"Thanks for the hard work—"
Fu Hua nodded to the colleague taking over her shift, hung her apron on the hook by the shelf, and raised a hand to rub the back of her neck.
standing for eight hours had left her waist a bit sore.
She rotated her wrists as she walked toward the break room, silently calculating in her heart how much of this month's wages could go toward rent, and how much would be left to buy new training equipment for the martial arts hall.
It was hard to imagine that this young girl, wearing a blue convenience store uniform with dust from the shelves still clinging to her back, was, in another identity, the youngest Grandmaster of the Tai Xu Sword Sect in a hundred years and the actual head of the Inch Heart Dojo.
Even more ridiculous was that she had seven disciples under her name—all of whom were older than her.
If she told anyone, no one would believe it.
Sometimes, Fu Hua herself felt it was absurd, but the work still had to be done. After all, the dojo didn't make money, and she couldn't let a group of senior brothers and sisters train on empty stomachs.
The break room wasn't large; it was stuffed with a folding chair and a metal rack hung with employee coats.
Fu Hua fished her phone out of her pocket. The screen lit up—twenty-three unread messages.
She glanced at the sender's avatar, and her brow immediately furrowed.
Su Mei.
It was Su Mei again.
"Master! Have you thought about it? That livestream platform has already approved the partnership proposal!"
"Master, you don't even need to appear on camera personally! Just show your face, perform a set of punches, and it will absolutely go viral!"
"How about we start with short videos first? I've already registered the tag [Most Beautiful National Style Heroine]!"
Fu Hua stared at the screen for three seconds, her finger hovering over the reply button, but in the end, she didn't press it.
She placed the phone on the table, leaned her head back against the chair, and let out a long sigh.
Su Mei was her second disciple, twenty-six years old this year, working as a marketing director at a major internet company, rumored to have a seven-figure annual salary.
This person's mind was incredibly active. In ancient times, she would have been a business genius, the kind who could make money doing anything.
But she had a flaw—she always wanted to mold Fu Hua into a celebrity.
Phrases like "Martial Arts + National Style + Beauty = Traffic Password" and "Master, your looks don't lose to any star" were things Fu Hua had heard so many times in the past two years that her ears were calloused.
"Martial arts are for cultivating the self, not for showing off. Don't mention this matter again in the future."
Send.
Then she casually scrolled down the chat box, not wanting to see the pile of long-winded arguments like "Master, you are too conservative" that Su Mei would inevitably send next.
To be honest, what Su Mei said wasn't entirely without reason.
The Inch Heart Dojo had indeed fallen on hard times in recent years. Who in the modern world still learned traditional martial arts?
Those who came to sign up were either middle-aged people wanting to lose weight, or literary youths who watched The Grandmaster and thought practicing Wing Chun was cool. Among ten people, you couldn't pick out one who genuinely wanted to learn something solid.
Not to mention those ridiculous requests like "Crash Course" or "Learn a set of punches in three days" that popped up at the drop of a hat.
But so what?
Fu Hua silently retorted to herself.
Practicing the sword and the fist—that was something passed down by the ancestors, the lifeblood of the Tai Xu Sect for hundreds of years. How could it be treated like juggling tricks in a livestream room just to grab eyeballs?
The screen suddenly lit up again.
It was Carole.
Seeing this name, Fu Hua revealed a helpless expression.
That was a friend she had made at school, and also the daughter of that renowned SWAT Team Captain, Lewis.
Half a month ago, Fu Hua was working part-time at another fast-food restaurant when she happened to run into a desperate Class A Wanted Criminal attempting to take hostages.
The scene was in chaos. Just as the wanted criminal waved his dagger, preparing to hurt someone, Fu Hua, unable to bear it any longer, vaulted directly over the counter.
With a standard [Inch Force: Open Heaven], she blasted the man and his knife three meters away.
This scene happened to be witnessed by the passing Carole.
