Chapter 2.1: The Prosperous Sea Martial Hall arrived tonight! (part 1)
That disinfectant was what she had smelled before pa.s.sing out.
Very clean.
Bai Cao absentmindedly watched the youth standing in front of the window, feeling as if he was not real. It was as though he were so free of impurities and so clean that the sunlight around him seemed especially bright.
"Don"t get up so suddenly; you just got hurt."
Under the early morning sunlight, the youth drew near her, holding a cotton ball with ethyl alcohol. He unfastened the bandage on her forehead, carefully observing it and using the cotton ball to wipe at her wound.
So cold.
A p.r.i.c.kling ice-cold sensation spread from her forehead to her whole body, causing her to shiver a little and bite her lip. She unconsciously avoided looking at the youth and looked at her own toes instead.
"Do you still feel dizzy?"
"I"m fine," she mumbled.
"Shake your head."
"&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;?"
" If you still feel dizzy, you might have cerebral concussion and should go to the hospital for a check-up." The young man said from above her.
"I"m fine."
She knew her body very well. When Xiu Da had kicked at her, even though she hadn"t retaliated, she"d been able to lean back and dispel most of the force. As for why she pa.s.sed out, it could just be because she was too tired recently.
"What a stubborn little girl."
The youngster seemed to smile a little.
She could hear a smile bloom on his lips, like the sound of a dewdrop gently rolling off a petal. She also felt his eyes on her forehead.
"Bai Cao ———!!"
The door was forcefully opened; Xiao Ying charged into the room like the wind and immediately threw herself onto the girl standing there while yelling worriedly, "Are you alright?!? Do you feel better? I said I"d stay here with you last night, but Chu Yuan shixiong said not to disturb your sleep! So I ran over as soon as I woke up! Does your wound still hurt? Is it very serious!"
"I"m fine now."
Bai Cao smiled. Seeing Xiao Ying"s red eyes, she knew in her mind that Xiao Ying probably did not sleep well last night.
"Really? You"re not lying to me right? Aiya! Your forehead is swollen so badly, yet you still say you"re fine! Can you still come to school today? How about I help you ask for leave and you rest properly today, okay?"
"I"m alright."
Saying that, she turned back and bowed at the youngster before saying:
"Thank you."
"Ah, Right!" Xiao Ying only just realized that and said to the youngster in a rush, "Chu Yuan shixiong , thank you for taking care of Bai Cao! Thank you! Thank you!"
Chu Yuan shixiong &h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;
Bai Cao sneakily sized up the youngster in front of her. His face really did resemble the Hall Master"s wife somewhat; calm, refined, and wise.
Bai Cao walked out of the room and saw that there was a small and solitary wooden cabin outside. In front of it was a little stream and an old banyan tree that were surrounded by spa.r.s.e vegetation. The branches and leaves of the tree rustled in the early spring breeze of dawn.
"Humph, d.a.m.n Xiu Da, he actually dared to sneak attack you! Looks like he needs to be taught a lesson!"
Xiao Ying furiously said before beginning to smile.
"But I think he will be miserable this time, shifu will definitely not let him off! Shifu already punished him by kneeling in the practice room all night. Now he is being lectured in front of all the shixiongdi and shijiemei ! Come on, let"s go see them!"
She pulled Bai Cao towards the practice courtyard, afraid that they would arrive late and unable to see the spectacle.
" Shifu ———-!"
" Shifu !"
" Shifu ——–!!!!!!"
Panic-stricken and fl.u.s.tered shouts of plea could be heard in the distance from the direction of the courtyard. Xiao Ying halted in shock. Bai Cao watched attentively and saw the kneeling Xiu Da and his tear-covered face. He knelt on the gra.s.s while desperately hugging Hall Master Yu"s leg, sobbing:
"I"m sorry! Shifu , I"ll never dare to do that again! I beg you, shifu , don"t drive me away!"
All the fellow disciples of Pure Elegance Martial Hall except for Ruo Bai and Chu Wei kneeled down as well to help Xiu Da to plead, "Shifu! Please forgive Xiu Da this time!"
