Finally becoming a free man...
No, not like that...
Freed from shadow slavery...
Also sounds crappy...
Having completed a side quest!
There, that's better.
Having completed a side quest, I was again left alone with my thoughts and desires... Honestly, this affected me much more than I previously thought.
In the past, I... Or rather Tai Lung, had no friends. At all.
The young leopard trained literally every day, from morning till evening, and he trained diligently, giving it his all. In the first years after training, he was shattered—all his muscles ached, and he didn't even have the strength to walk to his room, but overcoming fatigue and pain, under the watchful gaze of his adoptive father whom he respected, the guy still walked this path.
For all twenty years of his life, Tai Lung got out of the Palace no more often than a couple of times a year, and therefore he simply couldn't make any friends, because there were no other students in the Jade Palace then, the crazy old turtle constantly disappeared in meditations, and father demanded and expected new achievements in Kung Fu from Tai Lung.
I'm sure Shifu regrets this now, but oh well...
Calling the leopard a "sheltered" child is difficult due to his strong predatory bloodline and natural audacity, but in the modern world he "floated," literally not even knowing the name of the emperor of that time—he learned it only at the trial.
One could pity the poor master here, but the problem is that, unlike any other child, Tai Lung was completely fine with everything; the only problem was the lack of battles and, consequently, glory and recognition.
Tai Lung wanted to become a true legend of the Kung Fu world, like his father—Shifu, one of the Furious Five, a Kung Fu master of incredible power whose name literally everyone in China knew, and any child dreamed of becoming his student, because under the guidance of such a skilled teacher, anyone, even the most talentless loser, could surpass the human limit and know Kung Fu.
Just like his father, he admired the Furious Five themselves, whose adventure stories he often listened to or read instead of fairy tales...
Xue Xia—the Snow Leopard, hooked me not only with her normal attitude but also with her past.
I agreed to help her because I was genuinely interested in observing her and participating in such an unusual story as this, and over time I also got a bit used to her, used to being treated as an equal, to respect, and even to those silly teases and childish manipulations.
Two decades of hell. Two decades of torture and silence.
Tai Lung was deprived of simple communication on equal terms even in childhood, being only in the company of his master-father, but two decades without communication only worsened the situation, and now, having said goodbye to the only person "equal to me," I was really upset.
I am self-sufficient, but even I need society, because I am still a human, and we, humans, are creatures very dependent on society... With rare exceptions, of which I am not a part...
And these constant problems with self-identification—remembering the snow leopard's past, I instinctively want to say "I," "mine," but I'm sort of not quite him. The personality of a person from another world became the foundation for my new personality, but even thinking this way, I simply physically cannot separate myself from Tai Lung, and the more days pass since my "possession," the harder it is to think of him as a separate person.
I accepted him as part of myself almost immediately, but... I didn't think I would start perceiving him as myself too, that is... Argh!
How hard it is to sort yourself out when there are two of you!
And this damn situation where I can't figure out how to resolve the situation with Shifu and Po!
I don't want to kill them—Tai Lung wasn't raised that way, and I won't even mention my part from another world—there's humanism of the brain there, but... What should I do?
Come and say that I've reformed?
NO!
It was Shifu who destroyed my life! I tore my veins every day to become the Dragon Warrior! So that he would be proud of me!
I snapped, and innocent people died because of my actions, BUT IF THEY HAD JUST RECOGNIZED ME AS THE DRAGON WARRIOR, NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!
IT IS NOT MY FAULT!
"Damn!" I hit the tree trunk with force, trying to calm down.
Resentment, all-consuming resentment and hatred that had been accumulating for years, just burst out of me for the first time, devastating and depriving of any emotions.
Now, knowing Shifu's reasons and having the opportunity to evaluate my actions when I snapped from the outside... I am forced to admit that such punishment is not the worst measure, however... Resentment against Shifu... Resentment against the father who just abandoned me that evening hasn't gone anywhere, and I don't know how to resolve this internal conflict... Maybe getting the title will help?
"Oh... Alright, let's see... Need to move forward, Po is already training there. Even though I don't admit that I can lose to him, I shouldn't forget about his possible plot armor either..." I whisper under my nose, simultaneously checking the map...
So, the goal is clear—Valley of Peace, route plotted, time to act.
