Her Strength

A woody mountainside, Yulian Empire

Three masked adults surrounded a little girl who was drawing something on the ground with her fingers. It appeared to be a matrix formation, which was spreading from that place along the ground all over the woods they were in.

"Gu Yan is injured," Li Sihan said lightly, raising her head. She was wearing riding attire, black, and her hair was held up with an headpiece. Her eyes surveyed the expressions of the others; unsightly, even though she could only see their eyes.

"That means we're up against a couple of Martial Sovereigns at the minimum," said Storm Sword.

"So what?" Li Sihan extinguished the matrix, "you have me,"

"Grand Chief, what is our plan?" Red Monkey asked.

"Charge straight at the bastards," was the reply. Li Sihan flew into the air like a bird, landing on the branch of a tall oak tree, leaping onto another almost immediately. The three on the ground flew up at once, following the blurry shape of their leader as she flitted easily between the tops of trees. The terrain changed and became less woody, and more rocky. Atop the last tree, Li Sihan scanned the jutting rocks and sheer cliffs with distaste. The minions were invisible. Xi Yun and Charming Leopard had probably also used concealing matrices to keep themselves hidden.

"Yo!" Li Sihan shouted, startling Jun Ru so much he almost fell off the branch he was perching on, "Scorpion Hall ants, your granny is here! Show those ugly faces of yours now while I'm still in a good mood! If I have to rat you out, you won't like it!"

Her childish voice echoed all over the mountain. In the next second after it died away, a long vicious looking chain with what looked like a spear tip at the end struck out from under one of the jutting rocks straight at Li Sihan's eyes!

WHOOSH! CRACK! BOOM!

With a palm, with a small dainty little palm, Li Sihan shattered the oncoming chain. The fragments flew back like bullets towards the jutting rock and exploded!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

An avalanche of arrows descended upon the tree Li Sihan was perched on. With awe striking dexterity, she avoided them, flying off her perch. In midair, she conjured a crossbow of her own, which she started shooting at the crevices of the rocks.

Not wanting to be idle, her subordinates swung into action as well. Throwing up what appeared to be a purple gleaming core, Red Monkey drew a poison formation in the air. It connected to the suspended core and a thick black mist surrounded her. Flinging her arm out as if throwing a knife, the poison mist dispersed all over the area.

Thwak! Li Sihan stopped shooting suddenly.

"Alright, I'm no longer in a good mood,"

Deng! About twelve people suddenly appeared. Startled, they glanced at each other in alarm.

"Who?! Even those two couldn't terminate our concealing matrix!!" They exclaimed.

"Open your eyes clearly and take a look at your granny," Li Sihan replied unconcernedly. One who appeared to be a leader of the men raised his head skeptically to take a look at the girl in the air.

"Who are you?" He asked with a deep frown, "do not interfere in the matter of the Scorpion Hall and their enemies!"

"How will I not interfere when you're chasing my people?" Li Sihan responded immediately.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. A cultivator of your station must be from the Upper Prefectures. Since when did the people of the mainland become your people?"

Li Sihan rolled her eyes.

"Upper Prefectures, Upper Prefectures! That's all you've ever ranted about in the martial arts world! And it's not like there's anything there; tombs and stupid tunnels that lead nowhere. Open your eyes clearly. You have my people!"

"Leader," one of the other old men spoke to the first, "I think this is the Si Lak Mercenaries' rescue party,"

The first old man suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahahaha! What kind of body is this that you got for yourself, Si Lak?"

'Si Lak' was usually the name used to refer to the Grand Chief by others in the martial arts world. Her name was not known; and her enemies would never use her title.

"You Scorpion Hall ants seem to have grown some balls since I saw you last," Li Sihan shook her head lightly.

"Who would have thought I could engage in friendly banter with the legendary Si Lak today!" The old man laughed. One or two of those with him however, were already feeling anxious. They sidled up to him.

"Venom Sting, will we be able to leave this place today?" He whispered out of the corner of his mouth to the leader. This was the Si Lak herself, ah!

"Hawkeye, are you really so easily intimidated?" Venom Sting laughed loudly, "have you not heard of what they call cultivation regression? What are the symptoms; diminishing stature!"

A vein throbbed in Jun Ru's forehead. He wanted to crush this Venom Sting into a pulp of blood! How dare he!

