Yao Yao's heart pounded heavily in her chest as she stared up at the towering figure in front of her.
One second, she was standing in the palace's throne room, the next, she was here, clutching the edge of a terrifyingly handsome spirit's robe. This wasn't how she imagined summoning a spirit.
Just as she was about to speak again, the door of the glasshouse creaked open.
Rui stepped in, his eyes widening as he froze, taking in the scene before him.
"Y-Your…" he stammered, his gaze flicking between the Spirit King and Yao Yao. "What in the world…?"
His focus finally landed on Yao Yao, disbelief spreading across his face. "Is this… a human child?"
The Spirit King's sharp, silver eyes shifted from Rui to Yao Yao, studying her with intensity.
"But... this is impossible. A human cannot cross into the Spirit Realm. It simply isn't possible." His gaze darted back to the Spirit King, as if looking for some form of explanation.
Yao Yao's heart skipped a beat.
Humans couldn't enter the Spirit Realm?
The Spirit King remained silent. Even he didn't have the answer. That, perhaps, was the most terrifying part.
Instinctively, Yao Yao's body tensed, her small fists clenching at her sides. This wasn't going the way she had expected. But she wasn't backing out now.
Without warning, the Spirit King raised his hand and, without so much as a glance at her, yanked the edge of his cloak from her grasp.
The sudden motion knocked her off balance. She gasped, her grip slipping, and before she could react, she was thrown backward, landing with a painful thud.
"…Ow," she groaned, stunned for a moment as she lay on the ground.
With a huff, she pushed herself up, her small body unsteady as she stumbled to her feet. She glared up at the Spirit King, her hands on her hips, her face flushed with frustration.
"Hey! That's VERY rude!" she called out, bristling with outrage.
The Spirit King remained silent, his expression neutral. He studied her closely, his gaze unyielding. After a long, tense moment, he finally spoke.
"What do you want?" His voice, though distant, sounded strangely pleasant to Yao Yao.
She blinked.
What did she want?
She had followed him here by accident. However, it was also because he had turned away and started to walk off all of a sudden, without any explanation.
So, what did she want?
Isn't the answer pretty obvious?!
She held her chin high, folded her arms with determination. "You're my spirit," she declared, trying to look dominant.
The air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
Rui's breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened in disbelief. Did this child just say that? Was she seriously claiming the Spirit King as her own?
The Spirit King's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Come again?" His tone was calm, but there was an underlying coldness to it.
Yao Yao didn't flinch. Instead, she stood taller, her gaze unwavering.
"You showed up because I called for you, right?" she said, her voice growing stronger. "So technically, you're mine."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop further.
She pressed on, her voice steady despite the growing tension. "Since you answered my summoning, shouldn't that mean we should contract?"
Rui gasped quietly, his heart pounding
Is she out of her mind?
What was this child thinking? Trying to claim the Spirit King... an ancient being, as if he were some lowly familiar?
With a deep breath, the Spirit King spoke again, his voice low and deep.
"You do realize who I am?"
Yao Yao frowned, brows knitting together in confusion. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again.
Actually… no, she didn't.
She knew he was powerful, more than ordinary since he manifested in human form... likely ancient. But…
What did he mean by that?
Was he from some ancient lineage she should know about? Should she be aware of his title or something, like how the nobles knew about Ying Ying's ancient spirit..?
Had she offended him somehow by not recognising him? Was that why he seemed so irritated?
"You're… um… from some noble lineage of… birds?" she offered weakly.
His expression darkened.
She panicked.
"Or dogs?!" she blurted.
The Spirit King exhaled sharply, his patience clearly wearing thin. A look of faint irritation crossed his face, and for a moment, Yao Yao could almost see him holding back more than just annoyance.
Rui swallowed hard, his face twisting with nervous worry. His eyes darted between Yao Yao and the Spirit King.
His King… was annoyed. And that, Rui realized, was far worse than outright anger.
Then—
Without warning, the Spirit King raised his hand.
And flicked her off.
Literally.
A single flick of his fingers sent a force slamming into Yao Yao's small form. Before she could process what was happening, her feet left the ground, soaring backward into the portal, as if launched from a catapult.
Like a human cannonball.
"—WAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Her scream echoed as she was flung out of the Spirit Realm at an astonishing speed.
Rui's eyes widened in panic.
"My King—!!!" he shouted, but it was too late.
The moment Yao Yao was ejected, the portal snapped shut behind her. The swirling gateway closed, disappearing in an instant.
And just like that—
She was gone.
Silence hung in the air.
Rui stood, mouth slightly open in complete shock, his eyes fixed on the now-empty space where the portal had been.
The Spirit King had just…
Yeeted a human child out of this world.
Without hesitation.
Rui turned his head slowly, mechanically.
His King stood there, tall and utterly unbothered, as if he had just simply swatted away an annoying fly.
Rui opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then—
"…My King," his voice hoarse. "You just threw her out."
The Spirit King clicked his tongue, brushing off his sleeve.
"She was clinging," he replied flatly.
Rui blinked in disbelief, still processing everything. "You could've just… said no!"
The Spirit King gave him a blank look.
"…I just did."
Rui buried his face in his hands, letting out a long sigh.
This was not good.
Not only had a human somehow entered their world—
Not only had the King actually responded to a summoning—
But now he had just sent the first human to ever set foot in the Spirit Realm flying back to the mortal world like she was nothing more than an inconvenience.
Rui let out another deep, exasperated breath.
"…The human realm is going to lose their minds over this."
The Spirit King didn't reply.
He simply turned on his heel and walked away.
For the first time in centuries, he found himself thinking.
That girl. That summoning. That voice.
He had answered a call for the first time in so long—
And it had been her.
Why?
The voice of the Tree of Life echoed in his mind once more.
His silver eyes darkened.
His steps slowed.
And without looking back, he muttered to himself—
"Annoying brat."
——
Back in the Human Realm
Yao Yao crashed face-first into the arena floor.
Hard.
The impact rattled her bones.
A heavy silence followed.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
She peeled herself off the ground, groaning.
"…Ow."
Her tiny fingers rubbed at her throbbing forehead as she blinked dizzily, her vision still spinning.
What just happened?
One second, she was standing in the Spirit Realm, boldly claiming her spirit contract…
And the next?
She was flung out like a piece of rejected garbage.
In front of everyone.
Her eye twitched.
…This is humiliating.
As she sat up, still dazed, a shadow loomed over her.
She looked up.
And her pink eyes met a pair of golden ones.
Rong Xi.
For the first time, his usual smirk was gone.
His lips were pressed into a thin line, his gaze sharp and calculating.
He crouched down slightly, tilting his head.
"…So?" His voice was low, curious. "Was that a yes or a no to your spirit contract?"
Yao Yao's entire body stiffened.
Then—
"…I don't want to talk about it."