“You’ve learned the basics of hand to hand combat. But you still lack disciple and experience when it comes to it. I will be teaching you real martial arts.” Xin said.
“Nothing with the Katana yet?” Saul asked.
“For now, no. You depend too much on weapons. Weapons are good but what good are you if your weapons break or you are disarmed? Will you just slap your enemies to death?” Xin asked.
“I mean if I’m able to kill with slaps alone then maybe.” He said sarcastically. To which Xin responded by whacking him in the back of his head with her Po Staff.
“Take this serious child.” She said.
“Child?! You’re no older than I am!” Saul replied while he was rubbing the back of the head. Xin pokes Saul in his chest as it sends a powerful nerve pulse as he became paralyze and falls on his back.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I am a demon. The same goes for the others as well. Meaning we’re a lot older than you think we are. So, if I were you, I would suggest you hold your tongue with me, Shao Saul. Respect your elders.” Xin said as he pokes at Saul’s pressure point again as he could move his body again. She then takes his Katana and slips into her sleeve.
“So, what do I do first?” Saul asked.
“Show me what you’ve got.” Xin said. She poses her fighting style.
Saul then raised his arms in a boxer stance as Xin stood there. She waited for Saul to strike first. He lunges forward as he takes aright jab at her but Xin bends back and dodges his strike and kicks him on the butt that launches him on the other side of the summit.
“Again!” she shouts.
The way shouts are similar to how Frey shouts at him during their training session. He gets back up and dashes back at Xin and leg sweep but she jumps up without even turning around to see him then kicks him back a few feet.
“Again!” she shouts.
Saul wipes the blood off of his lip and gets back up and takes a few more swings at Xin but she dodges each of his swings with her eyes close. She then grabs one of his arms after a missed swing and hits his stomach area with an open palm as he was sent flying to the other side of the summit with a powerful impact. He felt all the air in his body leave from her palm strike. He gasps for air as his body waver trying to stay up. But regardless of his injury, he gets back up and tries again. Xin was still at the center of the summit waiting for him to try again. This time, Saul tried a different approach. He remembered Xin was a martial artist, so why not fight martial arts with martial arts. Though he doubts what little he has learned from two years of karate will help him now. Regardless, he takes a deep breath and pulls his right arm close to his chest and his left arm outward. Xin raised her eyebrow then suddenly yells out to Saul.
“Stop! Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop! STOP!” She said as she rushes over. “Boy, what exactly are you doing?” she asks while holding her anger.
“I’m taking my stance? What’s wrong with me doing that?” Saul answers curiously. All of sudden, Xin slaps him across his face so hard it snapped his neck.
“EVERYTHING?! My god, you make newbies back home look like pros. I knew you were a rookie but I never believed that you were this bad! What has my brother and the others have been teaching you? Boy?” She asked. But then she saw that Saul’s head was twisted a complete one-eighty from her slap.
“Opps.” She said as she holds Saul’s head and snaps it back into place.
Saul quickly gasps for air as he thought that he died….again.
“Jesus, I’m not gonna get used to that am I?” Saul asks.
“This is the only thing that you must get used to is the pain that we will put you through our training methods. And clearly what you were doing is a mere mockery of martial arts!” She yells.
“Well can you blame me? I’ve only Karate for about two years when I was a kid.” He said.
“Two years? Why did you stop? Even at your own caliber, you could have gone to be an elite within 7 years.” she said.
“My mother thought it would be “Too dangerous and unnecessary” to learn at the age of seven. I tried to learn on my own by watching videos on YouTube but…. I couldn’t pull it off on my own.” He said with an embarrassment and disappointment in his voice.
“Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t? It sounds to me that you’re mainly making excuses and doubting yourself that you “can’t” do it. No such thing this world or any world for that matter.” She exclaims.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“Back in the west, my masters taught me that there is no such thing as “No Talent” at all. We were taught with the belief and philosophy that everyone has a talent, no matter how big or small it is, all of it can achieve many great things. They just need their flaws ground out into polish. The same goes for you boy. You have shown signs that you once knew martial arts, however, like a machine with unusable gears or a dead nail in a fence you have become rusty.” She said.
“So, all I have to do freshen up with my Karate?” he asked.
“Not Karate. Karate is good as a sport’s martial arts and self-defense. But not in our line of work. You will be learning other manners of martial arts.” She said.
“Like Taekwondo or Kung Fu?” he asked.
“Exactly. But I won’t accept any ifs, ands, or buts that you“can’t do it”. You will be practicing until your body breaks or you break! Got it?!” She yells.
“Yes ma’am!” Saul yells and gives off a salute to her but then gets whacked on the back of his head.
“Do not do that.” She said.
The first thing Xin showed was how to properly make a stance. Since Saul is right-handed, he will need to push his right body forward. Right leg twist to his right, left foot out, fists close, and his body needs to be lower and his back straight. She instructs him to do a quick jab then pulls it back jab with his left arm. But then she would hit him to never just swing your arms wildly like a maniac.
“You thrust, pull, thrust, pull, and thrust again. Do it again!” she said as she demonstrates how it’s done.