That young girl, who had always aspired to become a police legend like her mother, was stunned on the spot by Fu Hua's clean and efficient skills.
Upon learning that Fu Hua was also a senior schoolmate, Carole initiated full-on fangirl mode.
Not only did she pester Fu Hua for sparring, but she also vigorously incited her to register for the Vigilante qualification in Arc City.
"Senior! This is a good thing where you can eliminate violence, bring peace to the good, and get prize money! It's a waste not to be a Vigilante when you're so amazing!"
The words "Prize Money" indeed hit Fu Hua's soft spot.
Thus, under Carole's enthusiasm, Fu Hua became a Vigilante filed with the Arc City Police Station.
As for the code name column, under the instruction of Miss Danzhu—who loved creating fan works and worked as an assistant in Dr. Mobius's laboratory—she half-heartedly wrote down the name "Fenghuang."
[Carole: Ah Hua! Emergency!]
[Carole: My mom asked me to forward this to you. Internal video. It's your Vigilante junior!]
[Carole: Wow, this girl looks young, but her Kung Fu is too amazing! Ah Hua, do you think you can beat her?]
Below was a video link, accompanied by Lewis's police badge watermark.
Fu Hua sighed, feeling that this video wasn't simple.
She tapped open the video.
The footage seemed to be surveillance from the police station training ground. The image quality wasn't particularly clear, but it was enough to see the figure in the center of the field confronting Lewis.
The camera shook, and then that young girl moved—
Fu Hua's finger paused on the screen.
Subconsciously, she dragged the video progress bar back five seconds and watched it again.
That footwork.
That angle of turning to offload force.
That rhythm of shifting the center of gravity and charging up for a counterattack within an extremely short time.
That was not a normal combat technique.
Fu Hua dragged the progress bar back ten seconds again. This time, she stared at the girl's footsteps.
The landing position, the direction of the toes, the arc of the knee bending—every detail was magnified, decomposed, and reassembled in her mind.
On the surface, this white-haired girl's moves were a mix of shadows from many schools: there was the Short Bridge Inch Force of Wing Chun, the ground entanglement of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and even some knee and elbow combinations from Muay Thai.
But these were not the main point.
The main point was her application of "Jin."
"Jin"—to put it mystically, it's internal force; to put it scientifically, it's the coordinated exertion of core muscle groups matching the rhythm of breathing.
The Tai Xu Sword Sect had passed down for so many generations, and the most core element was the inheritance of "Jin."
For ordinary people practicing martial arts, getting familiar with the moves counted as entering the door.
Being able to use clever force counted as a small achievement.
Being able to exert and retract Jin as one wished—that was called entering the hall of mastery.
And the girl in the video—
Fu Hua stared at the screen, her fingers unconsciously gripping the armrest of the chair tight.
Her path of Jin is even more transparent than mine.
The moment this thought popped up, Fu Hua startled herself.
She had started training at five, was recognized by her father as a "genius rarely seen in a century" at twelve, and inherited the position of Grandmaster at fifteen, accepting disciples on her father's behalf, with seven disciples under her, all older than herself.
But Fu Hua knew that the glory recorded in those yellowing genealogy books had long become incomplete due to the erosion of hundreds of years.
By her father's generation, what remained were mostly some external kung fu for physical fitness and a few specious fist forms.
Although it was enough to teach people to strengthen their bodies, there weren't many real skills left.
The Tai Xu Sword Sect, by the time it reached her generation, existed in name only.
That she could cultivate to her current realm was entirely due to her groping bit by bit from the remnants of ancient texts, coupled with hard enough talent and diligence.
She had always thought she was the last spark of the Tai Xu Sword Sect.
But now, this girl in the video—
Fu Hua suddenly remembered something. Her fingers flew to drag the video to the beginning, carefully identifying the face of that white-haired girl.
Heterochromatic eyes.
Long white hair.
Fu Hua's pupils constricted slightly.
This person...
Her memory instantly retraced to that rainy night half a month ago.
