A large character for "Martial" (武) was painted on the wall.
From the high windows came vigorous shouts, the sounds of bodies colliding with each other or with training equipment, and the dull thuds of throws and takedowns...
Three children—an ordinary human boy, one with an orange cat's head, and another pale, vampire-like kid—were pressed against the window, wide-eyed as they peeked inside the dojo.
Dozens of students, whether human, animal-people, or monster-people, all wore matching white uniforms with the same "武" character on their chests and backs. (Everyone agreed it was a strange and difficult character to write, but since it was said to have been passed down by the gods, it carried prestige.) Inside the spacious hall, they trained diligently in martial arts.
"They're so cool…" The human boy said enviously. "Next year, I'm joining Old Man Son's dojo!"
"Tangtong, don't you already have a teacher?" The orange cat-headed boy asked.
"He's nowhere near as strong as Old Man Son!" Tangtong pointed to the edge of the dojo, where a white-haired, white-bearded elder sat in a chair. Before him stood a usually carefree young man—now standing respectfully with his hands at his sides, listening intently. "Even the head disciple acts so reverent around him!"
The vampire-like child, Paifu, chimed in, "My mom said Old Man Son once met the god."
"Huh?!" The cat boy broke into a sweat. "Paifu, gods are just fairy tales! Like the demons and monsters from a hundred years ago..."
Paifu pointed to his fangs. "Hey, I'm a vampire. If vampires exist, why not gods?"
"And I'm an orange cat," the cat boy muttered. "People just look different. What's the big deal?"
"How is that normal?" Tangtong retorted. "I keep wanting to tease you with yarn balls! And every time you visit, I almost give you cat food! And look at Paifu—he's practically dead in daylight! We're not the same!"
"So what if we're different?" The cat boy shrugged. "I don't care. I'm not learning martial arts anyway. Watching is fun, but actually doing it? Too much work!"
When Tangtong glanced at him, Paifu broke into a nervous sweat. "I'm a vampire! Since when do vampires train in martial arts? We have our own ways—maybe even magic..."
"Really?" The other two perked up with interest.
"Well, if you let me drink some of your blood, maybe I'll find out..." Paifu teased.
"Pass!" The two recoiled in sync.
---
Meanwhile, inside the dojo, the head disciple was bidding farewell to his master.
Old Man Son Lin—now aged, his fur gone white—smiled warmly. "I've taught you all I can. Now, you must walk your own path."
"Master…" The young man hesitated. "They say you once climbed the Korin Tower and met God. Is it true?"
Son Lin chuckled. "You believe those tales? Well, yes. I trained under two gods on that tower..."
A nostalgic gleam flickered in his eyes.
The disciple frowned. Why is Master smacking his lips like that? Is that… drool?
"Ahem!" The old monkey wiped his mouth.
"Two gods?" The disciple pressed.
"Indeed. A man and a woman. The woman was called the Supreme Elderly Lord. Her cooking, especially the hot pot—" Son Lin's gaze grew distant again.
"Master…" The disciple handed him a handkerchief.
"Ahem!" The old monkey wiped his mouth once more.
"...Is this repetition really necessary?" The disciple thought dryly.
Son Lin straightened, his tone solemn. "The Supreme Elderly Lord's skill was peerless. Even after years of training, I could barely follow her movements!"
"Years… just to see her moves?!" The disciple was stunned. No one understood Old Man Son's strength better than him—after all, he'd been on the receiving end of it the most.
"And even that was likely only because the Supreme Elderly Lord allowed me to see her movements," Old Son Lin added.
"Someone that powerful…" The head disciple was awestruck, yet yearning. Suddenly, he asked, "What about the other god? Was he just as strong?"
Son Lin fell silent, then shook his head. "I don't know."
Naturally puzzled, the disciple pressed for an explanation.
"If facing the Supreme Elderly Lord still left me the courage—or even the desire—to surpass her, then standing before the other god…" The old monkey trailed off, struggling for words.
"When your skills deepen, when you truly understand ki, you'll grasp what I mean. Before him, it's like standing naked under an endless sky. You feel nothing but your own insignificance."
A wistful sigh escaped him.
The disciple gulped, unable to fathom such a being.
After a long pause, he murmured, "So he's the one from the legends… the 'Radiant Savior', the 'White God' who saved the world from demons?"
What overblown titles… Son Lin sweatdropped internally but nodded anyway.
Learning of such vast, divine existences filled the disciple with both pressure and reverence.
"I'd love to see it… the Korin Tower." He hoisted his pack.
Amid a gaggle of excited children, the old monkey saw off his prized student.
"So cool," Tangtong whispered, watching the retreating figure.
"Did he bring any money?" the cat boy wondered aloud.
As the crowd dispersed, Paifu—with his sharp vampire eyes—spotted the distant disciple pulling out a vehicle and rumbling away.
"Cheater…" he grumbled, dragging his friends along.
On the way back, Son Lin sensed his disciple's sudden speed shift and chuckled. "Ah, forgot to warn him—the god's rarely home these days. I wonder if his Flying Nimbus's ready yet?"
He rubbed his now-white furry ears, gazing at the pristine blue sky.
"Eighty years, huh…"
This time, the nostalgia was genuine—no火锅 cravings involved.
Suddenly, the old monkey bellowed at the heavens:
"FLYING-NIMBUS!!!"
The kids jumped.
Nothing happened.
Under their bewildered stares, Son Lin winked. "Calling to the sky like that sometimes brings good luck."
His voice drifted upward—past his disciple's speeding vehicle, past the winds and clouds, through time and longing—until it lightly brushed against a patch of faint golden mist somewhere in the ether.
Behind his animal mask, a certain god smiled.
His handcrafted golden clouds had just trembled in response.
---
Author's Notes:
- Tangtong and Paifu are borrowed from Akira Toriyama's oneshots "Dragon Boy" and "COWA!" respectively.
- Paifu actually appeared earlier in the story.