Chapter 21: The Tale of Shi Jin- Broken Staves (Part 3)
On the Balcony Overlooking Lord Chai's Courtyard
The foes once again squared off in the center, re-entering their battle stances. This time, Wang Jin's staff slightly pointed upwards, while Luan Tingyu's pointed downwards. As before, both stood still as the crowd quieted down, waiting for the continuation of their duel. No smile appeared on Luan's face, as it became expressionless. Shi Jin had no doubt that his master shared the same look. Both instructors knew each other's every move, sparred together countless times, and even almost killed each other.
The young man stood and leaned forward over the railing, focusing his eyes. He wanted to tattoo this memory in his brain because there were few opportunities to see his master fight with all of her ability despite the broken right orbital bone.
The two then slowly circled each other, gradually inching closer, as if focusing on any last-second weakness they could exploit. Finally, Wang struck first with a downward smash that was quickly met with an upwards diagonal block from Luan. The staves collided with each other with such force and sound, Shi Jin swore he could see both staves vibrate, causing both fighters to stagger back. The heavily scarred Instructor recovered first, and with a great yell, she attempted a variety of cross strikes, down strikes, up strikes, and downward smashes at Wang Jin, wind whistling with each movement.
Unlike before, Wang Jin was ready. With her left side in front, her defense contrasted with Luan's, as his master stood her ground, bending her knees and planting her feet like a tree. Yet it was as if Wang Jin could predict every single attack, performing seamless blocks of each strike and smash with perfect technique. This was the defense that Shi Jin repeatedly went up against in their spars. Unlike Shi Jin, who would get frustrated and inevitably make a mistake, Luan continued her onslaught without any hint of annoyance. But his master's defense remained methodical and firm. The echoes of their sticks reverberated throughout the courtyard as the crowd fell into a hush.
Eventually, Luan attempted a leg sweep. Wang Jin jumped and swung a downward smash that was dodged at the last second by her opponent through a side somersault. Luan then lunged her staff with one hand at Wang Jin, who successfully blocked the lunge and pinned her staff to the ground.
His master then aimed a punch at her opponent's chin, who caught it with an open hand and closed her fingers around the fist, trying to twist Wang's hand off. For a moment both warriors struggled as each tried to overpower the other: Wang tried to move her fist inwards while Luan tried twisting it.
Simultaneously, both then kicked each other at the same time. They painfully grunted, falling on their backs. Both then popped back up and continued their fight as their staves collided again. The crowd "woahed" at this and applauded. Shi Jin and Chao Gai clapped their hands as well.
"Maybe I should've bet on time," regretfully complained Mu Hong, "how long their duel would last. I don't know who's going to win this, now!"
Perhaps that was what the water clock tower on the balcony was for. The water flowed for some time as both combatants fought each other to a standstill; neither got the upper hand.
Whenever his master got on the offensive, Luan would perform her dazzling defense and eventually do a brilliant counter that the other blocked or dodged. When the heavily scarred warrior pressed the advantage, Wang Jin's stout defense held.
There were blows that Shi Jin thought would end the match, just not with the staff. A bruise could be seen on Instructor Luan's right cheek from a vicious back fist. Mu Hong prematurely celebrated, then immediately cursed as Instructor Wang's head snapped back from a high-thrust kick in response. Their clothing became dirt-stained with the number of times they rolled and landed on their backs. This was particularly noticeable for Luan, wearing white. But Shi Jin saw the stains on his master's black clothing too. The sun reflected brightly off the sweaty sheen of Luan Tingyu's face. It no doubt would've done the same for Wang Jin if not for the mask. Shi Jin did notice his master's neck also had a sweaty sheen.
At some point after a brief deadlock, the "Invincible Iron Staff" kicked her opponent to the ground, who reverse somersaulted into a sitting position. This time, however, the heavily scarred warrior did not press the advantage, her shoulders lightly moving up and down as if she took a quick breather.
"What incredible conditioning!" commented Chao Gai, "only now have they started to breathe out their mouths... true Arms Instructors indeed!"
Shi Jin nodded, feeling proud of his master in particular. He was not too surprised though, as he witnessed many times her seemingly limitless stamina, such as the first time in Plum Blossom Village. She was the Head Arms Instructor of Dongjing's army, after all, the standard for every soldier in the empire. If she got easily tired from battling one enemy, how could the Empire expect any soldier to last an entire battle from sunrise to sunset?
