Liu i stepped forward from the dissolving ripple of the void gate, her grin wide, eyes gleaming like a fox who had found a den of foolish chickens.
Her gaze locked onto the two combatants frozen in place: Betty, poised mid-breath, her hand still faintly aglow with heat and then there's Icehart, his sword arm taut, veins along his throat pulsing with restrained fury.
Behind Liu i, Yuu erged with quiet poise. She walked forward at a asured pace, the spatial portal closing behind them like a curtain falling on the final act.
The mont hung thick with tension.
Betty's fingers twitched before she clenched her fists, whispering under her breath, "This is no ti for infighting. That woman behind her is a space user…"
"I know that, you stupid woman," Icehart snapped through gritted teeth, his eyes locked on Yuu but his venom reserved for Betty.
His voice didn't rise, but the veins in his neck bulged with anger barely held in check. "Do you think I'm dumb?"
"Tch," Betty clicked her tongue and looked away, folding her arms.
"Aww, why'd you two stop?" Liu i asked with a disappointed pout, tilting her head dramatically. "It was fun. That's why I was clapping my hands."
"Liu i," Icehart said out her na.
Liu i's ears twitched. She turned her head slowly, her grin fading into a sharper, more focused stare.
Her eyes glead with dangerous curiosity.
Yuu placed a hand on her shoulder, calm and steady.
"Friends of yours?" she asked mildly.
Liu i shook her head with theatrical disgust.
"Just two monkeys who stopped being entertaining."
Betty's expression twitched. Her jaw tightened, lips pressed into a thin line.
But rather than explode, she closed her eyes and released a slow, deliberate breath, letting the anger leave her body like steam rising off a fla.
"…Liu i," she finally said, stepping forward with restrained grace. "The winner of the Azure Sky Dragon Tournant."
Liu i blinked, then snorted. "Ugh, that thing? That was sooo long ago. Maybe five years?"
She lifted her hand and started counting her fingers with exaggerated confusion. "Yeah, five."
"Indeed," Betty nodded, a wry smile curling her lips. "You've grown." Her voice was even, but her eyes scanned Liu i, noting the difference.
This wasn't the child she rembered.
At eleven, she was small and tiny, fast and nimber. And now at sixteen, she felt sharper and already... developed.
Liu i caught the glance imdiately. In a flash, she drew her sword with a flick and tucked it defensively across her chest, shielding her figure.
Betty clicked her tongue, not from embarrassnt or guilt, but pure annoyance.
Not at the denial of the view but at Liu i's ridiculous reaction speed.
"She's fast," Betty muttered, more to herself than anyone.
Betty turned to Icehart, waving a hand with dramatic exasperation.
"Icehart, anything to add? Or are you just going to continue brooding in silence?"
The sound of his na rang like a bell through the quiet.
"Monkey!" Liu i barked in delight, grinning wide. The word hit like a slap.
Yuu muffled a snort, one brow twitching upward in amusent. "So that's the billion taels bounty, huh," she muttered under her breath.
A slow, mischievous smile curled on her lips as a thought struck her.
Wait... if I were the one to claim it, wouldn't I technically be helping Master out? Saving him a fortune, really. Practical and loyal, he'd surely be proud.
Her grin widened briefly, eyes glittering with the idea but then she glanced toward Liu i. The smile faltered, just slightly.
She exhaled through her nose, the mischief ebbing into sothing softer, more patient.
Ah right... this girl and the boy have so history to settle as well... Best to let them settle it.
Her eyes lingered a mont longer, then she folded her arms and leaned back, choosing silence for now.
Icehart's glare at Betty could have frozen lava. But Betty just laughed at his misery, eyes gleaming with malicious amusent.
Without another word, Icehart spun, wind gathering beneath his feet as he took to the sky and vanished into the distance.
Liu i blinked, watching him go, then turned to Yuu, who had a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I thought you wanted to kill him yourself?" Yuu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nah." Liu i shrugged. "I don't deal with monkeys."
"Oh? And I do?" Yuu's voice took on a faux-offended edge as she reached over and pinched Liu i's cheek hard.
"Pwease! Pwease! He's gwunna gwet away!" Liu i squealed, struggling like a child under punishnt.
Yuu finally let go, but her tone dropped, turning icy. "Liu i, let take this mont to teach you one golden rule: never chase… or run away from soone who has mastered space arts. That's the stupidest stunt you can ever pull."
With a whisper, Yuu sliced the air with her fingers. Space parted like silk, and without looking back, she stepped through and vanished.
The portal sealed behind her in a shimr of distorted light.
Liu i stood still, watching the portal dissolve.
Her eyes were wide, awe-struck. "So… cool…" she muttered.
Then her attention shifted.
She turned to Betty, her playful energy returning.
"You know," she said, approaching with casual swagger, "I wanted the Golden Radiance Phoenix title back then."
The words hit like a pebble to the head.
Betty's face darkened. Her brow furrowed, her smile dropped ever so slightly.
"…You what?"
Liu i's grin widened, bright and taunting. "Mmhm."
Betty's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
So she knew… about the lingering soul in the Golden Radiance Phoenix title… and she gave it up anyway?
Her mind buzzed with questions.
It had contained a living remnant of the golden radiant phoenix will... powerful and sentient.
Why walk away from it? Did the Azure Sky Dragon title hide sothing else? Sothing even far greater than the opportunity to reach beyond the legend ranks?
Betty's brain churned, flipping through fragnts of mory, speculation, deduction. But the answer eluded her.
So, finally, she chose the most direct route.
"And why exactly," she asked smoothly, voice wrapped in casual silk, "did you go for the Azure Sky Dragon title then?"
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