RaaWC2 - Chapter 97: Banditry

Xiulan slipped off her pouch containing her spirit beast egg and put it on top of the spirit fruits. Ming nodded. Turning toward the bandits, Xiulan sized them up.

One wielded a curved metal blade that looked dull in the filtered forest sunlight. The other palmed a shrinking green orb that settled into a solid sphere. A thrown bullet, or bomb?

“Last chance to walk away,” Xiulan warned, adopting a defensive stance.

The bandits laughed. “Little girl playing cultivator,” the blade-wielder sneered. “Hand over those spirit fruits and we might let you live.”

“Might,” the other echoed with a nasty grin.

Xiulan channeled qi through her meridians. The blade-wielder rushed forward, weapon raised for a downward strike. She planted her foot firmly on the ground.

“Water Stepping Foot!”

Qi surged through her leg and into the earth. The ground beneath the bandit exploded upward in a shower of dirt and rock. He stumbled backward, cursing as debris pelted his face.

“What the—”

Xiulan didn’t wait. She pulled a dart from her robes, charging it with opposing energies. The projectile sparked between her fingers before she launched it toward the second bandit.

The dart struck his chest. Blue-white electricity crackled across his body as he convulsed and dropped to his knees, muscles spasming uncontrollably.

The green bullet he held rolled from his fingers and a young sapling erupted from the ground, growing into a young tree in a second so fast it would have made a respectable spear thrust.

Except it pierced empty air nowhere near her.

What in the push-over was this? They were supposed to be a entire cultivation level higher than her!

“Xiulan, watch out!” Ming shouted suddenly.

Instinct took over her lapse in concentration. She activated the precise meridian points for Heavenly Two Step. The world blurred as she vanished from her position and reappeared three steps away.

A third bandit materialized from behind a large boulder, his sword slicing through the space where she’d stood moments before.

“Bandits always travel in threes,” Ming called out, still making no move to help. “Basic ambush tactics!”

“Thanks for the warning,” Xiulan grunted, adjusting her grip on Severing Light.

The first bandit recovered his footing while the newcomer circled to her right. Two against one, with the seed-moron still twitching on the ground.

The third bandit launched several darts toward her face and then drew a straight blade. Xiulan swung Severing Light in a tight arc, deflecting the projectiles with the flat of the blade. Metal clinked against metal as the darts scattered harmlessly.

She needed space. Another surge of qi through her meridians. “Water Stepping Foot!”

This time, she directed the explosion outward in all directions. Dust billowed around them, temporarily obscuring visibility. Xiulan moved forward through the cloud, Severing Light extended toward the blade bandit’s last known location.

Metal rang against metal as her blade met curved sword. He pushed back, stronger than she expected. Xiulan redirected his force, sliding Severing Light along his blade and stepping to the side.

She attacked with quick, precise strikes. The bandit parried each blow, but she forced him backward with the reach advantage of her weapon. His footwork faltered on the uneven ground.

A whistle of air behind her. Xiulan ducked as the third bandit’s sword sliced over her head. She pivoted, bringing Severing Light around in a defensive sweep that forced both men back.

Xiulan sized up the bandits with a quick glance. Two against one with a third still twitching on the ground. The numbers disadvantage irritated her more than the actual threat. Ming could’ve handled all three with a single talisman array, yet here she stood, facing unnecessary danger for a “training opportunity.”

She adjusted her grip on Severing Light, watching both bandits carefully. Her qi reserves remained strong. Whatever their qi capacity was, she hadn’t even touched her own pool hardly. She could afford to let loose a little.

She reached into her robe pocket, fingers closing around several iron darts. A plan formed in her mind—not elegant, but effective. She’d need to create an opening, then capitalize on it with Severing Light.

“Last chance to walk away,” she warned the bandits again.

The first bandit spat on the ground. “Enough talk.”

They charged simultaneously, weapons raised. Xiulan yanked out a fistful of darts, pouring yang energy into the metal until the metal glowed between her fingers.

She flung the entire handful in a wide pattern. Most struck the ground, but one embedded itself in the first bandit’s lower leg. He stumbled but kept coming.

Xiulan gripped Severing Light with both hands, channeling yin energy through the weapon. The blade hummed with cool power. Not quite summoning the frost that it had when Mei Chen had been with her, but still potent enough.

The bandits closed in. She swung Severing Light in a wide arc, connecting with the ground between them. Yin energy exploded outward in a crackling wall of electricity.

The bandit with the dart in his leg screamed as lightning surged up through the metal. His leg blackened and charred instantly. He tumbled forward, rolling across the dirt before coming to rest in a twitching heap.

The other bandit took the brunt of the blast across his chest. His clothes singed and smoking, but he remained upright, gripping his sword tighter.

“You’ll pay for that,” he growled.

