Guan Li kept an eye on the approaching team while Paike got up and carefully moved around to the other side. Both Yixin and Liming shot him subtle glares, but the serious look on his face and the finger pressed to his lips told them this was not the time. They quickly gave him their full attention, their faces turning serious as he indicated that there were people coming.
The odds that they would be heard were small at the moment, though Paike didn't want to rule out the possibility that someone had exceptional hearing due to some strange art. It was more about getting into the operational mindset so they would be hidden when their quarry showed up.
The four of them went to get a look and saw four disciples walking through the gate. Guan Li was watching closely. The first, striding out front, was a tall, lean boy with silver hair and piercing golden eyes. The way his robe moved told Paike that something like sheets of metal armor were embedded in the cloth. That was worrying. Apparently, many of the other disciples had been more prepared for this test than he had.
It was to be expected. After all, his family was never one for giving any kind of advantage during training. Unfair advantages were reserved for life-and-death situations, not training exercises. Unfortunately, his family was the odd one out, meaning he and Liming were often at a disadvantage in competitions compared to the other prodigies of prominent families.
The next two were relatively nondescript—a short boy with short-cropped, spiky hair and a young girl with long black hair. Her purple eyes were the only things Paike could make out beneath her hood. Bringing up the rear was a striking figure who made the rest seem pale in comparison. She was of middling height for her age of 13 or 14. But down the middle of her back was a mane of emerald green hair. The way she moved, it looked like she was dancing over the ground, with a strange mist rising from her feet.
That was someone Paike would have 100% recognized the second he saw her. Without a doubt, it was Lan Zhu. Coming from the Lan family, she wasn't one who had performed well on the trail of the stairs, but her nature cultivation was oftentimes underestimated by that family's enemies. They didn't have enemies for long, though.
Paike vaguely recognized the other three, but he didn't remember their names. Some had been in the spiritual cultivation class, but Lan Zhu had not. If she had, he didn't think he would have won an award in spiritual cultivation because she was also at Middle Ruby.
Paike cursed under his breath, drawing surprised looks from all three of his teammates. He quickly told them what he knew.
"We're going to need to isolate her and bring her down quickly before dealing with the others. With her around, the others will be much more difficult to take down. Likely, she has potent healing abilities. Not only is she Middle Ruby like me, but she probably also has multiple techniques, if not arts. Her family is known for their quick growth, like the plants they mimic."
Quickly, they devised a plan. It wasn't precisely what Paike would have wanted, putting Guan Li at too much risk, but he understood that it was their best shot. He was extremely glad this team hadn't been the ones to ambush them on the way here. Otherwise…
He pushed the defeatist thoughts out of his head and quickly climbed down the tower to get into position. Only Yixin would be staying on overwatch, monitoring the few different locations they had picked for their encounters. She would have a clear sightline from here and her fallback position. Liming was sticking with him while Guan Li took the long way around.
This was going to be difficult to time, but Paike had faith in his team. They had done surprisingly well in their first encounter. While the timing was tricky, their opponents' reactions mattered more.
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He and Liming found the alleyway they had scouted from above and slipped in, pressing to either side as Paike occasionally peeked around the corner to see when their opponents were coming. Briefly, he saw Guan Li slip into position on top of a low roof across and down the street. Guan Li's job was to draw off Lan Zhu's team and keep them busy chasing him. Meanwhile, he and Liming would take down their most dangerous opponent, with support from Yixin. She should be able to help Guan Li if he got cornered, but hopefully, it would be a 3v1, and that should be enough.
The other group was not making an effort to be stealthy, but neither were they chatting among themselves. Paike wondered if they had been one of those groups forced together or if they actually knew each other. As they rounded the first corner, he looked more closely. They weren't in any sort of formation, no more than when they had strolled in. But judging by the wary looks the two unknowns were giving the tall boy with the metal armor, Paike didn't think they knew each other, which was perfect.
He could sense that the tall boy, Paike would call him Golden Eyes, knew how to fight by his movements. The other two looked useless, but Lan Zhu was clearly going to be the most dangerous.
Paike counted their steps, and just before he worried that Guan Li would miss his opportunity, a heavy brick sailed from the roof where Guan Li was hiding. It missed everyone, but that was intentional. It shattered in the center of their formation, spraying bits of clay all around. It wasn't enough to injure, but it was enough to catch their attention.
Paike was counting on them being surprised, nervous, and jumpy, which they were. As Guan Li showed himself briefly before dashing away, one of the unrecognized members of the opposing team shouted, pointing before turning and dashing off, drawing the purple-eyed girl with him. Golden Eyes shouted and looked back at Lan Zhu. She pointed, indicating that he should go with them while she spoke.
"I'll continue on to the objective, Ren Chi. You go gather up our wayward allies." Her voice was surprisingly normal. It was said that her family spoke with the smell of flowers, and their words were as intoxicating as any poison. It was a lucky thing that she hadn't learned that art yet.
Ren Chi? Paike thought. Was he a relative of the Ren clan? He didn't look like a martial artist, but rather some sort of armored warrior. Regardless, the group were playing right into their hands, exactly as he had hoped. All three of Lan Zhu's retinue had left her behind. Paike and Liming waited as she continued to walk casually down the street, giving Guan Li enough time to lead the others far away.
After a count of 60, he and Liming both stepped out of their hiding spot. Lan Zhu froze, looking at them with a cocked head.
"Hey, aren't you the—"
Her words were cut off as a flash of light struck her in the chest. Paike wondered if that would give them an opening, but after the brief flash, he saw that the projectile made of Starfire was blocked by a tendril of green, now smoking slightly and blackened. Several more bolts lanced out at her, but two green tendrils curled out from her robes, intercepting them as Paike charged forward.
He really wished he had a chance to learn at least one defensive technique, but well… this was going to be the first cultivator he couldn't grapple with. Her extra limbs made of plants would make that impossible. Liming dashed at his side, easily keeping up as a faint glow circulated through her feet. Paike wasn't going to be alone.
He moved right as his sister went left, flanking. He timed his first attack with an arrow as Lan Zhu's vines rose to block. He swept into a low kick aimed for her shins just as his sister went high, matching the arrow but coming at her from the side, striking with an open palm.
Lan Zhu raised one leg, catching Paike's kick with her shin. Their bones met with an audible clack that made both of them wince. Even as she caught Paike's kick, she reached out and met Liming's palm with one of her own. The move looked almost casual, as if blocking two opponents while being shot at with arrows made of Starfire was an everyday occurrence for the Middle Ruby cultivator. But the second Liming's hand collided, things didn't go as planned.
Lan Zhu let out a half-gasp, half-shriek as she flung her hand away. Paike could see it was already blackening, like a plant withering from rot. It started to regain its color the second Liming's touch ceased. Still, Lan Zhu was wary and on the defensive, backing up several steps as the siblings approached. Paike ready his staff in a twirl.
"You are of the Kong family," she said calmly, having restored her hand in half a second. She gave Liming a bow. "Well met, Miss Kong, Master Kong. I am eager to exchange pointers with you."
Her composure was regained entirely, and their element of surprise was totally lost.