Jun Ru VS Yi Hei

Qiunan Garden, Li Manor

By evening they were all having dinner in the largest gazebo in the Li Manor. The men sat apart at one round table; the women at another, and the children at the third. Tao He and Jun Ru stood guard and the Ren sisters seemed to have reached an unspoken truce. So there were two guards! However, Jun Ru was young and more handsome! Another wordless battle seemed to have started.

"Niece," Ren Aiming got up and joined the children's table, carrying a crab in oyster sauce dish, "here, try this,"

Li Sihan, who had just been sipping lemon tea all the while, took the dish and placed it on the table. She picked up her chopsticks and picked up a piece of crab meat. She then put in in her mouth and chewed with a concentrated expression that almost made Jun Ru burst from trying to keep his laughter in. She raised her head.

"I don't like it,"

"Ah?" Ren Aiming was surprised, "oh, I'm sorry. Then, what does niece like?"

"Our Grand Chief likes stuffed meat dumpings, fermented tofu, braised pork belly, and--" Tao He stopped talking at once seeing Li Sihan's dark expression. He swallowed, "ah? Am I wrong?" He turned his head to ask Jun Ru, who snorted.

"Silly you," Jun Ru reached out and knocked Tao He's head, "always trying to show off!"

Tao He glowered as he rubbed his head. Ren Aiming covered her mouth as she chuckled. She was tickled at the Mercenaries' interaction.

"Niece, you are in your growing stage; you should eat more," Ren Aiming started filling Li Sihan's plate, "don't just keep drinking tea, or else you won't grow tall,"

"..."

Jun Ru lit a candle for the pretty idiot in his heart.

"Here, eat now, or I'll report to Eldest Sister," Ren Aiming ordered. Li Sihan expressionlessly picked up her chopsticks again, and soon finished all the food in her bowl. Ren Aiming poured fragrant digest inducing soup into another small bowl.

"Here, drink this,"

Li Sihan took the bowl and gulped it down in one shot. She then looked up at the domineering aunt.

"Are you done now?"

Ren Aiming chuckled.

"I've never seen a child who refuses to eat. Niece, you're the first. Look at our Haozi; he's almost eaten everything on this table," she pointed out Ren Haozi, the eldest third generation Ren descendant, "and even your sister--"

"Silan!" Li Sihan shouted immediately. Li Silan raised her head guiltily from a braised duck dish, sauce dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks had started filling in with flesh already.

"Yanyan, take the food away from before the Young Miss," Li Sihan ordered her principal maid. An Yanyan curtsyed and obeyed at once. Li Silan pouted and opened her mouth to start making a din, but Liu Meiyin, her own maid, reached out from behind and covered her mouth at once. She then smiled sheepishly in Li Sihan's direction.

"Niece-- no, I'll call you Ah-Han from now on," Ren Aiming had a maid bring her stool from the women's table over to Li Sihan's side, "so, what do you like doing in your spare time?"

"Killing people,"

"Ah?" Ren Aiming was shocked at Li Sihan's nonchalant attitude, "pui, pui! Ah-Han, don't say things like that again!"

"Have you ever seen someone die?" The tsundere yama was peeved at this clingy auntie and wanted to scare her away, "or a person's gut entrails?"

"Ah?" Was all Ren Aiming could say, her eyes wide.

"Or bashed brains still pulsing? What about an open gut freshly cut?"

"Sihan-er, are you talking about food?" Ren Haozi raised his head from the table where he had lain after having been stuffed full, and asked.

"No. I'm taking about corpses," Li Sihan replied, "aunt, I've done all those things I listed. I recently imploded some bastards--"

Thump.

"Ah! The third young miss has fainted! The third young miss has fainted!" The maids immediately raised the alarm. Li Sihan smirked and left the gazebo with a flick of her sleeves. Jun Ru and Tao He glanced at each other and shook their heads.

"Aiming?!" Ren Ziming made to get up but she was too quick so she swooned. Li Zhenming hurried over to her side at once.

"Ziming!" He caught her just as her maids were steading her, "take the third young miss inside and revive her," he ordered the maids, "I'll bring the madam inside,"

"What? What's wrong?" The uncles only saw their sisters being carried away. They turned to the children.

"What happened? Why did your aunt faint at first?" Ren Hongyu asked his son. The boy got up.

