"Of all the people," Liangyu hissed under his breath, glaring sideways at Jian. He was already dropping his center of gravity, getting his body thoroughly prepared to fight if, and when, Aunt Hua decided to show her face.
"Of all the people," Jian echoed back, his tone equally showing mutual annoyance.
The dense woods around them began to grow uncharacteristically windy. The sudden rustling of a thousand leaves instantly alerted the both of them.
A heartbeat later, Aunt Hua materialized out of thin air directly behind them, floating silently above their heads, immediately forcing the two boys to pivot into their defensive combat stances.
"Looks like we're the first," Liangyu said out loud to Jian, trying to project a confidence he likely didn't feel.
"Please, don't flatter yourselves," Aunt Hua scoffed. "I've already laid waste to the hot-headed one."
