Dongfang Bubai Stark

"Actually, I've used it when treating other people too, but mostly through silver needles, so nobody noticed. There are two reasons it was so obvious this time. First, because of how much time you had, I had to do it this way to get results quickly. Second, like you said, we hit it off. That goes for both you and Pepper. Even though you were very annoying when we met, I felt an inexplicable sense of trust in both of you the first time I saw you. I don't know if you two felt it, but I did." Xia Yu's answer was a clever one. He knew about the system's favorability bonus, so Tony and Pepper nodded, feeling the same way.

Seeing them agree, Xia Yu took a sip of coffee and continued, "In Huaxia language, this is called yuanfen, or fate. Huaxia people believe strongly in it. Most importantly, this world doesn't allow me to use my power freely, but I want to keep studying martial arts, including my own body and the energy inside it. I don't have the equipment to test them, though, or the technology, until I saw you, and we had so much 'fate' between us. So I decided to show you outright."

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts looked at each other and nodded. They basically believed his answer. Pepper then asked in confusion, "Xia, why didn't you just say so when we first met?"

Xia Yu burst out laughing and pointed at Tony. "Ask this guy if he would've thought I was crazy if I'd told him outright. If I'd shown him this ability when we first met, he might have called the police. At the very least, he would have forbidden you from coming to me for treatment again."

Tony Stark thought for a moment, then laughed too. "You know what? That's what I like about you, that annoying side of yours. You always remind me of myself when I was young."

Pepper chimed in at just the right moment. "Tony, you're still like that now."

Breakfast ended amid laughter, and they had established an initial level of trust. Tony Stark couldn't sit still, and as soon as they finished eating, he pulled Xia Yu along and asked him to give a demonstration, so he could see what equipment and instruments needed to be added. He couldn't wait to study this field he'd never encountered before.

Xia Yu didn't dare demonstrate at full strength. He simply showed the two of them various applications of Internal Energy, such as palm strikes imbued with it and extending it into objects to increase their hardness. He also used Qinggong to hover and fly briefly in the air. When Xia Yu drifted slowly down as though gravity didn't affect him, Tony and Pepper applauded enthusiastically. Tony Stark even grabbed a bag of snacks and ate while he watched. This depressed Xia Yu, making him feel very much like an acrobat putting on a show.

After getting a general idea, Tony hurriedly called to order all kinds of materials and equipment to modify his lab. At noon, Xia Yu showed off a little of his cooking skill again, making a soup and stir-frying a few Huaxia home-style dishes. The simple home-cooked meal made Tony declare that he would definitely hire a Huaxia master chef as his cook in the future.

To fully test Xia Yu's abilities, Tony ordered many high-end materials, and a lot of them would take several days or even a week to arrive. During that week, Xia Yu bought quite a few medicinal herbs and made plenty of medicinal meals to gradually strengthen Tony Stark and Pepper Potts' constitutions. Every day, he treated Tony for the problem he couldn't tell Pepper about. Over the past few days, Tony had shown considerable interest in the Chinese martial arts Xia Yu demonstrated, but someone as proud as him hadn't said so. Seeing this, Xia Yu decided to bring it up himself and teach him.

To be honest, even if Xia Yu performed Marrow-Cleansing and Meridian-Washing on him, Tony wouldn't achieve much practicing martial arts at his age. Tony didn't have a cheat like the system, so he could only hope to strengthen his body. Xia Yu thought long and hard about what to teach him, and the system offered him a simplified version of the Yijin Jing. Unlike the original, it had only six poses, and those had been simplified too. It felt a little like Hua Tuo's Five Animal Frolics, but was somewhat more effective. It cost Xia Yu 800 points.

"Tony, I know you're very interested in my martial arts. Honestly, I don't mind teaching you, but Huaxia has its own rules. Things like this generally can't be passed on to outsiders, and I have to follow those rules. So I spent several days thinking of a solution. Join our sect, and the restriction won't apply anymore." Xia Yu had made this up on the spot. First, it made things seem mysterious. Second, it gave them another connection and brought them a little closer.

"I know about that. I've seen some movies, but are there any restrictions? You know who I am. I can't just join any organization," Tony Stark said. He was the world's best weapons expert and the apple of the United States government's eye, so he couldn't act recklessly.

Xia Yu gave a mysterious smile. "You don't need to worry about that. A very, very long time ago, we were the greatest sect in Huaxia, but by now, only my grandfather and I were left. Now that my grandfather has passed away, I'm the only one left. There aren't any obligations, just an initiation ceremony, an oath, that sort of thing."

Tony's interest was piqued. "Then there's no problem. What's our sect called?"

"The! Sun! Moon! Divine! Cult!" Xia Yu said in Chinese, enunciating each word.

Xia Yu was feeling playful, and Tony, eager to learn martial arts, was enthusiastic too. He even drove Xia Yu to Chinatown himself, where they bought a whole pile of things, including an incense table and offerings.

Back at Tony's villa, they set up the incense table and put out candles. Xia Yu even found a board and carved it into the shape of a spirit tablet, with Old Master Jin's name prominently engraved on it. He put out some fruit, then had Tony offer incense and kowtow with him. After three kneelings and nine kowtows, Xia Yu quietly chanted to Tony, "Pleasant Goat, Pretty Goat, Lazy Goat..." (If you sang that out loud, you know you owe me a good review.)

After finishing the Pleasant Goat theme song, Xia Yu shouted, "The ceremony is complete!" Then he pulled Tony up and said with tears in his eyes, "From now on, we're brothers of the same sect." He had originally been playing around, but as he said this, Xia Yu felt some genuine emotion. He was all alone, and even his super-spy girlfriend came and went like a ghost. Over the past few days, he had eaten and chatted with Tony and Pepper every day, and to be honest, it felt a little like home.

Pepper had been watching with great interest, finding the Huaxia ceremony novel and fun. But when she heard Xia Yu's words, she stepped forward and gently hugged him. "Xia, we're your family."

Tony wasn't jealous this time. Xia Yu was more than ten years younger than Pepper and Tony, and Tony actually thought of Xia Yu as a younger brother. He just wasn't very good at expressing his feelings, so he stepped forward and said, "Xia, if you don't let go of my secretary, I'm not paying your medical bills."

Xia Yu laughed heartily and pulled Tony into a hug, giving him a few hard pats on the back. Then he said, "There's one last step. Everyone who joins our sect has a title. Our titles were all written down by the previous sect leaders, so we just follow the order. It doesn't matter whether you use it or not, but I have to tell you: my title is Ximen Chuixue. You're lucky. Yours is the most imposing one of all. It's called: Dong! Fang! Bu! Bai!"