the multi

Chapter 18: Sun Xia and Complications

The middle-aged man continued to eye us for a long moment. Then he finally spoke.

"You expect me to believe that you know the Young Miss? And that you escaped the Marauders?" The man shook his head and crossed his arms. Then something strange happened. I felt something pass over me in a way I couldn't quite describe. "Two Early Qi-Gatherers carrying dead weight? The Marauders might be bandit scum, but I sincerely doubt they are that inept."

I grimaced at his disbelief. Then I froze as I realized what I'd just felt. Had that been his spirit sense? He felt very strong, so he could have one. Shit, what if—

No. I stilled myself to stop from reacting anymore. Best to not draw attention to myself. And he said two Early Qi-Gatherers. So even if that was a spirit sense, Ming Lin had been right. A cursory inspection doesn't reveal my core. I was fine. As long as I didn't overreact.

But damn, I'd really been hoping that I could resolve the spirit beast core issue before I encountered anyone that could sense it. Hopefully, he wouldn't feel inclined to dig deeper. Maybe if Ming Lin could convince him of the truth.

"I don't care what you believe," Ming Lin said, her gaze cold. I tried not to wince at her tone. Hopefully, she knew what she was doing. "But if you think keeping two of her retainers from her—one that's in dire need of a doctor, while the other has information on her enemies—is a good idea, then what happens in the future will be on your head. You can choose to do that if you think you can bear the weight of the Young Miss's displeasure."

"Her retainers?" the middle-aged man asked slowly, his eyes narrowed. 

"Yes."

The two held gazes for a long moment while I glanced back and forth between them, trying to not let my nervousness show. Come on, believe her already.

Then, finally, the older man snorted. He shook his head but backed off. "Get those two to their feet. And Shi Xian, carry the unconscious one. We'll take them back to the camp. And if they're lying then they can explain to the Young Miss just why we had to waste our time bringing them back instead of doing our jobs."

I almost slumped in relief at that. But before I could, the man's subordinates moved to follow his orders with cries of, "Yes, Sir."

We were both forced up onto our feet by rough hands. The young man in cultivator robes who hadn't been holding a sword to Ming Lin's throat—Shi Xian—whined about having to carry Shui Jianfeng. But a glare from the middle-aged man put an end to that and he meekly did as he was told.

However, he wasn't very careful about it, tossing Shui Jianfeng over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Both Ming Lin and I glared at him for that, but he just scoffed and ignored us, walking on ahead.

Asshole.

After that, the ropes tying our hands were removed, but we weren't given back our weapons. Instead, we were forced to follow the captain as he moved to leave the clearing, while two of his underlings kept a close eye on us from behind.

Then, just like that, we began traveling through the forest once more.

I felt both relieved and nervous as we started at a slow jog. On one hand, at least the spirit beast core thing didn't end up being an issue. And we were being taken to Ming Lin's friend—or employer? On the other hand, we were still under suspicion and might end up meeting more people with spirit senses. Not great.

Ming Lin's reaction to everything also didn't make me feel any better. At first, she'd been relieved. But immediately afterward, she'd been concerned about something. She still looked concerned about it now, given the frown and far-off look on her face. Something that I didn't think was just about the careless way that Shi Xian asshole was carrying her friend.

So after we settled into a faster pace, and nothing more happened, I decided to ask her about it. "Hey, Ming Lin. Is there something we still need to worry about?"

It took me a couple of tries to get her attention. When my question registered to her, she shook her head and gave me a weak smile. "Not for you. Things will be better now. Once we reach the Young Miss, Jianfeng will be looked after and she will be able to keep us safe out here."

I frowned. "Then why don't you look happier?"

Her smile fell, and she let out a sigh. "Running into the Young Missus' men was a stroke of fortune. But for her to be out here personally… She wouldn't have come just trying to track us down herself. Which means the Marauders have earned her ire beyond just capturing us. I think one of my other friends might be in danger."

As she said those last words, she gave Shi Xian, who was running with Shui Jianfeng over his shoulder to her right, a pointed look. Obviously, she wanted more information. But the young man just snorted and ignored her as we continued our run through the forest.

Seemed they weren't quite buying our story just yet. Still, despite that, I couldn't help but feel myself relax just a bit. Sure, we were still kinda being held against our will. And another of Ming Lin's friends being in danger was not great. But, at least now we didn't have to worry about trying to travel through a spirit beast-filled forest with just the three of us. And Shui Jianfeng would get treated soon. Also, perhaps the map we had and our knowledge about the Marauders could help Ming Lin's other friend.

