The forest was charged with tension. The renegade cultivators, still smeared with grime and dripping swamp water, fanned out; their anger was evident in their cries and the heavy stomps of their boots through the underbrush.
Bring that one for me! Wu yelled northward. I want him brought in on horseback-if he's alive, dead-if he's a horse, dog, any two-legged thing, I don't care!
Bai Cheng crouched on the tall tree branch, his body pressed into the rough wood, hardly daring to breathe. Fang sat quietly beside him, his ears moving at the sounds of breaking twigs and rustling leaves.
"Wow, this got serious fast," Bai Cheng whispered, his heart racing. "They're taking it a bit too personally, right?"
Fang looked at him as if to say, What did you think would happen?
Bai Cheng peered through the leaves and saw Jia Ling slowly moving carefully below. Her sharp eyes were checking the area. She was talking to herself, clearly upset.
"She is the weak link," whispered Bai Cheng. "If I get her first, the others will become weaker.
But I must have a way to grab her attention…"
He glanced at Fang, an idea sparking in his mind. "Sorry, boy, but you're going to have to be the bait this time,"
Fang complained and did not like the idea.
"Don't look at me like that," Bai Cheng said, rubbing his temple. "You're faster than me. You'll be fine. Just run around and bark like crazy—she'll follow you. Trust me!"
Fang did not want to, but he jumped off the tree and hit the ground silently. He let out a swift bark as he dashed into the bush, his tail wagging, disappearing into the dark.
Jia Ling's head jerked around at the noise. She was smiling cleverly.
"There you are," she said quietly, drawing out her dagger and following Fang. "I didn't think you would last long, little dog."
Bai Cheng waited for her to be far enough away before climbing down from the tree and walking quietly along the shadows to an adjacent open area. His scheme was simple: he tricked her into a trap and stopped her before more people saw.
He chose his spot carefully—a bumpy area covered with thick bushes. Using a strong vine, he set up a tripwire between two rocks, concealing it with fallen leaves. Then, he crouched behind a tree, his heart pounding.
"She's full of herself," Bai Cheng whispered to himself, trying to calm down. "She thinks I'm just a kid. Use that."
Minutes felt like hours before Jia Ling's voice cut through, sharp with a teasing edge.
Awooo! All right, child? Cut all of those antics off! she snarled. Because you can only dawdle and dawdle and dawdle the inescapable, do you not, little human? What wretched human may you pit against one such as myself?
Bai Cheng clenched his lips and steeled himself to bear the pain.
"Nothing to say? Cat got your tongue?" Jia Ling teased, moving closer. Her eyes shone with victory as she stopped just a little way from the tripwire. "Come on, kid. Don't make me go looking for you."
Bai Cheng stepped forward from the darkness, hands raised in mock surrender. "Alright, I caught you," he said. "Congratulations, big shot.".
Jia Ling smiled bigger. "Good choice, kid. Too bad it won't help you.".
She moved forward as her foot caught the tripwire. Bai Cheng sidestepped, but the trap was stretched taut and flung her off balance. She fell to the ground. Her dagger slid out of her hand and along the dirt.
"What the—?! Growled Jia Ling, trying to fight free from the vine.
Bai Cheng did not waste a single second. He reached for a thick branch he had sharpened earlier and, holding it out like a staff, pointed it at her chest.
"Gotcha," he said, grinning. "Maybe next time, don't underestimate the 'powerless mortal.'
Jia Ling glared at him, her face a seething mass of fury. "You little rat! Do you really think that this makes all the difference?!
Bai Cheng tilted his head, pretending to think. "Hmm, let me think—yeah, sort of. You're not in the game anymore, are you?"
Her lips curled into a sneer. "You don't know who you're dealing with. When the others find you—"
"Blah, blah, blah," Bai Cheng mumbled and rolled his eyes. "You talk too much, do you know that? Really, it's amazing your friends haven't left you yet."
Jia Ling's face was full of anger, she pulled really hard on the vine and snapped it with great strength with a moment's movement. She stood up hands shining softly with that minute amount of spiritual energy, which she had.
"That was a huge mistake, kid," she said nastily.
Bai Cheng tensed, gripping the branch tightly. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."
Jia Ling charged at him, her strikes fast for her condition. Bai Cheng dodged, barely avoiding the swipe that was meant to sweep across his face.
"Whoa, slow down!" he said, stepping back. "You're supposed to be the weakest one, remember?"
"Shut up!" Jia Ling shouted, getting wilder with her attacks.
Bai Cheng could quickly act and think hard for some other answer. He would not keep her back without real strength for a long time.
"Okay, Fang," he grumbled under his breath. "Now would be a good time to arrive."