Chapter 14:

Trapped in a dark box about 3 meters square without any window our five cultivators were slowly regaining their breaths. It was the silence in the middle of the storm, it was like being trap under a table while the earth is shaking. Every single pore of your skin is on alert, your eyes and ears are focus on the present because there might be no tomorrow every single breath is calm but pressured. In front of death your left with a choice run or fight. About a minute passed when Chu Chen broke the silence.

- "… We, we got to go back! WE need to go get Chang Fu back!"

Everyone just stare at him silently, they too wished for him to be still alive, but they weren't stupid enough to really believe it.

- "We need to go help Chang Fu now!" - insisted Chu Chen.

- "Chu listen, he's… we can't he's…"

- "He's dead."

This dry and brutal call-back to reality had been said by no other than Marianna; it left Chu Chen voiceless. She look different well not different but determine almost wild or savage, it was this odd, practically, ironic aura that she suddenly had as if the last event had recall in her, her true nature that was completely silence by her previous shy girl persona. Her eyes didn't dodge anything anymore and despite this new change her old education was still there giving her the posture of a king and the gracefulness of a queen as she had no hesitation anymore in both her gesture and voice. Luluo was really the only one to see it that way however. You could tell by the corner smile he had on his face, frankly, it's quite bizarre how people react when confronted with death. Kan was biting his nails furiously running his brain at full function trying to find a solution or some escape that would save his life. While Chu Chen was busy feeling guilty and afraid, there was Wu Chi casually eloping in his own mind probably dreaming about some good wine he might not get the chance to drink.

- "So, what's next?" – asked Luluo.

- "What's there to say, we're cultivators we don't go back on our word, we kill it of course."

- "Are you crazy princess? Now that Chang Fu is dead we don't have anyone that can correctly shield you; we will be beheaded if anything happens to you!"

- "I will not run in the face of fear not…"

- "I'M WITH YOU MISS!" – interrupted Chu Chen.

Kan was definitely not happy with the direction the conversation was taking, he wasn't the type of man to throw is life away for things like honor or justice. People might call him insensitive or manipulative, but they can't call him stupid. So, he did what he could do. First, he took a deep breath, what he needed to do here is take back the lead of the conversation.

- "Alright let's do this then, but we need a plan."

Next, was to lead it where he wanted it to go in order to ensure his safety and the one of the princess since that was also needed for his safety.

- "The moonlight boa is now about the equivalent of an earth an heaven realm cultivator if we are to keep hunting it, we need to have some form of protection against its attack. Because there no way we can activate the array before it murder us."

His best-case scenario, would be to make everyone realize how impossible it is for them to win and prepare an escape plan instead, but they're way too obsess with stupid principles to understand this, so instead Kan need to present them with an idea that both make them feel like they accomplished something and get them to protect his back.

- "Furthermore, what is really important isn't the boa, but Chang Fu right now."

- "I don't get it, he's dead." – said Luluo.

- "INSENSIBLE JERK! His mind might be dead, but his body is still laying out there you want him to become food? He's one of us we need to bring his body back right now and give him a proper burial, that's our priority!"

- "His right, Chang Fu is what matters right now! Undo the prison we need to pick his body up and then…"

- "And then what Chu" – insisted Luluo.

He stood there voiceless, once again, but this time his eyes were actively looking for someone to support him and he chose Marianna.

- "You get it right? Princess this is more important! I'm sure that we can get out while saving him… We.. WE could, uh, distract the boa then I go pick Chang Fu up while Kan modified the array into an offensive one that could break the moonlight territory and then we should be"

- "We should be what?"

Before she had the time to add anything, Kan that was observing the flow of the conversation going his way decided to add oil to the fire before the princess makes an impulsive, wrong decision.

- "It's impossible with our current team to correctly fight a moonlight boa while holding Chang Fu's body."

Then he looked at Luluo directly in the eyes. It was the perfect time for him to object to this fight without loosing face, after all he was just a bottom tier of the earth realm cultivator and he wasn't an idiot like that Chu Chen, too emotional to make the right decision. Finally, understanding what Kan expected of him Luluo took the chance to voice his opinion.

- "I'm not going to fight this monster while carrying a corpse."

- "What, I judged you wrong Luluo!" – she said.

- "EXCEPT, I do think that we need something to distract the beast while we get out of this prison because It's been hitting us non-stop for the past 15 minutes and we have about 5 more minutes left."

As he said this he showed them the talisman he used, it was evaporating slowly but surely. This was even better for Kan as it create emergency and since everyone was against the princess crazy pursuit of the mission…

- "I'm not running away just to save a corpse; you guys can do what you want but me and Wu Chi came to beat some boa and that's what will do." -added Luluo.

Kan was dumbfounded. The weakest of them all was just as suicidal as the others.

- "You can't be serious? Luluo you need to look at the reality, you're just a bottom tier earth realm you would be the one in most danger."

- "I know I can kill it even if I was a tier lower!"

This sent Wu Chi laughing at Kan, he stood up and crack his neck and as he got prepare he said:

- "I guess your pathetic plan to make us run away fail miserably, you thought you could take advantage of Luluo low cultivation. But you see he might be a shitty friend but he's my shitty friend and a Chi warrior wouldn't hang around a loser who run away because of his shitty cultivation."

