The climb back up the thick hanging vine was significantly slower than the drop down, mostly because Bai Yue had to stop every few feet to scold the mythical being trailing behind her.
"I still don't understand," Bai Yue panted, hauling herself up another foot. "You're a dragon! The literal apex predator of the skies! You breathe fire! How can you be afraid of a glorified swamp noodle?"
Below her, Cāng Jì paused his climb, clutching his freshly retrieved Lumina-Stone to his chest. Even covered in swamp mist and monkey grime, he managed to lift his chin with absolute, stubborn haughtiness.
"I am not afraid, star-thief," he huffed, offended. "I have a highly refined, celestial aversion to multi-headed abominations that lack proper hygiene. It is not fear. It is an aesthetic choice."
"You fainted the first time you heard them roar," she reminded him flatly.
"I took a tactical, restorative nap! The humidity was ruining my pores!"