The only thing I personally had to worry about now was my spirit beast core getting discovered. Even then, given the lack of reaction from the middle-aged man, it didn't seem like too much of a possibility at the moment. And even if it was discovered, at least Ming Lin should be able to convince them I'm not a spirit beast in disguise.

At least, that's what I hoped. And since there was nothing more I could do to change things, I decided not to worry about it too much and just hope for the best.

It didn't take us too long to reach our destination. We ran at a decent pace, and we weren't bothered by any spirit beasts. It wasn't that they didn't appear. It's just that anything that was in our way was cut down by our captors swiftly.

Armed and uninjured, the three younger men not carrying someone were able to take most things out with ease since we mainly encountered Early Rank 1 spirit beasts. The few times we encountered anything stronger, the middle-aged man took care of it himself. Much stronger than the rest, he easily overwhelmed anything the others couldn't handle with his saber.

So not too long after we started, we arrived at a clearing where a makeshift camp was being set up. There was only a single structure, a cloth canopy tent, where I guessed the leaders of this group organized everything. It seemed rather ornate with its red and gold fabric and intricate embroidery I could make out even from afar.

Around the tent were what looked like a dozen guards. Unlike the men escorting us, though, they all wore cultivator robes that were a mix of red and black. On top of that was a variety of different arms and armor.

We'd finally made it.

Though before I could celebrate, I noticed one of the red and black-clad guards walking quickly toward us. Given the angry look on his face, it seemed that our troubles were not quite over just yet.

"Xiang Dong, what are you doing back so soon?" the angry-looking young man asked as he reached us. He was addressing the middle-aged man, and despite the age difference between them, he felt just as powerful to my Earth Sense. "And who are these two? Have you found signs of the Marauders?"

"Perhaps, Cao Da," the now-named Xiang Dong said with a snort. "This boy," he gestured to Ming Lin, "claims he's a retainer of the Young Miss. Not sure I believe that, but I thought I would bring him back just in case."

"A retainer? This scruffy-looking thing?" Cao Da asked with a scoff. He was starting to piss me off with how dismissive he was. Though I resisted glaring at him. Given his level of strength, I didn't want any trouble from him. "I know mercenaries like yourself aren't that bright, but do you really think that—"

"Hey, Miss Sun Xia!" Ming Lin called out loudly, interrupting the guard and making sure everyone in the clearing could hear. It made me jump a bit, given how loud she'd been. "It's Ming Lin! Can you come here and discipline your dog? Jianfeng's hurt and needs help. We just escaped the Marauders!"

Cao Da's face twisted in anger at Ming Lin's shouting. He looked like he was about to reach out and throttle her. But before he could, two people appeared in a blur.

One was a gorgeous young woman—who I assumed was Young Miss Sun Xia—probably around my own age. She had long flowing black hair with complex-looking braids tying up parts of it, but with the rest of it flowing freely down her back. Her eyes were a striking green, her skin looked pristine, and she had ruby-red lipstick. Her robes were similar to the young man's, but were even more decorated and were red and gold. And despite how armed everyone else was, she had no visible weapon or armor.

The other person was a woman who stood right behind and to the side of Sun Xia. She had flowing black hair as well, but it was put up into a simple ponytail. Though there was a strip of white running through her hair in the front. She wore the same robes as the guards, but her armor on top of it looked a lot higher quality. It seemed to gleam even in the low light of the early evening sky. There was also a sword at her side, and she had a stern look to her as she seemed to size everyone else up.

The appearance of the two of them caught me off guard in several ways. One was the fact that they were both gorgeous. Like, they could easily be supermodels back on earth, even if the Young Miss kind of overshadowed who I assumed was her bodyguard. But the other thing I couldn't help but be taken aback by was how they felt to my Earth Sense.

Despite their obvious power, with how they could move so fast that they were a blur, they didn't actually feel all that strong. Did that just mean they had really tight control of their Qi? I didn't know, but considering even the middle-aged man wasn't like that, I assumed it was a sign of being a very powerful cultivator.

Just to be safe.

