(Lian Li POV)
I stepped out of the small building that had the sign 'Xi Family Branch House' above the entrance, joining the crowd on the street.
I sighed, feeling rather disappointed to find that almost every associate of the Xi family had already vacated the city.
Most likely they had already been recalled back to the main branch to try and tide over the revelation that they were Dark Sect supporters.
The only person I found here was a servant boy they had left behind in their branch house, he was rather arrogant about that fact for some reason too.
"Who the hell do you think you are coming in to my house?!" He had screeched at me when I entered.
I had even calmly reminded him that he was nothing more than a servant boy of the Xi family and didn't have the right to take that tone of voice with me.
He went on to claim that since he was the only Xi family member around, he would automatically be assigned as the acting head of the current branch house.
I decided he wasn't even worth talking to and proceeded on to the interrogation.
It didn't take much for me to have him start singing like a canary.
The first three fingernails I pulled out were already enough actually, but I gave him the full course since I was quite frustrated by what he said.
Of course, I made sure that he prayed to Master before ending his miserable life.
With no where else to go, I decided that joining one of my sisters would be a good idea.
Since the Adventurer's Guild was just down the road from my current location, I should probably start with Eris.
Entering the guild, I was greeted with a rather interesting sight.
Eris stood near the entrance, her back facing me and her arms crossed. In front of her was a group of eight swordsmen, all of them sporting a displeased look on their faces.
Surprisingly, these group of people were dressed rather normally in their leather armour instead of all the weird clothing I've been seeing out in town.
"Eris? What's going on?" I called out.
Eris turned her head, her eyes lighting up when she saw me.
"Sister Lian Li! These infidels are being a nuisance to me!"
I looked towards the group of swordsmen, prompting one of them who I assumed to be their leader to step forward.
"You're her sister? She's been trying to dig for information that we have repeatedly told her she cannot access but she has refused to cooperate thus far. Could you ask her to come with us?"
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what information did she look for that is inaccessible and why does she need to follow you?"
"Any information pertaining to the Lindulf House is absolutely confidential and anyone looking for such information is to be brought in under arrest. That is the law here."
"That seems quite over the top, isn't it? We're visitors and currently guests of the Lindulf House as well."
The swordsman shook his head, "It does not matter. Especially since you are their guest, you should know that such things aren't tolerated here. If what you say is true and a member of the Lindulf House vouches for you, we will set you free then. But right now, she needs to follow us back to the police station."
"And if we refuse?"
He unclasped his sword, the blade glinting wickedly in the light of the Guild.
"We will have to resort to force."
"I see… Would it help to say that we are the disciples of Master Lin? The Young Master of the Lindulf House you speak of? We just wanted to learn more about his family since he is our Master after all."
"Master Lin? Is he one of those Practitioners?" The swordsman frowned. "I find it highly unlikely that any of those scheming Practitioners could be related to the Lindulf House. Please be informed that anything you say can and will be used against you."
Did this guy just call our Master scheming?
Oh, he did didn't he?
But just to make sure…
Eris had her sword unsheathed before I could say anything, pointing the sharp piece of metal towards the swordsman. To their credit, none of them panicked and unsheathed their own swords in turn, moving to surround us.
"Did I just hear ya call Master scheming ya wee little boy?!" Eris growled.
The swordsman held his sword firmly with two hands in between us, "Aren't they all? Using their so called Techniques to take advantage of honest people like ourselves."
I raised an eyebrow, "That's kind of narrow minded, don't you think?"
"Hmph! Isn't it true that Practitioners look down on normal people like us? Just because they can make something happen with a wave of their arms they think they're much better."
"What about the youkai that I know is living amongst you all?" I asked.
"For you to ask about them… It just goes to show how much you do not understand the world…" He sighed dramatically.
I tilted my head at him to show that I did not understand.
Looking back at us with pitying eyes he continued, "The young mistress of Lindulf House has discovered that youkais are beings of Pure Elemental quarks. It is fatal for them if they do not circulate it for an extended amount of time. But for humans… We suffer no consequences even if someone with a Cultivation Point does not seek the path of a Practitioner. Thus, youkais are Practitioners not by choice but humans are and the only reason why humans become Practitioners is to gain more power over everyone else."
"Not our Master, he doesn't." I objected.
He shook his head, "I'm pretty sure he just pulled the wool over your eyes. There is only one being in existence that can be that benevolent and I'm sure your so called Master isn't one of them."
"That's it! Imma be breaking you lot! Nobody talks about Master like that! Let me have them, Lian Li!" Eris yelled, lowering her body close to the ground.
As much as I wanted to break them with my own hands as well, I decided Eris deserves to let loose since I had my fill with the servant boy earlier.
