Chapter 16: Battleground

"Li Xian wins!" Huang Xiaoxuan was the first to shout the moment the match was over, Li Xian's kick hit Shen Qui's chest. She immediately looked at Lyca only for her to see the latter yawning, her eyes half closed. Huang Xiaoxuan immediately turned red in anger. She elbowed her. "Lyca! Stop embarrassing the Huang Family!" She gritted her teeth. As a proud phoenix of the Huang Family, Huang Xiaoxuan always walked with her head held high, her nose pointed at the skies. She was from the glamorous and talented Huang Family— this was something that her father ingrained into her.

Huang Family was one of the top two families in Long City. They were brave yet smart, talented yet reliable, hard working yet persevered. These were the core values of their family. How could someone like Lyca even call herself one of them? This was preposterous!

As usual, Lyca just gave her a confused look. Right now, Huang Xiaoxuan was already wondering how did this woman who looked like a stupid fool earn her money that their grandfather was so proud of. Wasn't that just money? She lowered her head, fist clenched. Who knows if this fool actually used her body to earn all that money? The more Huang Xiaoxuan thought about it, the more she looked down on Lyca!

"Alright… Xiaoxuan… I know you have already practiced some of the steps since you were a child. Why don't you demonstrate them to our new recruits?" Just like his daughter, Huang Li Duo was a very proud man. This was also because Huang Li Duo was gifted with two smart and talented children. How could he refuse this opportunity to show off the gap in between her phoenix of a daughter and Lyca? "Everyone… the lady next to my daughter is Lyca Huang. Some of you might not have heard her name before as she just arrived from abroad. She is the daughter of my third brother, Lieutenant Huang Sheng Hong who worked with your drill master when you were training in body conditioning above!"

Lyca didn't even turn her head to look at everyone. She just continued staring at Shen Qui with her eyes half closed. The gesture was pretty simple but everyone immediately noticed it. Shen Qui was indeed very good looking. Was it possible that one of the Huang Family memebers had taken a fancy to the young man?

"Alright father!" Huang Xiaoxuan immediately nodded, her face was stern and serious. Since Lyca was showing how stupid she was, Huang Xiaoxuan had decided to show how excellent she truly was. "I call this movement, thirty six light technique. She looked at everyone. "Please watch carefully." Huang Xiaoxuan immediately started bending her body, like a skilled gymnast as she performed a series of stunts that involved tumbling, showing off her balance, strength and flexibility. Then she made a deliberate pause and looked at everyone. "I need someone to act as my sparring partner." Of course, she already knew who she would be picking. "Cousin Lyca! Will you please…"

"No." Lyca's answer was enough to make her speechless. Everyone around them immediately looked at Lyca then to Huang Li Duo and Huang Xiaoxuan. How could Lyca refuse a challenge? Of course, Lyca couldn't care less about these people's thoughts. She was already sleepy, hungry and tired. If she decides to fight, who knows what her hungry self would do?

"It's alright Xiaoxuan just chose someone else." Huang Li Duo said. "Lyca just arrived from abroad. She also didn't grow up around our recruits. It is only natural for her to feel fear and get intimidated by your performance."

Lyca fought the urge to roll her eyes. Performance? A circus performance? "I want to go." She eyed her uncle. "Home." Of course, she didn't miss the disgust coming from the new recruits. However, she was really hungry to even think about people she doesn't know.

"Well then…"

"Cousin… " Huang Xiaoxuan interrupted her father. She walked towards Lyca. "As the younger generation of Huang Family, I believe it is best that we show the new recruits our formidable talents. After all, we will soon take over the company."

"I believe my younger cousin is right." A man's voice suddenly came from behind the recruits. Everyone turned their heads, except Lyca. The voice was already familiar to her. Wasn't this the son of her Eldest Aunt Huang Ying? The young master of the Zhang Family, Zhang Jiu.

The man walked in front of the recruit. He eyed Lyca for a few seconds before he bowed at his Uncle Huang Li Duo. "The younger generation of the Huang Family is the future of this company." He uttered. Despite being a part of the Zhang Family, Zhang Jiu liked to spend his time in this training facility to train his body. He would join the training of some elites and loved to show off his skills in handling guns. "Young Cousin Lyca… please feel free to show us your formidable skills. This is not some socialite meeting where people with the most grace and elegance are praised. Treat this as a real battleground."

Hearing Zhang Jiu's words, Huang Xiaoxuan's pride bloated. She eyed Lyca. "Cousin—" The sudden smile on Lyca's face made her forget what she was about to say. She opened her mouth to say something else. Next time she knew Lyca was no longer standing a few feet away from her.

*THUD*

Everyone widened their eyes when they noticed Huang Xiaoxuan sprawled on the floor, unconscious. Everything happened too quick that not many people saw what transpired before their eyes. Everyone took a step back out of instinct, as if a predator just attacked one of their own.

The next time they knew, Lyca was already standing in front of Zhang Jiu, beaming, like a predator who just found her prey.

"Lyca what have you done!?" Huang Li Duo's voice interrupted the tense environment. He immediately ran towards her daughter, panic can be seen in his eyes.

"Battleground." Lyca's voice was melodious. She looked at the shocked expression of her older cousin Zhang Jiu. On the battleground, one would not wait for their enemy to tell them that they were ready for them to start the fight. "Right, cousin?"