If You Dare

Xuxian flinched as he saw Gui Yuan strike out with a roar.

Suzhen leaped into the air, and for a moment she seemed to float there, her robes fluttering breezily in the wind. Her hands drew back and she unleashed twin shots that struck Gui Yuan on the back as he turned, barely in time to avoid getting them straight in the chest.

The sunlight flashed white on the arch of her throat as she flipped backwards and landed on her feet, fingers raking through the air. Xuxian watched her breathlessly, wondering how he had never seen this side of her before.

Gui Yuan stumbled but whirled round to face her. Hie defensive abilities had improved. That was the thing about terrapin spirits. Though they were clumsy in their human form and took longer to achieve it, they kept their ability to sustain injuries, and as their cultivation increased this ability only got better. Suzhen felt a stab of alarm as she saw how little her shots had really damaged him. She had to hit him in the chest, where he was more vulnerable.

"Didn't expect me to have grown stronger, did you?" jeered Gui Yuan, guessing correctly what she was thinking. "Come on, snake. I haven't even hit you yet. Come closer if you dare."

He beckoned rudely to her with his finger. Suzhen's lip curled with fury.

Gui Yuan charged at her, not waiting for her to respond. She sidestepped him but her blow glanced off his rounded shoulders. He swung round immediately before she could leap back and raked at her. Suzhen felt his claws rip her skin as he tore her shoulder, and the blood came rushing to the surface. But she struck out swiftly with her other hand and managed to bring her fingertips directly against his chest, seizing the close contact to driving a heavy blow.

She had the satisfaction of seeing Gui Yuan swing back, coughing, and clutching at his chest. Retreating warily, she glanced at her arm, and saw the ribbons of her sleeve dangling in the air, stained with blood.

Xuxian bit back a cry of alarm. His heart had leaped so violently that it almost choked him, but he knew that he must not distract Susu right now. Anxiously he ran mentally through the contents of his medicine kit.

Gui Yuan wiped a smear of blood from his lips, panting. The heavy blow of energy had left him feeling nauseated and giddy, but he ignored his ringing head and forced himself to focus on his opponent.

He did not stand a chance, however. Suzhen was already in the air, and her fingers flashed. Xuxian saw a white stream drive into Gui Yuan's heart like a spear, making him twist in pain. The terrapin spirit fell to his knees, writing in agony as Suzhen drove the bolt into him, her face stone-hard and merciless.

Gui Yuan managed to twist sideways, and attempted a feeble blow that Suzhen easily avoided. His body tottered and his palms hit the ground to keep himself from falling over. Hunched over, his shoulders heaved and he spat out a mouthful of blood with a groan.

Suzhen watched him grovelling on the ground, trembling with pain and rage, and let her hand fall. "You are consumed with anger and bitterness," she said quietly. "You could have lived your life happily even if you did not get the elixir. You could have continued to cultivate patiently without resorting to eating the hearts of humans and sucking their life essence. This was your choice, Gui Yuan. Stop blaming me for your own decisions."

Gui Yuan's head sank onto the ground. He was too dazed by pain to answer, but a deep growling groan racked his frame. Suzhen watched him silently, and slowly raised her fingers as she channelled the final blow.

Even without looking at her, Gui Yuan knew that his death was near. He opened his bloodshot eyes and they fell on a stone by his hands, a large smooth one that must have weighed several jin. He was in so much pain he could barely think, but his strength was still with him. Grabbing the stone with both hands, he reared himself up suddenly and flung it into her face.

"Die, you damned snake!" he snarled, wild-eyed, with blood staining his teeth.

The stone catapulted through the air with a heave of his shoulders, carried by the energy he had put into the throw. Suzhen sprang back, but it was too close, and too sudden. She felt the rush of wind and then the brain-jolting impact of the stone slamming into her chest, with a jerk that made her taste blood as her teeth cut into her tongue. Stunned, she felt herself losing her balance, too disoriented to buoy herself up into the air in time, and the second jolt of hitting the ground felt oddly dull and unreal after the violence of the first.

The air had been knocked out of her lungs and her gasp sent a spasm of burning pain down her chest, as if she had just swallowed fire. For a moment she felt the earth under her fingers and all she could do was lie there like a fish wrenched out of the water, gasping feebly.

Xuxian started forward with a cry that he barely managed to stifle.

Gui Yuan staggered to his feet, wincing as he did so, and came lurching over like a drunkard. He picked up the rock lying by her and smiled a ghastly smile as he looked down on her.

"I'm going to smash your head in," he panted, shifting it from one hand to the other and getting a good grip on it with his fingers. "Just enough so that you'll be conscious as I suck your life essence dry, and eat your husband's heart--"

There was running footsteps behind him and a dull thump as Xuxian shed the medicine basket from his shoulders and broke into a run. At this point, he had stopped thinking. He couldn't afford to think, or he would be paralyzed by fear.

With a thud, Xuxian landed on his shoulders. The little hunting knife flashed as he drove it into Gui Yuan's back as hard as he could.

"No one's going to smash my wife's head!"