324 Chapter 324: Hei Xin

I stared at the pink-haired girl, who was for some reason wearing a blue mask that covered her mouth and the lower half of her face. Like, seriously? What was with that stupid-looking mask? At least she was dressed in more…practical clothes, wearing a black leather jacket over a blouse, and dark jeans. Of course, because we had to pander to manhua readers and offer webservice, she was revealing a fair amount of cleavage and a bare midriff. Wasn't she cold, exposing her tummy like that?

The fashion sense of anime characters continued to befuddle me. But whatever.

"You're really something, huh?" the girl repeated herself, as if to do a brief recap of the cliffhanger of the previous chapter. She raised a gloved fist. "Now…let me see how good you are."

"…who?" I asked blankly. Well, that was a stupid question. Obviously she was a member of the Hei Clan.

In any case, the girl wasn't interested in answering. She responded by lunging forward at incredible speed, almost as if she was a bullet.

"!!"

I almost didn't react in time, backing away instinctively as a bead of perspiration rolled down my face. The girl didn't hesitate and instead whirled around to deliver a kick. Her foot, which was clad in a black, spiked boot, swung toward my head in a deadly arc.

"Ugh…"

Raising my left arm, I just barely managed to parry her kick and prevent the spikes from digging into my skin. Gritting my teeth, I found myself staggering a step or two to my right from the tremendous impact.

"What a powerful kick…" I murmured to myself as I struggled to regain my balance.

Unfortunately, the pink-haired girl wasn't going to give me a chance to recover. She mercilessly brought her leg down, forcing me to dodge to the side, and then spun around to send a riposte with her arm, which nearly took my head off if I hadn't bent my back backward to avoid it.

"Whoa…she's strong…"

Take note, neither of us had used magic yet. I wasn't going to start casting spells, though. If my opponent wasn't going to use magic, then neither was I. I was going to battle her fair and square. Not because I couldn't bear the thought of losing a physical battle to a lady (I would have done the same if the opponent was male), but because it would be foolish for me to reveal my magic too soon. Additionally, I inwardly understood that the girl did not plan for the fight to escalate into one where we ended up wrecking the whole district with highly destructive spells.

Taking a deep breath, I held my ground firmly and began deflecting her rapid barrage of punches. Recalling the moves that my father taught me when he trained me in Wing Chun, I defended, parried and knocked aside her punches and kicks. Blocking a punch, I then retaliated with a serpent-like strike that forced her to throw her head back. Moving one step forward, I then kicked with my other leg, but she jumped above my attack before spinning in midair to throw a kick that I successfully blocked. Dropping to her hands, she bounced off to direct another kick toward my head, but I calmly sidestepped her and lashed out with my foot toward her head, which was still near the ground.

Skillfully spinning around to evade my kick, the girl tried a scissors kick where both of her feet attempted to clamp down on my neck, but I raised both my hands and knocked them aside. The girl then flipped herself up, forcing me to dodge her next kick, and then returned to a standing position. Without missing a beat, she threw another punch that I slapped away by striking at her wrist with my forearm, and then I delivered a riposte that had her retreating a couple of steps.

Almost as if she was dancing, the girl waltzed around me, probing my defenses with punches and kicks. Raising a leg while spinning on the other like a swan, she threw a powerful kick that would have floored me if I had chosen to parry it. Instead, I instinctively threw myself backward and flipped in midair to put as much distance between us as possible.

Unfortunately, despite Dad's training, I was not a real martial artist. I was a summoner, for God's sake. A mage who summoned Constellation spirits. Close, unarmed combat was never my forte. Hell, I was barely passable in terms of wielding swords, and my archery was half-baked – with me focusing entirely on power rather than accuracy, it didn't matter if I couldn't hit my target as long as I could nuke the entire area and have it engulfed within the explosion radius.

Flipping myself back and landing on my feet, I stabilized my footing and reestablished a typical Wing Chun defensive stance, with one hand out, in front of the other, and ready to parry.

"Hu…"

Exhaling, I kept a wary eye on my opponent and did my best to track her movements. Narrowing my eyes, I bit my lip to force down the impatient urge to charge and attack.

