"See! You even cried from my cooked fish!"

"..."

Floriana Sabina sat there and stared blankly at the fish in her hands. She didn't even respond to Rant Valo's mocking remarks.

"Hey!"

"..."

"Hey!!"

"..W-what?"

Floriana Sabina came to her senses and saw Rant Valo's face was staring at her up close.

"You were not responding"

Rant Valo moved away and stood up. He looked down on her before saying.

"Is something the matter? Was it bad or was it good?"

"It was..."

Floriana Sabina looked at the fish bones in her hands and reminisced the taste and flavor by licking her lips. She recalled what she saw earlier. After a while, she stood up and walked away.

"Bad!"

"Huh!? Hey! Where are you going?"

A vein popped out on Rant Valo's forehead. He clearly saw her munching on his cooked fish with gusto. If that wasn't proof that it tasted good then why is she acting weird all of a sudden?

Floriana Sabina ignored him and walked towards the river. Rant Valo couldn't see her anymore when she was walking along the riverbanks. She peered off into the water looking for something.

When she saw a white fish swimming about, a splash appeared in the water and the fish floated to the surface.

Floriana Sabina opened her palms and the fish floated in the air towards her hands. She grabbed the fish tightly. There was a small hole on its head from her earlier strike.

A tear formed in her eyes. She stared at the fish and murmured.

"Mother..."

Floriana Sabina looked forward and stared into the distance. She sobbed to herself while holding the fish tightly.

A few minutes later, she wiped her tears with her sleeves and caught several more white fishes. She went back to the campfire and saw Rant Valo waiting for her with a grumpy face.

"What happened?"

Rant Valo asked her while staring straight into her eyes.

"Nothing"

Floriana Sabina shrugged and walked to where she was sitting earlier.

"Stop pretending. Your eyes are still red"

Rant Valo noticed the redness in her eyes. It was a telltale sign of someone who just cried herself out.

"E-eh?"

A mirror suddenly appeared in Floriana Sabina's hands and she looked at her face. She saw a little girl who was red in the eyes and looked like she was bullied.

Rant Valo was taken aback when the mirror appeared in her hands. He looked at her hands and saw two rings.

"Is that a Storage Ring?"

Storage Rings are pockets of space squeezed into a ring. They are used by cultivators to store their everyday items. It is a very convenient item to have if you're traveling far.

"Hmph! Yes!"

Floriana Sabina returned the mirror into her Storage Ring and turned around to avoid Rant Valo's gaze.

"A-and you know..."

Floriana Sabina fidgeted to herself. She turned around while still avoiding Rant Valo's gaze.

"I would like you to teach me how to cook Spirit Fish!"

Floriana Sabina blurted out. She was embarrassed by what she said. She was supposed to be the master here. What is she doing learning from her disciple?

"H-huh..."

Rant Valo was taken aback by her. She suddenly bowed for him to teach her how to cook a fish. Did she hit her head or something? Wasn't she supposed to be the master here?

"You don't want to..?"

Floriana Sabina was nervous that Rant Valo would reject her request. She looked up at him with an embarrassed expression.

"I don't disagree, but why the sudden politeness? You sound like a brat for once"

All Rant Valo experienced when he was with this brat who forced herself to be his master is violence. If it wasn't violence then it would be a burnt fish.

It was an odd feeling seeing her suddenly being polite.

"Geh! And here I thought you would teach me!"

Floriana Sabina looked at Rant Valo in anger. It was like Rant Valo forced her to do horrible things. The fishes in her hands dropped to the ground and made plopping sounds.

When he saw Floriana Sabina was about to punch him in the guts, Rant Valo reacted quickly.

"WAIT!!"

Floriana Sabina stopped and looked at him like he was a dead fish. The traces of the little girl who just cried earlier were gone from her face.

"Have any last words, Disciple?"

There was an impassive expression on Floriana Sabina's face as she looked at Rant Valo. It felt like she was looking at him like a bug.

"I'll teach you! I'll teach you! Put your fist down first"

Rant Valo panicked when he saw that she was seriously gonna punch him in his guts. He just ate and if that fist landed he was sure that she would make him vomit all of it out. His internal organs might even be damaged with that strong fist of hers.

"Really?"

Floriana Sabina looked at Rant Valo suspiciously.

"Of course! See, I'll even teach you how to gut the fishes you dropped on the ground"

Rant Valo was sweating bullets seeing that she's still not putting her fists down. He could only promise more stuff so she can calm down.

"Heh, good job, Disciple. You just escaped death"

Floriana Sabina put down her fist and looked at Rant Valo with a smile.

Rant Valo felt chills run down his spine when he saw her smile. It was similar to the feeling he felt yesterday.

"Yes, ma'am!"

...

Rant Valo carried all the fishes while Floriana Sabina crossed her arms as they walked towards the river.

Floriana Sabina was walking in front while Rant Valo followed from behind. He looked at her in fear. Was she really planning to kill him right there and then?

"Gulp!"

Rant Valo swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"So? What do we do now?",

They arrived at the river and Floriana Sabina looked at Rant Valo coldly.

"First, we should wash the fishes first"

Rant Valo moved closer to the river and washed the fishes that fell on the ground. He couldn't help but notice the small holes located on their heads. It was like a sharp needle poked their heads and passed through the other side.

He gulped another mouthful of saliva when he realized that she was capable of doing that. Today he has been drinking his saliva like water.