Henry's fist connected with Mui's blade. Golden electrical ki clashed with blood red ki, and for a moment, there was equilibrium between the two forces. There was silence in both the pit and the rafters for a moment. Everyone was waiting to see what the outcome of this clash would be.

  Bang!

  Henry and Mui were sent flying opposite directions, slamming into the wall. They both struggled to get up, entirely spent but refusing to falter.

  Mui gripped his sword, blood trailing down the hilt and pooling on the floor. His core was down to the barest trickle of ki. Hen Ri's blow had hit him so savagely and unrestrained. It was all force and no skill. It was like Hen Ri just put all his ki into his fist and punched as hard as possible. Mui couldn't fault the man, though. What was the use of skill in the face of overwhelming power? Even as hurt as he was, Mui knew he could not lose. He would not dishonor his family's name; even if it meant his life, he would fight.

  Henry felt like he had just been hit by a truck; Mui's last strike had been devastating. The cut's precision and the ki's focus on the tip of his sword had broken through Henry's technique. The backlash of energy had crushed his arms. He had nothing left in the tank. Still, he got up because fuck it. If he were still breathing, then he would keep fighting. Mui was getting up as well; that guy was a tough bastard. Mui looked like he still wanted to scrape. OK, if he wanted to go, then Henry wouldn't disappoint. He was ready to bang.

  The two battered and bleeding men limped toward the center of the ring, leaving a trail of blood in their wake. They knew this was the end of the line but were too stubborn to quit. There was a mutual respect between the two. Mui respected the strength of this commoner; he was a credit to his caste. Henry admired the tenacity of this young master, he wasn't a bitch ass coward, and that was a big plus when it came to rich dudes.

  "You are a pretty tough asshole, you know that, Mui?" Henry said through gritted teeth.

  "I could say the same for you, Hen Ri, but unfortunately, as the Third Son of the Mui family, I can not afford to lose."

  The young master struggled to lift his blade and had to grab it with both hands. He assumed a combat stance, chest heaving from exertion. He would never again waver in the face of adversity, not after tonight if there would be an after.

  Henry brought his fist to bear, squaring his shoulders as he struggled to breathe. Yup, his chest caved in. His body creaked and groaned; every step felt like trying to walk through cement. He knew this was it: he would win or die.

  With fists and swords raised, the two fighters prepared to swing at each other.

  ****

  Pale Moon, mistress of the Rising Star Inn, had been watching the two youngsters bout with interest. Her long silver hair cascaded over her shoulders as she brought a crystal wine glass to her lips. Long, elegant fingers plucked a grape from a bowl, depositing it into her mouth. Sapphire blue eyes twinkled with delight as she chewed on the grape thoughtfully.

  Mui Wu was a known commodity to Pale Moon. The third son of the Wu clan, he stood no chance of inheriting. The disgruntled youth had tried for years to obtain the three wins necessary to stay in her house. He had been close several times, but the boy always lacked the drive to seal the deal. He was arrogant and prideful, a symptom of being raised in the clans. His match with Hen Ri was different, though. A fire had been lit in him. The boy had found someone he deemed as a worthy opponent.

  Hen Ri, on the other hand, was an actual wild card. Pale Moon prided herself in knowing all the new talents in Crucible City, but this child was a mystery. Not a part of the clans, no, this one was too bold, too rough. She had the conversation with him as her Full Moon persona and it was telling. The boy was rude but took to her instructions well. She had immensely enjoyed his second fight. It was a spectacle; she even laughed at that stupid storyline he was trying to sell.

  Both of the youngsters were fighting well. Mui had shown good proficiencies with the Wu clan sword style. He is fast, precise, and efficient with his extending sword technique. He was always pressing the attack and dictating the tempo. Hen Ri, though, was showing her just how weird he was. His fighting style was unorthodox. He fought like a mortal. No technique, just brute force; she could not pin down who taught him to fight like that.

  That alone would not have been so strange, but then he started to channel his ki.

  Pale Moon had a dreamy look on her perfect pale face as she recognized Hen Ri's cultivation. It was just like that man's. She hadn't spoken to him for centuries now. Oh, she had heard the stories folks had told about him.

  The sect crusher some had called him. Others knew him as the Northern Sky Breaker. Fearsome and tyrannical, he took what he wanted, and no one could stop him. Pale Moon heard all these tales and titles. To her, the man would always be Brother Fei.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  This Hen Ri was one of his, and currently, he was bleeding to death in her house.

  Pale Moon was confident in her abilities as a Golden Core cultivator. She had scrapped and fought with the best of them. She had killed men and women by the thousands, but she was no fool.

  The Northern Sky Breaker could snap her like a twig in a whirlpool.

