anwhile, in the dead of the night.
Under the smug gaze of the crescent moon...
Su Xiaobai sprawled across Bai Yujian's bed like a sloth that had won the lottery, his arms and legs stretched wide across the soft, silk-covered paradise. The faint scent of jasmine sneakily tickling his nose.
"Pfft, fancy won and their fancy slls," he muttered, rubbing his face against the pillow with a grin. "She doesn't even use this bed. Wasteful! It's mine now. Mine!"
He yawned, stretching until his joints popped. "Ah… so soft. So perf—"
He smiled, blissfully ignorant of the faint pulse of light deep within his storage ring. A soft thrum echoed in the void, and sothing stirred.
With a gentle pop—pop!—Xiao Hei erged from the ring, her tiny feet landing soundlessly on the wooden floor. She stood there for a mont, tilting her head as she gazed at Su Xiaobai, her crimson eyes gleaming softly in the dim light.
She blinked.
Her small hand rose to her lips, as though suppressing a giggle. But no sound ca from her. Silent as the night, Xiao Hei climbed onto the bed, crouching beside the sleeping Su Xiaobai.
She poked his cheek. Boop.
Su Xiaobai didn't stir. A snore escaped him, loud and triumphant.
Xiao Hei tilted her head the other way, as if pondering sothing. Then, with a light hop, she leapt off the bed. Her tiny feet landed with a soft *tap tap*. She turned once to glance at Su Xiaobai, her lips curling into a faint, almost protective smile.
And then, she vanished into the shadows.
____
At Stormfire Peak, in a chamber lit by a single flickering fla, lay Huang Shao.
Once a proud disciple of the sect, Huang Shao was now reduced to a pitiful wreck. Layers of bandages cocooned his broken body, soaked in blood that slled of desperation. His shattered dantian left his spiritual core an empty void, and his breaths ca in shallow, uneven gasps.
The door creaked open.
Huang Shao's eyes snapped open, wild with fear. "Wh-Who's there?" he rasped, his voice cracking.
From the shadows erged Xiao Hei. Her small fra seed almost too delicate to belong to this dark place. Her red dress flowed like ink, her crimson eyes glowing faintly in the gloom.
Huang Shao froze. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
"Wait," he stamred, trying to push himself upright. "Wait—don't—"
Xiao Hei stepped closer, her footsteps as soft as falling petals. Tap. Tap. Tap. She stopped at the edge of the bed, her head tilting as she stared at him.
"W-Who are you?" Huang Shao whispered, trembling.
Xiao Hei blinked. Slowly, she raised a small hand and brushed the bandages on his chest.
Her touch was feather-light, but it sent a shiver down Huang Shao's spine.
Her lips curled into a sweet, innocent smile.
Then her fingers pressed harder—crunch!
"H-Help—" Huang Shao let out a choked scream before darkness consud him.
_____
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Next day, the peaceful morning exploded with noise.
"OPEN THE DAMN GATES!"
"Stop shielding that rat!"
"BRING HIS HEAD!"
Su Xiaobai jolted awake, his dream of swimming in a sea of roasted ducks rudely interrupted.
"What the hell?" He rubbed his eyes and shuffled toward the door. "Can't a guy get so sleep around here?"
Before he could reach the handle, the door exploded inward. Splinters rained down as a towering figure stord into the room.
BAM!
Standing amidst the destruction was Elder Liu, Peak Lord of Stormfire Peak. The man was tall and skeletal, his crimson robes fluttering in the morning wind. His eyes, sharp and predatory, locked onto Su Xiaobai like a hawk sighting prey. Behind him, a mob of disciples glared at Su Xiaobai like he'd personally insulted their ancestors.
"You!" Elder Liu's voice cracked like thunder. "You dare assassinate my disciple?!"
Su Xiaobai stared blankly. "Assassinate? What? ?" He pointed to himself. "Buddy, I don't even have the energy to climb out of this bed, let alone go around murdering people. You've got the wrong guy!"
"Don't play dumb!" Elder Liu roared, his aura bursting out like a wildfire.
Behind him, a swarm of Stormfire Peak disciples filled the courtyard, their glares sharp enough to peel paint.
"Liar!"
"Coward!"
"Let's string him up!"
The disciples didn't look convinced.
Su Xiaobai threw his hands in the air. "Why," he groaned to himself, "why does every psycho with a grudge show up at my door? What next? A fairy descending from the heavens to save my ass?"
