Chapter 10: Five on Two

Chapter 10: Five on Two

Paike and his sister left the periphery of the established buildings of the sect and started descending into the wilderness lower on the hillside. According to Liming, the presence she had detected wasn’t much farther down. Paike couldn’t sense anything yet, but his sister’s senses were undoubtedly more astute.

There was a valley in that direction, based on the rough maps they had recently studied of the outer sect grounds, so they had a general idea of where they were headed. As they walked, they chatted casually.

Liming had apparently been getting along well with her roommate, which interested Paike. He was curious as to why her roommate hadn’t been attending the spiritual classes. Apparently, her family had strict expectations, but she had been attending physical classes. Paike just hadn’t noticed her the last time.

They speculated about what they might be practicing in the physical cultivation class tonight. They had some foreknowledge about physical awakening, but neither had attempted it yet, as it was best done under an instructor’s supervision. They had been immediately sent to the sect upon awakening their spiritual cultivation.

Engrossed in their conversation, which had shifted to analyzing their competition, they failed to notice the presence closing in around them. It was only when one of the subjects of their discussion stepped onto the path in front of them that they realized something was wrong.

The boy standing before them was older than Liming but younger than Paike, as most of the new sect members were. Paike recognized him from the dream; he was the ninth-ranked disciple of the outer sect.

He wore the robes of a martial artist and stood almost as tall as Paike despite his young age. Muscles were clearly defined even through his robes, and Paike could almost taste the earth rolling off of him. He stood silently as Paike and Liming stopped about ten meters away. Around them, other young martial cultivators appeared on the sides of the trail—one on either side of them and two more blocking the retreat. The four lackeys were dressed similarly to their leader. Probably disciples or lesser members of his family.

“Ren Shu,” Paike said, stepping forward to shield his sister slightly. “Why are you blocking our path?”

Ren Shu blinked as if not expecting to be recognized. “The Kong family and the Ren clan have a score to settle,” he said. “It does not bring me great pleasure to do this, as you are not directly involved, but I have been instructed to send a message.”

Paike blinked. His family had both friends and enemies, but most didn’t feel the need for revenge. However, this was taking things a bit far. He looked around, noting their surroundings. “We’re still under the elders’ truce for the first week of orientation. There aren’t supposed to be any duels or fights. Even afterward, it’s supposed to be duels, not outright fights. And not five on two.”

Ren Shu’s expression hardened. “This is not a duel. This is not a fight. A just little lesson, really.”

“You really want to risk that?” Paike asked, but inwardly, he doubted there was a chance they would care. Not if they had come so far already.

“I don’t think the elders would approve if this happened within the sect compound, but out here in the wilderness, I’m sure they’ll look the other way—as long as no one gets killed.” Ren Shu waved his hand dismissively. “Again, not my choice, but I will apologize for what is about to happen to you.”

Paike frowned. “If you say so.”

Nudging his sister, he gave her some of their family hand signals, instructing her to take on the two at the rear. Without warning, he pushed off the ground, fueling his movements with qi stored in his channels. It wasn’t efficient or advised. Qi should be in the dantian. But it took him too long to move it, so he was working on always having some ready. Ren Shu was caught off guard, clearly surprised but not wholly unprepared. He took several steps back, giving himself a chance to fall into a proper stance to receive Paike’s charge.

Paike felt his sister engaging the two in the rear while the two flanking members of the Ren clan closed in on him. He braced himself for what was clearly not going to be a pleasant fight. All five of the opponents were in Early Ruby, barely better than mortals. Still, any fight between cultivators was not to be taken lightly.

He did nothing to disguise his approach, landing a crushing overhand right on Ren Shu’s raised forearms. The backward momentum cushioned the blow slightly, but Paike had a significant weight advantage. Even his blocked punch crashed heavily against his opponent’s guard. Keeping with his martial arts training, as soon as he landed the blow, he dropped into a low kick, striking the outside of Ren Shu’s knee, causing it to buckle. Using the momentum, he spun to face the two flanking opponents from the side and chose the one on the right.