The sand crunched softly under their steps as Zhu Xian and Die Ba pressed forward, fatigue gnawing at their muscles. Die Ba’s jade-green tail shimmered faintly under a thin veil of spiritual energy, a small effort to keep her stride poised despite the merciless desert heat.
The sun bore down like molten iron. Each gust of wind carried with it the sting of sand, the bitter scent of dust and dried blood mingling in the air.
Then, the desert went silent.
The wind stilled. No insects, no distant hisses of reptiles —only the faint vibration beneath their feet.
Zhu Xian raised his hand, signaling her to stop.
—We’re surrounded… —he murmured, golden light flashing briefly in his eyes as he felt the disturbance through the dunes.
Die Ba froze, her jaw tightening, eyes sharpening with a mixture of fear and resignation.
—They’re from my tribe… —her voice was quiet, laced with bitterness and grief. —I knew they would find me sooner or later.
From the dunes, the shadows came —tall, lithe figures, their upper bodies human but their lower halves serpentine, tails coiled tight against the hot sand. Spears glinted black under the dying light of the sun. Their vertical pupils shone with lethal intent, scales hard and shimmering with the energy of honed Dou Qi.
One stepped forward, broad-shouldered, tattoos in crimson swirling like living fire across his chest. His voice hissed like steel on stone as he leveled his spear toward her.
—Hand over Die Ba! —he roared, his tail striking the ground with a thud that sent sand trembling. —She has no right to draw breath while our queen reigns!
Die Ba stiffened, her face pale but her gaze steady. Those words… she had heard them before, but they cut just as deep every time.
—Zhu Xian… —her voice cracked, barely audible over the soft hiss of the sand —you don’t have to fight for me. They’re strong… there are too many of them.
Zhu Xian lifted a hand, cutting her off.
—She isn’t yours to claim. —His voice was calm, but his stance was unshakable. —And I won’t let anyone lay a hand on her.
Murmurs rippled through the group —shock, outrage. That a human —a mere outsider— dared to defy them was unthinkable.
Then came the hissed command.
—Kill them both!
The desert exploded with movement. Warriors surged forward, their bodies a blur of scales and sinew, spears and daggers flashing with venomous Dou Qi.
Die Ba’s chest tightened, her pulse hammering. She knew their levels —mid to low Dou Shi, but their numbers alone made them deadly. Even the strongest fighter could fall if surrounded.
—Zhu Xian! —she screamed, fear tightening her throat.
But he didn’t move back.
Zhu Xian stepped forward, his white hair catching the sunlight like a blade. His voice cut through the chaos, deep and steady:
—I don’t care if you’re human… or serpent. Whoever tries to harm her… will face me.
Die Ba’s pupils trembled, her vision blurring as his figure etched itself deep into her heart.
The leader lunged first, spear darting like lightning. Six others followed, tails whipping across the sand in coordinated arcs of lethal speed.
Zhu Xian didn’t draw on full Dou Qi —not yet. His body moved with pure instinct, strength coiled like a predator in motion, a faint red-gold glow sparking across his skin as his suppressed energy flared to life.
The first spear aimed straight for his chest. Zhu Xian turned sharply, forearm striking the shaft with a snap. The weapon shattered like brittle wood. Before its wielder could react, Zhu Xian’s fist slammed into his abdomen, sending him flying across the dunes, a cloud of sand trailing behind his crumpled body.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Every movement was precise, controlled —not fueled by rage, but by purpose.
He pivoted sharply, heel slamming into the sand. The ground cracked with a sharp tremor, a shockwave rippling outward and throwing three warriors to the ground. They writhed, gasping, unable to rise.
The leader roared, venom coating his blade, his muscles surging as his Dou Qi flared crimson-black.
—Insolent human! I’ll rip you apart!
He lunged, faster this time, blade whistling toward Zhu Xian’s throat.
—Zhu Xian! —Die Ba’s voice broke in desperation.
Zhu Xian exhaled, calm, and the glow around him deepened. Power surged beneath his skin, molten gold streaked with hints of fire and wood.
Roots of spiritual energy erupted from the sand at his feet, whipping upward in a blur. They coiled around two advancing warriors, snapping their tails with bone-cracking force before slamming them to the ground.
The leader struck, but Zhu Xian moved faster. His hand shot out, seizing the warrior’s wrist mid-swing. With a sharp twist, the poisoned blade dropped uselessly into the sand. Zhu Xian pivoted, his body fluid as water, and slammed the man into the earth hard enough to leave a crater.
Leaning close, his voice was low but unyielding:
—If I wanted you dead, you’d already be gone. Go back to your tribe. Tell them Die Ba is under my protection.
The warrior froze, the venom of his Dou Qi dissipating as fear replaced fury. What he saw in Zhu Xian’s eyes was not arrogance —it was absolute, immovable resolve.
The remaining warriors hesitated, their tails coiling tighter in the sand. None dared step forward.
The silence that followed was sharp as a blade.
Die Ba moved to his side, her steps unsteady, her lips parted in awe.
—You… you didn’t kill them —she whispered, disbelief softening her voice.
Zhu Xian turned his head slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
—Life is already fragile enough in this world. I won’t waste it needlessly… especially not on your people.
Her breath caught. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest.
The warriors gathered their wounded and retreated, the leader casting one last glance —a twisted mix of hatred and fear— before disappearing beyond the dunes.
Only then did Zhu Xian’s shoulders drop, the tension bleeding out as the desert grew quiet once more.
Die Ba’s hand found his arm, light but steady.
—Your wounds had only just healed… and now you’ve saved me again, even from my own blood. Why… why do you keep doing this?
Zhu Xian looked down at her, his face calm, but his eyes carrying a quiet warmth.
—Because you deserve it. And because… even if your people can’t see it, you deserve to live, Die Ba.
Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She clutched his arm tighter, a fragile smile trembling on her lips.
The wind picked up, carrying a veil of golden sand across the horizon. And though the night approached, in Die Ba’s chest, something new had ignited —a fragile but unbreakable light.