"Father, just now, youngest aunt was bothering cousin, so cousin started scaring her,"

"Yes, yes," the other children agreed. The adults were puzzled.

"But Aiming is not a kid. What could she have said that made her faint from fear?" The second uncle tsked dismissively.

"She-- she was talking about--" Ren Haozi, who was forgetful, scratched his head, "umm-- was it pot? Hot? Hotpot?"

"No, I know, I know!" Ren Haoyan, the second uncle's son, spoke up instead, "Haozi is too stupid; he got it all wrong. What cousin said was this: have you seen a person die before? Have you seen gut entrails before? Have you seen a cracked head before? And-- what's the last one--?"

"I know!" Ren Haozi cut in quickly, "an open gut! Gut! An open gut freshly cut!" He clapped as he was happy to have remembered, "however," he scratched his head, "I wonder why aunt was so scared. I wasn't scared at all,"

The uncles glanced at one another. Gulping, they left Qiunan Garden and hurried after their brother in law to check on the women. The matriarch and wives followed as well. Only the children and Ren Ziyan were left in the gazebo.

Ren Ziyan got up and approached Jun Ru, who was now leaning against a pillar and watching the children. Tao He had left. She twisted her silk handkerchief nervously.

"Hello,"

"I'm betrothed," Jun Ru said. He wasn't one for long dramas and discourses, just like he had outrightly refused the third prince as a disciple back then at the banquet. Ren Ziyan blushed.

"I-- I-- I just wanted to get to know you," she murmured, lowering her head.

"There's no need. You're only staying in the Li Manor for a short time. Soon you'll return to your home. We'll never see again after that. What's the point of getting to know me?"

"But-- what if-- what if I entered the Si Lak Mercenaries?" Ren Ziyan asked boldly. Jun Ru smirked.

"You can't. It's very harsh; and you are not a cultivator--"

"I am," Ren Ziyan cut in. She closed her eyes and opened them back. A thin shroudy mist enveloped the gazebo.

"Look, aunt's doing that thing again!" Ren Haozi called out to his cousins and sister. The children were surprised and touched the floating puffs of air in front of them, wafting them around and playing with them. Ren Ziyan looked up at Jun Ru.

"Well?"

"This isn't cultivation," Jun Ru shrugged, "this is element manipulation. You have an air element affinity. Interesting,"

"You-- you don't take people like that?" Ren Ziyan, who had considered herself a cultivator all her life, was speechless. Element manipulation? What was that?

Jun Ru sighed.

"It's not up to me to bring people in. Our Grand Chief is your niece. If you really want to join the Mercenaries, you can talk to her,"

"Then-- will I see you often?"

"I've already told you I'm engaged. Don't harbour any false hope about me. But look at Tao He. Tao He is single. You can like him all you want,"

"What? What happened to Tao He?" Tao He, who was returning to the gazebo on the Grand Chief's orders, heard his name from afar and shouted. Ren Ziyan looked up and watched him from the distance as he approached, flanked on both sides by rare plants and blooming flowers, carrying a sword with an heroic aura, the ends of his robe fluttering in the wind...

"That's right," Jun Ru pointed out to the daydreaming girl, "you can have him,"

Tao He reached the gazebo at last. He glanced at the handkerchief clutching young lady and gave a perfunctory nod, then turned to Jun Ru.

"Hey, the Grand Chief heard that her mother fainted after she left. Now she's asked us to go back and fetch everything we can lay our hands on at the Medicine Guild,"

"Ugh. Did she really?" Jun Ru made a puking expression, "you go. I don't want to deal with that psycho Yi Hei,"

"What?" Tao He pulled Jun Ru's crossed arms at once, "me go? Me go? Do you think I wouldn't have gone and come back if I didn't need you to deal with the Guardian?"

"I can't deal with him," Jun Ru crossed his arms back, "the bastard doesn't even obey Senior Xi Yun, much less me,"

"Tsk. So what do we do now?" Tao He grumbled, "the Grand Chief has spoken. We're here dallying. Let's head back first and then we'll think of how we'll deal with the guardian on the way,"

"Alright, alright," Jun Ru sighed deeply. He pulled a space tearing teleportation seal out of his spatial storage. He glanced up at Ren Ziyan.

"You better stand back," he threw the seal upwards and it activated in mid air. He and Tao He disappeared almost immediately. Ren Ziyan gasped. She had never seen something like this before.

