Clashing with a Monster
The deeper Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang walked into the forest, the colder it got. There was also this killing vibe being sent out from all over the place. Even though the vibe was not that intense, but it could make anyone feel the hair on the back of their head stand up…
Tong-Kuang: “Where are we heading to, young master!?”
“Just up and ahead. I remember that it’s nearby.”
“Yes, sir!”
Zheng-Fu came to play in the area regularly when it used to look safer. Within the past few years, the area gained many more monsters…
It took a short while for Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang to arrive at a big lawn that was surrounded by huge trees. The space was flat and covered by short grasses. It had always been like that for years…
“Finally! We’re here!”
Tong-Kuang checked the place to see if there were any monsters around. He became stronger both on energy and physical strength fronts because he had been taking pills that Zheng-Fu gave him. His other skills were better too…
Tong-Kuang was at the sixth level of the Foundation Building stage. He expected to break through to the seventh level within no time…
Tong-Kuang: “I think it’s too dangerous here, young master. We’d better go back now!”
“Dangerous!?”
“Of course, it’s dangerous. If it’s not then why we came here in the first place? We need to practice and we need to practice in a dangerous place like this.”
“Um!”
“Fine! We’ll go back before it’s late. You don’t have to worry about it. I took you to this place because it’s big and far away from the center of the clan. We can make noise as loud as we can. No one can hear us.”
“Yes, sir!”
Zheng-Fu walked into the lawn and projected his energy instantly. Even though he had been spending time making medicines, he still spared some time to improve his Qi energy level. This was why his energy level was slightly improved…
Boom!
Tong-Kuang crinkled his eyebrows when he saw the energy wave that Zheng-Fu released. The whole time that he had been with the boy, he could never sense his Qi energy. But Zheng-Fu just showed him that his energy level was pretty high…
“The ninth level of the Qi Gathering stage!?
Tong-Kuang: “Young master is so good at many things and he has a good heart too. It’s my luck to get to meet him…”
Tong-Kuang mumbled and smiled in his heart. He never really received affection so often in his life because he thought that he was merely a mercenary. However, he never felt lesser anymore after he worked for Zheng-Fu…
[The Index of the Sword of the Wind]
Boom!
What was that technique!?
Tong-Kuang gasped. His eyes widened to see Zheng-Fu used some kind of fighting technique because it was so powerful and fast. He had a feeling that he would not be able to deal with that force if Zheng-Fu did that to him. He could die because of it if he was not aware of it…
Whoosh!
“That was great! The Sword of the Eagle of the Wind did make the technique more powerful.”
When Tong-Kuang came back from the state of gasping, he rushed to Zheng-Fu and looked at him as if he wanted to ask him something. But he was afraid to do so…
Tong-Kuang: “Young master! Um…”
“That technique was called ‘The Index of the Sword of the Wind’. It is a high-level intermediate fighting skill. If you’re interested, I would teach you!”
Tong-Kuang: “Would you!?”
“Of course. I am going to teach you some other techniques too!” *Since you’re my bodyguard, we could help one another to protect ourselves.*
Tong-Kuang: “Thank you young master for your kindness!”
“No need to be so formal about it! First, I’d like to know what kinds of fighting techniques you know.”
“The fighting techniques that I know?”
Tong-Kuang: “Well, they are the Sword of Cocoon, the Sword of Caterpillar, and the Sword of Butterfly. They are the fighting techniques that belong to my family. Even though they are not that eminent, they originated from our clan!”
“I see. Could you please show me those moves?”
Tong-Kuang felt awkward and kind of bitter when he had to show his fighting techniques. It was not because he did not want to show them to Zheng-Fu, but he thought that those techniques were too silly…
“If you don’t want to, it’s ok. I won’t force you.”
Tong-Kuang: “It’s not like that. I just think that my family’s fighting techniques are not complete. The movements look messy too, so I don’t want to upset you with them…”
Upset!?
“Why would I be upset? If I can’t understand your fighting techniques, then that’s my fault, not yours. How about you give me the manuals of those techniques? Then you show me all the moves, so it might help me understand them easier.”
Zheng-Fu made it sound like he wanted to gain from Tong-Kuang, so he thought that Tong-Kuang might not want to share the manuals of his family’s fighting techniques with him. However, after Zheng-Fu finished his sentence…
“Here they are, sir!”
Not only did Tong-Kuang say yes, but he immediately took out all three manuals and gave them to Zheng-Fu…
“Aren’t you afraid that I would secretly practice them?”
Hahaha!
Tong-Kuang: “You’re more skillful than I am. Why would I be afraid that you would steal my fighting techniques if I already know that you can understand them better?”
“Hahaha! Well! I don’t know!”
Tong-Kuang: “Then, take a closer look. I’ll start now!”
When Tong-Kuang finished his sentence, he stepped backward for about 10 paces. Then he picked up his sword and began to show Zheng-Fu his fighting technique. Zheng-Fu looked at him while looking at the manual. And all of a sudden, something popped up in Zheng-Fu’s mind…
Zheng-Fu took out a piece of paper and a brush. Then he started to draw something on it quickly. He finished drawing after a short while. It was about the time that Tong-Kuang finished showing his moves…
Tong-Kuang: “How was that, sir? Did you get everything?”
