Is it hard for a Kung Fu master to hide from an opponent?
Actually, no. Training includes this aspect as well, since many styles literally require such skills from the user, and the style I mastered 100% was no exception.
The Leopard Style stands out for its speed, explosive power, and precision strikes. This style embodies the swiftness and ferocity of a leopard, combining flexibility with aggression. The main focus is on instantaneous, powerful attacks aimed at the opponent's vulnerable points—eyes, throat, solar plexus. This style is aimed specifically at killing, and leaving an opponent alive requires a high level of skill. Unlike the heavy and broad movements of the Tiger Style, Leopard uses quick punches with fists, elbows, and knees, acting suddenly, which is why some stealth skills are important.
A practitioner of this style develops lightning-fast reaction, coordination, and the ability to generate maximum force in a short movement. The philosophy of the Leopard is "strike first and end the fight instantly," making it one of the most dynamic and aggressive branches of Kung Fu.
So, having descended from the mountain, I began to bypass a small clearing near the descent where the bandits were located at a fairly high speed, without giving away my presence in any way.
My surprise was all the greater when I saw actual "patrols" in the forest! Oh miracle, it turns out not all bandits are idiots! At a short distance stood two wolves with spears; they, by the way, were not talking but silently looking around and could well have noticed some other Kung Fu master, especially if that master was like Po... Amazing discipline in this gold-toothed wolf cub's gang.
Unfortunately for the bandits—I didn't pity them. I am confident in my skill and Chi, but some hidden pitfall can always surface, turning an immobilized bandit into one feeling quite normal—and this, in turn, will ruin my entire stealth mission, which I cannot allow.
The two wolves didn't even have time to squeak—a shapeless shadow slipped right next to them, and when both bandits turned their heads to the side where that very shadow had run, ready to attack and raise the alarm, they suddenly realized something was wrong. Turning their heads aside, the movement didn't stop, and letting out a strangled wheeze, their heads simultaneously flew off their shoulders, plopping into the grass...
Minus two...
Well, time will endure—I don't want any of these freaks to be able to escape, so I'll comb the forest; a minute for this will be enough, I hope Xue handles things there...
Third-person view
"Golden Fang" Ace arrived at the meeting place with his sworn younger brother, and as luck would have it, on the way to the village, which was the meeting place, his people managed to smell someone extraneous. The sent squads tracked down and caught a certain "Chen," who confessed that he was the elder of that very village where the meeting and transfer of slaves for further resale in the capital were planned.
Ace was no fool, and it immediately seemed strange to him that the elder, being an ordinary person, was running not FROM the captured village, but TO it; however, he didn't confess until the last moment, and only torture forced him to open his mouth. It turned out that the city lord, as they agreed, refused to provide help, but Chen got lucky and ran into a free Kung Fu master who agreed to help him with the bandits.
Ace didn't like masters—problems always arose with them, and even though he was the strongest of the trio of cutthroat brothers, he always got the toughest opponents, which is why an ugly scar adorned Ace's chest, and after every such skirmish, he had to look for "meat" anew, because in the worst moments, up to half of his gang died; lucky that masters usually walk alone.
This time, "Golden Fang" decided to act with cunning—sometimes those walking the path of Kung Fu come across a naive idiot mentor, because of whom a young master becomes easy prey for him and his brothers. Only the lucky ones and those who managed to live and get bumped around themselves know the truth: if a master dies in battle with bandits trying to protect them, it will change nothing, because the angry cutthroats will then have plenty of fun with ordinary workers and their wives, thus there will only be one more victim. In such a case, when a master realizes he cannot win, he must escape to pass information about the new strong gang to the nearest lord and, gathering a squad, go to hunt them down. Fortunately, such smart masters are few, and now Ace decided to use his knowledge to lure another master into a trap, kill them, and then rescue his younger brother and drive the villagers to the slave market, as intended earlier.
Finally, a figure appeared at the top of the stairs; judging by the description, it was this master who undertook to help the goat.
"So, he didn't lie..." flashed through the head of the wolf gang leader, causing a predatory grin to appear on his face, demonstrating to everyone the neat rows of white fangs, one of which stood out with a golden color.
The clearing at the foot of the stairs was bustling with life. The air was saturated with the smell of sweat from a hundred unwashed wolves, the sour stench of spilled ale, and the smoke of bonfires over which deer carcasses were being smoked. A hundred wolf bandits had set up a full-fledged camp here in just a couple of hours. The robber leader—"Golden Fang" Ace was proud of the discipline in his gang, for even many lords' armies could not boast of such drilling.
To the side stood sturdy wooden cages, empty for now—obviously for future "goods" from the village. Next to them were piled barrels of ale and sacks of provisions. a little further away, under special guard, iron-bound chests were visible—looted goods waiting to be sent to the black market.
