The cultivator gulped, bile and rage warring within his body as he struggled for control. Drawing a deep breath, Wu Ying exhaled gently, forcing himself to take the time. Calmed, Wu Ying considered their options then looked at Li Yao, who gestured him back. The pair moved back far enough that a stray gust would not carry their voices to the dhole, then they planned their next steps.
“Can you take the larger dhole?” Wu Ying.
“Easily,” Li Yao said, smiling. “But the others will be a problem. Can you handle so many yourself?”
“We could take two out with our arrows,” Wu Ying said contemplatively.
“Three.”
Wu Ying inclined his head, accepting that Li Yao’s faster reload speed would add a third. That left four grown adults and three kids. “Maybe. I’m worried they’ll scatter and come after you.”
“Fair,” Li Yao said. Pack animals and smart hunters, the dhole were unlikely to group up on Wu Ying exclusively. “Depending on how many attack me, fighting the twelve could be tough.”
Wu Ying frowned, considering their options, then made a face. There was another option. “I’ll take the twelve when it charges. I should be able to win. If I can’t, I can delay it.”
After few brief words to hammer down the remainder of the details, the pair crept back to where they had watched the clan.
Wu Ying nocked the crossbow, sliding the bolt into place and taking aim. He saw Li Yao raise three fingers, their predesignated signal for three breaths, then counted down. Almost in unison, the pair released, Wu Ying a little faster than Li Yao. Close enough for their plan to work.
Both bolt and arrow took the resting adult dhole in their chests. Wu Ying’s dhole fell down but staggered upright, the bolt sticking out of its chest, while Li Yao’s never even let out a whimper as it died. Already, the female cultivator was nocking another arrow as the massive dhole looked around and locked on the pair of attackers. It howled and yipped, altering the clan, which spread out. The youngest dhole ran back into the den while the adults scattered and turned towards the pair. The massive monster led a pair of adult dhole on a direct rush while the remaining pair tried to circle around.
Li Yao’s next arrow was aimed at one of the charging beasts, only to be blocked by the monster dhole, its mouth snapping shut on the arrow as it zipped by. Crossbow discarded, Wu Ying was on his feet with his jian drawn. Once again, Wu Ying lamented the lack of heft and cutting edge to his weapon, knowing that a dao or halberd would have been better suited. Once he reached Energy Storage stage, it would matter less. Already, Wu Ying was working on releasing sword chi, adding a longer and more powerful edge to his weapon. But for now, the jian was a less-than-perfect weapon.
Still, he had little choice. Wu Ying dashed down the slope to meet the monstrous twelve dhole, sword pointed toward the sky as he scrambled down. The pair of opponents closed in on one another in a rush and Wu Ying made a snap decision at the last moment, dropping low and sliding rather than risking a lunge. The instinctive decision saved his life as the dhole lunged at nearly the same time, snapping at where Wu Ying would have been. The monster’s attack left its chest and belly wide open, a fact Wu Ying used to great effect. He swung his jian to tear the tender flesh. Unfortunately, the massive monster’s fur was nowhere near as soft as it looked, having transformed into a coarser, hide-like toughness. Wu Ying’s attack scraped and scratched the creature’s body, leaving the barest of wounds.
As Wu Ying came to the end of the monster’s body, he rolled out from beneath it as hind claws thrashed the ground. A blow caught him high on the hip, flinging Wu Ying away and tearing his robes, leaving him injured. As he rolled to his feet, Wu Ying rushed after the monstrous dhole continuing its charge uphill.
“Li Yao!” Wu Ying called in warning.
The female cultivator had discarded her bow for her jade quarterstaff, using the weapon to fend off the other adult dhole. As the monstrous twelve arrived, she smashed down the end of the staff. The attack opened Li Yao to another attack though, forcing her to throw herself back in a flip, moving along the edge of the hill as the remainder dhole attempted to surround and finish her.
Li Yao’s attack was more than sufficient to delay the largest monster, allowing Wu Ying to catch up. As he closed in on the creature, Wu Ying threw himself forward with the Sword’s Truth, the lunge targeted and finding the edge of the monster’s jaw. It slid in, bypassing bone and cutting tendons and ligaments as it found the hollow of the creature’s jawline. A jerk of his arm drew out the jian, then Wu Ying kicked the monster in the side. The attack barely budged the monster, but it allowed Wu Ying to somersault away from the howling, injured creature. Landing on his feet, Wu Ying saw the glimmering, baleful eyes of the monstrous dhole leader fix on him.
He found himself smiling grimly. “Have your attention, do I?” Already, his feet were moving, circling the creature.
The plan was simple. Attack with quick strikes to distract and injure, shift directions and attack types to confuse the monster. Create openings with feints and target the monster’s weaknesses—limbs, tendons, and sensory organs.
Easy.
“Come.”
Tongue lolling out of its injured jaw, the dhole glowed with a deep brown color as it activated its chi. As if it understood Wu Ying’s challenge, the monster lunged forward to meet the cultivator in battle.
“Owwww,” Wu Ying complained as Li Yao finished cleaning his wounds and wiped away the blood and dirt.
The fight with the monstrous dhole had been hectic and surprising. Wu Ying had finally won, only to find Li Yao still caught up in her own battle. Rather than take on the more powerful cultivator directly, the monsters had been delaying her, harassing the cultivator to allow their leader to finish off Wu Ying. Unfortunately for the monsters, the result had been the opposite of their expectation.
Together, the pair of cultivators had finished off the dhole and the final pup without adding to their injuries, leaving them to tend their wounds in peace.
“You should learn a defensive cultivation style,” Li Yao said, shaking her head as she tightly tugged the bandage. “You’re not that talented.”
“I have,” Wu Ying said, ignoring her last truthful, if hurtful, statement. “But it’s slow going.”
“What are you working on?”
Wu Ying hesitated but decided to trust her. Knowledge of another’s martial and cultivation style could be used against a cultivator, but they were from the same sect after all. “The Iron Reinforced Bones Technique.”
“Never heard of it.”
“It reinfo—”
“Bones. I understand it’s intent, but I can offer no advice,” Li Yao said. “It doesn’t seem like it’s a good technique if you are still getting this hurt.”
“All skin,” Wu Ying pointed out.
It was true he had not broken any bones, though a few likely had minor strains. The last time the massive dhole had smashed Wu Ying aside, it had done so while reinforcing its attack with chi. If Wu Ying had not blocked and rolled with the majority of the attack, he would likely have broken a lot more bones.
“Well, it’s your dao,” Li Yao said. “You retrieve the demon stone from your kill. I’ll get the rest.”
“I was hoping to spend my time harvesting,” Wu Ying said, gesturing around the den. “This is a gathering space for chi energy. We’re likely in a natural chi reservoir, or perhaps where some minor dragon lines[22] branch off.” That demon and spirit beasts gathered and lived where the chi density was greater, in an effort to improve their own cultivation, was common knowledge. “There’s likely some valuable herbs around.”