The Unyielding Heart

Bai Chen and Bai Qiao stood at a measured distance from Mo Xiao. A profound silence seemed to have settled over their surroundings. A late autumn night could hardly be called refreshing; tonight’s wind was quite strong, carrying with it a bone-chilling cold. This was especially true for Bai Chen, who had lost a significant amount of blood, his body already trembling uncontrollably.

Bai Qiao clutched desperately at Bai Chen, distinctly feeling the tremor running through him. His shivers were infectious, and soon her own body began to tremble, though not from the cold, and certainly not from fear. After all, Bai Qiao was much like Bai Chen. ‘What is fear?’ she thought. ‘I don’t know. What is hell? Utterly insignificant. Nothing is insurmountable, nothing truly terrifying…’

Perhaps Bai Qiao’s gaze was so strikingly similar to Bai Chen’s that Mo Xiao momentarily mistook them for one another. A faint smile played on his lips as he came to his senses, then he shot down from the rooftop, landing directly before the pair. Mo Xiao’s height dwarfed them both, and even without the advantage of elevated ground, he exuded a palpable sense of dread—an inherent, unyielding pressure that was all the more potent for its lack of external support.

For Bai Qiao especially, who had never considered herself particularly short, the sensation of having to crane her neck to look up at someone now was unbearable. This act of gazing upwards utterly shattered her pride, so Bai Qiao simply refused to meet his gaze. Indeed, all the Kings were reverently deferential in his presence; even the haughty Bai Chen would bow his head in submission before him.

Yet, none of this held any sway over Bai Qiao. She did not live in an age of monarchs, nor an era of chivalry; hers was an age of universal equality. In her mind, there were no emperors, no kings. Such a concept, ingrained in her very being since birth, was not easily dislodged. At least for now, Bai Qiao found the idea of kneeling before His Majesty, as others did, to be utterly preposterous!

Mo Xiao’s gaze bored into Bai Qiao’s face. ‘That unyielding expression? Hah,’ he thought. ‘It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen it before; they were always eventually brought to heel. Of course, there were those who remained defiant unto death, but even they had objects of their loyalty, appearing docile and obedient before someone else. Bai Qiao, however, was completely wild and untamed; she would never bend her knee to a soul. Now that, that was truly interesting…’

But first… the mockery in Mo Xiao’s eyes flickered and vanished, as a brutal cruelty immediately seized control of his every emotion. No one could obstruct his ascension to kingship, not even a plaything he admired!

“Bang!”

It was a sudden assault, without the slightest warning. Its speed was such that Bai Qiao could scarcely perceive his strike or movement before she felt a sudden warmth bloom on her body. Bai Chen slumped limply onto her, his face a stark white, devoid of the vibrant arrogance that once defined him. His eyes were tightly shut, his lips had turned ashen, and his entire face was drained of all color.

Her hand trembled faintly as she gently cupped Bai Chen’s face. Seeing its cadaverous pallor, Bai Qiao felt a distinct tremor deep within her, but her expression swiftly contorted into one of pure fury.

“You despicable—!”

Her jaw was seized in an iron grip, the bones feeling as if they were already splintering. The searing pain slowly morphed into a burning inferno. Without the slightest hesitation, Mo Xiao flung her away with brutal force.

“Thud!”

Bai Qiao slammed into the wall behind her, and several massive fissures instantly spiderwebbed across its surface. Fragments of stone rained down onto the ground as a cloud of dust billowed. Bai Qiao choked out a few coughs, and thick, viscous blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, mixing with the dust on the ground to present an utterly wretched sight.

Bai Qiao wiped the fresh blood from her lips. With a body still devoid of internal energy, she struggled immensely to withstand such an assault; even standing became an arduous task. Her bones felt as though they might shatter, yet her fierce pride would never permit her to fall here. She struggled to her feet, only to be struck down once more.

Something deep within her seemed to have been suppressed, and under the weight of this crushing frustration, the repression became unbearable. ‘It’s excruciatingly painful… so hot…’ she thought. ‘Don’t hold it back! Let go, burst forth, I want to break free… I don’t want to be suppressed anymore…’

After being repeatedly struck down, her consciousness slowly blurred. Her clothes clung to her body, slick with sweat and blood. Finally, Bai Qiao could only slump against the corner of the wall, her trembling hand braced against the wall behind her, her upper body slumped forward and shaking uncontrollably from sheer exhaustion.

‘No…’ Her eyes were half-lidded. Through her blurred vision, she saw Mo Xiao’s raised hand. ‘Is this the final blow? Hah? How utterly ironic. I, a man, am forced into this accursed place to live as a woman… And now to be killed? Is this a kind of release?’

****

‘No, don’t! Why should I die? I shouldn’t be the prey; I am the predator… I cannot be slaughtered like this! All this time, being a weakling, living at the very bottom since coming here… all of it… And my former self… the Bai Chen who once disdained all living beings…’

“Ah!”

Her half-lidded, unfocused eyes suddenly blazed with a fierce, malevolent intensity.

“Hm?”

Qing idly jingled the shackles on his hands, listening to their clanging echo, the sole sound disturbing the profound silence. ‘That child… they broke through their restraints on their own, did they?’ he mused. ‘Hah, then let them be free. This period, living without internal energy, must have been a harsh trial for such a proud and spirited individual, wouldn’t you say?’

A surge of power coursed through her once more, and her injuries, too, seemed to mend themselves. Bai Qiao looked down at her hand, clenching and unclenching it. Even though she hadn’t known what internal energy was before, she understood a great deal more now. ‘This… this must be internal energy…’

One hand snapped shut around Mo Xiao’s descending hand, without even raising her head. With the other hand braced against the wall, she slowly rose to her feet, disregarding the shock that now contorted Mo Xiao’s face. Tilting her head slightly, a demonic yet ‘brilliant’ smile suddenly stretched across her lips.

“Had your fun? Is it my turn now?!”

****