Inch Heart Dojo, Main Hall.
A faint scent of sandalwood mixed with aged wood wax oil permeated the air, a smell that should have been calming. However, at this moment, Fu Hua's heart couldn't find any peace at all.
This Acting Sect Leader of the dojo, a young grandmaster who had succeeded the position at the age of fifteen and usually remained unflinching even if Mount Tai collapsed before her, was currently pacing restlessly in front of the portrait of the founding master. After walking three circles, she stopped, adjusted her red-framed glasses, and turned to look at Su Mei, who was leisurely drinking tea on the side.
"Sister Mei, look at my clothes... are they really appropriate? Is it too casual?"
Fu Hua and her disciples addressed each other based on their own separate relationships. Although the disciples called Fu Hua 'Master,' Fu Hua had to call Su Mei and the others 'Sister.' After all, she had accepted disciples on behalf of her father, making the relationships a tangled mess, so they simply addressed each other as they saw fit.
Today, Fu Hua was wearing a dark, mandarin-collar Tang suit that she usually couldn't bear to wear, saving it only for major festivals. It was a birthday gift from Eden, preserved separately and with great care by Fu Hua. She had buttoned it all the way to the top, not a single crease visible.
Su Mei put down her teacup, her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowing slightly as the corners of her mouth curled into a meaningful smile. "Master, you've asked that eight times already."
She had specially taken leave today, swapping her business attire for a modified plain-colored Qipao with a cashmere shawl draped over her shoulders. It accentuated her figure without being overly flashy—looking exactly like a second disciple who understood the rules and had seen the world.
"Relax. The way you look now, let alone meeting the Little Grandmaster, it's enough to attend a state banquet," Su Mei comforted her with a smile. Honestly, seeing her usually poker-faced little master so anxious was quite interesting.
Master, this person... she has an old soul despite her young age, Su Mei thought, feeling a pang of sadness. Fu Hua had dedicated her most innocent and naive years entirely to martial arts. Her life was too disciplined, practically moving between three points in a line, and she had barely any friends at school. Although Fu Hua's face was written with anxiety now, it was better than that emotionless poker face from before. That was just too bitter.
"You can't say that." Fu Hua sighed, sitting back on the grand armchair, her back still perfectly straight. "Little Junior Uncle is, after all, a direct descendant of the Tai Xu Sect; she is an elder. And hearing that she has been living in seclusion in the deep mountains, her character must be noble and proud, placing the utmost importance on etiquette."
Her brows furrowed slightly. "If we lose our manners, not only will we lose face for the Tai Xu Sect, but I'm also afraid we'll upset the old senior."
Fu Hua looked at Su Mei and added another instruction: "Sister Mei, later on, you absolutely must not mention your business theories. A worldly hermit like Little Junior Uncle hates the stench of money the most. Your livestreams, traffic data... you are not allowed to mention a single word, understand?"
Su Mei nodded obediently. "Yes, yes, yes, your disciple understands. I am just here to serve tea and water today; I absolutely won't shoot my mouth off."
Mention it? I certainly won't mention it. After all, the cooperation contract had already been signed with that Eldest Senior Brother. Mentioning it now would just hurt feelings.
Looking at Fu Hua's formidable enemy-facing demeanor, Su Mei could only silently give Su Yu a thumbs up in her heart. Senior Brother Su Yu's ability to hoodwink people was truly breathtaking. To be able to hoodwink Master into this state, he was indeed a talent.
"Master..."
Eldest Senior Sister Lin Chaoyu, who had been standing silently by the side, finally couldn't help but speak up. She was wearing a dark blue cotton-linen long dress today, her hair simply tied in a bun, and she was still holding a rag in her hand—clearly, she had just wiped the dojo inside and out again. As the General Manager and housekeeper of the Inch Heart Dojo, the worry on her face was no less than Fu Hua's.
"Is that Little Junior Uncle... really as powerful as the legends say? And what if, I mean what if, she is dissatisfied with the current operating conditions of our dojo and wants to take back the Sect Leader Token or..." Lin Chaoyu didn't dare to continue, but the anxiety in her eyes was overflowing. She truly treated the dojo as her home and Fu Hua as her sky. If some "Junior Uncle" suddenly popped up to dictate things, or even dismantle this home, she really wouldn't know what to do.
