The woman's eyes fluttered open just in time to see the middle-aged man's colossal bear paw descending upon her like a mountain. For a split second, Lin Yi froze. His mind raced: Do I intervene? Or do I run? Is she even worth saving? She made me wear this ridiculous black hat!
But before he could act—or flee—a dazzling flash of purple light erupted from the woman’s chest. A mystical, glowing phoenix burst forth, screeching with an ear-piercing cry that seemed to vibrate through the very fabric of reality.
The bear paw stopped mid-air.
The middle-aged man’s expression shifted from murderous rage to wide-eyed panic. "W-what is this?!" he stammered, backpedaling as fast as his "tiger-coming-down-the-mountain" dignity allowed.
The phoenix circled once around the inn's ruins before diving straight into the woman's chest. Her eyes snapped fully open, now glowing with an intense violet hue. She stood up with a grace that was both unsettling and captivating. Dust and debris seemed to float away from her as though afraid to touch her.
The woman cracked her neck casually. “You call that an attack?” she murmured, her tone dripping with disdain. Her gaze turned to the middle-aged man, who looked as if he’d rather face a horde of demons than the petite figure before him.
“I-I didn’t mean to—” the man started, but the woman raised a single finger.
“Shh.” The sound silenced him like an iron gate slamming shut.
She turned to Lin Yi, who was still frozen in place. “You,” she said, her voice as commanding as a general addressing a foot soldier, “get ready to run.”
Lin Yi blinked. “Run? Why would I—”
But before he could finish, the woman clapped her hands together. A wave of purple energy erupted outward, sending the middle-aged man flying backward like a ragdoll. He crashed into a tree, which splintered into a thousand pieces upon impact.
“Because,” the woman said, brushing off her robes as though nothing had happened, “his father is going to be very angry.”
Lin Yi groaned. "So now I have to deal with two lunatics chasing me?"
The woman smirked, her violet eyes sparkling mischievously. “Correction: we have to deal with them. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Lin Yi sighed, glancing at the wreckage of the inn and the unconscious (but somehow still breathing) middle-aged man. He had a sinking feeling that his life was only going to get more chaotic from here.
“Great,” he muttered under his breath as they began their hasty retreat into the foggy forest. “Just great. Next time, I’ll definitely choose death over traveling with a lunatic phoenix lady.”
The woman laughed, a sound that echoed eerily in the night. “Oh, Lin Yi, you have no idea how fun things are about to get.”
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