Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

With just one more punch, the fight would be over. Fu Feihan, this erratic fighter, chose the stupidest and most unsuitable fighting style to stall the gray-haired man. While he did manage to hold him off, the price was being defeated almost without taking any damage.

Fu Feihan subconsciously closed his eyes, waiting for the punch that was coming his way, but the punch never came.

He waited for a long time, and finally couldn't help but open his eyes again.

"Really..." The gray-haired man crossed his arms and sighed, "What excuse did you use to come out again? To buy clothes, hurry up and go, don't go back empty-handed... Remember to pick up that sword sheath too."

"Ah..." Fu Feihan didn't react for a moment, "Huh?"

"Don't you understand?" The gray-haired man rubbed his gray hair and said casually, "Listen carefully. Tonight, ever since you left the hotel, you've been looking for suitable warm clothes and haven't run into me or Ju Qiuming, understand?"

"Ah...wait?"

Fu Feihan wasn't stupid; he naturally understood at this moment. He exclaimed, "Teacher, you...you're going to help me with...that?"

Um, which one is that?

The gray-haired man wanted to retort, but in the end he simply nodded and said, "There's really no need to waste the rest of your life in that cold prison..."

He paused, then said calmly:

"The enemy of me, us, and humanity has never been humanity, but other races. You may think I'm being unreasonable by stopping Ju Qiuming today, since he has done nothing wrong. I have nothing to say about that. You will understand when the time comes... But there is one thing I am certain of. Even if you spend your whole life in prison, it will not do me or humanity any good. So... go buy your clothes."

There is a term specifically used to describe martial artists: "the legacy of the Southern Qin Dynasty." It praises a martial artist for their unwavering loyalty and willingness to sacrifice themselves for righteousness. Although the gray-haired man felt that Fu Feihan's actions were contrary to human righteousness, from another perspective, his unwavering loyalty is not wrong, and he can be described as embodying the legacy of the Southern Qin Dynasty.

Unfortunately, it was used in the wrong place.

"There aren't many interesting guys in this world, and I don't want to lose another one." The gray-haired man took out a cigarette from his pocket, and it took him several tries to light it with a lighter. "Damn it, this lighter is supposed to be windproof? Ten Eevee cigarettes for one, isn't this just a pure tax on intelligence... Wait, am I being taxed?"

He shook his head, took a deep drag, and said, "Hurry up... I need to finish this cigarette so I can go back and call the police."

He wasn't entirely certain that Ju Qiuming was an alien. But since Ju Qiuming was no decent person, he was definitely going to call the police. However, if he went immediately, he was afraid that Fu Feihan would stop him, and if someone saw them, Fu Feihan wouldn't be able to escape either.

“Teacher…” Fu Feihan understood what the gray-haired man meant. He said in a low voice, “Thank you, but is this really good for you? I should bear the consequences of my own mistakes. You really don’t need to do this…”

"Ugh... I can't stand it. This brat who's still in school actually dares to teach his teacher a lesson." The gray-haired man reached out and tapped Fu Feihan's head with his index finger, making him take a few steps back. He waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm a mature and reliable twenty-seven-year-old adult, although I'm still a virgin... tsk."

He said calmly, "In short, I'm not some immature person who acts recklessly on impulse. Let's go. Luckily, this is Polya. It's dozens of degrees below zero at night, and there aren't many people around. Otherwise, things would have been much more complicated."

Fu Feihan wasn't the type to waver between "You go away" and "No, I won't go, I want to die with you." He pulled his sword sheath back with a backhand motion, and after sheathing the sword, he decisively said, "Thank you, teacher, I will remember this kindness!"

His figure quickly disappeared into the street.

The gray-haired man stood there, looking down at his clothes... The sleeves of his clothes had been burst open by his internal energy, revealing the Iron Wire Fist technique inside.

In ancient times, there was a jade-clad man who concealed a sword at his waist; now, there is a gray-clad man who hides a fist in his sleeve!

"So, how do you explain my clothes ripping apart...?"

"So, even though I caught up with Ju Qiuming and got knocked out in his second form (referring to the Iron Wire Fist revealed in his sleeve), I still can't beat him? Shiba, that would be so embarrassing for me..."

