The girl stepped barefoot onto a crumbling bus stop sign, her silhouette outlined against rusted steel. Her movements were taut, full of stored power.
"I'll go easy on you, sweetie." Wu Xianxi positioned himself in Deep Horse Stance (Ma Bu / 马步)
He slid his feet wider than shoulder-width, turning his toes slightly inward. Then, he slowly bent his knees to a precise 90 degrees. Keeping his back straight, he swung his arms forward.
He stood still amid the debris, robes trailing in the breeze, his weight balanced like water cupped in stone.
This is a foundational stance in Shaolin and Hung Gar for building strength and immovability.
The style he's using, could it be—
Flowing Stone...?
Defensive yet positional at the beginning, and it gradually becomes aggressive—its style type is Southern Chinese Internal-External Hybrid, a combination of Shaolin, Tai Chi, Hung Gar, Wing Chun.
Flowing stone, known as 流石功 Liú Shí Gōng in Chinese. It is named like that because it communicates the style's character: soft, flowing defense that becomes solid, unmovable, then explosive.
Seems like he's ready—how about the girl?
A cute, youthful girl—her silver hair is styled in buns, tied with red ribbon on top. She has bangs at the front, which complement her bouncy, round face. From the back, we can see a single long braid, also tied with red ribbon. Her outfit makes her stand out even more—the floral patterns on her royal blue cheongsam (or zansae) are visually striking, evoking nobility, calm power, and mystery, which contrasts with her childish, immature behavior.
Based on her looks, I assume she's a Ribbon Dancer. There's no way she's an exile monk.
Her starting stance—Tiger Claw Guard (虎爪架 – Hǔ Zhǎo Jià)???
She chose to be aggressive at the beginning!Her style must be Crushing Tiger Method (碎虎拳 – Suì Hǔ Quán)
She stepped forward into a deep stance — Gong Bu, the Bow Stance. Confidence and bravery shimmered through her as she swung her arms forward, fingers slightly hooked like claws. With a breath, she tightened her elbows, her spine coiling like a spring.
"Seems like both parties are ready!" Feeling superior, I acted like a referee.
"Haha! Kid, we don't need a referee here!" The adult man grinned.
"Uh-huh! Obnoxious as always!" The girl shouted behind us.
She immediately began taking short, powerful steps. She bent her knees and set her footfalls heavy. Her hips drove the movement forward, her head slightly lowered—like a tiger stalking its prey.
I knew this! The Prowling Step! (游步 – Yóu Bù)
"Sweetie, it's not cool to be aggressive at the beginning." Getting prepared, the adult man did his footwork.
Footwork: Sliding Step (Bu Fa / 步法)
Wu Xianxi slid his front foot forward without lifting the heel, the motion smooth and deliberate. His rear foot followed with a soft drag, barely disturbing the dust beneath him. His stance remained low, his center of gravity anchored, spine straight — every part of his body balanced in quiet readiness.
It wasn't an attack. Not yet.
It was a shift — a repositioning, subtle and controlled, revealing no openings.
Rapidly, the girl delivered a short, rising punch from her waist. Wu Xianxi didn't meet it with force. He stepped sideways, just a breath off-center — enough to slip the line of attack. His front foot slid smoothly along the ground, heel never rising, rear foot dragging lightly behind.
His right palm rose, not to stop her arm, but to guide it — redirecting her momentum like water spilling from a tilted bowl. His forearm brushed hers gently, leading the crushing force past his shoulder, his stance low and stable.
No clash. No resistance. Just redirection.
After a missed single attack, she turned around and aggressively drives multiple punches upward into Wu Xianxi's ribs.
"RYAHHHHHHHHHHRATATATATATATATATA!!!
Crushing Fist (碎拳 – Suì Quán)!!!"
Wu Xianxi stepped sideways rapidly and repeatedly, dodging her attacks.
"Let's see if you can still dodge this—Tiger Tail Kick (虎尾腿 – Hǔ Wěi Tuǐ)!!!"
She spun low — fast, precise — her leg cutting through the dust like a scythe.
A low spinning kick — sweeping toward the opponent's knee. If Wu Xianxi didn't stop it, his stance would collapse!
His foot slid diagonally back, heel never lifting, his robes trailing in the wind. The spinning heel passed inches from his lead leg, grazing only empty air.
Taking advantage of the opening, Wu Xianxi moved not with speed, but with certainty. His front foot circled smoothly around her recovering leg. His weight shifted forward, spine upright but coiled, like a bowstring drawn with water's patience.
He stepped behind her.
A light palm pressed at her shoulder blade — not pushing, not striking, simply guiding her center off its root.
She tried to turn.
Too late.
