Chapter 22: Showing Off Martial Arts

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of my throat.

The shameless Pi Tiantian finally fixed her gaze on me and said, "Don't cover up, it's your turn!"

I had plenty of reservations about her to begin with, so how could this be possible? I argued, "No! It wasn't me who shouted!"

Pi Tiantian was half a head shorter than me and not as strong, but feeling aggrieved, she could only say tactfully, "You can't do this, can you? Otherwise, how could you face me?"

I wasn't about to be that foolish. Having been burned at Mo Liping's house, I couldn't be fooled again. I asked, "Are you actually a man or a woman?"

Her answer was simple: "You've seen for yourself; judge it however you like. Since you're unwilling, surely this much is acceptable?"

It was the first time I had heard such a strange phrase, and I couldn't help but ask, "How so?"

She didn't answer and walked away... I wasn't afraid at all, because I was wearing casual clothes.

My phone rang. I rolled over, sat up, pulled the phone from my pocket, glanced at it, and answered, "Hello?"

My mother's voice came through immediately: "Zhengtai, it's Mom! School is about to start, I'm coming over right away. I have to find a way to get some money; otherwise, your father can't have his surgery!"

"Understood!" I hung up and put the phone back in my pocket.

However, Pi Tiantian had gained nothing. She whined, "Zhengtai, I love you! I really am a woman; it doesn't matter even if your mother comes back!"

The situation had changed. My mother was nearly frantic about borrowing money. I was very worried, and since Pi Tiantian was... I had to say, "There are patients at the hospital waiting for money!"

Pi Tiantian still held onto a glimmer of hope and had to ask, "How much?"

"You look like a pauper yourself; you wouldn't have any money!" I stared at her with contempt. In truth, I knew well enough whether students had money or not. Their finances came from their parents; otherwise, they had to rely on themselves, but students had neither the time nor the means.

To my surprise, she blurted out, "I do! First..."

"Damn it, she really wants to treat me like a fool. Did she misjudge me?" I held out my hand and said, "You should..."

Pi Tiantian could no longer control herself and lunged at me. With no one else in the house, she had become particularly bold.

I dodged, and she tumbled onto the single bed, leaving herself wide open. I took the opportunity to strike her on the back of the neck with the edge of my hand.

I watched as her head lolled and twitched for a moment before she went limp...

***

I was terrified! Was she dead? I hadn't used that much force; how could this happen?

My mind was filled with doubt. I desperately wanted to flip her over to check on her, but I had all sorts of reservations...

There was the sound of a key in the lock. Knowing it was my mother, I immediately went to check, but to my surprise, the damn girl, Pi Tiantian, had sat up.

I thought she was going to lunge at me again, but instead, she began straightening her clothes and smoothing out her hair...

My mother couldn't wait any longer. As soon as she entered, she called out, "Zhengtai, grab your backpack! Traffic is terrible outside, we're almost late!"

I had been wearing my backpack the whole time, so I walked out...

To my surprise, Pi Tiantian followed right behind me without a hint of shame, even taking the initiative to greet her: "Auntie, you're back?"

My mother's first reaction was one of bewilderment. Why was she in our house? She pointed a finger and asked, "What's going on?"

I couldn't say anything else, so I had to hide the truth and mention something trivial...

My mother finally smiled and asked, "Tiantian, let's go together!" She turned to head downstairs, and I locked the door behind us.

The electric scooter was parked at the entrance. It could only seat one person behind the driver. My mother smiled at Pi Tiantian and said, "Go home on your own, it's only a few steps anyway!"

With a *whoosh*, the scooter sped off. After a few minutes of waiting at traffic lights, we arrived at the school gate, and my mother rode off...

My gaze naturally drifted to the guard. He was standing at the entrance, and when he saw me, I acted as if I hadn't seen him... At this point, I still wasn't wearing my school uniform, but no one bothered to nag me about it.

The bulletin board in front of the ten-story junior high building was crowded with students, forming a thick wall. Being tall, I walked over and could see clearly over their heads. Among the notices were several eye-catching characters: "Citywide Women's Martial Arts Performance Tournament Officially Launched."

Below that was the content. I only looked at the key part: "Those willing to participate, please register with your homeroom teacher."

I didn't know when Jiang Meili had arrived, but I only realized it when she grabbed the back of my hand. She couldn't see the text below, so she shook my arm vigorously and said, "Zhengtai, sign up for the competition so I can go watch!"

I thought about it for a long time. There were many things going on at home, and I still had to find a way to borrow money, so I had to ask, "Do you know what a 'performance tournament' means?"

Jiang Meili blinked her bright eyes, confused for a long time, still not understanding. In truth, "performance" was jargon in the martial arts world; even those who practiced martial arts didn't necessarily understand the nuance, let alone Jiang Meili.

I looked at her and noticed she had changed into a blue school uniform. I took the opportunity to explain: "So-called performance is like acting. It focuses on the choreography. Even those without a deep foundation, as long as they practice the forms well, can make it look very beautiful!"

It was the first time Jiang Meili had heard this, and she couldn't help but ask, "Can you perform one?"

***

I wanted to take this chance to show off, so I nodded. To my surprise, Jiang Meili shouted to the crowd at the bulletin board: "Students, Zhengtai is going to perform martial arts! Come and watch!"

"Damn it, how annoying. Is there really anyone like her? Forcing me onto the stage like this!"

Since I had already agreed, I decided to address the crowd: "Students, my name is Zhengtai. At the invitation of Jiang Meili, I will perform a set of martial arts moves here. Please pay attention!"

"Oh my! The students formed a thick wall, and even Mr. Wang was squeezed in among them."

I was exceptionally excited. With a flick of my legs, I vaulted six meters high—as high as a three-story building—and landed directly in a handstand. I balanced my entire body on the index finger of my right hand, steady as a rock. My jacket naturally fell down, covering my head completely...

The students applauded enthusiastically, shouting, "Bravo! Amazing!"

I swung my legs in the air, changed my stance, and performed five consecutive backflips. Bringing my legs together, I descended gracefully, landed on my tiptoes, spread my arms, and spun five times. As I landed head-down with a *thud*, my golden hair spread across the floor, and my clothes draped down naturally...

Some students were stunned, others grinned, and it drew some lecherous looks from the boys.

I landed on my feet, lifted my head, and stood up.

A burst of thunderous applause broke out, and some students shouted, "Do another one, please!"

I was just about to perform the secret techniques my master had taught me when the bell rang. A sweet, adult woman's voice followed: "Students, it is time for class. I hope you will gain something from today's lesson."

Following the bell, I went into the classroom with the other students...

Jiang Meili gripped my arm tightly. Everywhere I looked, people were discussing my performance. Some female students even cast admiring glances at me, walked over, and asked, "Hey, Zhengtai, who did you learn from?"

"My master, of course!" I felt quite proud. I replied as I returned to my seat.

Jiang Meili seemed triumphant. From now on, she could stand tall; as long as I was around, no one would dare give her any trouble.

A stranger entered from the doorway—a man of about forty, wearing a teacher's uniform and cloth shoes. He stood in front of the blackboard and asked the students in the first row, "Is everyone here?"

I was puzzled and couldn't help but ask Jiang Meili, "Why isn't he taking attendance?"