Li Yang pulled back his arms after Mei Kongxu laughed and shift into a battle-ready stance. His gaze remained locked on her face as he maintained his casual posture, raising an eyebrow and whistling once while nodding his head.
"Would you look at that, you actually know how to smile. But I gotta tell ya, you really ought to smile more often, it suits you quite a bit better than that boring expression you wore earlier."
It was only the shadow of a smile that appeared on her face, but that alone was enough to seemingly alter her entire being. It was as if she had suddenly lit up with a light, that exceedingly faint smile unleashing that light to illuminate the surroundings. Coupled with her great beauty even Li Yang had to admit that he found himself slightly charmed.
And her expression of interest and amusement was thousands of times better than her previously disinterested and distant expression, such a look was far too boring and serious for this world. Right now that interest and amusement might only be barely roused by Li Yang, but he was nothing if not confident, he just needed a bit more time and he was certain he could force her to stay like that even if she didn't want to.
Mei Kongxu couldn't help but admire Li Yang slightly when she faced him, it seemed like there was nothing that could stop him from teasing others, he had even been doing it in the midst of battle earlier. But she wasn't like him, she simply found herself unable to maintain a carefree and cheery attitude. It felt like there was a hole in her heart and soul ever since she was born, all her good emotions fell out of this hole that she simply couldn't plug up.
So the faint smile vanished from her face only a few seconds after it appeared, a more serious and cold expression replacing it as the Qi within her body started to surge. And then, before Li Yang got the chance to voice his complaints about her expression, she kicked off the ground and charged forward, bursting forth with all the Qi contained within her body.
Her charged caused one of Li Yang's eyebrows to rise, she was actually only at the same cultivation level as him, middle-stage of the Human Rune realm with 4 Law Runes, but she actually moved faster than the stronger Ping Shisui. Of course, he knew that if he could beat people at a higher cultivation realm then there would definitely be others who could do the same, it wouldn't be strange for Mei Kongxu to fall within that group of people. The fact caused the corners of his lips to turn up a bit further, his knees bending as he looked at her.
"Hot damn, you really making it hard to get a simple date with you!"
This was how it should be, if she was supposed to be his future wife then she should at least have the capability of fighting people with a higher cultivation realm. Li Yang kicked off the stage and shot forward at full speed, the two combatants reaching each other nearly instantly.
Mei Kongxu's right fist shot forward, but Li Yang actually dropped to the ground so that her fist passed over him. He placed his palms on the ground and swept out with his right foot, kicking Mei Kongxu's legs out from underneath her and using his law of gravity to slightly reverse the gravity of her own body to lighten her weight.
He rose from the ground while sweeping her legs out from underneath her, angling his right foot upward and resulting in Mei Kongxu's entire body rising slightly while cartwheeling. Her head missed the ground by a few centimetres so that she continued her spin, but as she approached a horizontal position in the air, Li Yang brought his right foot down again, his heel smashing down towards her head.
But Mei Kongxu actually managed to react to his attack, it was almost as if she had expected that particular move from him. She spun her body slightly the moment she approached a horizontal position, her arm reaching out as her elbow lashed out at Li Yang's incoming foot. But she didn't lash out at it from beneath or above but from the side, her elbow making contact with his foot and pushing it forward so that his foot missed her head.
Her elbow rolled onto his foot at the same time, allowing her to deliver a quick sideways jab to his knee and sending a sharp pain shooting through his leg. Li Yang's foot smashed into the stage and Mei Kongxu used the force of her jab to push herself away from Li Yang, the gravity of her body returning to normal as she rolled through the air and spun herself into a standing position.
The two ended up with some distance between each other, Li Yang's eyes narrowing slightly as he shook his right leg a few times. The sharp pain had been replaced by a numbing pain that thumped within his foot, a weak feeling overcoming his entire leg and sticking to him like maggots to marrow. Mei Kongxu was standing a bit away from him, her breathing a bit rougher as one of her hands covered half her face, her slightly gleaming eye visible through her spread fingers.
"Those moves of yours, why do they feel so familiar, so instinctual that I even know how to counter them?"
She sounded as if she was questioning him, but he could tell that she was questioning herself at the same time, as if she was feeling a tremendous sense of deja vu. Li Yang's gaze returned to normal, his pupils flickering down to the pantleg covering his right leg. The fabric in the spot that Mei Kongxu had hit was falling apart, a bit of mould faintly visible at the edges. He reached down and tore off the entire pantleg, tossing it aside as it continued to rot, his own gaze now the one gleaming with interest and amusement.
"Hell if I know, maybe we were mortal enemies in one of our past lives? But I gotta say, didn't expect a beauty like Fairy Sister Kongxu to use something like the law of decay, it's no wonder that my leg feels so weak after a single punch. And you even managed to perfectly counter-attack that quick crush, it seems like you really don't want to go on a date with me."
Li Yang took his eyes off of his leg, focusing his slightly gleaming gaze on Mei Kongxu. She was strong, much stronger than he anticipated, most likely stronger than him. But he was having fun, fighting her was fun. It had just been a single exchange but his heart was thumping and his blood was boiling, he was having so much fun that he couldn't hold back his own grin. And that slight gleam in her eyes, he wanted to see more of it, he wanted to see how much it took to turn that soft gleam into a burning splendour. Li Yang stomped the stage with his right foot to dispel some of the numbing pain, the thumbing turning into a slight cribbling sensation.