Xue Xia slowly descended the stairs, her face absolutely calm, hands clasped behind her back.
Ace enjoyed the moment. He stood in the center of the camp, placing a paw on the head of the beaten Chen, who was kneeling with bound hands, barely holding onto consciousness. Multiple cuts were visible on his body; in some places, chunks of skin were literally missing as if cut off by a knife, fingernails were torn out by the root, yet he was still alive...
"Nice to see you came, Master," Ace growled when the Snow Leopard took the last step onto the ground. His golden tooth flashed in the morning sun. "I thought I'd have to cut off this goat's horns to get your attention."
"You got what you wanted. I am here," Xue Xia replied coldly, stopping twenty paces away. The bandits around them immediately closed the ring, cutting off her retreat; their armor clanked, and lewd chuckles drifted from the crowd. "Release the hostage and fight me."
Hearing these words, Ace just laughed loudly, as did the other bandits.
"A fight? Honey, what fight? You are alone, and we are a hundred. I appreciate your bravery, but let's be realistic. Surrender. Lay down your weapons, let my boys bind you, and this goat," he roughly yanked Chen by the horns, "will stay alive."
"How sheltered she is," Ace thought with delight, licking his lips. "A fair fight. Release the hostage. She really believes in these fairy tales they teach them in temples! Lucky, another easy prey."
Masters on the slave market cost much more than ordinary people, and a beautiful female master with a strong bloodline... If he manages to capture her, Ace will finally fulfill his dream—earn enough money to buy himself a lord's seat in some backwater.
"I repeat: let him go," Xue Xia's voice became icy. "Or I will take him by force."
Ace shook his head.
"Stupid, stupid master... If you try, you will die, and he will die next, along with the rest of the innocent residents. Better..."
However, the bandit leader didn't have time to finish speaking.
Xue Xia smiled, but not at Ace, but at someone behind his back.
"Finally," she thought as the wolf opened his mouth. "He took too long getting close. This Ace is not just a bandit; he is connected to the city lord and supplies him with slaves. If I just arrest him, the lord will release him. No. He must die here. And Tai Lung... he is the perfect tool for such dirty work."
Ace felt her mood change, and he didn't like it. In the next moment, the wolf felt a monstrous bloodlust called Ki; recognizing this feeling, the wolf began to turn around.
"Behind you, boss!"
However, it was already too late.
Where a second ago stood a dozen of Ace's elite guards, trained in basic skills by him personally, guarding the hostage and the bound chests, now stood an unknown person.
It was Tai Lung, who seemed to have teleported, so swift was his appearance.
He was covered from head to toe in fresh blood, which smoked in the cold morning air. Around him on the ground lay twelve wolf corpses, killed so quickly that no one even let out a dying wheeze. Elder Chen lay at his feet. Tai Lung had already cut his bonds with a single claw movement and for some reason touched his body.
The snow leopard's golden eyes flared with blue.
"Chen, run!" Xue Xia roared, and this was the signal.
The entire hundred bandits turned in shock to the new threat. Their chuckles and shouts stuck in their throats.
Ace was dumbfounded, trying to comprehend what happened, and a moment later, he shouted irritably:
"You... who the hell are you?!"
Tai Lung straightened up, shaking the blood off his hands and looking at his claws with disappointment. Too easy again. Ignoring the wolf's question, the snow leopard just raised his eyes to him and said:
"Don't disappoint me, wolf cub."
And immediately bolted from his spot.
POV Tai Lung
This elder apparently possessed a strong will, judging by the wounds on his body—he was tortured, extremely cruelly and with knowledge of the matter.
Had he been weaker in spirit, there wouldn't be so many wounds, but in this state, he won't run far, so I used a little trick—infused his body with Chi.
Usually, when this happens in combat, such an impact can lead to death; however, there are techniques capable of healing with Chi. I didn't possess this skill, but I could make my Chi non-lethal, as well as weaken it enough to only spur the natural, dormant Chi in an ordinary person.
This path completely closes the path higher for the "awakened," but gives a short-term power boost, dulls pain, and slightly increases vitality, suspending aging.
As soon as the elder bolted toward the stairs, sensibly assessing his strength and realizing he would only hinder us, I rushed at Ace, immediately testing his strength with a blow capable of killing his younger brother.
The wolf was faster than that jackal. I admitted that immediately.
My dash was aimed at his throat, but he managed to jump back, drawing two dao swords from behind his back.
"Kill them! Everyone!" He squealed, realizing his cunning plan had collapsed.
And chaos began immediately.
I attacked Ace, but blows from spears and swords rained down on me from all sides. The bandits, recovering from the shock, rushed into battle with furious screams, trying to crush us with numbers.