"Ming Lin," Sun Xia said with a slightly admonishing tone to her voice, like a mother chiding her child. It was then that I remembered the immortal part of immortal cultivators. This young woman might actually be older than she appeared. Or was just really good at chiding people that way. "It's good to see that you are well. However, please do not antagonize the Alchemist Guards I've brought with me. Even if they are being discourteous. It is unbecoming of someone I'm investing in."

Cao Da stiffened at her words and looked like he had eaten something sour. But he kept his mouth shut and his eyes down. I would have almost felt bad if he hadn't been so rude just now.

"My apologies, Young Miss," Ming Lin said, sounding far more formal now as she bowed. "I was in a rush. Jianfeng breathed in some poison during our escape, and I wanted to get him help as soon as possible. I managed to feed him a Lesser Vital Essence Pill, but he still might die if he isn't treated soon."

Sun Xia's expression softened at that before she turned an unimpressed gaze over to Shi Xian. The young man was still holding Shui Jianfeng over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He now looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Even when she turned her gaze away from him, he was still as a statue. Served the bastard right for how carelessly he carried our friend.

"Xiang Dong, correct?" Sun Xia asked, turning her attention to the middle-aged man.

Xiang Dong nodded at that, a small grimace on his face. "Yes, Young Miss. How might we be of service?"

"It seems your subordinate does not know how to take care of the injured," she said coldly. "But surely someone as experienced as yourself would be better trained than that? So personally escort my retainer over to the tent to be treated."

"Of course, Young Miss," Xiang Dong said deferentially, bowing low. "I will make sure he is treated with the most care. Forgive me for my failure to train my subordinates correctly. I will make sure to correct such failures for the future."

Sun Xia just nodded minutely at that before dismissing the man.

Xiang Dong turned to glare at Shi Xian who winced and slowly gave Shui Jianfeng over to the middle-aged man. With Shui Jianfeng in his arms, held very carefully, he started heading over to the tent in the center of the camp. Following him were the rest of his subordinates, each one looking sheepish or grimacing.

The two who'd been guarding us from behind also gave us back our weapons, apologizing and bowing as they did before rushing off.

I resisted the urge to grin at them smugly. Mainly to not look childish in front of two very beautiful—and, more importantly, very influential—women. We hadn't really been introduced yet, and I didn't want their first impression of me to be soured.

"Thank you for taking care of that, Young Miss," Ming Lin said as she tied her axe back to the sash at her waist. I did the same with my sword.

"You don't have to thank me for that," Sun Xia said, a soft smile on her face. "You and Shui Jianfeng are both my people. And you know I look after my own."

"Of course," Ming Lin said, though she still bowed once more. Very formally. 

It started to make me feel a bit nervous. Despite how friendly Sun Xia acted, Ming Lin was still so respectful. And I was still very much new to the culture here. What if I said or did something super disrespectful by accident? Normally, that might just cause embarrassment. But here, in this cultivator world? It could be a much bigger problem.

"Now, you said that you'd escaped the Marauders? As in the Black Wind Marauders?" Sun Xia asked, her tone just a tad more urgent now. "Is that where you and Jianfeng have been until now?"

"Yes," Ming Lin said, nodding solemnly. "We only just escaped today. But we managed to get a map off one of them, and have some troubling news about their practices. Given that you are out here now… Have they done something else to draw you out here personally?"

Sun Xia nodded slowly. "Yun… She was… over-eager in her search for you two and decided to act impulsively before I could gather the forces necessary to keep her safe. She joined a convoy that was attacked by the Marauders."

Ming Lin grimaced and bowed again. "I'm sorry Youn—"

Or at least she tried to. Before she could finish her bow, Sun Xia moved closer and grabbed her gently by the shoulders. "There's no need for that. You are not at fault for my little sister's impatience."

"Still, if we hadn't—"

"There's nothing to be gained from blaming yourself," Sun Xia interrupted again. "It's not like you were captured on purpose, and you were not in charge of the Stomping Bulls. Now, show me this map and tell me what you can of the Marauders."

Ming Lin looked like she wanted to argue some more. She seemed to really want to blame herself for her friend's trouble. But at Sun Xia's insistence, she slumped and pulled out the map. Then she explained what we knew about the Marauders and what we'd seen. What we were forced to witness.

Sun Xia's beautiful face was soon marred by a deep frown. And then I felt something through my Earth Sense. Power. Well, Qi actually. But powerful Qi. Far stronger than anything I'd felt before. It was only for a split second, but I felt it all the same, and cold sweat started to run down my back.

