"I'm back." Luo Si Luo Si announced, checking if her brother at home. An inattentive acknowledgement echoed from across the living room, drowning in everchanging television sounds.
Lao Su was switching through the tv-channels out of boredom. Only when the bags hit the ground did he turn around. Ignoring his sister's glares, he complained, "Luo Si, I'm so bored."
"Then go outside and play with your friends." Luo Si commented sternly.
"Ugh, but they are all playing in the white tubes. They brag about their training and the stories from high leveled players every time I meet them." He lamented. The fact that he could not enjoy the game that everybody was fascinated about angered him.
"Hmph, if only I was there, I would have reached a high level already. Sister you cannot lose to the others and need to uphold my honor." Just fantasizing about it was not enough to quell his thirst.
Luo Si found it hard not to lose her nerves while looking at her lazy brother talking about honor.
"I mean, wow! Sister, you look so stunning. Is that from the game? Did you spend all you points on appearance? You know that strength is more important. Don't worry, I won't be mad." Lau Su quickly diverted from the current topic, rushing forth to inspect the bags content. The first shopping bag only received an expected 'oh'.
The younger brother had been informed about her shopping spree beforehand and pretty much expected nothing else. The odd-looking boxes inside the second bag had pulled him of his ennui though.
Luo Si had bought these after the police disbanded. The trip to the mall had reminded her how dangerous her situation actually was. Money had become a lesser problem as it was just a means to no end. What had become a severe problem was her and her relatives wellbeing. And only she knew how serious it was. Luckily the displays had given her an idea to fix that.
Lao Su picked up one of the palm-sized silver shining devices. The cover was dusty so he blew it off. Accidentally, it flew directly into the other's face. Luo Si just smiled and patted his head in return.
"Su'er, you have become very naughty lately." The pats were turning into rotations, drawing his head in circles as a means of penalty. Disabling her brother's inquisitiveness beyond the cover, she fetched it away.
"I am sorry Ma'am." Lau Su endured the abuse until he pulled away underneath her grasp.
Luo Si did not mind and looked at what was in hand. 'This should take care of my financial situation. I am even giving more than I will receive. How unfair. But what can man do against such injust.'
Seeing his sister put the box back inside the bag he still asked. "Can you at least tell me why you bought that?"
Luo Si dishevelled his hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead before running into her room. "You wouldn't understand."
A skeptical younger brother was left in doubt. "What does she need a Walkman for?"
***
"Su~" A cold breath left the lips and floated to the ground. The heavy air envelopped and turned her into a gasly geyser. Hong Luo Si was sitting at her usual spot. The area affected by her training had expanded to 2 meters in diameters.
'If skid step, took me a pair of breaths to integrate, then this book, even if incomplete, can still be counted as a high tier one at the very least.'
She compared the time taken to integrate her skill with another, which was a middle-ranked skill. Coming to the conclusion that her pick, although damaged, still paid off.
"It was a good decision to buy some compatible resources this time. With my body cleaned off impurities the speed of progress has increased many folds."
Luo Si had gone on a robbery through the market, buying only the best to aid her in her cultivation.
Twisted ice tongue, frigid frog pond bottle, 100 years old snowdrop. Just these 3 items were enough to make her poor again.The items did not amount to much in numbers but were selected after their quality.
"The ice vein has profited as well. Just the body is weak." If anybody heard Luo Si, they would kill her for complaining about everything she said. What she had achieved in the short period of time after reaching the last stage of Martial Learner, others would need weeks, if not months to accomplish.
A finger moved over the other arm. Sleekly there was almost no irritation, diregarding whether she put pressure on the finger or not.
Aside from making progress cultivating the 'Frozen Glacier Body,' she had simultaneously partly solidified the third cup of qi and partially refined her ice vein.
"The best way to strengthen my body is through fighting. And it looks like my sparing partners have already arrived." She did not look in any direction, as she could feel the familiar hiding presents at the gate.
"The scorn is leaving the safety zone. Come. We will follow her." The big shadow whispered.
Skating noises*
'Hah' Craw*
A leisure attempt had missed its target allowing a gigantic cicada to escape. The young girl eyed its prey. She had watched it for 10 minutes in dead silence. Sure of having found out the pattern when it would clean its wings, she took the chance. Without contempt she could only watch the selected to defy gravity fly away in her freefall.
A slim arm stretched out close to her landing location. Overshadowed by the leafs falling to the ground, it blend in like a perfect predator.
The arm, with a knife at hand, had been ready to strike the lowest part. The mantis however, had somehow been aware of this. By stretching her body she dodged the killer attack and kicked off at the backside.
She had stretched out her hand but retracted it in a second later, rolling of the pulling gravitational force Luo Si stopped in her tracks and slightly tilted her head. "Eh? So impatient?"
Hong Luo Si had only travelled a short distance from the camp and wanted to test her pursuers patience. To her surprise the fish had caught the first bait.
'!'
