The youths watched as Mei Lin advanced toward them, radiating a strange sense of uneasiness and crushing pressure that forced them to circulate their Inner Energy just to withstand the force pushing them into the floor.
Walking past them, Mei Lin ignored the murderous aura radiating from the group, which was quickly overwhelmed by her own presence. The floor cracked under her steps, sending splinters of wood flying in every direction. The fragile paper walls, unable to withstand the pressure, were shredded into pieces. Surprisingly, the sect members standing there remained intact, as the flying wooden shards seemed to shift and follow specific patterns to avoid them, eventually settling as Mei Lin moved away.
Mei Lin continued to walk forward as if nothing was happening, but in reality, she couldn't stop observing her surroundings. She noticed that the strange patterns formed by the shattered wood were deceptively simple yet profoundly complex. Trying to ignore the commotion and conserve as much energy as possible was her only concern. However, being in the presence of so many cultivators was distraction enough. She quickly passed them and entered the room ahead.
As Mei Lin stepped through the doorway, her view shifted instantly. She realized she was no longer in the room inside the Four Seasons Inn, but somewhere else entirely.
The room Mei Lin entered was as large as the entrance hall on the first floor, but at first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was nearly empty, save for two tables. Behind one sat a young man whose presence dominated the quiet space like a roaring fire.
He was clad in ceremonial robes of a rich, deep scarlet, embroidered with intricate gold and silver motifs of dragons and clouds. The color of his attire, usually symbolizing luck and power, ironically gave her a feeling of scorching peril. He had long, dark hair falling loosely over his shoulders, and his face, though handsomely cultivated, wore a mask of arrogant indifference. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes dark as black jade beads were fixed directly on her.
"You are finally here. I didn't think it would take this long."
Before Mei Lin could say anything, she found herself suddenly seated at the table right in front of the young man, staring directly into his eyes.
Mei Lin didn't understand how it was possible. Without being able to react, she was face-to-face with this strange devil. Looking as young as he was, Mei Lin felt as though she had stepped into a trap with no way out. To make matters worse, she couldn't find Yu Lan anywhere.
She tried to use her Spirit Sense to get some answers about her location, but she quickly discovered that her perception was blocked. She couldn't extend her senses more than three meters from her body.
"What a great surprise. It must be the will of the heavens to meet someone who was involved in such a problem from the start."
The young man smiled at Mei Lin. She had no idea how someone completely unknown to her could know something so crucial, especially since she had been at the center of the attack. Thinking back to her time with the caravan, she realized it was to her disadvantage that she hadn't travelled with them the whole time, but had been left behind without anyone to vouch for her.
"You probably sent someone to lure me here because you want something," Mei Lin said, still on edge. She was shooting in the dark, but she knew that someone going to such lengths to bring her here was no accident.
"How can someone say such cruel words? My, my, my."
The young man suddenly stood up. As soon as he moved, Mei Lin reached for one of the machetes she had taken from the bandits, circulating her Inner Energy.
"Trying to fight me with such a thing? Not even a little interesting!"
Mei Lin was blasted backward like a cannonball. As she flew, she watched in horror as her weapon, which she had just drawn, slowly melted into small droplets of liquid iron that rained down against her body. The molten metal bypassed her outer defenses, but her Inner Energy managed to mitigate the force that had sent her flying.
The smell of burned flesh filled Mei Lin's nose. She saw that most of the weapon was gone; even the parts made from better alloy couldn't withstand the young man's power.
Mei Lin slammed into the wall, unable to muster enough energy to recover instantly. In the blink of an eye, the young man was standing right in front of her again.
Feeling the burn from her own destroyed weapon, Mei Lin was lifted up by the young man as if she weighed nothing.
"What do we have here? did my reputation fall or something? I don't take orders from anyone, and certainly not to kidnap someone just to get the edge over someone so pathetically weak! I am Ruo Hong."
Hearing the young man's name, Mei Lin didn't understand the full implications, but taking advantage of his monologue, she quickly circulated her Inner Energy and got back on her feet, unheeding of the pain. She realized that using ordinary weapons against him was a waste of time, but even a rusty machete felt safer than empty hands.
Before Mei Lin could set her mind straight, she saw that Ruo Hong was already sitting back behind the table, as if nothing had happened.
Mei Lin got her breathing under control and approached the table. She sat down and cautiously used her Spirit Sense to probe for more information about Ruo Hong, even though he could clearly perceive her actions. She stopped and switched to gathering Natural Energy to be ready for a fight.
"Who are you?!"