"The human heart is naturally tranquil, but desires can pull it astray. By dispelling desires, the heart naturally calms."
Yun He spun her palms, silently reciting the incantation. She wore simple clothes, yet her slender hands were adorned with magnificent gauntlets, her wrist joints and knuckles fitted with flexible metal, revealing delicate blue patterns. They appeared imposing.
These were gloves, styled as gauntlets.
She gathered her qi to her dantian, assumed a stance, and threw a punch. Her loosely tied short hair snapped free from its tie with a "boom." Her clothes billowed, her fist a blur like a dragon's head, piercing directly through a man's heart.
She retracted her right palm. Without hesitation, Yun He spun her left fist from her waist and drove it forward. With a swing of her arm, a vast and potent surge of fist energy erupted. The air current from her punch kicked up dust, blinding those around her.
When the uninvited guests could finally see clearly, Yun He was nowhere to be found. Instead, countless shadows spun in the air, appearing before them in the blink of an eye.
"You don't seem too pleased, little Baimeng." Meng Qinghuan pinched the cheek of the little loli in his arms as he watched the young girl fighting fiercely in the air. "You've only had less than a month, and you've already mastered this level. Your talent is even a bit stronger than mine."
"But only a bit. Unlike me, I'm omnipotent," Meng Qinghuan said with a playful tone, brimming with pride and boastfulness.
"Soft-hearted," Baimeng replied concisely, her eyelids drooping, showing little interest.
Although Bai Cha had managed to compensate for most of her body and consciousness, there were still some deficiencies. Generally, she conserved her energy whenever possible, lest she be unable to provide support to Meng Qinghuan in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Meng Qinghuan sighed, pressed his palms together, and chanted, "Amitabha." Yun He, that little girl, was indeed a bit soft-hearted. Her punches had pierced chests, but missed the heart by two centimeters, making survival easy with timely treatment.
Bai Cha had explicitly told everyone not to leave any potential trouble with enemies like these. Yun He had been with Meng Qinghuan for so long, yet she still couldn't overcome her psychological barrier. Finishing blows were always handled by Meng Qinghuan.
While dragon powers could indeed transform into countless weapons, the power each person transformed into represented their innate talent, their most proficient weapon.
The people of the Shadow faction were a typical gathering of oddballs. Most people wielded swords, spears, or bows and arrows, while Bai Cha could condense her power into any weapon—a rare occurrence.
Meng Qinghuan was also special; his weapons were his eyes and his brain. Therefore, he hadn't opened his eyes since he was very young, otherwise, anyone who accidentally met his gaze would meet their doom.
Close-range gauntlet weapons like Yun He's were disliked by most people. Even more outrageous was the insect king Xiang Nan, who guarded the academy; his weapon was insects.
He was formidable, but insects were too disgusting, causing even Bai Cha to keep her distance.
Insects were truly hideous...
"Oh dear, it's over," Meng Qinghuan sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. "Little Crane was merciful again today."
"Master." Yun He stood behind Meng Qinghuan, her head bowed in shame.
"Alas, Little Crane, I've told you countless times, being merciful to your enemies is being cruel to yourself. What if someone attacks from the shadows?" Meng Qinghuan said with a headache. "You're going to tie me down for a lifetime~"
"Tie you down for a lifetime? Speak clearly," Yun He's mouth twitched, and she rubbed the bridge of her nose with a headache. "That sounds like I'm kidnapping a maiden."
She had intended to apologize, but now it seemed unnecessary.
Can't this person ever be serious? He looks quite presentable when he's serious.
"Well, let's change the topic, Little Crane." Meng Qinghuan smiled triumphantly. He loved seeing the prim and proper little bookworm flustered. "What image does Little Bai Cha project to you?"
"Image? I haven't paid particular attention," Yun He rested her chin on her hand, thinking seriously for a moment before replying, "If I had to describe it, it would be a deity."
Meng Qinghuan was a bit surprised. "Oh ho? Little Crane, are you serious? A sacred being like a deity doesn't seem to fit with Little Bai Cha."
"No, Master, you've misunderstood," Yun He quickly waved her hands to explain. "The deity of angels is God, so the deity of demons should be Satan. That's what I mean."
She was a deity of faith, and also the ultimate devil, because she herself was not an angel. She had long since been in hell. The moment she consumed her father, she never believed she was qualified to be associated with light in this lifetime.
Even if it was not by her will.
"Oh~ Since it's such a high-level word like faith, you should listen to whatever she says, right?" Meng Qinghuan became a little serious then, pointing at the gasping uninvited guests on the ground, and said with a smile, "So, your deity said to cut off the weeds by the roots."
Yun He: "You..."
"Little Crane, Shadows either become devils or ordinary people," Meng Qinghuan said, holding his left hand up to his forehead. His Buddha-like face wore a benevolent smile, but his words were chillingly cold. "Even you must pass this trial. A warrior who cannot act alone is always a defective product."
And Shadows must be elites.
"Hunters must also be prepared to be eaten by their prey, mustn't they, Little Crane?" Meng Qinghuan smiled, his tone gentle and soft. If he were a woman, he would surely be a charming and elegant person.
Although the uninvited guests had lost their ability to move and were severely wounded, they had not yet died. All of them had been struck in non-vital areas. Curled up on the ground, they could hear the conversation between the two.