"You'd best be careful, Fairy Sister Kongxu, I'm coming for that date."
Li Yang kicked off the stage and shot forward once more, reversing the gravity of his own body to move even faster this time around. He instantly reached Mei Kongxu's front, his right leg flashing upward at a speed that was nearly faster than the eye could see while his own body twisted subtly.
This attack was, in theory, a three-part attack, his foot would first kick Mei Kongxu's head from the back as she tried to pull away, he would then use his heel to kick the left side and then the right side of her head. A powerful kick would result in death as the temples collapsed, but as this was just a sparring match he made sure to reduce the power so that it would only rock her brain.
But once again, as if she had predicted his attack from the moment he started to move, she dodged in the perfect manner. She allowed the first kick to hit the back of her head and used the force of the attack along with her own movements to push herself forward so that the two other kicks missed her, diving straight into Li Yang's bosom.
Both her arms stretched out, the base of her palms touching each other as she placed both hands on Li Yang's stomach. Her Qi surged as a tremendous force burst into Li Yang's body, the skin on his stomach twisting in a spiralling pattern around Mei Kongxu's hands. His feet lost contact with the ground as his body also started to furiously spin, but just as he was about to get launched backwards while spinning, his arms shot out and grabbed onto Mei Kongxu's elbows.
"Oh no, you're coming with me, Fairy Sister!"
Mei Kongxu's body was overcome by a lightweight sensation that made her unable to keep her balance, resulting in her following along with Li Yang as he was launched backwards. The two spun around wildly as they flew back, Li Yang's abdomen aching due to the twisting of his skin. She had luckily held back some of her power, otherwise, it wouldn't have been just Li Yang's skin that ended up getting twisted.
Li Yang increased gravity around them as they flew through the air, forcing both of them down to the ground at full speed. He made sure that he was beneath Mei Kongxu as they reached the ground, his feet colliding with the stage so hard that a few cracks spread out beneath him. He transferred the force of the impact up through his body and into his arms, using it to slam Mei Kongxu downwards and into the stage.
Mei Kongxu twisted her body just before she smashed into the stage, catching herself with her feet and temporarily forming a bridge while Li Yang held onto her elbows. But Li Yang immediately let go of her elbow and sent his right fist smashing down at her face, forcing her to roll to the left to avoid the hit. She wrested her other elbow free from his grasp by rolling, but the only thing that met her as she rolled was Li Yang's knee.
She barely had the time to place her hand in front of her face, blocking most of the impact but still receiving some rebound when the back of her hand smashed into her face. She also took advantage of the close contact, grabbing onto his knee and twisting the skin on it while pouring the law of decay into him.
She also held on tightly to his knee and used it to pull herself closer to him, rolling up his leg and slamming her elbow into his abdomen. The law of twisting and the law of decay once again invaded Li Yang and sent him flying backwards while spinning, he was only able to stop himself by slamming himself into the stage using gravity.
He quickly rolled around and sprang up into a standing position, his pants and shirt in tatters thanks to the two laws Mei Kongxu had shown. Li Yang spat out some blood that was slightly brown due to decay, one of his hands covering half his face as he wiped away some blood that had ended up staining him.
The crimson eye looking at Mei Kongxu through his spread fingers had changed slightly, the pupil becoming more slit-shaped and bestial. Mei Kongxu also stood up, wiping away the blood that was pouring forth from her nose, the gleaming light in her eyes stronger than before. As he was looking at her, he could hear the blurry and indistinct voices that usually bounced around in his head when he closed his eyes. But this time the voices were exceptionally clear, practically screaming at him.
"The first tail is born of effort and represents newfound power, the start of a road."
"You wish to fight me at my full power? Sorry, but I'll limit it to the first tail and the second tail, I doubt you can handle more."
"You have touched what you shouldn't have, so burn. First tail, Third tail, Seventh tail, roar."
The words felt like they were piercing directly into Li Yang's soul, his energy seething and surging. The energy gathered behind him, the transparent outline of a bushy white tail starting to form in the air to the right of his tailbone. Li Yang felt his body burn with power as the outline started to appear, but he removed his hand from his face before the tail could fully form, clapping his hands and releasing all the tension and power in his body while smiling ruefully at Mei Kongxu.
"Alright, that's enough. It's my loss, I can't keep fighting with so much decay eating away at me. Fairy Sister Kongxu is truly strong, you've really dented my pride here, rejecting my date invitation with such vigour."
The outline of the tail, and the change to Li Yang's eye, both vanished when he clapped his hands, Mei Kongxu the only one who was able to catch the slightest trace of the transparent outline. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the spot where the outline had first appeared, that strange outline had felt as familiar as the unique moves he had showcased.
She hoped to see more in hopes of figuring out just why they felt so familiar, but Li Yang had sadly surrendered. She let out a breath and relaxed her body, swiping the ring on her left hand and causing a silver robe to appear on her body. She walked over to Li Yang without bothering to wipe away the blood that had once again poured out from her nose, pulling out the law of decay she had sent into his body. And then, for the second time since they met, she flashed him another shadow of a smile.
"You're right, it's your loss, which means that I am the one who gets to make a request that you have to obey. I've heard that the Deepsea King sect has some of the best seafood on the planet, you'd best show me all of it without disappointing me."
