It took very little time to reach the thicket. It was a small clearing in the forest with a slight incline, no rivers, and a lot of grass. It was also far enough away that the old master wouldn't start yelling at them about the noise though the last noise was music and he could complain all he wanted about that one.

Shāng Bù Huàn was certainly looking forward to the spar. Làng's technique was very different from his own. It relied almost completely on sound and was rooted in his natural enchantments, though he was hardly a slouch with a sword either. He'd seen some wild things of what Làng actually could do with his voice. Creating barriers, deflecting attacks, distractions. He fought Làng only briefly before, but this was a different Làng than the songbird he'd encountered in the palace.

Even with Làng's intriguing techniques, Shāng had his own skills up his sleeve. He drew his sword, the release of qi with it threw the grass and scattered leaves backward.

Làng Wū Yáo had felt it before. Shāng suppressed his qi when not fighting, but when he released it, it practically exploded. Every move Shāng did was laced with massive bursts of qi that seemed to manifest out of nowhere. It left the musician wondering what would truly happen if Shāng used an actual sword instead of a wooden stick. He heard it. He knew what that sword truly was.

Làng made the first move, firing off several successive sonic attacks at Shāng. He listened to the soft rustling of grass as Shāng dodged each one with more movement than was probably necessary. But Shāng's style tended to be like that. It was blunt and brutal with movements easier to hear, but that ability to manipulate qi with anything he touched would make things more difficult. The qi could extend past the weaponry, and while Làng was sensitive to it, that qi was still harder to judge.

Shāng was more accustomed to seeing sonic attacks from training with Mù but something about Làng's did feel different. It was the way he precisely challenged the qi through his movements, making no wasted effort with each pluck of the strings. Làng was absolutely tracking him. He dodged the next attack, taking the moment to dash forward and swipe with a broad stroke of his sword.

Làng shifted, using Líng Yá to block the attack with the side of the pipa.

"You'll have to do better than that!" the pipa taunted.

Làng changed his stance, moving to kick the wooden blade from Shāng's hand while they were in close combat.

Shāng dodged quickly, sensing the shift in stance. He withdrew backwards, striking again only to be thwarted by the pipa. Làng was faster than he expected, that honed sense of his likely picking up on Shāng's movements just as he prepared them.

Làng hadn't taken his eyes off Shāng, though his ears were doing most of the assessment. Blow for blow, Làng blocked the attacks with Líng Yá until he withdrew backwards. Shifting the pipa in his hands, he dropped the base to the ground. The impact created a soundwave that flattened the grass and pulled the leaves from the trees.

Shāng had seen that move before when they fought the Hunting Fox. It was much broader than he'd expected, forcing him to quickly dodge upward into the trees. Làng wasn't holding back so neither should he.

Shāng landed back on the ground, wasting no time in taking the offensive with more power than before. He certainly had no intent on harming Làng at all, but he also didn't want to hold back and not help them communicate and understand each other in and out of battle. That was the plan of this spar, after all. They were still getting to know each other, and the more they understood one another, the better they could have each other's backs.

Làng noticed the next strike had more power than the last. He could feel the pressure as he blocked with the pipa, digging his heels into the ground with each successive attack. He found himself with less and less time to force a separation between them with a sonic attack. He swiped at Shāng with his boot, forcing the distance before firing off more sonic attacks but each time, Shāng was quick to close the gaps.

This was much different than the training with his mother.

Shāng leapt backwards after Làng forced him away with the sonic attacks. He landed on the ground, keeping his distance this time, ducking behind a tree.

Làng watched him move, his ears taking over and mapping the world around him. The trees would hinder Làng's sonic attacks. Clever, but that would only work so well. He listened to Shāng's steps. It definitely wasn't cover he was after. Shāng was far too direct and powerful a fighter for that. He was after something else, and Làng was intent on disrupting whatever that was. He wondered if Shāng would hear this one coming.

Loosening the strings on Líng Yá, Làng played a particularly strong note that didn't have any visible attack. Instead it reverberated the trees nearby, causing them to crack with the qi he placed inside them.

