Chapter 52: A Friendly Spar

Morning dawned on Danxia Peak.

Inside the ancient, rustic pharmacy, a woman with long, ink-black hair sat serenely behind a table. With one hand, she meticulously adjusted the herbs on a scale, while the other held a brush, diligently recording entries in a ledger.

“If you have something to say, speak plainly.”

Elder Ji did not lift her head, her voice chillingly calm.

“Eek!”

No sooner had her words fallen than a pair of long, pale golden rabbit ears, peeking from the pharmacy doorway, recoiled sharply as if startled. Immediately, a rabbit-eared girl, dressed in a goose-yellow ruqun, tiptoed stealthily into the room.

“Elder Ji… Elder Ji…”

“Mm.”

Elder Ji’s eyes remained downcast. She carefully placed the selected herbs into a jade box, then turned to retrieve new ingredients from the medicinal cabinet behind her.

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

“I… I…” Ning Sixteen stammered, her voice barely a whisper. “A friend invited me out to play… Classes are canceled today, so… may I leave Danxia Peak?”

‘A friend?’

Elder Ji finally lifted her gaze, looking at the young girl before her.

‘With Sixteen’s shy and timid nature, where would she find a friend?’

‘Oh, right.’

A memory suddenly surfaced from the academy a couple of days prior—of a pink-haired little girl, the one who called Ning Sixteen ‘Little Pomegranate.’

‘That must be Yun Xueshang’s daughter, wasn’t it? What was her name again? Rongrong, perhaps?’

“Are you going to Mianyun Peak?”

She asked, her tone abrupt.

“No, it’s not!”

Ning Sixteen shook her head repeatedly, her rabbit ears swaying with each movement.

“Rongrong invited me to the Grand Arena on Wendao Peak. She said her mother and her other mother are going to ‘fight’ there today, and she specifically asked me to come watch with her.”

‘Fight?’

‘It should be a spar, shouldn’t it? To temper their sword hearts through battle? Is Yun Xueshang about to break through her realm?’

Elder Ji lowered her gaze once more, stating calmly:

“Go, it’ll be good for you to see the world. Even if you don’t fully understand an Infant Soul stage battle, you might still grasp some insights from it. Regardless, Yun Xueshang’s combat prowess is never lacking.”

“Find a senior disciple to escort you there. Just tell them I’ve given my permission.”

“Mm! Thank you, Elder Ji!”

Upon hearing her consent, Ning Sixteen first bowed, then happily bounced and scampered out.

‘Speaking of which… that girl named Rongrong, how did she become so close with Sixteen so quickly? Was it because of what happened at the academy that day?’

Elder Ji watched the pair of rabbit ears disappear beyond the door, lost in thought.

‘Her personality is nothing like Yun Xueshang’s at all.’

She scoffed softly, dismissing the thought, and redirected her attention to the medicinal herbs in her hands.

***

“Little Pomegranate! Over here! Here!”

From the spectator stands of the Grand Arena, Hua Xiangrong, who had been restlessly scanning the crowd, quickly spotted the pair of pale golden long ears.

Seeing the pink-haired girl on the high platform vigorously waving at her, Ning Sixteen secretly bolstered her courage. Before long, she had squeezed through the bustling crowd and arrived beside Hua Xiangrong.

“Rongrong, there are so many people here…”

Ning Sixteen, accustomed to staying on Danxia Peak and rarely venturing out, glanced at the surging crowd around them. She leaned in close to Hua Xiangrong’s ear and whispered.

“Of course there are! After all, it’s Senior Sister Yun’s spar, so naturally many people would come to watch.”

Lin Qianqian, who stood nearby, overheard the two young girls’ murmurs. She turned, a warm smile gracing her face as she looked at them.

“You’re Ning Sixteen from Danxia Peak, right? Rongrong has mentioned you to me, saying you’re her good friend and incredibly cute—seeing you today, it’s absolutely true.”

‘Incredibly… cute…’

Ning Sixteen’s cheeks flushed slightly. She quietly clutched the corner of her robe, and her fluffy long ears unconsciously curled.

“Hello, Little Pomegranate, I’m Lin Qianqian from Wan Jian Peak. If you don’t mind, you can call me Auntie Lin, just like Rongrong does.”

As Lin Qianqian introduced herself, she smiled and pulled two packages from her storage pouch, handing one to each of the little girls.

“Here, these are freshly roasted sunflower seeds from the mess hall. I brought them especially for you.”

Feeling the kindness of the gentle elder before her, Ning Sixteen held the bag of sunflower seeds with both hands and dutifully nodded.

“Mm, thank you, Auntie Lin.”

“Aw~ So good, so good!”

Lin Qianqian’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled, gently ruffling the heads of both little girls, one hand on each.

‘Ahhh! Both Rongrong and Little Pomegranate are so well-behaved and adorable! I wish I had a daughter as cute as them!’

Ning Sixteen allowed her head to be stroked, her eyes slightly narrowing in comfort. She turned to Hua Xiangrong beside her and asked curiously,

“Oh, Rongrong, I haven’t asked yet… why are your mother and your other mother fighting today? Did they have an argument?”

Because Hua Xiangrong had used the word “fight” when inviting her yesterday, Ning Sixteen had naturally misunderstood.

“Hmm… I don’t think so.”

Hua Xiangrong, also letting Lin Qianqian rub her head, had her mouth full of shelled sunflower seeds. She mumbled vaguely in response,

“Hmm, perhaps it’s just a difference in their stances.”

“?”

***

Meanwhile, at the center of the Grand Arena’s martial arts stage, Hua Yan was already on one side, flexing her muscles and brimming with eagerness.

She had forgone her usual elaborate hair ornaments today, instead tying her vibrant red hair into a sleek, high ponytail, secured by a golden hair crown.

She wore a fitted golden-red cloud-patterned martial suit, its tight waistline accentuating her slender figure. Compared to her usual flower-like beauty, she now exuded a captivating aura of heroine.

“I say, shouldn’t we start already?”

Hua Yan gestured with her chin towards her opponent, her voice laced with fervent anticipation.

Across from her, Yun Xueshang remained clad in her simple white robe, the Autumn Water Sword slung diagonally across her back, radiating an air of cool indifference.

“Mm, I can begin anytime.”

Yun Xueshang nodded slightly, then raised her hand to draw her long sword. A cold gleam flashed as it left its scabbard, shimmering with silver light, seemingly vibrating in silent anticipation of the impending spar.

The two had arranged this battle privately, so there were no rules to constrain them, nor any need for a referee; they could begin at any moment.

As for why so many spectators had gathered in the stands, it was merely a clever trick played by Hua Yan, who had intentionally leaked the news beforehand.

‘Hmph, this is my battle of vindication, Hua Yan’s! Last time I lost to you at the Acacia Sect, with so many people watching, I lost face completely! This rematch, naturally, cannot have fewer spectators!’

‘Let me utterly defeat you in front of everyone, Yun Xueshang! Hahahahahahahahaha!’

“Good, since you’ve said so—”

Hua Yan’s smile was bright. In her right hand, a five-colored glowing array disk swiftly materialized.

“Subdue!”

As her delicate cry fell, the array disk in her hand pulsed with light, instantly turning crimson. Concurrently, a scorching fire dragon roared forth from the disk, its massive, flame-formed maw wide open, carrying searing heat waves as it lunged directly at Yun Xueshang!

In but a fleeting instant, half of the martial arts stage where Yun Xueshang stood, along with her pristine white figure holding the sword, was engulfed by the fire dragon.

The crowd in the stands erupted into a thunderous cheer—

The battle had begun!

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