Born with divine strength

"Don't run!"

A young girl, no more than eleven or twelve, pointed ahead and shouted.

Before her were three boys of the same age, their faces battered and bruised, arms and legs marked with injuries, all looking thoroughly disheveled. They ran with all their might, backs to the girl, not daring to look back.

One of them managed a defiant, "Violent girl," but his feet kept moving.

In the past, the girl would have chased after them, caught them, and given them a sound beating. But today, she did nothing of the sort. She sat on the steps beneath the eaves, her eyes clouded with melancholy, lips pursed, and struck the step beside her with her fist so hard that it broke. To any onlooker, the sight would be astonishing, but she seemed unmoved. Propping her head up with both hands, she stared off into space.

After a long while, she finally showed a trace of emotion. Two clear tears slid from her eyes, and, holding back her feelings, she muttered to herself, "Who cares about playing with you anyway?"

…

Zhang Ling and his companion were brought to the bandit's mountain stronghold by a group of brigands. They had initially thought of finding an excuse to leave, but now that they were here, they might as well settle in for a while. After all, Zhang Ling was injured and it was unwise to continue traveling.

But when he saw the true face of the Mountain Breeze Stronghold, he was stunned. Was this really a den of bandits? It looked more like a refugee camp!

The dwellings were crude, two houses had collapsed and no one bothered to clear the rubble. Many fences and wooden tools were broken, not from decay, but as if deliberately smashed.

Faced with such an unexpected scene, Zhang Ling asked tactfully, "Brother Hou, has Mountain Breeze Stronghold always been this impoverished, or were you recently robbed yourselves?"

Hou Liu stepped forward and sighed. "Sigh! That child Xu Ying… Never mind. Let me take you to your quarters first. Our stronghold may look rough, but there's still a decent room for you to stay in."

After just a few steps, they saw women washing clothes, men chopping wood, everyone busy with their tasks, even the elderly tending carefully to vegetable plots. This was nothing like a bandit’s lair—it was no different from an ordinary rural village.

Then Zhang Ling watched as three children ran to their elders, bursting into tears, each with a bruised and swollen face. Hou Liu sighed, "Xu Ying again?"

The mother looked at her child, heart aching, and turned to Hou Liu, speaking bluntly, "Chief, look at this—Xu Ying did this. A girl with such strength, always fighting—how is that proper for a girl? I told you before, we shouldn’t have brought her to the stronghold. She’s nothing but trouble."

Hou Liu took no offense at her words and instead offered comfort. "Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her again. I won’t let this keep happening."

The children and their elders said nothing more. Even if the chief lectured that "violent girl" again, it would likely make no difference, but out of respect for his position, they held their tongues.

Hou Liu then led Zhang Ling and his companion to a room. The furnishings were simple but tidy.

"You two will stay here for now," Hou Liu said. "Get yourselves settled in. If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be off for now."

Zhang Ling nodded and watched Hou Liu leave before closing the door and collapsing onto the bedding.

Song Linjie, dropping his pretense of foolishness, asked, "Why do we have to stay in a bandit stronghold? Why not just leave?"

Zhang Ling sat up and explained, "I’m injured and can’t travel, and we left with nothing. If we can’t find an inn, we’ll starve."

Song Linjie complained, "Then why did you have to say I was a fool, and even rename me 'Simpleton'? Why not change your own name?"

Zhang Ling grinned, "How else could we win over these bandits? And as for your new name…"

He whistled, opened the door, and slipped out, leaving Song Linjie behind. But Song Linjie wasn’t truly angry; after all, he was accustomed to such antics.

Whenever a wooden post broke, she would fetch a new one and replace it herself. If a bucket cracked, she’d patch it up. For things she didn’t know how to fix, she wouldn’t ask for help, but quietly did what she could, never making a fuss.

At this moment, she was repairing a hoe. The handle broke again and again; no matter how she tried, she couldn’t fit it properly. In frustration, she snapped it, leaving only one last handle. She picked it up carefully, just about to assemble it, when a hand took both the hoe and the handle, and after a few quick adjustments, put them together with ease.

He handed it back to her and teased, "With a temper like yours, no boy will dare marry you."

She shot him a glance and sulked like a child, "So what if no one wants me? I’ve always been alone, ever since I was born."

He sat beside her on the steps, chuckling. "Your name is Xu Ying, isn’t it? I hear you’re very strong."

Xu Ying glanced at him, then turned away, muttering, "Are you here to mock me too?"

He shook his head, his tone earnest. "Mock you? Innate strength like yours is something many people would die for. The reason you dislike it is because you haven’t learned to control it yet. Only when you master your strength will others accept you—perhaps even admire you. How about a sparring match? Of course, only if you don’t think I’m bullying someone younger."

Xu Ying looked at him, surprised and pleased. "Are you serious?"

He nodded, stood up, and extended his left hand with a smile. "Come at me with all you’ve got."

Xu Ying rose from the steps, swinging her small, delicate fist gently, looking weak and harmless. She moved toward him, and he raised his hand, wrapped with inner energy, to block. Her soft fist landed on his palm and forced him two steps back.

He stared at Xu Ying in astonishment, but wasn’t entirely surprised. Xu Ying raised her chin, smiling triumphantly, "Well? I wasn’t even using my full strength, or you’d be in trouble."

He steadied himself, stepped forward, and smiled, "Try again."

Xu Ying didn’t hold back and punched again, though still not with full force. Just as her hidden strength was about to connect, he reached out, his hand gliding along her arm, suddenly gripping her wrist. No matter how hard Xu Ying struggled, she couldn’t break free.

He released her hand, and she nearly stumbled but did not cry or fuss like other children. Instead, she got up and attacked with all her might. He smiled calmly—her fists either missed as he dodged or were deflected with subtle skill. Despite her great strength, she could not land a blow; his feet never moved from their spot. At last, he reached out with both hands and held her completely immobile—her strength rendered useless.

Letting her go once more, he stood relaxed, smiling. "Well? Would you like to learn?"