Shāng leapt backwards, barely picking up the noise as the trees bent and quickly fell. Làng definitely had a different approach than Mù did. She likely would've pursued, using music as a distraction while drawing her blade. But Làng was different, choosing to use the environment in a very different way.

He quickly dodged as Làng fired off several sonic attacks. Driving his foot into the tree branches, he broke several off, firing them at Làng with his qi one by one.

Làng had seen this ability before though on a much larger scale. Shāng was capable of manipulating a multitude of branches to drive through his opponents. But this battle didn't have the intent to kill. It was a test of strength and skill.

Làng easily dodged the branches, listening to them wizz past one by one. But they were a distraction, weren't they? With the last branch fired, Shāng followed them towards the musician, dodging the redhead's sonic attacks. He leapt upward, driving his sword downward. Làng blocked with Líng Yá, feeling the pressure of the attack drive his heels into the ground again.

The next blow, Shāng shifted his stance, driving his elbow at Làng. The impact didn't strike Líng Yá hard. It was the qi that followed close behind so sharply that it went through the pipa and right into the musician's midsection. The impact threw Làng backwards. Shāng quickly reached forward, snagging Làng's collar to keep him from tumbling down the hill.

Làng stared at him for a moment as he gripped Líng Yá tightly still in a defensive position. He hadn't expected that one. He knew full well Shāng was capable of extending qi past a weapon but to do it with an elbow? Shāng truly was a master of qi, that much was clear. Làng accepted the extended hand, standing firmly on his feet once again.

"You almost had me there a few times," Shāng confessed. "I wasn't expecting you to crack the trees in half."

"I thought you were going to crack me in half!" Líng Yá fussed.

"Well that wasn't exactly my intent," Shāng admitted. "But it's not like Làng was holding back either."

"Not completely." Làng rubbed his stomach. He could still feel the impact of the qi going right through him. He replaced some of the damage with some fresh qi, feeling everything back to normal pretty quickly. "I have no intent of cutting you in half with sound. It was a spar after all. Between friends."

Shāng grinned. He had no intention of fully using his qi against Làng either. That elbow attack could've caused his insides to completely explode out his backside. But Làng was his friend, so no way would he use the full extent of his abilities. "I feel like I could better take on that sonic sword now."

Shāng felt like he understood Làng just a bit better too. That refined movement from years of training, that passion that drove him, that uncanny ability to see with his ears. This wasn't the same Làng he'd fought before. This was someone different, someone better, someone he dared to call friend.

Làng nodded. He could understand Shāng's style a bit more now that he'd experienced it for more than a few attacks. It was blunt but that was its strength. He didn't need to be sharp like Làng's attacks often were. Perhaps in a way, he could understand Shāng himself a bit more too. Shāng held everything back even with how brutal his style was. There was a controlled restraint Làng hadn't noticed before.

Shāng was very different from him, but that didn't mean they couldn't become strong friends and allies. He was definitely someone Làng could trust to have his back. A strange thought after everything he'd been through before now, something he was still trying to process. He wasn't alone anymore. He had Shāng and Mù and even Líng Yá now.

"Though I wonder what would've happened if you had Líng Yá transform," Shāng pondered.

"That's only for bad guys!" Líng Yá answered. "Làng would be pissed off and probably go live in the mountains for the rest of his life if he used the sword on you and- okay okay!" The pipa screeched as Làng silenced him.

Shāng laughed, placing a hand on Làng's shoulder. "I get that."

Làng turned towards the hut up the mountain. He heard the door of the cabin creak as it opened. "The brush is likely done."

"Then let's get it and seal those swords," Shāng nodded.

"I'm sure you'll get struck a few times in the head before we go!" Líng Yá teased.

Shāng sighed. The pipa was probably right.

...

Author's musings

I'd been wanting to write a spar between Làng and Shāng! I'd imagine at this stange in their friendship, this was the first time they'd actually sparred as friends and not enemies like in the movie. In current times, I bet they spar a lot to keep their skills up.