“Are you the other one with that wood-haired outsider?”

His eyes were firm as he stared at Zack, waiting patiently for a reply from the latter.

In response, Zack blinked. “Wood-haired? Who?”

Lu Tian stood up before gesturing exaggeratedly, moving his hands about to describe the dimensions of the person in question.

“He said he’s called Au… Au… Uh… Aig… Og…”

He stumbled for words, the name resting on the tip of his tongue yet still a step away from spilling out of his mouth. The boy stuttered over and over, incapable of remembering the name.

On the other hand, Zack didn’t laugh. Instead, he fell in thought, paying no heed to Lu Tian acting wild on his own.

“Wood haired… outsider… and the name starts with ‘Au’ of all things. I only know one such person, don’t I?” Zack muttered under his breath, finishing with a wry smile.

Looking back at Lu Tian, he asked, “Is it Sa—I mean, is that person you mentioned called Augustus?”

Lu Tian’s eyes immediately lit up as he nodded profusely. Pointing at Zack, he said, “Yes! It’s Augustus. That outsider was called Augustus. Did you come together with him?”

Zack nodded. “Yes, he and I both came together.”

Lu Tian clicked his tongue, “No wonder your moves felt familiar. Did he teach you all this?”

Scratching his head, Zack replied, “Not really. But in a sense, he was the one who taught me all this, so I can’t really say no to this as well. You too, you’re quite strong… Way too strong, actually.”

Lu Tian smiled. “You were good. Thanks to you, I’ve learnt something new. Thank you.”

Zack’s brow creased as he asked, “How?”

Lu Tian heaved a long breath before replying, “I don’t usually get to spar as often, so my skill is also lacking. If not for my strength, you could’ve beaten me up ten times over. I realised that when a lot of attacks come really fast, I get flustered and can’t react in time. I’ll ask my Master and Master Zhu for help. Hey! How about we go for another match? This time, I’ll attack as well. Not being able to attack is frustrating!”

“O-okay. Okay! Let’s do this!” Zack replied, his hesitation turning to motivation to battle.

Trying to act like a gentleman, he did not target Lu Tian’s flaw on purpose, trying to get a win otherwise. And in the end, he got beaten up like a gentleman facing a ruffian as well. A small bump on his head radiated pain.

Unwilling to give up, he learnt his lesson and challenged Lu Tian once more. One match after the other took place beneath the sunlight, unaware of the state of the sun overhead or their surroundings. Although Zack won a few, he lost far more. At the same time, his familiarity with the changes in his body grew.

*Thud!*

A blow to the chest sent Zack stumbling to the ground. Looking at the scene of his victory, Lu Tian puffed up his chest and spread his arms wide, celebrating his victory.

Turning to look at Zack, he asked, “Anoth—”

Zack raised his hand, gesturing a stop. “No! Let me rest. I can’t… can’t keep up.”

Lu Tian smirked: “So I won.”

Snapping his eye shut, Zack snapped his head away, making an audible noise. Annoyance filled his face. “Fine. You won. I lost. Wait to get yourself beaten next time.”

Lu Tian laughed, “I’ll be waiting.”

While laughing, he also sat down. He, too, rested.

“You’re not bad.” He praised.

Nodding, Zack replied, “You’re strong too.”

Thinking of something, Zack asked, “You mentioned sa—I mean, Augustus before. Have you fought with him? Who was stronger?”

Lu Tian’s face fell. “He beat me. He’s very strong. Even when using all the Magic and Ki Arts I know, I couldn’t beat him. Not only that, he also fought my master, and both were on equal footing. I can’t match him at all. I bet only the holy daughter can keep him in check.”

“Who?” Zack tilted his head.

A respectful look surfaced on Lu Tian’s face. “She’s the granddaughter of the first high-priest. Although she is younger than all of us, she is very strong. Don’t fight her unless you really need to.”

As he spoke, the respect on Lu Tian’s face transformed into a lingering fear.

Zack couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. Nonetheless, he said, “I’m sure Sam—Augustus will be the winner when they two fight.”

“Hah, no, that’s not the case. They both fought, and that brat lost terribly. Poor him, got beaten into a pulp over and over. And little Mei wasn’t even serious.” A familiar voice laughed suddenly, causing the two boys to be stunned. Immediately, the two got to their feet.

“Teacher!”

“Master Zhu!”

Both boys exclaimed simultaneously.

From a distance, Zhu waved his hand as he walked over. Stopping in front of the two, he asked, “How did it go?”

“It was good!” Lu Tian replied.

Zack nodded in unison.

“Good.” Zhu approved. Pointing at Lu Tian, he said, “We’ll continue with the last week’s lesson tomorrow. Make sure to prepare yourself well. You can take your leave.”

Lu Tian voiced his agreement and left.

Paying the boy no heed, Zhu turned to Zack. “Tomorrow, you’ll be starting training with weapons. Here, catch this and familiarise yourself. Make sure to not break it or lose it. I won’t be getting you a new one.”

While speaking, Zhu threw out a wooden rod. Its one end had a sharp tip, while the other was blunt, having a saffron ribbon tied to it.

“A spear?” Zack asked. Without waiting for Zhu to answer, he asked, “Will you teach how to use spears?”

Zhu nodded. After a pause, he said, “If nothing, I’ll be leaving.”

I’ll be learning how to use weapons! This is just a start!

Looking at Zhu’s figure fading into the horizon, Zack clutched the spear tight, a blend of anticipation and excitement filling his eyes. Swinging the spear randomly as he walked, he returned to his hut.

The night passed quietly. The moon hid into the horizon and the sun took its place, dying the sky a fiery red that gradually kept dissolving into a lake-like blue.

Amidst the chirping of birds, a sound echoed through the air.

*Knock!* *Knock!*