Wang Jin also took a moment to breathe, evidenced by the movement of her upper body. In that pause, the crowd applauded, shouting their approval.
"KICK THEIR ASS, TINGYU!" shouted Sun Xin.
"NO!" shouted Mu Hong, "WHY ARE YOU LETTING YOUR ENEMY REST?! ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!"
Shi Jin thought he heard Wang Jin say something, her master gesturing towards the crowd, then pointed at the balcony. He saw a small smile appear on Instructor Luan's face as she replied back.
That was when Wang Jin walked over underneath the balcony, her masked face tilted upwards, appearing to look straight at Shi Jin.
"I'm not your enemy! I'm rooting for you! Don't attack me!" yelled an alarmed Mu Hong.
"Hey brat!" yelled Wang Jin, ignoring the dwarf as she reached back with her staff like it was a javelin, "catch!"
The staff was then thrown upwards, and a stunned Shi Jin caught it instinctively. Mu Hong ran to the left side of the balcony out of safety. But interestingly enough, Chao Gai stood her ground, even raising her left hand as if to grab the staff in case Shi Jin missed it.
"Here's a lesson in footwork, student! Watch closely," his master said. Shi Jin broke eye contact to quickly look at an amused-looking Luan Tingyu, who held her staff vertically, with no intention to strike her opponent. Shi Jin then looked back at Wang Jin, who had walked back a bit of distance. His master then went into a crouched position. There were uneasy murmurs from the audience as they had no idea what she was going to do.
"THEIR ASS IS RIGHT THERE! KICK IT YOU FOOL!" shouted Xie Bao in a booming voice. There were a few chuckles in the crowd as Luan shut her eyes and bared her teeth for a second, but did not turn around to remonstrate the tiger hunter. Instead, her focus remained on Wang Jin, who did something completely unexpected.
Like an arrow, his master burst from her crouching stance, sprinting towards one of the columns on the left side of the balcony from where he was standing, her footsteps growing louder as she neared. Then in an incredible feat of athleticism, climbed the 10-foot column like a monkey, grabbed onto the top of the railing, lifted herself up, and stood on the thick top rail.
How in the world?
Mu Hong, Shi Jin, and Chao Gai were shocked. Dai Zong and Lord Chai both applauded, while Stone General Shi Yong merely smiled. A mix of gasps and hollers erupted from the audience, as they pointed at Wang Jin standing on top of the balcony railing above the courtyard. Others began openly complaining that she was breaking the rules and should be ruled out of bounds. Both Sun Xin and Xie Bao were among the latter.
"I'm parched," remarked Wang Jin as she walked on the rail, grabbing Chao Gai's wooden chalice, lifting her mask up, and was just about to drink its contents until she locked eyes with Ward Chief Chao, who was giving an annoyed glare at her.
"Aah, sorry. Here's your cup..."
The chalice was taken back by Chao Gai. Wang Jin then spent a few seconds just staring at the Heavenly King, whose glare was turning into a quizzical look. Then Wang Jin turned her attention to Shi Jin.
"Thanks, brat," Wang Jin as she took the staff from a dumbfounded Shi Jin's hand.
"Master..."
"Talk later. Don't interfere!" Wang Jin curtly barked. Then, she carefully walked to the far side balcony railing near Shi Yong, who sat next to the water clock, pivoting her feet around as she neared the end of the railing, now facing the other side as if she expected...
The audience grew louder as some sort of commotion went on in the courtyard. He looked back at the courtyard, locking eyes with Instructor Luan.
"Shi Jin!" the Frontier Arms Instructor shouted, "catch!"
For the second time, Shi Jin caught a staff instinctively. Then, mirroring her opponent, Luan stepped back a few paces and crouched.
"That one's going to try it too?!" asked a stunned Mu Hong.
And just like Wang Jin, Luan Tingyu did the same: she sprinted towards the identical column, climbed all ten feet of it, and grabbed onto the top of the railing, becoming the second person standing atop the balcony. The crowd gasped again, then a smattering of applause turned into a roar as they anticipated what was going to happen next.
Tingyu scowled at him to his confusion. She looked furious, but why?
"Thanks!" she growled, and with far more force than necessary, grabbed it from Shi Jin with such speed that it burned his hands! He shook them in pain, blowing on each palm, wondering why on earth Instructor Luan did such a hasty thing. He then looked closely at her and saw a coldness in her eyes that contrasted with the forced smile covering up the scowl she had earlier.
