Zhong Yilan gaped at me as if I had just grown a new head. "Where did you get your guts from today?" she mumbled.
"Yun Qing-er." Wen Shiyin's voice came from behind me. "You might want to reconsider. I understand your anger, but trust me that she'll get the punishment she deserves. Everyone here is your witness. However, if you challenge her to a fight right now, it is considered private strife and against Mount Hua's rules. It will do more harm to you than to her."
Wen Shiyin was right. The punishment for private strife could range anywhere from penitence to being expelled, depending on the decision of the disciple's master. With Zhong Yilan's act of poisoning and sabotaging the tournament, she was already facing severe enough consequences that she didn't need to worry over extra penalties for strife, but the story was entirely different for me.
What would Bai Ye think of all this? I didn't get a chance to go back and tell him about what happened after visiting Xie Lun, and I certainly didn't have his permission or approval to make a scene here. I had hoped that he would give me his forgiveness once the issue was resolved, but if I were to involve myself in a private duel …
Although Bai Ye was never strict on formalities, he had his standards and rules. Creating trouble was not something he would ever approve of. What punishment could await me when I return?
Zhong Yilan saw the struggle in my eyes. "What a shame, Yun Qing-er," she huffed. "I was almost impressed with your courage, but it looks like you are all talk."
I knew she was trying to provoke me with her words, and I knew that I should heed Wen Shiyin's advice and avoid reckless confrontations. But standing face to face with Zhong Yilan in front of such a large crowd, I couldn't resist the urge to repay her for everything she had done to me before. I wanted to make her feel the indignation that she always enjoyed forcing onto others, and I wanted to make her truly regret what she did to me and my friends.
"Senior Wen," I said as I passed Wen Shiyin and walked towards the clearing by the gate. "Thank you for your warning. But I need to settle my scores with her, once and for all." I turned to Zhong Yilan and unsheathed Twin Stars. "Draw your sword."
Zhong Yilan's jaw dropped some more. Then a flash of bloodthirst malice crossed her eyes. "Fine then, you wimp. Let's see how long you can last."
The bystanders stepped back, opening up a big circle at the center of the crowd for us. No one left, and no one spoke as Zhong Yilan and I took up our positions. My heart pounded a little. Bai Ye had said that my current skills were on par with Zhong Yilan … But I couldn't afford to lose to her. Not any more.
She didn't give me more time to think. With a flare of pale yellow light, her sword was unsheathed and coming at me fast. I sidestepped, blocking her attack with one sword and slicing a counter cut with the other. She parried both of my blades with one swift move and leaped in the air, slashing down at me from above.
Our blades met again. From above, then below, then left and right and all over. I had never seen Zhong Yilan spar before, and I didn't know her style until now. Her strong suit was speed. So I adjusted my tactics, recalling the feeling at East Village and opened up my stance wide, using both swords to keep a circle of attacks and defenses on all sides.
It was a somewhat counter-intuitive pose against speedy attacks, but I found out while fighting those demons that it worked perfectly with my techniques, and over time, I had tweaked it to be even more effective with twin swords. The sound of clashing metal rang fast and loud, and Zhong Yilan's face started turning grim. She must've not expected me to last two moves against her.
"Your little tricks won't make up for your absence of experience, loser," she snarled. "Watch this!"
She stepped back and swung her sword in a wide arc above her head. Light flowed from her grip to the tip of her sword, and a shaft of brightness rose from where she stood, scattering into the air like hundreds of petals.
The crowd burst into chatters. "Her spiritual power materialized!" someone exclaimed. "Whether or not she has a good heart … there's no denying that her skills are truly advanced."
Zhong Yilan looked at me with a satisfied smirk. The pear flowers from her power materialization charged towards me, carrying a strong surge of force, threatening to devour me whole. I did not flinch, and I raised Twin Stars.
The sky darkened around us, twinkling with countless starlight. The curtain of flower petals tumbled and swirled in the darkness, fluttering as if caught by a too-powerful wind, then fell to the ground helplessly like pieces of shriveled autumn leaves.
The crowd quieted. "Did Senior Yun win?" someone whispered.
"Of course, did you not see? Her counterattack devoured Senior Zhong's completely. I wish I could have that much power in my fifth year!"
Zhong Yilan stared at me in utter disbelief. "Impossible!" she screamed. "You … When did you learn to materialize spiritual power? You were way too behind to be able to … This is impossible!"
I met her gaze. "You lost. Do you still remember what was in our bet?" I raised my spiritual amulet that sealed our agreement two weeks ago. "Or do you need a reminder of what we promised each other?"
Zhong Yilan's face turned white. The circle of bystanders had grown yet larger—forbidden as personal strifes were, they were still a spectacle and highly welcomed source of gossips—and if I exposed what she said that day to the whole crowd, that would be the end of her reputation at Mount Hua.
"Yun Qing-er, have you not done enough?" Her voice trembled. "You've already ruined my life just like you did with Chu Xi's. Is that not enough? How much more do you want to humiliate me?"
I stared at her. Even now, she was still talking as if I was the villain, and she was the victim.
I sighed and shook my head, suddenly seeing no more point in showing everyone her words from the bet. She wouldn't feel any guilt from it if her conscience was so far gone. "I'm not like you, Zhong Yilan, and I'm not doing this just to bring you low. But a deal is a deal, and I expect you to honor your part."
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "What will you ask of me then?"
"I will only ask what is fair." I raised my voice for everyone else to hear. "Confess what you've done and receive your punishment. Apologize to Senior Xie and beg for his forgiveness. And if you are lucky enough to be allowed to stay at Mount Hua afterward, walk around me every time you see me in the future.. I don't want you in my sight ever again."
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