"Venom Sting! I-- I don't really think so--"

"Enough," Venom Sting waved his hand, turning back to Li Sihan who sat cross-legged in mid air, "yo, little aunt, are you still looking for your minions? The boy must be nearly dead by now; I tested out my Deranged Sickle on him," he cackled as he beckoned to Li Sihan, "why don't I use you as my next test subject? I might become Second Hall leader if I present your supple flesh--"

Guuurrrggg! Venom Sting suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Leader!" The others were frightened out of their wits. She! She didn't do anything! Did she create a matrix with her mind!

However, Li Sihan looked surprised and glanced at Red Monkey. It was her poison that had actually got to him. Idiots, Li Sihan thought, sighing.

"Let's go find Gu Yan and Little Yun," she said, landing gracefully on the ground, "I really thought that old man had sent some big shots this time around,"

"They're big enough of shots to injure Senior Charming Leopard," Jun Ru pointed out as he and Storm Sword slit their throats one by one; Red Monkey's poison had immobilised all of them.

"Duh-- probably caught him unawares," Li Sihan replied. The last body fell to the floor. A blooming red madara flower appeared on the chests of the bodies and they all disappeared. Jun Ru still managed to chop of the leg of one before it vanished.

"I bet Big Sis Xi Yun really concealed herself and Big Bro Gu Yan this time around," said Red Monkey, after looking around for a while and seeing no traces of either's aura.

"Big Sis Red Monkey," Storm Sword sidled up to her, pulling off his mask and revealing a boorish smile, "can you call me Little Bro Hao Ren?"

Jun Ru quickly coughed out loud. Hacking coughs, ah. Something just got into his throat, yes. His eyes watered as he quickly turned around to suppress his mirth.

Red Monkey stared at Storm Sword and said nothing, turning away. Storm Sword hunched over in despair.

"Grand Chief-- huh?" Red Monkey stopped mid- sentence. Li Sihan was squatting next to a curiously shaped glittering piece of rock jutting out of the ground. She retrieved what looked like a sharp blade from her storage oasis and slice! She had cut through the rock!

"This will make a nice toy for my Little Bun," she said to herself with a self satisfied smile. Jun Ru's head throbbed.

"Grand Chief-- can we go find Senior Xi Yun and--"

"Oh, all right!" Li Sihan snapped. She huffingly drew a complicated matrix in midair. It ignited and a teleportation portal appeared at her feet. Red Monkey and Jun Ru immediately jumped within the matrix.

"Hao Ren, hurry up!" Red Monkey called out anxiously, and, face lit up like fireworks, Storm Sword took a running leap into the matrix from where he was almost ten feet away. He was just in time too, as it activated the next second and hurled them away almost two miles distance from where they were.

"Senior!" Jun Ru was the first to notice Xi Yun and Charming Leopard huddled within a cave. Xi Yun's face was white and her lips were pale. On closer inspection she was seen to be holding up a matrix that was the cause of her exhaustion. The matrix was a restraining one and it was placed by her on Charming Leopard, whose eyes were rolled back in his head completely.

"Grand Chief!" Xi Yun gasped with relief, "Brother Gu Yan, he-- he's not himself!"

Li Sihan took a look at Charming Leopard. He definitely looked haggard, and appeared to have hurt both himself and Xi Yun before he had been restrained.

"It must be that Deranged Sickle that bastard mentioned," Red Monkey said as she quickly knelt by Xi Yun and took over the restraining matrix from her, "Grand Chief, what do we do?"

"Was it a poison or a weapon?" Li Sihan asked Xi Yun.

"I don't know; I wasn't even there. I was fighting some of them on the other side when I heard Brother Gu Yan scream. I had to throw my own opponents off to see what the matter was. I found him bleeding but the person who injured him was not visible,"

"Hmm," Li Sihan stroked her chin, "in any case, it's a job for Spider Lily. Let's go back to the headquarters,"

"Yes, Grand Chief!"

*

"Master! Master!" A young disciple wearing a yellow and red robe was seen running up a slope to a small eastern style house on a hill, a little way away from which was a bamboo forest on one side, and a low lake on the other. Clutching his chest as he came to the door, the disciple banged on the door loudly.

"Master! They're calling you! They say the Grand Chief is back! Ma--"

The door swung open. The boy almost fell face forward and quickly grabbed the frame. Spider Lily frowned up at him; he was shorter.

"What's up with you, Yan Zi? Have you forgotten all the rules? Never come up to my refining cottage except it's an emergency or the matter has to do with the--"

"--Grand Chief!!" The boy called Yan Zi wheezes excitedly, "didn't you hear what I said?! They're calling for you at the East Hall! They said the Grand Chief is back!!!"

Spider Lily frowned.

"Impossible. The Grand Chief clearly stated that she wasn't going to come till the Young Miss could withstand the terrain of the headquarters. I was there and I heard her with my own ears."