"Stand back everyone!" commanded Lord Chai, who probably saw the same thing, "nicely done you two; masters of footwork indeed! Try not to permanently injure yourself and try not to step on the balcony itself, lest you be disqualified."
"Well, we know what we're doing," Wang Jin responded, getting into her attacking stance, one foot in front of the other, "all those years of practice balancing ourselves, running on walls, why not show Cangzhou our worth? Right, Tingyu?"
Tingyu's response was to get into her attacking position and advance slowly toward her opponent.
"Tingyu?" Wang asked quietly, narrowing her eyes, "you're looking at me funny..."
"Wang Jin," she softly replied as the heavily scarred warrior's smile did not reach her eyes. The next words that came out of her mouth were in a dialect similar to Xie Bao's dialect when he angered Luan.
"What?! No!" Wang Jin responded, then sharply added words in the same dialect.
Luan interrupted. Then Wang interrupted her. Soon, they began talking over each other, each trying to make their point, their voices growing louder until they were shouting. An argument, really? But about what? And why in the middle of a duel on top of a railing more than ten feet above the hard ground? Shi Jin looked around, seeing a very serious-looking Lord Chai who was giving looks towards Shi Yong as if signaling to him something. Chao Gai meanwhile looked angrier the more the argument went on. Did she understand what they were saying? Mu Hong was massaging his forehead in frustration, probably worrying about his bet, while Dai Zong was nowhere to be found.
The excitement from the crowd now turned into restlessness. Then the jeering began.
"BOO!" shouted someone, "DO SOMETHING!"
"YOU'RE NOT ZHUGE LIANG! YOU CAN'T DEBATE SOMEONE TO DEATH!" shouted another.
"BRING BACK ERLANG!" squealed a high-pitched person.
"... should've bet on the over for duel minutes," complained Mu Hong.
"You know what, Tingyu? Fine!" proclaimed a frustrated Wang Jin in the Empire's main language.
Then with one hand she took off her mask and flung it to the manor, clanking on the ground. Shi Jin looked at her in shock. Her wounds looked far worse than he thought. Her right eye was only mostly open, the surrounding skin still blackened. There were slight discolorations on her tan skin and welts on different parts of her face. Her chin was bleeding, likely from the kick given by Luan Tingyu, but it looked like a reopened wound. How many more hits did she take from Gu Dasao after he was knocked out? What would her face have looked like if NOT for Lord Chai's healing? What would have happened if nobody stopped the fistfight?
But what was equally shocking were the tears.
She held her staff out with her right hand towards her back, her left side in front with her left arm behind her back. She leaned her head forward.
Is she giving up? thought Shi Jin.
"Free shot! Punch me! Kick me! Break my jaw again! Push me out of bounds! Whack me with your staff! Win! Whatever! Do it if you still don't believe me!"
"... Little King," was all Luan Tingyu could respond with, her eyes softening.
"Push me off the balcony!"
"No!"
"I know how to fall, Tingyu! And even if I break all the bones in my body, as I said to you before in Dongjing," Wang Jin responded, "when... I woke up and didn't see you after our fight... when you didn't even say goodbye when I left home..."
Then she spoke in their dialect again, her eyes glistening.
Even without understanding a single word, Shi Jin immediately heard the difference in tone. Instead of the sharp, biting, remarks Shi Jin was used to, Wang Jin spoke to Luan Tingyu with earnestness, a gentleness that could soothe the most bitter of souls, and a softness that reminded him of her mother calming him down as a babe. And Luan listened, tears falling down her scarred face like water descending cracked earth from a drought unending.
Luan Tingyu responded in kind. Her words were like a ray of sunlight through a cloudy day:
"I believe you... Wang Jin."
For a moment they stood on top of the railing as if they were the only two people existing in Middle-Earth, and he saw his master truly smile, matching the warm beam from Luan Tingyu's face.
Both closed their eyes absorbing the moment, a gentle breeze blowing through their hair and clothing. They completely ignored the voices of everyone else surrounding them. Once again, Shi Jin looked around. Fleet-footed Dai Zong apparently missed everything and was still gone. The others were there, though. For once, Mu Hong was not worrying about his wager as he looked entranced at the scene. Stone General Shi Yong held a warm smile on his age-worn face. Ward Chief Chao looked like she was scowling, but the tenderness in her eyes spoke volumes. Finally, Lord Chai held a look that Shi Jin could not decipher. It did not appear that the elf was happy or sad, but as if he was looking somewhere else. As if seeing the two caused him to fall under a spell.
