15 The Meaning of Strength

With the exception of her gloves, Su Bai was using every trick she had to stay in this fight.

She had no idea why, but when she had returned from training, this girl had been waiting outside of her cottage. The moment she caught sight of Su Bai, she'd attacked ruthlessly.

Su Bai had been able to defend in the beginning, and managed to stay in the fight for the last ten minutes, but the difference in their abilities was beginning to show.

Fighting was not forbidden between sect disciples. Just the opposite, it was encouraged. Killing, however, was taboo.

As such, the other girl hadn't used any killing techniques, which was why Su Bai was still fighting.

But she was slowly being suppressed nonetheless.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"You stole from me without knowing who I am? I am Luo Ai, and after today nobody will dare steal from me again!"

"Steal from you, what are you talki-"

"Don't lie to me, you cow!"

Su Bai still didn't understand why this Luo Ai had attacked her. But what she would not stand for was being insulted in front of this many people.

"Go to hell!" she shouted as she made a triangle with her hands. "First form — Salamander's Breath!"

"Wait!"

Su Bai halted immediately. She knew that voice.

"Big Bro Yi?"

Sure enough, Song Yi stood on the ground, his hair messy and body covered in filth.

"Luo Ai, she's not the one who stole from you."

Luo Ai glared at him. "Then who?"

"It was me."

Those words rang through the camp, stunning all the onlookers, Luo Ai and even Su Bai.

In Song Yi's head, the monarch gave a smug chuckle.

Song Yi sighed. How could he have expected that, with hundreds of thousands of people living on the ninth land mass, Luo Ai would find Su Bai so fast.

Absentmindedly patting his holding sack, Song Yi thought that perhaps this wasn't a disaster after all.

At that moment, Song Yi received a scathing glare from Su Bai.

Okay, it was a disaster.

Su Bai immediately took the hairpin out of her hair and handed it to Luo Ai, who accepted graciously.

"I'm sorry that I misjudged you," she said.

"It's okay. It seems we both misjudged people," Su Bai replied.

When she had first discovered the gift on her bed, it had brought a smile to her face. Over the last few days she'd come to treasure it. But now, when she looked at it, she only felt nauseous.

Song Yi withered under her gaze.

Emperor Wang snickered. "Someone's in the doghouse. Look on the bright side kid. Now you'll have less things to distract you from your training."

"Not right now."

"Oh, to be young again!" the monarch cried, ignoring the sound of Song Yi's teeth grinding.

"Bai'er, I-"

"I don't want to hear it," Su Bai interrupted. Giving him one last glare, she turned and stormed off.

"She may be willing to walk away, but I am not!" Luo Ai said.

She rushed at Song Yi with even more fury than she had in her fight with Su Bai.

Panic was written all over Song Yi's face as he stumbled backwards, off balance. It would be a disgrace if Luo Ai didn't take advantage of that giant opening.

She broke through Song Yi's guard like water through a broken dam. Two swift kicks were delivered — one to his abdomen, one to his face.

The crowd could hear the cracking sounds from both strikes connecting full on.

Song Yi, sprawled out on the ground, groaned in pain. But his punishment wasn't over yet. Luo Ai stood over him, her bloodlust unabated.

"Do you know what we do to thieves in my country?"

Song Yi's eyes widened with terror as he vigorously shook his head.

The girl leaned in close, not stopping until her face was inches from his.

A sickly sweet smile appeared on her face. "We cut off their hands."

In the distance, Su Bai sat on a tree branch watching what was happening.

Her stomach felt like it was tied into knots. "Big Bro Yi…"

She was angry at him, but that didn't mean she wanted this to happen.

The crowd cheered on Luo Ai.

"Slice him up good!"

"The dirty rat deserves no better!"

Luo Ai pulled out an ornate dagger that glowed with a white light. It was clearly extraordinary. She held it up theatrically for the crowd to see. Their cheering reached a fever pitch.

"Wait! Stop!" Su Bai finally cried, but her pleading was drowned out by the sound of the mob.

Luo Ai thrust the dagger down towards Song Yi's wrist.

CRACK!

That was not the sound of flesh being pierced. The crowd went silent, wondering what was happening but unable to see beyond the dirt that had been stirred up by the stunning impact.

It was only a few moments before the dust cleared up, and the pair could be seen once more.

Song Yi had Luo Ai pinned face-down on the ground. Her squirming did nothing to loosen his grip.

When Su Bai saw this, she sighed with a mix of relief and exasperation. Her anger had calmed down slightly, but she still turned to leave now that the situation was settled.

"How?" Luo Ai asked bitterly.

Song Yi kept one arm between her shoulder blades, holding her in place. With the other, he took off his robe above the waist.

A collective gasp could be heard from the crowd.

Song Yi's chest and arms were covered in large black scales.

"I can not abide this!" a voice came from the crowd. Emerging from the crowd, a face was put to the voice.

It was a young man who looked to be around the same age as Song Yi. He had sharp handsome features and wore his robe impeccably. He looked like the polar opposite of the grimy Song Yi.

"You are?" Song Yi asked.

"I am Gao Hung. Release Elder Sister Ai this instant!"

"With these shadowmander scales, you think you're a match for me?"

Gao Hung hesitated for a moment. The shadowmander scales did, in fact, worry him. However, when he thought of how easily Luo Ai had handled the grubby runt before she was caught off guard, he relaxed.

"Do not worry, elder sister, I will dispatch with this foul trickster posthaste."

Song Yi was trying to stifle his laughter.

"Who does this nobody think he is?" The sound of Emperor Wang's laughing almost made it hard for Song Yi to focus.

Still, he acted out a calm exterior.

"I'd like to see you try."

Gao Hung was already pushed past the limit of his tolerance, and he drew a two-handed greatsword from a holster on his back. With a battle-cry, he slashed down towards Song Yi's head.

Song Yi's arm blurred as he deflected the blow. The greatsword shattered from the impact.

"So weak!" he snickered.

So this was what it meant to have strength.

This was what it meant to be able to look down on others.

Song Yi enjoyed the horrified look on Gao Hung's face.

"B-but… I'm special! How could I lose to an insubstantial cockroach like you? You- you must be cheating!" the boy sputtered in disbelief.