As he said this, he looked up and gazed at the starry sky.

"Honestly... It's rare for me to get away on a business trip, and not only is the working environment terrible, but they also keep bringing me along a bunch of problem students..."

The gray-haired man took a deep drag on his cigarette, his expression profound.

"I hope they never see each other again."

End of the future

November 9th, Sunday.

Most of the mid-term assignments were nearing their end by this time, but Zhong Hongyu and Luo Shui's assignments, due to the early completion of their anti-drug work, ended even earlier.

"Hongyu, Hongyu! Are you there? I have some big news!"

A rapid knocking sounded at the door. Zhong Hongyu opened it, and Luo Shui burst in, jumping up and down, saying, "Wow, I don't even know how to tell you this! I don't usually tell anyone else about this, but I'm telling you because it's you..."

This string of nonsense, if it's not nonsense, it must have some useful information.

Zhong Hongyu forced a smile and asked, "What happened?"

"That's a long story. I heard it from Ruoye, who heard it from her sister. It's about Ju Qiuming... Didn't Ju Qiuming go to Polya with Fu Feihan, Teacher Mu, and Teacher Jing? You'd never guess, but he made some big news there..."

Luo Shui was a particularly active person, and he liked to talk while walking. As he walked, he saw the sword that Zhong Hongyu had placed to the side... This sword was placed on a weapon rack, and it was obviously not a combat sword, but an ornament. The blade had a star-like brilliance.

Upon seeing the sword, Luo Shui was so frightened that she couldn't utter a single word, stammering, "This...this sword is..."

She recognized the sword.

In fact, the vast majority of the citizens of the Seven Luminaries should recognize this sword, unless they are the ones who slipped through the net of nine years of compulsory education.

This sword appears on the cover of the first-grade history textbook at Qiyao Elementary School, with a sentence below it that reads, "If you have nothing, remember that you still have a future."

This sword is called the Future.

This is the sword of the founding emperor of the Seven Luminaries Empire, Nineteen Qi. Legend has it that the founding emperor's mother commissioned this sword to be made for her son when he came of age. It was originally a purely decorative item. Later, Nineteen Qi suffered a great calamity. His family members died, and his property was seized. He was left with almost nothing. The only thing that accompanied him was this sword left to him by his mother.

At that time, he was holding onto his only sword, lost in beautiful memories of the past. He had no food, no water, no shelter, and was on the verge of death.

At that moment, Shijiu Qi heard the sound made by the sword.

The future said, "Nineteen Qi, what are you doing? Go and sell me quickly, so you'll have money to eat and the strength to start a new life."

Nineteen cried out, "Future, you are my last possession. If I lose you, I will have no memories of the past left, and I will have nothing left."

The future says, "The memories of the past don't reside in me; you are all their longing. Don't let the past affect the future. If you have nothing, remember, you still have a future. If I have any meaning, it's to pave the way for your future. Your mother gave me to you so that you could create that future."

So, Qi sold the sword, got his first money, and began his eventful life.

Whether this story is true or false is actually not important. While it may have been a way for rulers to add a touch of mystery to their rule, it serves more as a warning to people not to dwell on the past, but to move towards the future.

Later, Nineteen Qi became the founding emperor of the Seven Luminaries Empire. He wanted to find the sword again, but many years had passed and there had been years of war. How could he find the original 'future'? However, Nineteen Qi was not saddened. According to his memories, he ordered people to rebuild the 'future' and said:

"Future, you are in my heart. Whether the sword is real or fake, what does it matter?"

Although the 'future' that was later created was a replica, in a sense it could be considered a 'genuine' product.

Without a doubt, the sword that Luo Shui is seeing in Zhong Hongyu's house is the 'future'.

"You...you...you..." Luo Shui trembled with fear. "What have you been doing these past few days? How could you steal this thing? Hongyu, listen to my advice, let's just surrender it as soon as possible. We've been friends for years, you wouldn't want to kill me to silence me, would you? This isn't my fault! You put it there yourself, treating it like a precious artifact. I couldn't just not see it, could I? Don't kill me..."

