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Zhuo Hao paced back and forth, rapping his fan sharply against his palm in time with every step. Some people would call what he was doing sulking, but no, he was strategizing after a very strategic retreat that had absolutely nothing whatsoever with his humiliating defeat by Luo Yinfan--
But no matter how he framed it, even to himself, he had to admit his situation was precarious. Despite all of his efforts to win her heart, his beloved Chongzi had utterly rejected him in favor of her master, and, as recent events had so forcibly demonstrated, he wasn't strong enough to best the Sage Chonghua at his current level of cultivation. Soon enough, Father would learn about the whole debacle, and send Zhuo Hao back home to Qinghua in disgrace and never let him out in public ever again, much less anywhere near Nanhua.
Zhuo Hao had an unusually thick face and a reputation for shamelessness, but this was a little too much humiliation to bear. He closed his eyes, recalled how Luo Yinfan had so casually flicked his sword back to him as if Zhuo Hao were a mere insect and not the first and only young master of Qinghua, only to snap his eyes back open and snarl with rage. He may have lost this battle, but he'd show Luo Yinfan. He'd show him--
But how? Zhuo Hao couldn't best Luo Yinfan in his current state, so he needed to become stronger. He needed to train even harder and learn new techniques, push himself to his absolute limits and then go even further. Qinghua's sword techniques were strong, but would they be enough to stand against the most powerful cultivator in the six realms?
Zhuo Hao needed a better strategy. More to the point, he needed allies. Was there anyone whom he could trust to aid him in his mad quest against the great and powerful Sage Chonghua, whom the entire cultivation world revered and admired?
Zhuo Hao paused in mid-stride as an idea occurred to him. There was at least one other person who might despise Luo Yinfan as much as he did--and, more to the point, someone who might actually agree to the mad plan already crystallizing in Zhuo Hao's mind.
Of course, the thought of asking for help grated on him, but he was he was out of ideas--and, more to the point, Zhuo Hao was a pragmatist at heart. Which was ultimately more important--his pride or his desire to win? Once he framed the question like that, it was obvious what he had to do next.
Having a plan of action, even if it was a stupid and desperate one, cheered Zhuo Hao immensely. He whistled as he set off, hastening to put it into action before his father caught up with him and grounded him for life.
***
Qin Ke, as usual, was not pleased to see him when he arrived at the Nanhua training grounds. "What do you want?" he said gruffly, staring out into the middle distance and pointedly ignoring Zhuo Hao.
Zhuo Hao fluttered his fan and favored Qin Ke with his most charming smile. "I have a proposal for you."
"Whatever it is, my answer is no."
"You haven't even heard it yet!"
"It doesn't matter. I have no desire to be involved."
Zhuo Hao put on an exaggerated pout. "So you have no intention to ever surpass the Sage Chonghua, then?"
As expected, he now had Qin Ke's full attention. "Who told you that?!"
Zhuo Hao covered his mouth with his fan. "A little bird told me," he said coyly, lying through his teeth.
Zhuo Hao didn't need to rely on rumor and gossip when he had eyes in his head--and, more importantly, a brain. Qin Ke was obviously in love with Chongzi, and Chongzi was in love with Luo Yinfan. Therefore, it was only natural that Qin Ke wished to trounce his rival, even if he lacked both the courage to admit it openly and the guts to actually carry it out the way Zhuo Hao had done.
"One day I will surpass the Sage Chonghua, even if it takes hundreds of years of cultivation," Qin Ke said. "What business is it of yours?"
Oh, so the news of today's debacle hadn't spread that far yet. "You see, I, too, wish to surpass the Sage Chonghua," Zhuo Hao said. "And today it was brought home to me today just how far I have to go."
"You challenged the Sage Chonghua?" Was that a glimmer of envy in Qin Ke's eyes along with the righteous indignation?
"I did," Zhuo Hao admitted. "And I lost."
"Why did you challenge him in the first place?"
"You mean you don't know?"
Now Qin Ke was starting to get annoyed. "What are you talking about?"
Zhuo Hao took a deep breath and said simply, "Because Chongzi is in love with him."
It was the only argument he needed to make. Under other circumstances Zhuo Hao would have burst out laughing as realization dawned on Qin Ke's, but it would have been cruel after having been in the other man's shoes earlier this afternoon--not to mention counterproductive.
"How do you know?" Qin Ke whispered. Judging from his expression, it was clear that he had suspected this for a long time, but it was still a crushing blow.
"She told me herself less than an hour ago," Zhuo Hao said. He waited a beat before adding, "Ask her yourself if you don't believe me."
Oh, Qin Ke did. He didn't want to, but he did. He shook shook his head slowly. "No, I believe you," he said. "It's just--"
Time to say what they were both thinking but Qin Ke would never say out loud. "He doesn't deserve her!" Zhuo Hao said, cutting him off before he could finish the sentence, slapping his fan down hard against his hand.
His failure with Chongzi still rattled, but it was gratifying to know Zhuo Hao hadn't completely lost the knack for judging how others were thinking. Having caught this fish on the hook, all that was left was to reel him in.
"I, too, wish to surpass Sage Chonghua," he said.
"And you came to me?"
"We have similar goals, don't we? Wouldn't it be faster to attain them if we worked together? There's a great deal we could learn from each other, isn't there?"
Zhuo Hao didn't need to elaborate further. Even if it was only a handful of sparring sessions, that would still be better than practicing solely on his own. Eventually, if this little alliance worked out, it was possible that the two of them together could accomplish what one of them alone could not...
Qin Ke made a big show of thinking it over, but it was all theatrics--he'd wanted to be convinced from the moment Zhuo Hao had floated the idea. "All right," he said at last. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to test our skills against each other now and then. When do you want to start?"
Zhuo Hao's fan flashed and a gleaming sword appeared in a flash of light, its point aimed directly at Qin Ke's throat. "How about now?"
Qin Ke didn't flinch. "You're on."