Lu Na raised her hands up.

  “Please, Sun Ren, fight this.”

  “Ah, welcome back outside,” Zi Xu said. He sat at one of the nearby stone tables. “You have angered the Young Miss of the mansion when you tried to stop her possessing your friend.”

  “Help me!” Lu Na dodged another strike.

  Sun Ren took out another dagger. She took two steps forward and stabbed both daggers.

  Lu Na had to run from her friend.

  “Can you talk with the Young Miss again? I don’t want to hurt my friend.”

  Sun Ren threw a dagger at Lu Na. It went wide to the left, missing her completely.

  “More importantly, I don’t want her to hurt me.”

  “I tried talking with her once for you already. If you allowed her to push your friend into her mansion, she would have let her go after a day or two.” Zi Xu sipped from a cup in his hand.

  “What can I do? There has to be something.” Lu Na ran to another stone table, this one higher than the last one.

  “How did you chase away all the ghosts before? Maybe you can use that technique again.”

  Lu Na didn’t use any technique. It was Sun Ren’s Guanyin necklace. She had taken it from Sun Ren, which caused her to suddenly move faster. Was it the necklace that slowed the ghost’s possession? Then all she’d have to do was put this against Sun Ren’s skin and it should dispel the ghosts, just like how the Buddhist talisman protected Lu Na.

  Except that was going to be hard with the world’s deadliest assassin throwing daggers at her. Lu Na wasn’t sure if it was luck, the ghost’s possession, or Sun Ren fighting it but her friend’s aim was atrocious. She’d seen Sun Ren throw those daggers with deadly accuracy many times over the few weeks she stayed at her home.

  Lu Na ducked another dagger that came close to her head. Or maybe the ghost was playing with her. Either way, she doubted she could wait until Sun Ren ran out of daggers. The woman carried more knives than money.

  The only defense Lu Na had was her null metal bracelet. It was already burning her wrist. So again, she took the risk to bleed some of that spirit energy into the nearby stone table. She did it before with her earth wall, it should be fine this time.

  The stone table glowed yellow as it drank in the spirit energy. Lu Na knew right away that there was something wrong. The table didn’t just glow, but it gave off this tremendous heat. This was not safe.

  Lu Na ran with all her might away from the table. Moments later, the table exploded, sending shards of stone everywhere. Lu Na had to dive into the ditch.

  A large block of stone rolled along the ditch. It was the top part of the table that had the unique inscriptions.

  Lu Na turned around only to be met with Sun Ren’s dagger at her throat. How did she get behind her?

  Sun Ren smiled, but it wasn’t her friend’s usual smile. It was one of the delicious joy of catching one’s prey.

  Lu Na didn’t move. There was only one thing she could think of to do. She opened her right hand and let Sun Ren’s Guanyin necklace fall out.

  The golden spark shone so brightly that it blinded Lu Na. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, Sun Ren blinked like she just woke up.

  Lu Na didn’t want to hope that was enough to break Sun Ren’s possession. She grabbed the Guanyin necklace and placed it against Sun Ren’s hand.

  Sun Ren yelped. She dropped both daggers to the ground. It was the first time Lu Na heard her yell in pain like that.

  Lu Na wrapped the chain of the necklace around Sun Ren just like how she wrapped her own Buddhist talisman to her right hand. When she was done, Lu Na took a few steps back from her friend. She would not take any chances just in case she was possessed again.

  Lu Na was tempted to use her earth wall wards to create another dome to hold her friend, but the bracelet was too hot. For whatever reason, trying to bleed some of the spirit energy from it into the stone table only made it absorb more ambient spirit energy. That was something she’d have to look into later when she wasn’t dealing with her murderous best friend.

  “Lu Na… get away… from me…” Sun Ren struggled against the Guanyin necklace. Her left hand clawed at it.

  Lu Na had a better idea. She tackled Sun Ren to the ground, holding her in place. She clenched her left fist and focused on the smallest earth wall she could think of. With a flick to the left, a small earth wall rose up and wrapped Sun Ren’s arms to the ground. They were like earth shackles.

  Lu Na yelped. The null metal bracelet burned through the leather. She yanked it off and dropped it to the ground. Even the leather was too hot.

  As soon as the bracelet hit the ground, the earth wall holding Sun Ren dissolved back into dirt. Sun Ren got up and ripped the Guanyin necklace off her right hand. She dropped it to the ground and stomped it. She clenched her fists and swung at Lu Na.

  Lu Na was too focused on her burning wrist to see the punch. Stars swam in her vision as her whole body jerked backwards.

  “Put up your arms child, or else the next one will knock you out,” Zi Xu said.

  Lu Na lifted her arms up.

  Sun Ren punched her stomach instead, bowling Lu Na over.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “I forgot about that. Sorry, I’ve not been in many fights before.” Zi Xu sipped from his cup.

  “You uncouth brat, trying to take away my plaything,” Sun Ren said. Her voice sounded like she was talking with rocks in her mouth. “All the others have theirs. It was finally my turn and you dare try to take her away?”

  “Sun Ren?” Lu Na held onto her stomach and looked up at her friend standing over her. The glare was fearsome. Now she knew what many people saw when they were about to be killed by her.

  “There’s no Sun Ren here, only me. I was going to have her over for a small tea party, eat some dimsum, and allow her to go as I promised brother Zi. But you dare banish my servants and take my doll away?”

  “I’m sorry. Please, stop,” Lu Na begged.

  Sun Ren kicked Lu Na to the ground, laying her flat. She straddled her midsection and clamped her hands around Lu Na’s neck.

  “Oh, don’t worry. You’ll be more sorry after I’ve killed you and made you a servant.”

