Her posture might be straight but inside the mask, she was feeling tired from all of them uttering nonsense. Fight or not, just leave her alone and why is this body trying to protect these two children. When she was in Xuehua's place... no, she should call it mountain... house? There was no dedication of any other used room for anyone.
Does one of these kids have something that Xuehua wants or need? There are cases like that in novels where a child have something an adult person wants.
Hmmm... mmm... She can't think of anything that Xuehua would want.
While Drizella was in her own thought, the other people are already finished discussing what they wanted to and come to a decision.
The one that seems like the leader steps out: "Little girl. How about we decide this by a match. If you win, you can take the children and we won't say anything but if we win, the children are ours to do what we want. And you... will have to admit defeat. Never bothering us."
"No. No. No. The conditions seem good on both sides but reality takes a different route. If I win, I can take the children and do whatever I want while you all won't bother with us anymore. Also... admit your loss to the world." Drizella negotiated.
"What! You think you are going to win!" someone from the front shouted.
Drizella waved her pointer finger: "Don't you hear the word 'if' as in 'if.' Don't tell me people who are righteous don't have ears to listen to people's words."
The leader stops the lad from advancing: "Alright. You have my words."
He waved his hand and a handsome young man in white steps forwards. The young man pays respect to the leader and to Drizella.
The leader: "This is my personal succeeding disciple."
OH! He wants her to fight against someone who has already secured the set of sect leader. He must really want to finish everything as soon as possible. She also likes the idea... only that this body is way weaker than her own or even Leon.
Ah? Now that her body is dead, what becomes of Leon? Leon is also her and not her, will he experience the same thing.
If she has to take a guess, this body can only withstand three blows to the maximum. She has to finish the fight as quickly as she can before she runs out of strength.
From the look of his poster to his static self, provocations don't seem to work on this handsome guy.
She hasn't finished her thoughts when he suddenly did a hand gesture and swords appear overhead him. With a little movement of his hand, the swords came running towards her. She dodges them one by one by doing flips requiring the usage of her full body. She was stiff in her movement due to her not being used to the body, its amount of flexibility, and amount of strength, she can pull from. That she got her garment cut around the edges.
The girl of the two children suddenly screamed out loud as she saw a sword heading straight at them. Drizella hearing her scream made a quick dash to where they are forgetting that the swords' aim is her. She stretches out her hands, pushing them away from the sword's aim and got pierce right into her clavicle.
She didn't even have the time to scream before the swords that are following reaches her. Without a weapon in hand and having to care for the two children with one of them screaming so loud to not hurt their dead mother. She was in a predicament with not knowing what to do.
If only she has a swo... spotting the sword piercing her collarbone, she held her breath and took it out as she quickly blocked the swords raining down towards her. Her hands are shaking but she didn't stop her swings, to block the coming swords.
With her strength running out she shouted, "Hurry and take her away! And boy, I have a very important job for you, protect them well."
After three minutes of continues slashing, the swords in her hand and the swords raining down towards her slowly vanish. Her hands slump down as she tries to catch her breath but he didn't give a second before he strikes.
He slashes diagonal and when she dodges, he follows up with another quick slash at her which she couldn't fully dodge. The slash cut through the skin of her shoulder and her outer garment revealing her inner clothes.
She screamed and throws a punch straight at his face, which he dodges without a problem.
Seeing her face fueled with anger as she covers herself, he turns towards the leader: "I thought you said he's a guy. How come he turns out to be a woman?"
Drizella was bursting with anger: "What part of my body looks like a guy! Crazy bastard!"
He opens his mouth: "You should forfeit this match. You are no match for me. You...will die if this continues."
"I have already died once and I don't plan to die again or do I plan to step down from a challenge!" she answered him.
He stares at the girl's determined eyes and sighs. His next words surprise her: "I forfeit this match."
"Don't tell me you're a gentleman..." she suddenly said out loud.
Out of thin air, a white porcelain bottle fell into his hand. He throw the bottle at her with a sentence: "I made a promise so if it's not necessary I won't fight."
She swiftly catches the porcelain bottle with question marks clearly in her eyes. Even with her mask on, he can clearly tell that she was clueless about what she just got.
He pointed at the bottle with the word: "Medicine."
'Medicine.' Why is this guy so nice now. Don't tell her that he's always like that with all woman...a real playboy. She always thought that the third prince is the biggest playboy but this guy might be one too. Or she's just thinking too much... Anyway, he allows her to win and that's the most important part to her right now.
She bows showing her respect: "Thank you senior for letting this one win. This junior will not put senior in a tough situation so no one needs to know about this winning or losing battle."
Drizella went over to carry the dead woman's body on her back as the two children follow her. As she passes by the handsome guy she whispers with a smile on her lip: "Next sect leader. What a fake."
...
The crying voice from the girl can be heard as they face the grave of their mother. Drizella stares into the open space and as she looks down at the two children, the boy was lifeless as he stood there. Drizella scratches her head, not making heads or tail about why the child is not crying. His mother just dies, he doesn't need to hold back, if it were her, she would be crying her eyes out like the girl.
She suddenly remembers the one time her mother cried and blamed herself for what happened. That was the one time her strong mother look so weak to her.
She knelt on her knees, hugged the child, caressing him, "It's alright to cry when you want to. No one is blaming you for what happens. So don't hold back and cry out loud. If you cry like that it'll only hurt you more. Cry out loud... I'm here."
Hearing her soothing voice, all the pileup emotions inside him burst out as tears circle his eyes and fall into his mud covered cheeks.
He grabs hold of her shirt tightly as he tries to stop his tears from falling but her words and voice never left his side.
Drizella patted his head: "You did well in protecting your sister and...mother... also yourself."
Drizella pulled out the porcelain bottle the handsome guy gives her. She opens it up, spilling one of the round pills into her hand. She places it at eye level inspecting the pill, in her own opinion it looks like a round metal ball with the color green. She took a sniff at the pill and the smell of some sort of medicine enter her nose. She put the pill into her mouth and gulp, feeling the effect of the pill. She repolishes her strength and the cuts on her skins slowly close up.
She told the two children to open up their mouth and throw one pill into each one of their mouth.