RISE OF THE MARTIAL GOD

Ava Smith hopped to the window, still bound in chains. Her eyes desperate as she used her elbow to unlock it. However, all hope of escaping crashed the moment she looked down and saw the guards standing beneath her window. Worse, she was on the fourth floor of their mega mansion. Of course, jumping from there was no biggie for a cultivator her level. However, she was bound with the soul entrapment chain, sealing all her consciousness and cultivation energy.

'Oh goodness, what do I do? Anthony has been gone for twenty hours already, how do I warn him not to accept the mission? How do I tell him that his clan wants to send him to the perilous lands? I can't even call him.'

Ava looked around her room for something that could help, but there was none. The only solution was to unseal herself and remove the chains. But her current self was no different from a paper tiger; magnificent but totally useless. She would not be able to do anything to help Anthony and prevent him from embarking on a journey of no return in her current condition. She needed someone— someone that has refused to show up. The chain was a tricky one. Even a child could unlock it as long as they had a trace of cultivation energy. All they needed to do was drop a little bit of blood on the core to loosen the seal. Yes blood—one filled with the vitality of a cultivator.

She collapsed to the floor and sighed, drawing different strategies to reach Anthony but none of them will work if she was still in chains.

"Anthony, please stay safe. Who exactly wants you dead? And why is dad so afraid of the person? Or is it all of them? I knew your family was a snake pit, but I didn't know they would have the temerity to blatantly make an attempt on your life. Please, I need you to catch on. Don't let them succeed." She whispered, looking up at the ceiling.

Another idea occurred to her and she scooted to the door.

"Hey! Who's there?" She whispered, calling out to the people whom she was sure were guarding the door.

There was no answer for a while, making her frown. She got up and tried the door again, finally hearing a movement on the other side.

"Young miss, just forget it. You're surrounded, don't bother trying to escape. And don't even ask me to help you, it's impossible."

Ava's expression froze, but she quickly brightened up. She was the legendary queen of the business world after all, and her negotiation skills were top notch.

"Don't be too quick to refuse me. I will pay you, lots and lots of money. Just name your price and I will fill in the check as long as it's reasonable." Ava replied in a calm voice, none of her previous anxiety could be heard from her voice.

The man on the other side kept silent for a while, making her anxiety heighten. She was almost hopeful that he was giving it a serious thought. As the heiress to the Smith fortune, she had lots of money at her disposal. And she was obviously desperate at the moment. Any gold digger will quickly take advantage of it to extort money from her. She could only pray that the guard was among the commonest of men— a greedy, disloyal traitor. That was the only way she would be able to successfully use him.

After what seemed like eternity, she heard slight chuckles coming from the other side, followed by whispers of 'be quiet'. Even if her cultivation was sealed, her senses were still enough to catch that slight sound.

Next, she heard someone clear their throats.

"I'm sorry, young miss, but I would have to turn your juicy offer down. I don't need your money. Even if you offer me all the Smith family assets, I still will not do it. Sorry."

Ava immediately panicked and flipped on her knees, holding the door knob.

"Why not? That money can allow you to live a good life, provide comfortably for your family, enjoy luxury vacations, and you won't have to worry about money for the rest of your life, as long as you use it well, instead of squandering it away. You might even start a profitable business with most of it. See? I'm giving you the chance to rewrite your destiny and get a new lease on life." Ava whispered, trying to convince the person on the other side.

"I'm sorry, but I don't need your money. I need to at least be alive to enjoy all that. How will I live if your Smith family is after my life? Besides, I'm pretty contented with my current lifestyle." He replied with an air of finality, making Ava even more desperate.

She decided to try again.

"You don't have to worry about that. Once I'm out here, I can guarantee your safety. I will send you far away alongside your family. I will protect you, trust me."

"You will protect me? How do you plan to do that when you couldn't even protect yourself?" A mocking voice came from behind the door, followed by laughter, making her realize that the guard was not alone. There were other men beside him and they were making a joke out of her. Her cheeks fired up in humiliation, turning bright red. She had never suffered such deep grievances, nor had she felt half the anger and shame she was currently feeling in the past. Not even when she was set up and sent to evil cultivators. This feeling of helplessness and impotent anger were all foreign to her, making her once strong self to quiver in anger as tears came to her eyes.

She hated this version of herself—a sitting duck, totally useless and unable to help herself. And they were right, how would she help them or anyone else when her father could easily trap her in the palm of his hands without even making preparations? It was always like this. Just when she thinks that she had gotten powerful and competent enough, her father slaps her in the face— back to reality. It had always been like this— always. And she was beginning to doubt if she would ever break free from her father's influence and control in her lifetime.

She cleared her throat and decided to try again.

"That only happened because I didn't see it coming. It was abrupt. But if you—"

"That's the way they will also take him by surprise. Young mistress, remain obediently in the room like a good princess, instead of ruining people's lives because of your selfishness." The butler's angry voice interrupted, making her mortified.

She didn't realize that her father's most loyal man was standing among the men, or perhaps joined in between the conversation, watching her make a fool of herself. Once again, the tears of humiliation stung her eyes, and she quickly shut her eyes, determined to hold them back.

'I'm a strong woman, nothing can make me despair.'

She held her breath and counted to ten before she exhaled, in a bit to steady her voice.

"You guys can have a field day and insult me as you please. But the moment I leave here, I will make you guys suffer. And then, you will know the consequences of treating me like this." Ava whispered coldly, her voice steady and unforgiving.

"You have to get out safely before that. Enjoy your holidays and take advantage of the time to enjoy a good sleep." The butler replied derisively. And soon, she began to hear the sounds of his footsteps walking away.

She clenched her fists in fury and her heart felt like it would burst. She forced a smile, raised her chin and calmed down her emotions, before she hopped to the bed.

After a few hours, a key rattled in her lock, making her eyes fly open.

A familiar girl dressed in a maid's outfits walked in, carrying her lunch. Her heart leaped for Joy for the maid was none other than one of her secretly trained spies whom she placed among the house servants. No one would expect the delicate girl to be a well trained assasin, giving her the perfect cover that Ava so desperately needed, and it seemed that she had finally found a way in.

"There are trackers, cameras and wiretaps all around you." The maid told her using sign language, beneath the tray. Ava's heart immediately skipped multiple beats. Her father was truly vicious, no wonder no one was willing to help her.

The girl quickly entered her servant mode and bowed to her, placing the tray on the bed.

"Are you alright, miss?" She asked innocently. Ava took the cue and shook her head, wiping a tear drop from her face.

"Don't cry, don't cry. The master was only thinking of you." She whispered and pulled Ava into her arms, pretending to console her.

"Has any correspondent reached out to you?" Ava whispered, pretending to nuzzle the girl's neck for comfort while hiccupping.

"The results are not in your favor, they successfully pushed him into the perilous lands. Don't make a scene please, you will get me killed." The girl whispered with a smile on her face, holding Ava tightly to prevent her from going hysterical, while rubbing her back.

At once, the fake tears on Ava's face turned to real ones as the dam broke.