Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 151: Alert

"I'm an illegitimate child of a certain clan, a fact you've already pointed out twice. I am not sure what methods you used to find it out but it is rude thing to say" Wuyi responded.

Just then, a towering red figure emerged from a corner and positioned himself behind Monk Zhen.

The music ceased. Lady Xueyan took two steps back, and a shiver ran through the female members of the Lotus Pavilion as well as the commoners. The courtyard fell into a hushed silence.

Monk Zhen met Wuyi's stern gaze for a few moments before sensing that something was amiss—the silence was too profound.

"Speak again, Monk. Go ahead," Wuyi dared.

Before Monk Zhen could utter a word, he was lifted into the air and hurled several miles away. A long pause ensued before the imposing red figure turned and retreated.

It took another minute for the crowd to regain their composure.

"I apologize," Wuyi said to Lady Xueyan. "My Dao protector takes offense when anyone insults the young master of his clan."

Lady Xueyan was still in a state of shock. She had wondered why such a young man led so many warriors, but now it all made sense. She finally collected herself and nodded.

"You go to great lengths to conceal your lineage," Lady Xueyan observed.

"Do you know why?" Wuyi asked.

Lady Xueyan shook her head.

"Good," Wuyi said, his eyes still on the spot where Monk Zhen had been. "Where did he come from? What can you tell me about him?"

The dance had ended awkwardly due to the arrival of the red Daoist, and the dancers hesitantly returned to their seats. Lady Xueyan cleared her throat.

"He was the one who came to our Pavallion," Lady Xueyan said softly. "He's not of noble birth."

Wuyi nodded but before he could ask for more details, Suddenly, the western sky brightened with a prolonged, red-hued flash, too enduring to be mere lightning.

"Alert!" Wuyi bellowed. "Open the gate, arm all crossbows, load the ballistae. Move!"

Meiying, who had been observing from a distance, looked puzzled. "Open the gate?" she questioned.

"Yes, open it. Prepare a scout team; you're in charge," Wuyi urged, nudging her.

Many of the warriors were already in motion, but had Wuyi not been distracted by the evening's unfolding events, they would have been fully armored by now.

A group of Qi warriors were already at their horses near the torch-lit entrance, with their aides and apprentices rushing to equip them. Archers hurried from the courtyard to the walkways along the walls, some even in a state of undress, illuminated by the courtyard fires.

Another, shorter burst of light flashed in the west.

Wuyi was grinning as he clasped his hands in a familiar gesture. "May I excuse myself? I should return before the next bell tolls."

Lady Xueyan scrutinized him in the flickering light. "Is this your doing, not the enemy's?"

He shrugged. "That's the plan," he said, leaning in closer. "Special bonfire, in their camp. At least, that's what I'm hoping for."

Wuyi eyed the narrow gateway as it began to clear. Few scouts riding horses arrived in front of him. Leading them was Yun Ming.

"Any pursuit?" he asked Yun Ming.

Yun Ming shrugged. "How would I know?" But he relented. "I wouldn't think so."

He though for a while then spoke "We lit ten farms' worth of woods, and sent the fire downwind right at the demonic camp."

"How many Demon Talons?" Wuyi asked.

"At least a hundred. Maybe thrice that—there's no proper counting in the dark," Yun Ming replied, adding, "Young Master." that he had forgotten to add.

Wuyi spoke loudly," Everyone stay alert we just ambushed enemies camp."

A pair of attendants and an archer began to winch the main gate shut.

Before the gate had fully closed, another loud shout of "Alert!" echoed from the highest tower above the Pavilion Elders' dormitory. Almost simultaneously, Wuyi heard the unmistakable twang of a crossbow being fired.

Something passed over the moon. Thankfully, every man was on the walls and alert, or it might have been worse when the flying serpent descended into the courtyard.

Its wings were the size of a large cart, and its claws wreaked havoc among the unarmored dancers and singers. Before the screams started, the serpent was hit by a dozen bolts, it raised its head, and screeched a long cry of anger and pain before leaping back into the air.