Then, as if it had never happened, the feeling went away. But the expression on her face did not.

"Cao Da," Sun Xia said quietly as she held up the map. "Where were the last traces of the Marauders spotted?"

The previously quiet young man jolted at the question, and he hurried to answer. "About here," he said, pointing at a spot on the map.

Sun Xia studied the map for another moment before she nodded. "Then let Captain Mo know that he is to recall all the men. We know where the camp is and where they will likely pass to reach there." She pointed to a spot on the map that might have been between two hills. "If we rush over there now, we can set up an ambush here before they arrive. They will be slowed transporting all their captives. We'll leave a single person at our camp here to redirect everyone who can't return in time."

Cao Da's eyes widened at that. "But Young Miss, Master Fang Hong has not arrived yet. If the map is to be believed, then we might end up close enough that the Black Wind himself will appear. Especially if the battle drags out, which is quite possible given their reported numbers. If that happens without Master Fang Hong, then our chances of just escaping will be abysmal."

Sun Xia turned her head slowly to the guard, her gaze cold. "I will not let my sister fall into the hands of these scum. It was bad enough before when they were just bandits. But you heard Ming Lin, they practice demonic arts! And do you have so little faith in your fellow guards that you cannot overcome a simple numbers advantage in an ambush against bandits?"

Cao Da flinched slightly at Sun Xia's cold words. But to his credit, he did not back down. "I can understand your urgency, Young Miss. But the Black Wind Marauders are no simple bandits. Some of their elite members are likely disgraced descendants of the three great clans. There have also been reports of Eagle-Eyed Jin being part of the group we are hunting. Any attempts using an ambush against him will likely fail."

Sun Xia scowled at that, and her hands clenched hard at her sides. "So what do you expect me to do, then, Cao Da? Wait for Master Hong while who knows what happens to my sister? Let the Black Wind use her as a hostage? If that happens then our options will be incredibly limited."

"I do not know, Young Miss," Cao Da said, sounding genuinely regretful. "Perhaps we can ask Captain Mo his opinions on this. But given what we know, all I can do is advise that an ambush would be incredibly risky for us all. If you wish us to proceed, I will do my duty, as will the Captain. But I urge you to consider all the risks."

Sun Xia was silent for a long moment after that, scowling and looking off to the side. Weighing her options, probably.

I, on the other hand, couldn't help wondering one thing. If the problem with an ambush was this eagle-eyed guy, would an ambush from underground work? Given the name, I'm assuming he just had really good eyes.

I could see it working if my assumptions were correct. The reason they weren't considering it was probably a time issue. There wasn't much time to set up an ambush, and they likely couldn't dig that fast.

I might be able to depending on how long we had.

But a couple of things held me back from voicing this and volunteering my services. One was that I was still not all that clear on proper etiquette. Would Sun Xia take offense to a random person speaking up? I wouldn't care that much back home, but here offending people could be a big problem. Her attitude so far made me think this wasn't an issue with her, but Ming Lin had still acted super deferentially.

Then there was the issue of revealing what I could do if I volunteered to help. Though giving it more thought, it probably wasn't that big of a deal. I was just showing that I had earth techniques. Not that I could harvest them from other things. 

But there was still another issue. And that was spirit sense. Such a trap might not even work if the enemy had that. However, I couldn't know for sure if it was a problem unless I asked. After all, I had no idea how much people with spirit sense used it or what limitations there might be.

So really, I should just try and suggest it. At worst, I get shot down and look dumb. Maybe even offended Sun Xia a bit, but she didn't seem like the kind of person to go overboard when it came to that kind of thing. And if things did work out, I wouldn't just be helping save some people from a gruesome fate—something that I already really wanted to do. But, I would also be finally striking back at those damned Marauders.

Not directly. But if we saved this girl and denied them the hostage, then we'd be making it easier for Sun Xia and, hopefully, this Master Fang Hong guy to end these bandits for good. Which I really wanted to happen. Those bastards could not be allowed to continue any longer than necessary. And there were all the other slaves back at the mine to think about as well.

So, with all that in mind, I took a deep breath and broke the silence.

Chapter 19: Ambush

"Would ambushing the Marauders from below ground help?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Since the problem is this Eagle-eyed guy?

Sun Xia turned to me with a small frown, making my heart skip just a bit as we met eyes for the first time. However, it was the jerk Cao Da that spoke up first.

