The Untamed Princess

Chapter Nineteen: The Deadly Encounter

Ming Yue obviously had no intention of running, but she knew that she would only serve as a distraction for Zhao Weisheng if she threw herself into the fight straight away.  Consequently, for the moment, she stayed in the shadows, with her back pressed against the wall and her eyes darting back and forth, taking in every detail of the scene unfolding in front of her.

Luo Jian had drawn his sword and tossed his scabbard to Weisheng, and the two men were now standing back to back to face, ready the enemy.

Luckily, the alleyway was relatively narrow, so the assassins could not all attack at once.  As the first man to reach Weisheng swung his sword, he blocked it with the scabbard and let loose a powerful punch with his right hand.  It connected solidly with the man's nose, and Weisheng heard a satisfying crunch.  A kick to the abdomen sent the man flying into the wall behind, and then into a crumpled heap on the ground below. He then turned to face the next attacker.

Seeing that the prince was still without a weapon, Ming Yue reached down quickly and retrieved the knife from her boot.  Subconsciously choosing urgency over etiquette, she called out "Weisheng!" and, when he turned to look, she tossed the blade towards him.  He caught it nimbly and gave her a quick smile of thanks before he moved forward to meet a new opponent.

Out of the prince's line of sight, Ming Yue moved stealthily towards the prone figure of the assassin on the ground and, with a swift kick to the head, made sure that he would not be getting up and re-joining the fray any time soon.

Weisheng and Luo Jian fought quickly and efficiently, conserving energy where they could. Although the two men were equal in height, Luo Jian was of a slightly bigger build than Weisheng, so his style of swordplay was more straightforward, relying on power and strength, whereas the prince trusted in his speed and technique.  However, both men were equally deadly, and soon the air in the alleyway was thick with the scent of blood.

Ming Yue's role in the proceedings thus far had been pretty minimal, but all of that changed when a man in black approached her swiftly from the right and grabbed her wrist in a tight hold.  Strangely, he had not drawn his sword, leading Ming Yue to believe that capture, rather than killing, was his goal.  No doubt he thought that if Ming Yue was at his mercy, he could force the two men to back down.  Unfortunately for him, she had no intention of making things that easy.

As he pulled her towards him, she twisted her arm to try to loosen his grip and, at the same time, swung her left leg around to knee him in the abdomen.  The man doubled over but did not let go. He straightened up quickly and brought his right arm around to try to grab her by the throat.  She blocked him and aimed the heel of her left hand at his chin.  He staggered back, this time releasing his hold on her wrist, and, pivoting on her left leg, she swung her right in a high kick to the side of the man's face.  The impact sent him crashing into the wall.

Ming Yue turned swiftly to see another man approaching her, this time with his weapon drawn.

Weisheng turned to see Ming Yue trapped between the wall, a wooden cart, and an armed assassin.  He looked down at the knife in his hand and called out to her.  As she looked across, in an echo of her earlier actions he threw the knife over to her, and she caught it with ease.  He watched as she stepped up with one foot on to the cart and somersaulted over it, landing behind the man who had assumed he had the woman cornered.  He turned, but it was not quickly enough, and a slash across the chest with the dagger soon ended his fight.  Ming Yue grabbed the man's sword and tossed it to Weisheng, keeping hold of her knife.  The entire exchange had taken only a few moments.

By now, the three companions had gained the upper hand, and it was short work dispatching the rest of their assailants. As the last assassin fell, they turned to look at each other. Each of them was covered in any number of small cuts and abrasions and, although their injuries weren't serious, they were sufficient to exacerbate the weariness that they all felt from such an intense onslaught.