Battle and Lust
1021 Words
Mei ran to where Gao lay on the ground, incapacitated, and bent down to try to revive him. Four women from Mei and Gao's group of henchmen had rushed to find the girl who had shot that arrow, and five sunburned, muscular men lunged at Yun. He wasted no time dodging and blocking the blows they attempted to deliver.
The prince sidestepped one blow and parried another. He noticed from the corner of his eye that these men had blank looks; definitely not normal. He landed a couple of kicks that knocked down two of them and then leaped out of the throng of men, turning to look at them with a mocking gaze.
"There's no doubt that the strongest ones are Mei and Gao," Yun thought, breathing heavily due to the combat. "All the others seem like farmers or herders... I strongly suspect they might be under some kind of enchantment. I'm not sure, but now I need to make sure Siu is okay.
Yun started running and couldn't help passing by the grand monument crafted specifically for the Fenghuang. However, he had to keep going as he feared for Siu's life. His heart swelled with emotion at the thought of soon invoking the sacred bird. That was his last hope. Time was ticking away second by second.
He moved a few steps away from the monument, as the women were coming running from the distance, holding Siu captive. His young companion had a furrowed brow and struggled to break free from the grip that held her back.
"Come here, bring the girl, and while you're at it, Prince Yun!" Mei shouted from a distance, although she didn't move from where she stood. Apparently, she was determined to recover Gao at all costs.
"Release her now!" demanded Yun, who stood still, prepared to fight them if necessary.**
The four women halted, while Siu continued to struggle.
"Yun, don't stop because of me. Go and quickly invoke the Fenghuang. The sunset is almost here," Siu exclaimed, and one of the women silenced her with a slap that left her cheek reddened.
"First, he'll have to deal with us," affirmed one of the girls who seemed even younger than Siu. She didn't hesitate to run toward him, shouting and drawing a wooden sword.
Yun clenched his fists, feeling powerless, because Siu was right. Everything was trying to divert him from his true purpose, and the anger he had felt moments ago, which had helped him break free from those cages, began to swirl from his stomach to his chest like a current of uncontrollable fire.
When the woman was close enough and swung her sword at him, he quickly intercepted the strike by catching the blade with his hands and, using the strength of his arms, he lifted it, along with her, before tossing her aside, leaving her in pain on the ground.
Yun didn't have time to plan his next move as another blow came from behind him and he managed to block it with his injured arm. It was Mei, who had rejoined the fight.
"Don't fight anymore, my dear," Mei began to say while she pressed her fist against Yun's arm. "It's useless... Just look at what they're doing to your little friend."
Yun turned to look, and they had Siu, torturing her by cutting her arms to inflict pain. Even the woman he had thrown to the ground was participating in this grotesque act. His body started shaking with impotence and even more internal rage. Suddenly, he felt a kick at his leg level that made him fall to the ground.
Mei got on top of Yun, straddling his torso, and while holding his arms, she leaned in as if to kiss him. He averted his gaze toward Siu. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw how much blood she was losing.
"Damn it... She's not involved. Why are they doing this to her? Is there no justice in this world?" Yun struggled, but it was as if the woman on top of him was as heavy as a rock. She definitely possessed supernatural powers; that's the only thing Yun could think of. Just in time, Mei grabbed his chin to make him look into her eyes, which seemed much darker than he remembered.
"Tell me what they want from me and tell them to leave her alone. She has nothing to do with any of this," Yun pleaded.
"Wrong..." Mei responded, very close to Yun's face. "She poked her nose into this, and she's still doing it." Her hand turned his face in the direction of Gao, who was being attended to by the group of men. "See? My comrade for yours. Everything in this world has a price. Now come, give me a kiss."
Yun's breathing grew heavy with each passing second, and Mei never stopped staring directly into his eyes. She started kissing his neck; those kisses felt repulsive to him, and he couldn't help but furrow his brow followed by a grimace of complete disgust.
"You taste exquisite, Prince," she purred in his ear. "You know? I've wanted you since you took off your shirt by the river. I'm telling you the truth." Mei left a couple of hickeys on his neck.
Yun ignored the woman's words. He turned to look at Gao, who seemed to be trying to move. Then he saw poor Siu lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. He heard the morbid giggles of the group of women who couldn't stop watching the scene Mei was providing.
Then he looked at the monument, which was practically right in front of him. His disappointment was overwhelming, and he saw it as nothing more than a rock formation, incapable of doing anything for his mother, let alone for all of China. Yun sighed, resigned and furious. Finally, he turned to look at Mei, who had lowered herself and was beginning to unbutton her shirt to reveal her chest.
His eyes were burning again. Yun could feel them burning once more. That furious heat seemed inhuman and he could hardly control it
- Writer
