"See? I told you there were forty-seven people!"
＜(｀^′)＞
Bing Huan looked at the proud little figure beside him. "You're not scared anymore, huh?"
The little girl, coming to her senses, smiled sheepishly. "So, are we supposed to fight our way out?" Hermione found it strange. She had been scared out of her wits when facing just one of them moments ago, but now that there were forty-seven... it somehow seemed manageable?
Before the Blood Servants charged, Bing Huan locked the door. He glanced around, led Hermione to a corner, and stuffed his Horizontal Saber into her arms.
He glanced back at the door that was about to give way, complained about the shoddy construction outside, then turned to Hermione. "Come on, Hermione. Hold Crimson Trail tight. He can protect you. I'll go hold them off in a moment. No matter what happens, don't leave this corner. Got it?"
Hermione tightened her grip on the saber and nodded. Bing Huan covered the corner with furniture, then turned toward the Blood Servants rushing in.
Thinking about how he had given Hermione the saber for self-defense while his own abilities had been sealed almost completely by his master, leaving him able to use little more than Body Cultivation techniques, Bing Huan felt another headache coming on. He walked forward while loosening his muscles and muttered,
"When I get back this time, I'm definitely going to take all that Old Grindelwald's tea and burn it to make tea eggs."
A Whiplash Kick sent the first three Blood Servants flying. "Come on, you beasts." As if enraged by Bing Huan's words, the Blood Servants charged even more furiously. Bing Huan blocked the attacks in front of him while guarding against sneak attacks from behind. A few of them fought especially dirty, striking straight at his kidneys every time.
Bing Huan could only keep changing positions while looking for chances to take down a few of them and reduce the pressure. But from beginning to end, he never moved more than three meters away from Hermione. Gradually, the Blood Servants were reduced to just over twenty. Just as Bing Huan adjusted his breathing and prepared for the next battle, six Blood Servants charged in, while two more leaped out of the fireplace.
In the crisis, Bing Huan swept the enemies away, but failed to notice the direction. The Blood Servants he sent flying smashed through the sofa in the corner, exposing Hermione's hiding place. Several Blood Servants immediately changed targets and charged toward Hermione. Bing Huan flashed to her side, knocked back the attacking Blood Servants, and once again pulled the battle line more than three meters away from Hermione.
This time, however, Bing Huan not only had to face attacks from all sides, but also guard against those trying to slip past and attack Hermione. Combined with the stamina he had already expended, his breathing began to grow heavy. The divided focus allowed a few sneak attacks to leave Bing Huan wounded.
"Mm!" After taking three Blood Servants' heavy blows once more, the Blood Servants watched Bing Huan gasp for breath and laughed shrilly. "Looks like you really want to protect that girl. Too bad you can't stop all of us." From the corner of his eye, he saw several underlings break through the wall and charge straight toward Hermione.
Although he was being suppressed, Bing Huan laughed. "That's why I only let the weakest ones go over."
"What?!"
At that moment, Crimson Trail in Hermione's arms glowed red. It flew from its sheath and chopped off the claws of the attacking Blood Servants. Crimson Trail had been nurtured inside Bing Huan's body since it was still a Sword Embryo, when Bing Huan had only just begun cultivating. After that, for every refinement and every upgrade, Bing Huan personally sought out the most suitable materials. With sufficient potential and its master's devoted nurturing, Crimson Trail had already developed a trace of intelligence and could automatically protect its master in times of danger.
Although the danger on Hermione's side had temporarily ended, Bing Huan's disadvantage, caused by his deteriorating condition, remained unchanged. Watching the number of wounds on Bing Huan increase, Hermione, who had no concept of strength, felt utterly powerless. She lowered her head and looked at the Horizontal Saber in her arms. "Crimson Trail, do you want to go help him too?"
Crimson Trail flashed, as if affirming the girl's courage. Hermione took a deep breath. "Hermione, you can do this. Hermione Granger, you can do this. Yah~!"
Bang!... She ran straight into a pillar.
Bing Huan: o_O
He hurried over and kicked away the Blood Servants around Hermione. "Didn't I tell you to stay put?" Hermione covered her forehead, stuffed Crimson Trail into Bing Huan's hands, and looked up. "We thought you needed this more."
Crimson Trail flashed. (Mm-hmm!)
Looking at the girl's determined yet frightened expression, as though she was afraid of being scolded, Bing Huan lowered his head in exasperation. "Tsk, what an unreliable girl." Bing Huan stood up and looked at the Blood Servants again. "Let me make this clear. Stay by my side from now on. I might not be able to protect you."