"We don't have time to set up something so elaborate," Cao Da said with a dismissive scoff. "We would need to leave no traces on the surface anywhere near the ambush point. Which would mean digging from incredibly far away, and deep enough to not cause the surface to collapse."

"I might be able to help with that," I offered, ignoring the man's attitude. "I was the one who dug us out of the Marauder's mine. I can also harden the earth so that there will be no issue of a collapse happening, even if we are closer to the surface. The only thing I'm not sure about is if we have to worry about an underground ambush point being detected by spirit sense."

Cao Da opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Sun Xia raising a hand.

"I can hide us from spirit sense," she said, looking at me intently. "But can you truly create an underground ambush point for us fast enough? We don't have much time to get ahead of these bandits. They have a head start and know the terrain. Our only advantage is their need to carry their captives and spoils, but that still won't give us much time."

I gulped a bit at the intensity of her stare. "I don't know. Perhaps if I demonstrate, you can tell me?" 

I gestured at the ground, and Sun Xia nodded.

Before I could start, though, she turned to Cao Da. "Tell Captain Mo to recall the men. Whether we can ambush them or not, there is no need for any more searching."

"As you will, Young Miss," he said with a stiff nod before he rushed off in a near blur.

I watched him go for a second before Sun Xia returned her gaze to me. Then I quickly knelt and got to work. With my hand on the ground, I activated my new consolidated Reinforced Burrow Creation. It worked just like the normal Burrow Creation, though I knew that I could funnel more Qi into it to make the earth around the hole I was digging stronger. I didn't bother with that and instead focused on speed.

After just a couple of seconds, I had a person-sized hole dug that was only getting deeper.

"That's enough," Sun Xia said, making me stop my Skill and look up at her. She gave me a small nod. "If you can keep that rate, then we should be able to set up our ambush from underground. Are you willing to come help with that?"

"Yes," I said as I stood up. "I'd be happy to help you save your sister and stop these bandits. Though a couple of spirit stones might be needed to keep me topped off depending on how far from the ambush site we need to start digging from."

"We will of course provide you with anything you need to do this," Sun Xia said. "But are you sure about this? Even if you only help us by digging, this will be a dangerous endeavor as we will not be able to get you away before the fighting begins. Our Foundation Establishment master has been delayed, and we are also outnumbered. If things go well, none of that should matter, yet there is no guarantee of that. I will do my best to ensure your safety since you are willing to help and have saved two of my retainers. But it is still possible you might die if you come with us, and unlike everyone else here, you are not bound by contract or obligation."

The intensity and seriousness of her words caught me off guard. Having the dangers pointed out so bluntly, my previous bravado disappeared, and I took a second to think things through. After finally getting to safety, was I really going to jump back into danger like this? Even if it's for a good cause and a chance at revenge?

"How much do you think it will help if I come along," I asked hesitantly, trying to figure out if it would be worth it. "And if I just stay here, how safe would it be anyway? Don't you need all your people?"

Sun Xia shook her head. "We will leave some people behind to protect the camp. Just a couple of the mercenaries we've hired that aren't strong enough to do much in the coming conflict. But they should be enough to protect the camp from spirit beasts. This won't be just to protect you, either, as Shui Jianfeng is in no state to join and Ming Lin should stay as well."

Ming Lin frowned and tried to speak up. But she was stopped by Sun Xia raising a hand.

"As for how much it would help…" Sun Xia said, looking down at the hole I'd dug in moments. "Quite a lot, I imagined. If we can strike from ambush from below, I see our chances of defeating them and getting away in time to be much greater. But even so, there will still be a danger to you. They have us outmatched in numbers and matched in terms of elite fighters, and then there is the danger of the Black Wind appearing if we are not fast enough."

I grimaced at that thought. I hadn't seen just how strong a Foundation Establishment cultivator was. But if it was anything like the stories I'd read, then they would likely be able to overwhelm all of us at once. Unless Sun Xia and her people had some hidden ace, or their own Foundation Establishment cultivator arrived in time.

"If the Black Wind appears, what would happen?" I asked slowly, trying to figure out just how dangerous that would be. "Would we all just die? Or all be captured again?"

