Coach, I Want to Learn to Fight

Gulp, gulp~

Sun Qiang drained the milk in his cup in one go.

He set down the empty cup, grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth carelessly, then shouted toward the kitchen, "Mom, I'm heading to the martial arts hall!"

With that, Sun Qiang picked up the backpack resting on the chair and ran for the door.

"Wait!"

Mama Qiang shuffled out of the kitchen and called, "What's the rush? Take your lunchbox first."

Sun Qiang turned back and looked miserably at the extra-thick, three-tier lunchbox in his mother's hand. "Mom, I'll be coming home for lunch."

"It's all snacks."

Mama Qiang said fondly, "You've gotten thinner lately. You barely ate anything for breakfast, either. Exercise is important, but you need to keep up your nutrition too. You need to eat your fill to have the strength to lose weight!"

That made so much sense!

She was his real mother, right?

Sun Qiang touched his chubby face, then his round belly that had just been filled with five meat buns, two fried dough sticks, two fried eggs, and a huge glass of milk. He seriously suspected that he had been a free gift his mother got for topping up her phone bill.

Mama Qiang gave him no chance to argue. She stuffed the lunchbox into Little Qiang's hands, patted his head with a fan-sized palm, and revealed the loving smile unique to mothers. "Go on, sweetheart. Be careful on the way."

"Okay."

Sun Qiang shrank his head back and obediently left home with the lunchbox.

After leaving the residential complex, he walked toward the subway station a few hundred meters away, intending to take the subway to the Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall.

"Fatty!"

"You fat little bastard up ahead, stop right there!"

Sun Qiang had only gone about a hundred steps when a burst of shouting suddenly came from behind him.

He instinctively turned around and saw four or five teenagers in bizarre outfits chasing him down the sidewalk.

The one at the front ran while spewing obscenities. "Little brat, I finally caught you today!"

Sun Qiang's face immediately drained of color.

They were high school students from the school next door, notorious delinquents everyone hated. Back when Sun Qiang had been attending school, they had extorted him plenty of times and beaten him up as well.

The main reason he had gone to the Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall to learn swordsmanship was to pick up some self-defense skills so he would not keep getting bullied.

These delinquents were the culprits!

Sun Qiang never imagined that they would stake out his doorstep. He had no idea who had given them his address.

Run!

Sun Qiang had no time to think about who had leaked the information. He spun around and bolted, pumping his legs with every last ounce of strength.

Otherwise, if they caught him, not only would he lose the spending money in his pocket, but he would also get taught a painful lesson!

Seeing that Sun Qiang actually dared to run, the delinquents flew into a rage. The leader cursed, "You still dare run? You're dead meat, brat! I'll show you why flowers are so red!"

One of his companions said confidently, "That fat bastard can't run far. With all that fat on him, damn it!"

Whenever they had cornered Sun Qiang in the past, he had tried to run too, but he usually could not make it more than a hundred meters before they caught up with him with ease.

Today should have been no exception.

Yet to everyone's surprise, the delinquents chased after Sun Qiang for nearly two hundred meters, but the little fatty ahead of them did not slow down at all. He seemed to be running harder and harder, as though he had been pumped full of adrenaline.

What the hell?

Even Sun Qiang himself was baffled.

In the past, if he had sprinted such a "long" distance at top speed, his limbs would have felt like lead and he would have collapsed on the ground, panting for dear life. Now, though he was still gasping violently, he had enough strength left to keep going.

Faster, farther!

Sun Qiang sprinted toward the intersection. Turning left ahead would take him to the crowded subway entrance, and then he would definitely be safe.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Seeing their cooked duck about to fly away, the delinquents were beside themselves with rage, but there was nothing they could do.

"Go to hell!"

Just as Sun Qiang reached the intersection, he suddenly felt the wind behind his head. He instinctively tried to dodge, but it was already too late. Something smashed hard into the back of his head, making stars burst before his eyes and leaving him dizzy!

He staggered, but did not fall. He turned and kept running to the left.

At last, he successfully shook off the delinquents behind him.

Only after Sun Qiang got onto the subway did he discover that a large bump had risen on the back of his head, swollen and throbbing painfully.

