8 Heavenly Queens 1st Star. (1/2)
Li Yang and Mei Kongxu left the stadium side by side, one wearing a cheeky grin while the other maintained her usual cold and somewhat aloof expression. They headed for the same entrance Li Yang used at the start, but something flew through the air and stopped in front of Li Yang just as they were about to enter the arched hallway. A light blue ring hovered in front of Li Yang, the voice of his father booming within his ears.
”You must at least look presentable while showing someone else around. Come to me once the people from the World-rending Behemoth sect have left, I will bestow upon you a reward for your display.”
Li Tian's voice was perfectly calm, as if he had already expected the turn of event. Li Yang wasn't surprised at his father's calmness, if someone as strong as him hadn't been able to tell that Li Yang was just hiding his strength then it would surely be a bit too disappointing. Li Yang snagged the ring and slid it on, inserting a bit of his Qi into it to form a seal so that only he could use it.
A quick inspection of the ring showed that it only contained a wooden plaque he could use to visit his father as well as a single clean robe. His father didn't say anything about wanting the ring back so Li Yang didn't even bother asking and just unceremoniously kept it, swiping the new ring and immediately donning the new robe.
The robe was deep purple and the entire back of it was covered in golden threads that formed the image of a nine-headed hydra. The robe made it seems as if Li Yang's cheeky grin was more confident and heroic, rather than its usual playfulness. But even that illusion was swiftly shattered as Li Yang stretched out his arms and spun around as if he was trying to show off.
”What do ya think, enough to make you swoon isn't it? It's fine if you want to fall for me, I wouldn't mind giving a rump that soft a few thousand more slaps. And if you prefer to give rather than take, hey, I'm open for that as well if you just ask me nicely.”
Mei Kongxu's entire body jolted when Li Yang made his shameless statement. She was able to mostly ignore his earlier statements, but he seemed to be ramping it up to see just where her breaking point was, making it harder and harder to hold herself back. But luckily, she felt like she had just the thing to rein him in, giving him a sideways glare.
”Do you want to head back down to the stage for another beating, is that what you're trying to say?”
He might have joked about his fragile pride earlier, but Mei Kongxu could feel that he was actually an immensely prideful person, he was just hiding it deep down most of the time. He was already beaten twice by her, the prospects of getting beaten so publicly for a third time should be more than enough to quiet him down. Sadly, she had underestimated Li Yang's desire to tease her, underestimated just how much he wanted to see what it took to completely crush that boring look and expression she constantly wore.
”Oh, so you do actually prefer to give rather than take. Well, I already said that's fine by me, so here you go, have a good feel. Don't worry, you can use both hands if you want, I can handle it.”
Li Yang stopped spinning and pushed his buttocks towards Mei Kongxu as he spoke, wiggling it as if to entice her. Mei Kongxu's vision instantly blackened as Li Yang shook his rear, her fingers twitching as her Qi burst forth. Li Yang's legs were knocked out from underneath him as the air itself was caught up in Mei Kongxu's law of spinning.
She emulated what he did to her, creating a multitude of small areas where the wind was twisting to push Li Yang into a continuous cartwheel so that he would finally be quiet. But Li Yang once again disappointed her, placing his hands on the ground the moment he was turned upside down and using his law of gravity to force himself down to the ground.
He negated the spinning wind with his gravity, creating very small fields where gravity flowed in the opposite direction of the twist. He then spun as if he was breakdancing, knocking Mei Kongxu's legs out from underneath her while simultaneously standing up. He returned to his normal upright position and stretched out his arms, catching the still falling Mei Kongxu in a bridal carry.
”Oh, you wanted to get carried? Well, why didn't you just say so, there's no way I can reject the request of such a beauty.”
Li Yang's law of speed allowed him to move so swiftly that Mei Kongxu simply didn't have the time to straighten herself up before he caught her. But Li Yang let go of Mei Kongxu the moment he finished talking, his beaming smile twitching slightly. Her hand had been reaching for his groins, but the faint scent of decay accompanying her hand told him that she wasn't about to get frisky with him.