"Look, look! The two uncles disappeared!" The children shouted.

*

Si Lak Mercenaries Headquarters

Tao He and Jun Ru landed in the main courtyard of the Mercenaries, looking haggard. They both patted down their disarrayed robes and wind swept hair. Jun Ru turned to Tao He.

"So? Got a plan?"

Tao He sighed.

"You said that lunatic doesn't even respect Senior Xi Yun, and you expect me to have a plan?" He said with a displeased expression, "you're the brain guy. Come up with one,"

"There's got to be one person who scares that guy," Jun Ru put his hand to his chin as he stared pacing.

"The Grand Chief. Who else?" Tao He said dismissively. Jun Ru stopped pacing.

"That's it. The Grand Chief!"

"Yes? So? How's that going to help? You think just mentioning her will set him quivering?"

Jun Ru started pacing again.

"He might be rude to Senior Xi Yun," Jun Ru stopped again after a while, "but-- but he can't defy all Four at the same time can he?"

"We'll be lucky if even one Senior is around right now. After that last time, I heard they all went into closed door cultivation,"

"How come you have more intel about what's going on here than I do?" Jun Ru growled.

"Tsk," Tao He shook his head, "come on. Time's going. Think of something quickly,"

"My disciples, converge!" Truly at his wits end, Jun Ru called out. Almost immediately, about four youngsters appeared. They went down on one knee.

"Greetings to Master!"

"Rise. I have a problem," Jun Ru cut to the chase, "the Grand Chief has tasked me to get medicine from the Medicine Hall--"

"Ah? The Medicine Hall?!" One disciple shouted out in fright. Jun Ru glared at him. He slapped his mouth at once.

"I'm sorry, Master,"

Jun Ru pursed his lips.

"We have to get medicine by all means. The Grand Chief is the owner of the entire Si Lak Mercenaries! An ordinary Guardian shouldn't put us all under duress like this. I am a Vanguard! After the Grand Chief and the Four Seniors, I am next in rank! Why would I be scared of some stupid Guardian?"

Tao He: ...it sounds like you're just psyching yourself, Jun Ru!...

"Yes! We're not scared of Guardian Yi Hei!" Jun Ru's disciples chorused at once, "give us an order, Master!"

"Let's go," Jun Ru set his eyes straight forward.

"Ah?" Tao He was shocked, "we're charging straight in? Uhh... You know what, I'll just wait for you guys here ..."

"By my authority as the head of the Vanguards, I order you, Tao He, to follow us at once!"

"Ahh-?!" Tao He was startled that Jun Ru would use his authority to compel him. Putting on a bitter expression, he bowed, "yes, Vanguard Jun Ru,"

The six people soon arrived in front of the towering Medicine Hall. Jun Ru placed his leg on the first step and the repelling array set around the Hall activated at once. With a snort, Jun Ru terminated the array. He climbed up the stairs. The others followed him at once. Jun Ru had reached the upper landing and pushed open the door.

"Well?" A thin pale faced bony man reclining on a wooden chair with a jar of wine in one hand spoke, "what's this?"

"We're here for medicine, Yi Hei," Jun Ru said.

"Who's sick?"

"The Grand Chief's mother," Jun Ru placed an emphasis on the second and third words.

"Boo," snorted Yi Hei, "what a pity. There's no medicine. Get out,"

"Yi Hei, I have no time for jokes." Jun Ru turned slightly, "Search!" He ordered his subordinates.

"Don't move," Yi Hei muttered softly, "if you die, it's not my fault," and he took another gulp of wine.

"Search!" Jun Ru barked at the disciples and Tao He, "the whole Si Lak Mercenaries is the Grand Chief's! Whoever goes against her will be punished by the rules!"

They swung into action immediately, rushing towards the rooms at the back. Yi Hei, who had been lounging in a relaxed manner set the wine jar down and suddenly swooped up with a flutter of his loose white robe. Twack! In midair, he knocked his leg against the side of Jun Ru's head. Jun Ru reached out and grabbed the leg, turning around three sixty degrees and flinging Yi Hei away to crash against a side wall. Yi Hei used the momentum to his advantage and instead of crashing used the tip of his toes to propel himself back at Jun Ru, his hands clasped together stretched out with two fingers of each hand pointing forward.

