Book 15: Chapter 39
A Stroll through the Entire City and Gift of Goodbyesｂｅｄ𝚗ｏ𝚟𝚎𝚕.𝚌𝚘ｍ
“Shifu, am I an embarrassment?”
Embarrassment? Kid, there’d be a line from the north pole to the south pole if they were offered the same opportunity. If the girls were good looking, there’d be an army of men who want to chop you up out of jealousy, too.
Cheeks red, Zizi elaborated, “I know boys shouldn’t let girls bully them, but they forced me into the tub, and I could not move.”
Okay, show off, bragging about how they had to do all the moving now, are we?
“That is why I gave them a beating once I could rotate.”
You what?
Zizi’s spirits suddenly rose.
“Like a mighty warrior, I sent them flying out with two whipping kicks, cracking their skulls. Hmph, I am no pushover!”
Zizi went on to elaborate the angle of his kicks, how fast he delivered them, and how much impact they produced, then went on to recount getting dressed and chasing them across streets to continue. Finally, he humbly asked, “Shifu, is there anything I should have paid special attention to?”
“… Go lighter next time.”
“Understood. They were really weak, though. They were crying after my first kick.”
Then, kick lighter! Is this what they mean by achieving higher realms once one can abandon their human desires? I don’t think learning to be a dangerous fighter is something you should be concerned about. Your mother should be worried about you being able to find someone who’d accept your hand in marriage, you woman beater.
We strolled around aimlessly, chatting about things we thought were interesting, although he did most of the talking. The Prince who liked to run about had more of a penchant for causing trouble than I anticipated. I heard he had sneaked out of the imperial palace to play no less than twenty times and had gotten into squabbles… and fist fights. He was obviously happy when he won, but he never dobbed on the victor if he lost. Once he grew older, Li Clan was likely going to have another elite fighter… or troublemaker.
We headed to the end of an uncrowded street, then left the residential distract some distance behind us. Even though it was midday, there weren’t many people passing by. Once I had an idea, I blurted, “Did you know the majority of the techniques I taught you are mindlessly made up?”
“I do,” Zizi replied as though he knew from the very beginning. “When you teach me, you always spend a while thinking, and your teachings don’t correspond from lesson to lesson. Every time I ask you questions, your answer is not the same.”
I was that mindless about it? You’re pretty talented, too, if you could remember everything I said when I can’t…
“Why do you train so passionately, then?”
“Because you are truly good. The skills you teach me work. If you teach me something different each time, I get to learn more techniques. You originally said you would teach me three techniques, but then you taught me six. You said you would teach me twelve techniques yesterday, but you ended up teaching me twenty-five!”
I made up that much? Damn it. I can’t even recall one. How am I supposed to respond to his questions in the future?
“Shall I teach you some more techniques, then?”
Zizi’s smile turned into hesitation, and then he shook his head. “No!”
“Why?”
“Father said anymore would be biting off more than I could chew. Sister Lian also criticised me for not mastering the current techniques I have learnt and should not learn more. Shifu, the skills you taught me are really effective.”
“Really?” I was even more curious what I taught. “Did they actually work in combat?”
“Yes! They work really well.”
Zizi told me he sparred with a few female constables this morning and won seven matches straight until he lost to the eighth constable. It sounded as though his fear of girls was magnified after the loss, but that was a topic for another time. Anyhow, the matches enriched his experience in combat.
I had seen Zizi’s skills. His foundation wasn’t exactly solid; however, nobody would’ve really fought him for real. In addition, he hadn’t learnt any advanced internal disciplines, so his strength wasn’t up to scratch. It went without saying that he hadn’t progressed in an internal discipline, either. I couldn’t teach him my internal discipline unless I was willing to become the world’s public enemy. The only people who could learn it were people who were hard to kill – like Second or Lass Yu. The last category was someone similar to Su Xiao. After all, Su Xiao would’ve been everyone’s target since he had knowledge of Shaolin and Wudang’s treasures. Considering Zizi’s identity, his best option for progressing in his martial arts quest was to steadily advance. I didn’t know how to go slow and steady, so my only option was to teach him a steady shortcut. I already had an internal discipline in mind to teach him, but I had yet to start tracking it down.
“Don’t let anyone close see you use what I taught you.”
Zizi deployed a nod and smile. “I will be secretive with it. Not even Sister Lian and Mother will see. Even if they do see, I will not tell them you taught me.”
I didn’t expect that response, especially considering I didn’t even providing an explanation. I assumed he picked up on something during our interactions and didn’t want to put me in a dilemma.
Knowing how smart his father and mother were, I should’ve expected him to be smart and kind, as well.
“All right, let’s see if you’re as smart as you claim.” I halted in my tracks.
Had I not stopped, the person walking by from my side would’ve crashed into me. Due to me stopping, however, he missed his step. As a result of his intentions being exposed, he reactively turned to a big man drinking his tea, only to receive a glare.
I clasped my hand behind my back, looked at Zizi and questioned, “There’s an opportunity for you to fight right now. That guy, the man by the teahouse, the one hiding on the tree, and the man by the corner of the wall are reinforcements for when the situation gets out of hand, or they’ll aid in escape. Whatever the case, it’s a fight they seek. You think you can beat them?”
“Yes!” replied, Zizi, not even sparing them a glance.
“Good to hear.” I didn’t care if Zizi’s answer was genuine or not as it didn’t change what I had to do. “Should you win, I’ll teach you proper martial arts. I give you my word.”
“All right!”