BOOM!
The thought made him laugh—right up until it didn't.
The roof exploded, and in swept Bai Yujian like a goddess late to her own party. Dark hair flowed behind her like a stormcloud, and her eyes burned with the fury of a thousand unpaid debts. She landed lightly amidst the rubble, her aura clashing against Elder Liu's like two wild beasts fighting for dominance.
"Liu Chenfu," she said, her voice sharp as a blade. "Are you actually insane?"
Elder Liu's aura blasted in response, burning like molten steel. "Stay out of this, Bai Yujian! That rat murdered my disciple!"
Bai Yujian's expression didn't change, "Your disciple deserved it."
"You—!"
The two auras clashed, shaking the entire mountain. Su Xiaobai, now pinned against a wall by the sheer pressure, wheezed.
"Master!"
Xiao Lu burst through the crowd of disciples, ducking debris as she reached Su Xiaobai. She grabbed him by the arm, dragging him upright.
"What's going on?!" she demanded, her voice high with panic.
"I don't know!" Su Xiaobai shouted back. "But if soone doesn't stop these lunatics!"
His eyes darted toward Elder Liu, and his frustration boiled over.
"If I wasn't so weak," he muttered through gritted teeth, "I'd slice him into little pieces and use him as bait for my chickens."
Xiao Lu snorted, "You'd need to be stronger than him to do that, Master."
Su Xiaobai's face darkened. Why was he the one being insulted here? So old fossil, a hundred tis his age, wanted to murder him, and he's the weakling? What was he supposed to do—wrestle the guy barehanded?
And worse, he still didn't even know what cri he was supposed to have committed.
More elders began to arrive, shuffling into the courtyard with stiff expressions. Su Xiaobai eyed them warily, muttering under his breath, "Who the hell are these geezers?" He had never seen any of them before, but judging by their presence, the ss must've been serious.
The newcors quickly separated Bai Yujian and Liu Chenfu, who had been seconds away from tearing the mountain in half. Their auras faded, but the tension in the air like the aftertaste of bad wine.
After what felt like an eternity, things finally cald down. That's when Su Xiaobai got the news.
It turned out that Huang Shao, the very disciple who had tried to assassinate Su Xiaobai during the tournant, had been assassinated himself.
In his own ho.
Last night.
The irony hit Su Xiaobai like a slap to the face.
For Elder Liu, though, it was worse. His prized disciple, his supposed future star, had not only broken sect rules during the tournant and been humiliated, but now soone had murdered him right under Elder Liu's nose. It was as if the killer had marched up to Stormfire Peak, sared mud all over their faces, and laughed while doing it.
The humiliation ran deep, and the anger even deeper.
It didn't take long for the "small incident" to escalate into a full-blown war.
Sword Peak disciples, looking for an excuse to show off their supposed superiority, joined the fray to beat down Stormfire Peak's disciples. Accusations flew. Grudges reignited. Soon, the peaceful sect grounds were transford into a battleground, with cultivators clashing in the courtyards, roofs, and even the training halls.
____
"Hahaha!"
Su Xiaobai leaned lazily on the balcony railing, watching the war with a grin on his face. A small pile of peanut shells grew beside him as he popped another into his mouth. "Look at them go! They're like dogs fighting over scraps!"
He laughed harder as two disciples from opposing peaks tripped over a stray broom and tumbled face-first into the mud.
"I don't know who killed Huang Shao," Su Xiaobai said between bites, "but that bastard deserves a feast. They've done us all a favor!"
Behind him, Xiao Hei silently erged, balancing a tray of sweets in her small hands. She sat down beside Su Xiaobai without a word, offering him a plate of candied lotus seeds before taking a piece for herself.
Together, they munched on snacks like it was a festival.
___
Xiao Lu stood a few steps away, her face a mix of disbelief and exasperation. "You two… The sect is practically at war, and this is what you're doing? Watching the show like it's a play?"
Su Xiaobai shrugged, crunching on a particularly crispy peanut. "What else am I supposed to do? Jump in and diate? I'd rather fight a rabid tiger."
Xiao Lu slapped her forehead. "Master, don't you care that one of these maniacs might barge in here to kill you?"
"Oh, I care," Su Xiaobai said, smirking. "I care so much that I'm ready to welco them with open arms and a snack." He waved his peanut bag. "Want one? It's salted."
"..."
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