"Hurry! The vases! Get the vases!"
Three oxen scrambled about a wooden wagon, holding expensive vases in their hooves. They set the vases in the wagon and took off down the street, hoping to get out of the village. Unfortunately for them, what they didn't know was that the village had a guardian. A fierce warrior of brown and white, with a strong fist and sharp claws.
"Hey-ah!" The guardian roared, pursuing after the bandits on all fours. The oxen looked back, their eyes widening with fear.
"Is that…?" One of them gasped.
"I think it is!" Another one whined.
"Mei Ling!" The lead ox shouted.
They were right. The incredibly mountain cat was right on their tails. Letting out a yowl of fury, she leapt into the air, kicking one of them in the snout. He wailed, grabbing his nose. Seizing that arm, she spun him around until he was dizzy and disoriented, then she delivered a heavy punch on his chest which sent him tumbling down the side of the hill.
"Gah! He was good for nothing anyway!" The lead ox spat, showing no remorse for what happened to his partner. Instead he forced his other one to move faster while he guarded the vases.
Because the other ox was pulling the wagon and couldn't defend himself, Mei Ling utilized his disadvantage by kicking him in the legs. This caused him to trip, falling on his stomach. The cat grabbed him by the horns and flung him into the air, then kicked him hard in the stomach. He screamed in agony, hurtling down the path. The lead ox looked back at Mei Ling in horror and she smirked at him.
"I can't believe they were beaten up by a girl!" The lead ox bellowed, narrowing his eyes in anger. "No, not me! I'm not spineless wimps like those two!"
"We'll see about that!" Mei Ling hissed, throwing a punch. The ox blocked it with an arm, reaching at her with a fist. She veered to the side, seizing his extended arm and kicking him in the chest. He doubled over, grunted in pain, but got back up and punched her in the nose. She growled, wiping off the blood from her damaged snout, and swung forward and hit him in the throat. He howled in pain, saliva spurting out of his mouth. While he was dazed, Mei Ling spun around and kicked him in the chin, sending him flying in the air and hitting the ground with a thud. Mei Ling landed beside him, grabbing the vases.
"Next time, watch out before you insult ladies," she replied, running back to the village with the stolen vases. The ox groaned, his eyelids fluttering wearily.
When she returned to the village with the vases, the villagers clapped their hands and shouted in glee. The owners of the vases ran up to her and claimed their possessions, flashing her a smile and expressing their gratitude.
"Thank goodness we have you, Mei Ling!"
"You're so strong and awesome!"
"What would we do without you?"
Mei Ling dipped her head in modesty. She didn't care about popularity in the slightest. Her only goal was to protect the gentle citizens of the Xiaohua village.
Nestled deep in the mountains, the Xiaohua village was a small yet peaceful village populated mostly by goats, pigs, and geese. Bright flowers blanketed areas not covered by houses, resulting in the village's name "small flower". Mei Ling had found the village after it had been ravaged by a gang of crocodiles. Seeing it in dire need, she had come to the rescue and saved the villagers and most of the property, throwing the criminals in prison. The villagers had shown her such thankfulness and respect that she decided to move in and guard them ever since then.
After the villagers had calmed down and returned to their normal business, Mei Ling made her way to the old temple overlooking the village. It was red, blue and yellow, with stoic-looking dragons coming off the sides of the roof. Inside it was even more colorful, with elaborate designs carved in the walls, and a bright golden dragon in the center. Mei Ling approached it slowly.
Getting on her knees, she dipped her head and put a fist in her palm. She inhaled deeply, taking in her surroundings. The room was silent as she slipped into a peaceful meditation.
"Mei Ling! Mei Ling!"
Snapping back to reality, Mei Ling stood up and swiveled her head to see a small, plump goose racing up to her. His expression looked frantic, his eyes wide with anxiety. In his wing he held a scroll. He stopped in front of Mei Ling, gasping for air.
"Goodness, what is it, Xiānxíngzhě?" Mei Ling queried, looking at him worryingly. He handed her the scroll.
"A message… from the Emperor!" He replied.
"Emperor?" she asked, opening the scroll. Her eyes scanned the words, and once she was done, he looked ahead in surprise. "The Wu Sisters? They've kidnapped Baoshí? And he wants me to go and save her?"
"Yes, Mei Ling, he's calling for the strongest warriors in all of China, and one of those warriors is you!" Xiānxíngzhě responded. Mei Ling closed the scroll and took a deep breath.
"This is really urgent, looks like I should be heading off now." She began to walk out the entrance of the temple.
"B-but what about this village? Who will protect it from bandits?" The goose whined. Mei Ling looked back at him, her expression serious.
"I've been training some of the villagers in Kung Fu. They are getting quite good, actually. If any bandits come, I'm sure they'll be able to fight them off." She sighed deeply. "I would love to stay and help protect you, but I can't let the Wu Sisters get away with whatever they're doing. They need to be stopped, or all of China will be in danger. Xiānxíngzhě, thank you delivering that message. I want you to watch over this village. I know you'll do a good job."
"M-me?" Xiānxíngzhě wailed. "B-but, Mei Ling-!"
"Xiānxíngzhě, I trust you! I know you can do this. Please, just while I'm gone, okay?" Mei Ling meowed. The goose dipped his head in respect.
"I'll do whatever I can, Mei Ling," he said, putting a fist in his palm. Mei Ling smiled in satisfaction.
"Thank you, Xiānxíngzhě. I must go now. Hopefully it won't be too long before I get back. Take good care of my dear villagers, alright? Good bye." With that, she turned and raced out of the temple and out to the direction of the Emperor's Palace.