"Stop the carriage," Ke Jiazhong shouted. He threw a look at Wu Hao. "If he's not a second-rate martial artist, you'll have hell to pay."

  He sprung to his feet, sword already in hand, and ripped open the door in one smooth motion. It cracked from the power, dark scorch marks burning from where his fingers touched, and then Ke Jiazhong blurred and vanished.

  "Come on," Wu Hao said, turning and running down the stairs. He felt Du Linglong's eyes on him as she sat still, before she finally snapped into motion as well, took up her sword with surprising grace, and followed behind him.

  Outside, Wu Hao saw the clearing where they'd stopped earlier, from a distance. The porters had all taken their spears and were staring at Uncle, their eyes alert. Ke Jiazhong had stopped next to the carriage, studying the situation with an air of detachment.

  Wu Hao cursed.

  "Come out!" he called, and a few moments later he began to hear the rustle of feet as 720 appeared from behind the tree he'd been using as cover. His eyes were blank as always, but Wu Hao could tell that they'd hesitated to obey.

  Uncle had risen to his feet, and when Wu Hao had shouted, his head had snapped over to where he and Du Linglong were standing. His beady eyes went wide, and Wu Hao knew what he was looking at - him.

  Wu Hao had no wounds. He wore no chains, had no sword pointed at him.

  And yet he stood with the enemy.

  Uncle didn't hesitate for one moment before his qi rumbled into a specific pattern, one Wu Hao had seen only once before. His voice rang out, speaking for the first time since Wu Hao had left the carriage.

  "Kill them all," he commanded, voice sounding as if he was standing next to Wu Hao.

  Wu Hao's hands twitched and he had to grit his teeth, having to force himself not to raise them. He could feel his right hand trying to force itself to grab the left sleeve, where he'd hidden the knife.

  But he met Uncle's eyes straight on. He refused to be cowed any longer. The other man was stronger than him, but he was a second-grade martial artist. Wu Hao had resisted those before. A thick drop of sweat beaded down his forehead as he fought against the command, trying to force it from his mind and regain control over his body, but -

  A slap spun him around, slamming him into the ground, and the spell was broken.

  Wu Hao gaped up, staring at Ke Jiazhong already withdrawing his hand with a face full of distaste.

  "Get a grip," he said. "What the hell's wrong with you, peasant?"

  Uncle's qi concentrated itself and another command rushed from his lips in a blur of boiling qi, but it slammed into a thick haze of peach-scented qi this time as Du Linglong threw up a screen to protect them.

  She offered him a hand, staring at Uncle.

  "What's he doing?" she muttered, glancing back at Wu Hao. "You actually know him?"

  Wu Hao refused the hand but scrabbled to his feet anyway.

  "Commands," he said. "I can't-"

  The last of Uncle's command-laden qi diffused into the peach-scented qi and broke apart, leaving a stench of something rotten but otherwise harmless.

  If only that'd been all. Uncle's eyes narrowed in thought for only a few breaths, then he raised his mace to the sky and forced more qi into his voice. Was he trying again? Why, when his previous attempts had failed?

  It clicked only moments later. This time, Uncle wasn't trying to target Wu Hao.

  "All deathsworn," Uncle bellowed. His voice was so loud that leaves blew away from him in the wind and several of the porters had to clap their hands to the ears. Wu Hao felt dizzy just at the sheer wall of sound. "Your Brother has betrayed the Red Dawn!"

  A shiver went through the other boys. Wu Hao could read that emotion clear as day. Surprise, but not betrayal or hurt or anything. 726 almost grinned at what was coming, and Wu Hao saw his fingers twist and clench into a ready fist.

  "Whoever manages to bring me his head," Uncle roared, "will be made part of the Honor Guard!"

  At that, even the looks in the others' eyes changed. From blank emptiness to that same excitement that he'd felt while running down the mountain, except not aiming for a distant horizon but to sink their teeth into him instead.

  "Well, well," Ke Jiazhong said. He was still annoyingly, perfectly at ease. "Ling'er, kill them all. Keep an eye on your stray here."

  Then he concentrated sunlight into the soles of his feet, set a single step forward, and vanished.

  "Great Sun Sword," his voice rang out into nothingness. "Chasing Clouds."

  In the next instant he had reached Uncle, trying to slice him open from hip to shoulder with a low swing that burned with sunlight. Uncle had apparently expected him, though, because his mace had appeared just in time to block the sword, repelling it with a harsh cacophony of steel slamming into steel.

  "Wait," Du Linglong shouted, face paling at Ke Jiazhong's orders. "I don't -"

  "Shut up," Wu Hao barked. "Get ready."

  She turned to him, frustration clear. "Hey, you don't get -"

  Wu Hao ripped the knife clear from his sleeve, twirled it once to better his grip, and then slid his foot back.

  He had three chances to use the Void Rip, maybe two if he used the Long Hook at some point. It'd have to be enough, because he wasn't going to undo his filter here. It itched in his chest with every breath, but he refused.

  If he left himself vulnerable now, where would he be taken? Would Ke Jiazhong not find some way to deal with him? The other boy seemed to hate him, for whatever reason, and Wu Hao wasn't going to leave himself in their hands no matter how much pity Du Linglong seemed to take on him.

  729 had been the first to sprint forward, fists clenched into a punch. He wasn't smirking now but his eyes were narrowed into an expression of concentration that Wu Hao had barely ever seen when they'd fought Xing Zhao.

  Wu Hao had to duck underneath his punch, head down while his hand flashed out with the knife, but then 726 barelled into him with a snarl on his face. They went down together, rolling onto the ground while Du Linglong gave a strangled sort of shout to watch out.