Near the city of Wei-Jin
Several dozen people in black cloaks with hoods concealing their faces gathered in a small clearing.
They silently waited for someone's arrival, making no sound, and it was extremely difficult to notice them—the unknowns somehow incredibly got lost in the surrounding landscape.
"Mission accomplished..." Suddenly words were heard from a woman who instantly appeared in this clearing. "Although you already know that." In her arms was a corpulent man of indefinite age, having the bloodline of a wild boar. The man was unconscious due to a specific Chi technique.
"Shadow of the Emperor, please," one of the unknowns approached the girl and took the man's body in his arms. "What are the further instructions?"
"There is commotion in the city now," the girl stated. "Your squad must ensure that everything ends calmly. You can use your status and take temporary control in an extreme case... Oh yes, assign someone the boy won't notice to watch the boy I was with all this time; I think Shadow of the Mouse will handle this task."
"Good, I'll send her word. And the new girl's squad?" The man clarified, passing his live cargo to someone else.
"Will accompany me," the girl nodded, taking exactly the same cloak seemingly out of thin air and throwing it over her shoulders. "Just in case."
"Accepted," the man nodded, giving a strange sign, after which he and four other unknowns literally dissolved into the air.
"So, you heard everything. We depart for the capital. I think, thanks to our work, the Bloody Emperor will soon become even bloodier," the girl smiled at something, jumping onto a tree and heading toward the capital, maintaining quite a high speed.
"Seventh, why is the mistress called 'Shadow of the Emperor'?" One of the unknowns suddenly asked another.
"Didn't you find out whose command you are entering?" Seventh stared at the interlocutor in surprise.
"I... Didn't have much time..." she replied, continuing to follow the Shadow of the Emperor and awkwardly looking away.
"Our mistress is already six hundred years old, and she is a Shadow..." Seventh began from afar. "As you know, we start training from childhood, and the mistress is no exception. She has already survived more than two dozen emperors and two changes of power, in one of which she even participated... The Emperor values her, as did his father, and his father before him, and so on..."
"Participated? In a change of dynasty?" The girl asked in surprise. "But how can one trust someone who has already betrayed once?"
"Shadow of the Emperor did not betray the one we all swore to serve. We, Shadows, swear to serve specifically the Emperor, not his entire lineage. And in that case, the emperor was no longer alive, and his family by that time was sliding into outright darkness, engaged not in developing the state but in vegetating in base pleasures... That is exactly why our mistress is valued—she plays the role of the emperor where he cannot do it himself, because even the strongest light often cannot break through the darkness of the night, but a shadow... Well, I think you understood..."
"Understood..." the girl drawled, digesting what she heard. Unfortunately, when she was accepted into the Shadows of the Empire squad, she had big problems with her family—her father was against his daughter joining the Shadows, as he had already planned her wedding with an unloved but extremely rich heir of another clan, and because of this she didn't have time to find information about her new mistress; however, hearing the story from her deputy, interest in their mistress's personality awoke in the Shadow like never before.
"And next time, try to find time to search for information. It might save your life someday."
"Yes, thank you..."
Valley of Peace, Jade Palace
"Master Shifu, can you teach me some super cool mega strong super technique?" A simple overweight guy asked while doing push-ups, lucky enough to receive the legendary title of Dragon Warrior.
"You repeated the word 'super' twice..." Shifu sighed, having lunch in front of the panda and thereby pushing him to finish training sooner so that at least some dumplings with potatoes would remain on the plate.
"So what, Master?" Po didn't fall for it, speeding up. "You possess such a huge number of techniques! Just the Wuxi Finger Hold is worth a lot! Or-or the technique of the Evergreen Divine Lotus Sprout from Lake Men!"
"That last one you said, I'm hearing for the first time generally..." Shifu grimaced, already tired of the panda constantly telling him tales about the Furious Five he heard in the past. Those stories recorded about him and his friends served primarily as propaganda, and many released after the disbandment of the previous Furious Five were generally made up a bit more than completely.
"But Master!"
"Don't get distracted, or you won't make it in time, and I'll eat all the dumplings..." Shifu issued with a satisfied smile, contemplating the student's words and coming to a disappointing conclusion: Po doesn't have a chance against Tai Lung... However, they definitely won't expect much from him, which means there is a chance that Po will manage to catch a lucky moment and... "You seemed to mention the Wuxi Finger Hold..."
