I didnât know how detailed he was in his thinking, but I never wouldâve believed that he was someone who did a lot of deep thinking. After all, he thoughtlessly called me âDadâ. However, he immediately held his breath after hearing what I said and looked around as though he could sense the danger. Most importantly, he got his priorities straight â checking for danger first and foremost.
âYou were not their target⊠I was their target, right from the very beginning.â
Just because it was a mumble, it didnât mean Zizi carelessly spoke his mind. The way I heard it, it was a query, except that it was asked indirectly. Hence, I didnât reply.
âBut⊠they wanted to harm me? Why?â
I laughed. âYouâre smarter than I gave you credit for. I donât care what you experienced anymore, but this is fine. Had it not been for your realisation, I wouldnât be able to teach you even if you won.â
Based on Ziziâs reaction, he seemed to expect that from me. Though he was still naĂŻve, he was certainly smart. His gaze told me he could look beyond today.
âWhatever you want to ask, think it through before you ask.â
âShifu, why did they try to kill me?â
âI donât know myself.â
âI do not know them, so it is unlikely they have a grudge against me.â
âYou may not recognise them; however, is it so hard to fathom that there are people who want to harm you?â I proceeded to point out what Zizi had noticed but refused to face. âYour mother is His Majestyâs favourite. Your motherâs side of the family is the wealthiest family in the Central Plain. You are the youngest and weakest among the Princes. What makes you think you canât be a victim?â
Every word I said took some colour out of Ziziâs face. Being born into the imperial family didnât guarantee anyoneâs safety. In fact, he was constantly in danger every second of his life just as he was in the fight, except he had an equal opportunity to protect himself from the threats, but it was eternal.
His Majestyâs training stripped Zizi of most of his protection, leaving him to walk the border alone. He had always lived under his parentsâ shelter, didnât understand how the world worked and even less about its inhabitants. Although he had plenty of opportunities to get a glimpse of the outside world through the cracks that popped up. The air from outside mightâve been fresh, but it didnât mean he could accept it, particularly the painful parts.
âI noticed them early on, and I knew they were targeting you. I couldâve stopped them and even taken them out without you being aware, but I deliberately left you behind alone.â
Zizi, upset, blurted, âWhy?â
I scared the boy on the cusp of tears with my stare, not giving him a chance to become dependent on me. âThink for yourself. Donât disappoint me.â
Subsequent to some brooding, Zizi replied, âYou wanted me to face them alone⊠No, you wanted me to realise my predicament⊠And you want to see if I am able to handle the challenge, as well as test if I am qualified.â
Since I didnât respond, Zizi lowered his head to muse, but no more ideas came to mind, so he questioned, âAm I right?â
I smiled. âIf you were an ordinary boy, this wouldâve only been a detrimental lesson for you. Fighting canât make up for training. Although theyâre closely tied, seeing too much blood will make more judgement murky. If the enemy isnât ruthless enough, fighting them wonât develop your martial spirit. If you learn to be too ruthless, your mother will probably be first to put you in your place. Unfortunately, youâre a Prince.â With one hand on my chin, I took out a wine calabash from my sash and had a drink. âYouâre a Prince and a future lord of a city, and you have ambitious brothers. I must warn you that, if you canât even handle four thugs, you should stop dreaming of living peacefully as a Prince while youâre ahead. You can either go to Luoyang and plead your maternal grandparents, or go back and beg your father to let you live your life out as a rich relative of the imperial family. Thereâs nothing to be ashamed about.â
It didnât look as though being a rich relative of the imperial family was a thought that never crossed Ziziâs mind.
âMy brothers want to harm me?â
âI donât know. How am I meant to know that much when Iâm an outsider?â
Zizi lowered his head again, then tried to find a new train of thought.
