A small smile appeared on her lips. "His na is Raphael. He's… well… he is a colleague. We fell in love during a mission, and after dating for a year, he proposed. He wasn't a romantic guy at all, but he tried his best during the proposal. It was actually quite funny when I thought about it..." She laughed, then added more softly, "Anyway, we're planning to host a wedding in Feb."
Lin Fang stopped walking for a mont, then turned fully toward her. "Congratulations, jiejie."
She looked genuinely surprised by the sincerity in his voice. "You're not upset that you get to know, now?"
"Why would I be?" he said simply, shaking his head, "I understood that you weren't in a situation to inform . But at the very least, I can now attend your wedding. That's enough for ."
For a brief second, her eyes shimred. She quickly looked away, pretending to study the waves.
They didn't notice the others at first.
Five figures stood scattered across the deck, all dressed casually, but their auras betrayed them instantly. A-rank.
All of them.
Their gazes flickered, subtle but sharp, drawn not to him or Lin i—but to Nebula.
And one of them, a broad-shouldered man with short silver hair, frowned slightly. Another woman narrowed her eyes, mana perception flaring for just a heartbeat before she reined it in. The third tilted his head, curiosity barely masked.
"She's not human," soone murmured quietly.
"An Intelligent being," another replied, voice low. "But it doesn't seem that powerful, though. Must be a young one..."
The third one murmured. "Such an intelligent being is following those two? The strongest of the two, that man barely has Tier-4 mana. I don't think she's a dragon. Dragons that can transform into humans are too proud to follow soone like him. I wonder if she is a dragonkin (born of a human and a dragon in human form)..."
Right then, Nebula spoke, "Master, soone is approaching."
Nebula's quiet warning cut cleanly through the warmth of the mont. Lin Fang stopped mid-sentence, his fingers tightening slightly around Lin i's hand as he followed Nebula's gaze.
Two n were approaching them with unhurried confidence, the kind that ca from knowing no one on this deck could casually stop them.
One was clearly a fellow Zhonggou, with a lean physique, with cropped black hair and eyes that scanned everything without seeming rude.
The other was foreign, taller, and more buff, his sharp features suggesting foreign lineage. Neither bothered to hide their aura. They didn't need to.
Lin Fang felt it imdiately. Even without Alpha whispering in his ear, the difference was obvious.
They stopped a few steps away.
"Do you need sothing?" Lin Fang asked, voice calm, posture relaxed but alert. He didn't step back. He also didn't step forward.
The Zhonggou man smiled faintly and extended a hand. "Su Ye."
Lin Fang studied him for a heartbeat, then accepted the handshake. The grip was firm, controlled, testing, but not aggressive. "Lin Fang."
The foreigner beside Su Ye stiffened for a fraction of a second.
"Lin Fang?" Zack repeated, his brows lifting as he looked Lin Fang up and down again, this ti with far more focus. "You an… Li Changfeng's inheritor?"
Lin Fang's eyes narrowed just a little. "How do you know my master?"
Before Zack could answer, Lin i spoke up, her tone natural, almost casual. "Master Li was famous well beyond Zhonggou, Fang-di. Especially among high-tier hunters and veterans. Anyone who's been around long enough has at least heard his na."
Su Ye nodded. "Your sister is right. Li Changfeng was… well, he was a legend." His gaze lingered on Lin Fang with open curiosity now, no longer hiding it. "We didn't expect to see you here, though."
"And I didn't expect to be recognized," Lin Fang replied.
Zack chuckled softly. "Actually, we didn't notice you..." His eyes flicked briefly toward Nebula, then back to Lin Fang. "We noticed your… companion first."
Nebula straightened, the faint frown beneath her glasses deepening. She didn't move closer to Lin Fang, but the air around her subtly changed, mana compressing like a drawn blade.
Su Ye raised a hand slightly. "Easy, there. We're not here to provoke trouble."
"Then speak," Lin Fang said simply.