"Yes! Will you teach it to me?!" The joyful panda accelerated even more, reaching a decent level for an ordinary person and acceptable for one walking the path of Kung Fu... The speed of his development is amazing.
"Yes, if you continue in the same spirit," Shifu nodded. "But first I will explain to you about Kung Fu techniques."
"Master, I know everything myself! I read so much about them!" Po continued to burn with enthusiasm. "Master Oogway brought Kung Fu techniques with him a thousand years ago, he built the Jade Palace and began recruiting students! The Emperor himself respected him!"
"Ahem, not quite so, but try not to interrupt," the master exhaled. "Kung Fu techniques are divided into three types: bodily technique, spiritual technique, and mixed technique. Bodily techniques are techniques that do not imply the use of Chi, which I told you about last time, you remember, right?"
"Yes, Master!" the panda nodded, not distracted from training. Shifu had long noticed that if you occupy him with conversation, Po literally forgets about fatigue. "Chi energy is the energy of the universe permeating everything around! It is also called life energy!"
"That lecture was about twenty minutes long, but this understanding is enough for you..." Shifu nodded. "The category of bodily techniques includes moves based on body strength, speed, flexibility, and endurance." Shifu slowly walked past Po, correcting his back with a light tap of his stick. "These are strikes, throws, stances, dodges—everything you can perform relying only on your muscles and training." He stopped for a moment, glancing at the panda. "All of them require mastery but do not require awakened Chi. Understand?"
Po nodded so vigorously he almost lost his balance.
"Yes, Master! So it's... uh... as if I just tried to be as strong and fast as possible?"
Shifu sighed, but a shadow of a smile flashed in the corners of his eyes.
"If only you would at least try, Po..." he muttered. "But that is exactly what I am trying to explain to you... Spiritual techniques are the highest level, requiring incredible understanding of the world and oneself, as well as awakened Chi. This category includes: 'healing palm', 'spiritual vision', and other techniques for which developing the body is not required."
"Wow, cool!" Po replied, looking into the distance with a smile. "If I had something like that in my life, I would be..."
"Don't get distracted," Shifu's shout interrupted the panda's dreams, followed by a poke in the side. "And don't slouch!"
"Sorry, Master," the panda exhaled, continuing training.
"And the third type is mixed. This is, in a sense, the most interesting type. As you know, all techniques can be mastered at two levels: student and master. That is, either you are just mastering the technique and its execution is imperfect, or you have fully mastered it. But mixed-type techniques have an additional level: if you possess your Chi, these techniques transform."
"Wow!" Po exhaled, immediately falling silent when he caught Shifu's gaze.
"An example of these techniques is the Wuxi Finger Hold or the body strengthening technique."
"Whoa! Will you teach me?"
"Po..." Shifu exhaled, covering his face with his hand.
"Ahem, sorry..."
"As you understand, techniques can also use Chi even if you haven't awakened or mastered it. This is achieved by the body itself adjusting to the necessary flow," Shifu continued, lowering his hand and assuming a stern look again. "Correct stance, breathing, rhythm of strike or step—all this creates inside you a semblance of a channel through which Chi sort of passes, even if you don't feel it yet. It is like water finding a path along a riverbed you don't even see." Po froze, listening to every word. "But!" Shifu raised a finger. "The difference between someone who uses Chi consciously and someone who does it only thanks to form is enormous. A student only creates conditions. A master directs the flow. And a true master—one who has awakened Chi—controls it directly." He walked around Po, shaking his head appraisingly. "For example, the 'Body Strengthening' technique. At the student level, you just tense your muscles correctly. At the master level, your Chi itself strengthens your strike. At the true master level, you can direct Chi into the needed muscle or ligament a fraction of a second before movement, getting the effect without stance and without preparation." Po opened his mouth in admiration but shut it in time, once again encountering Shifu's gaze. "I will teach you one technique that will help you defeat any opponent... Even Tai Lung."
"I am ready, Master!" The panda jumped up, getting to his feet. His training was over, and even if Shifu considers him a bit dim-witted, Po is diligent!
"I will teach you the Wuxi Finger Hold... Chi is not required to master this technique, or rather, it is not mandatory. However, it is important to understand that pulling this off with Tai Lung will be possible ONLY if he underestimates you and exposes himself... So, let's start with the stance..."