Book 2 Chapter 83

Li Wanyu was feeling many conflicting emotions in this moment.

He felt ashamed that he was accepting the help of a literal child with his problems, and that he hadn’t done more to dissuade her to stop.

He felt equally surprised and confused that she had so many spirits of conflicting elements and natures.

He was afraid of what the future held if the two of them were captured.

And he was determined to make sure that future wouldn’t come to pass, and he felt a similar determination emanating from his bond with Bingxin.

Li Jingya and her sister, Li Hui, looked far more put together than he did. Due to his less temperamental cousin’s spirit they were able to stay on his trail no matter the distance he created by running himself ragged.

He was just glad it was only the two of them. They had recruited some other family members to join in their hunt periodically, but they rarely made more than one appearance since they disliked being in the wild regions. Thankfully this was one of the times where they were going it alone.

Li Jingya was the one to eventually break the silence of their standoff. “Are you finally tired of running? You must be truly desperate if you’ve recruited a child to fight on your behalf.”

She continued to look between him and Willow before a cold smile appeared on her face. “Unless that’s the child we’re looking for? Did you track her down in a vain attempt at getting back in Grandmother’s good graces, and that’s why you’ve been heading north? I’m surprised you had the time to attempt such a thing, and even more surprised that you actually succeeded, but unfortunately the glory of her capture will go to me and my sister.”

Li Hui stared at Willow with a considering frown. “She does not look like someone with a powerful Yin spirit. Though she supposedly also bound the Yang one so maybe the beautifying effect canceled out.”

“Oh I’m sure we can figure it out in short order, sister. Besides, why else would a child her age be out in the middle of nowhere with our failure of a cousin?”

A surprisingly steady and composed child’s voice finally spoke up.

“Just to be clear about your intentions, you wish to either kidnap or kill me and capture my friends, yes?”

All three Lis glanced at the girl, though Li Wanyu was quick to put his eyes back on their soon-to-be assailants.

Li Jingya laughed cruelly. “That’s right, little girl. Though if you promise to behave, we’ll let you join our clan in exchange for your “generous contribution” to it. Sure you’ll still be bottom rung, but that has to be better than whatever dirt family you’re a part of.”

From Li Wanyu’s perspective Willow then proceeded to set herself on fire and all the hells broke loose.

***

Willow’s heart hammered in his chest as he harmonized with Eos and signalled for his friends to begin their assault from multiple angles while he charged forward.

His mind flashed back to his grandmother killing the tremor goat before it had a chance to harm them. According to her, if she hadn’t been as quick as she had been then the fight would have inevitably dragged on as the spirit beast grew more desperate.

Mister Matias had told him it was best to end a fight before your opponent even knew you were fighting.

Madame Park had pressed on him the dangers of meddling with clan politics, and if he was to do so, then do it swiftly, and with confident aplomb.

Miss Mu had shown him what it meant to be a hero, even on the days where her efforts weren’t enough.

It might be overkill, it might not be enough, all he knew was that he did not want the two women in front of him to lay their hands on his friends.

He could not hesitate.

He felt the sister’s surprise and alarm at his sudden transformation into a being of radiance and flame.

He felt their pain as fire and light tore into their qi reinforced flesh from his spirit’s assault.

He felt their fear as root and stone bound them in place.

One sister tried to call to the blood in his veins, but found flame instead.

The other tried to strengthen the fear in his heart, but he burned it away.

He made a now familiar gesture with his left hand and an inferno roared into existence, the technique hungrily devouring every scrap of his qi as he fed all that he could into the attack.

The sisters screamed.

Willow watched the results with flaming trails running down his cheeks.

At some point darkness claimed his mind, either from qi exhaustion, or to shield him from what he was seeing.

The why of it did not matter.

The boy was simply grateful he did not need to see it any longer.

***

Li Wanyu felt utterly useless in this moment.

Willow’s assault was as sudden as it was violent, and he had to wonder what kind of life the child had lived that she had been so quick to go all out like that. He knew that the stakes were high, but she had seemed so calm before a switch was flipped and she’d immolated his cousins with the assistance of her myriad bonds.

And he had barely assisted in the fight.

Sure he had every intention to. He had been intending on taking the brunt of whatever attacks his family would send Willow’s way.

Sure he’d carried her unconscious form away from the roaring blaze she’d conjured with her qi.

But he’d let a child bloody her hands while his own were clean.

He bundled Willow up in one of the pelts he’d wrapped himself in to keep her warm, and got to work disposing of the aftermath while she was watched over by Bingxin and her exhausted spirits.

She didn’t need to see what remained of his cousins.

Li Wanyu spent some qi on cooling down their remains so that he could handle them safely. He hated how his stomach growled at the smell of charred flesh despite the grisly scene, the concept of his spirit did not care about trivialities such as the source of his potential meals.

He spent an unknown amount of time burying the sisters that had chased him for so long.

It should have been him.

Either the one who’d been killed, or the one doing the killing.

If he had ended them when he’d escaped then a child would still have some of her innocence remaining.

A cold hand placed itself on the top of his head.

Friend/Warmth hurt?

He considered the question, and answered truthfully.

“Not physically, but yes.”

Li Wanyu stared at the rough stone that he’d placed atop their grave.

“I wish…” He closed his eyes for a moment.

“I wish for far too many things.”

Li Wanyu looked up at his bond. “Is Willow all right? I asked you to look after her.”

Child is safe. Stronger than I thought. Much warmer too.

He chuckled tiredly. “Can’t get much warmer than being made of fire.”

Li Wanyu was so curious how she’d done that, it certainly didn’t look like any fire cladding technique he’d seen before.

He was curious about a great many things related to Willow, but he needed to wait to find his answers.

Until then he would celebrate his newfound freedom, and mourn the price it took to obtain.