The moment ended soon thereafter. When the instructors opened their eyes, in one quick movement, Wang Jin brandished her staff, whistling through the wind, in front of her, and spat red spit to the courtyard grounds 10 feet below. Luan bent her knees, adjusted her staff downwards, and also spat the same-colored spit to the ground. Both re-entered their attacking stances, each expressionless, not giving the other any hint of their next move. The once jeering crowd now quieted, as they saw the two fighters once again ready to battle.
No more words were said; they had a duel to finish.
The Frontier Arms Instructor attacked first, poking her staff downwards. Wang Jin blocked and redirected her staff and with a crash, sent Chao Gai's wooden chalice to the floor, spilling its contents, the cup rolling to the annoyed Heavenly King's feet. Luan moved as if she was going to give another thrust kick, so Wang stepped back in anticipation.
This was a ploy, though! As soon as Wang made her step, Luan moved her foot back, released her staff from its pinned predicament, and swung towards her opponent's head. Wang Jin ducked, gritting her teeth, stepped back, with both hands near the base of the staff, thrusting at her.
Tingyu's swing did not travel its maximum extension though as she leaned her left elbow out to stop her movement, then moved it back to intercept Wang's staff. The staves clashed; Luan's follow-up swing overpowered her opponent's staff as it was sent crashing into the water clock tower, tipping it over, sending bits and pieces everywhere as it slammed on the balcony floor, water seeping out of the tower like a bleeding wound.
This broke Lord Chai out of his trance as he blinked, his eyes widening in horror. With an aggrieved look on his face, his hands shook as he tried to make the clock go upright again.
"Idiots!" Stone General Shi Yong shouted, "these clocks are worth a mountain! Whoever loses has to pay for this!"
A horrified Luan Tingyu looked over, "I- I'm sorry! I just wanted to disarm- Argh!"
She dodged her opponent's staff at the last second. Luan hurried a defense as Wang Jin, solely concentrating on her, began a series of lightning-quick thrusts. But there was no room on top of the railing for her complicated array of spinning blocks. Instead, her defensive form looked desperate, blocking or dodging right before she was struck. Shi Jin saw the panic on Luan's face as she ducked. But the staff hit and went through her topknot. With a yelp, Luan almost stumbled and retreated back as far she could, the contrasting black cloth of her topknot becoming undone and floating down to the courtyard below.
"You almost fell! Give up, sister!" Wang Jin demanded, "I'll pay for the clock if you do."
Instructor Luan's eyes darted around. She then closed her eyes and sighed, a resigned look on her face. She held her staff with her right hand as if she was going to drop it on the balcony and then surrender. The crowd became unsettled, growing louder the closer it looked like the Frontier Arms Instructor was going to forfeit. Shi Jin noticed Mu Hong with his fists clenched, quietly begging Luan Tingyu to give up.
She then muttered something that only an elf could hear, and Lord Chai was still trying to desperately gather up the remains of his clock. However, Lord Chai stopped what he was doing as soon as he heard the words.
"What? Say it louder," Wang Jin responded.
A smirk then appeared on Luan's face. Her eyes opened and she tilted her head.
"I said," she repeated, her right hand throwing the staff off the balcony to the courtyard with a clank, an almost playful expression on her face, "make me."
Luan Tingyu then leaped off the railing ten feet to the courtyard below.
"Tingyu!" cried Wang Jin.
Shi Jin and almost all of the audience gasped. He rushed towards the railing, concerned for the arms instructor, looked down, and saw Luan Tingyu emerge out of a somersault, wincing and holding her lower back as she was looking around for her staff. Most of the audience was still in shock at what they witnessed, while other members of were pointing and shouting, "there! There! The staff is there!"
"Heh, still knows how to fall," remarked Wang Jin, then she turned her attention to Shi Jin, sweat dripping down her face, "take a step back, brat!"
He took a step back hesitantly, not knowing what his master was going to do. She turned her body so she faced the courtyard.
Then she bent her knees and raised her staff with two hands like a sword.
"You'll cripple yourself!" cried Mu Hong.
"No! Don't do it!" shouted Shi Jin.
"Your staff can't brace your fall!" a concerned Chao Gai yelled at the same time.
