Zizi sighed.
âHow can you think like that? Zi, how old are you now?â
âMy nominal age is fourteen.â
âSo youâre thirteen?â The boy crossed his legs and grabbed onto them. âYouâre like an old man in a kidâs body. Although youâre a terrible martial artist at the moment, thereâs hope. How are you supposed to protect your mother when youâre so soft? How about adventuring with me and making our mark? Itâs far better than strictly walking between the lines.â
âI donât strictly walk between the lines, do I?â
Despite the diverse personalities of the seven Princes, walking between the lines was one trait that none of them embodied. Thirteen-year-old Zizi believed in a constable at Liu Shan Men to teach him martial arts and mindlessly befriended people in the pugilistic world. Not even the other Princes went so off the rails as kids. In saying that, Zizi wouldâve been considered a greenhorn compared to scions of martial arts families.
The source of this cđšntent is freŃnovelkiss.com.
âAre my skills really that lousy?â
âLousy isnât exactly the right word. Itâs more that⊠you use them poorly.â
The boy mimicked one of Ziziâs techniques, switching swiftly between finger spears and punches on one hand, recreating their fight earlier. Not only was he able to replicate Ziziâs power, pace of play, but even the essence. Zizi was always proud of himself for being able to come up with counters overnight, and the two often liked to debate it. Only now did Zizi learn the boy remembered everything he saw and could virtually learn the mental cultivation just through watching. In other words, the boy had always been holding back.
Zizi clapped. âHow did you do that?!â
âThis is nothing.â The boy flipped a hand over and switched to a new technique from Ziziâs discipline that not even the latter had seen or utilised before.
âI never thought of those techniques, but they seem to be my techniques. How did you perform them?â
The boy retracted his arms and crossed them again. Smiling, he replied, âThis discipline of yours focuses primarily on being impulsive. Your techniques are alive and evolving, so why canât you be as flexible? I can deduce dozens of your techniques based on your mindset alone.â
Zizi mulled over it for a while before realising the importance of those words. âHow do you know my mental cultivation?â
âWell, guess youâre not incorrigibly stupid if you thought of that now. Itâs weird to you, isnât it? Itâs my clanâs copy technique that allows us to dissect someoneâs techniques and copy them. We deduce the essence of their mental cultivation in combat and then make a copy for ourselves to deduce and replicate.â
âDoesnât that mean you can learn every discipline in existence.â
âAs if. Plus, I donât succeed every time. I donât think itâs that impressive, while my father and brother treat it as some sort of sacred treasure. If you run into an elite who you canât copy properly, using this discipline will be your undoing.â
âSo howâŠâ
âWell⊠Check this out.â
Zizi found himself on his back by the time he heard âoutâ. When he sprung up, he had red hand mark on his forehead. âWhat the heck?! You sneak attacked me!â
âWhy didnât you defend?â
âHow can I defend against something so fast?â
âMy point exactly. If yin qi was added to it, itâd be even harder to detect the strike. What good is it if you can copy a technique when the original user is faster and stronger than you can keep up with? If youâre outmatched, you should be trying to escape, not copying techniques.â
âStill, itâs impressive. Youâll be able comprehend whatever dirty tricks people try, so they wonât be able to catch you unprepared.â
âPraise me more.â The boy always appreciated adulation. At most, his ego would pull his chin upwards by the third word of praise. The fact that someone who refused to surrender to him before praised him made it even a bigger ego stroke.
The boy quickly recovered and sighed. âStill, Iâm likely far from your shifu.â
While the boy was able to replicate Ziziâs techniques, it lacked the casual intent it required, so it wasnât as speedy.
âIâm able to copy your techniques because you havenât achieved mastery and are clumsy. Thatâs the best I can do with my copy. If your shifu was to use the same techniques, itâd probably be too sophisticated for me to copy.â
âIs the gap really that big?â
âAny true elite would have their mental cultivation committed to heart. Like I said, the intent behind your disciple is to be casual, which, simply put, is to be shameless. Itâs indifference to circumstances; it contains moments where you commit fully to offence. It looks like a mess, but it embodies the spirit of doing whatever you want. How powerful does someone need to be to be able to do as they please, when they please, and how they please? If your shifu has achieved that state, I canât match him.â
Zizi nodded in agreement. While Zizi wasnât sure why his shifu didnât want to reveal his true skills, it wasnât an uncommon trait for adepts in the martial world, so Zizi didnât think it was bizarre.
âYour personality doesnât match this discipline. Itâs working for you now, but youâll need a disciple more suited for your character if you want to advance to higher levels.â
Just as Zizi went to voice his agreement, the boy physically hushed him. Zizi did as he was told, but he grew annoyed since he didnât hear anything. Eventually, he picked up on footsteps in the distance before a dozen-plus people passed by.
The boy simpered. âIâve been watching them for a few days. The way they behave sneakily tells me theyâre up to no good.â
Zizi thought it was unbelievable until a certain individual came into view. âS-Second Brother?â
Ziziâs second brother was none other than the individual best known as Orange Prince.
âYour second brother? Which one?â The boy followed Ziziâs finger, then sneered. âHe looks good, but his face tells me heâs a backstabber.â
Sweating, Zizi cleared his throat. âMy second brother shouldnât be in the capital.â
Once the group vanished, the boy said, âLetâs tail them.â
After he had a think, Zizi shook his head. âItâs late. I need to head home.â
âSo what if you donât go home? Itâs suffocating in the capital. Why would you pass up a rare opportunity to have some fun? Letâs go already.â The boy bolted off.
Chasing after his friend, Zizi cried in a low voice, âBu, wait up!â
Glossary
Pace of play â Itâs a term I borrow from baseball. Itâs a concept that refers to the interval between action. To draw the parallel with combat, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Sean O Mally are excellent at this. Both of them check the clock during rounds to decide if they want to push the pace or slow the pace, whether itâs through disposition feints, holding, breaking their opponentâs base and so forth.
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