Ancient China, thousands of years ago, the Azure Dragon and White Tiger found themselves in a heated duel – where neither side had a clear advantage. They were engaged in a friendly spar, where the winner would be determined after being delivered a crippling blow. Due to their healing ability, as long as it wasn't a mortal wound, they were willing to suffer such an injury for the sake of practice.
"Liu Tao, you're as formidable as always," Song Yuze said affectionately as their weapons clashed together.
The dragon wielded a large paintbrush, that was around six feet tall, comprised of the strongest wood, and infused with his qi. In close-quarters combat, he used it the same way one would use a spear, which allowed him to stave off even a master swordsman – like the White Tiger, Liu Tao.
Liu Tao's brows furrowed at the compliment coming from his adversary. Although they were friends, when engaged in a duel, Liu Tao disliked any displays of familiarity or mercy. It frustrated him to think that someone would go easy on him, even in the slightest, due to their relations.
"Silence," the tiger demanded, swinging his sword in an upward arc to meet Song Yuze's brush. Behind Liu Tao floated several more swords, controlled with precision by his qi energy, which he had been mastering for ages.
Liu Tao leapt backwards with an acrobatic grace, performing a somewhat dance-link spin to dodge the oncoming onslaught of cursed ink spears flying toward him. He landed atop one of his swords and balanced on the blade with ease, the action coming naturally to him after ages of rehearsal. The tiger used his energy to launch several of his blades at Song Yuze.
Several of his swords were thwarted by the dragon's swift reactions and finessed martial arts. However, one of the steels managed to slice past Song Yuze's face, leaving a trail of blood across his cheekbone with a precise cut.
Song Yuze smiled calmly and hummed quietly in approval, his next moves ever-hidden behind his carefully controlled expressions. The Azure Dragon threw his brush into the air and performed several finger-weaving techniques, after which his hands and eyes started to glow a captivating shade of green. He caught his paintbrush by the long handle and gave a quiet chuckle.
Suddenly, the bristles were covered in a glowing green ink that matched the color of his spiritual energy. The dragon used the brush to paint a crescent in the air, which solidified into a condensed arc that launched itself directly at Liu Tao.
Liu Tao scoffed, slicing straight through the manifestation as though it were nothing. He didn't say it aloud, but both he and his opponent knew that he was thinking: "Your attack was pitiful and embarrassing."
The Azure Dragon exhaled softly through his nose and continued to primarily stay on the defense, which only served to aggravate the White Tiger. The long-haired man slipped out of the way of his swords repeatedly, and didn't seem to break a sweat. Although he suffered a few minor wounds to his cheek and outer arms, Liu Tao had nothing to show for his persistence.
Liu Tao couldn't hide his displeasure at the other man's nonchalance. It felt as though the dragon wasn't taking him seriously, and that thought was enough to infuriate him. His barrage of attacks both quickened, and became more hurried – the movements losing their precision. After his frenzy, Liu Tao finally saw an opening to finish the dragon off. As long as he caught his opponent off-guard, his victory was guaranteed.
"You…" Liu Tao hissed under his breath, lunging forward with all of his strength. The tip of his blade was aimed directly for Song Yuze's stomach – Liu Tao's signature finishing move.
…Only to be tricked at the last moment. Song Yuze had only feigned his weakness. Instead, the dragon utilized the tiger's brashness as a tool for his own triumph.
Liu Tao, still engaged in his attempted attack, watched in what felt like slow motion as his rival leapt over him with ease, and brought the back-end of his brush down with a strong stabbing motion. Blood spilled from the tiger's chest, the wood having pierced all the way through his body. It only narrowly missed his heart, which was obviously calculated.
The White Tiger collapsed onto the ground on his knees, and his swords all clattered onto the ground. He coughed up more crimson onto the dirt when the Azure Dragon removed his brush, and his wounds slowly started to heal.
"Well fought!" Song Yuze said warmly, walking to stand in front of Liu Tao. He held out his hand in offering to his friend, and added, "I had fun, as always."
Liu Tao glared up at Song Yuze, his white eyes burning with frustration and envy. He turned his head away from the man, refusing his hand. The tiger stood on his own, and used his sleeve to wipe the remaining blood from his lips.
"I'll win next time," he spat.
The Azure Dragon, with his unchanging smile, simply nodded.
~~~
"I've learned much since that battle with the Azure Dragon," Liu Bai thought to himself.
Liu Bai felt sweat trickling down the side of his head. He opened his eyes, struggling to blink the bleariness from them. Once they were finally able to focus, he raised a curious brow at the location. Some sort of hotel room?
Shizuka was asleep sitting up on one of the beds, her phone resting in her hand as though she had fallen asleep mid-text. Liu Bai held back a chuckle as he realized how bored she must have been; the qilin had a tendency to fall asleep when she was idle for too long.
The tiger slowly started to piece together the chain of events that likely led to his current situation, and he heaved a lamenting sigh. Quynh would never forgive him!
Unfortunately for his red dragon friend, some of the substance still remained in his system, which meant he had to return to his meditation in order to expedite his body's process of expelling the toxin. So, the impatient fellow would have to wait even longer.
'It is a good thing that martial arts is a lifelong, never ending journey," the man thought to himself.
Liu Bai closed his eyes once more and evened his breathing, which returned him to his familiar and beloved mental space. It was a reprieve from the life of his mortal body, where he could practice his martial arts and swordsmanship… with the help of his predecessors.
As soon as he entered his dreamscape, all of the white tigers that came before him greeted him pleasantly.
"It has been a few days, Bai," said Liu Tao.
A woman with medium-length white hair sighed in disappointment, "You have neglected your dutiful studies. How wasteful."
"Greetings, Tao," Liu Bai answered. He then bowed his head deeply in the woman's direction, "My humblest apologies, Master Zetian."
Liu Zetian huffed and turned her head. "Remedy your shortcomings with diligence, child."
Liu Bai nodded in understanding, "Yes, Master."