Chapter 107: Sparring
"Mo Hua!" Bai Zisheng called out cheerfully, "Did you bring food?"
"No…"
"Then you came to play with me?"
"No… I came to see Mister Zhuang," Mo Hua said truthfully.
Bai Zisheng instantly lost interest.
"Have you finished your homework?" Mo Hua asked.
"Not yet. Almost. But I don't want to do it anymore." Bai Zisheng flopped back down.
Mo Hua's eyes brightened. "Then you're free right now?"
"I guess so," Bai Zisheng nodded.
"Then let's spar!"
"Spar?" Bai Zisheng sat up, eyes sparkling with excitement, but when he glanced at Mo Hua's thin figure and faint spiritual aura at the fifth layer of Qi-Refining, he frowned. "What are you going to spar with me about?"
Mo Hua whispered, "We'll spar in movement techniques."
Bai Zisheng's interest dropped. "That's boring."
"If you don't want to, then never mind." Mo Hua turned to leave.
Bai Zisheng quickly grabbed him.
"Not boring! Not boring! Better than just lying here doing nothing."
He thought for a moment, then asked, "But how do we compete? Movement techniques… how do you even compare them?"
"I just learned a new one, it's for escaping." Mo Hua took out a cheap jade pendant, threaded it with a strip of cloth, and hung it around his neck.
"You try to snatch this pendant from me. If you get it, you win."
"Any stakes?"
Mo Hua looked troubled. "I don't have many spirit stones…"
Bai Zisheng waved a hand. "I don't care about spirit stones."
"Then if you win, I'll buy you beef… and a pot of osmanthus wine."
"Deal!"
Food, fun, and sparring, Bai Zisheng was thrilled. After thinking a bit, he added, "And a box of crabapple pastries too, for Zixi."
"Alright," Mo Hua agreed readily.
They drew a boundary in the clearing beside the old pagoda tree and stood on opposite ends.
When Mo Hua called, "Start," Bai Zisheng's gaze sharpened. Dressed in white, he shot forward like a pouncing tiger, incredibly fast.
Mo Hua's eyelid twitched. He focused his Divine-Sense, predicted Bai Zisheng's path, and sidestepped lightly, evading the strike. Then he tapped his foot and retreated three zhang away.
"Huh?"
Bai Zisheng was surprised. He'd thought that strike was a sure catch, yet Mo Hua had slipped away so easily.
"Where'd you learn that movement?"
"From a passing, nameless, kind-hearted uncle," Mo Hua said solemnly.
Bai Zisheng blinked, completely lost, but curiosity and pride both stirred within him. His eyes gleamed.
"Careful now!"
He stomped, golden light flickering around him. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Mo Hua again, reaching for the pendant.
Mo Hua leaned back, almost falling, but at the last moment, he used spiritual force to pull himself smoothly backward, gliding just above the ground.
Bai Zisheng's hand grasped air. He twisted mid-motion and lunged again, even faster.
Mo Hua's spiritual power hadn't fully recovered from the last move. He couldn't change stance in time and was promptly tackled to the ground, the jade pendant snatched from his neck.
Bai Zisheng helped him up, guilt flashing in his eyes. "I didn't hold back enough... are you okay?"
Mo Hua rubbed his arm. It ached, but nothing serious. "I'm fine. It's just sparring."
Only then did Bai Zisheng relax. He shook the pendant in his hand proudly. "Don't forget the beef and pastries!"
Mo Hua chuckled at his childish grin. "Don't worry, I'll bring them tomorrow."
"Mm!" Bai Zisheng nodded enthusiastically, then corrected himself, "Want to play again, uh, I mean, spar again!"
He had to maintain his dignity: sparring in Dao arts was serious business, not "playing."
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then sighed. "No, our realms are too far apart. I'll just keep losing."
Bai Zisheng came from a great clan outside Li Province. His spiritual root, cultivation method, and techniques were all top-tier. He was one of his clan's brightest talents, with outstanding comprehension. Despite his carefree attitude, his strength was no joke.
After exchanging a few rounds, Mo Hua already knew, his Flowing-Water Step was nowhere near Bai Zisheng's level. Especially when Bai Zisheng's cultivation was much higher.
Mo Hua sighed.
Seeing this, Bai Zisheng offered, "Then I'll suppress my cultivation to match yours."
Mo Hua blinked. "Can you do that?"
"Of course. It's only fair! Relying on cultivation is bullying. And since we're comparing movement techniques, it's even more important not to depend on spiritual power, otherwise it's meaningless."
Mo Hua nodded. "Alright then. But let me rest a bit first."
He rubbed his arm, then asked curiously, "Zisheng, are you a body cultivator?"
Bai Zisheng pouted. "You should call me Senior Brother!"
Mo Hua rolled his eyes.
Bai Zisheng leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "I plan to become a body cultivator, train in martial Dao techniques. But you can't tell anyone! Only Zixi knows. Even Aunt Xue doesn't."
Mo Hua was speechless. With that open-book face of yours, Aunt Xue probably guessed before you even decided.
"I heard some clan geniuses can cultivate both spiritual and physical paths," Mo Hua whispered.
Bai Zisheng snorted. "Dual cultivation? Boring! Half this, half that. Not pure! Nothing beats body cultivation, strength crushing skill, one punch breaking ten thousand arts! Who cares about dual or single paths? If they provoke me, I'll just punch their nose flat!"
Mo Hua looked at him with a trace of envy. He too wanted to break ten thousand arts with one punch.
If only he'd had Bai Zisheng's strength when Qian Xing came to cause trouble… he'd have smashed his nose, too.
But alas, one could only dream.
After resting, Mo Hua sparred again, with Bai Zisheng suppressing his cultivation to the fifth layer of Qi-Refining.
The difference was immediately clear.
Even with superior techniques and lineage, Bai Zisheng's lack of spiritual support slowed him noticeably.
Now Mo Hua's Divine-Sense could track his movements clearly.
Most of Bai Zisheng's attacks, Mo Hua could foresee and evade with Flowing-Water Step. Occasionally, a tricky strike would slip through, forcing Mo Hua to concede.
They set twenty rounds as the match limit, if Bai Zisheng could snatch the pendant, he won; if not, Mo Hua did.
By sunset, the two had won and lost evenly, about half each, though Bai Zisheng still edged ahead slightly.
Both were satisfied: Bai Zisheng had fun, and Mo Hua gained valuable insight into his movement technique.
Bai Zisheng wanted to keep going, but Bai Zixi softly reminded him: "Homework."
That one word was like a bucket of cold water. Bai Zisheng instantly deflated and hurried off to finish his assignments before dark.
Mo Hua said goodbye, promising to return tomorrow, with beef, wine, and pastries, as repeatedly demanded by Bai Zisheng.
From a nearby bamboo pavilion, Old Kui watched the scene quietly.
His gaze followed Mo Hua's departing figure, deep and thoughtful.
"Zhang Clan's Flowing-Water Step, eh…"
(End of Chapter)