One of the female disciples kneeling at the very front knocked her head on the ground, shouting with all her might:
" Shifu ! Xiu Da is still young, he doesn"t understand things because I didn"t teach him correctly. You can punish me, or if you want, send me away instead! I beg of you, shifu , please do not drive Xiu Da away. He really likes taekwondo; he likes Pure Elegance Martial Hall. If you want to punish someone, just punish me!"
Yi Feng was also kneeling while begging:
" Shifu , Xiu Da is young and rash. He made a mistake in a moment of impulse, so please give him a chance!"
" Shi&h.e.l.lip; shifu wants Xiu Da to leave Pure Elegance Martial Hall?" Xiao Ying said in shock, standing there blankly .
She only wanted Xiu Da to be taught a lesson, but&h.e.l.lip; but shifu actually wanted to drive him away from here? At a loss, she turned her head away and saw Bai Cao silently looking at the crying Xiu Da.
“Learning taekwondo is to let you have a strong and healthy body, not to just fight blindly.” Not paying attention to the Xiu Da who was bawling and hugging his leg tightly , Hall Master Yu sighed. “Leave. If someone like you continues to study here, you will only use your strength to harm others and bully the weak in the future. It will be better to leave taekwondo altogether."
Chu Wei stood behind Hall Master Yu, unable to look Xiu Da in the eye.
Ruo Bai"s face was still as calm as ever, as though nothing was happening.
" Shifu ——-!"
Xiu Da and the female disciple kneeling at the front both paled. Xiu Da cried until he was unable to breathe, using all the energy he had left to hug shifu "s leg. He raised his face and wailed,
"I don"t fight ruthlessly, I also don"t use my strength to bully the weak! It"s just that I"m unwilling&h.e.l.lip; unwilling to lose to a person from Absolute Victory Martial Hall&h.e.l.lip; unwilling to be made fun of for losing to a girl&h.e.l.lip; Shifu, I really don"t! I won"t shame Pure Elegance Martial Hall! I"ll never use it for harm! Shifu, please believe me!"
Hall Master Yu said in anguished:
"If it was just a personal battle, then it would have been fine; but in the situation where the opponent had turned down the challenge, yet you still executed a sneak attack, you had violated the most basic ethics of taekwondo."
" I&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; I&h.e.l.lip;.."
Xiu Da was inarticulate, his tears flowing freely.
"He did not sneak an attack on me.
Every disciple in Pure Elegance Martial Hall were shocked as Bai Cao walked to the middle of the practice courtyard. She looked at the sobbing and weak Xiu Da, and said:
"Hall Master Yu, Xiu Da did not sneak an attack on me. Before he kicked me, he had already warned me, and I heard him. So, he did not sneak an attack on me."
]Xiu Da slowly looked up in disbelief.
"You&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;"
His throat was dry from crying, his face was covered in tear-stains, his eyes was swollen like peaches. His gaze was full of fear and dread of being driven away, just like a helpless child.
Just like she was before.
Bai Cao"s heart turned sour. At that time, she was also very scared. She wanted to cry; she wanted to kneel down and beg Zheng shibo not to drive her away; she wanted to learn taekwondo. When she left Absolute Victory Martial Hall, she did not know where she should go. Being driven away from the martial hall that she really loved was a really cruel thing. She understood that more than anyone else.
But Xiu Da was luckier than she was; practically all of the disciples in Pure Elegance Martial Hall pleaded for him, while she had been driven away by her peers.
"You don"t blame him for hurting you?"
Hall Master Yu looked up at the thin, small and ordinary girl. This girl was still young, yet she was neither overly haughty nor humble while standing in front of an elder.
"Whether I blame him for hurting me or not, the fact of the matter is that he didn"t sneak an attack on me." Bai Cao answered.
Everything turned quiet inside the courtyard.
Only the sporadic sound of Xiu Da"s sobs could be heard.
The Pure Elegance Martial Hall disciples looked strangely at the girl next to Xiu Da. Her forehead was visibly swollen even though there was gauze covering it. Even Ruo Bai"s attention was on her now. A young man carrying a thick book was walking past the courtyard.