She's really strong! I realized grimly. Any careless attack on my part would end up in disaster. I could see no openings at all, and was intuitively aware that she would be able to counter any strike I executed. I couldn't afford to recklessly charge in. This isn't just any ordinary girl. Her strength is greater than Lilith's, and at least on par with Cecilia's.

As much as I hated to admit it, the longer I dragged this battle, the more disadvantageous it would be for me. Like I said, I was not an expert martial artist. Dad trained me in Wing Chun and swordsmanship, but ultimately I only knew enough for basic self-defense. I wasn't some grand master like Ip Man who could defeat every other martial arts opponent through skill alone. Dad and I both knew that I lacked the innate combat sense and talent of a martial arts prodigy, and that I had already reached the ceiling of my skills. Of course, I could still improve through daily practice, plenty of combat experience and consistent training, but I was never going to reach the grand heights of grand master.

The girl in front of me, on the other hand…she was a true prodigy. I was aware that she hadn't even attacked me seriously, and she was holding back this entire time. Despite restraining herself, she had already cornered me. If I continued to fight, I would inevitably fall to a humiliating defeat. The fact that I could only defend and not attack was proof of how she was overwhelming me.

If this was a magic battle, though…

No. if my opponent didn't use magic, then I wouldn't. Besides, I had no idea if I would be plunging straight into a trap. For all I knew, the girl could be a genius at magic, and was capable of more powerful spells than me. Turning this into a battle of spells wouldn't guarantee my victory – if it turned out that I was underestimating her, she would just as easily crush me as she would in a martial arts duel, and we would end up inflicting a lot of collateral damage in the district. Especially the Tofu House restaurant that I was doing my best to protect.

"Hah…"

Letting out another sigh, I tensed up and clenched my fists tightly, trying to assess my options. However, no matter what kind of idea flashed across my mind, the outlook still seemed pretty bleak. I was definitely going to lose if we continued, especially since I refused to use magic unless my opponent did it first.

Funnily enough, my opponent was probably thinking the same thing. She most likely decided not to use magic unless I forced her to by casting the first spell. So we were stuck in what might be a deadlock that would inevitably end in my defeat.

Well…so what if I lost? I couldn't care less. I honestly didn't care if I lost to a girl. My only regret was that I would fail to defend the courageous owner of Tofu House. That was all. I wasn't some invincible God Mode Mary Sue protagonist who won every single fight I got into. I had no expectation that I would win this. This wasn't even a tournament match, so who cared if I lost this duel?

Even so, I was going down fighting. That much was for sure. This girl was definitely a participant in the CHF…I mean national tournament. If I viewed this as a practice match, then it would make things look a lot better.

However, to my absolute surprise, the girl relaxed and raised a hand in submission.

"How about the both of us stop here?" she asked. She bowed her head slightly, astonishing me further. "I apologize for the overbearing attitude of my retainers earlier…not just toward you, but also toward the restaurant owner, as well as causing trouble for the other customers."

She cast a glare at her three henchmen, who had the temerity to look sheepish and ashamed of themselves while still lying on the floor.

"I told you guys to stop doing that every time I go to a restaurant."

"Sorry, Young Mistress."

The pink-haired girl then turned back to look at me, and she removed her blue mask, revealing a dazzling smile underneath.

"I am Hei Xin from the Hei Family," she introduced herself graciously. "What about you?"

"…Tanaka Tomoyuki."

"I'm not asking for your pen name, Mister. I'm asking for your real name."

I coughed, wondering how the heck she knew my pen name. Hell, why did she even know that I was a writer in the first place?

"…Richard Huang."

"I see. Sorry for interrupting your meal." She paused for a moment. "How about we eat together?"

"Uh…"

"Don't worry about it," Hei Xin assured me, mistaking my hesitation for being intimidated by the gulf in our statuses instead of me just wanting to enjoy my meal in peace, alone. "I would say that you more than earned the right to sit at the same table as me. Besides…" she glanced at the customers, who had paused to watch the fight. "It's pretty crowded, and I don't want to deprive the other guests of their tables. Since you appear to be dining alone, I might as well share a table with you."

"How the heck did you know that?" I asked with a frown. She definitely wasn't here when I was eating, and I didn't see her henchmen inform her about my circumstances. However, Hei Xin merely smiled mysteriously.

"You're not the only one who can break the fourth wall."

