CHAPTER 142: NIGHT RAID

The inn was dark except for the single lantern outside their room. Its warm light reached only a short distance before fading into the long hallway. Most of the people staying at the inn were already asleep. The air was quiet, too quiet, as if the whole building was holding its breath.

Feng Jiao Xue stood by the window with the crystal in her hand. The faint purple glow reflected in her still eyes. She had not slept. She could not. Something in the air felt off, like a thin layer of pressure sitting above her skin.

Down on the floor, Mo Tianze had already curled under his blanket. Xu Wenjun snored softly. Jiang Li sat with his sword across his lap, meditating with half-open eyes. Lu Qing Yue leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, resting but alert.

Feng Jiao Xue’s hand paused on the window frame.

There was a sound.

Soft. Careful.

Barely more than a breath.

She turned her head slowly. Her senses sharpened like a blade unsheathed.

Someone was walking down the hall.

Not one. Not two. More.

The footsteps stopped right outside their door.

Feng Jiao Xue’s eyes narrowed. She opened her mouth to warn the others when the entire door shook violently.

Not from knocking.

From a strike.

Jiang Li stood up at once. "They are here."

Xu Wenjun jerked awake, almost falling from his seat. "What in the world... it is still night!"

Mo Tianze sniffed the air and frowned. "There are six outside. Maybe seven. Their scent is not from around here."

Feng Jiao Xue walked toward the door. She did not hurry. She moved with a calm that almost felt cold.

Lu Qing Yue asked quietly, "Do we fight or run?"

"We fight," Feng Jiao Xue said without looking back. "If we run, we show fear. If we fight, we set the tone for tomorrow."

The door shook again. A sharp crack formed at the top.

Jiang Li stepped forward and held the hilt of his sword. "Let me open it."

"No," Feng Jiao Xue said. "They want us to open it so they can strike first. Stand back."

Jiang Li stepped aside without question.

Feng Jiao Xue placed her palm against the paper door. She closed her eyes, then released a thread of Qi into the wood. The door glowed faintly.

Then she said, soft but clear, "Be ready."

The door exploded inward.

The paper tore apart. The wooden frame splintered into the room as a force slammed into it from the outside. A gust of fierce Qi rushed toward them like a storm.

But the moment it entered, Feng Jiao Xue flicked her wrist.

The thin layer of Qi she had placed on the door became a barrier that turned the force aside. It scraped across the walls instead of hitting anyone.

Through the broken doorway, figures appeared. Seven of them stood in formation, each wearing matching dark red robes. Their faces were covered with cloth masks, but the killing intent around them was impossible to hide.

The leader stepped forward. His voice was deep and steady.

"Give us your crystal and we will spare you."

Xu Wenjun stared. "You attacked our room in the middle of the night but you talk like you are doing us a favor."

"True," Mo Tianze said with a lazy smile. "If you want to steal, then steal. Do not pretend you are kind."

The leader did not reply. He simply raised his hand.

His Qi surged. The temperature in the hall rose sharply, as if fire was burning in the air.

Lu Qing Yue whispered, "Fire element. Strong one."

Feng Jiao Xue stepped forward, her expression calm. "If you want a fight, then come in."

The hall lights flickered. Someone moved.

Not from her team.

From theirs.

One of the red-robed men shot forward, his hand shaping a blazing fist. As he aimed for Lu Qing Yue, Jiang Li’s sword flashed. A single slash created a clear line of light in the air.

Clang.

The punch met the blade. Sparks flew.

Jiang Li did not move from his spot. He only pushed lightly.

The attacker slid back several steps, boots scraping the floor.

Xu Wenjun whistled low. "Nice one."

But the leader did not look bothered. He gave a small gesture.

This time, all of them rushed in at once.

The room became chaos in an instant.

Xu Wenjun met one head-on. Their weapons crashed louder than the shouts outside the inn. Wenjun pushed forward with force that shook the floor. He had always been the loudest during training, but right now, the seriousness in his eyes was sharp.

Mo Tianze moved like a blur. He sniffed once, then ducked as a blade sliced the air above him. He swept his foot out, breaking one attacker’s balance before slamming his palm into their chest.

Lu Qing Yue raised her hands. Water spread from her palms, thin but sharp as blades. They cut across the air, slowing two attackers who tried to surround her.

Lin Zeyan slammed his hand onto the floor. A row of short earth spikes shot up, forming a rough wall that forced their enemies to split.

The room shook so hard one of the lanterns fell from the ceiling.

Amid all this, Feng Jiao Xue did not rush to join the fight. She watched. She studied. She looked at the movements of every enemy, the way they positioned themselves, the patterns in their attacks.

Then she found it.

The leader was waiting.

He had not moved from the doorway. He stood back, letting his people weaken Feng Jiao Xue’s group first.

His eyes were on her.

He wanted her.

No, he wanted the crystal in her hand.

Feng Jiao Xue raised her chin. "Jiang Li."

He turned his head slightly. "Yes."

"Protect the others. I will take him."