"Eldest Senior Sister, just put your heart back in your stomach." Before Fu Hua could speak, Su Mei took over the conversation. She walked over, affectionately holding Lin Chaoyu's arm, and gently patted the back of her hand.
"Although I haven't met that Little Grandmaster, I found someone... cough, I found someone to cast a divination. The hexagram says that this Little Grandmaster is a noble patron of our dojo." Su Mei blinked, her tone certain. "Not only is she capable, but her personality is... um, very easygoing. She definitely won't be that kind of hard-to-get-along-with old antique. Just treat it as if a distant relative has come to visit the family; maintain a normal heart."
Lin Chaoyu looked at Su Mei somewhat suspiciously. "Junior Sister, why do you seem... to know that Little Junior Uncle very well?"
The smile on Su Mei's face stiffened for an instant, but returned to natural in the next second. "Oh my, intuition! A woman's intuition!" She laughed it off, her gaze shifting to land on the long bench in the corner.
There lay a person. Fifth Junior Sister, Cheng Lingshuang.
This genius, known as having "the highest talent in the Tai Xu Sect in a hundred years," was currently wearing an eye mask printed with a salted fish pattern, covered by an overcoat, sleeping in total darkness. Even though the atmosphere in the dojo was tense enough to solidify, she could still emit slight and rhythmic breathing sounds. For this Junior Sister, heaven and earth were big, but eating and sleeping were bigger. Her motto in life was to be free and unfettered.
Su Mei had previously wanted to use her connections to package this Junior Sister as well; after all, the persona of a "lazy genius beautiful girl" was very popular online. But the result was a failure. It wasn't that Cheng Lingshuang was a "little old-fashioned" type like Fu Hua; it was purely for a reason that couldn't be simpler.
She was a lazy dog. If she could sit, she would never stand; if she could lie down, she would never sit. Marketing, livestreams—too tiring. She had even asked, "Can I livestream sleeping, Senior Sister?" which choked Su Mei up on the spot.
However, after today, the sky of this dojo was probably going to change. If it was that Little Grandmaster, perhaps she could really stir this pool of stagnant water back to life.
"Fifth Junior Sister really lives transparently," Su Mei sighed, walking over and poking Cheng Lingshuang's exposed calf. "Wake up, Fairy Sister! When Little Grandmaster comes later and sees you in this virtue, be careful she doesn't expel you from the sect."
Cheng Lingshuang moved, turned over, buried her face in the overcoat, and a muffled voice came out: "Call me when they're here. Haven't eaten. No energy to move."
Su Mei: "..."
Fu Hua: "..."
Looking at this room full of "Crouching Dragons and Phoenix Fledglings" (hidden talents/weirdos), Fu Hua felt she might need heart-saving pills today. A second disciple with a mind full of business, a motherly eldest disciple who worried excessively, and a genius fifth disciple who did nothing but sleep or space out.
Originally, Fu Hua had planned to summon all the disciples to gather, but aside from Ma Feima who was on his way, the other disciples said they had their own matters and couldn't come. To be so neglectful on the first meeting with Little Junior Uncle... does the future of the Tai Xu Sect... really have hope?
Just as Fu Hua fell into deep self-doubt—
Bang!
A loud noise echoed as the two heavy red sandalwood doors of the dojo were roughly pushed open from the outside. A tall, burly figure stood in the doorway, backlit.
Ma Feima. He wore a black tight-fitting tank top with an open leather jacket over it, and a thick gold chain hung around his neck—the prize he had won as the underground fighting champion. His face was full of transverse flesh, and his eyes were as fierce as if he were going to collect a debt.
He strode in, every step making a dull thud on the floorboards. His gaze swept around the dojo like a searchlight, finally landing on Fu Hua. "Master, where are they?" Ma Feima's booming voice echoed in the empty dojo, shaking dust off the roof beams.
"That whatever bullshit Little Grandmaster hasn't come yet? Don't tell me they heard I, Old Ma, was coming and got too scared to show their face?" He cracked his knuckles, the joints popping loudly. "Hmph, I knew it. In this day and age, aside from scammers, there are only charlatans."
"Master, really, you believe this kind of ghost talk too? Even asking us for a full assembly? I want to see exactly which deity dares to pretend to be a senior in front of me, Ma Feima!"