  He had many children, and the more she watched Hen Ri, the more the pieces dropped into place. His strange fighting style, the lack of respect for anyone or anything, and finally, that cultivation he had with its dense ki and golden color.

  Everything made sense now, and that scared the shit out of her.

  She made an executive decision, rules be damned. She had to step in and stop this fight before Hen Ri died. Mui Wu would be angry, of course, and would threaten her with reprisal from his clan. She was not worried about that at all.

  Hen Ri would probably be furious as well. She felt he was not okay with nepotism, but it is always better to anger the tiger cub than to enrage the tiger.

  Confident in her plans, Pale Moon let the total weight of her cultivation descend upon the two boys.

  ****

  Henry was mid-swing when he felt the fury of a god descending on him. His knees buckled, and before he knew it, he was lying face-first in the dirt. He tried to lift his head but found that he couldn't. It felt like an elephant was lying on him. He realized that it was utterly quiet in the Rising Star.

  "That was quite the fight, boys; color me impressed," an ethereal, feminine voice said.

  "Lady Pale Moon, I mean no disrespect, but if you try to interrupt my fight, I will kill you," Mui said through gritted teeth.

  "Holy shit Mui, when did you grow a pair? If we survive this, I'm buying you a beer."

  "Oh, to be young and stupid again, I certainly do not miss it," Pale Moon said. "You two may rise."

  The pressure disappeared immediately, and Henry beheld the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen.

  She was wearing a sheer silk robe covering pale, glistening skin. Her figure was fit and toned without an ounce of unneeded fat. Long silver hair seemed to float like it was in the water. Her long, swan-like neck led to a delicate face. Pouty red lips and high cheekbones accented a flawless face of fantastic symmetry.

  The eyes, though, were the most striking thing about her. Henry understood why she was called Pale Moon. Her eyes looked like the celestial body—mysterious, distant, alluring, and entrancing.

  Henry was suddenly and painfully aware that this lady, as beautiful as she was, also just put him and Mui on their asses. Just the weight of her ki being fully released could have crushed them like bugs.

  All eyes were on Henry and Mui as they stood before Lady Pale Moon. No one had seen her in a century, but everyone knew about the mysterious owner of the Rising Star Inn. Her beauty was legendary, and so were rumors of her viciousness. People were in awe as she revealed herself to these two newbies.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, what I will do now will only be done once and never again."

  The murmuring started at once. Was she going to kill both of these impudent whelps? Would she enrage all of the Wu clan by striking down their scion? Would she even care?

  "Tonight, we have two promising young fighters. Would it not be such a waste for them to fall in this manner?"

  She pointed at the two young men, bleeding and broken, derisively.

  There was a resounding "Yes" from the peanut gallery.

  "Would it not be better to admit these two young tigers into my house? To sharpen their steel so they might provide us with more entertainment?"

  "Yes," the crowd roared in agreement.

  "So for tonight and tonight only, I will present you with two winners," she said, holding Henry's and Mui's hands in the air.

  "Here we have Mui Wu, scion of the Wu clan; I present to you your copper plaque."

  A copper plaque blinked before Mui, and he grabbed it quickly. He did not look pleased but was secretly relieved that he didn't have to die tonight.

  "Now here we have Hen Ri, scion of the North; I present to you your copper plaque," Pale Moon said, but this time with a smile.

  A copper plaque appeared before Henry, but he did not take it.

  "Wait a minute now, what do you mean Scion of the North?"

  The crowd was also surprised by this news. There were no clans in the North. It was a demon infested wasteland, no sane person would live there, let alone raise a family.

  Unless….

  No, it couldn't be ….

  The crowd was practically panicking with fear as they put one and one together.

  Henry just stood there looking as stupid as ever. What the fuck was going on here. He looked at Mui for help; maybe his battle buddy could shed some light on this.

  Mui was pale as a ghost. This might have been because of the blood loss, but he wasn't sure because the scion was muttering something under his breath.

  "Northern scion, northern family, the only family in the north, it can't be, no it has to be, why else would Lady Pale Moon be here."

  "Mui, buddy, what the fuck is going on," Henry asked, a little nervous now.

  "Hen Ri, who taught you how to fight?"

  "Umm, my master taught me, and I picked up some tricks here and there," he answered with slight trepidation.

  "Where did you say your master was from?"

  "The North?"

  "Hen Ri, tell me again, your master is from where?"

  "The North, my master, is from the north," Henry said.

  As dense as Henry was, things were starting to click. Oh fuck this was bad, no this was incredibly fucking bad.

  "That's right, Mui Wu, young Hen Ri is a scion of the North, and his master is…."

  A roar of thunder booms in the distance, and every person except Lady Pale Moon jumps in surprise.

  "Here."

  Help a Bro Out!