Mud splashed from the edge of the puddle onto Chen Wuya's shoes, still wet. He lowered his head for a glance, gently ground it into the soil with his foot, then turned and walked toward the center of the courtyard.
Chen Xuan was sitting on the stone steps, rubbing his knee. That fall earlier had scraped the skin off the inside of his right leg. Chen Yao crouched beside him, scratching at the ground with a bamboo stick as she muttered, "If you did it backward like I do, you wouldn't have fallen."
"What do you know?" Chen Xuan snorted. "Father taught us footwork, not how to jump around wildly."
Before he had finished speaking, Chen Wuya had already picked up the wooden sword leaning against the wall. Its blade was blackened; it had been carved from a fire poker years ago, and its grip had been worn smooth. He planted his feet together, then abruptly stepped half a pace forward. When his left foot landed, its toes pointed outward. With a twist of his waist and hips, his whole body seemed to be pushed backward by the wind—yet in truth, he had only turned around.
"This is the Universe Reversal Step," he said. "It should have been used to retreat from an enemy, but I choose to step forward instead. Did you two see it clearly?"
Chen Xuan frowned. "But... doesn't that bring you closer to the enemy?"
"Yes. That's exactly what it does."
"Then wouldn't you run right into him?"
"Running into him is good." Chen Wuya smiled. "Others think you're going to dodge, but you charge straight at them instead. They won't even have time to withdraw their move."
Chen Yao's eyes lit up, and she grabbed her bamboo stick to try it herself. Bai Zhi came