"It's the Piercing Thrust!" Jun Ru's disciples, who had rushed back at seeing their master being attached, stood to the side and watched with bated breath. One of them recognised the technique Yi Hei was currently flying at Jun Ru with. It had been created by the Grand Chief herself, one of the legendary fight skills of the Mercenaries and taught to a select few. How had Guardian Yi Hei learnt it, much less mastered it?

Tuk! Tuk! Yi Hei separated his hands when he was a metre away from Jun Ru, and pulled the left one back, first hitting him with the right, then following up with the left. Jun Ru raised a essence imbued palm, and smacked Yi Hei's forehead, then stomped his feet on the floor and rose up in the air to battle at Yi Hei's level. He swung his right arm around in a circular motion, gathering energy, and then slammed the resultant fist straight at Yi Hei's chest.

Yi Hei caught Jun Ru by the wrist and deftly threw off the attack, sidelining Jun Ru. He himself pulled back his left fist and a red blur shot towards Jun Ru's eye next.

"Master, watch out!" Jun Ru's disciples cried out but it was of no use. The fist hit Jun Ru's eye. Jun Ru clenched his teeth and his fingernails elongated all of a sudden. With the claws he swiped at Yi Hei's belly, which was left unguarded. Three lines appeared on Yi Hei's stomach immediately, and soon dyed his robe red. Yi Hei launched a counterattack almost simultaneously, pulling Jun Ru's head in and then throwing him over his shoulder. Jun Ru grabbed Yi Hei's leg as soon as his head almost touched the ground and also flipped the Guardian over, slashing his face with his claws.

"Master's winning!" Jun Ru's disciples roared.

The two duelists staggered apart. Yi Hei was the only one bleeding, but Jun Ru had a swollen eye and sizzling red marks on his neck where he had been hit with the Piercing Thrust. He clutched his throat.

"Master!" His disciples rushed to him, "master, are you alright?"

Jun Ru raised his fast reddening eyes to look up at Yi Hei.

"What-- what did you do-- ptui!" He spat out a mouthful of blood at once. Yi Hei smirked.

"Have you ever heard of the Piercing Thrust? Even your disciples know it,"

"You--!" Jun Ru raised a finger, "only the Grand Chief knows this technique as she's the one that created it, and she only taught it to her disciples! How did you get your hand on it? Who taught you?"

"That's the question," Yi Hei snorted, "who taught me? Answer it yourself, Vanguard," he turned around, retrieving a porcelain bottle from his spatial space, and sitting cross-legged on the ground he began to treat his wounds.

Jun Ru wiped the trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Yi Hei. This is pointless. Give us the medicine for the Grand Chief's mother."

Yi Hei ignored him. He took off his robe and started applying the medicinal paste to the viscous looking claw marks on his stomach.

"What's the point of the Grand Chief spending so much resources to build and fund the Medicine Hall if all you're going to do is behave like a lunatic and not supply the Mercenaries with much needed medicine?!" Jun Ru suddenly burst out in rage, "does the Grand Chief have to come here by herself to get something just because you've become this high and mighty person?!"

Yi Hei raised his head.

"Shut up," he said, and went back to treating his wounds.

"Fine! Since you are determined to be disloyal, then I'll go all out to discipline you on the Grand Chief's behalf!" Jun Ru pulled out his sword and lunged at Yi Hei. Another battle, more fiercer, started, with red flashes, booms and bangs. Everytime Jun Ru was pushed back into the receiving arms of his disciples, he sported one extra viscous wound, before charging at Yi Hei again.

"What-- what should we do!" The fourth disciple asked the others, hopping from foot to foot in worry, sweat pouring from all his pores.

"Fetch the Seniors! Fetch the Guardians! Fetch anyone you see!" The senior most of them immediately responded.

Running at full speed towards each of the Four Schools, the three disciples and Tao He had the same cry on their lips.

"Help! Guardian Yi Hei is going to kill Vanguard Jun Ru! Help!

The first ran into the Spear Squad, meeting Nalan Yu, and Han Yuefeng behind her, teaching a complex stance to a courtyard of Spear Squad disciples. His shout diverted them, and Nalan Yu silenced him with a matrix at first before letting him talk.

"What did you say? Speak slowly so I can understand,"

"Elder Nalan-- my master is fighting Guardian Yi Hei in the Medicine Hall--"

Nalan Yu's eyes constricted.

"Fetch Master," she turned around to Han Yuefeng and followed the disciple at once.