Fu Hua's brows furrowed, and just as she was about to scold him, in the corner, Cheng Lingshuang, who had been lying there like a corpse, suddenly reached out and pulled down her eye mask. Her dead-fish eyes, usually half-open, glanced coldly at Ma Feima.
"Too noisy."
Two words. The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chill that sent shivers down one's spine.
Ma Feima's momentum instantly stagnated. In this dojo, he feared no one; he even dared to talk back to Fu Hua. But towards this Fifth Senior Sister who usually couldn't be bothered to move... he was truly a bit wary. After all, when he first joined, he was just as arrogant, only to be beaten by Cheng Lingshuang using an unfinished popsicle stick within three moves until he doubted life.
"Cough." Ma Feima cleared his throat, his voice dropping two octaves, though his neck remained stiff. "Fifth Senior Sister, you sleep. I'm just... just here to gatekeep for our Tai Xu Sect, to save us from having any Tom, Dick, or Harry sneaking in."
Su Mei, however, lifted her teacup, gently blowing away the floating froth, a glint of watching a good show flashing in her eyes.
Just as the clock struck ten, the heavy vermilion doors were pushed open. Su Yu led Kiana across the threshold. In that moment, the air flow in the originally solemn and somewhat oppressive hall seemed to change.
"Senior Brother Su! Little Junior Uncle!"
Almost the instant the figures moved, Fu Hua had already gone up to welcome them. This Tai Xu Sect Leader, usually steady as a mountain and unflinching before collapse, now moved with steps so fast they even kicked up a breeze. Lin Chaoyu and Su Mei exchanged a glance and could only helplessly follow.
"Your presence brings light to our humble abode." Fu Hua stood still, cupped her hands, and performed a bowing salute that was standard beyond standard. "Last time at the convenience store, it was this disciple who had clumsy eyes and failed to recognize Mount Tai, failing to recognize Little Junior Uncle's true self. I was very neglectful; please forgive this disciple, Little Junior Uncle!"
Bowed at by this sudden grand gesture, Kiana almost couldn't stop the foot she had just stepped forward with. Subconsciously, she shrank half a step behind Su Yu. The half-drunk bottle of iced tea in her hand felt awkward to hold, yet awkward to put down.
This is... too exaggerated, isn't it? Kiana was a bit dazed.
Although Su Yu had spent the whole night yesterday doing psychological construction for her, saying Fu Hua was an honest person who respected teachers and the Dao in this world, this contrast was too great. That old-fashioned Squad Monitor, that Squad Monitor who always had "rules" on her lips, was actually bowing and apologizing to her now?
She looked at Su Yu for help. Su Yu returned a "Steady, you can do this" look, and extremely subtly pointed at the drink in her hand, signaling her to act in character as per the original plan.
Kiana took a deep breath. Fine, act in character. That means asking if I don't understand.
"What convenience store?"
The girl's crisp voice rang out in the hall, carrying a few parts of genuine confusion and a kind of careless casualness. She blinked her heterochromatic eyes, her gaze clear as a fool's.
The air suddenly went quiet for a second. Immediately after, Fu Hua snapped her head up, her pupils constricting violently. In that instant, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck her crown, making the blood in her whole body boil.
So... is it like that?
Fu Hua looked at the innocent-faced girl before her, the shock in her heart surging like a tsunami. Little Junior Uncle she... is saving face for me! Being an elder, yet offended by a junior. If it were anyone else, even if they didn't blame her, they would surely put on airs and drop a few hints. But Little Junior Uncle? She directly "forgot" that incident.
A phrase "What convenience store?" lightly erased my embarrassment, and even to prevent me from losing face in front of my disciples, she deliberately pretended it was a trivial matter. What kind of breadth of mind is this? What kind of gentleness is this? This is the realm of a high expert who has returned to simplicity, where the great image has no form!
Fu Hua's eyes rimmed slightly red, and she bowed deeply once again, her voice even carrying a trace of trembling: "It is... this disciple understands. The past is like smoke, let us not mention it. This disciple has learned from Little Junior Uncle's state of mind!"
Kiana: "???"
She scratched her head somewhat blankly, the ahoge on top of her head swaying with the motion. What did she understand? Convenience store? Wasn't that just the convenience store Su Yu chased me to on my first day in this world? What offense or no offense, didn't you even give me food and water, and lend me clothes?
