Murim Recurve

The hatchling Beast struggled to leave as the intense Water Qi emitted by the sword caused its body to decompose into a pool of fluid little by little. Whether it was because it was just a hatchling or due to the subtle change in the sword, Re'Kha noticed that the Water Qi proved more effective now.

Within a couple of breaths, the Beast fully dissolved into a pool of liquid that was further eradicated until nothing remained behind. But, just when she planned to retract her sword, the Water Qi in the region swerved into the sword like a vortex as the eggshells latched onto it.

The Water Qi dissolved the shells and seeped into the sword, circulating through it before settling within the Water Qi Essence fragment embedded in its hilt. Within a couple of breaths, the eggshells had vanished as the subtle presence exuded by the sword changed further.

She was unsure of the change but hoped it was for the better as she plunged it into the final egg, stabbing into the hatchling growing within. The Hatchling struggled like its brethren, trying all its methods before failing as its body melted.

The Water Qi soon eradicated all traces of it before seeping into its eggshells, causing them to latch onto the sword. The Water Qi dissolved the shells and seeped into the sword as it began to glow with a subtle blue radiance.

In real-time, the blue radiance changed intensities, forming a pattern that almost resembled an Art of the Element. Re'Kha wasn't exactly sure of what it entailed, but based on what she witnessed, she judged that whatever had happened to the sword had caused it to be better in killing the Beast.

After all, the time taken to kill the final hatchling was a tad shorter than the hatchling before it. Once the place was completely wiped of all traces, Re'Kha swung the sword a couple of times, sheathing it as she walked around the place, probing around to see if any eggs were hidden in the area.

She then spent the night in the tunnels, scouring through its entirety, unable to spot anything as she heaved a sigh in relief, thinking, "How did such a Beast appear in these tunnels in the first place? There doesn't seem to be any routes here that would connect somewhere else."

She closed her eyes, taking in the perspective of the village head to see that he was waiting at the cave's entrance with a group of able-bodied villagers, holding torches in their hands. Re'Kha could see that the faces of the others were pale, afraid.

They were jittery. After all, if something indeed were to happen to Re'Kha, there was a good chance they would be implicated. There was even a chance the city would cut all ties with them, leaving them to starve to their deaths. So, they were waiting for her return.

Having finished with her inspection, Re'Kha slowly walked towards the exit, noticing their visibly relaxed expressions upon knowing that she was fine.

"How did it enter this cave?" Re'Kha asked upon exiting, mentally making a note to ask of all such details beforehand in the future. She had entered the cave with barely enough information under the confidence that her Wind Qi perception would reveal everything she needed.

'That's the worst choice of action. If I have a mind, I have to use it properly. Otherwise, if I face similar situations as today, I might definitely die.' She thought, amounting her oversight to the fact the Wind Qi at the end of the cave had been completely eradicated by the abundant Earth Qi.

So, she wasn't able to sense the two eggs in the place, positioned right underneath the Beast's tail, hidden from view. Re'Kha frowned, 'Still, it is odd that the concentration of Earth Qi is to such an extent here. It is almost half of the Fire Qi during the first day of Early Fire Month. In our lands, it should have only been a tenth of that. Strange.'

She could feel that something major was occurring in their lands, something they might come to fear and dread in the future.

"During a night after we had returned from the mines, we heard a sound," The village head said, pointing above the cave, "The sound seemed like something from the top of the hill had fallen here. When we rushed out from our houses, all we saw were pieces of rocks. Even though it was strange, we decided to investigate it the next morning. A day later, we lost our first man."

"Is there a route to the top?" Re'Kha asked.

The village head and the others looked at the faces of each other, showing clear hesitation. The village head then asked Re'Kha, "H-Have you killed the Beast?"

"Answer me first,"  Re'Kha spoke with a sharper tone now, displaying her authority as the people immediately kneeled on the ground.

The village head then spoke, "We have managed to tie up a rope at the top and had hung it on one side. But, we had done it last year and hadn't used it during the Water Season in fear it might snap. There is a risk to your life if you use that rope, my lady."

"Fine, leave it be. I'll be staying at the village's entrance. If there's nothing else, don't disturb me." Re'Kha said while passing by, "As for the Beast, it's been taken care of."

"We are eternally grateful for saving our village, my lady. It would be our honour to know your name." The village head spoke as he slammed his head on the ground, expressing utmost gratitude.

"…" Re'Kha didn't reply as she arrived before her horse, patting its neck to notice that it had been terrified, "There there, it's alright now."

Re'Kha then walked further along the narrow path until she was away from the line of sight of the people in the village. She switched to Wind Qi and summoned her second Pranic Avatar, the Rupak. In the Wind Qi form, it was invisible to the naked eye.

Once it expanded in size, Re'Kha boarded it and flew away, heading straight towards the peak of the hill.