But he had protected his allowance, and he had protected his dignity!

At that moment, Sun Qiang could not help thinking of Zuo Yi.

Sun Qiang knew very well that if this Heavenly Vast martial arts instructor had not taught him those moves and made him persist in training to improve his physical fitness, he would definitely have been doomed today!

But that was still not enough.

"Ah."

At the Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall, Shang Yulin could not help letting out a soft gasp of amazement when she saw Bao'er being led in by Zuo Yi.

What a beautiful, adorable little girl!

Zuo Yi introduced her, "Senior Sister, this is my daughter."

Then he said to Bao'er, "Bao'er, this is Auntie Shang Yulin."

Bao'er greeted her politely, "Good morning, Auntie Shang."

"Hello."

With stars in her eyes, Shang Yulin crouched down and took Bao'er's little hand. "What's your name? How old are you this year?"

"My name is Bao'er. Bao as in treasure, er as in child."

Bao'er explained earnestly, "I'm four years old."

"Four years old."

Shang Yulin smiled with pursed lips. "You, ah!"

A dog's head suddenly poked out from the backpack behind Bao'er, startling her!

Taike: Woof woof!

Surprised? Delighted?

"A-Tai!"

Bao'er quickly scolded, "No being naughty."

Then she apologized to Shang Yulin, "Auntie, this is Taike. He's a little naughty, but he doesn't bite."

(The guardian of the Sadeya Abyss Gate revealed the smile of an old mother.)

Shang Yulin came back to her senses and smiled. "Mm, I know."

She stood up and said sincerely to Zuo Yi, "You're very lucky!"

To have such a beautiful and adorable daughter, he must have saved the world in his past life!

Zuo Yi shrugged. "That's what I think too."

Of course he was lucky.

The two smiled at each other.

Bao'er looked at Zuo Yi, then at Shang Yulin.

She tugged Zuo Yi's hand and looked up to ask, "Daddy, can I play with A-Tai?"

"Of course."

Zuo Yi pointed to the sword room on the right. "Go play in that room. Don't run around."

"Got it!"

Bao'er happily carried Taike on her back and skipped into the sword room to play.

Watching Bao'er's lively figure, Shang Yulin sighed. "I never expected your daughter to be this old already."

Zuo Yi said, "Neither did I."

Shang Yulin could not help asking, "Where's her mother?"

Zuo Yi gave a bitter smile. "I don't know either. I only found out I had a daughter a few days ago, and I only brought her home yesterday."

Shang Yulin gave him a suspicious look.

Zuo Yi's answer sounded a little unbelievable, but she did not press him for details. Instead, she said, "Then you can bring her here every day from now on. Let her treat this place like her home."

Realizing that her words seemed somewhat ambiguous, Shang Yulin's pretty face reddened slightly, and she hurriedly added, "I just really like her."

Zuo Yi smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome..."

Shang Yulin waved her hand weakly, then pulled a stern face at the students watching nearby. "What are you all standing around here for? Hurry up and train!"

The spectators immediately scattered.

Bang!

At that moment, the martial arts hall's door was shoved open forcefully. Sun Qiang, carrying his lunchbox and panting heavily, ran up to Zuo Yi. He tried his best to puff out his chest and said, "C-Coach, I want to learn how to fight!"

Thud!

He received a sharp knock on the head.

"Learn how to fight?"

Zuo Yi snorted. "You haven't even learned how to walk, and you already want to run? Who do you want to fight?"

Sun Qiang immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, his head drooping to his chest as he stammered, "I, I..."

Zuo Yi's gaze flickered as he noticed a large swollen lump on the back of Sun Qiang's head!

It seemed this guy had a reason for wanting to learn how to fight.

After thinking briefly, Zuo Yi said to him, "Come in with me."

He nodded to Shang Yulin, then led the little fatty into the sword room.

The first update is here. Please support me with your votes.

Thanks to my friend Song Lianhuan for the generous reward, and thanks to Fei Meili, CuoTuoSuiYue, Qian Feng, and many other friends for your rewards. There are too many names to list one by one. Thank you, everyone.