Soon after he was doing some punching drills, they moved onto stretching exercises. First, he tried to reach for his feet but could get as far as his sheens. Xin then came from behind him and pushed Saul’s back further to reached his foot but in the process, she also cracked his back. Saul let out a huge scream of pain and agony that could be heard for miles even from the summit to the foot of the mountain. When he thought it would be over, he was very wrong as Xin made him stretch out for his other leg and again, cracked his back to make him reach for the foot to which he again, he screams in pain and agony that could be heard from miles away. He did the same exercise for an hour until he moved on to the next which was attempting to do a perfect split. Which was easier said than done as he was about a few inches away from his crotch to reach the ground. He was attempting to push his body down even further but he was doing very slowly. Xin was losing her patience as he was trying for about an hour. So, she pulls out a pair of ear mufflers and puts them out as she walks behind him. She grabs him from under his arms and sits on his butt, forcing him to go down further. His face turns hot red as he lets a howling screaming along with some tears rolling down his face. Thankfully Xin put on the mufflers when she did because she did not enjoy the screams one bit and he would be doing a lot more in the next few hours during the rest of his training.
Later, she would then have him practice sparring with her. The difference between their skills was night and day as Saul never manage to land a single blow to her. And even if he could, Xin would most likely counter him by trapping him in-between her legs or in a headlock. The training lasted all day until night time as Saul collapse from exhaustion. His gi was covered in sweat, mud, and bits of blood. He pants while resting on the ground while Xin on the other hand didn’t even try at all. She takes out a small chalk and draws a circle below her and begins to write 9 Kanji around the circle as it begins to glow a white hue as Xin chants.
“Rin. Hyou. Tou. Sha. Kai. Jin. Retsu. Zai. Zen.” She said as she gestures her hand differently for each chant she makes.
The circle illuminates the grounds as finished her chanting. She then walks over towards Saul and picks him and carries him on her shoulder over towards the magic sigil. She then closes her thumb, ring finger, and pinky together leaving her index and middle finger pointing upward. The sigil illuminates brightly as it engulfs them both then teleports them both away from the summit of the mountain and sends them back into the manor’s dining hall where coincidently Sara and the others were there eating dinner.
“SO, YOU DID TAKE HIM WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION AGAIN!” Sara and Frey yelled at Xin.
“Misty. BB. Remove his clothes and wash them for me. And while you're at it, give him a bath as well. He really stinks.” She said while ignoring Sara and Frey.
“Yes, mistress Xin.” They both said as they carry Saul of the dining hall.
Xin then turns towards the dinner tables and takes her seat. She reaches into her sleeve and pulls out a bento box, pair of chopsticks, and a wooden gourd containing sakura tea. She uncovers the bento box as it contains some rolled up sushi, sashimi, cooked steak, and a side of white rice.
“Ittadakimasu.” she said.
“ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING XIN?!” Sara yells again.
“I’m all ears but you need to keep your voice down. You know you have taken after the boy, in terms of the yelling that is.” Xin said as she begins eating.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t interested in him. Last time you only sparred with him because you were bored.” Sara said as she angrily eats her steak.
“That was then. This is now. And as far as I can tell, now I know why you guys piqued your curiosity into his training. However, have you guys ever told him the real truth behind his training?” She asked.
The other paused and looked at each other. They didn’t know that Xin could of catch on to what they’re really doing with Saul’s training methods.
“How did you-“
“Know? Come on, Kam. I know I mostly keep to myself, but that doesn't mean I can catch on just by watching and listening to your conversation with the child. However, he still lacks experience in the heat of battle itself. But I know that will come in due time.” Xin said as she sips her tea.
“You have a point, Xin. But remember, he’s still a child.” Jax commented.
“We all have to grow up, eventually didn’t we? That’s how we all started out.” Xin said.
Everyone sat in their seats in silence. They knew she was right, every last one of them was a child at some point, but then lost it all. It’s the grim reality that they don’t like to hear, knowing that Saul could be next to face this truth sooner or later. Whether it’s in their world or his own, his innocence might be broken soon. Even Xin, contemplated as she eats her dinner.
“By the way Sara.” Xin spoke up.
“What is it?” Sara asked.
“Most of us have already approved of accepting the boy as one of us. But….. what about “her”?” She said as points the empty chair across from her.
“OUT OF THE QUESTION!” Kam and Jax leaped out of their chair and starling everyone at the table including Xin. Fear and dread-filled their expression.
“You know as well I do that the boy’s presence can’t go anywhere near her! We had a close call the first time he came to this world and went to her cabin!” Kam yells in fear.
“We were lucky that she wasn’t home that day. If he goes anywhere near her or her cabin ever again she’ll kill him on the spot! Especially this time of year!” Jax commented as sweat run down his neck in fear of mentioning “her”.
“Both of you calm down.” Sara exclaimed.
“I do agree with both that Saul’s presence will likely be problematic for her mood during this of the year. And we were lucky enough that she wasn't there the same Saul went to her cabin. However, I do agree with Xin that she also needs a say for Saul as our new member of the group. She is a member after all. Until further notice, Saul is forbidden going anywhere near her garden or cabin until the time passes and she’s in a more talkative mood. Who knows what she’ll do to him if she ever comes into contact with Saul.”
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