I leapt away from their encirclement, startling them to my sudden disappearance.
"Where do you think you're looking at?!" Eris roared, dashing forward towards the leader while keeping her body close to the ground.
The leader's reaction speed was impressive as his sword flashed out just in time to parry her blade away from his chest.
But he was wholly unprepared for the shoulder tackle that Eris followed up with, throwing him off balance.
Without wasting a second, Eris had slammed the pommel of her sword in the side of his head, sending him crashing towards another swordsman who was trying to flank her.
Using the momentum of the strike, she swung her sword behind her back, stopping the sword thrust that was aimed at her spine with the flat of her blade.
Spinning on her heel, the swordswoman lowered herself into a crouch and flung her assailant's blade to the side, leaving him open for a slash across his vulnerable chest.
Eris silenced the man's yell of pain with an uppercut to his jaw, knocking him out cleanly.
"Together!" The leader yelled, dazed but still very much in the fight.
The remaining seven swordsmen lunged their blades towards her, their swords making a loud ringing sound when they met in the middle of where Eris had been, the girl suddenly disappearing into thin air.
Only one of them thought to look upwards and got a knee to his face for doing so.
Eris kicked the man away from her, his head crashing into the ground and leaving an indentation at where he landed. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon from the sound of that impact.
Eris flipped herself backwards in the air, landing on top of the shoulders of another swordsman.
The two men beside him immediately tried to stab her with their blades, missing by mere inches when Eris let herself fall backwards.
Both her legs kicked out at the last minute to strike against the head of the man she had been standing on, blocking the way of the other three.
Eris landed on her feet in a crouching position, her sword held by her side and eyes glaring straight ahead.
The two men who hadn't been obstructed by the wall of limbs lunged forward with their swords again, only to realise they had stabbed at her afterimage.
There were two flashes of steel and two slashes appeared on the chests of both swordsmen, both of them turning just in time to see Eris flicking the blood off her blade behind them.
The leader clicked his teeth in irritation as he saw half of his numbers go down so easily.
"Pair up and attack!" he ordered, his three companions spreading themselves to his left and right.
The one on the far left attempted a downward slash at her but feinting it at the last moment to stab at her instead.
"Futile," Eris had muttered, kicking him in between the legs with her left foot for his attempt.
His partner had rushed up from Eris's right side, slashing his sword out towards her flank.
She easily parried the strike away with a backhand wave, punching the man straight in the face with her other hand and leaving him with a bloody nose.
She was about to continue her attack when she suddenly ducked her head, letting the leader's blade sail above her harmlessly. It happened so abruptly that I'm sure another one of her had saw it coming and warned her.
The swordswoman took the chance to roundhouse kick the man who was still clutching at his balls in the head, knocking him out for the rest of the fight.
With two more swordsmen in somewhat peak condition and another with a bloodied nose, I don't doubt Eris would be able to finish them up soon.
"You three are so pathetic," Eris taunted. "Can't even handle one girl by herself? Bet the only joke your mothers can make are you guys."
The one with the bloodied nose rose to her provocation despite his leader's attempts to stop him.
He roared while lunging towards her, his blade easily pushed aside by Eris's own before she knocks him out with a haymaker to his chin.
The second man had rushed forward in a belated attempt to cover his partner's emotional rush, his sword flashing out in an underhand slash from his right.
His laughable attempt was easily stopped when Eris's palm reached out to catch the pommel of his sword, shoving the swordsman backwards before stabbing her own blade through his shoulder.
The leader had rushed up at precisely that moment, no doubt hoping that she would be defenseless with her sword still stuck in his comrade.
Unfortunately for him, Eris was also trained in unarmed combat by Master himself.
She immediately released her grip on her blade, side stepping the downward slash from the leader and delivering a palm thrust to his exposed chin, shoving him back from where he came from.
With the leader out of range, Eris reclaimed back her sword by twisting it out of the screaming man's shoulder, knocking him out with an elbow strike to the side of his head.
"Kuh… It seems I've underestimated you…" The leader groaned, massaging his chin. "I will fight you seriously no--"
Eris interrupted him by delivering two slashes on his chest before kicking him away.
The leader crashed into the wall, leaving an indentation on it before slumping to the ground, unconscious.
"You should have fought seriously from the start then," She spat, wiping her blade clean with one of the swordsman's clothes.
"Well done," I praised.
Eris shook her head, "I'm still not at Master's level yet. What should we do now? Preach?"
I looked at the crowd who had begun inching away from us.
I guess that would be a good way to start as any. It's only because these people aren't aware of the benevolent being that is Master that such things can happen, I'm sure once they know how Master is like and begin worshipping him, there won't be any more discriminations.
How wonderful would that be?
Yes, that is the only world that is fit enough for Master.