”Right then, shall we go look at some seafood?”
Li Yang casually started to walk again while folding his hands behind his back, acting so casually that Mei Kongxu felt like hitting him. She took a deep breath and regained her calm, the corners of her lips imperceptively turning up. She couldn't deny that Li Yang was at least funny, time and time again he cracked her cool and her calm, and he did it so easily that it seemed like second nature to him.
The two left the arena part of the stadium and arrived in a large room filled with small spatial arrays. Li Yang guided her to one of the spatial arrays and activated it, the two vanishing from the stadium and arriving in one of the four cities that existed on the island. These four cities not only connected the island-based sect with the rest of the world but it also served as a place for the sect-members to relax and enjoy some entertainment if they wished for a break.
The cities once started as no more than a few small huts from back when the sect was first founded, they grew as the sect did, eventually becoming splendid cities that the sect could show off with pride. The buildings came in all sort of shapes and sizes, each one unique and decorated with coral or some aquatic plants that had been preserved in their blooming state.
Li Yang escorted Mei Kongxu through the streets, occasionally stealing glances at her slightly gleaming eyes. She tried to hide it but it was clear that this was her first time being near the ocean, she couldn't keep her eyes off of the coral and aquatic plants, her gaze occasionally drifting towards the glimpses of the ocean you could see in the gaps between some buildings. Li Yang smirked slightly at the sight, grabbing one of the dishes that one of the stands close to them was selling and holding it up in front of Mei Kongxu.
”See, that's a much better look than the droll one you seem to wear at all other times. If you could stay like that I might actually fall for you and give you all the spankings you want. But until then, here, one of our most famous gourmet dishes.”
The dish Li Yang shoved into her face could hardly be called gourmet, it was a sea-cucumber stuffed with a sweet and salty sauce made from melon. Mei Kongxu only barely got the chance to see the shape of the sea-cucumber before Li Yang gave it a squeeze, launching all the sauce within it at Mei Kongxu.
But the slightly crimson and sticky sauce never reached Mei Kongxu, it was swept up in a sudden gust of wind that gathered the sauce into a ball and blew it away. The ball was blown over to the person who had controlled the wind, a handsome young man with ashen hair and light brown eyes, a light green robe covering his body. The man, a member of the Deepsea King sect, had the ball of sauce hover above his hand as he directed a charming smile at Li Yang and Mei Kongxu.
”Really, Sect Brother Yang, you even bother with such base and tasteless jokes? Well, you don't really bother with cultivation so I guess jokes like this are more suited to you. Young Lady, you don't need to put up with this fellow's low antics, you also shouldn't believe anything he has told you. He might be a member of our exalted Deepsea King sect, but he doesn't bother with cultivation and just plays around all day, he truly isn't worth your time. I, however, have already reached the middle-stage of the Human Rune realm and have carved five runes after only three short years, I am guaranteed to become an inner disciple next year. And I would be honoured if you would spend the day with me, I can assure you that it will be much better than following a fellow who can only barely hold onto his position as an Inner Disciple.”
The youth, Jue Dong, gave a slight bow while maintaining his charming smile, gracefully introducing himself. The Deepsea King sect had four different types of disciples, the 10 Core Disciples, the Inner Disciples, the Outer Disciples, and the Provisional Disciples. The Provisional Disciples were newly acquired disciples that could lose their rank if they didn't prove their skills while the Outer Disciples were people with lower cultivation or familial status.
Inner Disciples were those with higher cultivation or stronger familial ties, Li Yang, for example, was only considered an Inner Disciple thanks to his father. The Core Disciples were the greatest elite of the sect, they studied directly under one of the elders or even the patriarch himself, many of them were even stronger than some of the weaker elders, or at least the elders ranked below the 10th position.