SES Chapter 14 V1

Chapter 14

Luo Ren had scouted the terrain beforehand. He moved swiftly through the alleys and streets. The ancient town was built along the mountains, and most tourists were too lazy to climb, so the higher up the mountain, the fewer people there were, especially at night. Some alleys were already shuttered, with just a lantern or two left to add a touch of color to the town.

That worked in Mu Dai’s favor. It was hard to use martial arts freely in a crowd, but with no one around, she had nothing to worry about. She moved like a cat, scaling rooftops in two quick steps, leaping over alleys from above. From her vantage point, Luo Ren could never shake her. Once or twice, she even flipped down from a rooftop and struck with a mid-air knifehand, forcing Luo Ren into awkward evasions.

But Luo Ren was starting to see her patterns. Generally speaking, men and women trained in different martial disciplines—each had their strengths. Few women practiced hard external styles; to give a simple example, smashing rocks with one’s chest was always done by brawny men—what woman would want to subject her chest to that?

Mu Dai’s training was likely in agility and light-footed movement. Being lighter gave her a natural edge, and back in Chongqing, her wall-scaling move had already hinted at her style.

But the world isn’t perfect. If all your energy is focused on agility, your striking power will inevitably be a weakness.

Luo Ren made up his mind. At the next alley, he suddenly turned and bolted into a sparse grove of trees. Mu Dai hesitated a moment, then gave chase.

The woods weren’t like the alleys—darker, harder to see. The branches were too many branches and too low to move well through. And—

Mu Dai started to panic. Luo Ren had vanished as soon as he entered the trees. Unless he’d gone underground, he had to be hiding behind one of the trunks.

She wasn’t good at this kind of ambush work. She preferred open spaces, bright lights—where she didn’t have to hide from others or fear being seen.

A noise behind her made her shudder. She spun around quickly—something about the way the trees swayed over there wasn’t right.

She held her breath and crept that way. She’d barely taken two steps when a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder from behind.

Now!

Mu Dai gritted her teeth, twisted her shoulder into the hand, and grabbed Luo Ren’s wrist to throw him over her back. A normal person would have been flipped clean over—but Luo Ren’s stance was too steady, and he was stronger than she was. Halfway through the throw, she realized it wouldn’t work.

Her thoughts spun. She planted a foot on a nearby tree trunk, used his force to pivot her body, flipping upside-down and soaring almost two meters into the air.

If she managed another spin midair, she could land in the tree and be out of reach. But Luo Ren was faster—he barked, “Get down!” and grabbed both her shoulders, yanking her down hard.

Mu Dai was nearly slammed to the ground. Her agility was good—she rebounded the moment she hit, but as soon as she stood up, Luo Ren’s hand landed on her shoulder again.

Mu Dai steeled herself. She bent her right elbow and slammed backward, hitting him squarely under the ribs.

It was a risky move—she’d thrown herself into his arms first. But if it landed hard enough, he’d be too pained to counter, and she could turn the tide.

She heard him grunt in pain and felt a rush of joy, only for him to suddenly hook an arm around her, pinning her arms and torso. His other hand came up, and she felt the cold edge of a knife pressed against her neck.

Mu Dai’s mind went blank. One of her shifu’s sayings flashed into her head:

“When masters fight, life and death are decided in a moment.”

Her master used to say, the stuff about fighting for three days and exchanging hundreds of blows? That was nonsense. One mistake, and the winner—or the dead—was already decided.

It had been quick. What—ten seconds? Fifteen? Just two or three exchanges, and she’d already lost.

The fight had been intense, but now the woods were deadly silent. She could smell the earthy scent of the trees, but all her senses were focused on the cold line at her throat.

Luo Ren asked, “Do you know what mistake you made?”

She didn’t. Maybe she shouldn’t have followed him? Everything had happened so fast. Was this really how she was going to die?

A surge of fear welled up inside her.

The blade pressed harder. Luo Ren leaned close to her ear. “Any last words?”

Last words? Mu Dai’s body trembled slightly. Heroes in books always lifted their heads then and said, “Kill me if you must!” or snarled, “Even as a ghost, I won’t let you go!”

She couldn’t do either.

That morning, she’d done a face mask. Just a little while ago, she’d been mocking Yiwansan and Cao Yanhua for being in cahoots—and now she was going to die?

Her nose stung. Before she even realized it, tears were already rolling down her cheeks, dripping onto Luo Ren’s hand that held the knife.

For a while, Luo Ren said nothing. Then, finally, with a sigh, he muttered, “Why are you so easy to scare?”

Mu Dai burst into tears.

She was going to die anyway. It was already humiliating—why shouldn’t she cry? She wiped at her eyes, not even noticing that Luo Ren had loosened his hold considerably.

“Mu Dai, I’ll let you go now. But I want you to remember three things. Go back and think about them carefully.”

She only heard one phrase: “let you go.” Her body froze for a second, then she nodded furiously.

“First, did you see me lay a hand on Huo Zihong?”

“Second, there is a Huo Zihong in Luoma Lake. She lives at No. 12 Chenqian Lane. Her parents are vegetable sellers. Her family’s poor—she dropped out in second grade to help them sell produce. Go observe your Aunt Hong—do they match?”

“Third…” He paused. “I’m letting you go now. Don’t look back. If you do, don’t blame me for changing my mind.”

With that, he gave her a light push on the back.

Mu Dai stumbled forward, walking unsteadily. Her mind buzzed with disbelief, but she didn’t look back.

When she was far enough away, Luo Ren clutched his ribs and crouched down.

Back at the bar, the place had cleared out. Yiwansan and the others were huddled around Huo Zihong, peppering her with questions. Mu Dai walked straight up to her.

“Aunt Hong.”

There was a faint red mark around Huo Zihong’s neck—likely where Luo Ren had choked her. She looked up and saw Mu Dai’s puffy eyes, immediately worried, about to speak when Mu Dai said first, “I didn’t catch him.”