The Fragrant Night Market was built on a medium-sized floating island. The entire street was enveloped by a transparent energy shield, which blocked the strong high-altitude winds while allowing visitors to enjoy the surrounding night view.
As dusk settled, the lights on the floating island illuminated one after another, making the entire street as bright as day.
Stalls lined both sides of the street, and the air was filled with the aromas of various foods.
The smoky scent of grilled squid, the savory aroma of stewed soup, the creamy fragrance of desserts… all blended together, making one’s mouth water.
Chiying landed at the designated landing spot at the entrance of the snack street.
Liu Yi jumped off its back, and Ziyue leaped down after her, immediately looking around upon landing, her nose twitching, clearly enticed by the smells.
“What do you want to eat first?” Liu Yi asked.
Ziyue’s gaze quickly swept across several stalls, finally settling on one with a “Floating Island Grilled Squid” sign. A row of grilled squid, brushed with sauce, lay neatly on the stall, gleaming invitingly under the lights.
“Bingbing!” It pointed at the stall with its paw.
“Alright, grilled squid it is.”
Liu Yi walked over and ordered three skewers. The vendor, a plump middle-aged man, enthusiastically introduced his wares while flipping the squid: “First time here, little lady? My squid is marinated with spices unique to the floating islands; you won’t find it anywhere else!”
He deftly placed the grilled squid into a paper bag, and as he handed it over, his eyes lit up when he saw Ziyue squatting by Liu Yi’s feet: “Oh, is that a Silver Snow Fox? I saw it on the forum! The one from Longwu?”
Liu Yi nodded and took the paper bag.
“Amazing, truly amazing!” The vendor gave a thumbs-up. “I watched the matches today too. That Extreme Cold Storm from your Silver Snow Fox at the end was beautiful!”
Hearing the praise, Ziyue’s tails wagged even higher.
Liu Yi paid and distributed the grilled squid to Ziyue and Chiying. Ziyue took tiny bites, closing her eyes to savor each one for a long moment, her tails wagging behind her like a small fan.
Chiying, on the other hand, was much more elegant, curling a skewer with its tail and eating unhurriedly.
They continued walking. Ziyue then eyed Salt Lake Specialty Grilled Fish, Cloud Cotton Candy, Ice Crystal Jelly… she wanted a taste of everything and was having a blast.
Liu Yi let them indulge. After all, Ziyue had won her matches today, and Chiying had learned a new skill, so they deserved a good treat.
As they reached the end of the street, Ziyue suddenly stopped, her ears perked up.
“Bingbing.”
It gently patted Liu Yi’s calf with its paw and nudged its nose towards a stall ahead.
Liu Yi followed its gaze.
It was a grilled skewer stall, and amidst the curling smoke, a girl stood in front of it, intently watching the vendor flip the meat skewers.
Her school uniform was embroidered with the school emblem of Zell Yunyong Beast Taming High School.
Sheng Mingxi.
Liu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.
After last week’s matches, she remembered Sheng Mingxi had 50 points, with a five-win, one-loss record. The match she lost was against Liu Yi on Tuesday.
At this moment, the contestant from the Zell Region was completely focused on the meat skewers on the grill, oblivious to someone approaching behind her.
Her Ghost-Mask Moth wasn’t with her, likely resting in its Beast Taming Space.
Just then, a voice came from another direction.
“Sheng Mingxi.”
The voice was not loud, but it carried a condescending tone.
Liu Yi turned her head to look.
A boy in a uniform was walking from across the street, his hands in his pockets, chin slightly raised, and an indifferent expression.
His uniform’s chest was embroidered with the school emblem of Fuguang Beast Taming High School.
Pei Yingwu.
He walked up to Sheng Mingxi, without any pleasantries or formalities, and immediately said, “For tomorrow’s match, you’d best concede directly.”
Sheng Mingxi turned her head, her expression shifting from focused to confused, clearly not having processed what he said.
Pei Yingwu continued, his tone as calm as if stating a fact: “You only have one Ghost-Mask Moth, at the Intermediate stage. My Nightblade Wolf is Advanced rank. You have no chance of winning; rather than wasting stamina, you should just concede.”
Sheng Mingxi stared at him for two seconds, then turned her head back to watch the grilled skewers.
Pei Yingwu seemed not to have expected her reaction. He paused, then continued talking to himself: “The gap between Advanced rank and Intermediate stage isn’t something luck or tactics can bridge. You know that perfectly well.”
He paused, a half-smile playing on his lips: “And I watched your match last week. Your Ghost-Mask Moth didn’t inflict any effective damage on Tianqi’s Liu Yi’s Moling Dragon from start to finish. A pet of that caliber, against my Nightblade Wolf…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, merely shaking his head slightly, the implication perfectly clear.
Sheng Mingxi didn’t reply immediately. She watched the vendor flip the grilled meat skewers and sprinkle some spices before slowly asking, “You specifically came all this way just to tell me that?”
Pei Yingwu frowned slightly.
Sheng Mingxi turned around, her gaze directly meeting Pei Yingwu’s. Her expression remained unchanged, and her tone was calm, yet every word was clear.
“My Ghost-Mask Moth lost last week, and it was a terrible loss. But so what?”
She paused, a slight curve forming at the corner of her mouth, not a smile, but more like an unyielding stubbornness: “Even if your Nightblade Wolf is an Advanced rank pet, there’s no reason to concede directly. If you want to fight, then fight. Why bother with all this talk?”
Pei Yingwu’s frown deepened. His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say more, but he ultimately just let out a “Tsk” and strode away.
Sheng Mingxi stood her ground, took the grilled skewers from the vendor, and paid. She took a bite of a skewer, chewed it twice, then glanced in the direction Pei Yingwu had left and mumbled, “What an idiot.”
The two of them made eye contact for a second.
Sheng Mingxi paused, then raised the grilled skewer in her hand and waved it at Liu Yi: “Want some? This place is pretty good.”
Since she’d been spotted, Liu Yi didn’t hide, walking over with Ziyue and Chiying.
“That person just now…” She glanced in the direction Pei Yingwu had left. “What was that about?”
“Who knows what his deal is.” Sheng Mingxi shrugged, a hint of helplessness in her tone. “He suddenly came over and told me to concede tomorrow, saying his Nightblade Wolf is an Advanced rank pet and I only have an Intermediate stage one, so I couldn’t possibly win.”
She paused, then added, “Who would just concede like that?”
Liu Yi looked at her.
“So what if his Nightblade Wolf is an Advanced rank pet?” Sheng Mingxi’s tone was calm, devoid of anger or excitement, as if she were stating the most ordinary fact. “I fought so hard to get to the National League, winning match after match. Why should I concede just because he says so?”
She paused, then added, “Besides, his Nightblade Wolf doesn’t even listen to him. What good is being Advanced rank then?”
Liu Yi’s lips curved slightly upward: “You’re not scared?”
“Scared of what?” Sheng Mingxi popped the last piece of meat into her mouth and tossed the bamboo skewer into a nearby trash can. “If I lose, I lose. It’s not like I haven’t lost before. But concede directly? No way.”
She looked at Liu Yi and suddenly laughed: “You beat me up like that on Tuesday, and I didn’t concede then either.”
Liu Yi nodded: “Mm.”
Rate on N.U.