Hearing that there was hope for them to survive, these people ignored their severe injuries, got up, and desperately reached out their hands towards the girl who might decide their fate.
"Don't, don't kill me, I promise I'll never come back."
"I was wrong, please spare me."
"I was forced, I have a mother and children."
"Please..."
Even those who were prepared for death when undertaking a mission, when faced with a glimmer of hope at the brink of death, the inherent human desire drove them to struggle with all their might.
Yun He hesitated, feeling as if her body was filled with lead, her legs frozen in place. Watching these people, half-dead, crawl and extend their hands towards the only source of hope, Yun He couldn't help but think of her mother.
Her mother had once struggled like this, reaching out for that last sliver of light.
Although her mother's personality was twisted and obsessive, causing her immense pain, Yun He could perceive faint traces of sweetness flowing through her fingers amidst the endless suffering.
That was her mother.
Sometimes, Yun He often wondered if everything would have been different if her mother had been rescued by Miss Bai from the beginning.
"Cough cough..."
A slight cough sounded from not far away. Yun He's heart jumped, and she quickly turned her head. She saw Lucifer standing quietly not far away, holding Bai Cha. She didn't know how long they had been there.
Bai Cha was nestled weakly in Lucifer's arms, like the most exquisite porcelain doll in the world, beautiful and fragile. However, her expressionless face and her dazzling peach blossom eyes remained as resolute and sharp as ever, making Yun He's heart tremble.
Sometimes Yun He even wondered if Bai Cha would be as calm as this when facing her own death.
Yun He didn't know when Bai Cha had appeared behind her, but seeing the uninvited guests on the ground who were not yet dead, and Meng Qinghuan standing not far away, she knew without thinking what had happened here.
Miss Bai was no fool.
"Yun He." Bai Cha's voice was clear and pleasant, as light as the gentlest breeze on a summer night, yet her words were undeniably commanding, possessing even more power than Meng Qinghuan's words, leaving Yun He with no desire to refuse.
"...Yes!"
Yun He gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She stepped forward, her legs trembling, or rather, her whole body trembling. She placed her hand on someone's head, closed her eyes, and punched down fiercely.
At first, her fist met a slight resistance—the person's determined skull—but it soon broke through, and then the soft flesh and brain.
Through the gauntlet, Yun He could clearly feel the sensation of brain matter and flesh being shattered by her fist. When she opened her eyes, the lenses of her glasses were already stained with blood. Through the lenses, Yun He could clearly see the scene, like an unripened watermelon that had exploded, the mixture of red and white sending a chill through her entire body.
Yun He felt a shortness of breath. She looked back at Bai Cha behind her. The girl whom she secretly revered as a deity, despite her fragility, remained indifferent and serene. Her cold gaze was like a basin of cold water, making Yun He shiver.
She staggered to her feet, grabbed another person, and punched mechanically, changing targets, then punching again.
The remaining people stirred. Their sole hope had suddenly transformed into a vengeful demon, striking terror into their hearts. One of them roared at Bai Cha, clearly realizing who had crushed their hope.
"May you die a terrible death, Bai Cha! May you die a terrible death! I curse you, I curse you to drop dead on the spot! May your remains be scattered!"
Bai Cha raised her eyelids slightly and responded lazily, "Mm."
Mm? What did "Mm" mean?
The man was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when he heard Bai Cha continue.
"I'll take your good wishes," Bai Cha nodded slightly, actually agreeing with the man's words.
Good wishes? Dying a terrible death and dropping dead on the spot were considered good wishes?
Before the man could utter more venomous words, Yun He punched his head, scattering it. This time, Yun He's punch was much smoother, even more so than the previous ones, and she even added a bit more force, her gaze growing colder.
It was anger born from Bai Cha being cursed.
Bai Cha rested her head on Lucifer's shoulder, feeling tired, and murmured softly, "Drop dead immediately? Such an easy way to die is truly hard to imagine."
Is living good? If one dropped dead immediately, all the pain, responsibilities, burdens, tasks, fatigue, scheming, and worries would vanish with the wind.
Easy for them to say.
Yun He knelt on the ground, her mind in chaos, completely unable to regain her senses. She gasped for breath, like a beached fish. Meng Qinghuan walked towards Bai Cha and Lucifer.
"Little Bai Cha, I thought you were already asleep." Meng Qinghuan looked at the heavily wrapped Bai Cha and felt like laughing. His Little Bai Cha had never been so tightly wrapped before. She was draped in a thick coat, likely because Lucifer was afraid the evening breeze might catch Bai Cha.
Truly a good steward of Country Z. He hadn't expected Bai Cha to ever be princess-carried.
"I felt movement outside and came to check."
Bai Cha's voice was still weak. It seemed she had been awakened by the killing intent outside, which was why she came out.
Although Bai Cha had won against Asteria during the day, the price she paid was undoubtedly not small. If she were still energetic and bouncy, it would be too unrealistic.
After all, she was not a truly omnipotent god.
Her throat felt a little itchy. Bai Cha coughed twice and looked at Yun He. "Do you think I'm cruel?"
"No, Miss Bai," Yun He replied instinctively. She wanted to stand up and pay her respects, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed back into the blood. She grew more flustered. Just as she was about to say something, she felt a warmth on her body.
"Be careful."