Stop Fighting, You Two!

[Watched the Zenless Zone Zero preview. This episode was incredible.]

"Now? You only just got the blueprints..."

"Twenty minutes." Chen Xing held up two fingers. "Give me twenty minutes."

Mu Ye watched him, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He sat back down in his chair.

"All right. I'll wait."

Chen Xing wasted no more words. He summoned the World-Painting Brush and got to work.

Mu Ye sat across from him and watched without rushing him.

Twenty minutes later, Chen Xing set down the brush and channeled his wish power. Golden light rose from the page.

With a thud, a white-class remote-control mecha over three meters tall landed in the middle of the room.

Mu Ye stood before the mecha, silent for a full five seconds.

Then he slowly turned to Chen Xing, looking at him as though he had found a mountain of gold.

"That old bastard Zhen Hua... He struck gold."

Chen Xing felt his wish power rise and was immensely pleased.

But Mu Ye suddenly leaned in, curiosity in his eyes.

"Kid, let me ask you something."

Chen Xing looked up. "What?"

"You've studied mecha design and made so many mechas." Mu Ye rubbed his chin. "But your illusory creation can make anything. Why did you choose mechas?"

Chen Xing paused.

He had never really thought about that.

But after only half a second's hesitation, he answered, "Because they're cool."

Mu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Cool?"

Chen Xing nodded. The image of a steady man with glasses and a cane suddenly came to mind.

He remembered something Uncle Yang had said.

"An uncle of mine once told me: giant robots are the way to go."

Mu Ye froze for an instant.

Then he slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up like bulbs.

"That's it, kid! He was absolutely right!"

The slap startled Chen Xing.

Mu Ye paid no attention. Too excited to sit still, he paced across the room and back.

"Giant robots are the way to go! That's why I fell in love with mechas in the first place!"

He stopped and looked at Chen Xing, wearing the expression of a man who had finally found a kindred spirit.

"Do you know how much time I've spent researching and piloting mechas? My cultivation suffered for it, and I still haven't broken through to Super Douluo. Everyone calls me a fool, but I can't give them up."

"But hearing you say that today, I know I wasn't wrong!"

Seeing Mu Ye so worked up made Chen Xing grin.

It seemed the leader of the Body Sect was a die-hard mecha fanatic at heart.

Mu Ye patted Chen Xing on the shoulder, his approval plain in his voice.

"Kid, you've got much better taste than your teacher!"

Chen Xing smiled but said nothing.

Mu Ye abruptly changed the subject and leaned closer.

"By the way, what terms did Zhen Hua offer when he took you on as his student?"

Chen Xing was delighted.

Here it comes.

He immediately put on a miserable expression.

"Uncle Mu Ye, my teacher... His terms are pretty harsh."

"How harsh?"

Chen Xing sighed.

"He made me come to Heaven Dou City with him and work to earn my living expenses. I can only go home once a month. He even said he'd stop recognizing me as his student if I caused trouble..."

The more he said, the more aggrieved he sounded, and the more he exaggerated.

Mu Ye's expression grew darker and darker.

"That's it?" Mu Ye slapped the table. "That's all he offered, and he lured you here?"

Chen Xing nodded, looking utterly helpless.

Mu Ye paced around the room twice, then stopped and looked at him.

"Kid, come with me."

"Huh?"

"Come back to the Body Sect with me," Mu Ye said firmly. "I'll throw in another five million Federation Credits and give you the privileges of a core disciple. Anything Zhen Hua can give you, I can give you. And I can give you what he can't."

Before Chen Xing could answer, someone kicked the door open from outside with a bang.

Zhen Hua stood in the doorway, his face thunderous. "Mu Ye!!!"

Mu Ye turned to him, refusing to back down.

"Zhen Hua, good timing! Tell me, what kind of terms are those to offer a kid? Going home once a month? Working for his living expenses? Is that how you treat a genius?"

Zhen Hua was livid.

"Have you no shame, Mu Ye? Climbing through a window in the middle of the night to steal my student?!"

