Theatrical Performance and Battle!
"Pair of tens."
The Asura King drawled lazily.
The Turtle Saint glanced at the cards in his hand, sighed, and shook his head.
The Asura King laid down a straight and said, "You won't even play a pair of tens? Then you've lost."
"—Wait!" Anna spoke up.
"What? We're on the same team," the Asura King reminded her.
"I know. Let's make one last double-or-nothing," Anna said.
"—Oh!" The Asura King nodded in understanding.
Anna slapped down eight cards and said with a cheeky grin, "Sorry, Turtle Young Master. Double bombs to end the game."
The Turtle Saint sighed again and tossed his cards onto the table. He glared at her. "Since when did you start calling me Turtle Young Master? You only just became the Yellow Springs Saint. Don't you know you should show some respect to your elders at the card table?"
"Got it, Turtle Grandpa."
"You—"
"You told me to respect you."
Anna got up, fetched a few bottles of liquor from the fridge, and tossed one to the Asura King and another to the Turtle Saint. She opened one for herself and gulped it down.
"Come to think of it, even the Apocalypse Legion is nowhere to be seen. I was all ready for a big battle," the Asura King said as he drank.
"Beats me. Xie Daoling is being all mysterious, and her disciple's acting like he can't say a thing. Oh, right—Anna, do you know anything?" the Turtle Saint asked.
"I didn't ask him," Anna replied.
"Why not?"
"If he wants to tell me, he will. If he doesn't, he has his reasons," Anna said.
She lowered her gaze to the ground.
—From deep beneath the earth came a steady, pulsing sound, as if something were waking up.
Gu Su'an