"Not necessarily," Sun Xia said, shaking her head. "The Alchemist Guard are elite soldiers trained by the Alchemy Association with abundant resources. Those with me have been trained in battle formations that could potentially hold off even a Foundation Establishment cultivator. At least one of the Black Wind's caliber for a while. That could buy us the time needed for Master Fang Hong to arrive. In addition…"

Sun Xia frowned and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then I felt that strange feeling I felt before again. Her spirit sense? It didn't seem to focus on me, just swept by. After another moment, she leaned forward and spoke again, though quietly. "I have some options of my own to protect myself and others. I also have a way to flee with a select few people should the worse come to worst. You would be among those, should you volunteer."

Damn, part of me wished she hadn't told me that. If the Black Wind appearing would have meant instant death or capture, I would have just taken the out she was giving me. But it sounded like even if this guy did appear—something that wasn't guaranteed to happen—that our chances of survival and escape were still decent. And because of that, I found myself wanting to still go and help.

For multiple reasons. Some selfish and others less so. 

"I think I'm still willing to help," I said after another moment. I knew there wasn't long to think about this if we wanted to get set up in time. "I'm new to this place, and I was going to be relying on Shui Jianfeng and Ming Lin's help to get settled in the city. Something tells me that will be a lot more difficult if you end up dead because I didn't help. And, I'm guessing since you seem really important, I'll get a really nice reward for helping, won't I?"

I said the last part a bit jokingly. Not because I didn't want a reward, but just to not seem too greedy. Even if a possible reward was probably the smartest reason I had to want to take this risk. Sun Xia seemed both wealthy and influential, so whatever she might be able to give me would probably help a lot in settling in this new world.

Sun Xia laughed a bit at that and smiled. I'll admit, my heart beat a little faster at the sight. "Well, you're honest at least. Yes, I will, of course, reward you handsomely for helping in our time of need. I can start by offering you a place to stay once we are back in the city for as long as you desire. After that, we will look into just what else I can reward you with."

"That's good to hear," I said, smiling back nervously as I committed myself to this. "Then you can count on me to help. At least now I can justify to myself taking the risk to strike back at the damned Marauders."

"Then it's decided," Sun Xia said, nodding. "Thank you."

With that said, she turned her attention to the armored woman behind her—the one I assumed was her bodyguard. "Wei, we leave as soon as possible. We'll go ahead with our fastest first. Let the rest of the alchemist guard know, then come back and take…"

She trailed off for a moment as if she realized something. Then she turned to look at me quizzically.

Realizing what she was asking, I answered her unasked question, "I'm Mi—Li Lan."

I tried not to wince as I stuttered the introduction. I was gonna have to get used to going by that name. Otherwise, I'm gonna look like a liar. Judging from the raised eyebrow I got in response, it hadn't gone unnoticed to my chagrin.

"When you are done, take Li Lan to the site of the ambush so he can begin digging," Sun Xia said, not commenting on my slip-up.

"Young Miss," Ming Lin said after Wei disappeared in a blur. When Sun Xia didn't interrupt her, she continued. "Please let me come with you to help as well."

Sun Xia looked at Ming Lin with a frown. She then very obviously looked her up and down, taking in her dirty and injured appearance. "You don't have to do that, Ming Lin. You are not to blame for Yun's capture, and you've been through enough already."

Ming Lin frowned and shook her head. "Even so, Sun Yun is in danger because she was trying to save Jianfeng and me. I would not be able to live with myself if I didn't do everything in my power to help. Besides…" Ming Lin trailed off for a moment as her gaze swept over to me. "I owe Li Lan for saving the two of us, and he is a novice fighter. At the very least, I can watch his back in case something goes wrong. And if I get a chance to repay some of the bandits for what they've done, all the better."

Sun Xia looked silently at Ming Lin for a moment before she turned her gaze to me. Then she sighed, right as Wei appeared back by Sun Xia's side. 

"Very well," she said before she tapped a small pouch at her hip. To my surprise, a pill bottle popped out of it before it re-tied itself. Sun Xia caught the bottle delicately and held it out to Ming Lin. "But take this pill first. It should get you back in shape while Wei carries the both of you over to the site."

Ming Lin straightened at that and held out her hand. "Thank you, Young Miss. You won't regret this."

Sun Xia just nodded at that and tipped the bottle, letting a pill drop out. Then she put it back into her pouch. Ming Lin quickly swallowed the pill without any water, while several more Alchemist Guards and a few other men rushed over. One of them was the middle-aged Xiang Dong, though the rest of his men were not with him.

