Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

Translator: Inschain Editor: Inschain

Zhao Baiyu.

Under the complex gaze of his roommates, Qian Quan walked over.

“Hi,” greeted Qian Quan.

Zhao Baiyu smiled, “Sorry for the sudden approach. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you alone yesterday, so I took the liberty of coming over.”

“It’s fine; I just finished class. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, I just wanted to thank you in person and give you a small gift,” said Zhao Baiyu as he pulled out a red butterfly knife.

Qian Quan was about to say that his father had already thanked him, but upon seeing the butterfly knife, he accepted it.

“This is a unique knife,” said Qian Quan, who was skilled in the Eight-Slash Sword and could easily handle short weapons.

“It was custom-made for me by someone my Dad knows. There are two of them.”

“It feels good to hold,” Qian Quan praised, “then I’ll graciously accept.”

“Of course,” Zhao Baiyu nodded. “Also, I wonder whether 1 could ask you for another favor.”

“Go ahead.”

“Can I come to you for some martial arts guidance when you’re free?”

“Of course, you can.”

“Great, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. We do have some connections, being fellow locals.”

“Yeah,” Zhao Baiyu smiled broadly at Qian Quan’s agreement.

After giving the gift and saying thanks, Zhao Baiyu left after exchanging a few more words.

Qian Quan returned to his dormitory to put his things away and then went to meet Bai Yuanzhi. They had planned to film a video featuring a weapons battle that day.

It was Qian Quan’s Eight-Slash Sword versus Bai Yuanzhi’s Tai Chi Sword.

“Mentor is coming over today to take you to the capital city for a martial arts match with Shimizu Ichiro.”

Bai Yuanzhi told Qian Quan the news just before the official shoot.

“He already texted me.”

“By the way, have you ever heard of laido?”

“No, but I’ll do a quick online search to get the gist of it.”

“That sounds a bit hasty, doesn’t it?”

Qian Quan laughed, “It’s not hasty at all. Don’t look for realistic video explanations; just watch related movies or TV shows and then gauge whether you could beat their protagonists.”

“For example, if I could beat Zatoichi, why would I worry about defeating Shimizu Ichiro?”

“You’re sure you could beat Zatoichi?” Bai Yuanzhi seemed familiar with the movie as well.

“Hard to say, I’ve never fought him,” said Qian Quan nonchalantly as if he had a good shot at winning if they actually battled.

Bai Yuanzhi was speechless.

Bai Yuanzhi was genuinely stunned. If anyone else had made that claim-even her own mentor-she would’ve thought they were boasting. But coming from Qian Quan, it seemed highly credible.

Comparing the combat abilities of a real person with a fictional, god-like swordsman was beyond strange. It was even more baffling.

“Artistic works come from life but are higher than life, and the same goes for combat settings. We tend to overestimate our opponents so that we’re not at a disadvantage,” Qian Quan said.

“That’s not really the point…” Bai Yuanzhi quietly retorted, then asked, “Could I get a demonstration of your Eight-Slash Sword Technique?”

“Of course,” Qian Quan looked around and spotted a water pen on the table. He picked it up and said, “I’ll use this water pen as a sword to demonstrate the technique for you.”

“What?” Bai Yuanzhi was stunned.

“You attack me with your sword, and I’ll use this water pen to counter it.”

“No way, that’s just…” Bai Yuanzhi refused.

Qian Quan explained, “Eight-Slash isn’t the name of the sword; it’s the name of the technique. It can be applied with one sword or two. Once you’ve reached a certain level, it doesn’t matter whether you have a sword in your hand or not. Everyday objects or even your bare hands can be used for the Eight-Slash Sword Technique.”

“Think of it this way: if you were to play table tennis against the best player, would it make any difference whether he or she used a paddle or the sole of a shoe?”

“Well… well…” Bai Yuanzhi was at a loss for words.

Qian Quan quickly added, “I’m not trying to belittle you. The Eight-Slash Sword Technique follows the principles of the ‘Eight Methods of the Character Yong.’ For demonstration purposes, a pen is the most suitable.”

“Fine…”

The two put on protective gear.

Bai Yuanzhi grasped her long sword, and Qian Quan held the water pen.

A brief standoff ensued.

Swish!

Bai Yuanzhi lunged with her sword.

Qian Quan dodged and slashed at the blade with the water pen.

Clang!

Bai Yuanzhi almost lost grip on her sword. She twisted her wrist to perform a flourish with her sword, only to hear another “clang” as Qian Quan’s pen struck the blade again.

Bai Yuanzhi lost control of her sword once more.

The bout was essentially over by this point.

In weapon combat, unlike unarmed combat, losing even one move can be fatal.

As the saying in Wing Chun goes, “A sword has no double strike; a staff makes no double sound.” It means that in weapon fights, one move often decides the outcome.

“Many of the little-known stances, steps, theories, and techniques of Wing Chun are summarized in the Eight-Slash Sword Technique. The most exquisite part is its footwork.”

Qian Quan put away his pen and began explaining.

Bai Yuanzhi realized the gap between her swordsmanship and Qian Quan’s technique might be even bigger than her table tennis skill gap with Zhang Yining. She didn’t want to compare any further and began recording a video.

At least during the video recording, she could control the flow and overshadow Qian Quan.

As they were discussing the editing of the video, Zhang Xiang’er called.

“I’ve arrived at your campus, Quan,” she said.

Qian Quan shared a location with him.

About ten minutes later, Zhang Xiang’er appeared with sunglasses on and beard shaved.

Upon meeting, she gave Qian Quan a big hug before asking, “Have you guys finished filming the video?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, 1 missed it; give me a couple of retakes. Come on, Quan, let’s pretend to

spar for a bit..”