"Ai, so contradictory, if Xiu Da really got driven out by shifu , I really would have been unable to bear it. But seeing the wound on your face, I once again can"t help but hate him and want him to suffer!" Xiao Ying"s face wrinkled as she supported her chin with her hand. She sat on the curbside, watching Bai Cao clean the little road.
A few days had pa.s.sed since the incident with Xiu Da.
The att.i.tudes of the disciples in the Pure Elegance Martial Hall towards Bai Cao were much better now. Xiu Da had also made a formal apology to Bai Cao in front of his shifu . Every time their paths crossed, he would immediately get out of the way without saying a word. But the wound on Bai Cao"s forehead still wasn"t completely healed; there was a blue-purple bruise.
The road was dappled with dusky light.
Xiao Ying thoughtfully observed Bai Cao"s figure waving the broom. Suddenly, she realized she she still didn"t understand Bai Cao even after two years as deskmates.
"Xiu Da actually sneaked an attack on you, right? You felt pity, so you lied for him, right?" Xiao Ying guessed. If Xiu Da really didn"t sneak an attack on Bai Cao, he would have certainly said so himself. Otherwise, why would Bai Cao need to say it for him?
"I did not lie."
She had been taught since childhood by her shifu to never tell a lie.
"Well, that’s strange&h.e.l.lip;.." Xiao Ying continued to be suspicious. Suddenly, she spied a silhouette approaching. She immediately stood up and greeted them:
"Xiu Qin shijie ."
Xiu Qin shijie was Xiu Da"s elder sister. She was two years older than them. She was very skilled. Among the female disciples in Pure Elegance Martial Hall, besides Chu Wei shijie , she was the most outstanding.
"Oh, you guys are here." Xiu Qin glanced at Bai Cao who had stopped sweeping and said, "I was looking for you. Qi Bai Cao, right?"
"Yes."
Bai Cao remembered her. That day, the girl who had kneeled beside Xiu Da pleading to Hall Master Yu was her.
"I"m sorry to trouble you these few days, but we need you to sweep the vicinity of the the practice hall and it has to be very, very clean, okay?"
Xiu Qin said softly.
"&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;."
Before Bai Cao could speak, Xiao Ying was shouting:
"Xiu Qin shijie , Bai Cao is my cla.s.smate, not the janitor of the martial hall! She sweeps, does the hall"s laundry, cleans the mats, and other things because she"s good-natured, not because it"s her job!."
"Oh? Did I make a mistake then? I thought she cleans in exchange for room in the martial hall."
"What are you saying?! She"s living and eating in my house. She doesn"t live in nor use the martial hall&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;"
"So Uncle and Auntie Fan don"t live in the martial hall." Xiu Qin laughed lightly. "I thought that Uncle and Auntie Fan live and eat inside the martial hall for free, using the rooms and food of the martial hall. Turns out I was mistaken."
"You——!"
Xiao Ying flushed with anger.
It was true that her parents lived and ate in the martial hall, but, but it had always been this way, ever since Pure Elegance Martial Hall was first established!
"I"ll sweep it cleanly." Bai Cao said.
"Sweep thrice a day; it should be spotless," Xiu Qin pointed with her toes, "Even the pebbles in the small roads need to be removed thoroughly, and there shouldn"t be any dirt. The lawn in the practice courtyard also needs to be evenly trimmed; there shouldn"t be any weeds. The mats in the practice hall need to be wiped cleanly after every practice. Don"t be lazy and only wipe them once in the morning" she said.
"Yes, I understand."
"Oh come on, Xiu Qin shijie , we need to go to cla.s.s! Thrice a day? Don"t tell me Bai Cao needs to run home after school to clean?!"
"Before practice in the morning, after school at noon, and before practice at night. Is there any question?"
"Yes, I understand."
" Xiu Qin shijie , it was Bai Cao"s intercession that saved Xiu Da from being driven away by shifu ! Even if you"re not thankful towards Bai Cao, you still shouldn"t treat her like this!" Xiao Ying rolled her eyes indignantly. She really didn"t get Xiu Qin shijie . Previously, she respected Xiu Qin shijie because she thought Xiu Qin shijie was a calm and prudent person. Even shifu and shimu thought highly of her. She didn"t think Xiu Qin shijie would be the kind of person who bit the hand that fed her!