"If there isn't anything else, we move ahead first," Sun Xia said, taking a look at her gathered men. "Everyone who can't keep up will have to meet us there."

There was a chorus of agreement to that. Then Wei moved over to Ming Lin and grabbed her by the waist. The disguised girl was easily held under just one arm of the armored woman. It looked rather amusing for all of two seconds until the woman turned her gaze to me. Then I found myself lifted off my feet and carried under her other arm like I weighed nothing at all.

It felt rather embarrassing being carried like that. But I only had a moment to mentally complain about it. Then we were off, and I had to do my best not to scream.

—Line Break—

When we reached our destination, Wei gently set both Ming Lin and I onto our feet. Immediately, I collapsed to the ground, appreciating the sturdy surety of it, compared to the wild ride I'd just gone through. I would have kissed it if it wouldn't have made me look insane, and if I wasn't holding back from throwing up.

Instead, I stayed on all fours for a long moment, trying to get over the incredibly rough ride. 

Eventually, though, I forced myself onto my feet. We were on a time crunch, after all. And it wouldn't do for that nauseating trip to have been wasted.

Once I was up, I found out that the ambush site had already been scouted out, and a plan had been decided on. Turns out the spot on the map was quite a bit bigger than indicated. Which would make ensuring that the bandits walk over our trap a lot harder. The solution to that problem was a group of people acting as bait. They would appear to be a small force trying to stop the bandits.

In their arrogance, the bandits would engage, probably hoping to loot and enslave the group. And that's when the rest of us would strike from below.

Well, the rest of the group, not including Ming Lin and I. Our job, after I was done with digging, was to help evacuate any captives brought into our hidey-hole. From there, we would lead them back through the tunnel dug to the ambush point, and wait for the outcome of the battle.

I learned all of this from Ming Lin as she took me over to where we would need to dig. I found the speed at which all of this was done rather impressive, as barely any time had passed since we left that small campsite behind. The sky was orange now, but the sun hadn't set yet.

Before I started digging, we were both given an extra bottle of pills, and I was given more than a dozen full-sized spirit stones. The pills were healing pills, though not as good as the one Ming Lin had taken. Hers had already healed and sealed up all her previous wounds. These ones would take longer but were still good enough to save our lives in case we needed them.

After thanking Sun Xia for the resources, I finally began to dig using Reinforced Burrow Creation. As I did, I made sure to fuel the Skill with the Qi from my new spirit stones instead of my own reserves. Since there were others around, and not wanting to look strange, I did that by draining the spirit stones instead of eating them.

Not too long after that, the tunnel and the chamber where we would wait were complete. The tunnel started far off to the side, well away from where the confrontation would take place. I began the tunnel in a little clearing surrounded by underbrush and trees. I'd dug under to a place about a quarter of a mile away, around ten feet under the surface that was apparently much more open. 

Above, the bait team would be waiting to lure the bandits over to them in a confrontation. The hope was that the center of the bandit formation—but not the cages holding the captives—would end up right above us. Then—through means unexplained—our people below would burst out and attack.

To coordinate this and ensure the above team knew just where we were, they used a combination of spirit sense and some talismans. The talismans seemed to work a bit like paired walkie-talkies, letting Captain Mo—the lone Peak Qi-Gatherer in the bait team—speak with Sun Xia.

I only encountered one snag during my digging. There was apparently a cave system not too far from the surface around here. It didn't go high enough to cause too much of a problem, except in one or two spots where it forced me to shift the tunnel to the side a bit. A quick peek into this cave showed that it was massive and went very deep. Thankfully, it seemed mostly empty so I just avoided it by shifting the tunnel to the side a bit.

That made it so the walls of the tunnel were a bit thin on one side in certain places. But with the reinforced stone that shouldn't be much of an issue. And, thankfully, shifting the tunnel didn't delay us much either.

With the tunnel and the chamber we would be waiting in done, Sun Xia moved to set up some sort of magical—or spiritual—formation. She tossed around several small flags with intricate Chinese-looking characters on them, each one stabbing into the earth around us with ease. Then she chanted a bit and used some hand symbols before something enveloped us and the underground chamber.

During this time, the slower members of the group Sun Xia had gathered to rescue her sister started to arrive. Most of them went up to the bait team to act as a diversion, while the stronger ones came down with us in the chamber. Unfortunately, Master Fang Hong, our Foundation Establishment cultivator, who would be needed to deal with the Black Wind if he appeared, had not arrived yet.

