Past Joys Found in the Present

I watched Zizi rack his brains for an answer, which brought to my attention that he didn’t share a single trait with me. He had been sheltered for the thirteen years of life he had been alive, which wasn’t a privilege I had. Accordingly, he was likely to take a different path to me in the future even if he learnt the same things.

Zizi peered into the ether, while General Manager Bai tensely watched him similarly to a mother worrying her son would answer his exam question wrong.

“I do not think so. Mother told me that lots of things could be achieved with money, but money would be as valuable as rocks if we were somewhere without many people. It is always people who are responsible for doing things, not money. The same goes for martial arts. As Xiao said, using martial arts for bad intents is unjust, and using martial arts for good will is just.”

General Manager Bai’s raised shoulders finally descended.

I turned to Tang Ye. “What’s your opinion?”

“… I think… it’s hard to distinguish. I’ve met many just and unjust people in the martial world… I’ve seen swordsmen on the side of justice committing murder without batting an eye, and I’ve evil people using poison, yet they had benevolence in their hearts. Whether one is good or evil is hard enough to distinguish, let alone martial arts.”

I smiled as with the aura of a deity. “My shifu asked me same question back then. I replied, ‘There’s no such thing as good or evil martial arts disciplines. Even if there are, aren’t they created by man? Are the disciplines evil, or are people evil?’”

Two young men and one Su Xiao started to brood.

Don’t think about it so hard. He posed the question to me when I was seven. The only thing on my mind at the time was what time we were going to eat.

“You’ll have to face the question later again for sure, so just consider it homework. I’ll listen to your answers in the future. Dismissed.”

Once the three went off on their own ways to do their martial arts, I went off to the side to dry my forehead.

How was I supposed to know the three of them were so clever?! Forget young Zizi not knowing being worldly-wise, but Su Xiao and Tang Ye were trying to embarrass me. One of them never forgot what he heard, while another had a good memory and vast knowledge. Why the hell did they have to know so much? You think it was easy for me to fabricate educational content? God damn.

I’m never teaching classes again, or I’ll be exposed.

“You’re going to take Lord Zi as your disciple?”

Boss appeared by my side and watched General Manager Bai accompany Lord Zi walk away, shadow boxing as he walked.

“Zizi isn’t bad. I’m still considering. His Majesty didn’t set a deadline. Whether or not I can take him on, though, he’s definitely going to stay at Liu Shan Men.” Before Boss could ask why, I leaned my head in to her hear and whispered.

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”𝒃𝒆𝙙𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“Then… let’s let Lord Zi stay for a while. We won’t be in the capital for much longer, though. What do you think?”

I flipped my hands over. “We’ll have to do something, or his safety will be at risk.”

Boss smiled. “You’ve taught him martial arts, yet you still refuse to take him on as your official disciple. You’re putting on too many airs.”

“I only taught foundational knowledge for him to learn whatever he wants later, but there’s no Mount Daluo knowledge in there. At most, if you really want to reach, there’s only the top of the tip of my shifu’s knowledge.”

I didn’t even know the top of the tip…

“I’ve always wanted to ask,” Boss turned to face me, “why can’t you use any of Mount Daluo’s skills?”

“… Don’t ask that all of a sudden! You’re making me awkward and didn’t give me time to come up with a lie! Me promising not to lie to you isn’t a license to catch me off guard like this! Shifu refused to teach me and told me I wouldn’t be able to learn them. What could I have done?! Don’t go! I’m being serious!”

Later in the day, I took Zizi out for a stroll. General Manager Bai only agreed to not accompany us after I told her I wanted to see if he qualified to be my disciple.

“Shifu, where are we going?”

I had a think before responding, “Beating up bad guys. Interested?”

“Yes!” Zizi gradually warmed up his arms and beamed. “I can’t stand bullies. Mother told me that I have to learn martial arts so that I can put bad people in their place.”

Knowing Brilliant Consort, I could imagine how she looked teaching Zizi. The imperial family demanded all their children to practice martial arts regardless of gender for health purposes and to protect themselves. She was the only person who dared to tell her son, a Prince, to go and see that justice was honoured. She really was fearless.

Zizi was thirteen this year, so his mother couldn’t have changed much from when I last saw her. Zizi, on the other hand, grew noticeably taller in the six months I hadn’t seen him. Although he was still evidently a kid, he had shed the image of an ignorant child. He’d probably have been as tall as an adult in another two years. He used to have such soft features that he could’ve passed off as a girl, but he occasionally looked manly now. Time truly was a mysterious thing. On second thought, I realised that not only time but events could’ve been the catalyst for his change.

“You’ve grown quite a bit after your trip to Luoyang, huh?”

Zizi flinched.

I was right? Did he get bullied there or something? No wonder why his aura had changed, except I couldn’t tell why until now.

“You got bullied?”

Despite being tense, Zizi didn’t sound angry or sad. Instead, he looked embarrassed as he coyly answered, “I… met a few elder girls who fooled me into a place for washing and stripped me…”

That’s not the bullying I was thinking off! Kid, it’s still too early for you! I mean, I’ve heard kids of the imperial family learn about this stuff sooner than the average kid, but it’s still too soon for you! I thought you were just hung upside down and assaulted! I didn’t realise you were forced to graduate into adulthood already!

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