Heather smiled inexplicably and said, "How about this, Director? Letâs shoot one scene as a trial. Weâll fight for real, no rehearsals, improvise, and deliver the most authentic fight scene."
"Hey, that wonât work!" The director looked exasperated. "Youâre supposed to win this scene! And it has to look good!"
A few apprentices chuckled and said, "Master, just send the junior disciples in. Let them get some screen time in the drama. A real fight? If we all go at her together, the girl wonât make it out alive. Weâre not looking to take on any criminal liabilities!"
Heather replied to the director, "Did I ever say I was going to lose?"
Upon hearing her words, one of them sneered and said, "You want to take all of us on by yourself and still win? Forget it! Even if we donât bring out our senior brother, whoâs a champion, you wouldnât last against the youngest among us!"
"Director, letâs settle this," Heather declared. "Everyone seems confident, so letâs get straight to it."
The director was completely flummoxed. "Miss, are you kidding?"
Master Zhang, a straightforward man, quickly apologized to Heather: "My apprentices donât know their manners well and never hold back. Theyâve embarrassed me. Donât take it to heart, Iâll make sure to teach them a lesson back home."
Heather smiled and said, "Itâs no issue, Master Zhang. Just tell them to give it their all. If anyone dies, Iâll take responsibility."
Everyone brushed off her last comment as a joke, paying no mind.
"Alright, alright, someone go exchange a couple of moves with her. Iâm out. Master, sorry, I misunderstood."
"Senior brother, wait for meâ"
Heather smiled slightly and said, "If youâre afraid of losing face to a woman, just admit it. Why bother running away?"
Honestly, she didnât want to resort to such a low-level provocation, but she had no choice. Everyone naturally adopted an air of arrogance when confronting her merely because she was a woman. They had no idea whom they were dealing with.
At this, every single one of them stopped in their tracks.
"Woman, say that again?"
Heather didnât flinch; instead, she walked directly toward the most prominent senior brother, standing almost eye-to-eye with him and said, "I said, you canât handle losing."
Her calm demeanor made swallowing this insult incredibly difficult.
The man referred to as the senior brother suddenly launched an attack against Heather. However, what happened next caught everyone off guardâwhat seemed like an incredibly fast punch to them was effortlessly blocked by her palm. She countered with a soft yet nimble move, pushing him aside, then yanked him back powerfully. In an instant, she struck with a lightning-fast kick to his calf.
With a thud, the senior brother collapsed to his knees. Without giving him a moment to react, she hooked him from behind and sent him sprawling face-first onto the ground.
The senior brother didnât even manage to land a single move before he was outright KOâd in front of everyone. All present were dumbstruck, their jaws wide enough to fit several eggs, unable to close their mouths for a long time. Their minds went completely blank, devoid of any coherent thought.
The entire sequence lasted barely a second...
Heather, triumphant, planted a foot firmly on his back, pinning him down. With a smirk and a cold sneer, she said, "They call you senior brother and I expected some skill. Turns out all youâve got are half-baked skills."
Heather had always been a queen-like figure; words from her mouth carried an inherent aura with just a single expression.
"Damn it... How dare you humiliate our senior brother like that!"
Heatherâs actions ignited the fury of the remaining four Martial Arts Apprentices. Overcome with hot-blooded rage, they didnât care anymore about whether she was a woman or about fairness. They all charged straight at her.