Chapter 15: Your Opponent Is Me
The cheerful atmosphere of their outing contrasted sharply with Xiang Yu's internal turmoil. While Li Yao bounced with unbridled enthusiasm, pointing excitedly at various stalls and attractions in the mortal town, Xiang Yu couldn't shake the ominous feeling weighing in his stomach. Every cultivation novel he'd ever read flashed through his mind—the protagonist venturing outside the sect's protection inevitably triggered some calamitous encounter.
"Isn't this fun, Senior Brother?" Li Yao asked, her eyes sparkling as she clutched a sugar figurine purchased from a roadside vendor.
"Absolutely," Xiang Yu replied with a manufactured smile, all while mentally reciting every possible disaster scenario. Just once, could the universe not follow narrative convention? he silently pleaded, maintaining his facade of enjoyment as they wove through the crowded marketplace.
For several more hours, this charade continued—Li Yao delighting in the simple pleasures of mortal life, Xiang Yu vigilantly scanning for threats while pretending to share her enthusiasm. His tension only mounted as the day progressed, each passing moment without incident somehow making him more anxious rather than less.
Finally, as the afternoon sun began its descent, Li Yao sighed contentedly. "I think I've had enough fun for today. We should head back before Master notices we've been gone too long."
Relief flooded through Xiang Yu's body. They were going home! He had survived an entire day outside the sect without triggering some protagonist-centered crisis. Perhaps his paranoia had been unfounded after all.
As they followed the mountain path back toward Azure Cloud Sect, Xiang Yu allowed himself to relax slightly. His shoulders loosened, his breathing deepened, and a genuine smile began to form.
"Come out! I know you're out there!" Li Yao's sudden shout shattered his momentary peace.
Xiang Yu's heart plummeted like a stone dropped from the mountain's peak. I fucking knew it, he thought bitterly, exasperation overwhelming his fear. Not even choosing a mortal town—deliberately selected for its minimal cultivation presence—had spared him from the narrative's relentless machinery. He should've just stayed home, cultivating in blessed solitude.
Within moments, six figures emerged from the dense forest surrounding the path. Five disciples, led by none other than Dean Gu Hanming of the Scripture Pavilion. The sight confirmed Xiang Yu's worst fears—trouble had indeed found them.
"Hehehe! You're quite sharp, kid," the dean chuckled, his voice carrying artificial levity that failed to mask his malice. "But this doesn't change anything."
Li Yao immediately positioned herself in front of Xiang Yu, a protective gesture that touched him despite the direness of their situation. He genuinely appreciated her consideration, but anxiety gnawed at his confidence. Yes, she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator—impressive for someone her age—but the dean operated in an entirely different league. For one to become a dean in the sect, the had to have at least Core Formation cultivation, a full realm above Li Yao's level.
The power disparity was astronomical—like comparing a candle to the sun. Still, Xiang Yu clung to a shred of hope. After all, what's a protagonist if the cant fight beyond a realm or two? And if anyone matched the protagonist archetype, it was certainly Li Yao.
"What do you want?" Li Yao's voice remained steady, betraying no fear.
The dean's eyes narrowed, hatred radiating from him in palpable waves. "Don't try to act like you don't know!" he snarled. "I know you were the one who killed my little brother." His fingers twitched with barely contained rage. "I know he wasn't the best of people, but—"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Li Yao interrupted, her head tilting in apparent confusion. "I think you have the wrong person. I don't remember seeing your brother."
The dean's face contorted with fury. "What? My little brother came to your pavilion to challenge your senior brother, but you killed him!" His voice grew increasingly shrill. "And now you're acting as if you don't know him?"
Li Yao's expression suddenly shifted, her mouth forming a perfect "O" of realization.
"Remember now?" the dean asked, noticing her changed expression.
"Oh, so you meant that trash," she replied with casual disdain. "He was so insignificant that I didn't remember him." The dean's face flushed deep crimson, but Li Yao continued pressing, examining him with exaggerated scrutiny. "Now that I look at you, I can see the resemblance. After all, you're both trash."
