Chapter 6 - Playing a Role
It was June, the beginning of summer.
The sunlight was particularly strong and the weather was hot. As noon approached, the sun and sweltering heat only grew harsher.
After spending all morning practicing Basic Combat Arts with Lisa, Cassius was drenched in sweat and his limbs felt like cooked noodles.
He was a thirteen-year-old boy who had never trained a day in his life. No wonder his body was so weak. Every fiber of his muscles felt sore.
However, he had the mind of an adult and, with his second chance in life, the strong will of an orphan. For the whole morning, he neither complained of fatigue nor slacked off.
And Lisa was secretly observing all this.
While she liked talented students well enough, she much preferred those who were diligent and determined. At the moment, Li Wei fell into the latter category for her.
Glancing at the sun high in the sky, Lisa took out a silver pocket watch from her shirt pocket and snapped it open. The black hands on the white dial indicated it was half past eleven.
"Let's stop here for now. Looks like it's almost mealtime; the kitchen should be about done preparing. Head on over to the canteen. You can continue practicing on your own this afternoon and join the team again for tomorrow morning's training." Lisa slipped the pocket watch back into her pocket.
"Understood."
Cassius straightened up from his horse stance, but as soon as he brought his feet together, they wobbled and nearly crumpled underneath him. He almost fell flat on his butt. When he went to wipe his forehead, he discovered his back was soaked with sweat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Lisa had already walked away.
Cassius exhaled a hot breath and made his way over to the canteen. Every couple steps, he was forced to stop and slap some life back into his legs. They were painfully sore and numb, feeling as heavy as lead.
Martial arts training was never child's play. Fatigue, hardship, and sweat were all necessary sacrifices. And Cassius knew that the greater the effort, the greater the reward.
After a quick break, he staggered toward the canteen. It was located in the northwest corner of the youth training camp, about a hundred meters from the hospital. Cassius limped along the road beside the small training field.
As soon as he stepped inside the canteen, the rich aroma of food assaulted his nose. Several large wooden barrels were neatly lined up at the entrance. There were three or four older women leaning against the wall, chatting with each other.
"Someone is here," one of them remarked to the rest upon seeing Cassius.
Cassius swallowed his saliva and picked up a plate. He requested a portion of every dish, including the meat and vegetable soup of the day. Maybe it was because he was the first one in line; the serving ladies gave him very generous portions.
After thanking them, he carried his overflowing plate to a corner by the window. On his tray was cauliflower soup, a few slices of white bread, stewed tomatoes and onions, and two mysterious pieces of meat, one large and one small, with an enticing layer of fat on top.
One major perk of joining the Wind Elephant Sect's youth training camp was not having to worry about an empty stomach. Not only could one eat their fill, but the food was also delicious, with meat in every meal. Unfortunately, there were many poor people in this era who starved to death.
The Wind Elephant Sect's youth training camp did not charge admission fees. All one had to do was pass the constitution examination and they were guaranteed meals. If the trainees’ training results were up to standard, they could even become a well-paid formal disciple. Many poor families who couldn’t support their children would try their luck by registering them for the camp.
Li Wei and Li Chu were examples of such children.
In the second row on the right, seated by the window, Cassius kept his head down and devoured his food. Exhausted and ravenous, he was single-mindedly focused on replenishing his energy.
Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the canteen. Many students in gray and white training attire were beginning to arrive.
Cassius paid them no mind, simply lowering his head to drink his cauliflower soup.
In no time, the once spacious canteen was soon packed with students. The smell of sweat and noisy chatter filled the space.
"Ah!" A slight cry came from the front.
Brows furrowed, Cassius looked up.
Li Wei's sister, Li Chu, was at the front of a long line. A sturdy-looking boy, half a head taller than Li Chu, had forcibly squeezed himself in front of her. He casually chatted and laughed with the boy in front.
"Why don’t we sit in our old spot by the window?" the robust boy asked.
"Sure," the boy in front responded. His appearance was extraordinarily plain. Peering into the barrel, he said with some surprise, "There's ham."
"Awesome! That’s my favorite dish…" The sturdy-looking boy stopped mid-sentence when he felt someone watching him from the left.
He turned his head and saw a small boy with black hair. The boy had both hands on the table and was staring expressionlessly back at him.
Who is that? I don't know him… The robust boy was a little bewildered.
His companion, who had followed his friend’s gaze, whispered, "Madman Li Wei."
"Who?"
"The one who bashed someone's brains out. Remember how we passed the hospital on our way to the washroom the other day? Some dude named Finn was screaming like a lunatic, babbling nonsense for half an hour. I heard his brain was damaged beyond repair, all thanks to that guy."
His companion's eyes wandered behind the robust boy. "Linden, did you just cut in line? The girl behind you is Li Chu, Madman Li Wei's sister." He looked at Linden, dumbfounded.
"Oh, shit!" Linden immediately whipped around and fired off a hasty apology to Li Chu before bolting to the back of the line.
Li Chu was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward in the line. She subsequently saw her brother by the window and smiled in greeting.
Li Wei nodded and waved back.
As he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that the time scale in the upper right corner of his periphery inexplicably had a few extra lines.
He counted carefully; he now had five additional days.
Does that mean the opposite of cowardice is not just courage? Could it also be something more extreme…like viciousness?
Cassius mulled it over.
All the rumors around the training camp said he had bashed Finn's brains out and turned him into an idiot. In those people’s minds, he was not simply brave. Rather, he was vicious!
Who knew such an image could also satisfy Li Wei's lingering attachment? Perhaps this is about more than just resolving the incidents that he regrets. Maybe this was what Li Wei was hoping for all along.
A vague idea was forming in Cassius’s mind.
It's like I'm acting. If I can create an image completely opposite to what Li Wei was before, such as Madman Li Wei, would that further satisfy Li Wei's lingering attachment?
Cassius wasn't sure if his theory was correct, but there would be plenty of time to test it out later. The chair clattered as he stood up to return his plate.
He walked back to the small training field next to the hospital. After resting for a short while, he resumed practicing Basic Combat Arts.
In the hot afternoon sun, Cassius alternated between practicing and resting. Slacking off wasn’t an option, but he also wouldn't overexert himself.
Cassius went over his stance under the shade of the tree. His feet were spread shoulder-width apart, knees bent in an almost ninety-degree squat, not extending past the toes. His back was bent and slightly rounded like a turtle shell, with his hands naturally forming a circle. He kept his head high and gazed straight ahead, his upper body moving up and down like he was riding a horse.
His martial stance was beginning to take shape.
Sweat dripped from his eyelids. As his body rose, Cassius took a deep breath. Suddenly, in the upper right corner of his vision, lines of text slowly materialized below the simple pendant symbol.
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