51 Inevitable Clash

"Me, why me!?" Liuming panicked, why her!? Couldn't it just be his father instead!? He's the head of the household!

"Don't worry, as long as you pay me what I am owed, no harm will come to you." Xiao lied as easily as she breathed, her grudge was still unsettled. And although she wasn't planning on ending Liuming's life, her retribution MUST hold the same weight as what Liuming did.

"Can I eat her if she doesn't pay up?" Luqing nonchalantly chimed in.

It was a statement that made Liuming gasp in fear. She almost forgot that the two beside the great master Xiaoyu were spirit beasts!

"You primitive savage! You're now a human and yet you still choose to eat human flesh!?" Yanmei raised her voice, she had a few qualms with the seemingly unrefined Luqing, and finding out that she hasn't moved on from her past diet was the tipping point.

"What's it to you, you nosy fox!? I am not, and will never be a human. You must be simply jealous that I am more in tune with my inner beast than you. Maybe if you embraced what you truly are then you would be half as strong as I am."

The insinuation that Yanmei was less of a spirit beast, that she isn't strongly connected to her Huli Jing side rubbed Yanmei the wrong way. To Yanmei, the elegance of a fox spirit beast translated well into being a high class businesswoman. Strength isn't everything, like what Luqing is always mouthing off.

"Typical. Strength this, strength that, it's no wonder that's the only thing that goes out of your mouth, that's all you're good at." The composed Yanmei fired back. This time, she's not letting Luqing sway her emotions.

"That's all that matters, at the end of the day." Luqing remained firm on her stance.

"Have you nurtured and taken another person under your wing? Have you ever been made love to?" Luqing proudly chuckled when she noticed that the person she directed her questions at was unable to answer. "Guess not."

"That's a lot of gibberish for someone unwilling to fight."

Yanmei tilted her head, "Who said I was unwilling? If you want to have a fight this instant then I am more than willing to drop you like a bag of dirt."

The qi pressure emitted by the two started to rise. Their tension towards one another was like two carts in a head on collision, it was inevitable for them to crash and break.

"Can the both of you stop fucking arguing!?" Xiao slammed her fist at the table, her gaze fell to the petrified Liuming. "I'm afraid you're going to need to give me a yes or a no, I still need to stop both of my companions from destroying your entire mansion."

"Yes, I agree to become a collateral, just please have them take their fight somewhere else!"

+++

Per Xiao's request. All three of her companions stayed in the same spacious room allotted to them. It was a given that Yanmei would stay with Xiao, it was Luqing that had to argue.

"Can you two please, just get along for a single night!? A single night is all I ask! I will have to leave so I can find out what happened to my mannequin, but you two better not cause some ruckus!"

With that, Xiao left the room and headed straight into Liuming's chamber to investigate what is truly transpiring with her mannequin and Liuming.

Unfortunately for Xiao, the only instruction Luqing would follow, religiously even, was Shangying's. Add to the fact that the two were spirit beasts who happened to be territorial, their squabble was due to their nature as beasts clashing. Out in the wild, you cannot expect a panther to back down from a fox just because the fox had laid its claim on an area first. Something had to give for the tension between them to dissipate.

"It would be wise for you to follow Xiao." With her back laid against the wall, Luqing crossed her arms as she taunted. "Who knows, if we get into a fight your lover won't be able to save you."

And Yanmei was having none of it.

"You know what would be wise?" While sitting on the bed's edge, Yanmei's demeanor shifted into a daring grin. "For you to shut your mouth."

Luqing chuckled, "The fox knows how to bark, show me if it can bite. Let's settle this once and for all, infighting is not very good among comrades."

"Then let us fight, here and now. Also, we are not comrades, drinking acid seems more ideal than the thought of you having my back." Dauntless, Yanmei stood and stared down her fellow spirit beast. Yanmei knew the colossal gap between them, but that doesn't mean that she would just let Luqing walk all over her.

Luqing uncrossed her arms, closing in on a striking distance, eyeing each other close so that if they went any closer, their lips might touch.

"Why don't we make things interesting, Yanmei?"

"Hearing my name come out of your mouth is repulsive, but go on."

"You cannot deny that my cultivation is higher than yours, but I will not simply brute force my way to victory and simply crush you like the insect that you are. Let us test our Kung-fu against each other, all physical, no qi. Do you agree to my terms?"

Their Kung-fu were self taught styles, harvested from their instincts and lived experiences as a spirit beast that fully translated well in their human form. Luqing was pitting her Panther style against Yanmei's Fox style. Yanmei had no reason to decline when Luqing's suggestion was to even the playing field. But why would Luqing do this? She must have some hidden agenda. Yanmei would need to find out by asking.

"And, what's the catch?"

Luqing's lips twisted into a sinister arc, if she wanted legitimacy on her terms then it must be done on an even footing, simply crushing the fox underfoot was nothing but plain bullying. Luqing must give her a chance, so that Yanmei won't be able to refute her victory.

"If you win, then I will simply get out of your way, there are reasons why I cannot separate from Xiao but you'll never hear a single word from me after your win. However, if I win…I will cover your mark on Xiao, and replace it with my own."