Chapter 124: Price of Pride
“Elder Brother Kai! You were amazing!” he exclaimed, practically bouncing on his feet. “You didn’t even break a sweat!”
“Let this be a lesson,” I said, pausing to swirl the rice in my bowl before taking a bite. “Underestimating your opponent is like grasping fire with your bare hands—by the time you realize the danger, the damage is already done.”
Lan Sheng chuckled, swirling his own cup of wine as he raised an eyebrow. “That’s rich coming from the same guy who declared himself the rising genius of the province not too long ago.”
I shot him a playful grin. “It’s not arrogance if you can back it up.”
Laughter rippled through the inn, blending with the hum of voices and the clatter of dishes. The atmosphere was lively, a far cry from the tense showdown that had unfolded just hours earlier. Now, the villagers crowded around, offering smiles and congratulations as platters of food and jugs of wine made their rounds. Our table, in particular, was filled to the brim with delicacies—roasted meats, steamed buns, fragrant broths—and at the center of it all, Windy and Tianyi were being treated like royalty.
The hatchling preened under the attention, happily scarfing down whole, roasted chickens, his white scales shimmering in the firelight as he flicked his tail in contentment. A young girl with bright eyes held up another plate of meat, offering it to him with a wide smile. Windy’s tongue flicked out as he accepted it, swallowing the bird whole.
Tianyi, on the other hand, was daintier in her indulgence. She perched elegantly on the edge of a wine bowl, using her delicate proboscis to slurp the wine with an almost regal air. Her wings shimmered with a faint glow, and I could sense her satisfaction as the crowd around us marveled at her beauty and grace.
I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of embarrassment despite the lively celebration around me. Inwardly, I knew I could have approached the situation better. A more careful plan, one that didn’t involve wagering with someone like Shan Huai, would have been smarter. But there had been a part of me that had wanted to throw myself into that danger, to prove something.
Not just to the village, not even to Lan Sheng, but to myself.