"Steal him? I'm standing up for the kid!"

"He's my student!"

"You call him your student after offering him those lousy terms?"

Their argument grew fiercer, and waves of soul power began spilling out.

But neither of them actually used their soul power.

Zhen Hua charged forward and grabbed Mu Ye by the collar.

Mu Ye grabbed Zhen Hua's collar in return.

Clutching each other's collars, they spun around like children fighting in the street.

Zhen Hua kicked Mu Ye in the shin.

Mu Ye winced and kicked him back.

Still gripping each other's collars, they traded kicks and shoved each other around the room, neither willing to let go.

Chen Xing stood to the side, watching two men whose ages added up to nearly two hundred grapple like mischievous children fighting over candy. His feelings were complicated.

What on earth is going on?

Zhen Hua drove an elbow into Mu Ye's chest. Mu Ye immediately answered with a punch to Zhen Hua's shoulder. They fought harder and harder, even knocking the table askew.

Chen Xing finally couldn't take it anymore.

He rushed forward and spread his arms between them.

"Stop fighting, you two!"

Both men stopped at his shout.

Zhen Hua and Mu Ye turned to look at him at the same time, each still gripping the other's collar.

Chen Xing took a deep breath.

"Teachers, let's talk this through."

Zhen Hua snorted and let go first.

Mu Ye pursed his lips and released Zhen Hua's collar, then brushed down his own clothes.

They glared at each other for a long moment.

Mu Ye spoke first.

"Zhen Hua, don't you think it's a waste for you to teach him alone?"

Zhen Hua frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've seen what he can do." Mu Ye pointed at the white-class remote-control mecha on the table. "Zero soul power, yet he can create anything through illusory creation. Anyone would treasure a gift like that. How much can you teach him on your own? You're good at forging and mecha design, but you can't teach him to fight."

Zhen Hua fell silent for a moment.

Mu Ye went on.

"The Body Sect's cultivation methods, our ways of tempering the body, our combat techniques—they're one of a kind. You teach him what you know, and I'll teach him what I know. There's no conflict."

Zhen Hua studied Mu Ye for a long moment.

"You mean we both teach him?"

Mu Ye nodded.

"Yes. We give him everything we know, without holding anything back. You teach him all you can, and I'll do the same."

Zhen Hua fell silent.

Chen Xing stood nearby, holding his breath.

These two big shots are working it out themselves?

He had been wondering how to bring it up. Now it seemed he didn't need to.

After about ten seconds, Zhen Hua finally spoke.

"Fine. But I have one condition."

Mu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Let's hear it."

"He belongs to neither side. He's a student to both of us," Zhen Hua said, enunciating every word. "You can't lure him back to the Body Sect."

Mu Ye pursed his lips. "Deal."

Zhen Hua turned to Chen Xing.

"Kid, starting today, Mu Ye and I will both teach you. He'll teach you his skills, and I'll teach you mine. How much you learn is up to you."

Chen Xing stared for two seconds, then nodded vigorously. "Thank you, teachers!"

A huge weight finally lifted from his chest.

It worked.

From today on, he had two teachers.

One was the continent's only Divine Craftsman, a Level Nine Blacksmith capable of forging Four-Word Battle Armor.

The other was the leader of the Body Sect, a rank-ninety-four Titled Douluo, a Four-Word Battle Armor master, and a Red-Class Mecha Engineer.

And both had agreed to teach him everything they knew.

That meant he could learn not only mecha design and forging, but also the Body Sect's secret methods for tempering the body, combat techniques, and everything else his teachers knew.

What a windfall.

Zhen Hua glared at Mu Ye. "Now get out."

Mu Ye chuckled and vaulted out the window.

Before leaving, he winked at Chen Xing. "See you tomorrow, kid."

The window closed.

Quiet returned to the room.

Chen Xing looked at the white-class remote-control mecha still standing on the table, then felt the Body Sect token tucked against his chest. He could no longer suppress his grin.

Starting tomorrow, he would have his hands full.