"The betting is almost over people!! It's now or never!!!"

A man shouted loudly as the crowd next to him started to cheer. On closer look, one could see that they were all standing in circle around a large stage.

"CLANG"

The clashing sound of metals echoed across the premise. On top of the stage stood 2 small figures, a beautiful young girl with jet black long hair and a crude looking boy in ponytail. Their weapons were locked together as both combatants seemed to be of equal match.

"Come on, Qing Long, are you seriously struggling against a fragile girl like me? How are you going to win against Zhu Que and take her heart like this, hm? Or perhaps... you've already given up and declared me the victor?"

The girl broke the silence with a taunt. However, the boy didn't response to her provocation, he just answered coldly.

"Not everyone is filled with lust and depravity like you, Bai Hu. Paying back the humiliation I received at the hands of that woman is the only thing on my mind."

"My, my, that attitude aren't gonna make you popular with the ladies you know." Bai Hu let out a cheeky smile.

"I've had enough of you, this ends here..." Qing Long put a stop to their conversation with an annoyed voice.

Bai Hu immediately jumped back when she noticed Qing Long putting his hand on the blade. He seemed to be pouring all of his chi into the object. A sweat drop dripped down Bai Hu's cheek.

"... so much for a practice match, you just like showing off in front of her huh, senior brother?"

Bai Hu said, her eyes wandered toward a beautiful glasses girl with bright red hair among the crowd. The girl's face wore a cold and emotionless expression as she quietly observed the battle.

"Fufufu... I guess I am also the same. What a sinful woman you are, Zhu Que my dear..."

Bai Hu said as she raised her hand up in the air. With a deep breath, she muttered.

"Black Rain..."

A burst of chi shot out from the palm of her hand. Which quickly concentrated and formed a thick dark cloud above the stage . Suddenly, black droplets of rain began pouring down onto the arena. A sizzling sound could be heard coming from Qing Long's direction. Each time a droplet hit the young man's skin, it burned red and wrinkled. As if his lifeforce, the chi itself was washed away by the rain.

"Fufufu... Brother Qing Long, how long will you last?" Bai Hu made a snide remark.

Qing Long didn't reply, he only continued channeling his chi into the blade in his hand. Then, it happened in a flash.

"Sun Devouring Demonic Wolf Strike." He uttered softly.

The boy made a big overhead swing and slammed his sword downward with full force. The chi from the blade shot out in a massive torrent of energy. The sword strike cut clean through the dark cloud and split the entire arena in half. Bai Hu dropped to the ground as the sword cut barely grazed her right ear. She let out a long sigh and said.

"Haizzz... You won this time, senior brother."

The crowd surrounding them erupted into a large cheer. Some of them were beaming with joy, while others were filled with despair as they realized they had just lost a bet.

The two combatants walked toward the red-headed girl, still bickering with each others all the while.

"You saw that, Zhu Que? I will not lose again next time, so prepare yourself."

Qing Long pointed his finger at the girl in red and declared with a smug look on his face.

"Fufufu.. What a bold thing to say for someone who never won a single time in 204 matches." Bai Hu said mockingly.

"It was 205 matches, actually."

Zhu Que quickly corrected her friend in a matter-of-fact way. The young boi's face had turned beet red, he then snarled at Bai Hu.

"You... you!! You've never won against me too. What does that say about you then, huh?"

"My, my. I have no interest in pointless show off. Beside, doesn't that make you sound petty, senior brother? Comparing a strong young man like you to a weak and frail lady like me.

Bai Hu replied with a smirk on her face, Qing Long's face turned even redder. Before he could answer back, a voice came from behind the 3.

"Hahaha, that was a good match, you kids are still the same as ever huh?"

The whole courtyard fell in silence as everyone started to notice the figure. Quick as a flash, they collectively got down on one knee and bowed.

"Great.. Great Elder Kong Lu!!!"

The man put a hand on his chin, then he let out a laugh.

"Now, now. I'm just here today as a spectator."

"We didn't know you had already come back from Língzhi, great elder. We should have had prepared for a grand welcome back party." Zhu Que said.

"There's no need for such thing, I just came home for a quick visit. Also, Zhu Que dear, don't be so stern all the time. You're still just a kid."

"Understood, great elder."

She replied in an unexpressive tone. Kong Lu let out a sigh as he realized what he said didn't get through to the aloof young girl.

