The Nine-tailed Fox watches someone lose an eye

tw: mild eye gore and trauma

Lan Tian's eyebrows start an astounding climb up his forehead. "How did that woman get here?"

Lu Jiao throws her arms in the air, gets out of her tall-backed chair and kicks it out of the way, her mask of regal composure fraying at the edges. "Of course! Another one of your charming acquaintances!" 

"If it's any consolation, neither of us wanted to see her here, either," Wu Yun says, waving between himself and Lan Tian who nods in confirmation.

"It's no consolation whatsoever."

Lu Jiao storms out of the Phoenix's Perch pavilion complex, her red robes billowing behind her like a warning flag, to match the fire burning in her crimson eyes.

Zhao Yi is standing in the middle of the landing platform, staring at Lu Jiao approach her through the wutong tree walkway.

Her eyes narrow as she takes the measure of Lu Jiao. She must find her wanting because her face splits in a wide grin.

Zhao Yi has a face made of individually plain features, that come together to make a charming whole. There's a wild glint to her dark eyes that compliments the challenging curl of her full lips and the haughty arch of her nose. Her long hair falls around her face in a voluminous waterfall of thin braids, round beads, and richly embroidered rope braids. Her practical robes are colorful and richly decorated with geometric patterns, cutting off at the knee and leaving her sturdy leather snow booths on display.

She unsheathes a curved saber from the leather scabbard at her waist and points it at Lu Jiao, who continues walking towards her as if the sharp sword barely registers.

Wu Yun notices that besides him and Lan Tian, Lu Jiao has gathered an audience, among them, Zou Qiao and Wan Mi who rush towards the front.

"What's happening?" Wan Mi asks, when she reaches Wu Yun's side.

"I think your Master is about to wipe the floor with the Scourge of the Wild Plains," Wu Yun says, nodding towards Lu Jiao's menacing face.

"Master Cang wants to speak to the two of you, whenever you are free, it's about Shu Luan," she says, pulling on his sleeve.

Zou Qiao interrupts her in his usual haste. "Brother, there's something I need to tell you about sect leader Lian as well."

"Everyone will have to wait, because I want to see what's about to happen." Wu Yun doesn't bother hiding his excitement at what's about to unfold.

Lan Tian has to admit he's looking forward to watching Lu Jiao taking down Zhao Yi.

"What are you doing in our lands?" Lu Jiao asks, walking straight towards Zhao Yi, and pushing the point of her saber away with two fingers.

Zhao Yi meets Lu Jiao's challenging glare head on, looking into her red eyes as she pulls a Kunlun entry pass, exactly like the one Wan Mi has, out of her robes. "A little bird dropped this."

Lu Jiao looks behind her shoulder to glare furiously at Wan Mi, who hides behind Lan Tian's robes, deeply regretting her decision to come down here.

"You have no right to be here, leave."

"Well, one of your own absconded with my prize, in fact I'm seeing half of it right there," she says pointing with her saber at Wu Yun.

Lan Tian raises his arm to hide Wu Yun from Zhao Yi's eyes behind his wide sleeve, but Wu Yun pushes his arm down, too excited to miss the confrontation. He does appreciate Lan Tian's concern, and makes sure to continue holding on to his arm, to let him know.

Lu Jiao scoffs and sneers at Zhao Yi. "That's a human, Lian Feng tricked you, she tried to sell you regular humans as Beasts, and you were too much of an idiot to notice."

Wu Yun has do admire Lu Jiao for telling such a bold-faced lie with such a straight face.

"What about the girl? She had tails and ears, those weren't fake!" 

"That's a simple appearance-changing spell, Immortal Mountain is a powerful sect, they're nothing if not resourceful."

Zhao Yi wavers, looking from Lu Jiao to the crowd gathered behind her. "Then why did you get involved, what does a Beast care about human matters?"

"Unlike your legends and myths would have you believe, the only thing we want from humans is distance." Lu Jiao gestures expansively towards the gathered crowed of Beasts of all different shapes. "However, if a human wants our help, we are happy to assist."

A myriad of conflicting emotions runs through Zhao Yi's face as she takes in Lu Jiao's face.

"If that girl isn't a fox, I want to see her right now! I saw that phoenix taking her!" she aims her sword directly towards Lu Jiao's chest, who doesn't flinch even with the blade mere cun from her skin.

Lan Tian turns to Wan Mi and whispers quietly, barely moving his lips. "That girl is with Cang Chuxi, right? Go and tell her to change into her human appearance and come here."

Wan Mi nods, and disappears silently among the crowd.

Lu Jiao doesn't give any sign of having heard their conversation, nor does she seem inclined to give in to Zhao Yi's demands. 

She unveils her whip from around her wrist and cracks it on the ground at her feet, taking off a huge chunk of dirt and grass.

"No one here answers to you."

Zhao Yi draws her sword next to her face and smirks "I'm happy to give you the fight you're itching for."

She lunges towards Lu Jiao with powerful strides, aiming straight for her heart.

Lu Jiao sidesteps her easily, and wraps the whip around Zhao Yi's wrist, trying to break her hold on the saber's hilt.

Zhao Yi glares at Lu Jiao above the taut whip, and pulls her arm back, unrelentingly holding on to her sword.

"I'm tired of this," Lu Jiao says, and with a focused look sets the length of the whip ablaze.

The flames travel rapidly from the whip's handle all the way to where it's wrapped around Zhao Yi's metal vambrace. 

 Wu Yun can see the metal heating up under the flame's intensity, and Zhao Yi's face twists in pain, but she still refuses to let go.

