"You don't think I'm both Bai Ze and Shan Hai, do you?" Yao Yao frowned.
"How is that possible," I chuckled, "Wouldn't that be a split personality."
"Or maybe... you're a reincarnation of Shan Hai?!" Yao Yao recoiled a step.
"As Bai Ze, can't you recognize a reincarnation of Shan Hai?" I retorted.
Yao Yao shook her head: "I can't. After Bai Ze possessed me, I only gained the memories of Bai Ze from all previous lives. Other than that, no other information, consciousness, or emotions were given to me. I'm still Mu Jige."
Yao Yao’s detailed explanation was perhaps her way of making me feel better, so I wouldn't think I was sleeping with a beast, nor one of indeterminate gender. At least I was sleeping with her true form, without any other impure thoughts.
However, if even Bai Ze didn't recognize Shan Hai, then Yao Yao certainly wouldn't. Diana's words were mainly because she had indeed seen Shan Hai in person and was likely one of the few who knew both Bai Ze and Shan Hai, the two great demon lords.
I pulled her back: "I'm not Shan Hai either, and I don't know where Shan Hai is. It doesn't matter. As long as we do our own thing well, grow bigger, stronger, and tougher, we won't fear anything!"
"Bigger where, stronger where, tougher where!" Yao Yao poked my head with her index finger.
Well, no need to say more, understand it yourself.
The next morning, in a daze, I was pulled out from under Yao Yao and dragged out of the hall into the dark port below. By the time I woke up, my body was already submerged in the icy sea.
"What are you doing!" I rubbed my eyes, letting out a "Kun Kun" rage. "It's so early, the sun hasn't even risen yet!"
"Practicing," Chu Qi was stretching on the shore. "You were fooling around with her until late last night. If you waited to wake up naturally, it would be afternoon!"
I squatted down, immersing my face in the seawater, and washed it. When I surfaced again, Chu Qi had also entered the water.
First, we reviewed the fist and leg techniques learned previously. There wasn't much of a system to it; the core was muscle training. Chu Qi said this was the first step in martial arts. If the physical foundation wasn't laid well, practicing other moves and techniques would be futile.
"Are there really moves and techniques?" I asked during a break.
"Of course. Do you think those martial arts routines passed down by our ancestors, forming so many sects, were just for show?"
"Between traditional martial arts and modern combat, which one is more effective?" I asked again, possibly a common confusion for many people.
"When you say traditional martial arts, do you mean what you see on TV?"
"Of course, what else?" I asked.
Chu Qi curled her lips: "Let me show you."
Saying that, she threw a straight punch at me. I sidestepped to avoid it and, using the basic routine she taught me, grabbed her wrist.
"Stop," Chu Qi said. "See, this is the kind of boxing you know, right? Attack and defense, back and forth. What's your purpose in grabbing my wrist?"
"The purpose is... to control your attacking hand." I said.
"What's the point of controlling my attacking hand in a fight?" Chu Qi asked again.
"The point is... to turn defense into offense!"
"Exactly. Since your purpose in attacking is to attack, why go through all the trouble!"
With that, Chu Qi withdrew her hand: "Hit me like I just hit you."
I slowly threw a straight punch, aiming for her face, deliberately slowing the rhythm so as not to hurt her.
Chu Qi also slowly dodged my punch by tilting her head. As she did, I felt a poke in my abdomen. I looked down to see her palm strike already against my stomach. Of course, she held back; with her strength, she could have easily pierced my abdomen.
"Understand now?" Chu Qi asked, withdrawing her hand.