Blades of Change

Chapter 7 The Sword Unsheathed

[Huo Lian]

Three month has passed since Huo Lian has become a core formation warrior

One day, the head butler of the palace approached Huo Lian with news that set her very soul ablaze. "There is a marriage proposal for you, Huo Lian," he said, his voice trembling under the weight of his message.

Huo Lian's fury ignited like a wildfire, her eyes narrowing into fiery slits. "They want to marry me off to become a plaything so they don't have to see me? Am I that much of an eyesore?" she spat, her voice a razor-edged whisper that cut through the air.

Her rage was visceral, an almost tangible force that seemed to radiate from her very being. Every fiber of her body quivered with indignation, her muscles taut with barely contained fury. "Who is the proposed marriage partner?" she demanded, her voice dripping with venom.

"A chief's son, Lou Fang," the butler replied, his own fear palpable as he took a step back.

Without another word, Huo Lian donned her battle armor, each piece snapping into place with a metallic finality that echoed her resolve. Her eyes burned with an intensity that could melt steel as she raced to Chief Lou's home, her heart pounding like a war drum.

Upon arrival, she was greeted as an honored guest, but the courteous smiles and hollow words did little to quell the storm within her. She stepped into the grand hall, her presence a force of nature, ready to unleash her wrath upon those who dared to see her as nothing more than a pawn in their games.

As Huo Lian entered Chief Lou's grand estate, a palpable tension hung in the air, thick with the weight of impending confrontation. The opulent halls, adorned with intricate tapestries and gilded ornaments, felt suffocating to her. It was a stark contrast to the freedom she found in the open expanse of the training grounds.

Chief Lou and his son, Lou Fang, greeted her with false hospitality, their lascivious gazes betraying their true intentions. Huo Lian's skin crawled with revulsion, her senses heightened by the rage coursing through her veins.

She stood before them, a vision of defiance and strength, her brown hair cascading like a waterfall down her back. Her eyes, crystal-clear and sharp as daggers, bore into theirs with unyielding resolve.

Without hesitation, she unsheathed her sword, the blade gleaming in the dim light of the grand hall. In one swift motion, she struck, her movements fluid and deadly. Lou Fang's lifeless body crumpled to the ground, his head rolling in a pool of blood.

Chief Lou screamed in rage.Huo Lian stood in the grand hall of Chief Lou's estate, the flickering torches casting shadows on the stone walls. Lou Fang's lifeless body lay at her feet, his head severed cleanly by her sword. Chief Lou, a formidable figure with a weathered face and cold eyes, glared at her with a mixture of rage and disbelief. 

"You will pay for this, you wretched girl," he snarled, drawing his own blade, a weapon that gleamed menacingly in the dim light.

Huo Lian, her crystal-clear eyes cold and focused, readied herself. Her armor, sleek and dark, seemed to absorb the light around her, making her appear like a shadow given form. Chief Lou lunged at her, his sword aimed to pierce her heart. She sidestepped effortlessly, her movements fluid and precise, and swung her blade in a wide arc. Their swords met with a resounding clash, sparks flying as metal ground against metal.

Chief Lou pressed his attack, slashing and thrusting with practiced skill. Huo Lian parried each strike with incredible precision, her eyes never leaving her opponent. She ducked under a wide swing, then countered with a quick upward slash, forcing Lou to leap back.

"You think you can defeat me?" Lou taunted, his voice dripping with contempt. "I've fought more battles than you've seen days."

Huo Lian remained silent, her focus unbroken. She moved with the grace of a dancer, each step calculated, each swing of her sword deliberate. She lunged forward, her blade aiming for Lou's neck, but he deflected it with a swift parry. He countered with a powerful downward slash, intending to cleave her in two. Huo Lian brought her sword up just in time, the force of the blow reverberating through her arms.

Their swords clashed again and again, the sound echoing through the hall. Huo Lian's strikes were swift and relentless, a testament to her rigorous training. Chief Lou, relying on his experience, tried to find an opening in her defense. He launched a series of rapid thrusts, each aimed at a vital point, but Huo Lian deflected them with deft movements.

Growing frustrated, Lou decided to change tactics. He feigned a strike to her left, then quickly reversed his grip and slashed at her right side. Huo Lian, anticipating the move, spun on her heel, her sword coming around in a sweeping arc. The tip of her blade grazed Lou's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

Enraged, Lou roared and charged at her with renewed ferocity. Their swords met in a flurry of sparks, the sound of clashing metal like thunder in the confined space. Huo Lian's eyes were like ice, her expression one of deadly determination. She blocked a powerful overhead strike, then twisted her wrist and drove her elbow into Lou's ribcage, forcing him to stagger back.

"You'll regret that," Lou hissed, wiping the blood from his cheek.

He lunged again, this time with a wild fury, his strikes faster and more brutal. Huo Lian's blade met each attack with unwavering strength. She ducked under a horizontal slash, then brought her sword up in a vicious uppercut. Lou barely managed to deflect it, but the force of the blow sent him reeling.

As Lou regained his footing, he taunted her again. "After I kill you, I'll use your body to sire another heir. Then I'll cut off your limbs and share you with my men."

Huo Lian's eyes narrowed, her anger turning fiery like a volcano. She could feel the rage simmering within her, fueling her strikes. She stopped defending, allowing Lou to land a shallow cut on her arm. He laughed, thinking he had the upper hand. 

In that moment of overconfidence, she saw her opening. With a swift, powerful movement, she swung her sword in a deadly arc, her blade cleaving through Lou's neck with incredible precision. His laughter turned into a gurgle as his head separated from his body and tumbled to the floor.

Breathing heavily, Huo Lian stood over the bodies of Chief Lou and his son. She wiped the blood from her blade and sheathed it, her eyes hard and unyielding. With the heads of the father and son in hand,

 As Huo Lian walked from Chief Lou's house back to the palace, the atmosphere around her seemed to shift. The air was heavy with tension, and every step she took felt like an echo against the injustices she had just witnessed. 

The streets of the capital, once bustling with activity, now seemed eerily silent. People peeked out from behind curtains and doorways, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and curiosity as they watched the young warrior pass by. Whispers followed in her wake, spreading like wildfire through the city streets.

Despite carrying a bloody head in each hand, the crimson droplets marking her every step, Huo Lian's pace remained steady and deliberate. Her long brown hair flowed down her back like a dark waterfall, each strand framing her face in a veil of unwavering determination. Her eyes, sharp as blades and crystal clear, cut through the darkness that cloaked the city, filled with a resolve that seemed to burn with an inner fire.

With each step, the distance between Chief Lou's house and the palace stretched out interminably, as if the very ground conspired to test her resolve. The journey felt like a pilgrimage, each stride a solitary march against the corruption and oppression that plagued her world. Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, a sense of purpose burned brightly within her, a beacon guiding her through the night.

As she finally approached the towering walls of the palace, Huo Lian's heart swelled with a complex blend of pride and sorrow. The palace, once a place where she had felt like a mere shadow, now stood before her like a monument to her achievements. In this moment, she was no longer a shadow but a blazing sun, her presence a stark reminder of her struggle to harness the power within her, the strength to rise against tyranny and injustice.

With a final, determined stride, Huo Lian crossed the threshold of the palace gates.