"I'm not afraid!" As she spoke, the little girl even found a small brick on the ground. The Blood Servants in the distance watched the two nervously. "Why does it feel like that kid's condition has changed?"
Bing Huan grinned. Crimson Trail slid from its sheath and rested on his shoulder. "Hey! Next up... phase two."
On a patch of grass some distance away, three old men and a young couple sat around a bonfire.
"Master, are you sure this is all right? Not only did you seal most of Little Huan's strength, you also drugged all those Blood Servants. The moment the viscount dies, they'll go berserk, with nothing but revenge left in their minds." The young woman spoke with a worried expression.
The old man in robes took a sip of tea. "Qing Yi, your junior brother's potential goes far beyond this. That boy has been cultivating since he was in the womb. With the foundation he built from childhood, this level of pressure will do him good and no harm."
The man beside her put an arm around Qing Yi and said to the old man, "Our junior brother was raised by all of us, after all. And it has been quite a while. It's been nearly two hours since he went in. It's only natural for Qing Yi to worry."
"Yu Zhen..."
"Don't worry, child. With the two of us and Hao Tian here, nothing will happen." The old man's face was kind. His silver hair and beard were so long that they could be tucked into his belt.
As he spoke, he added several more lumps of sugar to his tea. "Speaking of which, I do miss the pastries that child made."
"All right, he's the junior brother you watched grow up. Isn't he also the little disciple I, Zhang Haotian, raised myself?
"At most, those Blood Servants will give him a few superficial injuries. As for that viscount, his body was drained by beauty long ago. What is there to worry about?"
"Beauty? Does Mistress know about this?" A familiar voice came from nearby. The group looked over and saw Bing Huan returning with scratches all over him and Hermione beside him, her ash-covered face making her look like a little stray cat.
"Yo, our little hero is back. How was it?" The old man speaking wore a black suit. Beneath his short white hair, a pair of mismatched eyes seemed capable of seeing through the future.
"All right, Gell. Let the children rest properly. Scourgify." Dumbledore cleaned the two refugees up and gestured for them to come sit down.
Hermione stared in amazement at her clean clothes and let Bing Huan pull her over. "How did you do that?! Was it magic?"
Dumbledore patted Hermione on the head. "Correct, clever Miss Granger. It was indeed magic. Once you turn eleven, you can come learn it. For now, have a cup of tea and calm down."
"I can learn too?" After what had happened today, Hermione was exceptionally interested in this wondrous power. She accepted the calming tea from Dumbledore and began drinking it slowly.
Dumbledore nodded. "That's right, Miss Granger. You have the talent to become a witch. I would also be delighted to have a clever young witch like you study at Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts... Is that a school where people learn magic? Bing Huan! Did you hear that? I can beat up bad guys just like you in the future!"
"Urgh~" Bing Huan had just finished drinking the potion Dumbledore brought. He turned to answer Hermione, "Is that so? Then you'll protect me next time."
"Okay~!" Having received his approval, the little witch was already fantasizing about waving her wand and saving a hero in distress.
At that moment, the excited one was not just the little witch. Yu Zhen was shocked to sense that, within the Daoist sect thousands of miles away, the divination sign that had remained unchanged for eight years had moved!
Zhang Haotian gestured for his disciple not to say anything yet, then looked at Hermione. "Little girl, when were you born?"
Seeing his master performing a serious divination—a rare sight—Bing Huan asked nervously, "What's wrong, Master? Is there a problem?"
Zhang Haotian wore an enlightened expression and waved his hand. "Nothing's wrong. It's just somewhat special."
"???, she's just a little girl. What's so special about her?" He put his hand on Hermione's head and vigorously ruffled her hair.
The little girl broke free and glared fiercely at him. (Puffed up with anger.)
Zhang Haotian calmly took a sip of tea. "Is that so? Be careful not to fall into her hands someday."
Bing Huan failed to catch the implication in his master's words and immediately voiced his doubt in capital letters: "Impossible!"
Grindelwald stared at Hermione as if he had seen something. "Boy Huan, sometimes you shouldn't speak too soon. It's not as if you can see the future."
"Why are you saying that too, Old Grindelwald? Does she have some special talent?" Yu Zhen rewarded Bing Huan with a knock on the head. "How many times have I told you? You must use honorifics when speaking to your seniors."
Grindelwald waved his hand. "No. Her talent as a witch is quite good, though."
"Then why are all of you acting like I'll be afraid of her in the future? Is the prestige of my Daoist sect's number-one genius really worth so little?"
The five of them: "...You tell us."
Bing Huan: (՞•Ꙫ•՞)ﾉ????
He turned to Hermione. "Why does it feel like they're looking down on me?"
"I dunno." (.・`ω´・)
Before you continue