"I have my tricks too," she says through gritted teeth.

She closes her dark eyes and tightens her fist around the saber's hilt, the blade starts shaking in her hands, until blue energy envelops the the curved edge, wrapping around the saber like a cloud.

"What kind of weapon is that?" Wu Yun asks, watching mesmerized as the cloud of energy shifts around Zhao Yi's saber like a living thing.

Lu Jiao's eyes widen and she pulls her whip away from Zhao Yi's wrist, but Zhao Yi is quick to notice her intention.

She twists around the whip and curls the saber around it. Now, she's the one trying to pull Lu Jiao's weapon from her hands.

The smirk she throws at Lu Jiao brims with satisfaction. "You can concede defeat."

Lu Jiao shoots her a hateful glare. "So could you."

Wu Yun is so entranced by the confrontation, that he doesn't notice a new presence at his side.

"I was gone for such a short time...what happened?" 

He turns towards the voice at his side, and comes face to face with Bai Xiaoli. She's wearing her flimsy goddess robes, but her hair is done up in a severe scholar's topknot, making her slender neck and delicate jaw stand out.

Wu Yun isn't in the mood to recount everything that has happened since they last saw Bai Xiaoli, so instead he says, "The Scourge of the Wild Plains is determined to kill Lu Jiao, by the looks of it."

Bai Xiaoli frowns. "She might, since she has a demon sword, or saber in this case."

Wu Yun turns around so fast that he almost hits the brocade Carp behind him in the face with his pony-tail. "What? Are you sure? Do you know where we can find others?"

Lu Jiao and Zhao Yi continue to fight against each other, from the corner of his eyes Wu Yun sees the occasional flash of blue and red, but right now all his attention is focused on Bai Xiaoli.

She finds his curiosity concerning. "How do you know what a demon sword is, and why do you want one?"

Wu Yun realizes his misstep perhaps too late. "Ah, just to look at, I read about it in a book."

Lan Tian tries another distraction tactic. "Did you manage to find anything about the two gods Wu Yun asked you about."

"Oh right, that's why I wanted to see you, and Lu Jiao too, actually, she also asked me to look up something." She puffs out her chest, still disbelieving her that someone like Lu Jiao would trust a minor goddess like her to be of any help.

They hear a collective gasp around them and look back at the fight, to see that Zhao Yi has her saber pressed against Lu Jiao's cheek. 

The blade sizzles when it touches her skin, and Lu Jiao bites her bottom lip to hold back a pained gasp.

"You have a beautiful face, I would hate to ruin it," Zhao Yi puts all her weight behind her saber, looming over Lu Jiao with a manic smile.

Lu Jiao manages a smirk through the pain. "I have no such qualms."

In a sudden move she opens her wings behind her back, lifting herself from the ground and throwing Zhao Yi several zheng away.

She soars above her, clutching her whip in her closed fist, and aims it directly at Zhao Yi's face, striking her eye.

It pops free of the socket in a shower of blood. The whips flaming length cauterizes the raw, open wound with a sizzling sound.

Lu Jiao lands next to Zhao Yi gracefully, who's clutching her empty eye socket and looking up at her with an expression of grudging respect.

Just then, Wan Mi arrives with the fox girl, now in a completely unremarkable human appearance, and wearing plain cotton robes for good measure.

Zhao Yi notices her standing next to Wan Mi, with her brilliant smattering of feathers at the edge of her temples, and turns to Lu Jiao. "It seems I offended you greatly."

She gets up to her feet unsteadily, and holds on to the trunk of a Wutong tree to regain her balance.

Lu Jiao straightens her robes, and looks into Zhao Yi's remaining eye. The cut on her cheek bleeds profusely, but she gives no indication of noticing it. "You've paid with an eye for the offence, next time it might cost you your life."

Zhao Yi snorts. "I'll remember that," she starts walking towards the stairway, but before reaching it she turns to face Lu Jiao. "For the kindness of sparing my life, I'll tell you one thing, Lian Feng is planning to attack you, she told me so herself. If I were you, I'd get ready."

"Thank you, for warning us," Lu Jiao says, nodding towards Zhao Yi in what could almost be called a bow.

Zhao Yi limps down the first step, but then hesitates and then turns to Lu Jiao one last time. "If you ever find yourself in the wild plains, come pay Zhao Yi a visit, and I'll show you a good time."

To Wu Yun's amazement, she manages to wink even missing an eye.

She disappears down the stairway, and Lu Jiao turns towards the gathered crowd, raising one hand to her bleeding cheek. 

"What an aggravatingly charming woman," she says, to no one in particular.

Wu Yun notices Bai Xiaoli stiffen beside him. He elbows her in the side, and says, "Quick, better lose an eye."

Wan Mi sighs. "Can we go see Master Cang now? He really needs to talk with you."

Lan Tian nods. "Let's go." He turns to Lu Jiao and says, "Master Lu should come too, and have her cheek looked at."

At that moment Zou Qiao elbows Wan Mi out of the way, and grabs Wu Yun by the shoulders. "Please, I really must tell you, especially now, after what that woman just said."

Wu Yun usually finds Zou Qiao's ingratiating ways insincere, but he can tell that the concern in his eyes is real. Even his tails seem to flutter around him anxiously.

"Go ahead."

"That day, when Shu Luan appeared in Immortal Mountain, I saw Lian Feng talking with him in the woods before any disciples ever found him."

---

A.N: I have problem with giving unrelated characters names that are spelled exactly the same in pinyin. So I've changed Bai Chuxi's name, to Cang Chuxi, because that's what he was supposed to be called before I completely changed it. Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience orz