At the convenience store, that girl beside Senior Su Yu who looked somewhat disheveled and had a wary gaze.
How did Senior Su Yu introduce her again? He didn't say it in detail, only asked her to believe him.
Later, he sent a message, adding that she was a "practitioner" who had run away from home.
At the time, Fu Hua only thought that was a reason Su Yu casually made up to cover something up.
After all, the girl's state at the time looked more like a frightened small animal; one couldn't see the demeanor of an expert at all.
But the moment Carole's excited voice came through the voice message, telling her the other party claimed to be a "Tai Xu Sect Successor."
She stared dead at the white-haired girl on the screen, her expression no less than if she had seen Mars crash into Earth.
How is that possible?
The Tai Xu Sword Sect fell apart hundreds of years ago. Nowadays, apart from her family's Inch Heart Dojo which hangs up a sign existing in name only, where else is there a Tai Xu Sect?
Could it be a scammer? Someone borrowing the name to swindle and bluff?
No... that's not right.
Fu Hua shook her head, her reason quickly returning.
As a martial artist, she knew better than anyone that titles could deceive people, but Kung Fu could not.
Those moves Kiana displayed in the video.
Whether it was the technique of exerting force, or that unique method of compressing Qi and Jin into a single point to explode—they matched the obscure and difficult descriptions in her family's ancient texts surprisingly well.
Fu Hua remembered what her father had once said.
The Tai Xu Sword Sect had many inheritances back then and split into several branches.
Their family's branch was just one of them, and it was the branch with the most severe break in inheritance.
Could it be...
Is this Heroine Kiana a successor passed down from another branch?
And looking at the purity of this martial art, maybe she is from the direct lineage?
If that's really the case—
The Tai Xu Sword Sect was very particular about seniority.
She was a disciple of the 17th generation; her father was the 16th.
If this Heroine Kiana was from the direct lineage, even if she was younger, her seniority might not necessarily be lower than Fu Hua's.
In other words.
According to seniority, she might have to call that white-haired girl who looked even younger than herself...
Little Martial Aunt?
Fu Hua covered her face.
She felt that her shift today had been worked in vain.
...
Fu Hua had just changed her clothes and walked out of the break room, thinking of going back to the Golden Courtyard to catch up on sleep since she had classes in the afternoon.
Who knew that the sliding doors of the convenience store would suddenly open. The sound of "Welcome" subconsciously made Fu Hua look toward the entrance.
It was actually Su Yu.
Fu Hua rubbed her eyes.
Am I hallucinating? At this moment, this time, Su Yu?
Did the world change just because I worked a night shift?
As Su Yu's direct junior and half a bad friend, she had a profound understanding of this senior's schedule.
This was an ultimate creature who would never sit if he could lie down, never go out if he could order takeout, and never get out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.
In her impression, the last time she saw Su Yu at six in the morning was when he stayed up all night to snatch a limited edition figure.
"Morning, Ah Hua."
Su Yu waved his hand. That lazy appearance was no different from usual, but his appearance at this time point was itself a huge sense of incongruity.
Fu Hua's heart skipped a beat.
When things go wrong, there must be a demon.
Could it be... really because of that video?
Did that "Tai Xu Sect Direct Lineage" Little Martial Aunt find out that I, an outer disciple, am also working as a Vigilante? Or maybe she felt that I, this so-called Grandmaster, was too embarrassing and insulted the sect, so she specifically sent Su Yu to... clean house?
Or at least to convey some decree like "Don't leave after school"?
"Se... Senior Su Yu?" Fu Hua's voice tightened rarely. "Why are you... at this time..."
"Hungry. Came out to forage." Su Yu rubbed his belly, looking perfectly self-righteous. "Just happened to see you changing shifts. Come on, I'll treat you to breakfast. Let's chat by the way."
Chat.
These two words were automatically translated in Fu Hua's mind as "Accept Organization's Interrogation."
She felt a wave of anxiety.