Cloaked in black capes two figures stepped out of the tree's shadows.
"I told you not to act rashly."The bigger one said in annoyance.
The shorter shadow moaned in a raspy voice. "Relax brother. I was just testing my luck."
"Apparently, you knew we were following you." The first one turned back to the target after reprimading his accomplice.
Luo Si had no change of face, seeing the mercenaries uncover themselves. "The ability to hide in the shadows? You must be from the Ying village."
Every spawn-able village represented a certain element. As the Min village and Shao village were related to fire and lightning respectfully, there was also a village that represented the dark, known as the Ying village.
They pulled back the hoodies, revealing murderous looking grins. "You are very cocky, even though you know much about us."
The man with thin arms crouched down, ready to strike any time. "Kekeke. We have a triple X status to uphold. Do you know what that means? No target has ever escaped our hands."
The addressed target retorted with a smirk herself. Luo Si had foud out much more from this quick short exchange. 'It's just like in the tournament.' What Luo Si referred to were the battles fought against Min Erol and Jidan. The deniel of making use of her opponents force bugged her. Initially she wanted to reach a tree branch next to her, granting her the higher ground, but without the extra force she gave up on it.
'Martial Artists.' Gauging the headhunters into that category was her conclusion. The fact that they could blend into the shadows proved their strength even further.
The cloaked men were taken aback for a moment. Not many victims dared not look scarred, let alone face their killers with a smile.
Luo Si took the receiving gazes calmly she bend down a little as well. She was not afraid, just wary. The Ying village people were not known for their strength like the Min or Shan. Different from those two, they excelled in hiding and instantaneous surprise attacks. More explicitly said, 'Assassination.'
'Your ability to hide is not bad. Let's find out who is faster.' Without a second thought wasted the girl sped up deeper into the forest, gaining a headstart.
"After her!" the leader yelled. "Don't let her escape."
"He-he. Nobody ever fled out of my grasp." The skinnier one said and both chased afterwards.
Skid* Woosh* Woosh*
3 Shadows could be seen in the forest, running behind one another.
"Bahaha, that's more like it. Run little girl, run." The cloak number two said while getting closer.
'Interesting.' Luo Si learned much about her assassins even while running. While the leader, could be said to be stronger based on the heavyness of his stomps, his accomplice was actually faster.
An incense stick of time later, the distance between them had shortened down enough for the slim headhunter to try his luck again.
"I must say, you are pretty good." The big hooded figures eyes narrowed at Luo Si's comment the moment his partner lunged.
"But I'm afraid it's not enough." The knife was about to land when cold qi gathered at balanced tip of her toe, freezing the touched surface. A thin line of ice formed underneath her feet. The lessening friction bringing her speed up a notch.
The skinnier shadow, right behind Luo Si, slipped on the frozen ground on his second failure.
"This piece of s***." Cursing her he crashed into a tree.
His colleague took the hunt more serious. Learning from his partners' mistake he dodged the ice line.
"Don't think you can escape." After forming a one-handed sign, a mental shockwave exploded from his figure.
Luo Si turned around, seeing the others hand sign. 'A mental attack! Not this time.'
'Mirror Mind.'
Luo Si had not just been sitting around all day, wasting her time dozing off. These past few days were invested, dedicated to reach a certain level in her skills. Having achieved the major threshold in her mental technique had given her the ability to deflect mental attacks.
The shockwave brushed over her, but she remained unaffected. Drifting off into the dark woods she escaped the assassin's vision.
"Damn it!" The skinny shadow howled in anger.
"Don't worry." The leader said while waiting for the other to recover. "The hunt has just begun. Besides." He pulled off the tipless glove on the hand he had just used. The back of his palm showed a thin layer of qi spinning on it.
The devilish grin returned on the first cloaks face. "If you have done that, then she is as good as dead."
Both merged back into the forest's shadows.
---
"Did they already give up?" Uncertain of the current situation Luo SI did not stop in her tracks. The wind brushed passed her. The front of her clothes pressed on at the speed of over 70 km/h.
The constant scanning of her environment had given her no sign about the mercenaries.
"What should I do?" Being at a loss Luo Si could only change directions every now and then, until her sonar picked something up ahead.
"Is it them?" She was stunned, not believing her pursuers to catch up so quickly.
"No." Training Wu Ji Quan had refined her connection with spiritual energy enabling her to distinguish certain types of qi. It would also be more refined in accordance to the source's strength. After identifying the source to be singular and very basic, she doubted it to be them. 'They would not split up since I can escape either one of them.'
She took out her veil while taking a sharp corner around a big tree towards that person. Her speed sharply decreasing along the distance.
Coming closer the characteristics of a man gave her second thoughts about her action. Yet Luo Si nearly stumbled in shock after completely analyzing who it was. 'Oh, come on. What are the odds?'
The person had finally taken notice of Luo Si's existence as well after turning her way. His next action sealing the nail in the coffin.
"Master!"