The Shameless Young Miss

The Last Play To Lihua's Rage

When Lihua's eyes opened, she laid on her back under a tree, within it's shade.  A cool breeze could be felt as she saw Xin and Ethan standing in front of her.  Their clothes ragged and their bodies were battered and bleeding.  Her eyes flicked around them, trying to find her family, but it was only Xin and Ethan in front of her.  

Standing in front of them were 40 Red Maidens.  From behind a figure slowly walked towards them, dragging it's feet.  The figure wore red clothes, just like the maidens, but this figure wore a veil.  As the figure stepped forward into the light, the veil blew softly as she spoke.  

"Leave her and live.  Protect her and die."  The scratchy voice said.  

Xin, Ethan and Lihua froze in surprise.  The voice that just spoke was familiar to them.  They knew that voice very well, even if the voice sounded scratchy.  

"Lady Akira?"  Xin asked.  "But you died.  We all saw you burn and die.  How could you live from that?"  

Akira laughed crazily and evilly.  Her loud laughter echoed through the forest as she laughed to her hearts content.  

"When you sell your soul to the Red Maidens, anything is possible.  The Red Maiden's hold on to their promise until your goal has been achieved through your hands before they take what you promise them."  Akria tells them.  

"What did you promise them?"  Ethan asked.  

"My soul, my father's soul, my mother's soul, every soul in the the Chen household, even the souls of our chicken.  Not one soul would be left in Minister Chen's household."  Akira tells them.  "All I ever was to them was a puppet to control.  I thought I could be free once I married King Nao.  But all I ever was in the Back Palace was his play thing and Queen Yuki's enemy.  I had no freedom.  No rights.  No freewill.  So I sold everyone's soul that wanted to control me."  

"King Nao?"  Xin asked.  

"I could never sell his soul.  It was never mine to begin with.  Only the souls of the Chen family. For they hold the same blood as I do and hold the Chen name."  Akira tells them.  "Leave that bitch behind.  She's mine to kill."  

"We can't give her to you Lady Akira.  Hell King has entrust us with her safety."  Ethan said as he pulled out his sword.  "Besides, you're no longer a living being.  How could our Master accept you to be his woman?"  

"He loves me.  He'll always love me.  Once she's gone, he'll realize the spell she put him under.  He'll realize his true feelings and come back to me. Soul or no soul, he'll love me more than he'll ever love her." 

"We beg to differ, but to get to her, you have to get through us."  Xin said as he steadied his stance to attack.  

"If it's your death you seek, don't blame me for not holding back."  Akria said as the Red Maidens attacked all at once.  

Lihua stood up quickly, pushing her qi into her animals calling them out, but for some reason the connection she felt with them were blocked.  No matter how much she tried to communicate with them, they stayed still on her body, remaining as the poison markings that they are.  

Lihua's reached for her sword, but it was gone, she had four daggers still strapped on her as she pulled out one in each hand.  She caught up with Xin and Ethan as they stared in surprise as Lady Lihua ran to their side to fight with them.  

"Let us fight and die together."  Lihua tells them.  "It's the only way to live."  

Several Red Maidens were at the same fighting martial stage as them.  Fighting one on one with a martial fighter at their stage would be challenging yet, they would have a possibility of winning, however facing 40 Red Maidens with several of them at peak Sky Bound Martial Stage was suicide.  

They ran towards the Red Maidens side by side as the front line of Red Maidens ran towards them.  

"Your animals?"  Ethan asked.  He knew with her animals they had a fighting chance.   

"Something's wrong.  I can't call them out."  Lihua tells them.  "Its just us."  

"Then you should run away."  Xin said.  "You should save yourself."  

"Then I wouldn't be able to live with myself."  Lihua tells them.  "Besides, its too late to run."  

Lihua jumped head on to fight a Red Maiden who reached them first.  Lihua infused her qi into the daggers as she danced with the Red Maidens.  Her quick attacks and dodges were hard to keep up with as she cut and slashed at them.  Bleeding them slowly with each cut.  

Seeing the situation, Akira jumped into the fray.  If the Red Maidens couldn't kill her, then she'll have to do it herself.  

"I'll give back to you the lesson you taught me."  Akira said as her sword swung at Lihua.  "But this time, I'll make sure you're dead and chopped up into several pieces before leaving your dead body to rot."  

Lihua fought with every fighting skill she knew.  With several people attacking her, she had made the mistake of being separated from her friends.  

"Even with no soul and being brought back from death, you still talk too much."  Lihua tells Akira.  

"Die, bitch!"  Akira shouted.  Her sword swung faster with renew anger.  She wouldn't let that dirty whore keep living by Takeshi's side.  She never belonged by his side.  

"You were nothing but a replacement to him."  Akira shouted with each attack. "He only let you stay by his side because he missed me.  He was just using you until I can free myself and be with him again."  

"You're delusional!" Lihua said between grunts.  "Keep telling yourself lies to make yourself feel better.  But Takeshi knows the truth and the truth is, that instead of freeing you when we caught you, he let you die in agony and in pain for your betrayal.  The truth is he loves me more than he'll ever love you, for your love with him was nothing compared to our love for each other. Your love for him was always conditional, my love for him is endless and forever.  No matter what you do, you can never win him back.  Never win his love, his loyalty, his faith, his belief in you back." 

Akira's anger ignited and she fought back with renewed anger and energy.  Lihua's arms couldn't keep up with the blunt force from Akira's sword.   Lihua's daggers suddenly broke when Lihua blocked Akira's sword attack.  When she retreated and on the way reached down to grab her other daggers strapped on to her legs, three Red Maidens took the opportunity to attack her defenseless body.  

One sword went straight through her right shoulder.  One sword cut through her left leg as the last sword entered her stomach and passed right through her.  

"Lihua!"  Xin and Ethan shouted at the same time.  They too have been fighting off Red Maidens and in their horror, all they could do was watch Lady Lihua as she was slain in front of them.  They failed.  They failed their Master.  Their Mistress and themselves.