Fighting the Golden Thread Patriarch to the Death (Part Two)

The Golden Thread Patriarch burst through the pool's waters and shot toward the shore.

But before he had gone far, he sensed the fierce presence behind him drawing ever closer.

His face twitched, and a flicker of anger crossed his mind.

Why couldn't this girl see reason? Did she think that because he had stepped back from her sharp edge, he was actually afraid of her?!

At that thought,

he turned back to the young woman in a huff and said earnestly, "Listen to an old man's advice. Talented as you are, you're still young and hot-blooded, with no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth goes."

"I can tell that the secret art you used came at a cost. How much longer can you sustain it? The time it takes an incense stick to burn? Half that?"

"If you insist on fighting me to the death out of sheer stubbornness, it'll be too late for regrets when that secret art runs out."

He paused, then continued his warning. "The fact that you possess such methods tells me you have formidable backing."

"But don't think that backing lets you do whatever you please."

"Cultivation isn't just fighting and killing... How about this? I won't pursue the matter of Blackwater Pool any further. I'll even give you the incense offerings from this place. We'll stop here. I'll return to my Azure Mystery Mountain, and you to your Listening Wind River. From this day on, we'll have nothing to do with each other. Agreed?"

His words fell silent.

The Golden Thread Patriarch stopped and watched the young woman quietly, waiting for her answer.

He considered the terms more than generous.

The incense-offering grounds of Blackwater Pool were an enterprise he had cultivated for years. Handing them over showed