The cobblestone streets of Qilin crackled with peculiar, electrifying energy. Lively chatter filled the air, punctuated by the occasional clanging of hammers in the distance and the hum of activity from the city's central market. The sun bathed the city in light, casting long shadows from towers that pierced the sky like the fingers of a giant.
Yip Lixin and Yip Qianfan, astride their sturdy ironclad steeds, rode confidently through the city's main thoroughfare. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, a vibrant mixture of awe, curiosity, and respect. The brothers' youthful faces were a stark contrast to the hardened cultivators that usually treaded these roads, their past exploits whispered between the locals in hushed, reverent tones.
“Look at them," an elderly vendor whispered, squinting against the dawn light. "Mark my words, those Yip brothers, they’re the future.”
Suddenly, the air grew dense. The crowd parted as Haito Feng, the prime disciple of the Water Phoenix Sect, emerged from a street, flanked by his cohorts. His eyes narrowed in a smug grin, one that did not reach his eyes. Lixin, the younger Yip brother, snorted with a grin of his own, "Nursing your wounds, Feng?" The crowd hushed. The tension was palpable.
Haito Feng retorted, his voice dripping with challenge, "True strength isn't measured in playfights and competitions, Lixin. Shouldn't you know this already? Are you stupid?" the crowd instantly began to move away from the duo like a well-orchestrated play, knowing what would happen next.
Yip Lixin dismounted from his stead, his boots hitting the cobblestones, their echo swallowed by the sudden silence.
"It appears I am stupid. I will seek your instruction," he suggested softly in response. his grin widening. Shedding his outer robe he revealed the lean musculature of a seasoned fighter. The anticipation of the coming moment hung heavy in the air, like the moment before a thunderstorm. It intermingled with the wafting aroma of nearby food stalls, and the sound of bubbling soup.
The wind died down as if the city itself held its breath. Then, with a roar that echoed between the tight buildings, Haito Feng launched his assault. His movement was fluid yet fierce, like a river in spate. He drew upon his inner chi, channelling it through his treasure so that it erupted from him in the form of a massive wave. It swept towards Yip Lixin, rippling across the cobblestones, ripping the banners from the nearby shops, and flinging them into the wind.
Yip Lixin sprang into action, his body coiling and releasing like a spring, nimble as a panther. His hands traced intricate patterns in the air, channelling his chi to form an invisible shield that deflected the incoming torrent of energy.
As the spectators watched, gasps and hushed exclamations echoed through the crowd. Had Yip Chor deflected the energy without a treasure??!! A child cowered behind his mother's skirt, while a grizzled, old man watched with a thin, knowing smile.
---
Throughout the duel, Yip Quinfan watched from his perch, his eyes trained on each movement from both fighters. At crucial moments, he would make seemingly offhand comments which made no sense, his voice ringing clear and resonant over the sounds of combat. "Remember brother, the willow tree."
In response, Lixin shifted his body to send out a barrage of strikes, most of which slipped past Haito Feng's guard. After his combo was complete, he responded with a grin. "When you nearly knocked yourself out? Good times!"
A hint of incredulous, nervous laughter rang through the street, a bell tolling in the distance. Most observers convinced themselves that they were observing a poignant moment between brothers, but deep down, they knew there was more to these comments.
Feeling himself being pushed back, his attack thwarted yet again, Haito Feng gritted his teeth, eyes blazing with defiance. "Shut up Quinfan or you're next!" he shouted as his energy swirled around him, crackling in the air. He launched himself bodily at Yip Lixin, his fist leading, chi-enhanced and ready to land another bone-crushing blow.
Yip Lixin stood his ground, his expression for the first time forming a frown. As Haito Feng's punch whistled towards him, Lixin deftly side-stepped, his own punch ready. There was a crack that accompanied the ringing bell in the distance, creating a shockwave that sent dust flying, making their spectators flinch and shield their faces.
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Yip Lixin's punch had connected with Haito's abdomen, driving the air from his lungs and sending him sprawling back onto the cobblestones. Lixin didn't pause though, he surged forward, his chi exploding from him in a rush of wind and energy that kicked up debris, turning the street into a maelstrom.
Haito Feng barely had time to roll away before Lixin's chi-enhanced strike shattered the cobblestones where he had lain seconds ago. As Haito rose unsteadily to his feet, the spectating crowd saw a feral smile pull at his lips. With madness in his eyes, Haito Feng bit his lip, drawing blood. Putting his palms together, he channelled chi into a twisting and turning water serpent! It lashed towards Yip Lixin, aiming to spear through his body.