"I'm glad we didn't break any walls at all," I muttered, casting a glance at the poor restaurant.

Anyway, we ended up herding the other customers back into the restaurant, and the owner was so grateful that he heated my food again – which had gone cold – before sending it back to me. I began helping myself to my meal again, while Hei Xin sat opposite me, sipping some warm tea. Steepling her fingers, she observed me while I ate, which made the moment super awkward.

"You don't seem like you're from around here."

"You're damn right I'm not," I agreed in between mouthfuls of food. Hei Xin chuckled.

"If I'm not mistaken…you came here for the CHF, right?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THE CHF?! This isn't Battle Frenzy! Stop mixing up the two stories! I know they are very similar, but I am not Wang Zhong!"

Hei Xin cleared her throat. "Sorry, I meant that you came here for the national tournament, right?"

"Yeah." I calmed down and nodded before taking a sip of water.

"Which team are you from?" Hei Xin inquired curiously. I shrugged indifferently, seeing no reason to hide the fact from her. Even if I lied now, with her connections and influence, she could easily investigate and uncover the truth.

"Jing Tian Academy."

"Jing Tian…?" Hei Xin looked stupefied by my answer. She then clasped her hands together apologetically. "I mean no offense, but…if your team has someone like you, then there's no way it's a weak one."

"What makes you think Jing Tian Academy is weak?" I countered. Hei Xin giggled at that.

"Ah, yes. Forgive me for my presumptions. You are right, of course." Her smile widened and her eyes twinkled. "Crouching tigers, hidden dragons and all that."

"Are you a fan of Ang Lee?" I asked. Hei Xin's brow furrowed.

"…who?"

"Never mind."

Hei Xin didn't seem satisfied with my response, but she turned around to beckon the waitress over. "Pour Mr. Huang some tea."

"Sure. Excuse me." the waitress poured me some tea, and I bowed gratefully.

"Thank you."

Hei Xin was watching me carefully with those pink eyes of hers. It was clear what she was thinking.

He is so humble…and he doesn't seem to be from a powerful, wealthy or influential family.

"I'm very curious." Hei Xin leaned forward with a smile. "Are the other members of Jing Tian Academy's team also as powerful as you?"

I merely responded with a mysterious smile of my own as I pushed my glasses up.

"That's a secret. You can't really expect me to give away information about my own team to a potential rival right before the tournament, right?"

"Fair enough."

I downed the last spoonfuls of soup, and then rose.

"Thanks for the meal…that was delicious!" I raised my hand toward the waitress. "Excuse me, but I would like to pay." I glanced at Hei Xin and tilted my head. "Don't worry about the bill…this will be my treat."

"Hey, wait!" Hei Xin was flustered, thrown off by my sudden departure. "I still have a lot of things I want to talk to you about! Besides, I'm the daughter of the Hei Family. I don't need you to pay for me."

"I'm not belittling you, Miss Hei," I assured her. "I just want to thank you."

"Huh? Thank me? What for?" Hei Xin was further thrown into disarray, gaping at me in confusion.

"For offering me a practice match…and for also looking the other way even though I beat up your subordinates."

"Hey, they were the ones who threw the first punch. You had every right to act in self-defense. We're the ones who should compensate you for the trouble!"

"Nah, don't worry about it."

I merely smiled at Hei Xin's protests, and then bowed.

"I'll take my leave then. Speaking of which, I need to meet up with my teammates tonight. To discuss the qualifiers for the tournament."

With that, I departed.

"Wait…!" Hei Xin called out, but I was already striding out of the door.

"I'm sure we'll meet again!" Actually, I was sure we wouldn't, but knowing how clichés worked, I would end up running into her before long. Otherwise the author wouldn't bother introducing her in the story.

Hei Xin continued to stare after me, but then she sighed and shook her head with a resigned smile.

"Richard Huang, huh?" she mused to herself, grinning cheekily. Damn it. Even though I couldn't physically see her, I was aware of her mischievous expression because of my ability to break the fourth wall. Did I just get involved with quite the troublesome Mistress? Good thing I got out of the restaurant as quickly as possible. She was definitely planning something.

Unaware of my dark, pessimistic thoughts, Hei Xin chuckled to herself. She was really black-hearted (black-hearted in Chinese is prounounced as "Hei Xin").

"What an interesting guy."