Standing to the side, Su Yu desperately suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth. She's Di-Hua-ing, she has truly gone full Di Hua (overthinking/misunderstanding). Old Squad Monitor, with this ability to fill in the blanks, if you made games, mine would have already conquered the world.
However, not everyone was as easy to hoodwink as Fu Hua. Standing behind Fu Hua, Lin Chaoyu's smile was polite, but her eyes were quietly sizing up Kiana back and forth.
Too young. That was Lin Chaoyu's first impression. This "Little Grandmaster" praised to the skies by her Master looked essentially like a minor. Wearing a loose training suit, her exposed wrists were slender and fair, without even the calluses common to martial artists. Moreover, her walking posture was too loose, lacking the grounded lower body feel of a martial arts practitioner entirely; instead, she looked like a high schooler who had just finished class. Is such a little girl really the legendary Tai Xu successor? Really some Little Grandmaster?
Lin Chaoyu's heart beat like a drum. She knew her Master's single-track mind too well; it wasn't like she hadn't done things like helping count money after being sold by someone. She subconsciously turned her head to look at the chaise longue in the corner of the hall. There, Fifth Junior Sister Cheng Lingshuang was still wrapped in a blanket, not even turning over, like a dried salted fish.
Lin Chaoyu's heart sank. It's over. Even Old Five, who was most sensitive to the aura of experts, had no reaction, which meant this girl had absolutely no aura of a strong person about her. This is big trouble...
Also observing Cheng Lingshuang was the burly man standing by the weapon rack. Ma Feima. Arms crossed, his muscles bulged the tight tank top to the limit. His fierce eyes first swept over Kiana, revealing a sneer of disdain, before turning to Cheng Lingshuang in the corner.
He was waiting. If even that Fifth Senior Sister, whose eyes were usually higher than the top of her head, couldn't be bothered to open them, then it meant this so-called "Little Grandmaster" had no aura worth noting at all.
One second, two seconds. The person on the chaise longue remained motionless.
Ma Feima's cold sneer blossomed completely. Hmph, indeed a fake. If she had any real skill, Fifth Senior Sister would have jumped up long ago.
He uncrossed his arms and rolled his neck, issuing a crisp crack-crack sound. That body full of baleful aura was released instantly, like a tiger ready to pounce, preparing to step forward and tear this laughable lie to shreds. He strode forward like a moving hill, directly blocking everyone's path.
"I am Ma Feima, ranked sixth in the Inch Heart Sect." He cupped his fists, the action polite, but those copper-bell-sized eyes were full of provocation. "I heard Little Grandmaster has obtained the Tai Xu True Transmission and has god-like fist techniques. This disciple is a crude man who doesn't understand those twists and turns; I just want to ask Little Grandmaster... to lend a hand and give a pointer or two!"
Lin Chaoyu's expression changed, and just as she wanted to voice an objection— "Old Six! You—"
However, in this very instant.
Facing the baleful aura rushing toward her from Ma Feima, Kiana, who originally looked clueless and even wanted to find a place to hide, suddenly had a change in her eyes. It was an instinct. An instinct carved into her bones, tempered on the battlefield and on the edge of life and death countless times.
Her body instantly ceased all micro-movements. Her originally somewhat loose stance adjusted to the optimal force-generating angle within 0.1 seconds. The confusion and naivety in her eyes faded instantly, replaced by a coldness and focus that made one's heart palpitate, as if looking at a dead object.
Buzz—
It was as if an invisible string in the air had snapped.
Right at this moment. Cheng Lingshuang, who had been playing dead in the corner, abruptly opened her eyes.
Swish!
She tore off the salted fish eye mask on her face. Her originally sleepy eyes were now staring wide and round, locked dead onto Kiana. In that moment, she felt a chill. A chill seeping out from her marrow, a primal fear produced only when facing an apex predator.
How is this possible... Cheng Lingshuang's fingers dug tightly into the armrest of the chaise longue. In her perception, that girl who looked harmless to humans and animals just a moment ago, even a bit dorky, had undergone an earth-shattering change in aura the moment she entered a combat stance.
That was a suffocating pressure settled after countless life-and-death struggles. Her muscles adjusted to the best state for exertion in an instant, her breathing became long and concealed, and every tiny movement was preparing for the next fatal outbreak.