As Luo Shui was speaking, she suddenly realized something.

"Wait, this 'future'..."

“Of course it’s a fake,” Zhong Hongyu sighed softly. “Someone gave it to me as a gift.”

"I see..." Luo Shui breathed a sigh of relief and said with a grin, "I knew it! How could it possibly be genuine? Hahahaha..."

'Future' is not something like an 'Imperial Seal'. It carries more of the indomitable qualities of the founding emperor of the Nineteenth Qi Dynasty. Imitation is naturally not illegal. People would love for you to make more imitations, and it would be best if you could export them abroad to tell people the story of the Nineteenth Qi Dynasty.

As she spoke, she leaned closer to the 'future' and examined it carefully.

The 'Future' is kept in the Seven Luminaries Museum, which Luo Shui had visited before, so she was able to recognize it at a glance.

"But honestly, it's just too similar, practically identical to the real thing. He's a true master of imitations..."

Of course...

Zhong Hongyu sighed inwardly. Of course it would resemble the sword; the Seven Luminaries had many imitations in the future. But most of them didn't resemble this sword at all, because those imitations were simply made by looking at a few things in a museum and then replicating them based on their memories. However, this sword was made by the current Seven Luminaries Emperor himself, based on the original, as a symbolic birthday gift for his most outstanding children. The level of realism was incomparable to anything made by third-rate blacksmiths based on mere memories.

"Hey, Hongyu, who gave you this? I want one too, it would look so classy in my home! Can you tell me?"

Zhong Hongyu shook her head slightly and remained silent.

The sword arrived with a message... The princess was a remarkable and gentle person; she gave herself this sword, presumably to use it to say things she couldn't say herself.

Luo Shui didn't press the matter, which was a bit of a pity.

"Speaking of which, where's your dad? It feels like I haven't seen him in ages."

"About this..."

Just as Zhong Hongyu was about to answer, her mother came in with a fruit platter and said gently, "He's away on a business trip recently and may not be back for a while. Please eat and chat."

Zhong Hongyu's eyes flickered, but she did not speak.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Luo Shui said, not standing on ceremony. After eating a few pieces, she noticed that Zhong Hongyu seemed preoccupied and hadn't touched her food. So she said generously, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home!"

".."

Zhong Hongyu wanted to say that this was actually her own home... but after thinking about it, she decided against it.

She said calmly, "What were you going to say in the first place?"

"Ah!" Luo Shui exclaimed, "It's all your fault for that sword. I forgot about that matter... Ju Qiuming and the others, didn't they go to Polya? I heard that Ju Qiuming left the hotel one night, apparently to do something shady. Teacher Jing went after him, but couldn't catch him... Now an arrest warrant has been issued, suspecting him of being a spy or an alien."

Zhong Hongyu was slightly taken aback, and a faint sadness filled her heart.

This period was very long for her, but it was just as long for others.

Human beings exist in this world like a mountain, and whether you like it or not, you are swept forward by the force called fate, never able to stop for a moment.

Whether you get swept away, slammed to the shore and killed, or swim upstream, it all depends on yourself.

"Is there anything else, Luoshui?"

Zhong Hongyu gripped the wooden sword once more.

"If nothing else..."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her expression calm:

"I'm going to start practicing swordsmanship."

Interlude: A Flower in a Mirror, A Moon in the Water

The alien races originated from the Primordial Alien Race, which in turn originated from magical beasts, which in turn originated from living beings.

It is a 'living thing' rather than an 'animal'.

Therefore, all sorts of strange and wonderful magical beasts actually exist in this world, but in this era, the vast majority of magical beasts have been wiped out by humans.

But since there are all sorts of strange magical beasts, there are naturally all sorts of strange ancestral alien races and... alien races.

The first generation of alien races were always closer to monsters than humans, and the first generation of alien races only had the option of 'not wanting to appear,' not the option of 'not being able to appear,' because the progenitor alien races could freely switch forms.

As for the 'second generation of alien races,' that's completely hard to say.

Although theoretically there is no reproductive isolation between humans and all other races, sometimes... there are some more practical factors.

For example, something like 'cactus aliens'.