14
www.luoyu.mewww.yujue.me“The chi pervades the universe and all living things.”
The rning after their conversation, Coander Tung called the conscripts out to the parade grounds. Arranging thenbsp; in a circle around hi he ved in a series of slow, intricate tions. As he ved, he spoke. The conscripts watched, srized by the way the nder’s body seed to be one with his weapon. His sword beca an extension of his ar his legs, like roots of a tree, were firy planted on the ground until they lifted and appeared to bee light as feathers. He signaled to the and Mulan and the others began to rror his ves.
“We are all born with it,” Coander Tung continued. “But only the st dedicated will connect deeply to his chi and bee a great warrior.”
Mulan focused, her body ving of its own ord. She heard the nder’s voice roll over her like the water of the lake, with the sa soothing effect. “Tranquil as a forest,” he said. “But on fire within.”
Swinging her arnbsp; though the air, Mulan practiced the sile vents over and over again. She trained through the afternoon and then later, as she stood guard. When her shift was over, she de her way back to the lake, where she practiced under the light of the on. With every swish of her sword, she felt her chi grow stronger. It blossod, like the leaves on the gnolia tree by the lake’s shore. The sensation was eowering and strange, like sothing wholly new but also oddly faliar.
Over the days that followed, the conscripts’ training intensified. It was a subtle shift at first. A few re nutes tacked onto the end of each session. A bit re bark—and bite—fronbsp; Sergeant Qiang as he shouted orders. Tensions rose as it beca clear that they were no longer practicing for a possible battle but for an actual one.
“The Rouran ene is vast,” Sergeant Qiang warned as Mulan and the others went through a series of rtial arts vents. “They’re ruthless and unpredictable. Yet physical force need not be t with equal force. The warrior yields to force—and redirects it.” He stopped in front of Mulan. She kept her gaze ahead, not allowing hinbsp; to intidate her.
Ever since she and Coander Tung had spoken, Mulan had been able to think of nothing but her chi. It consud her. Fueled her. Drove her. Every nt she could spare, she spent trying to focus it. The nder’s words had been like a spark. She’d realized, in the nts after they talked, that she owed it to her father to be the best warrior she could be. If she didn’t try for that, then everything she had done woul
The rning after their conversation, Coander Tung called the conscripts out to the parade grounds. Arranging thenbsp; in a circle around hi he ved in a series of slow, intricate tions. As he ved, he spoke. The conscripts watched, srized by the way the nder’s body seed to be one with his weapon. His sword beca an extension of his ar his legs, like roots of a tree, were firy planted on the ground until they lifted and appeared to bee light as feathers. He signaled to the and Mulan and the others began to rror his ves.
“We are all born with it,” Coander Tung continued. “But only the st dedicated will connect deeply to his chi and bee a great warrior.”
Mulan focused, her body ving of its own ord. She heard the nder’s voice roll over her like the water of the lake, with the sa soothing effect. “Tranquil as a forest,” he said. “But on fire within.”
Swinging her arnbsp; though the air, Mulan practiced the sile vents over and over again. She trained through the afternoon and then later, as she stood guard. When her shift was over, she de her way back to the lake, where she practiced under the light of the on. With every swish of her sword, she felt her chi grow stronger. It blossod, like the leaves on the gnolia tree by the lake’s shore. The sensation was eowering and strange, like sothing wholly new but also oddly faliar.
Over the days that followed, the conscripts’ training intensified. It was a subtle shift at first. A few re nutes tacked onto the end of each session. A bit re bark—and bite—fronbsp; Sergeant Qiang as he shouted orders. Tensions rose as it beca clear that they were no longer practicing for a possible battle but for an actual one.
“The Rouran ene is vast,” Sergeant Qiang warned as Mulan and the others went through a series of rtial arts vents. “They’re ruthless and unpredictable. Yet physical force need not be t with equal force. The warrior yields to force—and redirects it.” He stopped in front of Mulan. She kept her gaze ahead, not allowing hinbsp; to intidate her.
Ever since she and Coander Tung had spoken, Mulan had been able to think of nothing but her chi. It consud her. Fueled her. Drove her. Every nt she could spare, she spent trying to focus it. The nder’s words had been like a spark. She’d realized, in the nts after they talked, that she owed it to her father to be the best warrior she could be. If she didn’t try for that, then everything she had done woul