The Innkeeper

Liling had settled into the rustled old room she had been paired up with Daiyu to stay in for the night. It was nothing compared to the league quarters back at the empire but it was enough to keep them sheltered. 

She reluctantly climbed the bed which she noticed was hard after she had taken off the league's combat outfit she had on, changing into something simple for the night.

Letting out a grunt as she shrugged the furry quilt that was surprisingly warm over herself, Daiyu motioned her hands forward to take out the candle lights that illuminated the entire room.

Her mind wandered off to her recent encounter with Eun and how he had always been around to lend her a listening ear whenever she was going through a crisis. Lost in her thoughts, she drifted off to sleep.

Liling jerked awake at the sound of the rumbling thunder, waking up to an heavy downpour, she wondered how long she'd slept. Tilting her head to a side, she noticed the spot where Daiyu had once laid, empty and devoid of any signs of her presence.

Her eyes widened at what she saw from her peripheral vision. She ducked when she saw a knife coming down fast upon her. Instinctively, she leapt out of the way, drawing out the dagger she had strapped beneath the silk robe she had on, pointing it at the intruder.

She gasped from shock and surprise when she noticed the assassin was none other than the innkeeper.

"You old weasel! What in the god's name are you trying to do?!"

Liling crouched low to avoid another attack when the innkeeper swung at her again. Gritting her teeth, she fumed in annoyance, her patience hanging on by a thread at his insolent behavior.

"Be gone with your vile curse! You evil sorceress!" he cursed in thick Shan accent. 

Angered at his attempts to take her life, she felt her blood boil with rage, hitting him hard in the ribs when she tore through his shoulder with her dagger.

Not enough to kill him, but enough to leave him wounded until she could find her way back to the others.The old man groaned at the impact, dropping down to his knees and clutching his sides tight. Then she retorted with a scowl, 

"I am no sorceress!"

His eyes seemed to widen when he noticed she had understood what he had just called her. Before he could utter anymore word, she hit him again, knocking him out when he fell face-first to the ground. Turning on her heels and dashing out through the door with the wooden floor creaking beneath her feet.

Her chest heaved when she turned back to see the Innkeeper still lying still on the floor until she barreled into sturdy arms which grabbed her before she could reel backwards.

Her gaze widened when she came face to face with Shufen, a worried look on his face,

 "Liling!" He called out her name.

She panted, dragging in gulps of air, 'The...the innkeeper! He...he wants me dead!" She muttered strings of incoherent words that he struggled to make out.

"Calm down, It's alright."

He held her in his arms, making her lean against him when her breathing grew harsh, his brows furrowed, worry lines marring his perfectly sculpted face. It was an unusual sight, seeing her so out of control with herself from the moment she had stopped using qi.

He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he was scared her massive drawbacks and fears could result in something as terrible as the guardians suspending her from the team.

When she finally stilled in his arm, he urged her forward, twisting and flicking his fingers when he summoned the Soul Calming technique, pressing his fingers from her spine to the back of her neck to help the flow of qi circulate down her meridians.

She burned, a raging tempest surging right inside of her, forcing a gasp out from his lips. 

She blinked, staring at  him in confusion when she managed to move away from him. "Shufen? What did you see?"

"Your qi, it's stagnant. What exactly happened in there?"

Liling swallowed hard in an attempt to piece together the reason why she had been here in the first place, "It was raining, I woke up, the Innkeeper had a knife, I took him out and ran as fast as I could."

The confused expression on his face could only mean that he could not make sense of her words, her brows furrowed and she squinted under his gaze when he finally got words out.

"why would the innkeeper attack you? so suddenly? For no reason?"

She glowered at him, hating the fact that he treated her like she was totally out of her mind. Would she ever so suddenly make up stories about the Innkeeper if she hadn't seen him with her own two eyes?!

"He attacked me! Maybe you should ask him why when he's finally awake because I would want to know his reasons too!"

"Do not get me wrong, I just do not understand why he would want to do something like that."

He could tell he was already starting to get on her nerves even though that hadn't been his intentions in the first place.

He had met the Innkeeper when he had suddenly felt a surge of unusual energy and was on his way to her room and the old man had been too busy barking out orders to the poor lads who helped him run the Inn.

But unless he was skilled in teleportation technique or was a demon, there was absolutely no way he could have gotten to her without him seeing or noticing him.

Shufen watched as she unfolded her hands from her chest, grabbing his and dragging him back towards the direction of the room, "Why don't you come see for yourself if you do not believe my words?!"

He yelped, following behind her hurriedly and just as she stepped into the room, she exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock and bewilderment.