Chapter 23: Well Met, Miss Kong

Chapter 23: Well Met, Miss Kong

Guan Li kept an eye on the approaching team while Paike got up and carefully moved around to the other side. Both Yixin and Liming shot him subtle glares, but the serious look on his face and the finger pressed to his lips told them this was not the time. They quickly gave him their full attention, their faces turning serious as he indicated that there were people coming.

The odds that they would be heard were small at the moment, though Paike didn’t want to rule out the possibility that someone had exceptional hearing due to some strange art. It was more about getting into the operational mindset so they would be hidden when their quarry showed up.

The four of them went to get a look and saw four disciples walking through the gate. Guan Li was watching closely. The first, striding out front, was a tall, lean boy with silver hair and piercing golden eyes. The way his robe moved told Paike that something like sheets of metal armor were embedded in the cloth. That was worrying. Apparently, many of the other disciples had been more prepared for this test than he had.

It was to be expected. After all, his family was never one for giving any kind of advantage during training. Unfair advantages were reserved for life-and-death situations, not training exercises. Unfortunately, his family was the odd one out, meaning he and Liming were often at a disadvantage in competitions compared to the other prodigies of prominent families.

The next two were relatively nondescript—a short boy with short-cropped, spiky hair and a young girl with long black hair. Her purple eyes were the only things Paike could make out beneath her hood. Bringing up the rear was a striking figure who made the rest seem pale in comparison. She was of middling height for her age of 13 or 14. But down the middle of her back was a mane of emerald green hair. The way she moved, it looked like she was dancing over the ground, with a strange mist rising from her feet.

That was someone Paike would have 100% recognized the second he saw her. Without a doubt, it was Lan Zhu. Coming from the Lan family, she wasn’t one who had performed well on the trail of the stairs, but her nature cultivation was oftentimes underestimated by that family’s enemies. They didn’t have enemies for long, though.

Paike vaguely recognized the other three, but he didn’t remember their names. Some had been in the spiritual cultivation class, but Lan Zhu had not. If she had, he didn’t think he would have won an award in spiritual cultivation because she was also at Middle Ruby.

Paike cursed under his breath, drawing surprised looks from all three of his teammates. He quickly told them what he knew.

“We’re going to need to isolate her and bring her down quickly before dealing with the others. With her around, the others will be much more difficult to take down. Likely, she has potent healing abilities. Not only is she Middle Ruby like me, but she probably also has multiple techniques, if not arts. Her family is known for their quick growth, like the plants they mimic.”

Quickly, they devised a plan. It wasn’t precisely what Paike would have wanted, putting Guan Li at too much risk, but he understood that it was their best shot. He was extremely glad this team hadn’t been the ones to ambush them on the way here. Otherwise…

He pushed the defeatist thoughts out of his head and quickly climbed down the tower to get into position. Only Yixin would be staying on overwatch, monitoring the few different locations they had picked for their encounters. She would have a clear sightline from here and her fallback position. Liming was sticking with him while Guan Li took the long way around.

This was going to be difficult to time, but Paike had faith in his team. They had done surprisingly well in their first encounter. While the timing was tricky, their opponents’ reactions mattered more.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

He and Liming found the alleyway they had scouted from above and slipped in, pressing to either side as Paike occasionally peeked around the corner to see when their opponents were coming. Briefly, he saw Guan Li slip into position on top of a low roof across and down the street. Guan Li’s job was to draw off Lan Zhu’s team and keep them busy chasing him. Meanwhile, he and Liming would take down their most dangerous opponent, with support from Yixin. She should be able to help Guan Li if he got cornered, but hopefully, it would be a 3v1, and that should be enough.