See you again, see you on the battlefield

Metal energy resonated with the blade. A normal sword would've shattered instantly, but this was a much better-forged treasure, and one that glowed with Qi of its owner moving through it.

However, the resonance sent thin cracks through it. Together with my weight, they made the sword dip and lean dangerously towards the ground.

With an undignified squeak, Tao Song fell off. Without her Qi, the sword lost all its flight power, and I began falling, too.

Tao Song gathered herself mid-fall, landing gracefully on her feet. I landed somewhat more clumsily, and almost immediately was struck in my face by a folded fan.

Something cracked—either the fan or my cheekbone. The blow brought me to my knees and left my ears ringing.

The Stone Body technique reduced the damage immensely, and there weren't any flames in the strike, but the comet was still at the Qi Condensation stage. Her body was—at least!—four times stronger than mine.

Urged by survival instinct, I rose to my feet and lifted the stolen flying sword in defense. However, I felt like the world was swimming around too quickly. Fire, smoke, screams, so much chaos…

Actually, maybe Tao Song just concussed me, too. I tried to use the Bamboo Growth technique to heal a little and clear my head, but it took me more effort than usual.

"Ugh," Tao Song said, looking down at her fan. "Your thick skull has cracked my fan. And it must be thicker than a wall for you to still be standing."

She hid it in her sleeve and lunged at me. Before I could react, wrenched her sword out of my hands, leaped back a meter, and raised the blade for an inspection.

"This sword was a gift from the Elder Tao Wei—he forged it himself for me when I ascended to the Qi Condensation stage!" Tao Song said, sounding even unhappier. "After what you did with it, the only apology I can give him is your head. With a name on it."

She paused, standing and looking at me expectantly. I blinked, trying to chase away the fog in my head with the wind raised by my eyelashes.

"Uh… What about giving him some wine and a pretty trinket instead, Miss Tao? Do you know Elder Wei's hobbies—maybe this will give you a better apology gift idea?"

Tao Song smiled like I just said something so stupid it was both outrageous and funny. Heh, maybe if this continued, I will get out of this alive…

"Your name. Tell me your name, demon worshiper."

With all the jumping around, our positions changed, and I became closer to the gates than Tao Song. It let me see the full extent of our retreat.

Help was under way. If I stalled a little, Tao Song would be unprepared for their attack from the back.

However, there was an acute feeling in me, telling me that Tao Song shouldn't die. Just another thing I simply knew.

And if I only thought about that, it made perfect sense! After all, what if Tao Song died… and her rich and influential relatives—which she certainly had, with a sword forged by a clan Elder—decide to avenge her? They will have my head!

"To write on my head, right? But you can simply tell that my name is—"

I gathered Water Qi in my fingers.

"—Ru Yujin!"

Not my best battlecry, but consider that I had a concussion.

I flicked an Ice Cutter at her, targeting her sword. My aim was a bit off thanks to the dizziness I felt, but it still worked out.

Tao Song leaped to the side, avoiding the attack with ease. Coincidentally, this also meant that the purple blade wave launched at her back had struck the place where she had just been.

If she was surprised about the latter, I couldn't see behind all the smoke.

Maybe I saved her life with my warning, and maybe she had it well in hand, even without me. I will never know, and hopefully, no one else will.

Lin Chu, my teacher, my savior, flew closer on his sword. He was alone in the immediate vicinity, but I saw more cultivators following close, and banners of more of our cavalry.

While Tao Song spent her time on me, and her—relatively small—cavalry squad fought the hungry spirits, the main bulk of the Lin army got close. Now she wasn't cutting off our retreat—no, she was surrounded.

"Golden Phoenix of the Tao clan. So that's where you were," he said in his usual tone before launching another attack with his sword (the one in hand, not the one he flew on).

"Soul Collector of the Lin clan," Tao Song threw back, smiling again. "I wish I could stay and chat… But this looks like an inauspicious company."

She jumped on her sword again. It was less steady than earlier, but she still effortlessly blazed away, leaving more trails of fire in her wake.

"Retreat! Retreat, men of the Tao clan! We will live and fight the heretics another day!"

Maybe Lin Chu could've tried to chase her, but he didn't, instead hovering near me. He looked me over. I did the same to him.

A lot of Lin Chu's Qi was depleted, and there were singed and bloodied spots on his normally pristine clothes, but he didn't look seriously wounded.

"Ru Yujin. Where is Fen Kuang? Your place was near him."

I looked around.

"Uh… I'm unsure, Master. Look around? I threw him on a horse…"

Lin Chu gave me a flat look.

"I see you are not in the state to report. Follow me, Disciple. You need to see a healer."

Still not even a pat on the back, but this was just normal Lin Chu. Too bad—I really wanted someone to congratulate me for fending off Tao Song right now.

I knew later people would blame me for ordering that first retreat signal. But that was going to happen later.

I kept close to Lin Chu as we and our army crossed the last of the distance to safety, and sneaked looks over my back until the heavy gate closed behind us.