The Emperor and the Dragon

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Shen Yuan was now in charge of roasting the sheep while the little demoness sat across from him. He could see her impatiently eyeing the sheep as its juices occasionally drip into the open flame, causing the fire to make a sizzling noise every time. Shen Yuan's stomach had also been aching for some time now; the smell of the meat was not helping in the slightest.

"Did you only come here to test your skills, Miss Shā Huálíng?" Asked Shen Yuan, trying to make some small talk. She's been sulky for a while now...it made him slightly guilty about winning. He carefully removes the meat from the heat. Tearing off a meaty leg, he offers it to her with arm extended out.

"Hmph, that's right. This one only came to test out her skills. Since I'm the top student of my sect." He raises an eyebrow at that; he has a feeling she's hiding something with the way she looks away after saying the first sentence. Then goes back to being nonchalant, even after seeing how suspicious she was; it's none of his business. He'll go along with her act for now. She still accepts the fatty leg that was offered to her. 

 "Ah...top of your sect? You must be strong then." He tore off a piece of the meat and popped it into his mouth. In terms of taste, it was alright. It wasn't as good as Luo Binghe's cooking though, but it was good enough for now.

"Hmph, of course, I am. I beat all those weaklings all by myself." Shā Huálíng beams after saying this, the look she wore when she first met Shen Yuan was back on her face. 

At least she's no longer sulking. 

They fall into silence once more, this time a more comfortable silence. Hers came from the momentarily happy high, while Shen Yuan from content on just focusing on eating. It wasn't long before the two had their fills. 

It was already so dark, Shen Yuan thought in the back of his mind. He looked up instinctively at the sky and saw that there were only stars yet no moon in sight, a moonless night. He brings his eyes back to the young girl seated across from him. 'Did she have anywhere else to go?' The recurring question that plagued his mind, since meeting her came back again. He doesn't know if it was whether he was growing tired or was too full, but he did something he usually doesn't do, no hesitation.

"Do you have a place to rest tonight?"

The look she had garnered shows that she probably wasn't surprised he would ask this. 

"No..." There was wariness in that voice, tiny, not what she was just moments ago.

He had already made up his mind, even before she answered his question. "How about you stay with me for tonight, I just so happen to have an open space." Luo Binghe won't be out of the cave until who knows how long. It should be fine for her to just stay for the night, since it made him uncomfortable sending out a little girl, even if she's a demoness, alone by herself in the middle of the night. He would feel better to send her off once there's sunlight. Shen Yuan barely notices the way Shā Huálíng was looking at him, wanting to give her a minute to process his words. If he was in her position, he would also need time to process the offer. A complete stranger you just met was allowing you, a young girl, a free place to rest was not only strange but also suspicious as well. 

"I'll stay for the night, but only because you offered." Were the words he didn't expect to hear, yet they were the ones uttered from her rouge lips. She already had taken a few steps forward, now in the direction of the dark woods. "Are you coming, or not?" Shen Yuan blinks out of his haze and gets up from his spot, dusting his bottom while doing so.