Next moment, a chill surged from Yanqing like a tide, even the arena floor gradually frosting over.
The young man gripped the sword hilt with both hands; his knuckles went white from the strain.
The blade hummed and trembled, and delicate frost flowers unfurled along the spine of the sword, layer upon layer.
And in his mind a clear image formed of how Jingliu had once wielded a sword, the very stance he'd traced a thousand times in his dreams.
The next second Yanqing snapped his eyes up, a calm and a sharpness in them that belied his age.
"This strike, illuminate the ten thousand rivers!"
The long sword slashed diagonally with the force of a tearing wind; a crescent-shaped sword slash suddenly took form, an ice-blue halo.
Where it passed, sheets of crystalline ice sprung up instantly, their facets refracting the cold light.
In the spectators' seats, Jingyuan, who had been leaning lazily on the railing, slowly lowered his folded arms.
His gaze locked onto that ice-blue sword slash; for someone usually composed, a barely noticeable ripple passed through his eyes, and a low sigh escaped his throat, "Master...."
"This strike finally has some promise!"
Fu Shi stood at the center of the freezing blast; rather than retreating, her eyes were lit with the thrill of fierce combat.
She ground her foot into the ground and stood as steady as a rock. Her long sword slashed horizontally toward the ice-blue sword slash, the crimson blade wrapped in searing heat, colliding with that icy crescent with a thunderous impact!
"Boom!"
Blazing heat and extreme cold violently collided in the center of the arena; steam shot up at once into thick white smoke, shrouding the two figures like a mist.
Owlbert's excited voice pierced the fog and, through the loudspeaker, spread across the venue,
"The arena is now shrouded in steam. Who will remain standing on the platform and claim victory , The Lieutenant or the Herrscher of Sentience?!"
The air currents inside the white smoke churned wildly, then came the dull thud of something heavy falling.
The cheers from the stands instantly dropped by more than half. Everyone stood on tiptoe to peer toward the center of the arena; even Jingyuan leaned forward slightly, his fingertip unconsciously rubbing the railing, a rare look of focus crossing his eyes.
"Cough..." A breathy cough came from the mist, followed by a gust of wind that slowly blew the lingering white smoke aside.
The scene on the platform at last became clear,
Yanqing knelt on one knee, his long sword deeply planted into a crack in the stone to prop up his faltering body.
Clearly that last strike had exhausted him completely; he was utterly spent.
Fu Shi stood three paces in front of him, casually brushing the ice crystals off her shoulder with a single raised hand. The brightness in her eyes from the thrill of battle had not yet faded.
"You lost."
Her voice was calm and even, without a shred of post-victory arrogance; if anything, it carried a faint, hard-to-detect approval.
Yanqing clenched his lower lip, his knuckles white from gripping the hilt. He tried to use the sword to pull himself up, but his knees were weak and trembling; even the blade wavered in the rock fissure.
At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out in front of him,
The youth blinked, looked up at the owner of the hand, and used the offered strength to straighten his body.
"Thank you."
No sooner had the two spoken than Owlbert's ecstatic voice exploded again,
"Congratulations to the Herrscher of Sentience contestant for winning this season's 'Luminary Wardance'! Let's give the two fighters the warmest applause and cheers, and pay tribute to this breathtaking duel!"
The cheers from the stands rose like a wave, people on tiptoe waving their arms; March 7th even yanked on Sirin's sleeve and shook her hard. Sirin just stared at March holding her hand and then turned towards the arena.
High in the stands, Jingyuan watched the two on the arena exchange smiles. A knowing smile tugged at his lips as he murmured to himself,
"Master, oh master, Yanqing may have lost, but this disciple of mine is, after all, more talented than your pupil."
[Jingliu: ....]
On the platform, Yanqing watched Fu Shi turn and walk away, and images of Jingliu, Blade, Dan Heng and others resurfaced in his mind. He suddenly gripped his long sword tighter.
Beneath his stray hair his eyes burned even more fiercely.
The applause from the match still echoed on the Skysplitter. Having sensed a hint of something wrong, Fu Shi and Kiana☆ hurried back to the inn with their group.
"??"
The two of them opened the door with heavy faces, but the scent that met their nostrils was not what they had expected, instead, a rich, lingering aroma of tea gently filled the room.
Fu Shi and Kiana☆ exchanged slightly surprised glances. Just past the threshold they saw Elysia leaning against the table, brewing tea.
A teapot hovered in mid-air; warm water streamed in thin threads into a white porcelain cup. A few tender green tea leaves unfurled in the cup, spreading pale green ripples.
Elysia glanced up and, at the sight of the two, her eyes curved into crescent moons full of smiles. Her voice was soft as kneaded cotton,
"Oh, our champion is back!"
"Why are you in Fu Lin's room?" Fu Shi asked, her tone carrying a note of inquiry as her gaze swept over the furnishings, as if searching for clues.
Just as Fu Shi finished speaking, the bamboo curtain in the inner room was gently lifted.
Mei☆ emerged, looking as if she had tasted something and craved more, her skirt still showing creases. Seeing Fu Shi and Kiana☆ at the doorway, her steps unconsciously paused for half a beat.
That sight made Fu Shi and Kiana☆'s expressions fall instantly. Their eyes darted between Mei☆ and Elysia at the table.
Mei☆'s collar was slightly open; a faint pink mark showed on her neck. Elysia, though composed and proper as she brewed tea, also displayed an unhidden flush and a look of satisfied contentment.
For a moment the air seemed to freeze; the tea scent in the room seemed to fade, replaced by something else.
Kiana☆ clenched her fists and stepped forward half a pace, her voice trembling with barely suppressed anger, "You two...!!!"
Elysia paused with the teapot in hand, her fingers tracing the cool ceramic, still smiling with upturned eyes, "Kiana☆, keep your voice down. Fu Lin is a bit tired and is resting inside. I just brewed some tea while waiting for you."
She said this and poured some more into the empty cup; the tea leaves swayed gently in the warm water.
"Rushing back straight after the match, you must be thirsty. Sit and have some tea, come on, hmph~?"
Mei☆ followed the lead and relaxed her expression, sweeping a damp lock of hair behind her ear, picking up a cup and taking a small sip, "Yes, Kiana☆, I thought after these days together you'd be more accepting of what we prepared, but it's done now. Getting angry won't change anything, better to sit down and calm down with a cup of tea."
Kiana☆'s knuckles whitened from gripping her fist; she stepped another half pace forward and slammed the table, shouting, "Shut up! You two..., who wants your tea!"
Fu Shi ignored their quarrel and walked straight into the inner room, folding her arms and staring at the figure on the bed.
The light in the room was dim. Fu Lin sat propped against the headboard, half-covered by the sheets; the exposed skin at his neck was marked with conspicuous marks.
Fu Lin looked uncomfortable under her gaze and hurriedly turned his face away, reaching to pull the slipping covers up as if to hide something.
Silence stretched between them for a moment. Fu Shi shot him a scolding glare, then massaged Fu Lin's face with both hands and ground her teeth as she said,
"Stop playing innocent. If you wanted to run, they wouldn't have stopped you, you were strong enough to defeat them or escape from them. Also, get up. If you don't go outside soon, things are going to get ugly."