- "Did you really needed to add shitty so much?" – deplored Luluo.

Suddenly, hell broke loose, an enormous pressure broke the cage they were in and scattered the team around. Luckily, the prison cell took most of the shock, so no one were really hurt by it. However, hovering over Luluo was now a massive boa of seven meters long, it opened its mouth letting moonlight reflect on its one-meter long fangs. Intimidated by that monstrous jaw Kan ran away as fast as he could towards the array. Distracted by this, the boa change its focus and begin chasing him. Luluo took this opportunity to blend in the shadow. Quickly getting back up on his feet Wu Chi ran after the moonlight boa. Despite being all for Kan getting gobble up he knew the array was probably their best chance of victory so, he jumped right on top of the tip of the tail and by stomping his feet in the ground he held the snake, completely stopping it in its charge.

- "CHU WHERE ARE YOU? WE NEED TO MODIFY THE ARRAY QUICKLY HE WON'T BE ABLE TO HOLD IT FOR LONG!"

As he said that Wu Chi got send off to the side, flying for 10 meters before crashing into a tree breaking it in half. Hesitating between finishing off its projectile or keeping chase with Kan the beast frenetically look right and left. Profiting of this small instant Kan started working on the array even though Chu Chen was still nowhere to be seen. Instead of choosing between the two the boa started charging a new attack; from its body a pale red light started emanating while in its mouth a very bright red orb was growing. Seeing this Marianna threw multiple attack to cancel the beast attack, but to no avail it seem like the light was also protecting its body.

- "Fuck! CHU WHERE ARE YOU?"

Kan was getting desperate there was now way he could finish the preparation fast enough to kill the boa before it finished its charge.

- "I'M HERE!"

It was Chu Chen, he had his face covered in blood and a broken leg, he must have suffered an heavier blow from the prison cell breaking and on his back he was holding Chang Fu's body. Immediately, upon seeing this Kan firmly closed his eyes for about a second, he was really regretting his speech in the cell because it completely turn out against him in the end. It was one thing they decide to actually fight the monster but now this idiot was risking the entire group survival to save a corpse as a result of the idea he implanted in his head.

A flash of light covered the entire beast territory along with an horrible screech that force everyone to cover their ears. Once the light and the scream stop, the moon had now turn red and the air was heavier. Everyone in the group had their vision blurred out and an obnoxious ringing in their ears. Furthermore, blood was dripping from those orifices; Luluo dropped on one knee and puked. However, this wasn't all bad since even the moonlight boa seem harmed from its attack, it had its tongue dripping out, the beast was completely out of breath. Even so, the cultivators were still the one that retained the most damages and for an awkward moment that felt like an eternity both party stood still, trying to recover. Howbeit, this hunt was happening in the snake most favorable environment it did more than just recover, this battle had served as an excellent catalyst for a breakthrough and it's from its old skin that a snake even bigger and stronger than before appear even more intimidating than ever. This was the signal the heaven sent them to signified their doom. Except, everything that comes out of a recent breakthrough is always unstable; this is a common knowledge, that's why Marianna knew this was going to be her last chance to injure the moonlight boa.

- "ANYONE, I NEED SOMEONE TO HOLD THE BEAST IN PLACE FOR A SECOND!"

She knew Chu Chen and Kan were not to be counted on and Wu Chi was still far, it's from the other side of the snake that their eyes crossed; from the look he gave her she immediately knew he was going to do it. Despite the miserable state he was in Luluo didn't hesitate, from the boa's blind spot he jumped on its head and using two small daggers he rammed then into its eyes. Although this didn't really cause any damage at all it gave enough time for the princess to positioned herself correctly. She faced the boa without any fear, defying it in its prime, she leaped high into the air and as she did, she lift her spear over her head making the blade of her weapon cover the moon her face was half hidden by shadows only revealing a faint smile brimming with assurance. Quickly, before she begin her attack, Luluo got out of there. Without waiting she attacked; it's as if the crescent of the moon had descended on earth, she slashed the beast in half, with such speed and strength it left a faint smell of burnt meat floating in the air. Once all the dust laid back on the ground, you could see her standing, proud, bathed in moonlight, the huntress won. It was a crazy sight for whoever would have seem this little rich girl that couldn't finish a sentence while looking someone in the eyes, had, out of nowhere, transformed into this fierce woman it was, in a way: poetic. As for Luluo it became some sort of revelation, a raw gut feeling of desire where you understand this one thing: you're in love. Just one moment was sufficient to make him understand that this princess would become more and more dazzling with the years and the light she'll shine upon others would be blinding and lonely but just like the sun and moon eternal parade he will become her shade supporting her in life until death.

- "Are you two going to smile like that forever or are you going to help?"

It turns out they were both lost in each other's eyes as they had forgot reality for a moment. It's very embarrassed that she cut their joint sight to look at the ground, turns out shyness doesn't cure in a night. She did however lift her eyes again just to see if he was still looking. She jumped in place letting out a small feminine scream, he was right next to her standing still, mischievously mocking her with his eyes for that scream.

- "C'mon! Let's go help dismantle that snake."