His other hand swept up and caught her forearm, folding it gently across her own chest as he lowered his stance. With a twist of the waist and a small pull downward, her footing unraveled like sand beneath a wave.
She fell. Softly. Not slammed, but undone.
What a gentleman! He brought her down softly!
"That doesn't even hurt at all! Don't give me an opportunity to counterattack, old hag!"
She stood up easily, like nothing happened.
She leapt high and twisted through the air, creating a burst of force. With a sweep of her hands, a magical silk ribbon appeared.
Perhaps that's her Belief?
I remembered that Glowing ball called these magical stuffs "Belief".
But, why "Belief" though?
"Ahahaha, interesting. So you want a Shaolin fight with magic involved?" The adult man smirked like a jerk.
Twisting through the air, the girl snapped her silk ribbon in a wide arc, spinning like a whirlwind as she dove toward Wu Xianxi.
With her extremely fast speed, Wu Xianxi was unable to react on time. As a result, he got wrapped around by the silk ribbon, decreasing his movement.
"Ah this sucks man." The adult man sighed, disappointed in himself.
The girl snapped her fingers, and the silk ribbon suddenly setted in fire.
The people in the city, staying inside their houses, peeked through their windows as they smelled something like burnt steak.
"What the f*ck is that—OH SHIT."
Bothered by the scene, everyone panicked—screams echoed throughout the city.
This girl went wild—this fight shouldn't be taken seriously!
My eyes widen, and my jaw started shaking.
I can't believe on what I just saw! This is immoral, this is not right!
"YOU ASSHOLE! YOU JUST KILLED A PERSON!" I shouted angrily, and squinted my eyes toward the girl.
"I—"
Uninterested in her response, I walked toward the source of the burnt steak smell—maybe it was the scent of dead flesh.
I passed through the horrible view—the blazings of many vehicles, rusted metal pipes, fallen stop lights, and destroyed establishments.
My heart is throbbing, nervousness has taken over me. Sweat flows continuously in my cheeks, and my hands were trembling vigorously.
F*ck, what if my adult buddy actually dies?
I can't stand seeing a dead person, especially someone who is important to you.
If he's dead, is there any way to save him? You can only save a person if he or she is alive.
Or, do you believe in reincarnation? Maybe he will get reincarnated as a frog, or a sheep, or a newborn baby!
While immersed in my thoughts, I take a few more steps, I finally saw what's burning.
My doubts and negative thoughts vanished, and I sighed with relief.
To ensure, I stared at it longer. Maybe I was just seeing things.
Yeah, I'm glad it's not the adult man and I'm disappointed that it was just a literal burning steak.
I knew it! That bastard adult man will not die easily!
HOW THE F*CK DID HE TURNED INTO A BURNT STEAK!?
*KAPOW!!!*
WHAT IS THAT!?
I turned around and saw an adult man standing behind the girl.
"How did you—"
He slammed his shin into her back, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"Argh!"
She collapsed to the floor, coughing up blood.
"Gah!"
"Ahaha, this is no longer ordinary Shaolin, right? Then that means I can violate the law of the Flowing Stone!"
That's right — he violated the law of the Flowing Stone. In this martial style, you aren't supposed to overpower others. Instead, you deal with them gently — just as he did in the beginning.
The adult man launched another attack — he raised his leg high and stomped down toward the girl lying on the ground, like crushing an ant.
Anticipating his next move, she rolled aside, dodging the attack.
As soon as she escaped, she spun her magical silk ribbon and whipped it around the man's neck.
She snapped her fingers again — the ribbon burst into flames.
The man grabbed at the ribbon and tore it from his neck, but his hands were severely burned.
"Now this definitely smells like burnt flesh — not steak." The pain shot through his hands. They were melting faster than before.
His legs are still stable, he swiftly moved sideways repeatedly—same technique.
She cannot track the adult man's movement due to its high speed.
Perfecting the timing, Wu Xianxi swiftly slid at at the girl's back and he chopped her nape.
The girl's eyes slowly dimmed, her vision started to shaken.
"So dizzy...ugh."
She lost consciousness. That signals the end of the battle.
She coughed up a lot of blood compared to the adult man.
"Is it over?" Randomly, the glowing ball popped out of nowhere.
"You're just gonna appear in crucial times, isn't it?" I questioned his "expected" returns.
"So you don't want me to help?" The ball raised its yellow, glowing brows.
"Of course I want to!"
"There's a good news." Its light emanate so brightly, enough to enlighten a depressed soul.
"There's a way to turn a dark-wielder into a light-wielder." The glowing ball declared.
The adult man lifted his dull, scratched face, looking at the glowing ball.
"Save me, grant me your sacred redemption."