Chapter 176 - Seeds of doubt and recognition

Hand-to-hand combat!

The woman dressed in black was stunned silly as she stared at Xia Lian with a blank look on her face. Of all the things, she never expected that she would hear the other party propose a choice of hand-to-hand combat.

Her heart was roaring in happiness at the thought of the upcoming weaponless combat. Not to brag but she was good at close range combat, after all she was a first ranked general in the marine corps, her brains and brawn being inferior only to her commander. Due to some unforeseen circ.u.mstances, she ended up in this ancient world. It was time to show the kid a taste of the modern day marine corps attacks. But she was not an evil woman, after all the kid saved her it is only fair that she warn him beforehand.

" Young master, if I had to choose it will be martial arts. Be warned I am not to be trifled with in close range combat."

There was no ridicule in her voice and Xia Lian smiled widely on hearing her warning " Well, the same goes for me. My lady, step on the stage and let's get on with this."

The woman in black nodded in agreement, she wanted to end this and return to her room as soon as possible. Not wasting any further time, she leaped onto the stage and adjusted her legs while taking the basic stance of a soldier.

Tilting her head she found Xia Lian part her feet and bend her upper body slightly forward. It was a clear indication that the other party is ready to block the offensive and the woman could not help but applaud the kid for putting up such a confident front.

Finding that she had appraised the other party for a long time, the woman in black charged forward launching a clear offensive. She balled her fists and raised her right hand to punch the person before her. Xia Lian was on guard right from the moment the woman moved. She raised her left arm and blocked the attack and due to the advantage of her petite and short frame, she twirled around and locked the woman's right leg with her own.

But the woman was not to be slighted for she retaliated by moving her body abruptly making Xia Lian almost fall on the ground. It was with great difficulty that she managed to lock her hands around the woman's waist and flip her to the side, before moving away to keep a safe distance between them.

Xia Lian had a never seen before serious look on her face. It was not of fear of losing, but it was the woman's knowledge on grappling techniques that made her restless. The woman's legwork was impressive and the speed at which she moved was the sole reflection of her rigorous training.

The woman's excellent reflexes are what that caught Xia Lian's attention. By now, she had a faint idea of who the woman was. But, she needed to confirm her suspicions before she could voice out any questions about the other person's identity. She had her own ways of confirming and out of habit she started to rub the area below her chin deeply immersed in her own world of thoughts.

On the other side, the woman's state was no longer calm from the moment she exchanged blows with her other person. But her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the kid before her rub his chin as if it was an old habit. She knew that she used modern day grappling techniques and no person from this ancient era could beat her. But the fact that the kid before her was able to beat her could mean only one thing and the action of rubbing his chin only confirmed her doubts.

There was only one person who could beat her in close range combat and her sudden death affected had a deep impact on everyone. Then again the one before her was a kid and a boy at that. She had to confirm who exactly was the person before her. Did she also transmigrate to this world?

The woman dressed in black felt that she was about to go crazy. It didn't matter if the body was a girl or boy as long as the soul belongs to that person. There was only a way to confirm this and with a stead fast determination she raised her head only to find that Xia Lian was already staring at her with those bottomless black orbs...

Xia Lian's heart went cold as she took in those determined eyes of the woman before her. The woman wanted to test her to be sure. Xia Lian was doubtful before, but now she was sure of who exactly the woman was. There was no way an outsider could have the reaction when they see her rubbing her chin. It was an old habit of hers which only a few knew. Xia Lian's heart knew who the woman was as soon as she saw a tremor flash by in the other party's eyes.

Xia Lian was angry! Why did she end up dead ? Xia Lian felt a sharp pain in her heart at that thought...

How dare she dies!

The woman in black trembled on seeing those eyes which are blazing with anger. She did not know why but she felt a chill creeping up her spine under that gaze. That gaze was awfully familiar yet distant at the same time...

This time she did not have the chance to launch the attack as Xia Lian moved with a lightning speed and launched a punch on the woman's stomach using all her strength. The woman ended up staggering a few steps backward due to the impact and ended up coughing a mouthful of blood.

Not enough! It was not enough for Xia Lian!

The sight of blood did little help in quenching the raging fire of anguish in her heart.

The woman who was clutching her stomach slowly raised her head and a smile of relief bloomed on her pale face as she eyed the provoked Xia Lian before her. Tears of happiness flooded her eyes as the image before eyes turned blurry. With blood trickling down her fair neck and with those glistening eyes she evoked the pity in everyone's hearts. Now she was sure that the person before her was the same as the person in her heart.

But her smile of relief only added fuel to Xia Lian's anger as she balled her fists tightly.

" How dare you die?"

****

Hey Guys...

From today there will be 3-5 chapters for about ten days to make up for all my days of absence.

Regarding the super mass release which I promised you guys, I am thinking to release about 20 chapters on a single day and I am currently working on the stockpile. It's a big goal and I am working on it.

I've lost all my work stored in my laptop and it's actually a long journey to remember and type all those chapters now. I am working on it and hopefully I will be able to give you guys the promised chapters as soon as possible.

I usually don't break my promises and it happened that I actually failed to live up to all your expectations, the reasons being my poor health and other stuff. But, now I am using all my superhuman abilities to prove that I value my promises.

And I thank everyone for your words of encouragement and I thank all those who expressed dissatisfaction over my long absence and breaking promises. It shows that you all care in your own way...

Hope you guys understand and support me :)

- neha_