper cultivators at your sects wield?” A tall, rugged looking man with scars on his bare chest got laughs for his comment. Fu Yilan stood next to her Senior Sister, interested in how she would respond.

“Not me, but this one would.” Her guandao spun and hit her on her back, making Fu Yilan stumble forwards. The leader was grinning. He was at the fourth stage and would love to take a second stage woman for himself.

“You dirty slut. I come to you for help and you seduce the man I love? HOW DARE YOU!!” her senior sister screamed, face contorted in rage, before a few deep breaths calmed her back down. “Opening your legs for whomever you want, isn’t that right? Then please, enjoy these filthy men to your heart’s content. They suit your wretched soul.”

Fu Yilan stared at her wide-eyed. She couldn’t believe it. She had thought everything had been alright during their trip. While they hadn’t been talking much, she hadn’t particularly minded, because their shared history made interacting a bit awkward. Putting both hands over her face, she tilted her head back. Pulling the hands down, her shocked face was wiped away and replaced with a satisfied smile. As she did, she pulled up the qi, finally returning to the fifth stage of the earth realm. It felt good, having it out in the open. She couldn’t stop a cute little giggle from escaping her mouth.

“Ahh, that feels so much better. So, you found out, huh? You torment me as soon as I arrive for no reason at all, then get surprised when I get some revenge? Ridiculous!” She laughed, the situation was hilarious. The look on her face of pure shock was just too amusing. The three cultivator bandits that felt her level rise were backing away slowly, nervous.

“How…” Senior Sister Yang breathed. “This shouldn’t… shouldn’t be possible. Fifth stage?” Fu Yilan could tell that the gears in her head were turning rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. “Demonic. Demonic cultivator! You dirty bitch, I should have killed you that very first day!” In a rage, she flung herself at her. Arcing through the air, the blade of the guandao whistled towards Fu Yilan’s head. She hadn’t yet drawn her soft blade, still wrapped around her waist. Instead, she used her palm art to let the blade flow past her and into the ground. The other end of the staff was swung at her shoulder, but this too was deflected. It was a heated battle, Sister Yang using the momentum from her strikes to keep the attack going, furiously slashing and stabbing at Fu Yilan.

Heavy steps could be heard behind Fu Yilan, and she had to jump aside, barely evading a stab from Sister Yang. The bandit leader had decided to join the fray with a long, iron studded heavy club. And he had decided that the demonic cultivator was the greater threat at the moment.

“Good. I will make sure to spare you if you help me kill her. No one will hunt you with such merit clinging to your name.” Fu Yilan unslung her soft sword and took her stance, blade pointed at them. She knew that she could best her Senior Sister in one-on-one combat but wasn’t so sure about adding in another fighter. Excitement sent a shiver through her. She would just have to see.

The two experienced fighters started moving around her, trying to get her in between them. Fu Yilan decided that she would not let them do so. Switching to her movement art for a split second, a singular Flowing Step put her in front of the bandit leader. He managed to get his weapon up in time, so when Fu Yilan let her sword snake around it, she only stabbed into his arm. And not particularly deep. It seemed like the body formation art that he practiced made him more durable.

Throwing herself to the side, Sister Yang’s blade cut through the air where she had been standing only a moment ago. Fu Yilan spun around and deflected the strike the bandit leader tried to hit her with in retaliation. His weapon was incredibly heavy, while all of his cultivation enhanced his strength. Blocking it was not an option. The studs on his club screeched as they rubbed along her sword before thudding into the ground. Dust rose where it landed, but she had no time to marvel at his strength.

Fu Yilan ripped one of the talismans she had bought from her sleeve where they had been hidden. Golden light formed into a shield with a pulsing sigil inside, blocking Sister Yang’s follow-up attack. She rushed towards the bandit leader, trying to capitalize on his overextension. He was currently lifting his club back up, expecting Fu Yilan to be put under pressure by her sister disciple. Instead, she was now flying at him, sword posed to pierce through his head. He raised his forearms to block, but there was a slight gap, one she knew she could slip her blade through.

An arrow thudded into her left arm, barely missing her torso and vital organs. Pain spiked up it, making Fu Yilan stagger to the side. The impact had driven her blade off course, and now she was back on the defensive, a fist from the bandit leader taking up her view, five strikes seeming to fly at her simultaneously. Switching to her movement arts, she jumped back, eyes darting around wildly for the archer that had shot at her. One of the other bandit cultivators, a small man at the third stage, was nocking another arrow. When he noticed her attention on him, he dropped it and darted away, movement art in full effect. Fu Yilan was about to rush after him, get revenge for the wound he inflicted upon her, but a sneering senior sister blocked her path.

“That looks like it hurts. Though I would expect you to be used to every random guy taking a stab at you.”

“Glad you understand that I’m a bit more popular with guys than my flat-chested senior with the face of an ogre,” Fu Yilan pushed back through gritted teeth. She had a few basic healing pills, but that would need her to remove the arrow. She kept it in, worrying the pain of ripping it out would make her leave too much of an opening. Her sword flashed and cut off the protruding shaft.

She was lucky he hadn’t hit her sword arm. This was not looking good. The bandit leader was walking towards her, club dragging behind him. It was leaving a furrow in the ground, weight apparent. Wisps of crimson qi were dancing around Senior Sister Yang’s guandao. Both of them had started pushing more of their qi into their weapons and attacks. It wasn’t yet at the level to create real flames without a dedicated art yet, but the pure density of aspected qi had an effect on the weapons and surroundings. Similar to how the bandit’s club was heavier than it should have been, dense qi of most likely the metal property being pushed into it, Senior Sister Yang’s guandao was making the air shimmer around its blade.

Not needing a signal between each other, they attacked simultaneously, bandit leader smashing his club down while Sister Yang slashed at knee height. Fu Yilan could only further dodge, moving back from the blows. Her movement art took her onto a fencepost first, then the roof of a hut. Sister Yang followed, rage mixed with a huntress’ focus trying to corner her prey. The bandit leader just plowed through, knocking the whole thing down. Fu Yilan had already jumped to the next building though. Her senior sister followed.

While the bandit leader was confused as to where they had gone for a moment, an entire roof having collapsed on top of him, Fu Yilan decided to try and go on the offensive during the short respite she’d found from being attacked by two fighters at once. Fu Yilan tried to get closer, get within a range where her sword would have the advantage instead of the poled weapon.

Senior Sister Yang always moved away in time, having figured out Fu Yilan’s intention. Years of training were assisting her. Fu Yilan was surprised that her opponent wasn’t using any talismans at all but remembered how expensive they had been, and how that money could have gone to other things if it wasn’t for the escape.

An arrow whistled past her head, barely missing what would have been a fatal hit otherwise. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she pulled out two more talismans, activating both. A wave of flame rolled out around her, while the other made a large cloud of smoke, covering the entire area. Fu Yilan activated her movement art and fled. This was not a fight she could win, especially with the archer running around, waiting for a moment where the other two had her full attention.

This time she ran at full speed while activating all tracking-hindering and trace-removing talismans that she had. Her hair fluttered by her head as she kept running. And despite the arrow sticking from her arm, despite having lost the fight, she felt good.

Finally, she was free.