KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

In the hotel room, Yan Yue, Chui Kensou, and Athena sat on the sofa, speechlessly watching the two old men opposite them sip their hangover tea. Their faces showed helplessness, and they sighed inwardly, feeling utterly exhausted. How could these two representatives of Chinese martial arts be so unreliable?

Yan Yue silently pondered the recent events. These past few days, the two old men had been either engrossed in playing mahjong or drinking incessantly. Meanwhile, he himself had been followed and knocked unconscious by Duo Long for an entire night, yet these two old geezers seemed completely unconcerned, not even bothering to ask a single question. They were incredibly carefree! Couldn't they see the bandages and gauze on Yan Yue's body?

Yan Yue pondered how to rescue the villagers even if Long had betrayed them and started massacring them, and Xiao Long had sent a signal. Long certainly couldn't kill everyone in the Flying Thieves Sect alone; he had the hounds of the NESTS behind him, meaning NESTS members were likely also slaughtering their own people. Thinking this, Yan Yue grew anxious. She didn't have the ability to rescue them now. Perhaps she should tell the two old masters; the massacre of the Flying Thieves Sect was a major event in the martial arts world. She wanted to see what the two old men thought.

"Grandpa, it seems like we were being targeted during the martial arts tournament," Yan Yue said earnestly, her eyes fixed on the two old men, trying to glean some clues from their reactions.

"Is that so?" Upon hearing Yan Yue's words, Tang Fulu and Zhen Yuanzhai suddenly paused, exchanged a glance, and then began to discuss in hushed tones.

"So fast? Could it be them?" Zhen Yuanzhai frowned, a hint of doubt on his face.

“There were people from the Flying Thief Sect present at the conference, but that doesn’t seem like their style.” Tang Fulu shook his head, denying Zhen Yuanzhai’s guess.

"Truly worthy of being Grandmasters!" Yan Yue sighed inwardly. It turned out these two had sensed the anomaly long ago; she had underestimated their strength. Yan Yue recalled the events of that day; besides Duolong and Xiaolong, there were indeed other members of the Flying Thief Sect present.

"The Third Prince of the Flying Thief Sect came to me yesterday and challenged me to a duel." Yan Yue continued to fabricate lies, trying to convince the two old men of everything she said.

Tang Fulu and Zhen Yuanzhai then noticed the gauze and bandages on Yan Yue's body, but they were not very surprised.

"Yan Yue, the Flying Thieves Sect has a decent style. They've already had a match, so getting a little injured is no big deal," Tang Fulu patted Yan Yue's shoulder, comforting him.

“Yes, kid, you’ll improve faster if you compete more when you’re young,” Zhen Yuanzhai chimed in.

So Yan Yue continued, "However, on the day of the martial arts tournament, I unexpectedly sensed that someone was planning to wipe out the Flying Thief Sect."

After saying this, Yan Yue's heart pounded like a rabbit's. He nervously sensed the changes in the two old people's emotions, wondering how they would react.

Tang Fulu and Zhen Yuanzhai looked puzzled, probably because they didn't quite believe Yan Yue's words.

"How could this be..." Athena exclaimed in surprise, while Kensou was initially stunned, then his expression changed to one of sudden realization. Clearly, they understood the reason for Yan Yue's unusual behavior—it was because he was worried about Xiao Long's safety.

"Yan Yue, you know it will be so dangerous for Xiao Long to go back, so why did you still let her go back!" Athena looked at Yan Yue with a reproachful gaze, her tone tinged with anger.

"I didn't want to either!" Yan Yue smiled bitterly. "If I told her these things directly, she definitely wouldn't believe me, so I gave her the pager, hoping it could remind her to send a distress signal at a critical moment."

Yan Yue turned her gaze to the two elderly women and began to recount everything that had happened from last night to today, including her fight with Duo Long and her experience of being taken back to the hotel by Xiao Long. She made some minor alterations along the way, and later mentioned that she had given Xiao Long the pager because she was worried about his safety. Athena and Chui Kensou occasionally chimed in, adding details as they came.

Tang Fulu and Zhen Yuanzhai's expressions grew increasingly solemn. Yan Yue secretly rejoiced, thinking that it seemed the two masters still believed her after she told both the truth and the lie. They certainly wouldn't stand by and watch her die. Now it was up to them.

"Yan Yue, what else have you sensed? We need to find out more details," Zhen Yuanzhai asked with a serious expression.

