Part 27

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Standing in the clouds of dust, Huang Gai was like an unbreakable rock. Blown by the wind that threw grains of sand in his face, he kept his gaze fixed on his opponent. The sturdy old man had a halberd clutched in his right hand, pulling it back and hiding the weapon behind his back. Tired of waiting for Yuu to act, Gai slowly walked straight towards the tense child. When there were less than five metres between them, the grey-haired man twirled his weapon above his head, surrounding it with flashes of flame. In a single leap, the old man bridged the separating distance and brought the Guan Dao down to the ground.

Stepping aside and assuming a defensive stance, Yu decided not to risk taking Gai's ferocious blows on the block. Manoeuvring around the old man, the cadet tried to stay out of range of his earth-shattering lunges. Bouncing aside every time the grey-haired man took a swing, Yu made sure his opponent ran out of patience.

The halberd's new spin was abruptly stopped, and a fireball flew into the orphan's face. Falling to the ground, feeling the smell of smouldering hair, the boy wanted to shout out indignantly, but saw a new wave of flames. Tumbling across the ground, Yuu took a low start, fleeing the jet of fire. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Huang Gai's anticipatory smirk, which was getting closer with each passing second.

The ensuing battle could not be described as anything other than a beating. Alternating volleys of fire and charging his weapon with flaming flashes, the elderly man forced the boy into a short range battle. Intercepting the guan dao with the blade backwards, he wielded the blunt tip, leaving large bruises on the child's body.

A final series of blows put an end to this battle. With his weapon out of his hands, the cadet fell to his knees, unable to move. A slight jolt of the blunt side of his chest, and Yu plunged into a salutary oblivion.

From that moment on, the boy spent every day sparring with the Viceroy's daughter's bodyguard. Devoting all his time to dodging dangerous lunges, the orphan developed his sense of danger and trained his dodges. Taking it as axiomatic that close combat and hard fighting with such an opponent would be of no use, Guan Yu spun round and round, using the inertia from dodging to deliver swift but weak blows. This skill was completely contrary to his basic style that Petty Officer Ping had taught him, but it was paying off.

Tightening his right leg to his body, the child wrapped himself over his right shoulder. Intercepting the shaft by the very edge, he untwisted himself and struck at his opponent's side. the blow came on a hard block, a painful sensation travelled down his arms, it felt like he had struck a stone rather than his opponent's blade. Pulling the guan dao back towards him, Yuu intercepted the shaft in the centre, lunging at his open opponent.

With a hook on the point, Gai hooked his weapon, pulling it upwards. The old man's abrupt movements disoriented the boy, so he realised too late that his arms were draped over his head, still clutching his weapon. A blow from the shaft instantly flew into his open stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs and drooling from his mouth. Falling to his knees, Yuu lowered the weapon onto his tucked legs. In this position, the child waited for another strike, but his enemy was inactive. Standing in front of the boy, Huang gai covered the child with his shadow, scrutinising him from head to toe.

-This style does not suit you. You're too heavy and long, your job is to stand in defence. Mr Sun Ce said you had an unusual martial art, but I never saw it. These dances of yours around are more like the movements of monks described in old books .

His voice was like a rock fall. Just as heavy and scary. There was steel in the man's words and disappointment at the time he wasted. As he was about to leave, he noticed the boy start to rise to his feet. Sniffing indignantly, he assumed a stance unfamiliar to the master. One glance suggested the grey-haired man to check the orphan again. Sweat dripped down the cadet's face, mingling with drool on his chin so that the sight was disgusting to the appearance. The bandage that always covered his forehead was dislodged and his clothes were covered in dirt. On his hands were visible bloody abrasions, which will a long time to come, but the stubborn shithead stood his ground, waiting for the old man to let him prove himself.

-Huh, come on, kid...

The threatening tone should have made the boy change his mind, but Yu only gripped the halberd's shaft tighter. Guy's first blow sent the stubborn little bugger flying. Falling on his back, he was still clutching the guan dao in front of him, writhing slightly from the pain in his back.

Rising to his feet, the child stubbornly stood in the same pose without taking any action. Breathing heavily, he did not take his eyes off his opponent's face. Interested by the change in behaviour, Gaius decided to reduce the force of his blows, giving the orphan a chance to prove himself. Slowing his speed and not putting all of his weight and arm strength into his blows, he ran into a hard block from the boy, who tried to drive his shaft between his legs. Intercepting the aimed lunge, the man began a series of quick jabs. As the two weapons clashed over and over, they made a cacophony of different sounds. Each strike of the bodyguard was blocked, and when the opportunity arose, Guan Yu would counterattack. Steadfastly withstanding the heavy onslaught of a stronger and larger opponent, the cadet waited for the best moment and hit the open area.

This continued for another half an hour until the guan dao fell out of his shaking hands. Trying to pick up his weapon, Yu nearly fell over, but Huang Gai's strong hand kept him from falling. Picking up the shaft with his foot, the man tossed it up to chest level, snatching it up in the air.