In the next instant, all pretense vanished. The dean launched himself forward with explosive force, spiritual energy crackling around him as he charged toward them. Li Yao calmly drew her sword, its blade gleaming in the afternoon light.
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Xiang Yu watched the unfolding confrontation with a mixture of resignation and exasperation. Why did she have to antagonize him? he wondered. Couldn't they have at least attempted diplomacy before jumping straight to mortal combat?
...
"How dare you make fun of me!" the dean roared, his face contorted with rage as he charged toward Li Yao with a clenched fist wreathed in swirling spiritual energy. The air around his knuckles distorted from the sheer power concentrated there, a testament to his Core Formation cultivation.
In one fluid motion, Li Yao drew her sword, its polished blade gleaming in the dappled forest light as she positioned it defensively before her. The collision between the dean's fist and her blade sent a thunderous boom echoing through the forest, kicking up a violent storm of dust and debris. The shockwave rippled outward with such force that nearby saplings were torn from the ground, their roots exposed to the air as they tumbled away.
When the dust finally settled, both combatants had been pushed backward several paces, their feet having carved shallow trenches in the earth. Neither showed any signs of injury, though the intensity of their spiritual energies crackled in the air between them like invisible lightning.
The dean straightened his robes with an exaggerated show of nonchalance. "Hmph! I know you're just trying to rile me up, but I'm not falling for such provocation," he declared, his chin lifted with manufactured dignity.
Xiang Yu watched this display with incredulous disbelief. You just fell for it though, he thought, wisely keeping this observation to himself as he edged slowly backward.
The dean's gaze suddenly shifted, his eyes narrowing as they locked onto Xiang Yu. "Since you dared to kill my brother," he announced with cold deliberation, "I'll kill yours too!" Before the final syllable had fully left his lips, he had already launched himself toward Xiang Yu, closing the distance with terrifying speed.
Shock paralyzed Xiang Yu momentarily. What? How did I get into all this? What does this have to do with me? His mind raced frantically, but his body remained frozen as the dean's fist, now glowing with deadly intent, hurtled toward his face.
Dammit! I shouldn't have agreed to this date, he lamented, certain he was about to pay with his life for the simple mistake of venturing out with the heroine. The bitter irony wasn't lost on him—he had spent every waking moment trying to avoid protagonist-centered disasters, only to die in the most clichéd manner possible.
Just as the dean's fist was about to connect, a blur of azure streaked through his vision. Li Yao had moved with astonishing speed, her leg connecting with the dean's extended arm in a powerful kick that sent him careening sideways into a thick tree trunk.
"Your opponent is me," she declared, her voice carrying a deadly edge as she positioned herself protectively between Xiang Yu and the dean. "Leave my senior brother out of it." Without taking her eyes off her opponent, she called over her shoulder, "Run, Senior Brother!"
When she glanced back, however, Xiang Yu was already gone, having disappeared into the dense undergrowth the moment she had created an opening. In his mind, survival instinct needed no verbal encouragement—the moment the dean had been knocked away, his body had automatically launched into action, propelling him deeper into the forest's protective embrace.
The dean recovered quickly, brushing splinters from his robes as he assessed the situation. His gaze shifted to the five disciples still standing uncertainly at the edge of the clearing. "What are you waiting for?" he barked. "Go after him!"
The disciples immediately sprang into action, racing toward the forest where Xiang Yu had vanished. Li Yao moved to intercept them, her sword flashing in a deadly arc as she prepared to cut them off.
"Not so fast!" she called, but before her blade could find its mark, the dean materialized between her and his disciples, his hand shooting out to grasp her sword firmly by its blade, seemingly impervious to its sharp edge.
With his free hand, he gestured for his followers to continue their pursuit, a smirk playing across his lips as he turned back to Li Yao. "Your opponent is me," he echoed her words mockingly, "leave my juniors out of it."