Fight Back
Fight Back
In the middle of the floor, Shi Yen positioned herself in her guard stance, craning her neck. "Fight back," she instructed Yuan Shun. "Otherwise, you'd be insulting me."
Yuan Shun grinned, roguish and honest. "I will," he replied.
They both placed one foot ahead of the other, facing each other as they held their staffs out at a 45-degree angle.
"Start," Master Wong shouted.
Shi Yen barred her teeth, gripping her staff hard as she launched herself to collide with him.
Yuan Shun defended. He met her strike brutally and thunderously. He countered by spinning to strike her from behind. Shi Yen ducked, spinning her staff over her back, switching hands so that she could pummel him from her left side. Then, she had it to his neck, hovering an inch from his column, and she had won the round within a minute.
Yuan Shun looked at her wide-eyed and breathless.
Shi Yen backed away, glancing at her students who watched and observed in awe. Yuan Shun defended himself based on the instinct of training roaring and thundering in him, but he never experienced the rush of a threat or facing danger directly. And Shi Yen was threat and danger incarnate.
Yuan Shun knew she was good. He had anticipated and mentally prepared himself to face her, hoping to catch up with every one of her swift and concise moves. But she honed martial arts. She tamed and willed each move to be her upper hand, even if it seemed like she left an opening.
It made him determined to be her match.
Yuan Shun then positioned himself again, facing Shi Yen.
Shi Yen's expression had no regard for him as her lover. She looked at him as a worthy opponent.
Shi Yen then propelled herself towards him again. Yuan Shun countered by clashing their staffs, misleading her by being predictable, and then he aimed for her torso. Shi Yen grinned as she turned sideways, and he missed.
Yuan Shun didn't lower his guard. He countered her attack for his legs, and she backed away slightly, eyes blazing. She then spun around, searching for a new opening, which Yuan Shun did not give.
Shi Yen lunged forward, and Yuan Shun hit her staff. He locked an arm around it, pulling her forward until she fell on the ground. Chest rising, Yuan Shun looked down at her to see if she was hurt, but she rolled over, and she was up faster than when she fell.
She was weaponless, and Shi Yen didn't throw the match yet.
Gritting his teeth, Yuan Shun lunged forward, and Shi Yen raised her hands, swiftly and deftly dodging his attacks. She arched her back; she bowed her head, and she got closer to him without him noticing. Shi Yen moved as if she was performing a dance she recited over and over again without tiring. But instead of performing a routine, she free-styled. She adapted depending on who her opponent was so that she wasn't predictable.
The staff was useless to him as she got closer. She quickly gripped it, and they fought over who'd have the firmer grip on the staff. Yuan Shun lifted a leg to kick her, but Shi Yen had used her forearm to defend herself. She smiled wickedly at him, backing him up as she caught his leg.
Yuan Shun wriggled until he regained control.
Shi Yen then reached for the staff that fell out of her hands, and she was armed again.
Yuan Shun was panting breathlessly. He paused, watching for Shi Yen's move, trying to calculate what she would do next. It was useless.
She jumped, striking down. Yuan Shun's eyes widened. He held his staff in a vertical stance, and though he ducked away. A crash rang through the room, and his eyes widened, realizing she had broken his staff in half.
Shi Yen was looking at him with bloodlust filling her eyes. She then defeated him with the swipe of his legs, and he fell.
Yuan Shun hit the ground, looking at the woman above him. It took him a few moments to recollect himself and to grin at her. He sighed. "I'm not surprised I lost, love."
"No hard feelings?"
"Never," he replied.
Yuan Shun knew she'd win. He'd be worried if she didn't.
"I hope you took a careful observation," Shi Yen said to her students before dismissing them. "This was a good and equal match."
After they finished, Yuan Shun went up to Master Wong's apartment, using his shower to wash up and change.
He then waited at the studio for Shi Yen as she took her turn.
Yuan Shun gazed at the photos of a wall Master Wong kept. Most of them were pictures of alumni of all varying ages. He found a picture of Shi Yen before one of her competitions.
"Shi Yen began to compete six months after she started," Master Wong said from behind. "She was a very diligent and persistent student."
"She had you as her master, and I'm sure she had her father as her mentor."
"Mhm, yes," Master Wong replied. "Shi Yen was very determined to be like her father, almost as if she wanted to prove herself that she was worthy, even though she had no competitors."
Yuan Shun chuckled. Knowing Shi Yen, she would compete with anyone or anything, even herself. His eyes glazed over more of the pictures. His gaze paused at a familiar face. It surprised him, as he never would expect it.
"Master Wong, how early do you start training pupils?" Yuan Shun questioned.
"Perhaps as early as four or five. I don't get many requests that young, although. Some parents would send them if they want to train their children to gain some confidence, defence, or prosocial skills. I mostly start with a few basics, and they're usually all private lessons."
Yuan Shun stared at it carefully. "And how long do they train?"
"Until they complete all their courses or until their parents pull them out. Shi Yen was one of the few that continued after she finished, but that's mostly because she started later than most of my students. And also because she helps me around the studio."
"I see," Yuan Shun elongated. His thoughts were drifting when Shi Yen came to his side and said, "are you ready to go?"
Yuan Shun whirled to face her. "Yes. We can't be late," he said.