Xiulan charged forward, Severing Light extended. Their weapons met with a metallic clang that reverberated through her arms.

She planted her foot, preparing to execute Water Stepping Foot—but the bandit anticipated the move. He flicked his wrist, releasing a cloud of metallic dust directly into her face.

Xiulan inhaled reflexively. Fire erupted in her lungs. She staggered backward, coughing violently as the particles scorched her from within. It felt like swallowing broken glass.

Through watering eyes, she saw the bandit advance.

A flash of golden light erupted behind him. A talisman struck his back, detonating with concussive force. The explosion tore through his chest, leaving a ragged hole where vital organs had been. Blood sprayed across the dirt path as he collapsed.

Xiulan dropped to her knees, hacking and wheezing. Through the pain, she looked up to see Ming approaching, another talisman ready between her fingers.

“M-Ming,” she gasped between coughs. Blood flecked her lips.

Her vision darkened at the edges as Ming knelt beside her.

“Are you alright?” Ming wiped Xiulan’s face with her sleeve, clearing away blood-flecked spittle.

Xiulan couldn’t answer, still fighting for each breath. Her lungs burned like she’d swallowed molten metal.

Ming pulled a small green bottle from her robes. “Drink this. Quickly.”

Xiulan grabbed the bottle with trembling fingers and gulped the contents. Bitter liquid scorched down her throat. For a terrifying moment, the burning intensified—then qi pulsed through her chest cavity. The metallic particles dissolved, evaporating into harmless wisps that she coughed out.

“Better?” Ming asked, watching her closely.

Xiulan nodded, drawing a full breath. “It’s working.” She glanced at the dead bandit, then quickly looked away from the gory mess. “You could have started with that talisman blast. Why put me at risk?”

“I thought it would be good experience.” Ming patted her shoulder. “You handled yourself well until that last trick. Metal dust is nasty—I should have warned you about that possibility.”

Xiulan wanted to snap back but couldn’t muster genuine anger toward her senior sister. Fighting for real differed drastically from practice sessions.

But still... taking these risks just to progress...

What was she even thinking? The entire world revolved around a game that required constant risk-taking to advance. She knew that. She had even embraced it at some point.

Why did it suddenly bother her so much now?

Maybe because things had been relatively safe at the Treasure Pavilion in the most recent weeks. Controlled environment. Instructors ready—mostly—to intervene. Even when Lei Shan attacked her during sparring practice, death wasn’t a real possibility.

Xiulan sat up, pressing a hand to her throat. The bitter taste of Ming’s remedy lingered on her tongue, but at least she could breathe without feeling like her lungs were being shredded.

Ming moved to methodically finish the bandits and then began to search what was left, removing anything valuable with practiced efficiency.

“You should check the spirit fruit packs,” Ming called over her shoulder. “Make sure nothing got damaged in the fight.”

Xiulan regained her feet, legs still shaky. The fruits nestled inside remained untouched, pulsing with qi normally. Her spirit beast egg pulsed at her with a bit more energy, but it calmed down as soon as she secured its pouch and strap against her undershirt.

“Everything looks fine,” she reported, sealing the packs again. “Do you think there’ll be more bandits on the road?”

Ming shook her head while pocketing a small pouch of spirit stones from one of the corpses. “Doubtful. These three were likely the ‘problem’ that’s been harassing the normal couriers. The Pavilion wouldn’t have sent just us if they expected a larger group.”

Xiulan slumped against a tree. “I really botched this mission. I wasn’t even expecting an attack.”

“Really?” Ming raised an eyebrow. “You seemed high alert on the mountain, jumping at shadows and expecting ghosts around every corner!”

“Haww!” Xiulan waved dismissively. “That was just... my normal thoughts.”

Ming approached and knelt beside her. She put the back of her hand against Xiulan’s forehead. “You seem okay now. The antidote worked quickly.”

“It’s nothing compared to the siege,” Xiulan muttered.

Ming nodded solemnly. She stood and extended a hand. “Can you walk? We should continue before nightfall.”

Xiulan accepted the help up. The fight replayed in her thoughts. Despite her cultivation base and decent techniques, she’d nearly died to common bandits who had not an ounce of ‘talent.’

She needed to focus on mastering the Five Elements Manual that Qingfeng had given her. But there were so many demands pulling her in different directions—cooking experiments, alchemy studies, combat training, and her promise to help Feng Yu.

“Ming, when we return... do you think I could see Master Qingfeng? I feel like I really need his direction right now.”

Ming studied her face before nodding. “I’ll request a meeting for you when we get back.”

“Thank you.” Warmth spread through Xiulan’s chest—not from qi, but from genuine affection for the woman who had become her senior sister.

Now she just wanted to see Feng Yu and Mei Chen again. She missed them terribly.