Yip Lixin, eyes calm within the storm of battle, evaded the water serpent's attacks with measured grace, his form fluid as he danced amidst the chaos. He watched Haito's movements, his eyes narrowing as he caught onto a rhythm, a weakness.
"Yip Lixin!" Haito roared, his voice laced with exhaustion and frustration, "You won't evade me forever!"
"Then come, Feng!" Yip Lixin responded, standing his ground. "Stop yelling and show me your might!"
Haito lunged, his form blurring with the speed of his assault. His chi roared, the water serpent expanding and lunging, jaws gaping wide to swallow Yip Lixin whole.
This was it! The moment Yip Lixin had been waiting for. He stood, the picture of calm amidst the storm, as he raised his hand. With a swift, decisive motion, he cut through the air, his chi bursting forward in a blinding ray of light. The light collided with the oncoming water serpent, searing through it, barreling towards Haito Feng through a billowing curtain of steam.
The crowd gasped their voices a single, sharp note in the cool evening air, pushing into each other as they moved back further. The moment hung in the balance, time stretching until with a resounding crash, Yip Lixin's light collided with Haito Feng, sending him flying backwards with a pop.
Haito Feng hit the ground hard, his form skidding across the cobblestones before coming to a halt. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body wracked with exhaustion, his ribs broken. His eyes, burning with defiance, locked onto Yip Lixin's figure slowly stalking towards him, unscathed amidst cloudy water vapour.
Yip Lixin finally arrived before the fallen Haito Feng, offering a hand in a silent appeal for surrender. Despite his bitterness, Haito Feng looked up at his victor, gritted his teeth, and accepted the proffered hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. The shame of this defeat would hang over his head for generations. The crowd cheered at the outcome and for the victor.
He stood, face to face with Yip Lixin, under the morning sky, bruised and battered. With a nod and a reluctant admission, he whispered, "You are truly... a formidable opponent, Lixin. I underestimated you."
Yip Lixin offered a humble smile and nodded. "On the road to the immortal dao, we must accept that there will always be something bigger and stronger than us, and be on guard."
As the commotion subsided, Yip Qianfan approached, his expression bland. The brothers shared a glance, their unspoken bond reinforced by yet another success.
"Shall we continue our journey, brother?" Yip Quinfan asked, his voice emotionless.
Yip Lixin nodded, his gaze scanning the city street and people that had witnessed their triumphs and challenges. with a longer than necessary pause, he responded reluctantly. "Yes, Quinfan. Our path awaits."
Yip Quinfan nodded in assent.
With a switch in posture and a burst of power, Yip Quinfan shoved a palm before him, releasing a devasting burst of energy at the head of the undefended Haito Feng, driving him backwards like a rag doll, his skull cracking on the cobbled stones, sticky blood bursting out to fill its cracks. Cries of astonishment and shock rang forth from the crowd as they backed away, distancing themselves from the post effects of this violent expression. Hadn't the fight peacefully concluded?!
"You got blood on me!" Yip Lixin huffed impertinently, then grinned a toothy grin. "I can't wait to scare big brother Chor'er with it."
"Ordinarily that would be interesting, but this pig's blood is not scary, it's revolting." Saying so, he hopped back on his stead and threw a rag to his younger twin, then proceeded forward, staring forward in feigned ignorance of the crunching squelch of bone and flesh as the weighty iron-backed stead trampled the body of the comatose Haito Feng.
As they rode their ironclad steeds out of the celestial city of Qilin, the sounds of wailing rose from the western gate as Haito Feng's young wife and son found their dead attachment splattered on the cool cobbled stone. In the moments after, the city's maintenance crew and law enforcement had already arrived to remove the remnants of the duel, leaving nothing but a reminder of the brutality that had just occurred. Blood on the streets from death duels was a normal thing in the cultivation world, where strength reigned supreme... as long as it was a death duel.
Was the fight between Yip Lixin and Haito Feng a death duel? Had Yip Quinfan interfered in the duel? Did the killing blow come from Yip Quinfan? In a city where strength reigned supreme, no one really cared for the truth. The Yip Brothers were rising heroes. Of course, no one would cross them!
As the Yip brothers journeyed forth, their minds were consumed not by the echoes of anguish that lingered in their wake, but rather by the path that lay ahead. Their thoughts were firmly fixed on their forthcoming homecoming on the premise of their eldest brother's wedding. After seven years away, the mortal realm all seemed so small now. In the intricate tapestry of their lives, it was a minor distraction, a detour from the grand tapestry of destiny that awaited them.