Interlude 4: Dragon

"Roshi, may I ask something?"

"Hmm? Spit it out quickly! You shouldn't be distracted while you do Zhuang Zhuang!"

"Who is this "Retsu" the people of the temple keep talking about?"

"…"

Kaku was shockingly silent all of the sudden. It was only a matter of time before Raine would ask such a question. The name of Retsu Kaioh was known all over the world, and even more known in the Beiling temple. But even when he pondered how to answer such a question for several weeks, Kaku still couldn't come up with a good enough answer, an answer that would truly encompass the being named Retsu.

At times, he could only think of one way to describe him, which was to use words that were not his own.

Perhaps it was because those were the correct words after all.

"… In the 4000 years' history of martial arts in china, millions, hundreds of millions of fighters tried to create a complete ideal martial art. But they failed. Some failed due to illness, some failed due to injuries, some couldn't take the harsh and rigorous training, and some couldn't live long enough. But there was one, the one who didn't stop at any obstacle, the one that was complete, we even called him a living miracle. He had reached the top where only I could get up to, at a young age not even past his 30's. He never stopped improving his martial art skills at any moment. He managed to reach beyond the limits where the end exists and then some. We are all proud, because he was one of our own. The greatest martial artist the modern world had even seen, the master of masters, the one and only dragon!"

"Retsu Kaioh!"

"And you now follow the same path he once did. Raine whispers, do you think you have what it takes to face the obstacles he did? To walk the path of suffering and devotion that he followed? Are you strong enough to carry on his legacy? Because of you are not, then I suggest you stop wasting your time and go home."

…

Raine remembered the words they said to their master that day.

And in front of Jyaku, those words started to boil in their blood with heat that they had never felt before. The resolve to fulfill that promise flared up like never before.

And finally, Raine understood the unwavering persistence that made humans who they are.

…

"Roshi, if China has lost its dragon…"

"THEN KNOW THAT A NEW DRAGON HAS COME FROM A WORLD BEYOND THIS ONE"