InterGalaxia (On Hold)

2.3

As the main events wouldn't happen for some years to come, Chi YunQi took the time to get to know Chi YunLei and the World she was in now. It had many similarities to Ancient China but it was more like an alternate universe where the course of history differed. However, the commonalities were a great asset for her to understand how life is like in this era. Her Laoshi's talks of life from around his lifetime was applicable and she prided herself in the lucky coincidence of choosing the Blade Play skill, if not for the skill itself but for the teacher provided, who had a habit of sitting her down after each lesson to tell stories of his past. Growing up with complete awareness and memories of a different life is exhausting. Pretending to be a child with an adult mentality isn't as easy as it seems. She came to the conclusion that she preferred to be dropped off at any age after ten years old, as whiling away her time was boring.

 As of today, she was nine years old and currently following her mother around town in search of a Master to teach her martial arts. It had taken many years to convince Chi YunLei to allow her to take up something as dangerous as fighting but she insisted, stating that she would have to leave home at some point or be alone so it was better to be prepared and learn to defend herself instead of being caught out in an awkward situation. Chi YunLei wanted to personally teach her at first but after seeing her hopeless performance that was more akin to clumsy aerobics, she threw in the towel with a straight, "not happening, you look like a newborn fawn". After several days of moping and drawing circles on the ground in the corner, Chi YunLei finally acquiesced to her little Princess' commands. For Chi YunLei, raising this kind of daughter who was straightforward, upstanding and considerate despite the tough act she puts on, she couldn't be more prouder. She had to admit that there were times that the child's mannerisms and thought processes exceeded others her age but she didn't doubt her daughter, chalking it up to her twenty-first-century mentality rubbing off on her Qi-Er.

 So here she was, hand in hand with Chi YunLei, on the way to visit a friend of her mother's. This supposed friend had gathered a bunch of Master candidates for Chi YunQi to choose from. Chi YunQi made sure to carry over the training schedule from Mastiff and her Laoshi and has been doing that every day since she was three years old. It was hard at first but now she was a Master's dream apprentice. Her body structure didn't change too much but with Chi YunLei insistence on a well-balanced diet and with recipes inspired from twenty-first-century food, Chi YunQi had grown faster than over children her age, even already having her curves start to show. With the emphasis on building up a lithe but strong body in conjunction with her Laoshi's idealised body of a swordswoman, Chi YunQi had made sure to build up leg strength and full body flexibility as the foundation of her understanding of budō. In order to build up the necessity of self-discipline, Chi YunQi made sure her every movement is precise and light, fast but leisurely and made sure to constantly be aware of ways of passage, in the case of needing a quick escape. By slowly integrating cautiousness into her everyday life, she came to a time where she noticed that she was actively on guard but appeared leisurely. This was an ideal state for her, proof that her hard work was paying off. 

A man 'accidentally' brushed shoulders with Chi YunLei, apologised and scurried off. Chi YunLei just clicked her tongue in distaste but said nothing else whilst Chi YunQi took back the stolen money pouch and placed it within her hanfu, deciding to tell her mother to be careful next time when she hands it back to her. She could hear the would-be thief's cry of astonishment a way's from behind her, causing her to turn up the corner of her lips faintly. Chi YunQi felt a sudden pair of eyes staring at her but did not outwardly panic. She pretended to be looking around at some stalls that the common merchants set up, their cloths lined the main street floors with their backs pressed to the building walls in the shade to avoid the sun beating down on their heads. Not seeing anyone but still feeling that hot gaze, Chi YunQi's heart fluttered in quiet anxiety before she controlled her breathing. They're not making a move, meaning they just saw me take back Mother's money and thought it was interesting, she quietly reassured herself. The presence of that gaze that she could vaguely ascertain disappeared but she felt that the person was following them but not with malicious intentions. It was curiosity she felt from that individual. Resuming her usual nonchalant demeanour, Chi YunLei and Chi YunQi arrived at their destination.