“Don’t waste your energy. Every thrust must be towards your target. Do not waver, do not circle, the spear must thrust towards the target as quickly as possible.” Fusang thrust forward continuously. The students could almost see the object that Fusang was thrusting towards.

“The idea for defense is different. It relies on curves. You are trying to divert your enemy’s force. When he attacks, you must make sure to waste as much of his energy as possible. Dingjian stand up. Attack me.”

Dingjian Xuesheng stood up, bowed, and began to launch a flurry of thrusts towards his teacher. Fusang would meet the oncoming spear with his own, using minimal pressure to divert the thrust, and lead it away from its target. Each and every time Dingjian attacked, Fusang diverted his force, and wasted his energy.

“That’s enough. You may sit down.” Dingjian bowed, and sat down. “This is simple, as are many of the laws of our world. But being able to use them for our benefit can be difficult. There are many others out there who, having comprehended a law, manage to use it to great effect. Little River, come forth.”

Dahe Feng Ji had not been expecting to be called, so he was startled. However, he did not hesitate and stepped forth.

“What must you attack?”

“Pardon me Fusang shi?”

“I repeat myself, what must you attack?”

Dahe’s mind stumbled, was this a simple question, or complex? Was he supposed to spout philosophy? No. He was still new, go with the simple.

“You must attack the enemy’s weak points.”

“What are an enemy’s weak points?”

What are an enemy’s weak points? “The points on his body that are sensitive to damage.”

“Yes. That's good. Tell me some.”

“The eyes. The gut, the groin, the nose. The ears. The . . . joints.”

“Yes. Those are correct. Although there are more, you know some of them.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Fusang focused his attention on his pupils, looking back and forth.

“Students. Strike at your opponent’s weaknesses. Strike at their center. It is not easily moved out of the way. What is their center? Their center is the balance point of their body, at that moment. Perhaps they are attacking, or defending. Their balance point will change. As it does, attack that point. It can destroy their balance and you can defeat your enemy.”

Then they were put into pairs, to aim at each other’s balance point. “Little River, you must not kill your opponent. I would grieve terribly.” Dahe nodded, ignoring the absurdity of the statement. In fact, he knew his opponent had years of study under Fusang.

Dahe studied his opponent’s face for signs of irritation, but found none. His opponent was likely used to Fusang’s arbitrary actions. So instead, he assumed his stance, aiming his practice spear towards his opponent. He started off probing his opponent. His opponent did the same. Dahe attacked, but was easily diverted. He tried again, but again, his spear missed.

Overall, he did poorly. But he understood that he was new, and his opponent had much more experience than he did. At the end, they shook hands, and nodded politely. However, now it was time for the finale. Fusang would defend and everyone else would attack, using their real spears. It made Dahe nervous, but he quickly realized that he was over-thinking things. Fusang would not be easily hurt.

Fusang’s movements inspired awe in Dahe. He could see that Fusang moved easily from moment to moment. He flowed like a river. Placid one moment, roaring the next. Dahe stepped forward, ready to give it a try. It went poorly, he was instead batted aside easily by Fusang. Fusang kept moving, using enough energy to move his opponents but not to seriously injure. Finally, everyone was down, panting and holding themself somewhere. Dahe was holding his shoulder, ‘I wanted this?’ he thought. He could only shake his head and mumble to himself. ‘I’m going to the showers. A hot bath is what I need.’ Using his good arm, he got himself up and moving. He staggered along with other injured students, most using their spear as a walking stick.

Sitting in a deep pool with hot water continuously pouring in, Dahe was able to relax and feel his muscles loosen. Looking around at his fellow Fusang students, he wondered if he should say anything. Turned out someone else would speak first. “Well, you did alright on your first day. What’s your name?” said one student. “Dahe Feng Ji. You’re not going to call me Little River?” Dahe was worried the nickname might stick. “No. don’t worry. Fusang shi only uses a nickname on the newest student. The rest of us had to go through it, so believe me, we have no interest in taking pleasure in someone else’s pain.”

Looking at the talking student, he nodded. “Thank you. What’s your name then?” “Di Yi Re Shui.” Dahe nodded and leaned back letting the warmth of the bubbling water penetrate his body and soothe his weary muscles. No one else seemed interested in conversation at the moment, so the rest of the time passed quietly. Finally Dahe felt he could walk without limping, so he bid farewell to his fellow sufferers and left.

Once inside his house, he went to his loom. After passing a word to the merchants, through the Task office, Dahe was able to acquire a larger loom. This way he could make large rolls of cloth. He even began experimenting with patterns. His diamond pattern was quite popular. He took his seat before the large machine, thanking himself for the forethought to make a large crafts room. He decided to listen to Waltzes. It made his work feel epic. He would pass the shuttle forcefully.

He was able to pay for the loom, mostly with the cloth he had made. Either trading it with fellow sect members, or the merchants. He had begun to think that this was his trade that the goddess promised him. He felt as if he had a deft hand, but skipping the years of necessary practice. It was a silly joke, practically a pun. But, it did turn out for the best, he did well monetarily, and probably could do so anywhere he went. And it was satisfying. No doubt about that. He also had been learning a bit about sewing, in order to make his own clothes. However, when he finally managed to increase his body’s strength and speed, he would be as fast as an electric sewing machine.

Dahe spent his time more leisurely, after morning training of course. He would weave or read in the library, occasionally making a contribution to a study guide. His output for those had slowed. But that was for the best, he needed to know what he was talking about before he could put it into simpler language. Time continued to pass, from the spear to the loom, to the library, and to bed. The music brightened the passage of time, and the turning of seasons.