Jiang Li did not argue. "Understood."

Feng Jiao Xue walked through the room as the battle raged around her. She weaved between fights with a stillness that felt unnatural. Even with blades flashing past her, she did not flinch.

When she stepped into the doorway, the leader finally moved.

His fist ignited in flames.

"You are bold."

"You are loud," Feng Jiao Xue replied softly.

He struck first. A wave of fire rolled toward her, lighting the entire hall. The walls glowed orange. Wood cracked under the sudden heat.

Feng Jiao Xue lifted her hand. A thin veil of frost formed in front of her. The fire hit it, cracked the cold surface, then split apart into two streams.

She stepped through the flames unharmed.

Her calm steps made the leader take a step back.

His eyes narrowed.

"You are strong, but you cannot fight seven and keep the crystal safe."

Feng Jiao Xue raised the crystal slightly. "Watch me."

He lunged again, faster this time. The floor burned under his feet. His punch carried the heat of molten rock.

She turned her wrist. Ice grew around her fingers like glass forming from thin air. She caught his fiery punch with her bare hand. Steam burst between them.

The hall filled with fog.

Behind them, Mo Tianze dodged another blow. "What kind of monsters are those two? They are fighting like it is daytime."

Xu Wenjun laughed breathlessly. "I told you she is scary."

Lu Qing Yue threw water blades at her opponent. "Focus on your side!"

Lin Zeyan slammed another earth barrier between two attackers. "This is getting worse. They are strong."

Jiang Li took down another assailant with one clean slash. "Hold your ground. She will finish soon."

Back at the doorway, the leader growled. "Ice and Qi control. You are from the northern sects."

"I am from nowhere," Feng Jiao Xue said softly. "And I belong to no one."

She pushed him back with a burst of cold that left frost creeping along the walls.

He stumbled. "Impossible. Your Qi is too refined. Who trained you?"

Feng Jiao Xue stepped forward and answered with her actions. She flicked her hand, and a blade of frost cut through the air. He blocked with a burst of fire, but the force drove him back again.

His hands shook slightly. "You are not at the same level as the others."

"No," she said. "I am not."

He clenched his teeth and formed a large fire orb above his head. The heat was so intense that the ceiling began to burn. Flames dripped down like liquid.

Xu Wenjun cried out, "Hey. They will burn the whole inn!"

Lu Qing Yue raised a shield of water around herself. "They do not care."

"Then we make them care," Mo Tianze said.

But the fight between Feng Jiao Xue and the leader pulled all attention.

The orb grew bigger, brighter, hotter.

Feng Jiao Xue exhaled softly. Her breath came out as frost.

Then she raised one hand.

The entire room dropped in temperature. Every surface turned cold. Crystals of ice began forming on the walls, the floor, even the attackers’ robes.

The leader’s flame shook and flickered.

"What are you doing?"

Feng Jiao Xue spoke quietly. "Ending this."

She stepped forward. Cold wind swirled around her. The frost covered the ground under her feet like a trail. Her hair lifted slightly from the Qi around her.

The leader’s fire orb cracked.

He backed away. "Wait. Stop."

Feng Jiao Xue did not stop.

She lifted her hand and pressed her palm forward. A wave of cold shot past him, freezing the air itself. It shattered the fire orb into glowing fragments that vanished one by one.

The temperature dropped so fast the attackers behind him stopped fighting.

Silence spread.

In that quiet moment, the leader knew he could not win.

He stepped back. "We retreat."

The others scrambled toward the hallway. Those who were still conscious lifted the ones who had fainted.

The leader turned once more to look at Feng Jiao Xue. "You should pray you do not meet me inside the small realm."

Feng Jiao Xue did not blink. "Likewise."

He left. The others followed. The hall grew quiet again.

The only sound was the slow drip of melted ice on the wood.

Feng Jiao Xue lowered her hand. The frost faded. She breathed out slowly.

Behind her, the group stood in silence, staring at her.

Xu Wenjun broke it first. "You almost froze us."

Mo Tianze wiped sweat from his forehead. "Remind me to never fight you."

Lu Qing Yue sighed, tired but relieved. "Everyone, gather. Check wounds."

Jiang Li looked at Feng Jiao Xue. His voice was calm, but there was something deeper in his tone. "Are you injured?"

"No."

"Good."

He stood beside her, close enough to see her hand shaking a little from the heavy use of Qi.

She hid it behind her sleeve.

Lu Qing Yue looked around the damaged room. "This place is half-broken. We cannot stay."

Xu Wenjun groaned. "But I wanted more sleep."

"You can sleep after we find a safer place," Mo Tianze said.

Lin Zeyan nodded. "We should move soon. They might come back."

Feng Jiao Xue closed her hand around the crystal.

Her voice was steady again. "They will not come back tonight. But you are right. This place will not hold for long."

She glanced at the broken doorway, the frozen walls, the scorch marks.

"This is only the beginning."

Outside, the night wind blew through the ruined door, carrying the faint smell of fire and frost.

The trial had not started yet.

But their war had.