Severing Time & Space

Yue

They moved over to ring four and Wu Jian hopped onto the ring, where his opponent was already waiting. Wu Jian paused to stare at the girl’s lean body. His opponent wore a sleeveless training gi, which laid bare her muscular arms. A single bracelet on her left arm stood out due to its golden color. The pink pigment of several scars stood starkly against her tan skin. Light blond hair tied into a ponytail and green eyes made her appear very different from the traditional Shang Kingdom resident. He wondered which country she hailed from.

Her skin tone is almost the same as Mother’s. I wonder if they are from the same country.

“So, you are Wu Jian. I didn’t think you’d be such a cutie.” She eyed him up and down, then licked her lips. “Don’t take this personally, but I’ve been asked to beat you.”

She said it so softly that no one would hear her, and she was facing away from the VIP seating, so the people who could potentially read her lips could not see them.

He wondered why she was telling him this anyway. Even if no one could figure out what she was saying, there was still a risk in someone discovering her intentions. All he would need to do was tell the referee what she had said.

Ah. But I can’t, can I?

It was not like his words alone were enough evidence to prove she had said something. She could easily deny it. Still, why bother telling him this? Was she just the kind of woman who enjoyed teasing people, or was there a deeper meaning behind her words?

Wu Jian drew his lips into a thin line. “Is that so? Was it Elder Wei who put you up to this, or did Ming Han hire you to take me out?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” the girl said with a laugh.

“Are both contestants ready?” The elder asked. “Bow to me. Bow to your families. Bow to each other. Now… fight!”

Wu Jian’s initial plan was to fight defensively until he knew what kind of opponent he was dealing with. He preferred building strategies after he understood his enemy’s fighting style. However, the moment this battle started, he understood that simply waiting to learn more about his foe might result in his loss.

The girl was already within fighting range the moment the battle began. Just when she had closed the distance was something he didn’t know. It was almost like she had appeared before him after he blinked. His reflexes saved him from her initial punch. He tilted his head to the side and smacked her hand away to further the distance between them, but a loud explosion of wind erupted from her attack, showing what kind of strength he was dealing with.

How can anyone be this strong?!

Wu Jian stumbled away from the girl, who had no intention of letting up and doggedly clung to him. She launched a swift series of punches. Each one was powerful enough to rent the air. They left aftershocks in their wake.

Realizing that he was not dealing with an ordinary person, Wu Jian leapt back several feet, then ducked low as the girl rushed him. He raised himself up on his hands and mule kicked at his opponent, but she nimbly swerved around his attack and came in from the side. Wu Jian was forced to roll across the ground and skip back to his feet before her kick could connect.

“You really are strong,” she said at last. “I never expected someone so much younger than me to be capable of reacting to my attacks. I’m impressed.”

“And I never expected someone from outside the clans to give me this much trouble,” Wu Jian returned. “What’s your name?”

The girl placed a finger against her lip, smiling. “Hmmm. I suppose it wouldn’t be proper for me to know your name when you don’t know mine. Very well. You can just call me Yue.”

Yue meant “moon” in the ancient tongue. It was an oddly contradictory name. This girl with her bright hair, vibrant eyes, and outgoing personality didn’t seem to fit the name. When he thought of the moon, he imagined of something enchanting, mysterious, and unobtainable. Wu Meiying resembled the moon far more than this girl.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking my name doesn’t suit me at all, right? You might be right. But you might also be wrong.”

“What does that mean?”

“Who knows.”

Wu Jian clicked his tongue. He would have said something else, but Yue quickly moved, and he was once more surprised when she appeared within his guard so fast it was like he had blinked and missed it.

How is she doing that?!

As the battle progressed, Wu Jian found himself giving ground. He gritted his teeth as he tilted his head, just barely avoiding another strike, but he flinched as pain struck his cheek. A warm wetness dripped down his skin. He had been cut. Her punch was so powerful it had created a fierce wind that cut into his cheek.

There’s no way a normal person at the Body Forging Realm can be this powerful, is there?!

Wu Jian prided himself on his strength, but even he wasn’t powerful enough to create wind blades out of thin air. That was not something a person at the Body Forging Realm could ever accomplish.

With his thoughts distracting him, Wu Jian was unable to react in time as Yue feigned a punch, then hooked her foot behind his leg and yanked. He fell to a knee, then was forced onto his back. Before he knew what was happening, Yue was straddling his torso and had his arms locked above his head.

“You’re… older than sixteen, aren’t you?” Wu Jian asked.

Yue’s eyes flashed with surprise, but then a bright and seductive smile appeared on her face. She leaned in so close that he could feel her chest press against his as she whispered in his ear, “Congratulations on figuring that out, but so what if I am? You have no proof.”