âCould my maternal grandpa have offended one, and they are trying to harm me in retaliation?â
âHave you offended your brothers? Why do you think they want to harm you?â
Anger flitted across Ziziâs face. âThey want to kidnap me because I am young and weak. They want to threaten Father and Mother or Grandpa with my life.â
âYouâre mad about being underestimated?â
âNo. I am still young. As long as I train hard, I will beat them into submission in a matter of time. If they kidnap me, though⊠Mother would be worried sick.â
âWould I harm you?â
Zizi raised his head in surprise, blinked, then queried, âYou⊠want to harm me, Shifu?â
âYou donât think I would?â
âNo. Why?â
âI just abandoned you once. Do you have a bad memory?â
âYou did not abandon me. You were testing me before teaching me martial arts.â
âYeah?â I paused to think, then rhetorically asked, âYou know itâs not easy to reach the level youâre thinking of, right?â
âWhy?â
General Manager Bai and Brilliant Consort probably wouldâve chased me down if I answered the question, and I had nothing to gain. Howbeit, if I didnât tell him⊠He never had any intention of fooling me. Despite the potential problems it brought me, I had to respect the young warrior.
âGeneral Manager Bai says youâre only thirteen, so you shouldnât listen to this and that. I say youâre already thirteen; itâs too late for you. Zizi, youâve been too sheltered. You donât know how corrupt people truly are and donât realise your own value.
âYour brothers donât need to get their own hands dirty to harm you. They just need to publicise the fact that youâre living as a commoner for a year. Do you know how many eyes watched you as soon as you were no the streets? Usually, you have General Manager Bai accompanying you, and the capital is not a place low-level villains can survive. As soon as youâre alone, however, a few street thugs would be enough to kidnap you, and you wouldnât even know who the mastermind is or how they did it after the fact.â
Zizi bit down on his lip. He had seen the fact, but he averted his gaze, refusing to face it. When he was finally forced to confront it, he subconsciously chose to pretend it wasnât happening. Perhaps the pain of being sliced and stabbed still wasnât enough to convince him. Reality was a bitter pill to swallow; it wasnât easy to recover from once you saw it.
âDonât get depressed yet. What Iâm about to tell you next will probably hurt even more. Do you know that you wonât achieve anything in martial arts at your current rate?â
As Zizi, in shock, tried to ask for a reason, I smiled and stopped him.
âA physically tough body is the most important criterion for learning martial arts. As a Prince, your mother wanted to aid you in building a foundation, but she resorted to drugs. Sheâs fed you valuable food, supplements and the sort from when you were a child regardless of cost. Unfortunately, besides making you healthy, have you ever excelled?
âDonât get the wrong idea. Iâm not saying her approach is bad. If you were from a martial arts family with a strong and long lineage that specialised in body strengthening, or you were inherently strong mentally, were taught earnestly, and you trained earnestly, youâd be elite in a dozen years. Most families canât tick all those boxes. To put it into perspective, not even Luo Sword Manor could. From what I know, Tang Clan, Shaolin, my fourth brother, and Valley of Villains are the only ones to have succeeded to any meaningful extent using that approach. You hail from a family of merchants. Your family doesnât have some supreme discipline. Why are you taking supplements to forge your body? Youâve wasted thirteen years of life. What have the drugs and supplements done? What have you achieved?â
Zizi was stupefied. He never thought there was anything wrong with what he was doing, and he never realised when he started would determine how far he could go.
âYouâre thirteen now. Even though you started developing your physique from childhood, without a discipline to support it, it was a complete waste of time. Unless a miracle happens, your limit isnât too far from you. If you continue without any change and you donât start training for another year or two, Iâd be praising if you didnât lose to second-rate fighters. The rest is self-explanatory.â
Zizi was as white as a sheet.
âGood thing youâve got a good personality.â
â⊠Wha! Cough, cough, cough, what are you doing, Shifu?!â
I forced Zizi to have a drink of alcohol while he was down, nobly saving him from depression.
âPotential isnât just brains, photographic memories, learning faster, and ingenious ideas arenât the best talents. People who pursue speed of progress lack patience. They want to jump a thousand miles in the blink of an eye. Thing is, thatâs not how learning martial arts works. When you need to wait, you must wait. You canât go faster even if you desire it. Brains canât make up for character. Thereâs a reason plenty of exemplary military officers throughout history fail to become the elite among the elite fighters.â
Watching Zizi ruminate over the perspective, I asked, âLet me ask again: do you think I would harm you?â