“Well. So, that was the first set of movements of the Sword of Cocoon! You felt strange when you did the second movement, didn’t you?”
“…!”
Tong-Kuang was a little jolted because Zheng-Fu was correct. The second movement always gave him a hard time…
Tong-Kuang: “You’re right, young master. But how did you know that?”
Tong-Kuang asked because he did not know how Zheng-Fu knew that right after the first time that he showed him the fighting technique. He secretly thought that it might be a coincidence…
“You didn’t have a hard time only with the second movement, but you did when you moved your sword up and down too. Am I correct?”
Tong-Kuang: “Are you a psychic!?”
Tong-Kuang felt blank out of bedazzlement. He had to spend many years to understand the problems that he had with his family’s fighting techniques, but Zheng-Fu could see the whole thing after just one time of watching him…
Tong-Kuang: “That’s right, young master. No matter how hard I tried, those problems would never go away. And I don’t know yet why…”
“I see. Then take this!”
“What!?”
Tong-Kuang looked at the piece of paper in Zheng-Fu’s hand with hesitation, but he took it anyway. And when he saw what was in the paper, his face turned pale and felt cold on his forehead because of all the sweat…
Tong-Kuang: “Y…y…young master! This is…!”
“I’ve fixed those problems. Why don’t you give it a try?”
“Yes, sir!”
Even though Tong-Kuang doubted the corrections that Zheng-Fu gave him, he could feel something strange in his Qi energy. So, he quickly recited everything in the paper that Zheng-Fu gave him. Once he remembered everything, he began to move…
Whoosh!
Whirr!
Boom!
“Unbelievable!”
Tong-Kuang’s performance on the first set of the movement of the Sword of Cocoon technique was perfect. There was no hiccup in the moves. Everything was like a stream of water that flowed without any obstructions from rocks in the river. Tong-Kuang could deliver a much better powerful force too…
He turned to look at Zheng-Fu with utmost admiration and respect. Even though Zheng-Fu was still a kid, his competence and understanding surpassed his age…
Thud!
All of a sudden, Tong-Kuang kneeled in front of Zheng-Fu…
“What are you doing, brother Tong-Kuang!?”
Tong-Kuang: “I swear that I will be by your side for the rest of my life. No matter what happens or no matter what you want me to do, I’ll do it for you…”
“Don’t say that, brother Tong-Kuang.”
Tong-Kuang: “No, young master! I’ve made up my mind…”
*A long sigh!*
“Alright! If you wish so. Come! Show me the rest of the sword fighting techniques that you’ve got. I might be able to help make them more efficient.”
“Yes, sir!”
Tong-Kuang then started to show his moves on the rest of the sword fighting techniques that his family owned. Zheng-Fu at the same time watched him while looking at the moves in the manuals too. He found a lot of inaccuracies in many places and helped Tong-Kuang fix them. In the end, the three sword fighting techniques that belonged to Tong-Kuang’s family were improved from being the mid-level of the lower-level fighting skill to the lower-level of the intermediate-level fighting skill…
Time flew by, but Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang were still practicing martial arts with strong determinations. Tong-Kuang’s energy improved gradually after he received help from Zheng-Fu. His skills in his family’s sword fighting techniques were better as well…
Squawk!
A loud shriek, all of a sudden, happened not far from where Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang were. The noise literally shook the trees in the area…
“What was that noise!?”
Both Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang ceased their practice and turned to look in the direction that the loud shriek came from. They started to feel intensely worried…
Tong-Kuang: “Young master, let’s get out of here! I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay any longer…”
“Yeah!”
“Alright. Let’s call it quit today!”
Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang both agreed to leave the scene, but then…
Boom!
An explosion occurred and its impact shattered the trees around the area. Then, Zheng-Fu and Tong-Kuang saw something as tall as a 4-meter creature. It was covered by heavy fur all over its body with a pair of red fiery eyes. Its claws were extremely sharp too…
Squawk!
“A…a…a monster!”
Tong-Kuang’s face turned bloodless instantly because the monster in front of him was very frightening. It exhibited energy that proved to be stronger than his. By now, Zheng-Fu was losing his strength in his legs because of the pressure of that intense monstrous energy…
Tong-Kuang: “Run, young master!”
“No. You must come with me. I can’t leave you behind!”
Zheng-Fu tried to lift himself straight against that monstrous energy, but it was too hard to bring himself up. He could hardly even breathe now…
Squawk!
Tong-Kuang: “This is not good. If it goes on like this, it wouldn’t be safe for young master!”
Tong-Kuang could see that Zheng-Fu was about to lose consciousness, so he decided to attack the monster in front of him instantaneously…
“Yah!”
The third set of the movements of the Sword of Butterfly…
[Dancing Butterfly]
Boom!
Shriek!
Tong-Kuang’s force from his sword hit the middle part of the monster’s chest so hard that it had to take a little step back. It also shrieked loudly…
The attack from Tong-Kuang freed Zheng-Fu from that mean energy. He now could pick himself up slowly and looked at the monster before turning to Tong-Kuang who looked extremely weakened. The fighting technique that he just used consumed heavy energy. It was deemed to be his signature move…
Tong-Kuang: “Go, young master! I’ll take care of the monster. Will be right behind you…”
“No! I…”
“Quick! Move!”