Chapter Twenty-Six: The Curtain Rises

Qi Xiaoxiao moved with astonishing speed, her body rising and falling as if she were astride a galloping steed. The iron staff in her hand transformed into a lance from another era.

"Hah!" she called softly.

The head of her staff snapped forward like a serpent rearing for the strike, poised to devour its prey.

"Swish, swish!"

Two deft blows landed, yet the force they unleashed was unimaginable. Two zombies fell simultaneously, their addled heads shattering against the ground like cracked melons.

It was as though flowers had bloomed.

"Stay close to me!" Qi Xiaoxiao turned, her long ponytail waving behind her as she addressed the hungry Liu Mengchao trailing her.

To Qi Xiaoxiao, everyone else was dispensable except for Liu Mengchao.

"Liu Mengchao," she said breathlessly, felling zombies with desperate urgency. She felt her time was running out. If she didn’t speak her heart now, she might never get another chance.

"You’ve awakened the bloodline of Assassin’s Creed," she said.

She ducked low, flicking her staff upward.

With a crack, a female zombie’s jaw was sent flying. Her once-shining blonde hair, along with the head, tumbled away like a discarded mop.

"But bloodline alone can’t unlock your full power," Qi Xiaoxiao continued, twisting aside to evade the grasping claws of two more zombies. She thrust her staff upward; in that instant, the iron rod seemed to become a keen sword, piercing their skulls with twin thuds.

"The human body is a vast treasury. And you have always been clever."

With those words, Qi Xiaoxiao leapt into the air, both feet striking a zombie with sharp cracks. She spun backward, driving her staff down from above.

A bloom of blood mist drifted into the air.

"So," she said, turning to smile at Liu Mengchao, who followed close behind, "never be complacent. Survive."

She dropped her stance, driving her elbow forward. A towering zombie was sent flying as if it were nothing more than a toy.

The iron staff rained down blow after blow, relentless as a summer storm.

"Hya!" Qi Xiaoxiao whipped her ponytail. The zombie collapsed, every joint shattered in the blink of an eye.

"Chinese martial arts—boxing—holds secrets never passed on," Qi Xiaoxiao declared, her eyes blazing with an inner fire. "You will need them in the world below."

She dared not look back at Liu Mengchao. She knew that he could always see straight through people. If they were face to face in a safe place, he would surely read her heart.

If I cannot stay by your side forever, then let my skills become a part of you.

Qi Xiaoxiao paused, listening for Liu Mengchao’s footsteps. Hearing he was still close behind, she couldn’t hide her joy.

The stronger she showed herself, the more Liu Mengchao would value her art.

Even if it was only martial arts. To remain by Liu Mengchao’s side was enough.

Now, she had no other wishes.

Qi Xiaoxiao parted her lips, catching her breath. Her hands, slick with sweat, gripped the iron staff. Yet she felt boundless strength, more than she ever had, even in the heat of life-and-death combat.

"Look at me. Don’t forget my shadow, Liu Mengchao."

Qi Xiaoxiao closed her eyes; her spirit grew calm. In her hands, the iron staff seemed to come alive. In the eyes of all, she became more of a veteran than any seasoned fighter, and set about the killing.

Meanwhile, Liu Mengchao’s gaze grew troubled.

Despite Qi Xiaoxiao’s slaughter, the pool of color before him did not diminish—it only grew.

There was only one explanation.

Qi Xiaoxiao’s mind was in turmoil.

Current color pool: 179,000.

"What is going through your mind?" Liu Mengchao wondered, watching the girl’s back. He realized that psychology, while it could strip a soul bare, could also make one blind to another’s feelings.

He was not a machine, acting only by psychological analysis. At least not when he stood before her.

"Qi Xiaoxiao."

He glanced at Saeko Busujima, who stood beside him with a smile, and found himself smiling too. Some things could not be resolved by psychology alone.

"Approach you, draw near, and understand you."

For the first time, Liu Mengchao looked directly and seriously at Qi Xiaoxiao ahead. He was certain she was hiding something.

Crack!

A wooden sword flashed before Liu Mengchao’s eyes.

"Don’t get distracted, especially on the battlefield," Saeko Busujima said, her purple hair waving like a banner before him. She gripped her wooden sword in reverse and charged after Qi Xiaoxiao, leaving Liu Mengchao a crisp, decisive silhouette.

"One after another, they’re all the same," Liu Mengchao couldn’t help but laugh.

He quickened his pace.

Raised his wrist.

Took aim, then—

Swish!

The hidden blade under his sleeve darted out, striking rhythmically like a spring rain, tapping terror into the hearts of the reincarnators.

"They… they’re not human!" For the first time, Li Xin realized that people could be so powerful. She glanced at her partner.

Rei Miyamoto, with her shock of orange hair.

Compared to these women, you’re as insignificant as an insect. And I will never let you drag me down. Li Xin looked around; she needed an ally, desperately.

"If only eight can ride, then the rest must die. No matter what, I will survive." She glanced to either side. Of those who remained, the strongest was that overweight otaku.

A smile crept across Li Xin’s face.

A woman’s true battlefield is only one place.

The place where she conquers men.

The bed.

While Li Xin’s mind churned with stormy thoughts, Liu Mengchao saw not a single zombie left in sight.

The way ahead was clear, stretching wide and empty.

Only now did the sun at the horizon begin its slow descent, leaving a single ray of light upon the earth before Liu Mengchao.

A walled residence.

And, the stage for Liu Mengchao’s coming drama.

"We’re here," Liu Mengchao said, turning to those behind.

The airheaded school nurse, Shizuka Marikawa, hurried up, digging for keys in her bag.

"Oops!" Wearing high heels, she tripped over a zombie.

Clink, clink.

The brass keys slipped from her hand, bouncing lightly across the ground.

Color pool: 180,000!

Are you getting excited, reincarnators?

Watching the rising color pool, Liu Mengchao smiled.

The curtain had only just risen.

—————————————————————————————————————
…Everyone says Kunming is spring all year round, but you don’t know… Here in Nanjing, where the author lives, it’s like spring in every season… Cold as winter in the morning, summer by noon, and after evening classes, it’s winter again…

So I caught a cold (╯﹏╰）

But now, here’s the real point.

Thursday’s an explosion—I’m ready to fight for more update votes…

And there are still 112 featured reviews; I beg for more, I want more features (ˉ﹃ˉ) drool

Thanks to Rainbow’s Transition, BXeroXB, Xuanyuan the Mad, Truth Katyusha, Night Eagle Soars, Kumagawa Misogi, Crazy·The Fallen, Li Zai, Fifty-one Stones, Pride Is Not a Sin, Relieved Dawn, Starry Tale, BXeroXB, and all the generous tippers!