"I knew it. Brat, you are not allowed to go. Stay put in the temple."
Hojo Toten covered his face in despair. He knew this disciple would chase the ruckus and make a huge mess.
"Master, don't worry. I will not lose. I will not shame Quanzhen. First place will be ours."
"Master, I am heading out. See you at Longhu Mountain."
Shiratori Riku had already packed a small bundle. With one step he was far away, with the next he vanished.
"Uncle runs so fast."
Watching Riku disappear, Rokudo Rinko gaped. "Grandmaster Uncle, are we not going after him?"
"No, and there is no need."
"This kid grew up on the mountain and never goes down. Once he leaves, he won't know the roads."
"Give it a bit. When he notices, he'll come back on his own. Let me think, five minutes should do it."
Hojo did the math. At Riku's speed, that was about enough for a round trip.
Three minutes later.
"Master, small problem. I just realized I have always eaten and drunk on the temple's purse."
"I do not have a single coin. I can't even afford a bus ticket. Give me some pocket money for the ride."
Riku had indeed returned, not because he was lost, but because he had no fare and had to ask.
"No money. And even if I had it, I wouldn't give it to you. Rinko, you must not give him any either. Tell the senior and junior brothers that no one is to help your uncle."
Hojo eyed the returned Riku, a bit surprised. The brat had grown stronger. Back in three minutes.
"Wait, Master, listen to me..."
"Not listening."
Hojo went back inside, shut the door, and locked it from within.
"The old man even locked it."
Riku pushed and found it locked, muttered under his breath, then looked at Rinko. "Come on, kid, let's get breakfast."
"Mm."
Rinko nodded and followed. On the way she asked curiously, "Uncle, when you took a step and went so far, what technique was that? I've never seen it."
"I tinkered it up myself. In traditional terms it is Shrink the Ground to Inches. Want to learn it?"
"Can I learn it? Thank you, Uncle."
"Your head is slow, so learning a few skills is good. At least if you go down the mountain and cannot win, you can still run."
Looking at her dopey, cute face, Riku sighed. Could this girl really live well after leaving the mountain?
"Listen. The key to Shrink the Ground to Inches is altering the surrounding flow of qi. You know Qimen Dunjia, right?"
"Take the ground under my feet as the origin. When I step out, the formation between is compressed in an instant, so one step crosses a long distance."
He took a step. One second he was beside her, the next he was twenty meters away.
"Uncle, you're amazing."
Rinko looked at the empty spot by her side, then at the distant Riku. She had not caught how he moved at all.
"But Uncle, what is a qi field? And what do you mean by compress?"
She blinked up at him.
"All right, an analogy. The space we stand in is like a sheet of paper, and near-yet-far means lifting or folding part of that sheet."
"We stand at the origin. The space in front folds. We step across the crease, then it unfolds."
"That way the distance of a single step is stretched. In truth I only take one step, but the space becomes shorter."
"Do you get it? That feeling. You know, right?"
Watching Rinko's eyes start to swirl, Riku knew she did not. He had no way to explain further.
To him it was simple. He succeeded on his first try.
"Uncle, folding what, and stretching space how... I do not understand."
Rinko was often called slow and silly. Well, mostly by Riku. She believed she was sharp and just did not show it, but now she really wondered if she was dumb.
"Forget it. Kid, you are not like others. Don't waste effort on this kind of problem. You won't figure it out."
"Polish your life and fate, practice your Eight Trigrams Palm well. The rest, fine, skip it."
Riku spoke gently.
"Uncle, am I really that dumb?"
Rinko looked up at him. Doubt was creeping in, even though everyone said she was bright and clever.
"No. You just run too fast, and knowledge, that tired fellow, cannot catch up."
While they talked, they reached the cafeteria. Breakfast was hearty today. Riku ordered twenty bowls in one go.