Severing Time & Space

Ambush, Part I

Mercenaries. The word came to Wu Jian's mind in a flash. These were obviously the mercenaries who had been hired by Tian Hao, the lady alchemist who wanted him to become her plaything. What were they doing here, though? Had they followed them into this forest, or was this just a case of bad luck?

"You have business with us, do you?" Wu Taohua said in a voice so cold it could have frozen lava. "What kind of business? Speak now."

"Ooooh, yer a feisty one, eh? I like that in a woman." The big man licked his lips. "Name's Li Lang. I'm the boss of this here mercenary company. My employer said yer an eyesore and asked us to get rid of you. We're to kill all of you, 'cept that brat. I was asked to bring him along with me."

"You're being awfully forthcoming with your plans for a mercenary," Wu Taohua said as she stepped closer to Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu as though to protect them.

"I'm hoping to solve this peacefully." Li Lang spread his arms wide as if to show he meant no harm, but the fact that he was hired to kill the girls meant peace was out of the question.

Hearing about what this man intended to do caused Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu to close ranks with Wu Jian. Were they afraid?

He expected Hou Jingshu, at least, to be panicking, but she surprised him by remaining perfectly calm. That made him remember that she was the princess of the Shang Kingdom. It was highly likely this wasn't the first time someone had tried to kill her.

She must have had numerous attempts made on her life already. Her emotional and mental strength is something to be admired, though it makes me sad to think of the reason she acquired such strength.

Wu Meiying pressed something smooth and round into his hand. He closed his fist around it and watched the proceedings. What would Wu Taohua do now? Would she try to fight these men?

He hoped not. That was suicide. They had the advantage in numbers, and while he couldn't gauge their strength, he wouldn't be surprised if at least their leader had a cultivation base similar to hers.

"You dare lie to me? If you wanted to solve things peacefully, you would have said you'd let us live if we give you Wu Jian. It wouldn't have changed the outcome, but it would have been a smarter approach," Wu Taohua said.

"Ah. Guess I messed up there," Li Lang said with a chuckle. His lips peeled back into a feral grin. "See? Just the thought of fighting you has me all pumped up. Nothing beats seeing the blood of my enemies stain the ground crimson. It's what I live for."

The tension filling the air seemed to explode in that moment. Wu Jian reacted quickly, throwing the object in his hand at the ground at the same time that Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu did the same thing.

Smoke exploded and spread through that section of the forest. It was so thick and cloying that Wu Jian couldn't see a single thing, which was just fine as it meant their enemies also couldn't see anything.

"Damn it! A smoke screen!"

"Shit! Feng! Get rid of this smoke!"

"You got it, boss!"

Wu Jian recognized they only had a few seconds to act. He grabbed Wu Taohua's shirt and tugged on it, signaling which way to go, then ran forward. Their first order of business was escaping the smokescreen before their enemies did.

A figure appeared before him. Big, hulking, a massive blob of fat adorned in armor and wielding a rusty axe. The man seemed surprised to see him, which meant he was a second too slow to do anything as Wu Jian leapt up and smashed a knee into his face.

A loud crunch echoed around the clearing.

"Guagh!!!"

Blood and a tooth flew from the man's mouth, but Wu Jian barely paid attention as he landed on the ground. His knees jolted. He bent them to absorb the impact and prevent injury.