Kickboxing Class

The next morning, the two muggers who shared a room with Chen'an rose before dawn and prepared to wash up.

Without warning, the door opened. Before either of them could react, an aggressive figure rushed into the dormitory.

Upon closer inspection, it was a female teacher!

In their panic, the two of them dove back under their blankets, till only two pairs of wide eyes were peeking out at the intruder. She surveyed her surroundings, paying the two muggers and Lu Gang no mind, and headed straight for Chen'an's bed.

In the next instant, Chen'an's blanket was being ruthlessly ripped from him and tossed on Lu Gang, who merely rolled over and continued to snore.

It was a rough start to Chen'an's morning. He had just been snuggled up in his blanket when it had been torn from him, and the cozy warmth he had been basking in was replaced by a chill that invaded his body. Even the little sentry who usually stood alert all night between his legs was enveloped by the cold.

[Congratulations on your achievement: your remarkable endurance.]

[You have been frightened during critical moments at least 10 times since you were born, and your manhood has never wavered.]

[Achievement points: +3]

But Chen'an couldn't care less about the system right now. "Who the hell stole my damn blanket?" he swore. He looked over the edge of his bunk, and the first thing he saw was Han Ya's cold face. His heart skipped a beat.

Today was the day Han Ya said that their training would begin.

He repressed a shiver and laughed nervously. "Hey, it's you, Ms Han. What brings you to our dorm so bright and early?"

"That's 'Master' to you." She glared at him icily. "I told you to get up before 4:30am yesterday. It's already 4:45am now. Did you think I was joking?"

"4.30am is way too early, Master," Chen'an said sullenly. "I'll be sleepy during the day."

"What a load of crap. Don't you see that your two roommates are getting up? Won't they be sleepy later too?" Han Ya pointed at the two muggers quivering under their blankets.

Chen'an tried to mount an argument and found he had none.

Muggers like those two were truly the scum of this earth.

"I'll give you five minutes to get out of bed and wash up. Any longer, and I'll…" She shot a meaningful glance at the tent in Chen'an's pants and mimicked a gesture like snapping a twig.

Chen'an shot up from the bed. In a moment's time, he was being led out of the dormitory by Han Ya.

Before she left, Han Ya returned the key that she had borrowed from the dormitory manager–along with some snacks she had filched from the collection in Chen'an's room.

***

It was just after 5am when they reached the field. It was deserted; they were the only two figures on the field. Even the snack kiosk wasn't open yet.

"Today is your first day of training, so I'll go easy on you. Follow me and run five rounds on the field to warm up." Han Ya promptly broke into a jog.

Chen'an had no choice but to follow.

Han Ya was dressed in light sportswear. She wasn't even wearing long sleeves, perhaps because she was concerned her clothes would cling to her body after sweating. Behind her, Chen'an's gaze unconsciously slid to the curves she flaunted while running. They were even more… striking than when she was walking, to say the least.

"Don't fall behind. Run beside me."

With a sigh, Chen'an sped up to catch up with Han Ya. When they were side by side, he glanced at Han Ya and was taken aback. If he ran ahead of her, Chen'an would have nothing of her to feast his eyes on. But from this angle, he could catch a brief glimpse of the treasures that lay beneath her sports jacket–not to mention her stunning side profile.

Maybe this whole 'waking up at ungodly hours in the morning to train' deal wasn't such a bad one after all.

At the very least, it was far more pleasing to the eye than waking up to the view of the two sagging lumps of fat that Lu Gang boasted.

The way Chen'an kept turning his head to her attracted Han Ya's attention. She frowned and said, "Focus when you're running. Don't look around, or you might fall."

"Of course, Master," Chen'an agreed, but his eyes obeyed his hero's instincts.

After running five rounds, Han Ya was a little breathless, but other than that, she barely even seemed to sweat. On the other hand, Chen'an was panting with his hands on his knees. "Master, you're too… too fast," he gasped.

He had thought he was going for a warm-up jog, but the pace she had set wasn't far off from that of his 1km run. Fortunately, Chen'an's Vitality had increased by 1 point after obtaining [Hong Zhou's Ancestral Whistle], so he could keep up with her–if barely.

Han Ya was vaguely surprised. For her first session with Chen'an, she'd intended to put him in his place and establish that his fitness was not up to standard, so she had quickened her pace as she ran. But he hadn't just caught up with her, he had completed all five rounds!

Honestly speaking, he had exceeded her expectations.

"Your endurance is good, but your raw power could be better. From now on, develop your potential according to the fitness plan I've designed for you."

"I'll teach you kickboxing in a few days. When you've made a worthy amount of progress, you can help me out with something."

Chen'an was stunned. Had this been Han Ya's real motive?

Maybe the 'strange encounter' the system had dropped into his lap wasn't by chance. Han Ya might be more than a simple physical education teacher.

"Don't worry, Master," he said, nodding seriously. "I'll agree to anything as long as this isn't some honey trap to scam me."

Han Ya rolled her eyes. "Even if I wanted to lure some unsuspecting target, it wouldn't be you. You could afford to train harder."

She withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Chen'an. "Here's the training I've planned for you from Monday to Saturday. You'll follow this fitness plan from now on."

Chen'an took the paper from her. He was shocked to see that he would be attending a kickboxing class with Han Ya on Saturday afternoon. "Master, my weekend is only a day and a half long!" he protested, trying to subtly air his grievances.

Han Ya glanced at him. "There are quite a few female trainees in the kickboxing club I attend. They've been practicing since they were children."

"I've thought it through, Master. I'll pursue kickboxing as my major and bring glory to you!"

Chen'an was suddenly looking forward to the weekend.