"Quiet, Ma!" Wang Jin retorted, then she turned her head, a confused look that was rapidly turning into a panicked expression.
"... Ma?" she asked quietly, and for a brief moment, Shi Jin did not see the strong, willful, prideful instructor he called his master.
Instead, he saw the fearful eyes of a wounded middle-aged woman, with all the scars of memories, both distant and near, threatening to re-open within.
"Your mother is resting within the manor," Lord Chai calmly stated.
Then Wang Jin breathed out a long sigh, shutting her eyes. When she opened them, the Head Arms Instructor of Dongjing's 80,000 returned.
"Of course... Ma doesn't care about this crap anymore," she stated matter-of-factly. Then without any hesitation, she turned her head, facing the courtyard once again, and lifted her staff.
She then leaped straight towards Luan Tingyu, more than 10 feet below, to the stunned gasps of the crowd.
"No!" Shi Jin cried.
He rushed over, seeing his master ready to smash her friend from the air. Luan, however, was ready. She wielded her staff like a sword, and with a great yell swung at the same time Wang Jin was about to smash her.
CRACK! The two staves broke in twain, their parts being sent far away. His master landed on the ground immediately into an awkward tumble, tried to tuck her head in but rotated awkwardly in a heap, scraping her head on the ground, the remains of her staff rolling away from her. The white cloth holding his master's topknot became undone in the process.
"ARGH!" she screamed, holding her face while in a prone position, her feet desperately digging into the dirt to try and alleviate the pain. This was not good! Either she rebroke her right orbital bone or... he did not want to imagine the other possibilities.
Utter silence reigned in the audience, only being broken by her screams echoing throughout the courtyard. Panicked, Shi Jin rushed over to Lord Chai.
"End the match! My teacher is hurt! Do something!" he begged.
"If they remain that way for ten seconds, I'll stop the match, and Dai Zong will come, I sent them down when the fighters were on the rail," Lord Chai said.
"Please, Lord Chai! What if they lost an eye?" Shi Jin continued to beg.
"Your master would eat it and continue fighting," the elf plainly retorted, "you know how stubborn they are."
What an uncaring piece of... he angrily thought, not at Wang Jin but at Lord Chai. If that apathetic elf was not going to do something, he will!
"Fine! I'll save my master then, you...!"
He was about to call him a 10,000-year-old piece of rotten garbage, but then he noticed Stone General Shi Yong's glare at him.
"You!... Hmph!" Shi Jin instead said.
Not bothering to await a response from that elf, he turned about and was about to leap over the rail and onto the courtyard. That was when he heard Ward Chief Chao's voice.
"Stop!" she yelled, hand in front, "your master is getting back up!"
"Crazy!" Mu Hong yelled, "but what guts! Just look at the Troll-Killer!"
Not leaping over, Shi Jin ran to the railing and squinted. The audience seemed unsure whether to cheer, mutter amongst themselves, or recoil in shock. Wang Jin had blood dripping down from her facial wounds in the fall. But she stood, hair unbound, her legs not entirely stable as she limped toward Instructor Luan, one fist in front of her, the other hand still holding her head in pain. With teeth bared, however, she slowly turned that bloody palm into a fist as well, placing it in front of her.
That was when the audience slowly began cheering for Wang Jin, the support growing louder each second until it was deafening. Shi Jin looked over towards the Xining Villagers. Sun Li and Xie Zhen stood up and clapped their hands. Xie Bao remained seated, but he was applauding as well. Only Sun Xin was jeering, flipping off Wang Jin. Gu Dasao's mask prevented him from seeing her expression, but she neither cheered nor booed, simply observing the fight.
Regardless, the rest of the audience cheered for his master as cries of "Wang Jin! Wang Jin!" grew ever louder. And soon enough, Shi Jin himself joined the crowd. Though a part of him worried for her health, a larger part of him saw something transcendent: the true grit, perseverance, and pure spirit his master possessed. A symbol of humanity, a model soldier of the Empire, and above all, a hero that Shi Jin aspired to be.
Luan Tingyu looked uneasy, her face full of concern as she asked questions to Wang Jin, which were answered. Luan then threw away the remains of her staff and it looked like the Frontier Arms Instructor was going to clasp her hands and forfeit until she was angrily waved off by the former Head Arms Instructor of the Empire.
These were the words from his master that Shi Jin managed to hear:
"Don't you dare surrender!... Heh... ugh! This look familiar, sister? We broke our staves like last time and now... hand-to-hand, fighting like we did when we first met. Finish it Luan Tingyu! Let's show the might of the frontier and finish our fight!"
