CHAPTER 20: Moving on
Characters:
Mok Ming Hei - Benny Chan
Mok Tian Hau
Duan Shun
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The sun rised high the next day, it was burning the air as if it was an oven. The air was extremely hot and humid. Even though there is this terrible weather, Tian Hau and Ming Hei still went out. They went out into the bamboo forest where Tian Hau watched as Ming Hei preformed his martial arts in front of him. Ming Hei did a couple of flips and kicks into the air and moved his hands expertly around. With one shot, he swipted his hands at chest level across the horizon and thousands of leaves around began to pick itself up and follow the direction of Ming Hei's movement and all darted at a tree, and was stuck on the tree too, as if they were darts. TIan Hau stared at amazment, Ming Hei did too.
"Did... did I do that?" asked Ming Hei confusingly.
"Yes you did. You've began to understand level 6!" said Tian Hau.
"Level 6?! How? I mean, what? How did I understand it all of a sudden? Wait... huh?" said Ming Hei in confusion. Tian Hau knew that the day Ming Hei will reach level 6 is the day that he finally grew to like someone. He gave his so a smile.
"Ming Hei, do you like someone?" asked Tian Hau.
"What? Why are you asking me something like that all of a sudden? I don't like anyone, why would I like anyone" said Ming Hei rapidly.
"Are you lying to me son?" questioned Tian Hau with a smile on his mouth.
"No I'm not. Why do you think I would? Okay, IF I do... who would it be? I hardly know any girls!" said Ming Hei.
"Really?" Tian Hau crossed his arms.
"Really," said Ming Hei. Tian Hau noticed how his face glowed a little red. Ming Hei on the other hand, had the image of Mei Yin suddenly popped into his mind.
"Now, since you have reached level 6, I will give you this weapon," said Tian Hau. He then untied his white sheath from his waist and handed it to Ming Hei. Ming Hei stared at amazement; he has never known that his father wears a sheath around his hip.
"What is that? Why... why is it hardly visable? I never knew you carried a sword," questioned Ming Hei.
"It's my sheath and sword. Is it really hardly visable? Well, that's a good thing. In my whole life, I posess three weapons: this sword, a flute, and a fan. This sword and sheath will now be yours," said Tian Hau.
Ming Hei received the sheath and sword from his father's hands and stared at it with amazement.
"What are you waiting for? Put it on!" said Tian Hau. Ming Hei did as told and realized how camouflaged it was no matter how he moves. He feels like he wasn't carrying a sword at all, because it was so light. Tian Hau laughed at the amazement of his son.
"Father, are you going to teach me how to swordfight now?" asked Ming Hei devotedly.
"No," said Tian Hau. Ming Hei looked at him in oddity. "You know it all already."
"Know it all already? What do you mean? I never knew anything about sword fighting. Level 1 to 5 that you taught me are all only leg fighting and fist fighting. What do you mean?" said Ming Hei.
"You'll see. Lift your sword and move it around a bit with your fist and leg techniques and see what will happen," said Tian Hau.
Ming Hei was still confused, but he did as he was told. He kicked himself into the airs and his sword circled across a mere inch from the ground and a blast of wind occurred and a little tornado formed itself and blew up into a tree and shattered its leaves. Ming Hei stared in perplexity. "Did... did I do that?" Tian Hau nodded with satification.
"The thing about out family's martial arts is that once you work up to level 5, level 6 to 9 will be an easy grip as long as you found the way to it. Our fist and leg techniques relate to any fighting with any weapons. That is the best point about our martial arts. Once you surpass level 5, level 6 to 9 will be easy to teach," said Tian Hau smiling.
"But I have never learned sword fighting, how---" started Ming Hei.
"It's all because of you," said Tian Hau. He gave him a tap on the head. Ming Hei looked at him in confustion. "Now, you know how to work the sword, but there are still some tricks to it. Let me show you," Tian Hau then took a twig and did some tricks of sword fighting with it. Ming Hei then imitated his father's work. They did this for the rest of the day. By the end of this day, Ming Hei was able to grasp the power of the sword. He felt like it was attached to the sword somehow.
That night, Ming Hei tip toed into his father's room, but his father noticed him by a mere tap on the ground.
"Ming Hei, why aren't you asleep?" said Tian Hau as he continued doing some calculations at the desk.
"Father, you must know everything! I was walking so softly! Once again, you can hear me!" said Ming Hei as he sat next to his father happily.
"You should be sleeping now, you still have to practice your sword fighting tomorrow," said Tian Hau.
"I will but father..." started Ming Hei.
"You want something don't you?" said Tian Hau. Ming Hei gave his father a little laugh.
"You said that the day I reach level 6, you'll let me practice with your flute," said Ming Hei.
"Yes I did," said Tian Hau.
"Then can I--" started Ming Hei.
"Yes you can, but not today, it's too late. Maybe a few days later, after you can fully grasp the power of the sword and make it obey you, and not have you obeying it," said Tian Hau.