"Archers!" someone yelled, and the bandits surrounding me recoiled to the sides.
Twang! Twang! Twang!
The already familiar sound of a bowshot was heard, but I didn't dodge.
Arrows flying at my back were knocked down in the air by something fast. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xue Xia lowering her hands, apparently some Chi technique. After that, the girl glanced at me, nodded, and rushed into battle with the bandits.
She's not bad; I would have liked to see how the girl handles wolves herself, but due to the hostage, such an outcome was impossible from the very beginning. Oh well, maybe I can persuade her to spar, unless, of course, she attacks me as a fugitive and criminal after the battle with the wolves herself.
At the same time, Xue's style, although similar to mine, differed in almost everything; it was the Leopard Style (Panther Style). In combat, this style relies on agility, balance, and body control. Panther strikes are fast, but fluid—often with elements of dodging, side-stepping, and spinning. The user attacks when the opponent loses balance, using their strength against them.
Shining with a blue glow, the girl literally turned into a white-blue tornado. I heard the crunch of bones and screams of terror. She broke limbs, scattered wolves who tried to interfere with me, and deflected arrows flying in my direction. The Panther didn't kill them like I did, but she crippled them, literally ruining the bandits' lives, because a crippled bandit might not survive even in prison, let alone after it. Cruel, fast, and effective.
"You'll pay for my men, scum!" Ace growled, his eyes bloodshot, and the wolf rushed at me.
Unlike Sabo, he was already a real master, not a student—his strikes were fast, and the blades described dangerous arcs, leaving afterimages resembling small yellow-grey moons, but he made the same mistake: he was too predictable and relied on rage.
And rage is my thing.
I dodged a double strike by ducking; my palm hit him under the elbow, knocking one sword out of his hand, but the wolf immediately kicked me, trying to push me aside and grab the dropped sword.
Sorry, wolf cub, but I won't let you do that!
Ducked under a sword swing and blocked a kick with my knee.
Ace jumped back, snarling and showing his golden fang.
"You're fast, leopard... But I am 'Golden Fang' Ace! You will die in agony!"
Ace was thrown exactly the same sword; he grabbed it and roared, his body began to change. The fur on his scruff stood on end, and his swords... glowed with a dull, orange fire. Chi. He possessed it too.
"FLAMING FANGS OF THE WOLF!"
The wolf rushed at me, delivering not just a strike, but a full-fledged master lunge, leaving four fiery trails resembling claws in the air. He aimed at my chest, where my heart was.
Not a bad opponent—ready for his weapon to be taken away, has the support of a hundred disciplined butchers, and even wields Chi... If the snow leopard weren't nearby, it would have been harder.
I stopped, concentrating Chi.
However, the technique itself seemed worthless to me—it's evident that even using Chi, he mastered the technique itself extremely poorly.
Is this all you're capable of? Just strengthen the sword and split its attack into four directions?
I didn't dodge, but just took a stance and met his attack with mine.
"'Leopard's Steel Claws'."
I exhaled the name of the technique, and my cold, blue Chi enveloped my right hand. A swing—and a blue ghostly leopard made of Chi flew forward.
CRUNCH!
My attack pierced his "Flaming Fangs." The Chi fire simply went out, colliding with my cold, concentrated life energy, and I had already rushed forward, covering myself with the leopard's residual image, and my claws entered his chest just as easily as his brother's chest.
Ace froze, looked down in bewilderment at my hand sticking out of his body.
"Kh... kha... But... my... fire..."
"Weak, 'Golden Fang' Ace," I exhaled into his face. "There was neither control nor precision in your attack, although you didn't spare Chi for it, but the execution is shitty."
I pulled my hand out, and Ace collapsed to the ground.
I look around—the battle around us has already died down. Xue Xia, whose hands were in blood, stood surrounded by dozens of groaning but living wolves with broken arms and legs.
She looked at me, then at the dead Ace.
"You... killed him after all..."
"It's his own fault," I replied, shaking off my hand.
"Alright, I won't argue on his account..." The girl exhaled, covering her body with Chi, after which the blood... simply evaporated!
Hey, I want to do that too!
"These ones need to be interrogated, tied up, given first aid, and settled somewhere."
"Why?" I asked, genuinely not understanding. There's all their loot, meaning no stashes, most likely none, which means the gang members are either all here or almost all here.
"After that, we'll go to the city and report to the city lord," she explained as if it were obvious. "Let him take the bandits and lead them to prison. In their current state, they won't be able to harm the villagers, I guarantee it."
"You love complicating things..." I drawled, looking around for rope to tie these idiots. I can't treat their wounds anyway—no knowledge.