Qiao Jiajin’s face was ashen.
He glanced at the gaping void beside him, then at Xiaoxiao standing before him.
Why wasn’t this woman dead?
Did she come back after falling?
Was this also some kind of “Echo”?
Now, Qiao Jiajin was in even greater agony than being trapped in quicksand—his limbs were pinned beneath massive boulders.
He couldn’t break free. Any forceful struggle only tore his skin, leaving him drenched in blood.
How could he win this game?
“Hey, punk, where’s that bravado from earlier?” Xiaoxiao stepped forward, crouching in front of Qiao Jiajin with a sneer.
“Heh…” Qiao Jiajin grinned. “Still got it. What’re you gonna do about it?”
“What am I gonna do?” Xiaoxiao scoffed, standing up. “If I killed you once, I can kill you again.”
She reached back toward Old Sun without looking. “Give me a rock.”
Old Sun stared blankly at her for a long moment before mumbling, “Don’t bully him…”
“Old Sun!” Xiaoxiao snapped. “Snap out of it! We came here to kill all three of them!”
“We just need to win… Don’t bully him…” Old Sun shook his head, his eyes vacant. “I won’t give it… No way.”
“Tch. Fine, I’ll just beat him to death with my fists.” Ignoring Old Sun, Xiaoxiao raised her fist. “Punk, aren’t you supposed to be quick? Think you can dodge this?”
“Dodge?” Qiao Jiajin smirked. “Your punches are weak as hell. I don’t need to.”
“Hah! Good!” Xiaoxiao laughed. “Then take it!”
Her massive fist shot toward his face—
In a flash, a nimble figure lunged forward, kicking Xiaoxiao’s fist aside before leaping again, landing a series of rapid kicks that sent Xiaoxiao stumbling back five steps.
The figure landed in a horse stance, right foot forward, one hand extended like a crane’s wing, the other clenched in a tiger’s grip.
“Oh?” Xiaoxiao rubbed her aching arm. “Almost forgot about you. What, you think you can take on all three of us alone? You really think you stand a chance?”
Beads of sweat trickled down Li Xiangling’s forehead.
“I don’t know if I can,” she said, steadying her breath, “but I won’t give up.”
Under her breath, she whispered, “Grandpa… I’m sorry. My mind’s in chaos. But this time… I have no choice.”
Luo Shiyi chuckled, shaking his head. “Xiaoxiao, no need for you to bother. I’ll handle her.”
He stretched and stepped forward.
“Oh? You interested?”
“I love killing,” Luo Shiyi said with a grin. “Especially pretty women.”
Old Sun blinked dazedly. “Don’t bully her…”
“Shut up,” Xiaoxiao hissed.
Li Xiangling ignored them, flexing her wrists. “Too bad I don’t even have a staff… stuck using martial arts I’m not even good at.”
Luo Shiyi burst out laughing. “What, you expect us to conjure one for you?”
Conjure… a staff?
Li Xiangling’s eyes flicked to Old Sun—then a thought struck her.
“Hey!” she shouted at him. “Watch my moves!”
With that, she closed her eyes, abandoning the Tiger-Crane stance. Instead, she slowly clenched her hands as if gripping a spear.
“Aunt Tong said… the key to ‘Echo’ is belief…”
She began twirling the invisible spear.
“Eyes and mind as one!” she shouted, thrusting forward. “Breath and strength as one!”
Her hands spun as if rotating the spear.
“Steps and strikes as one!”
With muscle memory guiding her, Li Xiangling’s movements flowed seamlessly—spinning the spear, tossing it skyward, leaping to catch it midair.
“Spirit, energy, will—internal trinity!”
She flipped, landing with perfect form.
“Waist, hands, eyes—external trinity!”
“Kung Fu girl… you…”
Qiao Jiajin’s eyes widened. If this worked… it’d be a game-changer.
Old Sun stared, brow furrowing.
What was she doing?
What was she swinging?
Why did it look so… wrong?
Her movements…
“Shit!” Xiaoxiao finally realized and lunged to cover Old Sun’s eyes. “Old Sun! Don’t look!”
She knew his overuse of “Echo” had shattered his perception.
But even with his eyes covered, Old Sun smiled faintly.
“I see… she’s holding a staff…” he murmured. “That makes sense…”
A slender stone staff materialized in Li Xiangling’s hands.
Her eyes snapped open. With a sharp thrust, she aimed the staff’s tip straight at Xiaoxiao’s throat.
“Azure Dragon Presents Its Claw!”
The strike was too fast—Xiaoxiao couldn’t dodge. The impact crushed her windpipe, sending her crashing down, gasping for air.
“Barrage Sweep!”
Li Xiangling spun the staff, smashing Old Sun aside. Xiaoxiao, still on the ground, barely managed to grab him.
Luo Shiyi seized the chance to charge—
But the staff’s reach was too wide.
Li Xiangling retracted the staff, spun it at her waist, then swung low.
“Parting the Grass to Find the Snake!”
Luo Shiyi felt no pain, but his legs were swept out. He slammed onto the steel bridge with a metallic clang.
“Damn it!” He scrambled up and rushed again.
“Erlang Carries the Mountain!”
Seeing the staff descending, Luo Shiyi grinned—and instead of dodging, he rammed his head straight into it.
**CRACK!**
Blood sprayed as the stone staff shattered.
Brittle against bone, it snapped clean in half.
“No! Kung Fu girl—run!” Qiao Jiajin roared. “Jump off the bridge!”
He knew her spear skills were lethal, but she lacked experience. Against someone suicidal, she was in deadly danger.
Too late.
Luo Shiyi was already upon her.
Li Xiangling barely raised the broken staff in time, stabbing at his chest.
**THUD.**
The impact barely slowed him.
Luo Shiyi grinned, blood gushing from his mouth, and seized her collar, slamming her to the ground.
“Kung Fu girl—!” Qiao Jiajin strained uselessly against the boulders.
Now Li Xiangling saw him clearly—
The strike to his forehead had torn away flesh, exposing pale bone. Blood drenched his face like a corpse freshly risen.
A demon from the grave.
“Got you…” Luo Shiyi rasped. “Even if you stab my heart… I won’t stop.”
Fear gripped her.
Was this thing even human anymore?
“Our goal is to kill you…” He laughed, dragging her toward the edge. “Whether I die doesn’t matter!”
She battered his body with the broken staff, but he didn’t flinch.
“Come on… let’s die together…”
“Y-you freak—let go!” she choked, terror in her eyes.
Qiao Jiajin twisted his head. “Hey… kill me first… then her…”
“Relax,” Luo Shiyi chuckled. “You’re all dying.”
He glanced at Xiaoxiao. “I’ll take this one first. You handle the rest.”
Without waiting for a reply, he leapt off the bridge—dragging Li Xiangling with him.
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