Dust and debris all around Lu Jing as he coughed, tasting the metallic tang in his mouth. A drop of blood trickled from his lips, as he grimaced at the searing pain in his back felt like it was on fire, as if his entire back had been branded by hot metal. "Ahh!" he cried out, his voice filled with agony, as he struggled to free himself from the wooden splinters and rubble.
Ming Mei acted swiftly, conjuring another golden palm with a flick of her wrist, crackling with energy. This time, it wasn't going to be a gentle slap. It surged towards Lu Jing like a battering ram, aimed to crush him in the debris.
Lu Jing scrambled for cover, rolling behind a shattered support beam just in time to avoid being crushed. Dust exploded around him as the golden palm collided with the beam, splintering it into pieces. The force of the impact rattled his bones.
Seeing, sitting behind cover would not work, Lu Jing sprinted towards another room when multiple smaller shining palms rained down upon him. His spear blurred as he spun, deflecting two of the golden palms with desperate swipes. But the remaining three slammed into him with a sickening thud-thud-thud.
"Uff!"
The first palm struck his shoulder, sending a sharp jolt of pain through him. The second slammed into his leg, causing it to buckle, breaking his stance. The final one hit him cleanly in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing into the debris of the shattered room.
Amidst the debris, Lu Jing came to a realization: Ming Mei wasn't there to kill him. If she had intended to, that last blow to his chest would have been fatal. No, there was something else at play here. She is here to punish him, that Lu Zhan failed to keep his mouth shut, he decided to teach Lu Zhan later but he couldn't let this arrogant wench break him so easily. His eyes frantically scanned for any opportunity, any weakness to exploit.
Suddenly, a golden palm materialized around his neck, hoisting him effortlessly from the wreckage. Suspended like a strangled cat, he dangled helplessly, his spear lost in the debris below. He drifted towards Ming Mei, his limbs seized and bound by more golden palms.
Bound and dangling from Ming Mei's golden palms, Lu Jing appeared to be at her mercy. However, as his body swung closer to hers, he made a subtle movement, his thumb rubbed the spatial ring on his finger.
In a blink -a spear materialized in his grip with a faint shimmer. Another blue ring exploded out from his body instantaneously shattering all the golden palms binding him. Lu Jing didn't give Ming Mei a chance to react before lashing out viciously with the surprise weapon.
"DIE BITCH!" Lu Jing snarled as his spear thrust towards her head in a blur of speed. But Ming Mei's instincts were razor-sharp. A golden palm flashed up, gripping the spear, Metal screeched against the golden essence as it deflected just inches from her face.
Using the deflected momentum, Ming Mei pivoted on her foot, swiftly spinning around. Another golden palm swung around, gripping Lu Jing's spear shaft with crushing force. Meanwhile, she sent another palm to pin Lu Jing down in his tracks.
There was an abrupt snap as the spear shattered into two pieces. In the same fluid motion, Ming Mei's palm snaked down, seizing Lu Jing's right hand and crushing his fingers, stripping the spatial ring from his finger.
Her cold eyes locked onto his as the spatial ring fell to the ground with a clatter. The shattered remnants of Lu Jing's spear followed suit, making a noise as they hit the ground. Despite being tightly gripped by two golden palms, Lu Jing's eyes remained defiant, as if challenging Ming Mei to do her worst.
With her hands behind her back, Ming Mei summoned a small golden palm in front of Lu Jing's face. Lu Jing's eyes twitched in realization, as he understood its purpose – to deliver a punishing slap.
But before she could strike, a fluttering of long silk drapes floated down from above. Vibrant fabric in shades of jade and crimson swirled through the air like windblown banners. In its center, a mature woman with a face marked by wisdom and serenity landed gracefully before them.
The silks flowed around her dramatically as she landed, forming a pool of luxurious fabrics around her feet. With a swift motion, she dropped to her knees in a deep kowtow, her forehead pressed to the dusty ground.
"Divine Dragon Princess," she addressed Ming Mei with a voice laced with desperate respect, "I beg you, show mercy. Spare my son. He has learned a harsh lesson, I assure you."
Lu Jing's eyes bulged. His own mother, the picture of grace and composure, prostrated before this bitch girl. Her voice trembled as she pleaded for his life. Another shock, Ming Mei is Divine Dragon Princess? Now he wanted to smack himself first.
Ming Mei's cold gaze shifted between the two, her raised golden palm still ready to slap. Ming Mei answered with a cold emotionless voice. "He must learn his place," she declared, her eyes devoid of mercy as they locked on Lu Jing's mother. "This lesson cannot be half-learned."
With a sharp swing, the golden palm slapped Lu Jing's face with brutal force. A sharp echo and a sickening crack as bones shattered, teeth flying out in a spray of blood.
"AHH! ARGH! Cough! Cough!" Lu Jing's cry choked off into a whimper of pain that echoed through the shattered courtyard.
Lu Jing's mother remained in her full kowtow, her body unmoving despite the agonizing cry of her son. With another swing the golden palm delivered a brutal backhand, silencing Lu Jing completely. His body crumpled like a ragdoll, unconscious and broken.
Without looking back, Ming Mei drifted away, leaving the shattered courtyard behind her. Only the fading sound of water sprinkling from the broken fountain at the center disrupted the tense silence. When her presence had completely faded, Lu Jing's mother stood up gracefully.