How Martial Artists Communicated

Don't you know?

Murong Qing suspected the other person was faking ignorance, but also felt the acting was too realistic.

"I have no idea."

Hongdou shook her head and said to herself, "I have absolutely no interest in participating in competitions; Auntie Liu always makes the arrangements."

She racked her brains trying to recall what she had to say and give the other person an answer, even though it was something she usually least wanted to do.

Si Ming sensed something was off and quickly explained, "Speaking of which, Auntie Liu seemed to have asked you for a painting before she left. Maybe that's when it was arranged."

Murong Qing trusted Si Ming, and therefore also wanted to believe that Hongdou was truly unaware of the situation, slowly suppressing the anger in her heart.

"Ah—I remember now, it's that picture of birds offering lingzhi mushrooms that I drew when I was in fourth grade! I really liked that painting, but Auntie Liu took it without even asking, and I was angry about it for days."

"Fourth grade..." Murong Qing felt like she couldn't breathe, even her saliva tasted bitter. "You said you weren't interested, and that's true, maybe it doesn't matter to you, but I... I..."

Hongdou asked fearfully, "What's wrong?"

"My painstakingly painted picture was wasted because the school thought your work was a better representation of the school in the competition than mine."

Murong Qing desperately told herself that the other party was innocent and that she shouldn't take her anger out on them. Ultimately, it was because she was less skilled than the other person, and losing her temper at this point would be uncultured and something only a sore loser would do.

However, Hongdou's next words instantly shattered her reason.

"Then I'll quit."

Hongdou said calmly, as if she were doing something completely unworthy of her attention.

"Just quit... Do you know what you're saying? Do you know how hurtful those words are?!"

Murong Qing flung his hand away and roared.

Hongdou looked troubled, her gaze shifting downwards, and slowly said, "I don't know, I'm not good at this."

Murong Qing's eyes reddened. She stepped forward, grabbed the other person's collar, and demanded, "Is it fun to play tricks on people like this? There's a limit to how much you can look down on others!"

"I really don't know what to do. Every time I open my mouth, I make people angry, but I don't want to be like this, and I hate myself for it... I don't want to see Murong angry or sad. Please tell me what I should do? I will definitely do it."

What should I do?

Quit?

Don't want to quit?

"How would I know about something like that?!"

Murong Qing used her remaining rationality to control herself, refrained from harming anyone, turned and ran outside at an astonishing speed, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Si Ming was stunned by this sudden turn of events, slapping his forehead. "Can anyone tell me what happened? Everything was fine when school ended!"

On the street, Murong Qing ran at top speed, covering her nose and mouth with one hand, desperately suppressing her emotions and not letting her tears fall.

Let's just stop drawing!

Anyway, if I keep drawing, I'll just be a supporting character, a stepping stone for others. What's the point?

Let those geniuses have their fun!

Various thoughts of wanting to vent their anger flashed through her mind, Murong Qing suddenly remembered what her father had once told her.

—When you encounter a true genius in the future, remember to focus on yourself and don't compare yourself to them. It's one thing for ordinary people to see a genius; they'll immediately realize the gap between themselves and the genius and give up the idea of comparison. This makes life easier for them. But I know your personality well; you'll definitely be unwilling to accept this and will practice desperately, trying to catch up with and surpass the genius. The result will be constant setbacks. If you really want to get to the bottom of it, you can only conclude that your very existence is a mistake.

Only those who have truly tried know what despair tastes like.

Chapter 89 Methods of Martial Arts Exchange

After calming down, Si Ming quickly figured out the truth. Although he was not a wise man who could see the big picture from small details, the matter itself was not complicated. What was really complicated was Murong Qing's emotional changes.

The impact of her defeat to Lian Buqi might still linger. Although Murong Qing said she didn't care, most martial artists are competitive and can't truly let go of it completely.

The question now is, should I stay or hurry up and pursue her?

Si Ming looked at Hongdou. The girl was holding her arm with one hand, her face showing deep self-reproach. Her thin figure looked extremely fragile, as if she could be blown away by a single breath.

She was the least informed of the whole affair. She didn't know that her painting had been submitted for a competition, she didn't know the despair her talent caused others, and she didn't know the reason for Murong Qing's visit. She was even naively overjoyed that a classmate had come to visit her.

However, does being unaware equate to being without fault?

Si Ming couldn't judge; he didn't believe he was qualified to judge right or wrong in this matter.

"Why is this happening? I clearly didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, and I even left my favorite school life for that reason, so why did I still make Murong sad?"

She looked at Si Ming with pleading eyes.

"Because humans are social beings, there are close connections between people. The more you run away, the tighter the ropes of those connections will be pulled, and the stronger the rebound will be when they snap. Running away will ultimately not solve the problem."

If it were Si Ming before he attained enlightenment, he might have chosen to avoid difficult problems. But now he has the courage to face any difficulty head-on, his attitude towards things is completely different from before, and he speaks with full confidence.

Hongdou asked, confused, "Won't getting closer hurt others?"

Si Ming couldn't answer, so he forced a relaxed expression and patted his chest, saying, "That depends on the person. For example, someone like me with thick skin wouldn't even feel a steel wire bounce back. Girls, on the other hand, definitely have more delicate skin."

Hongdou was silent for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Thank you, I'm fine now. You should go after her quickly; she's suffering even more than I am."

Her expression didn't suggest anything was wrong at all; such sophisticated deception skills couldn't be mastered by someone who stays at home all year round.