Lightning vs. Flame

"If I win, you must speak to Xiao before leaving." Liuming pulled her jian sword from her storage ring, pointing it towards her foe with total abandon.

Inside of Liuming there is sympathy, not for Lin, but for Xiao. No matter how much Xiao hides it, Liuming could see that Xiao was wounded by the decision of Lin. A wound that will only deepen if she decided to leave without saying a word.

So nosy, this Liuming. Lin clicked her tongue as she pulled out the whip from her ring. Here she was, leaving Xiao to her and Liuming was still trying to dampen her resolve.

"I refuse. It's better to leave things as is, for both our sake."

Liuming rushed with her sword ready to impale. Her demeanor filled with anger as she shouted...

"You coward!"

"Says someone who's also depending on her family name!" Lin shouted right back.

Traveling into the air like a flying snake, the bladed tip of Lin's whip met Liuming's blade. The force on both of their strike colliding pushed them both backwards.

An exchange that surprise not only Lin, but the spectators.

"So, you have achieved Grand Master realm. Congratulations." Lin smirked.

"I don't need your empty praise! I need your word!"

"Still going on about Xiao? Defeat me first, only then I might reconsider it."

"Is that so?" Liuming raised her sword in an arcing motion, leaving purple fireballs in its wake. "Then by my hands, you shall suffer defeat!"

Burning brighter than ever before, Liuming's flames contained within her ardent passion to burn those that would cause Xiao woe.

With one pointing motion of her sword, the fireballs in the sky rained upon Lin like miniature meteors, exploding upon impact.

The smoke surrounding Lin made Liuming unsure how much damage Lin took. Did she overdo it? Surely her fireball barrage won't be enough to kill Lin?

From the smoke, it emerged without warning, Lin's bladed whip beelined straight for Liuming's face. A fatality that would have resulted in getting her skull penetrated, but now, her training with Xiao not only raised her cultivation base, it also increased her battle prowess.

Matching the speed of Lin's whip with her graceful reflex, Liuming parried Lin's whip, making it veer in a different direction.

Unfortunately for Liuming's, Lin's mastery with the whip allowed her to make the weapon dance to her command. As such, the whip changed to direction again to wrap around Liuming's neck.

The smoke cleared to reveal Lin with a charred clothes. Liuming's fireballs even messed her hair and burnt some parts of her porcelain skin. A quick healing pill will fix it, but it doesn't change the fact that it hurts like hell. A pain that Lin is about to make Liuming undergo, not with flame, but with electricity.

As Liuming struggled to remove the snake-like whip that's been suffocating her neck, Lin sent a bolt to electrify the redhead.

Agony racked Liuming's entire body, she was now experiencing the same pain of someone struck by lightning. Liuming's scream echoed in the entire training ground. Had she been on her previous cultivation level, she would have been no doubt incapacitated, killed even.

She would collapse soon, Liuming can feel it. If so, then it was time to pour everything into one final strike.

The strength of her cultivation allowed Liuming to withstand the electricity coursing through her and and flame up her sabre. With two fingers laid on her sword, Liuming imbued her blade with all of the fire qi she could muster, starting from the base sliding all the way to the tip.

Although rattling, Liuming managed to swing her jian sword into an arc, producing a flame projectile like that of an eagle.

Quite fitting for the technique's name, [Flaming Eagle's Flight]

The stubbornness of Lin made her tank the technique head on, she can no doubt defend with her whip but Liuming must collapse first before she would dare to let go!

Another explosion shook the entire sect. Although surrounded by the aftermath's smoke, the disciples, elders, and even the sect Master were expectant to witness who emerged triumphant.

The smoke vanished, revealing two cultivators collapsed on the floor, their injuries grave enough to warrant the elders rushing in and healing them immediately.

+++

Lin opened her eyes.

Although the pain from her wounds vanished when the elder healed them, a different kind of pain persisted.

An emotional one. Everything that she is doing, she is doing for her family. But should she obey her parents blindly knowing that it would only bring her misery?

"You're awake. Good, now speak to Xiao. Don't deny yourself any longer."

It would appear that Liuming had also just awoken. Free from the scars induced by Lin's whip and electricity, Liuming stood from the infirmary bed.

"Why do you care? Xiao is yours, you should be happy that you get to keep her all by yourself instead of making us patch up."

"I don't care about you, I care about Xiao." Besides, Xiao wasn't hers exclusively she has two other gorgeous women by her side. "If you can cast aside everything that you and Xiao shared together, then maybe it is for the best that you don't show your face in front of her ever again."

With that as her parting words, Liuming left the infirmary, leaving Lin staring at the ceiling.

+++

"HYAAAAAAH!"

Coinciding with her powerful shout, Xiao's tonfa punch obliterated Liuming's training dummy. A waste but it's not like Liuming can't order another one. So Xiao simply tested the limits of her new weapon on it.

<<Must you shout at the top of your lungs!?>>

"Don't you know, master? Shouting powers up your attack!"

<< That is both untrue and unfascinating. Who told you that silly fact?>>

"I came up with it just now."

<< You are giving me a headache, Xiao. >>

From behind Xiao, a familiar voice rung. One that she didn't expect to hear in Liuming's training garden of all places.

"Brash and powerful, that weapon suits you."

"Lin!"

The sight of Lin smiling at her was enough to make Xiao rush and embrace Lin. Hesitation ran through Lin, was she allowed to return Xiao's gesture when she was merely here to say goodbye?

To hell with it, Lin will seize the moment and indulge herself for the last time. Lin wrapped her arms around Xiao.

Thus, the two shared in a heart warming embrace.

The warmth of Xiao. By the heavens, Lin had missed it so much.

It was no good, this simple gesture made Lin want to hold on to Xiao forever!

As the An family's young mistress, she has a duty to uphold! Lin has to ensure the prosperity of their household!

"Xiao, there is something I must tell you."

"What is it?"

"My marriage is about to be held soon. This is my last day in this sect, I am here to say my goodbyes."

The words acted as a repellant, prompting Xiao to cease her embrace and stare at Lin with a dumbfounded expression. Xiao can't understand, she refuses. Lin was a bright disciple, her cultivation journey can't end here!

"You're not making any sense, Lin. Are you really throwing away your future as a cultivator just to be with that guy?"

"Do you think I am insane? I am doing this for my family, not for Zhangming. There's only one person I would want to be with."

It was something Lin knew she shouldn't have said, but parted from her lips regardless.

Lin's stare was electric, and it had nothing to do with her qi. The emotions they are feeling was like a jolt from Lin's heart straight to Xiao's own.

Xiao held both of Lin's hands.

"Then be with me."

Sealing their tender moment with a kiss, Lin's heart was set alight in the fires of longing and lust. Lin couldn't hold it in anymore and deepened their kiss.

But before her desire for Xiao could completely swallow Lin whole, she separated.

"Xiao, I can't...my family will lose face if I cancel the wedding."

The most powerful family in Jiangshan cannot hold their word. The loss of reputation would ill affect the An family household.

Xiao was about to give up, no matter how she longed for Lin, if Lin's heart wasn't with in it then Xiao was left with no choice.

Until a rather daring idea crossed Xiao's mind. If Status is what their family is after, then she has that covered. What's more, the burden of losing face is something the An family will not have to worry if, let's say, someone crashed the wedding.

"I have a plan, Lin. Do you trust me?"