"That might take forever! It took me so long to be able to get to level 6! Who knows when I'll be able to grasp the sword?" said Ming Hei.
"I'll promise you, in 7 days, you'll be able to grasp it," said Tian Hau.
"Really?" said Ming Hei amazingly.
"Yes. Now, for these 5 days, you'll have to go to the bamboo forest with me ever single day to practice. After these 7 days, THEN I'll let you try my flute, okay?" said Tian Hau.
"Yes Sir!" said Ming Hei as he scurried outside and went to sleep. Once again, Tian Hau laughed at his son's childness.
'He's already 18, and he's still like a little kid. If he was lucky, he would have probly had a wife and kids by now, but I see that HE is the kid.' thought Tian Hau. He then started pondering about who the girl that Ming Hei liked is. The only girl that can pop into his mind, and hope is, is Siu Lan.
For the next 5 days, whether wind and shine, all Ming Hei did was focusing to improve his sword skills, which he adapted easily. Tian Hau watched every move of his son and realized how much talent that he does have in it. He wanted to make clear whom the person that he son likes is, but he decided that this was not the time to ask again yet. On this 7th day, he has realized that Duan Shun and a few others were hiding around the area which Ming Hei was practicing his martial arts at. He was keeping an eye on the intruders, because this was the 7th day of which he was told to give the Ching Sum Kuet to Duan Shun. He sees that there were at least 5 people and Duan Shun hiding around.
"Ming Hei, your sword fighting is good, but let me show you a few more moves," said Tian Hau.
"Okay father," said Ming Hei as he handed his sword to him.
Tian Hau picked the sword up and did a few moves, which Ming Hei watched carefully, trying to grasp ever action. Tian Hau then swipted his sword across the trees, releasing a powerful blast of leaf darts out towards the intruders, all of them had the leaves slit across their chest and brought to their death, except for Duan Shun. Duan Shun stared frightenly at Tian Hau, knowing that he has not used his full power. Tian Hau then kicked into a flip towards Duan Shun's direction. There, he shot three deadly needles into Duan Shun's heart. Duan Shun gasp and froze in pain. Tian Hau finished his act and Ming Hei clapped continuously and naively.
"That was powerful! How can you move the sword so fast that the leaves flew that high and so powerfully?" questioned Ming Hei.
"The key word is 'practice,'" said Tian Hau. "Okay, you've practiced enough for today. During these 5 days, you have really grasped the power of the sword. Starting with tomorrow, you will go and practice it yourself okay?"
"You're not going to watch me?" said Ming Hei.
"Father has to care for our medicine shop. Mother can not handle it alone," said Tian Hau.
"Father, can I ask you something?" said Ming Hei.
"Go ahead," said Tian Hau.
"Why are you always so cold to mother? When she talks to you, you don't answer. If you do answer, you always yell at her. When she does things for you with her heart, you treat it like trash. Why?" said Ming Hei.
Tian Hau looked at his son for a moment and then turned away.
"Father, why aren't you facing me? Is there something wrong with your relationship with mother?" asked Ming Hei as he walked up in front of his father. His father turned around and walked away from him. "Father!"
"You're just a little kid still, don't worry about adult's business that much," said Tian Hau with his back to his son.
"Little kid? Father, I'm 18 this year!" said Ming Hei as he stepped in front of his father.
"It's our problem, it has nothing to do with you," said Tian Hau.
"Even if it has nothing to do with me, do you know how sad mother is each and every time you treat her coldly? She cries herself to sleep almost every day! If there is a problem, can't you two just sit together and talk about it until it's solved?" said Ming Hei.
"The problem is not that simple. You wouldn't understand. Now, go home. Mother will need your help to dry some medicine," said Tian Hau. Ming Hei looked at his dad's eyes and then turned away swiftly as he stomped his way home. He feels that he does not understand his father at all and that he's hiding something from him.
As soon as Ming Hei was out of the distance, Tian Hau walked to the spot where Duan Shun is, hidden behind a bush with three needles stabbed in his heart. Tian Hau bent down and pulled out the needles expertly. Duan Shun suddenly woke up from his pain. He then placed his hand on his injured area, stood up, and exchanged eyes with Tian Hau. They stared at each other for a long while, just looking at each other with hatred in their pupils.
"The needles I aimed at you White Cliff Magical Needle (Bak Bik Sun Jum). Once you get hit with three White Cliff Magical Needle, you will not be able to you're your inner strength. Once you do use you, you'll die at the instance when blood gets gushed out of your mouth. I do not want to kill you, but if you are going to have to interfere with my life, this is the thing I have to do. Don't bother looking for cures for this. Only I, and the White Cloud Sect (Bak Wun Pai), the magical medicine kingdom, has the cure for this. No one else in the world does. Good bye and I'll hope to never see you again, brother..." said Tian Hau. The last word 'brother' was the only thing that made him not kill Duan Shun. After giving his speech, Tian Hau walked away. Duan Shun glared at his shadow with vengeance and vowed to get revenge from him. Just then, he came up with a plan...