"Oh right. How long are you planning to stand back there Fen Xuan? Come join the fun."

His gaze diverted to the pillar behind him. Hiding behind it was a tiny figure of a girl. Who then proceeded to step out reluctantly.

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"I'm... I'm fine with just standing back and observing, father." The girl said with a low voice.

"Don't be like that, Fen Xuan. As the next head of our clan, it's your duty to bond with your subordinates."

A strange twitching appeared on Bai Hu's face after hearing the word "subordinates". Which only Zhu Que seemed to notice, alas the young girl continued to keep her silence demeanor.

"My... my lady, it is our honor to be graced with your presence."

Qing Long said in an enthusiastic tone, then the boy glanced at the two girls beside him as if looking for an agreement. Zhu Que slightly nodded her head as an answer. Bai Hu also followed reluctantly. Fen Xuan's face had turned red from blushing. The girl then let out a warm smile as she joined the 3 for a casual chatter.

Suddenly, in the middle of their conversation, Bai Hu made a suggestion.

"You know, lady Fen Xuan. I rarely if ever agree with the knucklehead. But in time like these, he would usually say the best way for someone to bond with another is by their fists. So how about this, you join in our little practice match. Your opponent will be... Zhu Que dearie."

A sadistic smile flashed by Bai Hu's face. Much to a flabbergasted Qing Long.

"Have... Have you gone mad? What are you even suggesting our great lady do?"

"Bai Hu, what are you planning?" Zhu Que said in a cold tone.

"Oh my. How could you be suspicious of your childhood friend like that, dear Zhu Que? I'm not planning anything, this is just a harmless game for our little "bonding time". Our dear great lady could always just refuse~~."

Fen Xuan was taken aback. After a moment of contemplating, she accepted, not wanting to disappoint her newly-made friends.

"La... Lady Fen Xuan, are you sure about this?" Qing Long said in a panicky tone.

"Yes. How could I truly understand you all if I don't engage in the same activity?"

Bai Hu's face distorted to show a devious grin. Zhu Que just closed her eyes in acceptance and went along with her friend's machination.

The two girls now stood face to face on the repaired stage. Fen Xuan wore bracelets on her wrists that extended into 2 metal chains. On the other side, the quiet Zhu Que boasted a guandao. Their eyes were fixed on each other as the crowd had gotten rowdy one more. One could once again hear the sound of people cheering and betting.

"Lady Fen Xuan, I'm sorry." Zhu Que muttered.

In a flash, the head of the guandao struck Fen Xuan's neck and she dropped down on the ground, convulsing, gasping for air. Zhu Que's weapon was bluntened to make it safer for practice. And yet, a hit from her still had enough force to instantly incapacitate any adults, let along a child.

"It's over."

Before Zhu Que could walk away, a voice came from behind her.

"Not... not so... fast... senior sister. I can still... fight..."

Zhu Que immediately turned around. For the first time in her life, she felt a strange emotion, that of astonishment. The girl quickly composed herself and asked.

"How?"

After a short moment of thinking, it finally hit her.

"... I see, you stepped back slightly right before the hit connected to soften the impact. Still, to be able to see my attack coming is no small feat."

Fen Xuan replied, her throat were still sore from the assault.

"I didn't see it coming. I predicted it senior sister."

An look of surprise appeared on Zhu Que's face.

"Predict?"

"I've always watched your sparrings with senior brother Qing Long from afar. But I.. I didn't mean to be a creep. It's just... I've always admired your strength, senior sister."

Zhu Que was taken aback. But she quickly collected herself.

"Interesting. Shall we continue then, lady Fen Xuan?"

Fen Xuan answered with a nod. The two began circling each other. Fen Xuan's eyes were carefully locked onto Zhu Que. She knew just one wrong move would lead to instant defeat. The young girl took in a deep breath.

Then it started again. Like a bird soaring through the sky looking for prey. Zhu Que unleashed a barrage of attacks from multiple different angles. It was as if she was dancing around Fen Xuan. The young lady could only grit her teeth as she barely dodged and parried her senior's furious assault. Fen Xuan's weapon was a pair of long chains tied to the bracelets on her wrists. Such weapons are weak against close ranged assault and Zhu Que knew that.