"Well I don't know but Guardian Luo Bai told me to run up here and call you down immediately!" Yan Zi pulled Spider Lily's arm, startling him, "quick, Master! Let's go!"

"Hey!" Spider Lily pulled back his arm, "but, did Luo Bai really tell you that?"

Yan Zi nearly frothed at the mouth due to infuriation.

"YES! Just come with me first!! If it turns out to be wrong and the Grand Chief isn't back, you can just punish me afterwards!"

Spider Lily grunted as he stepped out in the end. Yan Zi was hopping from foot to foot in impatience and excitement. Hells, he might see the Grand Chief with his own eyes today, ah!

"Master, hurry!"

"I'm hurrying, you damn brat!" Spider Lily huffed as he increased his speed grudgingly. Could the Grand Chief really be back? If she wasn't -- ah, Yan Zi was really going to get it!! Who knows, it might be an elaborate prank set up for him by his disciples with this nasty boy as the spearhead. Spider Lily, despite his terrifying exterior, was actually the most easygoing with his disciples in the entire Si Lak Mercenaries and they regularly fooled around with him as a result. But...bringing the Grand Chief's name into this...that would be unacceptable. They might even go for a stint in the Boilers!

He had actually been researching in his refining cottage and had actually not started refining at all. Wilted Fawn Leaf... Spider Lily closed his eyes in delight as he thought about the treasure lying snug on a red cushion in a secret chamber somewhere he knew. Decades! Once he finished refining the pill... Ooh la la... Don't think about it, don't think about it, he thought.

"Master, let's teleport!" Yan Zi suddenly cried, bringing Spider Lily rudely out of his reviere. With another snort, the duo teleported to the East Hall of the Si Lak Mercenaries.

It was the home of the Grand Chief; a huge edifice. The courtyard had a cultivation room (long disused), a study, a bedchamber, a library, a wide training ground, artificial hot springs, and whatnot. Oh, it also had the Boiler. Except the Boiler, every other place in the East Hall, in fact, the entirety of the East Hall itself, was out of bounds to everyone in the Si Lak Mercenaries except summoned.

Spider Lily and his disciple Yan Zi arrived in front of the main building and first had to pay their respects. Yan Zi helped his master up and only then could they enter the main hall.

"What took you so long?"

Spider Lily immediately went down on one knee.

"Pardon me, Grand Chief. I simply couldn't believe my disciple's word that you had indeed returned.

Li Sihan pouted. She was munching on what looked like a replica of the glacier fruit Jun Ru had brought to her once. Yan Zi stood in one corner in dumbstruck disbelief. This?!?! This was the Grand Chief?!?!?!?! What was she, like seven?!? However, he kept all that to himself.

"I called you to come take a look at Gu Yan."

"Who?" Spider Lily asked, for even he did not know the name of the other Seniors.

"Gu Yan," Li Sihan repeated stiffly, "Charming Leopard," she said with a sigh, "one idiot from the Scorpion Hall injured him with some Dandy Spider? Deadly Stick?" Li Sihan cocked her head to one side, "Delay Serpent?"

Shadow Claw Jun Ru, who had just come in, clapped his hand to his forehead.

"Deranged Sickle," he muttered expressionlessly.

"Oh, right," crunch, munch, Li Sihan ate the fruit. Spider Lily didn't know where to put his whole body.

"He's in my chamber," Li Sihan continued, "Fei Ning is holding the restrictive matrix,"

"Who?"

"Senior Red Monkey," Jun Ru supplied.

"I think Little Yun is with her as well," she took another bite, "hurry," she barked.

"Pardon me, Grand Chief-- but I-- I don't know the way to your chamber --" Spider Lily mutteted

"Oh?" Li Sihan got up, "come with me, then,"

With the boss leading the way, the rest could only follow. Li Sihan opened a door on the west side of the hall and stepped out into the sunshine of the open courtyard. Opposite this courtyard was an impressive palacial looking residential house. Guarding the door was a huge tiger. Spider Lily and his disciple were surprised. The tiger lumbered up to Li Sihan and attempted to snuggle under her arm.

"I don't have your time, Little Pie; I'm going to bring a lovely friend for you soon," Li Sihan said in passing as she shoved the tiger away. Enlightenment!! No wonder the first thing the Grand Chief did was nickname her sister 'Little Bun'! Little Bun, Little Yun; it all made sense now!! However, who in their right senses named a tiger, a tiger, a ferocious twenty pound eight feet tall tiger Little Pie?!?!?!