A gust of wind carries Long Yan and me outside. I guess my master just kicked us out of the Crown Prince's Chamber. The door slams shut behind us, and my silver-blue hair whips across my face.
Long Yan clenches his jaw, then lets out a breath and walks away. I flick my hair back — a storm brewing inside me. A gust of wind rushes from my fingertips, nudging him forward. He swivels around, arm extended, and fires a blazing shot at me.
A splash of water snuffs it out, followed by a water tendril shot. Dodging, Long Yan releases another fireball. I leap aside, and the fireball scorches the ground near a plant. He swiftly closes his fist and lowers his arm as the flames vanish before they can do any damage.
An air tendril lashes out, smacking his arm. He flicks it off, takes a deep breath, turns, and walks away again.
Whipping the air tendril again, he tilts his head back and breathes a blast of fire into the air. Swiftly turning, he torches the tendril. The spiraling flames reach my arm, setting it alight. His eye widens as the flames are snuffed out immediately. Smoke curls from my sleeve, but he stops the burn before it can do any real damage.
"Look, Ling Yue, I don't know why you're taking your frustration out on me. This is literally all your fault. I'm only here, supposedly, to help you. Asking for a sparring session is different from attacking from behind. I would've thought Elder Brother would have taught you manners."
Lowering my head in shame, I stare at my hand. It wasn't even injured. My face burns crimson as I fight back my pride.
"Sorry, Long Yan. I just feel so angry at the situation. I hate the Celestial Realm. I don't even want to be here, and now I'm stuck with a mountain of debt. For ocean's sake, I've been to prison twice here!"
"You're honestly the only person I know who's been to prison. I have no idea how you managed that." He pinches the bridge of his nose, then lets out a breath. "Would sparring make you feel better?"
"Challenge accepted." I throw a punch at his head, which he evades and returns with a punch that sends me flying back. I plant my feet as I skid back, then charge at him with a flying kick. He kicks my leg aside.
I sweep his legs; he jumps high, planting a punch that narrowly misses me, cracking the ground. I kick at his head, and he grabs my foot with his free hand without looking, then swings me away.
I flip mid-air, landing on my feet with a resounding crack in the ground. He stands tall and brushes off his robe.
Rubbing my arm, eyes downcast, I say, "I don't feel like fighting anymore. Let's just find the scoundrel. I might feel better then."
He fixes his sleeve and lets out a soft sigh. "How about we get something to eat? Maybe you might remember something on a full stomach. Race you to the first mountain we went to together?"
Nodding, I launch off. Long Yan transforms into a red beam, shooting ahead. I chase after him, weaving effortlessly through the stream of immortals zipping along the Celestial Highway.
Landing by the stream teeming with jumping fish, he shifts back into his human guise. Two fish catch on fire in mid-jump. They float toward us. This must be his peace offering. We eat one each.
Happily munching on my perfectly grilled fish, I throw the bones back into the stream and let out a resounding burp.
Surprisingly, he does the same. After burping, he says, "Oh. I see why you do that now."
After I finish licking my fingers, I reach into my mystical satchel and lug out the treasure chest of treasure maps. I plop it on the ground between us.
"Ling Yue, where did you get that?" my companion asks, scratching his chin as he studies the box.
"From Master, of course." I flick my silver-blue hair back.
"No, not your satchel. That odd-shaped container doesn't look like it belongs in this realm."
"You mean the treasure chest? I found it on the island with the mini-trolls."
"I'm not quite sure which island you're referring to, but this isn't common in this realm. What's in it?" He points at the treasure chest.
I open the latch and swing the treasure chest around, revealing its contents. He seems like the type who wouldn't steal my treasure. He unfurls a scroll, then another, then another. "What exactly am I looking at?"
"Are you seriously telling me you've never seen a treasure map before? What kind of life were you living?"
He shrugs, giving a wry smile. "The life that doesn't need to go treasure hunting."
Scratching my head, I don't know what to say about that. No wonder the dragon brothers are related. They're both weird. "Well, the mystical satchel Master gave me had a map to this island where I found this treasure chest."
"That doesn't sound like something Elder Brother would give you. Was this part of a quest?"
I shake my head. "When I reached into the satchel, it gave me a map. When I explored the island, Master showed up and took the map back."
"That is very strange. Elder Brother doesn't take things back, especially when he's given them willingly." He leans his chin on his fist, his other arm crossed.
Actually, Long Yan is right. That was weird and embarrassing. I wanted to bury myself in the sand afterwards. I didn't think about that. Raking my memory of that day—apart from getting caught and put on a spit-roast by the mini trolls—what else happened?
Then it dawns on me. My eyes widen with excitement. I know where to find our next lead.