Wuyi saw Jia, unarmored, hurdle a pair of corpses and draw his heavy dagger, flinging himself at the flying serpent's back as it lifted into the air. Its tail flicked—and slammed full force into Jia's hip. Jia screamed in pain and was thrown onto the stone.

The flying serpent whirled to finish Jia, but Baijian stepped between the monster and its prey. The big man had a long, heavy spear in hand, and he attacked, thrusting for the thing's head.

It was fast—but its sinuous neck served the creature as a man's torso serves a man, and when it flicked its head to avoid the spear, it could neither strike nor rise into the air until it had regained its balance.

Baijian stepped in closer, shortened his grip on the spear, and struck hard, thrusting it brutally into the creature's chest where the neck met its underbelly. Long shafts began to feather the thing's wings and abdomen. It screamed and leaped into the air, wings beating hard. As it slammed its tail at Baijian, the big man jumped high and narrowly cleared the lashing tail.

However, he missed the flicker of a wing in the dark, and the wingtip creased his Qi armor, slamming him to the ground.

The archers on the walls loosed shaft after shaft. Meiying stood a horse's length away, drawing shafts from the quiver on her back and loosing them carefully—aiming for any vulnerable part.

The bonfire in the courtyard illuminated their target, and the wickedly forged arrowheads cut into the beast's hide like chisels through wood, while the sparks from the courtyard fires rose like fireflies against the weakening wingbeats.

Wuyi capitalized on the opening his attendant had created. Noticing that this flying serpent was more formidable than any they had previously faced, He summoned Red Daoist. the Red Daoist readied himself, halberd in hand. As the creature soared into the air, the Red Daoist matched its ascent with a powerful leap, striking at the serpent's neck.

His halberd latched around its throat, and, securing the weapon with his left hand, he allowed himself to fall, transforming the halberd into a deadly fulcrum that yanked the serpent's head downwards. The beast lost altitude and plummeted onto the steps of the main hall of the pavilion. With relentless force, the Red Daoist drove his halberd deeper into the soft underside of the serpent's neck.

The serpent's jaws snapped helplessly away from him, and in its fury and panic, it injured itself further as it repeatedly slammed its head against the steps.

A lone crossbowman ran along the parapet, leaped down to the courtyard, stumbled, righted himself, and loosed his heavy weapon into the serpent's head from a few feet away. The power of the bolt snapped serpents head back, and the Red Daoist rolled to his left, released his left hand, and got to his feet, his heavy halberd already lashing out at the neck—again and again.

When the head came up, he caught the halberd in his left hand again and slashed down into the creature's head, his weapon's blade sliding down its armored scales to slice the softer flesh.

He made ten strokes in as many heartbeats, and the head suddenly snapped back; the whole beast rolled like a man, and the brave crossbowman died when the mighty claws took him around the waist and tore him in half.

At that moment, the beast, driven to madness by its pain and rage, lunged with all its strength at the Red Daoist, hurling him against the wall.

"There's another!" shouted Baijian, from his left.

While he was speaking, a tip of the thrashing tail caught his right ankle and almost ripped his feet from under him, and Wuyi watched from a distance. He felt like participating in this battle, but the statue of knowledge reminded him that it was a bad idea since he was not in armor.

Yun Ming attacked from the other side. With its full strength, the beast slammed Yun Ming against a hard wall of the fort. Meiying rushed to his rescue, but the berserk serpent slammed her too. She hit the steps of the fort hard. The serpent reared over her.

Wuyi emerged from the shadows to her right and hurled a large barrel at the creature. The barrel struck the monster's head, throwing it off balance just as one of the crossbow ballista operators fired a massive arrow.

The force of the arrow was so immense that it severed the creature's neck and propelled it through the ancestor's hall of the pavilion with such velocity that its head shattered the stone lintel, cracking it upon impact. Wuyi heard the creature's neck snap.