The sound of metal clashing against each other echoed across the arena. When Fen Xuan was on the edge of getting overwhelmed, she made one last gamble. With a flick of her wrist, the young lady retracted the chains back and quickly wrapped them around her arm. Before Zhu Que could realize what was going on, Fen Xuan blocked her strikes with the makeshift gauntlet. The chain gauntlets swiftly entangled the guandao and locked it in place.

A wide smile appeared on the young lady's face. The plan worked out, she thought. Now she just needed to...

Fen Xuan woke up on the hospital bed. The sight before her eyes were that of a cold, unfamiliar ceiling. From the corner of her eyes she noticed her father, elder Kong Lu, sitting on a chair next to her, snoring in deep slumber. She immediately got up and started sweating in confusion.

"Wha... Huh? What happened to the match??"

"Mhmhmh... Oh, you've woken up... my little princess." Elder Kong Lu woke up from the commotion. He drowsily let out a large yawn then continued.

"Great job my dear!! That was one hell of a match. You almost had little Zhu Que there. Too bad it wasn't quite enough. After you disabled the guandao, the young lass immediately let go of it and put you in a chokehold. In the end, I suppose nothing beats real battle experience."

"Oh..." Fen Xuan's face wore a disheartened expression.

"Hey, hey, don't be too harsh on yourself. To be able to push little Zhu Que that far is already a big achievement."

"It's... It's nothing father. It's just... I..." Fen Xuan couldn't hold back her emotion, a stream of tears burst out from her eyes.

"The other disciples have been saying strange things recently... They said that sister Zhu Que would be the perfect leader for our Sect... Worst of all... I agree with them... Sister Zhu Que is so talented and she shines so brightly... How can I even compare to her...? So I thought... I thought that if I could prove myself against her in a match... I would perhaps stand as an equal.. But... but..."

The young girl's voice cracked as it became incoherent with the sobbing. Kong Lu sat there in silence, trying to find a way to comfort his daughter. But in the end, he could only softly put his hand on her head.

"You know, your mother also faced a lot of hardship back in her youth."

"Mo... Mother? But she is..." Fen Xuan replied, her sobbing began to calm down.

"Perfect, right? A cool and capable leader that our Sect deserves. I guess you didn't know, she was almost disinherited back in the day." He cut in.

"She was quite a fiery rebel back then. It was a long time ago, the first time I met her was in the middle of a battlefield. Your old man wasn't any kind of big shot back then. In fact, I was just a second son of some no name Sect. I wasn't going to inherit anything so I got to make a name for myself. So I did, I joined the war effort against the Huǐmiè yǐnqíng**** of that era. Ah... the good old days" He reminisced with a smile on his face.

"Anyway, when I met your mother on the battlefield, it was love at first sight. Your old man was just about to be slain at the hand of a mighty Zhàn Mó*****. That's when she arrived. Fen Hua, the Goddess of War, it was what she used to be called back then. Dashing across the battlefield, killing every fiends and abominations in her way as if they were nothing." He made a short pause.

"... After the war was over, I knew I couldn't just let my feeling go unrequited, so I confessed to her."

"Then what happened, father?" Fen Xuan asked

"She... rejected me completely."

"Pfffffttt...." Fen Xuan barely held in her chuckles.

"He... Hey, It's not over yet. How else could you have been born then huh if the story ended like that?" Kong Lu said in a nervous tone.

"You got a point, dad." Fen Xuan replied.

"Turned out, the Goddess of War wasn't doing very well in time of peace. She couldn't handle politics, she could barely take care of herself, her fiery personality was ill-suited for courtship too. That's where your old man came in. We started getting to know each other, I ended up cooking for her, cleaning up the house and helped her with learning the game of war that is court politic. Then times passed and we fell in love in the end. Happily ever after"

"... Doesn't that just sound like you became a housewife?" Fen Xuan said.

"We... Well, maybe. But... But that still love at the end of the day. One day Fen Xuan, you too will meet your significant other, that's when you'll understand." Kong Lu said, fumbling over his words.

"That'll never happen, father." Fen Xuan answered bluntly.

"Anyway, do you feel better now? Even your oh so perfect mother was a mess once. I'm sure our dear Zhu Que has her own troubles as well."

"Yes, father."

Fen Xuan replied with a bright smile on her face. The father and child then began embracing each other in a warm hug.

The tide of times began moving once more, to 10 years later.