"Thankful?&h.e.l.lip;" Xiu Qin scanned Bai Cao unenthusiastically. There was a certain unspoken meaning in her gaze. "Qi Bai Cao, I"m not purposely making things difficult for you. These are shifu "s instructions. The other disciples need to practice; they don"t have the time to clean. So, we"ll be relying on you."
"Why would shifu suddenly demand this kind of cleaning?" Xiao Ying didn"t believe her.
"In a week"s time, the Prosperous Sea Martial Hall from South Korea will come for an exchange. It"s the warm up before the match between the martial halls. Shifu takes this particularly seriously." After she finished talking, Xiu Qing didn"t pay them any more attention, turned and walked away.
"Prosperous&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip; Prosperous Sea Martial Hall&h.e.l.lip;.."
Xiao Ying blankly opened her mouth.
Bai Cao also blanked, trying to determine whether she had heard correctly. Prosperous Sea Martial Hall&h.e.l.lip; was it really that legendary Prosperous Sea Martial Hall? It was said that they were one of the most outstanding taekwondo martial halls in South Korea. Their history was very long; numerous masters had emerged from there in the past; likewise, most of the national players of South Korea came from there. Their disciples usually achieved outstanding results in the Taekwondo World Championship.
Taekwondo World Championship&h.e.l.lip;
Nearly every single disciple practicing taekwondo were very determined and looked forward to reaching that very faraway place.
"I"ll go ask shifu !!! Goodness gracious! Prosperous Sea Martial Hall!" Xiao Ying excitedly dashed away. Even though she ran very far, her screeching voice could still be heard intermittently. "Unexpectedly, Prosperous Sea Martial Hall is coming——!"
Was it possible that Prosperous Sea Martial Hall would also go to Absolute Victory Martial Hall for an exchange ?
Most probably&h.e.l.lip; they wouldn"t&h.e.l.lip;
Absolute Victory Martial Hall was the most inferior martial hall in An Yang.
Bai Cao used the broom to sweep the pavement again and again, thinking about how all the disciples in Absolute Victory Martial Hall would always talk about the Prosperous Sea Martial Hall with yearning tones during their spare time. If there was an opportunity to go to South Korea to visit Prosperous Sea Martial Hall, if it was possible to take a group picture with the disciples of Prosperous Sea Martial Hall, if it was possible to receive some advice on martial arts from the masters of Prosperous Sea Martial Hall&h.e.l.lip;..
If one talked about similar worthy martial halls in An Yang that had a chance to try to reach the peak, then Prosperous Sea Martial Hall would be star in the distant night sky, seemingly eternally out of reach.
Her heart couldn"t help but be excited. She sped up her sweeping, deciding that when she was done, she would spend her time practicing martial arts for the next few days. Hopefully, hopefully she would have thchance to have an exchange with the Prosperous Sea Martial Hall"s disciples!
The excitement was quickly suppressed by her rationality. So many disciples of Pure Elegance Martial Hall disciples looked forward to have actual combat experiences with the disciples of Prosperous Sea Martial Hall. How could she possibly get a chance? However, being able to experience the legendary Prosperous Sea Martial Hall was still something she antic.i.p.ated!
She swept the ground while thinking, so she did not notice a figure coming towards her until the broom hit the person"s leg with a peng sound. A pile of books fell from the person"s hands, scattering on the ground.
"I"m sorry! I"m sorry!"
Bai Cao repeatedly apologized, hurriedly squatted down and gathered the books. All of them were medical books, everyone of them was thick. That person also squatted down to join her in picking up the books. A pair of slender and clean hands showed an exceptional tenderness under the red glow of the sunset, with a whiff of disinfectant in the air.
"You don"t need to say sorry." That person smiled slightly and said, "I was walking in a
trance and didn"t see you sweeping."
Bai Cao slowly raised her head.
It was actually the youth called Chu Yuan. He was wearing a light-blue shirt and brown trousers. His smile was bright. He took the books Bai Cao collected and arranged them neatly. When he was about to leave, his gaze fell on Bai Cao"s forehead. After staring blankly for a while, he said,
"Come with me."