heaven officials blessing: Long ai edited

to meet heads of gamble. 12

"Oh, Lang Qiang Qiu." I sighed as I took Zuko back and held him close. His head was perked up, and I felt him growl. The man whose hand was crushed under Lang Qiangqiu's fist began to shriek in agonizing pain.

"It hurts! my hand!" he shouted, holding his broken hand. Everyone down there was shocked and a little insulted. I breathed a deep sigh of relief after that. I began to make my way to the stairs. I was taking my time and enjoying the show. Kohana followed behind me. Xie Lian and Qing Xuan followed once they saw. Kiyoshi, from what I saw glancing back, was latching onto Kohana with wide eyes. I looked back in time to see Lang Qiang Qiu kick the man in the back with the sole of his boot.

"What a brutal heart!" He spat with the large sword hanging on his back. The man was shaking on the floor, cradling his hand. "It's fine if you just want fame and fortune, but to wish for someone else's death?"

At this point, I could see veins bulging over his cheekbone. He pointed his finger at the man.

"Bet your own life if you want, but you dare use your own daughter's life and marriage fate as a betting chip?" I could hear my brother and Qing Xuan's voices, but I couldn't hear what they were saying past the commotion before me and the murmurs around us. "You're not worthy of a man, much less a father!"

I froze at the end of the stairs when I heard that. That was one of the many sentences that I regret saying to my father.  I miss him and my mother. I felt someone touch my arm. I blinked as I turned my head. and my brother was there. He lifted his hand and rubbed my shoulder. I gave him a weak smile from beneath the mask. The crowd was silenced as a laugh came from the curtains. I looked ahead, and I saw A-Yoong. She looked directly at me, and she wanted to be by my side like she used to before we were separated.

"making a ruckus in my territory..." I heard Honger's voice reach out from the curtains. A-Yoong regained composure and stood tall with a poker face. "You've got some gall."

"Are you the owner of this gambling den?" Lang Qingqiu demanded an answer.

"So what if he is?" A-yoong asked with attitude. She's come out of her shell so much since that day, when I found her outside of New Xianle. When she was hurt and she was being chased, she was so skittish. She's almost a completely different person now. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked to A-yoong. She had blocked the table after, I would guess, Lang QingQiu used mana to shove the table towards Honger while he was behind the curtain. A-yoong stopped it, with her hands bracing it, and dug her claws into the large table. I widened my eyes as I saw her eyes practically set ablaze.  her teeth bared, her canine sharp and ready to strike.

"Go back to whatever silver spooned family you were prevailed with!" With a single motion, she launched the table right back at him. The woman standing at the curtain ran out of the way as the table went into rebound. with a solid wham! The table hit Lang Qingqiu in the hand, throwing him off balance for a moment. His feet dug into the floor, creating cracks and two footprints. Like an idiot, he shoved the table right back at her!

"Idiot," I sighed as the table went flying her way. Even before A-Yoong became a ghost, she's been strong in physical aspects and has had a strong hit since I met her. She raised her fist up with her elbow while I could faintly see a sneer form on Honger's face as the curtain was blown away for a brief moment. The table came into close vicinity of A-yoong. She slammed her fist down onto the table, blasting fire in all directions with the burnt shards as a loud boom echoed through the den. Flaming shards scattered and crashed into the floor; cracks formed every place the shards struck, and the crackling echoed. I saw Honger do something, but the curtains blocked my view. The next thing I knew, Lang QingQiu was being lifted up into the air! Everyone began to laugh as he was restrained by some sort of incantation.