Whatever was delaying him was still a problem, and apparently, he was too far away for the sound transmission talismans to reach.

Not great, but there was nothing we could do about it. So once everything was set up, all we could do was wait.

It was a bit nerve-wracking once I was done and left with nothing to do. It became even more so when I realized that both Ming Lin and I were incredibly dirty from everything we'd been through. Now, waiting in an underground chamber with very little air circulation, made me very aware of the fact.

Thankfully, since Sun Xia didn't complain about it, none of the others with us seemed eager to do it either. So besides some scrunched noses, and a little more room left for the two of us, nothing else happened.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity to me, but was probably 10 minutes after everything was done, given how little time we had to set everything up, the signal that the bandits were coming came. It was sent through another one of those sound transmission talismans the moment the bandits could be seen.

Things became even more tense then, as everyone readied their weapons. I kept my own sword sheathed at my side for now, as the space was a bit cramped. I'd draw it once they broke out of our hole, but I really hoped that I wouldn't have to use it.

Then, the final signal came. Unlike before, it didn't involve any talismans. Instead, it came in the form of the earth above trembling as a fight broke out.

Zhao Wei, who'd been calmly gazing at the ceiling until now, reacted instantly to that. Like lightning, she lashed out with her right hand and struck the ceiling above us with an open palm. I was barely able to see the move. 

Then everything exploded. 

Or at least, that's how it felt as I got a front-row seat to the level of destructive power a Peak Qi-gatherer could bring to bear. 

One moment, we were underground. The next, the ceiling was blasted away upwards, revealing the more than a dozen of us hiding. I nearly fell to the ground at the back blast of pressure from her strike, along with the ear-rattling explosion that came with it. A hand held me from falling though, which I realized a moment later had been Ming Lin's.

When I finally recovered enough to look around, everyone had already moved out. I unsheathed my sword and tried to regain my bearings.

As the ringing in my ears disappeared, I could hear the sound of metal clashing on metal as they fought above. It was also accompanied by louder more explosive sounding exchanges, probably between the stronger cultivators.

At the edges of the crater, I could see the red and black-clad Alchemist Guards fighting the Black Wind Marauders. Wooden cages, with handles on the front and back, were the focus of these fights. And once the Alchemist Guards and the rest of our people cut down the Marauders guarding them, they moved to free the people inside, directing them to descend the sloped walls of the crater. All the while, the Marauders tried their best to kill them all.

Ming Lin reacted first when the first of the free captives reached us. She quickly started directing them towards the tunnel. She shouted for them to hurry and to wait for us on the other side. Many of the people rushed by us, confused and fearful. Some tried to thank us, but she rushed them along and got them moving.

I did my best to do the same as over a dozen people rushed by.

Then Sun Xia reappeared in the crater with us, her expression cold and icy. In her arms was a dirty and barely conscious young woman. Her clothes were cut up in some places, and wounds could be seen underneath. There were cut ropes around her arms and legs, and her face was deeply bruised.

Sun Xia walked over to Ming Lin and gently placed the other girl into her arms.

Ming Lin looked down at the beaten and bruised form of her friend in grim silence. She held her protectively and nodded to Sun Xia. "We'll get her to safe—"

Ming Lin's words were cut off as something blurred behind Sun Xia. The older woman spun in a blur almost at the same time and blocked the strike aimed at her head with a sword that seemed to come out of nowhere.

The resulting clashing of blades sent sparks flying and filled the crater with a deafening noise of metal on metal.

I winced hard at the sound and started to move over to Ming Lin. Before I could, Sun Xia lashed out with her free hand and sent her attacker flying into the wall with a palm. The ground shook, and a boom rang out as they slammed into the earth.

I nearly tripped from the tremor that ran through the ground, but Sun Xia caught me without even looking and kept me on my feet. Then she shoved me over towards Ming Lin and her sister, her eyes still glued on where she sent her opponent.

"Go!" she shouted, getting into a defensive stance. "And seal the tunnel behind you. There aren't any more captives."

Not needing to be told twice, with just how out of my league this battle seemed to be, I began running back to Ming Lin, who was already at the entrance to our tunnel out of here.

As I caught up and we started to escape, I just hoped that our side would win this conflict, as I couldn't even begin to think how I would manage to deal with the powerhouses that were fighting here.