Yan Yue feigned deep thought, earnestly recalling the scene, but in truth, he was quite uncertain, unsure how to recount the event. Finally, he decided to reveal some of his premonition: "The day of the martial arts tournament, the day Jing and the others left, my mental perception suddenly increased. I sensed members of the Flying Thief Sect and a mysterious organization exchanging coded messages. I was curious and secretly listened for a while. The organization seemed to be called 'Nest,' and they appeared to be conducting experiments on humans."

Yan Yue paused briefly, observing the reactions of those around him. He saw Athena and Chui Quan Zong looking terrified, their eyes filled with worry; while Zhen Yuanzhai and Tang Fulu stared at him intently with serious expressions.

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes, there's some other important information. This mysterious organization seems to have a strong interest in the Kusanagi clan's flames."

Athena exclaimed in surprise, "Even Kyo is being targeted?"

"On the other hand, they are still exchanging intelligence, and it seems that someone has successfully infiltrated the Flying Thief Sect. It is said that a powerful Flying Thief, in order to join NESTS, will seek an opportunity to launch a massacre..."

"A massacre?" Tang Fulu and Zhen Yuanzhai exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Yan Yue nodded, then said in a serious tone, "Moreover, I vaguely heard them mention the Three Divine Artifacts. But I couldn't hear the specifics."

"The Three Sacred Treasures..." Chin Gentsai frowned deeply. "Could their target be the Great Serpent?"

Tang Fulu took a deep breath and discussed with Zhen Yuanzhai inside: "It seems the rumors circulating in the martial arts world in recent years are true. In any case, we must be prepared to deal with it..."

Yan Yue's body went limp as she lay back on the sofa, letting out a sigh of relief. She had finally succeeded in fooling him. Thinking back to the gentle and adorable Xiao Long, she said worriedly, "Little girl, you must be careful..."

At the same time, they were also worried about Duolong. According to the original storyline, Duolong was a survivor, but due to Yan Yue's intervention, the uncertainty was increasing...

……

a few days later.

The territory of the Flying Thief Sect.

Xiaolong is combing Duolong's long hair.

“Father is acting strangely. He has been in seclusion for more than twenty days, which has never happened before.” Duolong’s tone was less cold but still calm.

"...Yes, I also feel like I haven't seen the Lord in a long time." Xiaolong recalled his father's appearance, also puzzled... Suddenly remembering what Yan Yue had said, his hands were distracted for a moment.

"Are you troubled?" Duolong sensed something was wrong.

"Determine whether to inform Duolong depending on the situation," Yan Yue's words echoed in her mind.

"Um...no, I was thinking about Master Lin taking me as his disciple." Xiaolong planned to keep it a secret for now and didn't mention Yan Yue's matter.

"The cultivation technique Lin is practicing is somewhat similar to Father's [Demon Crying Netherworld Slash Fist]. The technique is related to poison refining. Are you really sure?" Duolong asked with a hint of concern.

"After all, the villagers don't really like me, and my master said I have a strong talent for controlling poison. It must be my destiny," Xiaolong replied, pretending to be calm.

"Did Luan say something to you again? Luan doesn't hate you, she hates everyone..." Duolong could tell that Xiaolong had something on his mind, so she still asked with concern.

"No... Sister Luan didn't say anything."

Xiaolong carefully tidied Duolong's hair, her gaze inadvertently falling on the damaged headdress on the table. It was the crystal headdress she had carefully placed on Duolong last time, now completely broken. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did this get so damaged?"

Duolong frowned slightly, recalling the fierce battle with Yan Yue that day, every detail vividly appearing in his mind. He replied softly, "It was damaged by Yan Yue last time, just throw it away."

Xiaolong gently picked up the broken headdress, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes, and then cautiously asked, "Can I have this?"

Duolong was somewhat surprised and said in confusion, "You can ask your father for something like this anytime..."

However, Xiaolong firmly stated, "It's okay, I only want this."

Duolong noticed that Xiaolong's eyes were unusually bright, and he seemed to understand something. He asked softly, "Is it because of Yanyue?"

"!"

A gentle-looking boy with golden eyes appeared in her mind. Xiaolong's body trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

Duolong sighed helplessly, a faint bitter smile appearing on her face, and said softly, "Xiaolong, you are too kind. The Flying Thief Sect is really not suitable for you."