  Lu Na couldn’t breathe and no matter how hard she tried to pry Sun Ren’s hands, they wouldn’t move. To make it worse, the ghost possessing Sun Ren was smiling down with her friend’s face. It was the worst way to die. She was blacking out.

  “Don’t kill her little sister,” Zi Xu said. “We need her to open the labyrinth.”

  Sun Ren released Lu Na’s neck.

  Lu Na gasped for air and coughed hard. Tears streamed down her face. Her vision slowly returned to normal. She grabbed her own neck, soothing it.

  When Lu Na finally looked up, Zi Xu stood over Sun Ren’s unconscious body while holding the ear of another ghost. This ghost dressed like Zi Xu in a long, green tunic that reached down to her feet. Her hair was tied up in a long flowing ponytail with a jade hairpin holding it together. She had the same large blue sash across her waist.

  “Fine brother, I stopped, let go!” the woman yelled.

  Zi Xu released the female ghost’s ear, dropping her to the floor right beside Sun Ren. She tried to jump back into Sun Ren’s body, but Zi Xu kicked her away like an unwanted puppy.

  “No little sister. You had your fun.”

  The female ghost scowled and jumped at Sun Ren again.

  This time Zi Xu grabbed the female ghost by the ponytail. He lifted her up into the air, holding her in place. No matter how hard she tried to break free or kick him, nothing happened.

  “Enough Meili. Or else I will bring you to father,” Zi Xu said.

  Zi Meili stopped resisting. She crossed her arms and sulked as she hung mid air.

  “Good girl. Now I’ll put you down after I explain how important Lu Na is. Agreed?”

  Zi Meili nodded.

  “That little girl you tried to kill knows how to use the Xia inventions. She also has the key to open the center of the labyrinth. So if you don’t kill her, maybe she can release us all from this hell.”

  Zi Meili glared at Lu Na.

  “She’s too weak. She couldn’t even take out her companion when I didn’t have full control yet. Let me play with her instead. It’s finally my turn.”

  Lu Na drank from her waterskin. The cool water soothed her throat.

  Zi Xu smacked his sister over the head.

  “Listen. You’re over two thousand years old. Stop acting like a child.”

  “But brother, you’ve said this before. You’ve led many other adventurers through here and they’ve all failed. Just let me have my fun this time and the next time some idiots come in, you can lead them to their deaths.”

  Lu Na watched with fascination and horror. Fascination because apparently siblings didn’t change no matter how many generations have passed. She could easily picture having the same conversation with her older brother, Lu Fengxiang.

  The horror came from the realization that Lu Na wasn’t the first person who could manipulate the Xia inventions. There have been many people in the past two thousand years that have tried and failed. Here Zi Meili was proclaiming how pointless it was.

  Zi Xu released his sister, dropping her to the ground.

  “This time it’s different.”

  “Let me guess, you can feel it in your non-existent bones? You can feel it through that thick skull of yours? You’ve also said that many times.” Zi Meili dusted herself off.

  “No, this time is different because of the trapped phoenix spirit at the nexus. Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding this whole time and not heard its cries?”

  Zi Meili froze.

  “I just thought that it was Jie’s village finally dying.”

  Zi Xu shook his head.

  “Does this have anything to do with that burning building you showed us?” Lu Na asked.

  Zi Xu nodded.

  “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but somehow you and that phoenix are connected. If that’s true, then this time the labyrinth might work in your favor.”

  “As opposed to what?”

  “As opposed to what the labyrinth does every time a person with a key enters it: tortures them to death.”

  “Why does no one tell this to anyone? They should put up signs or something. I didn’t come to be tortured to death nor did I drag my friends to death either.”

  Zi Xu smiled, his crooked smile flashing his teeth.

  “If you don’t want to die, then you should do something about it. I give you two-to-one odds that you’ll make it to the center. Higher if you have my help.”

  “That would be great. But could you first help me with your sister?”

  Zi Meili was already slipping into Sun Ren’s body again to possess her. Before she could, Zi Xu grabbed her by the ponytail this time. He yanked her off Sun Ren before tossing her to the ground. He kicked her to the ground and pinned her with his foot.

  Lu Na was wrong. This was nothing like the conversations she had with her brother.

  “If you don’t listen to me, then I’ll just destroy you.” Zi Xu raised his hand and it glowed white.

  “Do whatever you want. I’ll come back. It’s not like we can ever truly die.”

  “Wait, maybe we can come to an agreement,” Lu Na said.

  Zi Meili glared at Lu Na.

  “I have nothing to say to the living. Just do it.”

  “What if I could give you more play things instead? I’m sure you’d rather have that than be destroyed.”

  “Would you allow other humans to be toyed and tortured by her?” Zi Xu said.

  “Well, they’re not exactly nice people. So I don’t mind if your sister stalls them as we try to reach the center.”

  Zi Xu nodded.

  “You’re talking about those soldiers. I have news about them. Your naga spirit and her family have decimated their initial push, but somehow they convinced more people to join them. So now they have more summoners and soldiers.”

  “Great. Is this the most people that have ever attempted to solve the labyrinth?” Lu Na asked.

  “No. There was an earlier warlord that sent in an entire army.”

  “They died just like everyone else,” Zi Meil said. “If you make it past this section of the labyrinth, you’ll get to meet them. They will make you wish you were never born. You can sometimes hear their hatred and anger in the labyrinth’s walls.”

  Zi Meili smiled. It was the same smile as Zi Xu, slimy like an evil merchant.

  “You know what, brother? I think you’re right. Maybe she is different. Maybe, with a little help from us, she will reach the center and we’ll finally be free. Let me go. I’ll gladly help them reach the next section.”

  Zi Xu lowered his hand and the glow disappeared.

  “Truly?”

  “Yes, of course. I would love nothing more than to watch your hopes get dashed again when she throws herself at them like a fish against the rocks.”

  Zi Xu released his sister.