The seventy-four sisters compete against each other.

Feihong was still absorbed in her practice, and only when she had finally mastered the last move, "Desolate Moon Over the Desert," did she look back to see that Little Yun was already sitting on the ground, chatting and laughing with Xiaojing.

She thought to herself, So this little boy learns even faster than I do. But then she remembered he was Ninth Aunt’s favorite, and Ninth Aunt often taught him, so it was only natural that he understood things more quickly.

Having learned the moves, Feihong turned to Miss Jiu and said, "Thank you, Ninth Aunt, for teaching me these sword techniques. Now, I’m not afraid of that little brat Feiyu at all! If she were to stand before me now, I’d challenge her to a real duel and show her what I can do."

"A duel? Who’s afraid of you?" As she spoke, another young girl stepped out from behind the rockery. She was slightly older than Feihong. This was none other than Feiyu. She greeted, "Ninth Aunt, good day." Then, turning to Little Yun with a gentle smile, she said, "Good day to you, Young Master Yun."

It was the first time Little Yun had been addressed as “Young Master Yun,” and he smiled a bit awkwardly.

Feihong grinned and teased, "Feiyu, you little rascal, I was just looking for you, and here you are, walking right into my hands!"

Feiyu laughed. "Who’s afraid of you? Ninth Aunt, you be our witness and see how I defeat this arrogant wild girl."

Feiyu and Feihong both drew their swords, ready to spar. Just then, Hanxing hurried over and whispered a few words into Miss Jiu’s ear.

Miss Jiu’s expression changed. She turned to Little Yun and said, "I have something to attend to. If you want to play, let Xiaojing show you around."

Little Yun nodded. He saw the serious looks on Miss Jiu and Hanxing’s faces as they left in a rush and guessed something important had happened.

Feiyu, seeing Miss Jiu leave, said, "Now there’s no witness. Are we still going to duel?"

"Of course," Feihong replied. "Even though Ninth Aunt is gone, Young Hero Yun and Sister Xiaojing are still here. They can be our witnesses."

Little Yun had already felt awkward being called Young Master Yun by Feiyu; now, hearing Feihong call him Young Hero Yun made him even more uncomfortable. He was caught between laughter and tears. He thought, I don’t know a single move—what kind of hero am I? “Little Beggar Yun” would suit me far better.

The duel began. Feiyu called out, "Confluence of Stars!" and thrust her sword at Feihong.

Feihong responded, "Moon Above the Western Chamber!" and swept her sword upward.

With a sharp hiss, Feiyu’s blade sliced through Feihong’s sleeve, while Feihong’s sword snipped off a few strands of Feiyu’s hair.

Feiyu had suffered from her overconfidence. She had assumed Feihong, in defending against her “Confluence of Stars,” would not dare to counterattack but would retreat instead.

She hadn’t expected that Feihong’s newly learned “Moon Above the Western Chamber” would be so wondrous. Not only did she evade the strike, she managed to snip off some of Feiyu’s hair. At the same time, Feihong’s lack of experience cost her; she had only just learned this move and wasn’t fully proficient. If she had been, Feiyu wouldn’t have managed to slice her sleeve.

After this single exchange, both girls were startled and became much more cautious. After all, they were close sisters, and neither wanted to injure the other by mistake.

Next, Feiyu used "Brilliant Starlight," while Feihong countered with "Full Moon and Blossoms." Their swords clashed with a ringing sound, and both stepped back.

Feiyu immediately followed up with "Meteor Chasing the Moon" and "Lone Star at the Horizon," while Feihong parried with "Yearning Under the Bright Moon" and "Desolate Moon Over the Desert."

On the whole, Feiyu had the upper hand, as the moves she had learned from Hanxing were already well practiced. Feihong, having just learned her techniques from Miss Jiu, lacked real combat experience and so was somewhat at a disadvantage.

Still, it was not easy for Feiyu to defeat Feihong. Though Feiyu’s foundations were slightly stronger, their bout was not a deadly contest but a friendly spar, and she couldn’t help but go easy on her little sister. Besides, Feihong had just mastered several unusual moves from Miss Jiu, which Feiyu found difficult to counter at first.

Thus, the two sparred fiercely, their swords flashing. Xiaojing, whose skills were on par with theirs, could follow their techniques, but Little Yun, who knew nothing of martial arts, could hardly keep up. He could only see the dazzling swordplay and the swirling lights, beautiful and fierce, but he had no idea who was winning. He simply applauded enthusiastically, swept up in the spectacle.

At last, Xiaojing called out, "That’s enough, ladies! It seems both of you are equally skilled. This match is a draw—neither side has the advantage."

Feihong, delighted to find her newly learned moves so effective, thought to herself, Normally Feiyu would have defeated me, but today she could only manage a tie—I should quit while I’m ahead. She feinted with her sword, then leapt back.

Feiyu, realizing that she had always been able to defeat Feihong in the past but could only tie with her today, felt a twinge of annoyance. Still, she thought, A draw is not so bad. Feihong’s new sword techniques are truly formidable; if I keep going, I might lose to this little rascal, and that would be humiliating. So, seeing Feihong retreat, she also stepped back.

Curious, she asked, "Where did you learn those strange, unpredictable moves?"

Feiyu had sensed that the new techniques Feihong had learned were subtler than any she herself had studied, and completely different from the Long family’s Sky Dragon Sword techniques.

In truth, Miss Jiu’s martial arts were extremely complex. No one in the Long family, except perhaps the old matriarch who had her suspicions, knew how profound her skills really were. Miss Jiu never revealed her true abilities and always maintained an air of enigmatic detachment.

Perhaps because she lacked a father, it hadn’t been easy for Feiyu to establish herself in the family, which had made her thoughtful and somewhat calculating. Feihong, by contrast, was still rather innocent.

Feihong, flushed with excitement and a touch of pride, said, "Now you see how formidable I am! Before, I was just letting you win. You thought I was easy to bully. You can learn special moves from Aunt Xing, and I can learn strange skills from Aunt Yue. If you’re not convinced, come and challenge me one-on-one!"

Having drawn with Feiyu in their latest bout, Feihong was in high spirits, her tone brimming with confidence and pride.

Feiyu laughed, "What are you so proud of? You just didn’t lose to me, that’s all. With your wild antics, anyone would think you’d defeated the greatest villain in the world! You’re shameless, and aren’t you worried Young Master Yun will laugh at you?"

Feihong, who had been getting carried away, now blushed shyly at Feiyu’s teasing.

Little Yun quickly said, "The skills of you two ladies are truly impressive. I’m in awe."

Feiyu grinned, "Young Master Yun, you’re joking with us. You’re Ninth Aunt’s beloved and our future elder. Our clumsy skills are nothing in front of you—how could you possibly be impressed?"

Little Yun replied hurriedly, "Not at all. Your duel was eye-opening for me. To be honest, my own skills probably aren’t as good as yours."

Xiaojing, who knew he had no martial arts skills at all, couldn’t help but stifle a giggle at his words.