Su Ye exhaled, choosing his words. "Intelligent beings are rare. Intelligent beings that willingly follow a hunter are even rarer." His gaze sharpened. "So, we are curious, that's all.
Zack added, "We were guessing. Dragon was the first thought, but that didn't sit right. They were too proud. So, I wondered whether she is a werewolf or a dragonkin..."
Nebula's lips twitched. "I am neither a dragon nor a werewolf," she said calmly. "And I follow my master because he is my master."
Zack's eyes then shifted to Lin i, and he asked, "And this is..."
Lin Fang let out a slow breath, placing himself half a step in front of Lin i without making it obvious. "This is my sister, Lin i."
Zack's eyes imdiately lit up, the kind of sharp, unapologetic appraisal that made no effort to hide itself. He gave a low whistle, lips curling into a grin that lingered a second too long. "Oh? Your sister? I thought you were a couple. It's good..." His gaze swept over her again, openly this ti. "You're beautiful, lady. Exactly my type."
The air shifted.
Lin i's brows knitted together, surprise flashing across her face before hardening into clear displeasure. "Excuse ?" she said, her tone cool but edged with warning.
Lin Fang's expression darkened almost imperceptibly. Before he could speak, Su Ye stepped in smoothly, his voice calm, practiced. "Apologies. My friend is… straightforward. He doesn't an anything by it."
Zack turned toward Su Ye, looking genuinely puzzled. "What do you an by I don't an anything?" he shot back. "Is it wrong to complint soone to their face?" He snorted lightly, shaking his head. "You Zhonggou people are strange. Always twisting simple words."
He turned back to Lin i, clearly undeterred. "So? You got a boyfriend, lady?"
That was when Lin Fang moved.
He took one step forward, placing himself fully between Zack and Lin i this ti. His voice was calm, but it also slightly carried a dangerous glint in his eyes as he said, "Does it matter? You look like the type who'd chase even married won."
Zack's grin vanished at the comnt.
His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing as his mana stirred instinctively. "You—"
Lin Fang tilted his head slightly, wearing an innocent expression this ti. "Why?" he asked lightly. "Do foreigners get offended when people say things directly to their faces?" He paused, then added with faint amusent, "I really don't understand you foreigners."
For half a second, silence hung thick between them.
Then Lin i broke it, a soft giggle escaping before she could stop herself. She quickly covered her mouth, but her eyes were bright, clearly entertained.
Zack's fists clenched at his sides. The veins on his forearms stood out as his anger spiked, his aura threatening to flare. For a mont, it looked like he might actually act.
Nebula stepped forward.
She didn't bare her teeth. She didn't release her full pressure. She simply stood there, tall and unmoving, her presence like a wall. Her concealed aura leaked just enough for soone of Zack's level to feel it, to recognize that crossing this line would co at a price.
Zack froze.
Then, slowly, a grin crept back onto his face, sharper this ti, edged with malice rather than humor. "Good," he said softly. "Very good."
He said nothing else.
Turning on his heel, he walked away without another glance, Su Ye following after him with a brief, apologetic look toward Lin Fang before disappearing down the deck.
Only when they were gone did Lin Fang relax his shoulders.
Alpha's amused voice echoed in his mind. "You're strange, kiddo. You ignore enemies who nearly killed you because you don't want trouble… yet you don't hesitate to offend a powerhouse over a single comnt."
Lin Fang didn't answer imdiately. His gaze lingered on Lin i, who was still smiling faintly, clearly pleased.
"She's my sister," he then replied. "For my loved ones, I will even offend the god. He had no right to look at her that way. Or comnt like that..."
Alpha fell silent.
Deep within his mindscape, another presence stirred. Tiamat let out a low, resonant chuckle, more a vibration than a sound. "So you're not a coward after all," it mused, almost to itself. "There is darkness in you… But it only surfaces when those you cherish are threatened. Interesting. Very interesting."
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