Emperor's Reckoning

Lyon was perplexed as he took a glance at the surrounding. (Did my fart really do all this?) thought the young man. He could only believe half of it since he was not back on earth. He was in a world where the cultivation of one's body existed. Chances were, a foul gas from a human body could probably destroy the cave.

He shrugged his shoulder, "Must have been heard by the whole world huh? Hahaha!"

*crack

The cup that the dragon lady used to sip her tea suddenly broke before Lyon gulped his saliva. He couldn't very well see her face beyond the flaming fire but he could tell that she was quite sensitive about it.

"So, what is the point of your visit?" asked the latter.

Lyon immediately tightened his back and sat straight with both of his hands pushing down the ankles of his leg. His face leaned in forward before smiling, "We never really get to know each other, do we?"

The dragon lady finally opened her eyes and fixated her glance against the young man behind the fire. She could see the eagerness under those deep-galaxy eyes of him. Yet, she didn't find any significant motives of mention from his identity. Her jaded eyes and silvery pupils had made many people and many beings ran with their tails between their legs. However, the young man in front of him chose the opposite. (Is he really just a horny dog?) thought the dragon lady.

She shook her head before she asked, "Honestly, which sides are you on? The humans or the demi-humans?"

Lyon let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head before his eyes turned serious and said with a cold voice, "Let's drop that topic."

*thump

The dragon lady slightly opened her eyes wide before she felt something that was unknown to her. For a split second, she felt that those deep-galaxy eyes of his were even more formidable and scarier, more cursed than what she had. (What was that?!) thought the dragon lady.

She shook her head before she saw Lyon's smiling face and his arms crossed. 

"Who are you really?" asked the dragon lady.

"My name is Lyon Torga, but the real question is, who are you, pri... I mean, beautiful dragon lady," chuckled Lyon.

She was slightly irritated at the mention of her title before she heard Lyon quickly scraped it away.

"Fi....ina."

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows, "Sorry, can you repeat that?

He couldn't hear her meek voice under the crackling noise of burning woods. 

"You only get one chance for that."

"That's really petty!"

Seeing Lyon's distressed face and unwillingness to accept the fact made her shyly chuckle away and covered her face. "Eh," the dragon lady raised her eyebrows before she realized what happened. How long was it since the last time she had a chuckle of joy?

She furrowed her eyebrows before she grabbed her sword and stood up. In under a fraction of a second, a blade was pointed against Lyon's glabella. Above the flaming fire, her eyes were fumed with killing intent, however, under the sword, his eyes were mellow as if the blade was nothing but a toy that could hurt him.

Lyon shook his head with a smile, "I've heard the famous tale, you were once kidnapped by bad people, bad humans didn't you?"

The sword started to tremble in her hands before Lyon held the tip with one finger of his and pushed it back. She fell with a thud from the simple push to her disbelief. Her cultivation was a lot higher than him but she felt an absolute force pushing her down.

"Say, dragon lady, do you not have another tea?" asked Lyon out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"You know, tea, the one you just drank? The fragrance is quite amazing!"

"Huh? S-sure."

The dragon lady flicked her finger before golden tea leaves were present right in front of her eyes. (Why, why is he not mad at all?) thought the dragon lady before she flicked out an empty cup from her spatial ring.

(Won't humans will start attacking me by now?) she grabbed the nearby teapot and opened its lid. She poured the golden leaves into it with creases over her forehead. Then, she put the said teapot nearby the fire to raise its temperature.

Whilst waiting the dragon lady looked at the young man in front of him who was rubbing his belly with a few hisses coming out of his mouth. She darted her glance away knowing that she was the one responsible for such carnage upon his well-defined abs.

Soon the teapot whistled as the fragrance of the tea permeated the surrounding. She picked up the teapot before pouring it into the empty cup (Why is he not offended?). Her pouring skill was on point since the tea coming out from the teapot dropped its very last drop right before the breaking point of the surface tension. The perfect service of pouring tea.

She picked up the saucer on which the teacup was before rolling her sleeve and gave it to him. It was like a ceremony of tea or some sort that Lyon readily complied. He stretched both of his arms forward before receiving the saucer and teacup.

"Ouch!"

He strained the muscle on his abs before he slightly shook his hand. The tea immediately broke the surface tension before the cup fell on the saucer. The tea immediately poured on the fire before it hissed steam. Lyon immediately moved away from his hands and nimbly saved half of the cup from pouring. He approached the golden-brown tea with his nostrils before he closed his eyes.

"Wait a minute," Lyon snapped open his eyes before he muttered, "Why does it smell like something is burning."

"Your sleeve is burning," muttered the dragon lady.

"Ha? Wha?! What?!" Lyon immediately patted the fire in his right arm away before he noticed an unusual pain in each pat. But the fire didn't get put out before the other sleeve started burning.

"Shit shit shit!" Lyon rolled over the ground back and forth before the dragon lady shook her head with a chuckle.

"Look over here," said the dragon lady before she took a deep breath and blow cold air on him.

Lyon's eyelid was fluttering along with his cheeks as he felt the cold breeze crashing onto his figure like a hurricane. The fire was instantly put off but the breeze was still there and his eyes couldn't get a picture of what's happening.

.

.

.

After a good two minutes.

(WHY IS SHE STILL BLOWING?!) thought Lyon as his hair started to freeze. It wasn't until he couldn't feel his hair that it stopped.

He blinked quite a few times before he noticed that the flaming fire of the woods was also put out. His hands were freezing cold as he was shaking while he put the cup over his mouth. There was no tea anymore inside the cup. After all that skillfully rolling back and forth without dropping the tea, it all went wasted.

"Hahaha, bwahahaha!"

Lyon slightly shook his head before he saw the dragon lady in front of her was laughing her heart out. She couldn't even open her eyes anymore and one of her hands was pressing her stomach. She was so happy and had not a single care for the world around her. Under the starry skies, the woman who thought to herself that she couldn't smile anymore had finally let go of herself.

(How many years has it been since I have a laugh like this?) thought the dragon lady as she laughed. (Ah yes, it was so long ago, when I met him).

Lyon could only scratch his head and laughed it off in a response to that. Both of his sleeves were no more and he now wore a sleeveless swordsman robe, though he looked more like a laborer if anyone were, to be honest.

He stood up he lamented his fate, "You know, I kinda envy you."

Her laugh slowly subsided before she asked, "W-Why is that?"

Lyon shrugged his shoulder, "You know, you have cool dragon wings and chilly dragon breath to boot. Not to mention those beautiful eyes of yours."

He sighed, "The more I see you the more I believe what grandfather Sun said. That he is actually a catfish rather than a dragon."

------------------

"Hm?!"

"Ah?"

The two grandfathers had a sudden different reaction out of the blue.

"W-what's wrong gramps?" asked Tuey meekly.

"I-I feel like as if a thousand blades just penetrated my soul," muttered Shen.

"I feel like I just drank holy nectar, nothing but joy lifted the soul," muttered Sun.

------------------

(Beautiful eyes huh... that's funny, he was saying the same thing back then) thought the dragon lady.

"Like a slash of a sword," she muttered.

"That cut through jade, hahaha! haha.. haha... ha?"

The dragon lady looked at his eyes without blinking as tears coming out from both of them.. Her upper lips were tightened up as her mouth quivered.