Interesting... too interesting. A trace of fanaticism gradually ignited in Cheng Lingshuang's eyes; it was the excitement of meeting a peer, or even meeting a monster. That simply wasn't a human. But a... Humanoid Tyrannosaurus draped in a girl's skin!
Unfortunately, aside from Su Yu standing at the very back, everyone's attention was drawn to the two about to duel. No one noticed the expression of this genius girl.
Center of the drill ground. The smell of gunpowder in the air was so thick it was about to explode.
Ma Feima was like an enraged bull, snorting rough breaths from his nostrils, muscles bulging all over his body, stretching that poor tight tank top as if it would burst in the next second. In contrast, Kiana just stood there quietly. The killing intent that had erupted for that instant just now seemed like an illusion, now perfectly retracted back into her body.
Her hands hung naturally, her stance loose; she looked full of openings. But in the eyes of an expert, this was called "having no moves beats having moves."
Su Yu stood by her side, lowering his voice, his tone carrying a few parts of teasing that only the two of them could understand. "How is it? What's the quality of this touchstone? Do you have confidence?"
Kiana glanced at Ma Feima opposite, who was loosening his wrists, with no expression. "Strength looks okay, lower body is also quite stable," she said in a calm tone, as if evaluating pork at a vegetable market. "A bit worse than Captain Lewis, but among ordinary people, he should count as a good hand."
Lewis. The Devil Instructor of the Arc City Police Department's SWAT team, said to be an ace legend of the former special forces, and also the first person in this world who could exchange moves with Kiana. To receive an evaluation of "a bit worse than Lewis" was already a glory sufficient for an ordinary person to brag about for a lifetime.
Su Yu raised his eyebrows, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening. "And then? Our Little Grandmaster wouldn't have lost confidence just like that, right?"
Kiana turned her head to look at Su Yu. A confident and brilliant smile bloomed on that exquisite face, revealing a cute little tiger tooth. "Simple and easy."
Three words (in Chinese). Light and airy, yet arrogant beyond bounds.
This scene falling into Ma Feima's eyes was simply a naked humiliation. Two brats who didn't know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth actually dared to flirt casually in front of him, Ma Feima, on the Tai Xu Sect's drill ground?!
"Enough!" Ma Feima roared.
He had originally intended to teach this so-called "Little Grandmaster" a lesson, but now, he changed his mind. Persimmons should be picked when soft. Since this pretty boy was this girl's Senior Brother, he would start with him!
"I say, you over there!" Ma Feima pointed straight at Su Yu's nose, the transverse flesh on his face trembling. "Since you are this girl's Senior Brother, you must also be an expert of the Tai Xu Sect, right? What kind of skill is hiding behind a woman? Huh?"
He smiled savagely, taking a step forward, his fierce momentum pressing straight towards Su Yu. "Dare to come up and practice with me? Don't be like a straw bag, only knowing how to flap your lips there! Or could it be... your lineage is all soft-footed shrimp who rely on women to hold up the scene?"
Straw bag. Soft-footed shrimp.
The moment these two words came out, the entire main hall instantly became terrifyingly quiet. Fu Hua's face instantly turned pale; she wanted to open her mouth to shout a stop, but found it was already too late.
Kiana, who had originally looked relaxed and even planned to leave this Sixth Disciple some face, saw the smile on her face... completely disappear in this instant. Her expression became gloomy.
She could endure doubts from others. During these months of wandering, she had been wanted, misunderstood, and treated as a monster; she had endured it all. Because she felt she was guilty, felt she didn't deserve respect. But... Su Yu was different.
Su Yu was her anchor, her salvation, the only person who had given her a home in this strange world. He was perfect, the best. No one could insult him!
Huu. Kiana gently exhaled a breath of turbid air. She slowly turned around, facing Ma Feima squarely. Those originally clear eyes were now cold enough to chill one's marrow.
"Su Yu."
She didn't look back, only calling out in a low voice.
"Hmm?" Su Yu also seemed to sense the emotional change in his family's cat, putting away the playfulness on his face.
"Tonight's fried chicken, I want double spicy."
Kiana's voice was very light, yet it clearly spread throughout the entire main hall. In the next second, she raised her head, her gaze like a knife, piercing straight into Ma Feima.
"Hey, big guy."
"Three punches."
She extended three fingers, her tone icy, carrying an unquestionable arrogance.
"If I don't send you flying in three punches, count it as a failed order!"
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