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  "Always knew - " 726 began, hands crawling over Wu Hao's torso towards his neck, before Wu Hao slammed the pommel of the knife into his right hand and forced him to draw it back.

  Back to the ground Wu Hao tried to roll and buck 726 off, but the other boy clenched his knees to Wu Hao's hips and reared back, head held way behind his shoulders. Then he moved, shoulders clenching as he tried to headbutt Wu Hao in the forehead.

  "Void Rip!" Wu Hao screamed.

  Using just a bit of his qi, Wu Hao tore his knife through the bit of open space that the headbutt had created and left a long, thin trail of qi there, at the same time as his head twisted up and saw that 729 was trying to kick him in the side.

  Instinctively he clenched down, curling into a ball to present a smaller target and twisting onto his side as 726 slammed head-first into the Void Rip with a loud cracking sound and a grunt of pain. 729's leg arrived that same instant, slamming into his arms so hard that the knife almost scrambled from his grip. His foot disappeared, making no sound of pain.

  But other footsteps were already arriving, and Wu Hao was in a bad position three moves in.

  Wu Hao used more qi, breathing deeply of the air that smelled of six - no, seven - different kinds of qi, blurring his sight as he tried to keep track of who was what.

  All thought crashed out of him when 723 threw himself onto his knees next to them and slammed a deep punch into his belly, so deep that Wu Hao came up and gasped for air and lost his grip on the qi. Instead of the Long Hook that he'd been hoping for, he lashed out with his hands flailing, the knife carved a thin line across 726's shoulders instead of gutting him like a fish, then fell from his numb fingers into the grass.

  "Get off of him!" he heard a feminine voice shout before he realized that Du Linglong was still there, and a wave of peach-scented qi rushed over each of them, pushing them just enough that Wu Hao could take a desperate, deep breath and push 726 off of him.

  But he had lost the knife. It lay in the grass, glinting in the morning sun, and Wu Hao didn't even hesitate before he dived back down for it.

  Another hand closed around its grip the instant his fingers brushed across the hilt and Wu Hao looked up, into 720's blank eyes, before another kick from 729 sent him rolling away, feeling every rock and bump and tree root in his path as he went.

  Shaking, he rose to his feet. 720 had had the knife for only moments before 726 ripped it from his fingers and advanced with it, face drawn into a sneer as he held the knife low in a grip that wasn't that of an amateur.

  "Get back!" Du Linglong shouted, releasing another wave of qi at them, but they ignored her after just planting their feet against it.

  She almost seemed to be using the blunt part of her blade on purpose.

  That was absurd. Why was she hesitating? She hadn't hesitated last time. Did they need to kill the porters for her to take this remotely seriously?

  He felt a surge of irrational anger rise against Du Linglong that he had to try and stamp out. She didn't know, she couldn't - but nonetheless he felt another wave of irritation flow when she didn't just run 729 through when she had the chance to.

  Wu Hao dodged a punch from 723 as the other boy stormed forward, had to stifle a scream when 720 punched him in the small of his back and could only gasp when 726 shoved the knife deep into his side.

  It was agony, but what else was new? Du Linglong shouted something again and slashed out, but he couldn't hear her, he was too busy trying to get a grip on 726's fingers and pry them away, and when the former Brother had to draw back Wu Hao ripped the knife out of himself and panted.

  He tried to unchain the filter, but he was lightheaded from the pain and he couldn't form a spike that'd shatter it outright.

  Instead, he lashed out with one hand, splattering blood as he turned.

  "Void Rip!" he called again, knifetip leaving a thin wire in the air that shot forward, biting into the deathsworn and forcing them back for the moment. Du Linglong stepped in, this time using the right side of her sword, slicing forwards whenever 720, 726 or 729 tried to step forward. She'd already cut 723 so deep he probably wouldn't get up again.

  Wu Hao tried to stand. Blood loss made him feel woozy, uncertain, uncontrolled. The world almost tilted as he stumbled in the middle of righting himself.

  Du Linglong risked a glance, staring back and just as quickly having to look back, but the way her eyes widened made Wu Hao realize something.

  He'd missed someone. Something landed on him, heavy, and he fell to his knees again and then plummeted to his knees.

  726. He could tell by the other boy's qi that it was him.

  Wu Hao tried to snarl something, tried to force himself up, but the strength was leaving his body and he felt so weak. All he could do was turn so that at least he was looking Wu Hao in the eye.

  And then he smelled the pungent scent of wine again.

  Uncle's qi slammed into Wu Hao, seeping into his clothes like a living slime, and whispered into his ear.

  "Die."

  But it wasn't just meant for him. 726 still held onto him, then froze as the qi leapt onto his body. His eyes locked onto Wu Hao's and shimmered for a moment with a deep, undying hate. Then he let out a soft grunt and his expression twisted.

  Wu Hao's blood froze. "Don't -" he said, but it was too late.

  Uncle had commanded 726 to break his filter, and he'd had no choice but to obey. Wu Hao could feel 726's qi cycle and spin and rage, smashing into his skin with power. The smell of pine burst free, concentrating and concentrating further.

  726 coughed up blood, splattering onto Wu Hao, and he saw Du Linglong hesitate again, before she was distracted just for a moment by Uncle smashing into Ke Jiazhong like a human wrecking ball.

  "Fuck you," 726 whispered.

  And then he exploded in a burst of torrential qi that smashed into Wu Hao, and he was gone as well.

  The last thing he heard was Du Linglong screaming.