Liling had settled into the rustled old room she had been paired up with Daiyu to stay in for the night. It was nothing compared to the league quarters back at the empire, but it was enough to keep them sheltered.
She reluctantly climbed the bed, which she noticed was hard, after she had taken off the league's combat outfit she had on, changing into something simple for the night, something lighter and freer to move in, letting her tired body finally breathe.
Letting out a grunt as she shrugged the furry quilt, which was surprisingly warm over herself, Daiyu motioned her hands forward to take out the candle lights that illuminated the entire room, their flames flickering and casting shadows that danced along the cracked walls, creating a soft, mystical glow.
Her mind wandered off to her recent encounter with YunFei and how he had always been around to lend her a listening ear whenever she was going through a crisis. Lost in her thoughts, she drifted off to sleep,
Liling jerked awake at the sound of the rumbling thunder, waking up to a heavy downpour that hammered against the roof. She wondered how long she'd slept, her pulse still quickened from dreams and echoes of distant memories.
Tilting her head to a side, she noticed the spot where Daiyu had once laid, empty and devoid of any signs of her presence, leaving an unsettling silence in the room that made the shadows feel closer, almost alive.
Her eyes widened at what she saw from her peripheral vision. She ducked instinctively when she saw a knife coming down fast upon her.
Instinctively, she leapt out of the way, drawing out the dagger she had strapped beneath the silk robe she had on, the cold metal cool and steady in her hand as qi tingled at her fingertips, pointing it at the intruder with deadly precision.
She gasped from shock and surprise when she noticed the assassin was none other than the innkeeper, his eyes dark with intent, aura twisting with a dangerous qi she could sense even from her position.
"You old weasel! What in the god's name are you trying to do?!"
Liling crouched low to avoid another attack when the innkeeper swung at her again. Gritting her teeth, she fumed in annoyance, her patience hanging on by a thread at his insolent behavior.
"Be gone with your vile curse! You evil sorceress!" he cursed in a thick Shan accent, his voice dripping with malevolent intent.
Angered at his attempts to take her life, she felt her blood boil with rage, striking him hard in the ribs while simultaneously tearing through his shoulder with her dagger, qi sparking along her veins with a heat that mirrored her fury.
Not enough to kill him, but enough to leave him wounded until she could find her way back to the others. The old man groaned at the impact, dropping down to his knees and clutching his sides tight.
"I am no sorceress!"
His eyes seemed to widen when he noticed she had understood what he had just called her. Before he could utter any more words, she hit him again, knocking him out when he fell face-first to the ground, her movements fast and precise. Turning on her heels, she dashed out through the door with the wooden floor creaking beneath her feet, each step echoing in the room like the storm raging outside.
Her chest heaved when she turned back to see the innkeeper lying still, until she barreled into sturdy arms which grabbed her before she could reel backward, her qi surging uncontrollably from adrenaline and fear.
Her gaze widened when she came face to face with Shufen, a worried look on his face, his aura calm yet alert, ready to strike or protect when he shifted his arm.
"Liling!" He called out her name, voice steady yet laced with concern.
She panted, dragging in gulps of air, trying to steady herself. "The…the innkeeper! He…he wants me dead!" She muttered strings of incoherent words that he struggled to make out each word, trembling with panic.
"Calm down, it's alright."
He held her in his arms, making her lean against him when her breathing grew harsh, his brows furrowed, worry lines marring his perfectly sculpted face, a rare sight of vulnerability in the usually stoic warrior.
It was an unusual sight, seeing her so out of control with herself from the moment she had stopped using qi.
He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he was scared her massive drawbacks and fears could result in something as terrible as the guardians suspending her from the team.
When she finally stilled in his arm, he urged her forward, twisting and flicking his fingers as he summoned the Soul Calming technique, pressing his fingers from her spine to the back of her neck to help the flow of qi circulate down her meridians, awakening threads of energy that had lain dormant for too long.
She burned, a raging tempest surging right inside of her, forcing a gasp out from her lips, qi intertwining with her very soul as it surged.
She blinked, staring at him in confusion when she managed to move away from him. "Shufen? What did you see?"
"Your qi, it's stagnant. What exactly happened there?"
Liling swallowed hard in an attempt to piece together the reason why she had been here in the first place, her mind racing even as her body trembled. "It was raining, I woke up, the innkeeper had a knife, I took him out and ran as fast as I could," she said, each word etched with both fear and exhaustion.
He stared at her, processing her words slowly, brows drawn together in that infuriating way that made her want to shake him.
"Why would the innkeeper attack you? So suddenly? For no reason?"
She glowered at him, hating the fact that he treated her like she was totally out of her mind. Would she ever suddenly make up stories about the innkeeper if she hadn't seen him with her own two eyes?!
"He attacked me! Maybe you should ask him why when he's finally awake because I would want to know his reasons too!"
"Do not get me wrong, I just do not understand why he would want to do something like that."
He could tell he was already starting to get on her nerves even if that hadn't been his intention in the first place, sensing the faint surge of qi radiating from her frustration.
He had met the innkeeper when he had suddenly felt a surge of unusual energy and was on his way to her room, but the old man had been too busy barking out orders to the poor lads who helped him run the inn.
But unless he was skilled in teleportation technique or was a demon, there was absolutely no way he would have gotten to her unnoticed.
Shufen watched as she unfolded her hands from her chest, grabbing his and dragging him back towards the direction of the room. "Why don't you come see for yourself if you do not believe my words?!"