The chaos intensified as the battle expanded throughout the city, leaving no corner untouched by the relentless attacks of the bandits. Leaving bandits with their superior strength wreaked havoc, causing widespread destruction. Houses rose in flames, and bandits seized every opportunity to plunder and raid. Mei Lin carefully navigated the dangerous landscape, trying to take cover in small alleys avoiding confrontations with the bandits. The once peaceful city now stood in a fierce and unrelenting conflict.
*****
As Mei Lin skillfully maneuvered through the chaotic scenes of battle, she became aware that the two mid-stage BT cultivators were tailing her. Trained as assassins by the bandits, they possessed exceptional speed, making them formidable pursuers. Mei Lin didn't know how powerful they were, but she tried to run away from them and found out they were still behind her. Determined to find a suitable spot to lose them, she led the pursuers through narrow alleys and hidden passages, relying on her luck to meet someone from the city guard to stop them.
Mei Lin was much slower than them, which was clear to her until they disappeared from her site. 'Fuck where are they? They just disappeared.' As Mei Lin ran one of the bandits appeared further ahead in the alley, where she ran.
'How is it possible that I can't sense his presence.' Before Mei Lin could draw the crystal knife, a wooden table from a side alley flew forward Mei Lin with great force, sending her flying in another way. Mei Lin couldn't comprehend what had happened until she was propelled through the not entirely closed doors of a mansion on the opposite side of the alley. Her flight continued for a considerable distance before finally coming to a halt in the middle of the garden. Mei Lin was instantly beaten up by the fall.
Mei Lin didn't practice with a sword or try to spar with others in her life, so despite being a blood cultivator with powers compared to QI Condensation monsters who already went through all stages of Body Tempering and tempered their bodies beyond human limits, her body was still frail like cultivators at the first stage of BT not to mention, it was more than a month, which she stayed in the city and recovered her strength.
The bandits she faced were familiar with each other, and their strategy against early cultivators like Mei Lin, the bandits didn't even try to cooperate. The bandit facing Mei Lin was young and not driven to kill her outright. Instead, he possessed a sadistic nature and relished toying with his victims. Studying Mei Lin's actions, I see that he perceived her as slow less agile, and with no experience.
Mei Lin attempted to rise from the ground and prepare herself to fight, however, the young bandit swiftly closed in on her, seizing her by the neck and lifting her in the air. Being at the first stage of BT, his strength was long past human limits, so something like that was nothing for him.
As he lifted her in the air, he started to strip her down and Mei Lin began to struggle. A dark grin appeared on his face and the bandit attempted to tear at her clothes even more forcefully. As he did so, his hand gradually moved her snow-white hair, which was covering her face off to see her beauty.
"Let me see how you look before I make you mine!" exclaimed bandits, as Mei Lin persisted in her struggle, until the bandit removed her hair, exposing her beautiful face. The instant he saw her, he released her from his hand, a sudden reluctance to harm her taking hold. As he let go of her neck, Mei Lin's bloody red eyes opened and started gazing into his blue eyes, prompting the bandit's expression to shift into one of dread and disgust.
"What the hell are you?" Mei Lin wasted no time and swiftly took out a crystal knife, driving it into the bandit's chin and with that penetrating directly his brain killing him on the spot. His eyes remained open as consciousness abandoned him. Mei Lin shoved him away and withdrew the knife. With a swift motion, a wine jar materialized under her hand, capturing the flowing blood from the bandit's wound.
Mei Lin managed to collect nearly a liter of his first-stage BT blood. The other bandit was stunned, as he saw what happened. Covered in the bandit's blood, she moved with deliberation toward the main building in the hope of scaring the other assassin away. Mei Lin killed his fellow assassin, but only thanks to a cheap trap which she set. Mei Lin couldn't react in time to his attack, thanks to her nonexistent reflexes, but fighting one against the other, she had the advantage of using her inner natural energy which could grant her nearly invincible ability at the Body Tempering realm, where cultivators were not able to use it as her.
Before she ran inside the building in front of her, Mei Lin took the bandit's storage bag and ran away leaving a second assassin behind. Just before entering the building, Mei Lin started thinking about buying this mansion after the bandit's attack ended. 'If the other bandit kills everyone in the mansion, the property will likely have no owner and be for sale. Then, we'll be able to buy it cheap. It will be much more convenient than the tea house.'
Inside the mansion, the anguished cries of the people and the sounds of weapons echoed through the halls. Mei Lin used her spirit sense and broke into the storage bag to pick out black cloths too not attract too much attention. Now disguised in the bandit's black upper garments, moved with purpose through the chaos. She cautiously advanced, making her way toward the confrontation with the last remaining bandit who was in her pursuit.
Mei Lin observed the desperate struggle within the mansion. The guards, despite their dedication, were mere mortals against the relentless onslaught of the assassin. His movements were a blur of malevolence, and the non-cultivator guards found themselves outmatched. With each strike, the bandit left chaos in his wake.
The family residence was beautifully decorated and surrounded by luxury. Now, however, the grand halls were tainted with the agony of their impending demise. Mei Lin couldn't stand idly by, she knew she had to intervene before the bandit's rampage claimed every life within the mansion or other bandits would find their way here and with that completely cut her way away.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Mei Lin swiftly removed her hood, which she found in the storage bag from the assassin she killed, and seamlessly blended into the crowd of female servants within the house. The commotion around her provided the perfect cover as she navigated inside the crowd and was nearly unrecognizable to the assassin.
Mei was prepared to confront him the moment he approached and just waited. None of the guards stood a chance against the bandit. One by one, they succumbed to his attacks and painted the room with blood. Gradually, the bandit's pace slowed, although not significantly. He grappled with the well-trained guards, and while he possessed cultivation skills, he wasn't overwhelmingly more powerful than before.
He wielded his daggers skillfully, dispatching each guard with a swift, lethal strike. With the guards eliminated, he turned his attention to the group of servants. One of the women among them screamed and threatened the bandit.
"Don't move a single step forward us, or we will call city guards, and they will kill you." Unfazed, the bandit paid no heed to her warnings and launched an immediate attack.
She was the daughter of the mansion's owner, her presence impossible to overlook amidst the sea of servants. Draped in fine silks that shimmered faintly under the sunlight, her attire alone set her apart, exuding an air of quiet authority and refinement. In her early twenties, she carried herself with poise and elegance. Her long, cascading brown hair caught the breeze, framing a face marked by delicate features and warm, expressive brown eyes that seemed to hold unspoken stories.
As the bandit dragged her away from the group, the girl began to scream with all her might and tried to get out of his grip.