Chapter 12: Aftermath

Kun Shang immediately sat up in bed but his brain spun violently inside his head for a second. He put one hand on his head and one hand instinctively reached for his sword, only to realize it's not there. He hadn't realized it yet but he had completely forgotten about his dream.

What!? Why am I so dizzy?

The now-alerted-Kun Shang shook Silang awake and almost stepped on Xiaogua, who was sleeping at the foot of his bed. He wobbled on his feet to the table and sat down, immediately starting internal energy repair to suppress the drugs. Silang woke up soon after.

"Woah! Why am I so dizzy?" He shook his head with crossed eyes. Trying to see in the dark, he tripped over Xiaogua and grabbed the first thing in front of him. "Eh? Why is this wall so soft?"

Silang looked up and noticed that he was holding onto a man's chest. His scream alerted Kun Shang to pick up his pace and finish healing his internal energy. It also woke up Xiaogua and Xiu'er. Kun Shang got up to inspect why the two men were frozen in their room. He quickly concluded that their ready position to attack meant they came here to do something, and the broken window meant someone came through to stop them.

"Xiaogua, I am going to release their acupuncture. As soon as I do, take Xiu'er, Silang and A'Li away from here." He gestured towards the door.

Xiaogua's eyes were still blurry but he nodded. He had to trust himself to bring them to safety.

Kun Shang came between the two men and had his hand ready to release both their acupuncture points at the same time. Xiaogua searched in the dark until he grabbed Xiu'er's hand. Silang opened the door for them to escape.

"Ah!" Silang screamed. His body was already leaning forward into the hallway that had a giant hole on the floor. His arms circling in large circles.

Kun Shang immediately stopped his hands midway, turned around, climbed over the table and reached for the back collar of Silang's shirt. He yanked him back forcefully and crashed him onto the table.

"What happened?" Xiaogua couldn't help but ask, staring at the hollow floor.

"Stay here," Kun Shang held out his palm at them and jumped down.

When he landed, the first thing he saw was the flash of his sword on Qingzhao's back just when she was about to turn to leave out the door. He immediately ran after her and grabbed onto her shoulder, noting her torn sleeves. Qingzhao turned her head to see him behind her. She grabbed his hand, brought it forth and twisted his elbow. Hitting his rib cage with her palm, he staggered back and she continued to walk forward.

Kun Shang inhaled. He was determined to get his sword back. He went to grab her shoulder again. She leaned forward at her waist and powerfully swung one foot back. He twisted his upper body to the side and dodged the kick. She put her foot down, turned around and hit him in the chest. This time, he locked her bare arm with his hands and brought her elbow above her head. He clamped the back of her neck with his hand and forced it down so that she was bending before him. He grabbed his sword from her back and released her.

Qingzhao looked up with fire in her eyes, but she knew that she cannot fight them altogether. She withdrew and ran out the door.

Chun Yi sheathed her sword and turned her back to Kun Shang right when he turned her way. He first noticed that the girl in the light colored clothes and frilled skirt was injured and ran to her side.

"What is going on?" He asked, but no one answered.

The twins took the injured girl back to Chun Yi. He saw that they were preparing to leave and blocked them.

"Miss, your junior is severely wounded. I think it's best you don't travel and recuperate until she is well."

"Thank you, but we will leave," Chun Yi said.

As they walked out the door, he couldn't help but stare in awe when the moonlight gleamed over the mysterious girl in black. No one had ever rendered him curious as much as her eyes, and how they had captured him into her abyss. And he wanted to see them so bad because they were black.

Not brown. But pure black. And shiny.

And they were so beautiful with her thick lashes, double eyelids and sparkling pupils.

No matter how much he wanted to know who she was, he had to let go of reality once more. Let go of the fact that they will only cross roads today. He mustn't forget his missions and why he's out here. If fate permits, he will definitely repay her back for saving their lives.

Kun Shang heard someone yelling about more damages to his property. He turned around to see the tavern owner, clamped to a pillar, slowly and carefully sliding down because the stairs were devastated.

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"Really!? She came back and tried to kill us?" Xiaogua was surprised when Kun Shang explained to them what happened last night.

"Gou Qingzhao is such a fierce and aggressive person. I would never expect her to drug us and try to steal my sword right underneath my nose."

His sword sat on the table in front of them as he apologized to it in his head. He was extremely offended and outraged at his own self for almost letting someone steal the Sword of the Millennial Gods. His first experience in the martial arts world had only involved stealing. No matter who it was, everyone had hot hands to steal or fight at the slightest reason. He made a mental promise to never let his guard down again. Even when he was sleeping. Especially when he was sleeping. The martial arts community was full of sinister people conjuring all kinds of evil schemes. They have no laws nor ruler. Seems like only the strongest get to decide for all.

"We have to get out of town right away before anything else happens to us." Xiaogua shuddered at the thought of being prey.

"What exactly happened last night though?" Silang asked for details. "And why are we eating at this noodle shop instead of the tavern where I can get all the wine I want?"

They were sitting at a table of four in a noodle shop on the street. The lady owner was a middle aged, thick person, wearing brown satin clothes and a white dirty apron. She had three tables set up next to her stove as her territory. The two other tables were also occupied. The surrounding market was dazzled with the warm smells of sweet steamed buns and fresh hot noodles.

Last night, Gou Qingzhao had came back to drug them and steal the sword. She had brought some men along with her. One of them was killed in their room. Kun Shang didn't know if Chun Yi had killed the subordinate or not. What he knew for sure was that they had been saved just in time by Chun Yi and her girls before the Third Miss could end their lives. As for the two other men that froze in their room, Kun Shang could've either killed them or let them go. At the end he had called the officials to have them put in jail but quickly soon learned that officials do not involve themselves if the matter was deemed a martial art's business.

Kun Shang then decided to let them go.

He watched Xiu'er's hand petting A'Li across the table as he recalled when he tried to coax the tavern owner after Qingzhao and Chun Yi and her girls destroyed half of the second floor hallway and the entire stairs. The tavern owner was beyond furious and kicked them out. They had no choice but to eat breakfast in the street.

"We don't have pork, we don't have sweets, we don't have oranges, nothing is spicy, and we don't have wine." Xiu'er put her elbow on the table and her head in her hand. "Is this prison food?" She jabbed the plain noodles with her chopsticks.

"Eat it, or leave it," Kun Shang said. "Why do you have to complain so much for being a beggar?"

What he had wanted to ask was, what else do you want to eat with money you stole from other people? But instead, he took her feelings into consideration and didn't mention it.

Xiu'er and her brother turned to each other and started speaking in their northern dialect, frowning at him. He could only understand words such as "idiot", "hungry", "sweets", and "A'Li".

Kun Shang looked down the road to see the same clothing store where he had originally wanted to take Xiaogua to get a new pair of clothes.

"Before we leave, let's buy some new clothes for you all."