Breaking the Engagement

Long Meiling took a deep breath as she and her group made their way through the amphitheater hallways, the soft glow of lantern light highlighting the tension on her face.

"Doin' alright, there?" Ryker asked, looking at her with a touch of concern.

"... I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," she replied.

It was always an unpleasant experience, talking with her father. She'd gotten better at reigning in her emotions when they spoke, as she grew older, but it still always seemed to end up in a fight.

"Don't worry, Young Miss! I'm sure everything will work out, this time!"

Yuhan held her shoulder encouragingly, to which Meiling smiled and nodded, looking forward with a determined gaze.

The guard at the entrance to the Long family's VIP box bowed deferentially, making way for them as they walked up the stairway. Silence overtook them as they entered the room, Long Meiling stepping forward to address her father, who was still looking out at the arena from his seat.

"... Father," Meiling eventually said, breaking the silence.

"... I suppose you still want to break off the engagement," Long Junfeng said simply, still not turning to look at her. Even sitting, he maintained an imposing presence, the gray hairs on his head doing nothing to diminish his dignified aura. Meiling bit her lip, gathering her thoughts before asking a question of her own.

"... Was all this really just because of the Great Void Sect?

Long Junfeng sighed, staying silent for a long while. Eventually, however, he spoke, his voice low and steady.

"After your mother left us," he began, "I let the family fall into disarray. The other Great Families took advantage of my grief to plot against us, until I had no choice but to bend to their whims."

He looked down, as if to reflect on himself, before continuing.

"The Li family, in particular, made their move to take over our affairs with the backing of the Great Void Sect. Having you married to Li Daoming was just a pretense for their takeover."

"Then why?!" Long Meiling shouted, shaking her head in frustration, "Why couldn't you just tell me that was the reason? Why did you ignore me for all these years?! I could have... I would've..."

"It is better that you hate me, for something like this," Junfeng said, before she could finish. Meiling choked up, tears threatening to fall as she turned around and stomped off out of the room, her retinue following behind her in concern.

Ryker, too, was about to leave, seeing that there was nothing left to do here, but before he could, Long Junfeng stopped him with a word.

"A moment, young man," he said, holding up his hand.

"Uh, what's up?" Ryker asked, giving Long Junfeng a suspicious look.

"You are Ryker, yes? Please let Meiling know that she is free to do as she pleases."

Junfeng let his hand fall back on his armrest, as if that was all he wanted to say, but Ryker stood in place, crossing his arms as he leaned to one side.

"... You don't wanna tell her, yourself?"

Junfeng didn't answer for a long time, looking down in thought as the seconds stretched out into minutes.

"Do you think I've failed, as a father?" he finally asked, turning his head ever so slightly in Ryker's direction. Ryker just rubbed his chin, thinking the question over.

"Well, it's hard to say when I don't know everything that's happened, between you and your daughters," he said after some thought, "But I don't think it's too late for you to be a better one."

He looked to the side, scratching his head out of habit.

"Still, it feels like there's a lot you'd have to make up for, you know?"

Long Junfeng closed his eyes and breathed deeply, thinking of the day the love of his life left this world. Everything after that day had been a hazy blur, it seemed... But he was still aware enough to realize how neglectful he had been, to his two daughters.

"... Indeed."

He fell silent, after that.

Ryker quietly observed him a few moments longer, the hunch of the man's shoulders making him seem much older than he was, before turning to leave, wordlessly seeing himself out the room.

He noticed Cheng Hui waiting for him at the foot of the stairs as he descended, who nodded at him as he approached.

"Did Lord Patriarch have something to say to you?" Cheng Hui asked, curiously, wondering just what his master and Ryker had to converse about.

"He just wanted me to pass on a message," Ryker said, tactfully keeping quiet about the latter part of the conversation.

"Where's Meiling?"

"The young miss went back to the estate. She's still a bit distressed from the events of today..." Cheng Hui answered. Ryker just nodded, hopping the rest of the way down the stairs and turning to give Captain Cheng a grin.

"Well, we better get back and cheer her up then, huh?" he said, and the two of them left to return home.

--

Somewhere in the Yuliang City Amphitheater, in an unused storage room...

Long Jingfei lay forlorn on an old cushioned sofa, arm resting over her eyes. The fight was over. Along with everything else Meiling received instead of her, in this life, she now took even the only thing Jingfei could proudly lord over her; talent in cultivation.

With her sister now stronger than her, Jingfei felt empty, even moreso than usual. Although she fooled around and filled her life with vices to distract her from that feeling of pointlessness, she could always at least comfort herself by saying 'at least I'm better than my sister'.

And now that, too, was gone.

The creaking of the door being opened caught her attention, and she looked over to see her father slowly enter the room, closing the door behind him.

"... What do you want?" she asked in a surly voice, rolling over to face the other way. Long Junfeng simply stood by the door, looking around at the dilapidated storage room illuminated by a single lantern that Jingfei had lit.

"It was a good fight," he said, after a while. Jingfei just snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Is that all you came here to say?" she asked, to which her father looked away awkwardly, still wondering how to approach the conversation.

"... No," he finally settled on, and he walked over to stand at the foot of the couch she lay on.

"May I sit here?"

Long Jingfei didn't answer, though she eventually brought her feet and legs up closer to her body, making room for her father to sit. He took the offered seat, letting out a soft sigh as he sat down. There was a melancholy look in his eyes as he looked over at her and saw the numerous wounds adorning her body.

"I never meant to have you and your sister fight like this," he said, sadly.

"Too bad. I hate her guts."

"... Do you also hate me?"

"And why do you care?!" she shouted suddenly, sitting up to face him with a fierce glare. Her eyes were red-rimmed, having cried for the better part of an hour.

"Why are you showing up and pretending like you care about what I think, all of a sudden? Just go back to ignoring everyone, like the pathetic old man, you are!"

Long Jingfei threw herself up off the couch in anger, though she stumbled forwards, the fight having left her with no strength in her legs. Her father hurriedly moved to catch her before she fell, holding her steady as they kneeled together on the floor.

"Damn it!" she cried, tears starting to stream down her face, once more, "Let go of me!"

Long Junfeng looked as if he was about to comply for a moment, but instead, he pulled her deeper into his embrace, his shoulders shaking with emotion. Jingfei, too, couldn't hold back anymore, hugging her father tight as she sobbed uncontrollably.

"... I'm sorry. I still have a lot of growing to do, myself, it seems..." he said with a trembling voice, stroking his daughter's hair as she cried into his shoulder.

The two of them stayed like that in that dusty storage room for what seemed like hours...