"Quite the frustrating position, my lady. I understand the need for discretion in this matter." Little Bird was sitting on a bench with a sword tip poking her neck. "It would be foolish and unwise for me to speak of this matter with anyone else, of course! You can count on my honor as a sworn member of the Beggar's sect to keep this a secret."

Mitugwa nodded at Wanxi, who lowered the sword and stowed it in his scabbard with a flourish. Wanxi had known the street rat long enough to trust her when she gave her word on the honor of her sect. The Beggar's sect was obsessed with these kinds of honor binds and statements of reputation, even moreso than orthodox sects like the Wudang clan. Surviving on the street and forming information networks required that when one spoke, it was truth. People who double-crossed or misled as a matter of business tended to wind up dead in short order.

Little Bird looked relieved, flashing that beaming white grin again now that a weapon was no longer flush with her skin. She slapped her hands on her knees.

"So who do you think did it? Do you have any leads?" She was brimming with excitement. If she had to keep all of this a secret, she was absolutely going to gather as many juicy details as possible to compensate. "What clues did you find?"

"We think the thief must have hid under the bed when Wanxi came in. But I didn't find anything under there. It's frustrating that they trashed my room and didn't even have the decency to leave an obvious clue! I'm trying my best to stay confident but I'm honestly concerned." Mitugwa lowered her head with solemn intent and brought her hands together. "I pray that the Goddess of Mercy sees us through this."

"Ah, yes, may we all hope that our wishes are fulfilled." The blind girl rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and sighed in a mock-wistful way.

"Little Bird, you know something, don't you?" Wanxi picked up the scroll and placed it back on the hanger on the wall. "You're too obviously coy. You're going to get yourself in trouble if you don't learn to hide these things better."

"I know a thing or two. You know I always do! But I can't just give away my secrets for nothing. You bested me in combat, yes, but that was just to buy my silence. How will you afford to gain my beautiful voice?" The backs of both hands were under her chin, with her head cocked to the side.

The blind girl's grin never faded. She was getting attention. That was her one weakness. Having something that everyone wanted meant that she was always the center of attention but never the topic of conversation. That was exactly what she wanted. She plied her trade and was showered with information, money, compliments, and respect. Wanxi was glad that he was on good terms with her, but he wished she could be a bit more charitable in times of need like this.

"You expose yourself with your flamboyant strikes." Mitugwa offered. "If you fight with that style, you leave yourself open to attacks from the sides and rear, assuming someone can get into your range. I can teach you how to move your qi intersection points to minimize the damage that can be inflicted on you."

"Hey! Don't tell her that!" Wanxi blurted out. "I won't be able to use my trick again if she can protect her qi points."

"I was not aware that you could even make that kind of change to your body!" Little Bird was sitting forward with excitement. “That would certainly be most useful if it’s true!”

Mitugwa rose and moved her arms in a circular motion, raising and lowering her legs. Her hands flipped forward and back, pushing and pulling against some invisible wall. Her knees bent as Wanxi recognized the stance from when they fought earlier in the day. She inhaled deeply, raising her right knee until it was as high as her chest would allow, and then exhaled, lowering her leg with grace. The moment her toe touched the wooden floor, the items strewn about that had yet to be cleaned bounced and vibrated violently. Several items on the desk bounced back to their unseated position, as did the scroll that Wanxi had just put back in place.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“The energy within us is dictated by motion. It constantly ebbs and flows like the tide. By using precise movements, you can change where it is directed. By doing so, you can enhance the speed of your movement, empower your attacks, even deflect metal from bare skin. The taichi taught here at the Black Heron sect covers all of this. But it doesn’t cover the tempo that we all have.

The body naturally has a rate at which energy flows. Much like music has a rhythm and tempo, so does our energy. It changes constantly based on how we feel and what movements we make. When I dance, I dance according to my own pace and that allows me to better time my moments to maximize my qi. There is a thing called resonance. If you march a battalion of soldiers over a bridge and they are all in lock-step, the consistent movement can destroy the bridge. So by moving in time with your tempo, you can amplify the power of the qi that you use.”

“Most impressive! And how does this factor into the movement of qi points?” Little Bird was nodding along, seeming to grasp the concept. Wanxi wasn’t much for lectures on the theory of these things, so he went about trying to tidy the room again.

“Well,” Mitugwa was moving her arms the entire time that she spoke, casually practicing the movements that she used in her combat style, “think of the string of an instrument that is plucked. By changing the length mid-pluck, you change the pitch. And like water in a cup, you can swirl it and slosh it by moving the cup. So by making simple movements as the wave of energy travels back, you can slightly change the location of the intersecting points of your qi. It’s not easy, and it will require practice, but it can help protect your vitals.”

“It sounds too finicky to be of practical use in combat, princess.” Wanxi had managed to hang the scroll again. “I’m sure it’s a good exercise, but I don’t know if it would matter much when you have a blade against you.”

“Wanxi! You are just sour because the illustrious princess Mitugwa, future ruler of the Ryukyu kingdom, happens to be graciously offering a poor, defenseless, destitute orphan a minor measure of protection in this cruel world. Bless you, your highness! Truly you are an incarnation of the Goddess of Mercy herself.”

Wanxi rolled his eyes and saw that Mitugwa was paused in place, blushing from the flattery.

“Fine, fine, fine. Mitugwa, if you can offer to teach this technique to Little Bird, then Little Bird you will tell us what you know about the theft so we can actually take action and catch them.”

Little Bird nodded and clapped her hands together, then leaned back from the bench. Mitugwa took a step forward in shock, clearly unfamiliar with the odd girl’s notorious “thinking pose”. She stood upside down in a handstand, her roqun awkwardly hanging against her body, while her legs were tightly together. Wanxi was thankful she had the good sense to wear trousers under her outfits since she seemed to love these displays of acrobatics.

“As I recall,” the blind, upside down girl started, “I heard the sounds of items being tossed about with abandon in your room from a nearby pavilion. I then heard two people speaking. I don’t know the specifics of their discussion but I do know that one of the people was Chi Shao of the Five Venoms Clan. I heard his laugh, which I would recognize anywhere. And I am certain that both of these fellows were inside of your room as the sound of their voices changed when they exited. And the scent of the room matches, as there is a heavily male-dominated fragrance here, which should indicate that mostly men have been here recently.”

With a dramatic flair, Little Bird flipped and landed back on her feet, coming just a few millimeters away from slipping on an inkwell that Wanxi had not gotten around to cleaning up.

“So Chi Shao was the thief! Or at least an accomplice. We must confront that toad before he can do more harm!” Wanxi grabbed Mitugwa by the hand and hurried out into the school. “Thanks Little Bird!”

Wanxi pretended to not notice the sounds of the blind girl calling out after them. It was something about where they put her cane. She was an independent girl, she could take care of it. It was far more important to find the culprit immediately. He’d just have to take the verbal abuse from her later.

He was not expecting to find a small crowd of students outside of Chi Shao’s room. Nor was he expecting to see Instructor Moyi speaking to the group, warning that Chi Shao’s condition was stable but that he would need plenty of rest to recover. Something or someone had gotten to their lead first!