Yrsillar Wrote:"Oof, jeez, your dress is a spirit now, too?” Su Ling asked. “I don't know how you're okay with wearin' somebody. I don't even like keeping Cibei in my dantian that much."

The little black bat, still no more than a hand span in size, poked out of Su Ling’s bushy hair with a squeak, making Su Ling's tail flick.

“I have said that it is fine, Master!”

Su Ling snorted. "And I've said that I don't like people in my head."

"Qiyi is a dress." Ling Qi shrugged. "Even if she is a person, she is still a dress. I'm surprised you're here, by the way. I don't mind, but…"

"Trips are suspended for a time. I am still a member of the Argent Peak Sect," Su Ling replied.

"And she wished to visit Sir Gan, for which I cannot blame her." Li Suyin sighed, resting her cheek on her hand.

tealruby Wrote:Hermione’s been introduced to many new routines on joining the League. One hasn’t been new at all; this has been a part of her life since returning to Hogwarts after the war. Not her first visit, nor her last. It’s just one of her regular sessions.
“Hello, Hermione. What would you like to talk about today?”

NotZiz Wrote:"That is why today, I am honored to announce the Protectorate's pledge of unconditional support for any city affected by Endbringer disasters. What happened here in New York was a tragedy, but buoyed by the indomitable spirit of its people, we are rebuilding. If these monsters strike again, know that after the brave heroes beside me help throw them back, resources will be made available to aid in reconstruction. After all, we're the Protectorate. We are here to help."

- Legend, 10 days before the Simurgh descended on Lausanne

Yrsillar Wrote:Ling Qi's eyes widened. "Ah, Suyin—!"

Li Suyin's spirit beast materialized by the base of her chair. Zhenli was still squat and compact for a spider, with thick, fuzzy legs held close to her puffball pink body and huge, glassy, and unblinking eyes.

"This Zhenli thanks the Baroness Ling for having her," Zhenli said, pedipalps spreading apart to match her lowered head.

"You are welcome, but…"

Naturally, then, the door opened, revealing her mother and sister, who she had sensed coming down the hall. She'd invited them to eat with everyone today, wanting her family to grow more used to other cultivators.

"My apologies for being late. We were held up in cleaning my younger daughter's…" Ling Qingge began, her head ducked low, only to freeze and pause.

Li Suyin had chosen a seat right by the door. This meant Zhenli was directly in her mother's line of sight. Her sister’s, too. Biyu's eyes were widening even as she looked, and Ling Qi rose from her seat.

"Fuzzy!" Biyu squealed, high and loud, but it was not in fear as Ling Qi had expected. The little girl darted forward out of her shocked mother’s grasp.

"A-ah! Young miss. Do not. This Zhenli… Baroness. Help!"

Her little sister pounced on the large, dog-sized spider, squeezing her like a pet.

"Biyu, no!" her mother spoke, voice strangled. She rushed forward to pry the little girl away from the spider, despite the fear Ling Qi could still feel from her.

"Woah, there, little one! One must not touch others without permission." Gan Guangli scolded. Rising to his feet, he carefully helped her mother disentangle the spider from Biyu’s grasp. Zhenli rapidly scuttled under the table the moment the beast felt she could avoid harming Biyu in her escape.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I promise there is nothing unsafe in the room. Please meet Zhenli, my friend's spirit beast. She would never harm her hosts," Ling Qi reassured. She rounded the table to approach her mother.

The woman still looked frazzled, her breathing uneven, but she was swiftly composing herself. "O-of course. Please excuse my shameful reaction, honored guests."

"Madam Ling, I am very sorry for my unthinking action. Zhenli is a good friend, but I forgot how she could be perceived," Suyin apologized, rising from her seat and bowing repeatedly.

Ling Qi sighed as her mother and Li Suyin began their dueling, escalating apologies, and accepted her little sister from the grinning Gan Guangli.

"Biyu, why would you do that?"

"Weird dog was very fuzzy." Biyu curled in her arms, unsure of why people were upset.

"You shouldn't grab onto beasts suddenly. They can be dangerous, or you might startle them," Ling Qi explained.

"But… Sis is here."

And anything around her big sister couldn't be dangerous.

"You still need to ask before touching, little sister."

Even if she wouldn't let Biyu be hurt, boundaries should be respected.

"It's very rude to do so, no matter how cute you think they are, okay?"

"... Okay."

ssjSega Wrote:Happy Easter to those who celebrate it! I have the next chapter ready as a gift, and this chapter gets... kinda heavy and dark since it's one-half robbery and the other half continuing the battle against this fic's local Knight of Cerebus.

... so not much of a happy Easter gift. But I'm still pretty excited for this one.

Anyway, we're catching up with Anya first, then we're picking up where we left off with for Yor's fight with Barricade.

Yrsillar Wrote:"Think you want me to load up to the old digs, Qi?" Sixiang asked.

"Will your body be safe up here?"

"Haha, I can watch over it, Miss Ling," Gan Guangli proposed, the qi-gathering device in his arms.

Ling Qi nodded, and Sixiang smiled brightly. Their form shimmered, silhouette blurring as the light bent and air wavered, and then, they vanished. Beneath the appearance of a body was a life-sized humanoid doll made from polished wood and porcelain, articulated with gears of polished silver in the seams and joints. The face was a panel of soft wood very loosely shaped like a human face, set with eyes of polished crystal glass.

As she felt Sixiang vacate from it, the doll sagged like a puppet with strings cut, and the lingering qi in its limbs guided it down into a slumped over, kneeling position. Gan Guangli scooped it up.

"Tell him to be careful! I don't want my paint job scratched!" Sixiang fretted. Their voice emanated comfortably in her head, as if they had never left.

"You can tell him yourself," Ling Qi retorted. "But take care, Gan Guangli. I wouldn't want Sixiang to need a night under the polish."

Bathtime. Fun!

That was because Qiyi was a good girl. Even if she didn't strictly need washing.

"Just got back and already getting bullied. This is a hostile working environment!"

Renxiang actually had a form for that. She could get Sixiang one later.

"And now, paperwork! Abuse of muse!"

She had missed Sixiang. Truly.

"... missed you, too, Qi."

(04-22-2025, 01:39 AM)Jinx999 Wrote: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/beware-of-chicken-xianxia.910799/page-2284#post-111038639

Beware of Chicken

BHS Wrote:The next phase of the war with Dead End begins.

---

Notes:
Sorry for the long hiatus. I wanted to have this out sooner, but I got hit with a suspension from AO3 for a month, and that threw off my flow. Anyway, please prepare yourselves for the next arc...