The true test of their "partnership" came a week later. They were in the upper market, Kael
buying quality grain for the shelter and Lin Yue (to his immense embarrassment) "escorting"
him, when a scream cut through the crowd.
A wealthy merchant, a fat man in gaudy, gold-flecked robes and a 7th-level Qi Condensation
aura, was beating a young servant girl in the street. She had apparently dropped a priceless
jade statue, and he was taking payment from her hide with a Qi-infused whip.
The crowd watched, silent, disgusted, but too terrified to intervene.
Kael was moving before he even thought. He put himself between the whip and the girl. The
whip, expecting to tear flesh, cracked against Kael's back. His [Aura of Protection] flared,
stopping the spiritual damage, but the physical force was still immense. It tore his shirt and left a
bloody weal, but he didn't even grunt.
[HP: 200/200 -> 195/200]
The merchant, stunned, roared, "Who are you, you filth?!"
"He's with me." Lin Yue's voice was pure ice. She was at Kael's side, her hand on the jade flute
at her waist.
The merchant's face went from purple rage to chalky white. He recognized her. Or at least, her
power. "Lady... cultivator... I... this is my property! She is my slave! I am within my rights!"
"She is a person," Kael said, his voice a low growl. His Vow was already set. He was readying
his [Guardian's Stance]. This would be a real fight. This man was stronger than Zhu.
Lin Yue, however, looked at the merchant with utter, cold disdain. She then turned to Kael, her
expression clinical.
"He's 7th-level," she said, as if discussing the weather. "He is a known tyrant in this district. He's
protected by his family. Even if you 'win,' he will have this girl killed. He will have the orphanage
burned. It is the logical outcome."
"So we stop him," Kael said, his hand gripping his sword.
"Correct." Lin Yue nodded. "I can encase his heart in a shard of ice from the inside. It will be
instant. It will look like a 'Qi-deviation.' No one will know. It is the cleanest, most merciful
solution. It ends his evil, and it saves everyone you protect from his revenge."
She was perfectly, chillingly serious.
Kael was so horrified he took a step back. He looked at her, at this beautiful, powerful woman, He moved. But not toward the merchant. He moved to stand between Lin Yue and the
merchant.
"No," Kael said, his voice shaking with a profound, absolute rejection.
Lin Yue's eyes widened. "He is the enemy."
"I know," Kael said, his [Iron Will] flaring, not against a foe, but against his ally. "But we don't kill.
We don't murder. We are not judges. We are not executioners. We are shields. That is the path.
My path. You will not kill him."
The merchant was now panting with terror, caught between an immovable object and an
unstoppable force.
Lin Yue stared at Kael. He was defying her. He, the mortal, was protecting his enemy... from
her. His conviction was so absolute, so bright in its stubbornness, it was almost physically
painful for her to look at. He was... magnificent. And he was a fool.
"You are weak," she whispered, her voice laced with a frustration so deep it was almost painful.
"He will return. He will bring ruin."
"Then I will be there to stop him," Kael said. He then turned to the terrified merchant, who
flinched. Kael reached into his own tunic and pulled out the bag of silver—the last of his reward.
He threw it at the merchant's feet. "That is my payment. For the statue. And for her."
He pointed at the cowering girl. "You will write a bill of sale, freeing her. You will give it to me.
And you will never touch her, or anyone in the slums, again. Because if you do... I promise
you... you won't have to deal with her." He jerked a thumb at Lin Yue. "You'll have to deal with
me. And I am very, very sturdy."
The merchant, looking at the ice-cold prodigy and the "dead" man who radiated an impossible,
terrifying menace, scrambled to obey. He scribbled a deed of manumission, threw it at Kael, and
fled, leaving the money and his dignity behind.
Kael picked up the paper and handed it to the stunned, weeping girl. "You're free."
He then turned to Lin Yue. She was furious, her entire body rigid. "You are a fool," she seethed.
"You saved a monster's life!"
"I saved a girl," Kael said, his back aching. "And I didn't become a monster to do it. That's the
difference."
He walked away, the freed girl trailing in his wake. Lin Yue was left standing alone in the square,
trembling with a complex, warring storm of rage, frustration, and a new, burning, and profoundly
unwelcome... respect.