Then without waiting for an answer, Wang Jin rushed as fast as she could toward her opponent, limping all the way, and attacked her with a flurry of punches. There were no kicks, presumably because one or both of Wang's legs or feet were injured in the fall. There was no eagle claw, none of the throws, takedowns, or maneuvering that Shi Jin and supposedly Gu Dasao encountered in their fights against her, just a straight-up pummeling from one fighter to the other.
Luan initially dodged the first punch but was struck with a blow to her side, then a haymaker across her right cheek. Stumbling back, she put her hands up and was on the defense. The blows went past her defenses, however, as his master continuously broke the other's guard and struck at her sides, gut, chest, and face, Luan grunting painfully each time. Each hit was cheered by the crowd as they rooted for the former Head Arms Instructor of Dongjing. Yet not once did the Frontier Arms Instructor fall, though her knees began to buckle with each blow. His master could win this! If only both of her legs were healthy!
But after a nasty right hook discharged bloody spit out of Luan's bruised face, forcing her back a few steps, that was when the latter's demeanor changed. She placed one fist in front, keeping the other near her chin. One foot was placed in front of the other, shoulder-width apart, as she slightly bent her knees. Dodging a right cross at the last second, Luan jabbed her fist straight into her opponent's face, painfully halting his master's attacks to the audience's gasp. As Wang screamed, covering her bloodied face again, Luan followed up with a shin kick to Wang's uninjured leg, then a sky uppercut, sending Wang Jin back-first into the ground. His master turned over and quickly got up, spitting blood again to the side. She limped her way to attack Luan.
It was after that combination by Luan that no more of Wang Jin's attacks landed. Each was blocked and countered. A right cross was dodged at the last second, countered with a knee driven into Wang's gut, taking her breath out. A left hook was blocked as Luan kicked the wide-open waist of her opponent, sending Wang to the ground. When she got up, a shaky desperation kick was thwarted as the Frontier Instructor simply swept the remaining leg underneath them, leading to her opponent landing on her butt yet again.
Shi Jin felt a cold lump in his stomach, fear growing for his master, knowing that if this kept up, the outcome would be obvious.
After Wang slowly got up, the fight continued. She tried a wild elbow strike that was ducked as Luan then uppercut Wang again, his master yelling in pain as she fell. Once she got back up, slower this time, Wang attempted a retaliatory uppercut that was dodged and countered into a solar plexus punch knocking the air out of the former Head Arms Instructor. Luan took a step back to allow her opponent a second to breathe, Wang putting her fists up in some form of desperate defense. Luan then unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, each blow staggering Wang Jin. His master's legs became wobblier, her movements slower and sloppier. Each time she landed on the ground, she took longer to get up. Now, it was his master that was grunting in pain with each strike, the crowd initially booing Luan then becoming quieter each time as they realized the end was near.
After Wang Jin wildly missed a left hook, Luan Tingyu punched her in the gut, bending her opponent over in pain, both hands covering her stomach. Cupping Wang's bloodied chin with her left hand, the heavily scarred warrior whispered words, then she reached back her fist and smote a right haymaker across Wang Jin's left cheek, bloody spit flying from his master's mouth. Down went the former Head Arms instructor, landing in a heap on her side.
She did not pop back up, though. Even so, Luan stepped back, re-entering her combat stance.
"Get up, Wang Jin! Get up!" urged someone in the crowd. Many shared the same feelings, shouting encouragement at her. Shi Jin gripped the railing tightly.
His master turned her head and tried to sit up. She couldn't. She tried again but to no avail. Then after a third attempt, she simply laid the back of her head on the ground, her unbound hair strewn.
Ten seconds passed, and Lord Chai walked near the railing next to Shi Jin, holding up a flag.
"Instructor Wang is down for 10 seconds! The winner, by knock-out, is Luan Tingyu!" the elf announced.
The audience gave a mixed reaction. A sizable amount of people cheered and clapped, particularly the Xining villagers, but many others held concerned looks on their faces. Shi Jin saw a few people, particularly children, looking away. Some were even crying. For Wang Jin had still not gotten up, to the growing concern of Shi Jin. Her black clothing was stained red, a sight that alarmed him.