-That's a different conversation. If you had shown me this earlier, we would have had more time,' the old man clamped his eyes shut, silently pondering, ignoring the state of his small opponent, 'I've figured out a way to make up for it. I think Mr Jian won't mind letting you in here a couple of times a week.

-But... I have classes.

-I didn't think of that,' Gai leaned his halberd on his shoulder as he scratched his white beard, 'I'll think about it later, but for now, let's go over your mistakes.

Interested in the new style, the old man was actively involved in the boy's training. Mr Qie promised him to dispel his boredom and in return ordered him to teach the child. Well, Huang Gai fulfils his promises since the boy was able to surprise him.

Living in the OWLs family's manor ended too quickly, much to Guan Yu's regret. The delicious food and the very good bed will stay in his memory for a long time.

-Maybe one day I will live like this.

As he spread his few belongings around his room at school, he nostalgically recalled the best part of the weekend. Constant training, great facilities, and no responsibility. If he had the choice, he would have stayed there permanently.

The classmates' reunion was held without too much pomp. Other than Sun Ce, no one was going to actively contact him, which pleased the former peasant to some extent. While the children walked around the entire barracks and greeted each other, Yu was able to peek into the training room.

The pleasant scent of wood and the special varnish used to coat furniture to keep bugs and termites from eating houses tickled his nose. Drawing it in full, he gladly began a light warm-up, running the blood through his veins. Feeling his body begin to heat up from the vigorous movement, Yuu abruptly changed his approach. Grabbing his glaive, the boy did battle with the shadows, enjoying the coolness and cleanliness of the room.

It was only after being in the vile forest of Haiho and getting slapped by Huang Gai on the sandy floor that the child realised how glad he was of this place. No winds to throw dust and sand in your eyes. No damn branch that would fly into your face at the most inopportune moment. Smiling contentedly, he continued his imaginary battle until a familiar blade appeared in the blade's path.

The long red spear flickered predatorily, glaring menacingly in all directions. Its wielder looked at Guan Yu with the same gaze. His clothes were as impeccable as ever. A red bandana was draped over his head, gathering his long hair for the duration of the training session. His face began to slowly become covered in the first soft stubble.

-Show me what you've learnt.

A series of long range blows were accompanied by a loud clanking sound. Sparks shot out as the two shafted weapons clashed at a great distance from their masters. The length of the arms and spears allowed Sun Ce to go on the offensive, forcing Yu to get on the defensive. Mixing dodges and heavy blocks, the boy was often confused, but with his effort he levelled most of his mistakes.

The sparring didn't last long. Unfurling his spear over his head, Tse intercepted it with one hand and lunged backwards in a leap. Despite all the tricks, the kid's strength wasn't enough to dodge or block. His faster and more experienced opponent caught him in a repeated transition from counterattack to defence. Tipping the oohing cadet to the floor, Tse stood proudly over his defeated opponent. A wide grin adorned his face. The pedigree face of a hereditary aristocrat was begging to have a lemon thrown at him.

Giving Yu a hand, he pulled the boy to his feet. After shaking some dust off the orphan's shoulders, Tie was about to praise him for his progress when excited classmates began to arrive in the hall. One by one, they ran into the room, getting into formation. Without asking any stupid questions, Tie picked up the child by the scruff of the neck and pushed him into the formation. Only the appearance of two people could stir up this lazy kingdom so much. Not taking any chances, Sun Ce stood at the head of the squad, preparing for the principal's arrival. His father never visited the school, only occasionally enquiring about his son's progress during the weekends. His parent had had enough assurances from his heir, Jian saw no point in checking his word, trusting his son completely for his personal development.

What was Ce's surprise when his father piled into the hall following Principal Fang. The Fiery Giant inspired fear with his mere appearance, overwhelming anyone who was struck by his piercing gaze. Walking to the front of the formation, he scrutinised the nervous cadets, stopping in front of his son. Smirking at the slightly out of breath heir after the battle, the man spoke in a loud measured voice, allowing all present to hear him.

-I didn't want to interfere with your studies, but Gaius says you're burying some talent in the ground,‖ ignoring the other students, the Viceroy devoted all his attention to his offspring, -so from today, he'll be moonlighting here as a tutor.

-... Of course, father, as you command.

Hearing his satisfactory answer, OWLs looked around at the formation of cadets and, lingering his gaze on Yu, walked on. For a moment, it seemed to Ce that, looking at the boy, his father's eyes widened in surprise. But pushing those thoughts away, the heir looked at Gai with wide eyes that like a wild gorillopaque looked around, searching for a threat. His guan dao hung behind his back, and a full set of armour was worn on his body.

Having found its target, the animal in the guise of a human headed straight towards him. Standing in front of Guan Yu, it grinned viciously and bent down so that their faces were on the same level. Grinning into the face of the kid who was fuming at what was happening, he laughed bassily.

-Here we meet again, boy.

Standing up to his full height, Huang Gai squared his shoulders, becoming visually even larger. His powerful arms, as strong as his father's, tensed as he folded them across his chest. Glancing at the bewildered children, the old man grimaced.

-I hope there's at least one interesting person among you, or I'll be very disappointed with the time I've wasted.