C22 You Guys Come Together

Ning Xiaoshu grew even more embarrassed after Liu Xiaoyun's comment. "I... I..."

Liu Xiaoyun's eyes widened in mock indignation. "What 'I'? Mom, make him feed me the porridge. It's his punishment for not visiting me."

Liu Xiaoyun's mother glanced awkwardly between her daughter and Ning Xiaoshu. Ning Xiaoshu quickly took the bowl, "Auntie, I'll do it. It's the least I can do."

Carefully, Ning Xiaoshu blew on a spoonful of porridge before gently feeding it to Liu Xiaoyun. After tasting it, she exclaimed, "This porridge is delicious. How did you make it? And my scars are gone! I heard you saved my life at the hospital. When did you learn medical skills?"

Ning Xiaoshu had anticipated the question, yet he wasn't ready with an answer. "I... I..."

Liu Xiaoyun gave Ning Xiaoshu a playful look. "Xiaoshu, when did you become mine? It seems you haven't finished making up your story. Tell me when you've got it all figured out."

Relieved, Ning Xiaoshu exhaled deeply. But then he caught something off in Liu Xiaoyun's words. "Xiaoyun, what do you mean 'haven't finished your story'? I'll be the first to tell you when I can."

Liu Xiaoyun laughed, "Got it. Now, keep feeding me this wonderful porridge before it cools down."

Her mother chuckled along, "This child, I've fed you half of it already and you didn't once mention how tasty it was."

The deliciousness of the porridge seemed to hinge on one's mood, and that mood was influenced by the person serving it.

Ning Xiaoshu scooped up another spoonful. "Wu Fei won't be coming back. I've promised the head of the martial club that I'll represent them in the competition."

Liu Xiaoyun nodded, then her eyes widened with curiosity. "That reminds me, I heard you fought Wu Fei. Xiaoshu, are you feeling better too? There's been a string of mysterious events surrounding you lately. You'll have to fill me in on everything once I'm better."

Ning Xiaoshu nodded reassuringly, "Don't worry. I'll tell you everything as soon as I'm able to."

He spent nearly an hour feeding Liu Xiaoyun the rest of her porridge as they chatted. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice when Xiaoyun's mother left.

It was quite late when Ning Xiaoshu realized the time. "Xiaoyun, you should get some rest. I'm heading back. When did your mom leave?"

Liu Xiaoyun giggled, "So when will you come to visit me again?"

Ning Xiaoshu furrowed his brow, "I... I have to report to the martial club tomorrow. I can't say for sure when I'll be able to visit you next."

Liu Xiaoyun nodded, "That's okay. Go to the martial club. I'll head back there myself once I'm better."

That evening, Ning Xiaoshu practiced the Slide over the Water technique before finally going to sleep. The house was already in disarray; it couldn't get much worse.

The following day at the martial club, Liu Cunzhi announced that Ning Xiaoshu would still represent the club in the upcoming competition.

This decision sparked immediate controversy. "Isn't Ning Xiaoshu disabled? How can someone like that compete, let alone represent our club?"

"Exactly. What will other clubs think of us if they find out?"

One of the students protested, "Head, isn't your decision a bit rash? Even if Wu Fei isn't coming, shouldn't we hold a contest to select the representative disciple?"

"A contest?" Liu Cunzhi said with a smile. "Excellent suggestion. I'm all for democracy. If everyone wants to compete, then that's exactly what we'll do."

The head's swift agreement took everyone by surprise. Without any hesitation, Liu Cunzhi instructed the students to prepare the hall with soft mats for the competition.

At the sound of the gong, the contest began. The students exchanged blows energetically, but Ning Xiaoshu could hardly suppress his yawns. He used to enjoy such competitions, but ever since inheriting the master system and mastering the second level of the Tendon Change Classic, his perspective had changed. After all, he had just sparred with Taekwondo Master Lee Longsheng the day before, making this student-level contest seem unremarkable.

In the blink of an eye, all three pairs of students had finished their bouts. One of the unconvinced students called out loudly, "Head, when is Ning Xiaoshu going to step up? It's always us fighting. Are we supposed to wait until he swoops in and takes an easy win?"

Liu Cunzhi glanced at Ning Xiaoshu, who stood up and stretched lazily. "If you want to take me on, let's do it now. But I have one condition."

Ning Xiaoshu's statement stirred up a buzz among the students. "A condition? What kind of condition? Are you afraid of getting hurt? Should we go easy?"

With a smile, Ning Xiaoshu faced the crowd. "Fighting you one at a time is too much hassle. Why don't you all come at me together? You don't even need to land a hit. If any of you can touch my clothes within five minutes, you win."

The martial club erupted with excitement. Even Liu Cunzhi thought Ning Xiaoshu was being overly bold. With over forty students, just touching his clothes would count as a win? With that many people, they could strip him down to his underwear!

Before Liu Cunzhi could respond, Ning Xiaoshu had already positioned himself in the center of the room. "Come on, let's see what you've all learned recently."

There was one particularly hot-headed student who, without waiting for the others to decide, let out a roar and launched a flying kick at Ning Xiaoshu.

Ning Xiaoshu simply pivoted, and the attacker narrowly missed him. That move spurred several others to charge forward.

Yet there was Ning Xiaoshu, in the midst of the arena, effortlessly dodging left and right. Not a single person could graze even the hem of his garment. The handful of students already engaged grew desperate and yelled to those on the sidelines, "Get in here! What are you waiting for? Come on and corner him!"

Finally, everyone joined in, and in a moment, the hall was in utter chaos.

"Over there, over there, block him off!"

"Where do you think you're going? You stepped on my foot – don't just stand there doing nothing."

Liu Cunzhi observed from the sidelines, his brows furrowing more deeply with each passing moment. What kind of kung fu was this? What sort of movement technique? It was unlike anything Liu Cunzhi had ever encountered or even heard of before.

And yet, this technique was incredibly sophisticated. It wasn't just these novice students who were outclassed; even if he himself entered the fray, he doubted he could lay a finger on Ning Xiaoshu.