"Swallow"s Nest. It"s one of the most basic kung fu moves," she stated as if it was already obvious.
"What kung fu? Why do we have to learn this?" I asked, bewildered.
"Father mentioned that only those who practice it will excel," she explained.
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"Alright, the cla.s.s is starting. Just wait and fail, Tiedan," she dismissed.
"Tiedan? Did you call me Tiedan?"
"Aren"t you Tiedan?" Xiaomei asked doubtfully.
But I"m Goudan.
Am I in a different world?
"Let"s just go to cla.s.s," Xiaomei said before disappearing right before my eyes.
I looked at her in shock. The kung fu in martial art novels was happening in front of me.
I"m in a different world. Most definitely.
How could anyone move like that?
As I stood up my light weight became apparent.
I extended my left leg out and onto the ground.
With a small jump, I found myself off the ground completely.
Like an astronaut.
I tried imitating Xiaomei"s moves and flew up successfully.
However, each landing was a disaster for me since I was bad at balancing.
With each displacement of my center of gravity, I slammed onto the ground, leaving startling cracks all over.
I punched the ground lightly.
It felt as though I was. .h.i.tting foam. I punched once again with more force.
The ground cracked. What"s going on?
Xiaomei"s words rang in my ears.
"Father mentioned that only those who practice kung fu can excel."
Were the people here all swordsmen?
I"m in another world.
Seeing Xiaomei"s disappearing silhouette, I tried hard to catch up.
I started by stepping gently on the ground and getting used to the rhythm.
Gradually, I was able to adapt to the speed and go faster.
I seemed to have grasped the technique and felt as though I was flying.
A small town appeared before my eyes and I saw Xiaomei waving at me.
"I"m not dreaming, am I, Xiaomei?" I asked.
"We"re really going to be late if you don"t stop this nonsense," she answered in frustration.
In the most southern part of the town was a big inst.i.tution. Ten students of similar age stood with me in a row.
There were boys and girls and Xiaomei stood right at the end.
I followed behind.
"What are you doing, Tiedan? You"re in the wrong position. Stand beside Ergou," the student beside Xiaomei said.
"Ergou?" I repeated.
"I"m here, Brother Tiedan," Ergou called out.
Clueless, I walked over to him.
"Wrong side, Brother Tiedan. Not my left but my right," Ergou corrected.
I scooted over to his right helplessly.
A muscular fellow came over, shouting, "I"m sure all of you have mastered Swallow"s Nest?"
Everyone nodded except for me.
"What is it, Tiedan? Can"t execute such a simple move?" the muscular man yelled.
Ergou nudged me a little before whispering, "Teacher"s talking to you, Tiedan."
"That thing"s a teacher?" I pointed at the muscular man.
"Are you trying to get into trouble? How dare you disrespect Teacher!" Ergou whispered, slightly louder this time.
"Thing? Looks like you"re all grown up, eh?" the teacher walked over to me with his fist clenched.
"What"s he trying to do? Hit me? Where are your morals? How can you…" Before I could finish my sentence, a fist landed on my face.
"You"re always the slowest to grasp anything and you have such a bad memory. You"re also the laziest. You"re the absolute worst," he reprimanded along with a few more punches.
I collapsed onto the ground, motionless. There was a visible pool of blood.
"Murder…" I shouted hoa.r.s.ely.
The other students were laughing.
I"m about to die! How were they so calm?
I was semi-conscious but I could still feel the sharp pain.
The pain was keeping me from fainting.
Exhaling a deep breath, Teacher ordered, "Come stand still as punishment."
At that, he left, leaving me gasping for air on the ground.
Where am I exactly and who are these people?
Teacher observed and provided guidance as each student executed their Swallow"s Nest.
I was in a daze. Everyone has already perfected the move.
Suddenly, I heard Xiaomei"s voice. "Stop playing dead and accept your punishment. Same place, tonight. I"ll guide you through a few more times."
Before I could ask for the address, she"s already joined the rest of the group.
It was then that I realized I was fine.
I touched my face. The blood had stopped flowing.
I was no longer hurting and I could run and jump as if nothing had happened.
How unbelievable. I walked to the side obediently.
Just then, a student who was executing his move landed on his b.u.t.tocks, breaking his leg in the process.
I stared in shock.
Teacher shook his head and pointed in my direction. "Join in. How can you go wrong with such a simple move?"
The student twisted his broken right leg back into position before hobbling over.
"Are you alright?" I asked, still in shock.
"Are you mocking me, Tiedan?"
"Why would I do that when you"re injured?" I asked.
He made two kicks before responding, "It was a minor deviation. Never again."
I was dumbstruck. Just a moment ago, his leg was broken but now he was as agile as ever.
I was starting to understand that their world was completely different from mine.
Kung fu was mainstream and people with injuries recovered speedily.
It seemed like I"ve traveled back in time. The houses here were all made of bricks and tiles.
Was this the lake found in most martial arts novels?
I"d better follow the rules here or else I"d risk getting into major trouble.
After a.s.sessing the students, Teacher approached us and stroked the boy"s head, asking him to rejoin the group.
He then came over to me.
"It"s all for your own good, got it?"
Speechless, I nodded. He was like a different person as he spoke so gently to me.
"Swallow"s Nest"s really not difficult. Go back to cla.s.s. I"ll have to invite your parents down if you don"t show improvement. Do as you please," he finished before ruffling my hair with much force.
I felt like my whole head was going to come off.
He finally took his hand away and said, "What are you thinking about? Go over there quickly. Sometimes I wonder if you"re lacking in IQ. You"re always slower on catching onto things than the rest, but somehow you manage. What a strange kid."
At that, he walked off, leaving me stuck to the ground until Xiaomei came over.
"Alright, let"s go to cla.s.s. I"ll teach you again tonight, don"t worry. Just buck up."
She dragged me toward the house.
So I"m a b.u.m and I am only able to catch up thanks to Xiaomei"s tuition.
I"m in another world.