Luo Xingxi trained for five years with Ao Sheng.

On the day before the new year, as families gathered to slaughter the pigs and sweep the old year from the estates, the dragon prince thrust the Phoenix-Feather Sword into the chessboard, splitting it in two.

“I believe you are ready for the final test,” he said.

Xingxi took the sword in her hands. Though she had not held the sword for many years, Ao Sheng’s training made it feel familiar in her hand. She gave it an experimental swing, feeling the weight of the blade, still trapped within the Dragonscale Scabbard. She tried to unsheathe it, but it still would not budge.

This did not frustrate her. Five years under Ao Sheng’s training had honed her anger as sharp as a blade. And like a blade she knew how to wield it: with patience and precision. Even locked within its scabbard, she knew the Phoenix-Feather Sword was a formidable weapon.

She assumed the starting position Ao Sheng had drilled into her. “I’m ready,” she said.

From the depths of his robe the prince of the eastern sea produced his own sword, a thin curved blade that reflected the light like sea spray as he brandished it. “Your last test is to defeat me,” he said, and lunged forward.

Xingxi was ready for the attack. She parried the first few strikes but hesitated when it came time for her to strike back.

“You are holding back,” Ao Sheng growled as he forced Xingxi back three paces towards the shore, the waves beginning to lap at her heels.

“I don’t want to strike you,” Xingxi said. “If I land a blow—”

“If you so doubt yourself, you are shaming yourself as my pupil. I trust you will not harm me with either scabbard or blade.”

Xingxi nodded briefly as she dodged the next swing, a forehand that left her stumbling in the shallow bay, her foot sinking in the soft sand. This was her mentor’s ploy, she realized. As a dragon, he had a remarkable advantage when fighting in water. She needed to change the terrain if she hoped to win.

She prepared her stance, deliberately making her left vulnerable in hopes that’s where Ao Sheng would strike. As he did, she dodged into the blow, towards the shallows, and while she was on firmer ground she bent her legs and leapt into the air.

She sailed above him in an arc, making a few futile swings at the dragon lord as she did. Not because she hoped to end the fight with those swings, but to test the waters of the duel. Each parry was a conversation. Rook, horse, and cannon. Advancing the board slowly but surely.

As she directed the duel back on dry land, Ao Sheng’s attacks became more unrelenting. Xingxi matched his intensity in turn, her keen eagle eyes trained on the tells he had taught her to look for. A shift in the direction of the hips; quick blows summoned by twists in the wrists, while larger swings required a lead in from the shoulders. She soon became more comfortable in a dance, and when he went for an opening at her chest, she caught his blade with her sword’s hilt and twisted it away.

Her eyes followed the arc of the sword as it landed on the ground a few paces away. A flash of steel in the corner of her eye caused her to move back, just barely avoiding the second blade Ao Sheng now wielded in his off hand.

“The battle doesn’t end when your opponent is disarmed,” he said, fending off her blows and kicking his first sword back to his hand. “A cornered animal can still bite. Don’t let up your guard until victory is assured.”

Xingxi nodded, regaining the flow of battle, even though she was now at a disadvantage, having to parry two swords to her one. As the tide of the duel shifted in Ao Sheng’s favor, he stepped back into the role of teacher.

“Your form has improved, but you are not pressing your advantages. In a real fight, you must use everything at your disposal.”

“All I have is this sword,” Xingxi said, circling her teacher, looking for an opening and knowing there was none. “All the rest burned on Clear Water Mountain.”

“If you had come to me with only that sword I would not have trained you, because there would have been no hope within the six realms that you could overpower any divine force. What was the purpose of the powers given to you, if not for this very purpose?”

Something unlocked within Xingxi. These past five years of training didn’t just hone her swordsmanship, she realized, but also the powers gifted to her by the Qiao elders. Over her keen eagle sight she felt the presence of other animal magics. The stealth of the fox, the cunning of the monkey, and the brute strength of the bear. Her elders were with her in spirit. Together they would avenge the Qiao.

With a roar Xingxi rushed headfirst at Ao Sheng, and when her obvious attack was blocked she swung her bare fist, transformed into a massive bear claw. The momentum of the strike pushed the dragon prince back, and for the first time a loose strand of hair flew loose from his coiffed mane.

He was smiling. “Do not hold back,” Ao Sheng said, flicking his wrists to reveal double blades in each of his hands. “And I will not hold back either. Did my son ever tell you what they called me in battle?”

Xingxi compressed her form to that of a fox in order to dodge the two swords thrown her way. With a sound like a crashing wave, Ao Sheng transformed into his dragon form and launched himself at Xingxi, who after a running start took to the sky as an eagle, the Phoenix-Feather Sword gripped tightly in her talons.

Ao Sheng trailed behind her, picking up the two swords he threw in his hind claws. As he rose above the treetops, the afternoon sun glinted off the four blades he wielded, one in each clawed hand. “I am the Dragon of Four Blades. Now prove to me that you are worthy of my legacy.”

He crossed his swords and twisted his body into a tight spiral, corkscrewing rapidly towards Xingxi. With only gravity as her ally, she folded her wings and dove into the old pine forest, transforming into a golden-furred monkey as she disappeared into the canopy. There she hid as Ao Sheng spiraled through the branches and leaves, waiting with bated breath until his head drew near. Once he did, she leapt from her branch and transformed into a bear, using the full force of her weight to knock the dragon to the ground.

With a roar Ao Sheng whipped his body, sending Xingxi flying back towards the ocean. She landed on soft fox paws, running along the sand to gather enough momentum to take to the air. After years of grim determination, an unexpected feeling rose in her chest as the duel continued: exhilaration. There was a sense of pride to the demonstration of her skills, similar to when she first learned to pull back a bow and let an arrow fly straight and true.

The hilt of the Phoenix-Feather Sword felt warm in her palm, and she wondered if Auntie Tangyou and Uncle Luming felt proud of her too.

A scatter of sea spray rose up from the ocean as Ao Sheng dove in to avoid her attacks. Xingxi watched with her eagle eyes as the surface began to bubble, and as the dragon emerged, she dove down to meet him in human form, finally releasing the Phoenix-Feather Sword from its scabbard.

In a clash of metal and scales, the battle came to a standstill. As the turbulent water settled into predictable waves, Xingxi began to breathe evenly again. She had caught all four of his blades with her hand, now surrounded by the Dragonscale Scabbard like a gauntlet. The Phoenix-Feather Sword’s naked blade was just inches from Ao Sheng’s throat.

The waves lapped against Xingxi’s ankles in synchrony to her heartbeat, and through the connection of metal she felt Ao Sheng’s heartbeat keep the same time as well. In one fluid movement, graceful as a dance, master and disciple withdrew their blades from each other. Xingxi stroked the blade with her gauntleted hand, and the scales moved to protect the blade once more.

“You have passed,” Ao Sheng said, bowing to the eagle child. “I trust you to avenge my son.”

Xingxi put her hands together and returned the bow. She turned to leave, but then changed her mind, doubling back and hugging the dragon prince tightly. Ao Sheng stood stiff for a moment, unsure of what to do. None of his adult children ever dared show him this level of affection, and the servants of the dragon courts would obviously never behave with such impudence. It surprised him that shy Luming ever had a hand in raising this brash girl. Did she ever hug his son in this same manner? Was his son happy, being loved in such a way?

As he brought his arms up to the young girl’s shoulders, Ao Sheng allowed himself to mourn the loss of his son.