Then Luan Tingyu walked next to where her oldest friend lay and sat down, favoring her lower back in the process. She waved for someone to come over, and it turned out to be none other than Dai Zong, who ran there swiftly. She held an aggrieved look on her face as turned towards her old friend and gently checked her facial wounds. A few seconds later, she helped Wang Jin up by placing one arm around her left shoulder. Dai Zong lifted Wang Jin's other arm as the pair performed a two-person arm carry.
Together, they helped his master, who was clearly conscious, stand, and a gratified audience, including Shi Jin, roared their approval through shouts, whistles, and applause. Shi Jin swore he saw someone throw their baby in the air (and thankfully was caught by the parent). Everyone on the balcony gave a standing ovation, even a clearly upset Mu Hong who lost his bet.
"Simply magnificent," commented Ward Chief Chao, "if not for the landing, who knows who would've won? Though I am disappointed your master lost... Instructor Luan greatly offended me on the balcony."
He noticed that her wooden chalice still was on the floor, but maybe the offense was made during the two Instructor's arguments.
"Surprised you didn't push that one off the balcony, yourself," suddenly commented Stone General Shi Yong, "... if only I had your patience in some of my younger years."
"You should've!" Mu Hong added, "I would have gotten my money back at least!"
Before he could ponder on either of the dwarves' words, Shi Jin noticed the growing roar in the audience. At some point, Wang Jin waved off Dai Zong, clasped her hands, and slowly bowed to Luan Tingyu, stumbled to the ground on one knee, but stood up again and resumed the bow. In a traditional duel (where both could stand afterward), the loser was supposed to bow to the winner. The winner had the choice of bowing back or not.
To the surprise of the audience, Luan Tingyu bowed and clasped her hands back at Wang Jin, helping his master up and raising one of her hands to the audience, increasing the cheering.
Even though his master lost, Shi Jin felt proud to be her student. She and Luan clearly were equal in staves. Though there were multiple times his master could've won through dishonorable means, she chose not to for whatever reason. Perhaps Wang Jin held exceptions towards the people she cared about? When it came to hand-to-hand, Shi Jin was unsure who was better, as his master clearly was injured due to the fall and did not use any of the techniques he saw in their training. Yet Wang Jin did not give up, and that was what stuck out in Shi Jin's mind. His master took a lot of punishment and still fought until her own body gave out. What a warrior. What a fighter.
A hero in Shi Jin's reckoning, no matter what anybody else (including his master) would say!
After accepting the ovation, his master then tried to put her arm around her friend's shoulder when suddenly, Luan Tingyu lifted Wang Jin, one arm underneath Wang's legs and another arm supporting her back.
Wang Jin did not resist.
There were quite a few "awws" and gasps from the audience, but now Shi Jin was very worried. He did not take his master to be one who'd let another carry her unless she was very injured! He needed to leave the balcony and check on his master immediately. But not before saying his goodbyes to the rest of the people on the balcony.
"Farewell, Mu Hong! Sorry for the lost bet! May your beard never grow thin!"
"Ah? Leaving already? Oh, to check up on your master. (Still can't believe Wang Jin lost!) Don't worry about my lost money. I'll just ask my brother for some more. Tell your master that you two... uhh... never saw me on the way to Cangzhou. Such a small world! Farewell, don't offend any more people with your art!"
"I will, Master Mu," Shi Jin responded, clasping his hands and bowing. He then walked towards the other dwarf.
"Farewell, Shi Yong! May..." Shi Jin paused as he realized that the elderly dwarf no longer had a beard, opting to clasp his hands and bow, "may you... have a good day!"
"Eh, close enough. We dwarves do have an ending greeting for situations like mine, but it's rather insulting. But before you go..."
The Stone General then fished out an enveloped letter sealed with wax with a dwarvish rune on it.
"Take this to your master. I already personally gave one to your master's mother already. Oh, and let your master know that Lord Chai shall await payment for the damages to the clock."
... She was not going to be happy about the last part. Assenting, Shi Jin noticed Lord Chai had once again disappeared, with no trace of the water clock in sight (except for the water that formed a puddle near the doorway) so then he prepared to carefully say farewell to Ward Chief Chao, who put her hand up.
"If I may, I wish to follow you to speak with your master, Shi Jin. This may be the only opportunity for me to do so."
"O-of course!" he replied to the Heavenly King. He then gestured for her to exit first through the doorway. Chao Gai gestured back. They then quickly exited the balcony, hoping to check on Wang Jin in the next chapter.