Ten minutes later.
"Old Wang, two large bowls of dry-fried beef ho fun, extra spicy, and two bottles of soy milk!"
Su Yu skillfully shouted at the boss who was sweating profusely, pulled out a plastic stool, and sat down.
This was the most popular roadside stall near the convenience store.
Fu Hua sat opposite him, somewhat reserved.
Those eyes, usually calm and steady, were now shifting uneasily over Su Yu's seemingly harmless face.
Su Yu didn't notice his junior's abnormality.
He was calculating in his heart how to broach the subject.
Actually, coming to find Fu Hua was the result of his deep deliberation last night.
Although the System's pitted body enhancement made his current physical fitness far exceed ordinary people, after watching Kiana and Lewis spar yesterday, he deeply realized that brute force alone was useless.
Technique. What he lacked was technique.
And looking at everyone he knew, who was the best fighter and the easiest to talk to? Apart from Fu Hua, who else could it be?
But this matter was a bit hard to bring up.
After all, he usually maintained the image of an "Omniscient and Deep Senior" in front of his junior. Running over to say "Coach, I want to learn how to punch" felt a bit strange.
"Um..."
"Um..."
The two spoke almost simultaneously, their voices colliding.
The air solidified for a second.
"You go first."
Su Yu hurriedly waved his hand, trying to alleviate the awkwardness.
Fu Hua pursed her lips, the hands resting on her knees tightening slightly.
She took a deep breath, as if making some kind of determination.
"Senior Su Yu, is it... is it that Little Martial Aunt who asked you to come?"
"Pfft—"
Su Yu nearly sprayed his soy milk.
He quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth, looking at Fu Hua with a face full of confusion: "Hah? Who? Little Martial Aunt?"
"It's... the one living at your house."
Fu Hua's voice lowered a bit, carrying a kind of awe unique to martial arts juniors.
"I watched the video sent by Carole. And looking at that martial arts attainment, her seniority must be very high."
She paused, looking at Su Yu with a somewhat apprehensive gaze.
"Is it because my being a Vigilante... made her feel I lost face for the sect?"
Su Yu was stunned.
Wait, isn't the plot wrong somewhere?
He looked at Fu Hua's expression of "I am ready to accept the organization's test," his brain spinning rapidly.
So this girl imagined a big drama of "Hidden Sect Cleaning House" all by herself?
Is this the lethality of self-rationalization?
Su Yu suppressed the urge to laugh and waved his hand: "Stop, stop, hold on. Where is your mind going? Kiana is still sleeping at home; she doesn't even know I came out."
"Then Senior, you..." The resolve in Fu Hua's eyes turned into doubt.
"Cough, actually it's like this." Su Yu cleared his throat, deciding to tell the truth—at least part of the truth. "You also know, it hasn't been peaceful recently. Although my physical quality is still..."
As he spoke, he quietly clenched his fist.
The System's strengthening agent was indeed fierce; he felt like he could kill a cow with one punch now. But the problem was, he only knew how to use brute force and had no technique to speak of.
"But my set is all wild styles. Meeting a real expert means I'm just delivering food." Su Yu looked at Fu Hua sincerely. "I've seen you punch; your foundation is very solid. So I thought... could I ask you to teach me a move or two? Just for self-defense, nothing too profound."
Fu Hua froze for a moment.
She hadn't expected Su Yu to get up so early specifically for this.
"Teach you?" Fu Hua subconsciously pushed up her glasses. "But... why not let Miss Kiana teach you? She is the True Successor of the Tai Xu Sect; her attainment is far above mine."
This time it was Su Yu's turn to freeze.
The noisy background sounds of the morning stir-fry shop seemed to vanish at this moment.
The sound of the boss tossing the wok, the sound of the next table slurping soy milk, the distant car horns—all turned into some kind of absurd background board.
"No..." Su Yu blinked, his voice revealing a trace of incredulous absurdity. "So the Tai Xu Sect is actually real?"
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