Chapter 7: Defeated in My First Battle

  The carriage raced through the night, the rumble of wheels and pounding of hooves mingling into a deep, persistent sound. Occasionally, the wheels crushed fallen branches by the roadside with a faint rustling noise. Inside the carriage, Xu Sanbao rested against the soft cushions, eyes closed, while Li Xiaon and Wu Yuyu continued their lively squabble.

  "Don’t run! Let me pinch you one more time!" Yuyu giggled, reaching out to grab Xiaon's arm.

  "No way!" Xiaon ughed as she dodged, striking back pyfully. "If you don’t stop, I’ll tell the young miss tomorrow!"

  Sanbao opened her eyes helplessly, watching the two maids tangled up in py. She couldn't help but smile. Although a trace of sadness lingered in her heart after leaving home, their cheerful banter eased her worries for the moment.

  Just then, the carriage jolted violently and came to an abrupt stop. The sudden impact threw all three girls forward.

  "What’s going on?" Armed, Sanbao steadied herself against the carriage wall, a rising unease tightening in her chest. She pressed her hand to the dagger at her waist and called out, "Driver, why have we stopped?"

  No response.

  Only the whispering night wind answered.

  Sanbao's instincts screamed of danger. Her gaze darkened. She suppressed the anxiety brewing in her heart and whispered, "Xiaon, go check it out."

  Li Xiaon nodded and lifted the curtain, stepping down from the carriage. As soon as her feet touched the ground, a short, muffled cry sounded—and then, silence.

  Sanbao stiffened and sat bolt upright. Yuyu’s face had gone pale; she clutched Sanbao’s sleeve tightly, trembling. "Miss, Xiaon—"

  "Let’s go," Sanbao said quietly, one hand resting on the water pouch at her waist. She grabbed Yuyu’s hand with the other, gently lifting the curtain and stepping out of the carriage.

  Under the dim night sky, they saw Li Xiaon pinned between two burly men. Her mouth was gagged, her eyes wide with terror.

  Standing nearby was the driver, arms folded across his chest, a wicked grin on his face, his eyes glinting with malice.

  Sanbao’s heart sank.

  "You mean these three girls?" a rough voice called out.

  Sanbao turned to see a hulking man step out from the shadows. He wore battered leather armor, a heavy spiked mace hanging from his waist. A jagged scar twisted across his face, and his eyes gleamed viciously as he looked them over.

  A bandit leader?

  Sanbao’s brows furrowed. They had been tricked. The driver wasn’t an innocent traveler—he had been working with the bandits all along, leading them into an ambush.

  "Little girls," the scarred man sneered, his voice coarse and mocking. "Luck must be smiling on me tonight. Three delicate little flowers, and one of them’s a noble dy too."

  The surrounding bandits burst into vulgar ughter, their eyes filled with greed and lust.

  "Let her go," Sanbao said coldly, her voice calm as ice. "What do you want?"

  "Hah, what do you think?" The scarred man licked his lips, his ughter growing more obscene.

  Li Xiaon struggled desperately, but the two thugs held her fast. Her muffled cries for help only fueled the leering excitement of the bandits.

  Wu Yuyu cowered behind Sanbao, clinging tightly to her sleeve, her face deathly pale.

  Sanbao’s expression turned colder. She gently released Yuyu’s hand and gripped the water pouch at her waist.

  It seemed there was no choice but to fight.

  Years of training in swordsmanship and water manipution gave Sanbao a fierce confidence.

  In a fsh, she whipped out her water pouch, flung the contents into the air, and chanted under her breath.

  The water droplets froze instantly, transforming into shimmering arrows that shot toward the bandits!

  "Argh!" Several bandits cried out in pain, stumbling back, their bodies pierced by the sharp water arrows.

  Sanbao's heart lifted. *Small-time bandits—no match for me!*

  But before she could savor her advantage, the scarred leader snorted coldly and pulled out a small, dark-yellow wooden bead from his robe, muttering an incantation.

  "A Soil Spirit Orb!" Sanbao gasped.

  She stared in shock as the bead glowed ominously, a deep sense of dread flooding her chest.

  "Heh, so you recognize my treasure," the bandit leader sneered. "You're just a first-stage Water-type Ability User. This Soil Spirit Orb neutralizes water powers below the fourth rank. Let’s see how you run now!"

  He hurled the orb into the air. At once, the earth rumbled violently. Thick walls of dirt rose from the ground, blocking Sanbao’s water arrows with ease.

  Then the earth split open. Giant hands of hardened soil burst forth, seizing Sanbao and Yuyu, trapping them like iron shackles.

  Sanbao’s pupils contracted. A cold wave of fear washed over her. *Is my journey going to end here?*

  She struggled frantically, but the strength of the earthen hands was overwhelming, rendering her completely immobile.

  "Yuyu, what do we do?" Sanbao turned to Yuyu, who stared at the towering dirt walls, frozen in terror.

  The bandits ughed wildly again. The scarred leader strode forward with a triumphant grin. "What now, little missy? Feeling scared yet?"

  Sanbao bit her lip and fumbled for her second water pouch, preparing to summon more water arrows and break free.

  But when she opened it—her heart plummeted.

  It was empty.

  Disaster.

  As a first-stage Water Ability User, her powers were entirely dependent on carrying her own water. She had nearly drained her first pouch in the earlier attack—and foolishly, she hadn’t realized the second pouch held no water.

  Her stomach twisted in despair.

  "Hahaha, what's wrong? Out of tricks already?" the bandit leader mocked, inching closer, his face twisted with cruelty.

  Sanbao’s fingers trembled around the empty pouch. A surge of bitterness and frustration swelled inside her.

  Her very first battle outside the estate—and she had made mistake after mistake.

  Was she really going to be defeated by mere bandits on her very first night?