She collected herself and said, "I don't give a shit who you are but that-" she pointed to the glowing bead, "is mine."
The man laughed, a rich sound that echoed off the cave walls. "To be quite honest, I'm a little jealous," he said, his honey-brown eyes twinkling with amusement above his mask. "All that skill and intensity, yet you're only interested in the bead."
Li Hua's combat stance faltered for a moment, confusion replacing her defensive anger as the implication of his words sank in. A traitorous blush crept onto her cheeks despite herself.
She tightened her grip on her daggers, trying to regain her composure. "So, you won't fight me for it?"
Before he could answer, a voice interrupted. The shadows in the chamber seemed to coalesce, forming into an ethereal bird whose feathers shifted like ink in water. Mian Mian materialized between them, her smoky form drifting through the air with otherworldly grace.
