Ball of Nothing

Chapter 228 Zero the Philosopher

True to his prediction, Zero came teleporting in just as lunch was ready. The apprentice was slightly surprised to see the dark elf but didn’t mind. In fact, a big smile broke out on his face. Hua Tuo left Mitchnew to entertain Zero who seemed interested in the martial arts practice.

"What is this new game?" he asked curiously.

Ruth wanted to snap at his student. Which part of this looked like a game to him? Then again, Zero it probably appeared like a game to the youth who had yet to see many things about the world.

"Get off me!" he hollered at Mitchnew who was sitting on his back, pinning him to the floor while she locked one of his arms with her knees and had his head in a tight elbow lock.

The assassin didn’t look apologetic as she released her hold on the vampire. If anything, she didn’t know how the Roth vampire was a respected warrior. He brought disgrace to the skilled fighters and Mitchnew was willing to bet that her husband and ex-student would easily hold his own against this young vampire. Still, she was highly interested in the strange fighting style in Lord Amon’s book. Already, the ex-assassin saw potential in the weird art.

Zero caught sight of the martial arts manual and raised a brow. Was that how the martial art looked like? It seemed more like horsing around than actual fighting. He didn’t know if sitting on top of his enemy would be effective. Given his small size, they would throw him off like a wild horse throwing off their inexperienced riders.

"It’s a new fighting style that we’re trying out. Martial art manuals sure are interesting," Mitchnew smiled and took the opportunity to glomp Zero. Although the boy had matured into a teenager, he was still the right size and height for a cuddle.

Zero struggled for a while in Mitchnew’s hold but gave up as soon as he started. It wasn’t very often that the lady was very forward. Compared to Qin Yun and Coux, Mitchnew was not as bad... at least she gave him space to breathe. Like most elves, Mitchnew wasn’t bouncy in the front so Zero didn’t mind. Her long and straight white hair was usually tied up into a high ponytail while her doll-like bangs framed her youthful face so Zero wasn’t always spitting hair when he was hugged.

Ruth got himself composed and glared at the lady who was choking him earlier. If people didn’t know, they would have mistaken him for her younger brother. Both of them had white hair, red eyes and never aged. The only difference was how pale Ruth was and how tanned Mitchnew was.

The vampire wasn’t the only one who caught on to the similarities. Zero did too after Mitchnew allowed him to leave. As Mitchnew and Ruth bickered, the young doctor giggled to himself. They made very good siblings even if they didn’t know it. Already, Zero thought that he was blessed to have Ruth and Mitchnew as his unofficial brother and sister.

Still, the messy handwriting only pointed to one person. Zero raised a brow. Why would his shifu write poems all of a sudden? Also, most of them didn’t make a lot of sense. It wasn’t in his teacher’s nature to word things so full of flowery language. Hua Tuo was a very straightforward person and this was more of Buddha’s thing.

"Shifu, when did you pick up a new hobby? Also, this is terrible! "Attacking a snake at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail. Attacking at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head. Attacking it in the middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both." Why couldn’t it be simplified to "Slapping wherever there is a spare hand"? The picture says it already... if the enemy doesn’t limit all your limbs, you should use whatever is at your disposal to attack."

Ruth and Mitchnew blinked. That was technically correct. However, as fighters, they knew that it was easier said than done.

Likewise, Hua Tuo was stunned speechless.

"Zero, that doesn’t work very easily in a fight. Your teachers are trying to find a good way to create a special set of martial arts for you to practice. The book Lor Amon gifted you was created by marsupial demons who had a very different body structure to you. It’s not the same."

Zero didn’t believe it and flipped through the book. Bob’s translation made less sense than Hua Tuo’s scribbles so Zero read it without comprehending the first time. After his teacher had written down the decrypted meaning of those strange stories, Zero was finally able to understand what it meant.

"Oh! I see... yes, I think I understand now. Actually, I don’t think anything from this manual has to be changed. We can just practise it according to the teachings."

Mitchnew didn’t know where Zero got his confidence form but she found it interesting. "Really? Can you demonstrate to us how one would use this move then?" the half-elf pointed to a picture depicting a ground rolling move that involved using the tail to whip the enemies above while spinning.

Zero studied it and the text beneath before nodding. Ruth offered to be the enemy in the position depicted and everyone watched as Zero lowered himself.

Ruth lunged in for a grabbing attack and Zero followed the instructions to duck low and spin on the ground. However, this was the end of the similarities from the book. With a quick movement, Zero did a side flip on his hands and threw his legs in a wide swing before tumbling to the ground and doing a second rolling kick with his hands supporting the weight of his upper half and his head pressed sideways into the ground.

Ruth jumped back with the extra range of the attack and Zero flipped upright again. He might not know how to fight but he’d been around Clowis and Leon to know some neat tricks. They often play wrestled and this was one of the skills he learnt. The trick to it was mastering the balance.

Mitchnew, Ruth and Hua Tuo were speechless.

"A gentleman waits for his revenge while lying low. At the sight of chance, flee like the rabbit and attack like the enraged wasps."

Zero looked smug at his ability to memorise the movement’s philosophy. However, nobody was ready when Zero added his own interpretation to the meaning.

"Another way of saying this is to play possum and give one good shot at the right time before fleeing while the enemy is distracted. I did well, didn’t I? Took you all by surprise by pretending to fall and then using that momentum to send kicks."

The victory sign Zero gave Ruth made the vampire laugh. "Is that what you call a fall? I saw you squatting down with your hands coming up to cover your ears. That was more like a tortoise hiding back into its shell if you asked me. Play possum? Which part of that did you play possum?"

Zero’s face turned red and he glared half-heartedly at the vampire. "I didn’t have enough time to plan my act! You came in too quickly before I could pretend to faint!"

Mitchnew covered her mouth to silence a laugh as Zero defended himself against Ruth’s teasing. On the other side of the kitchen, Hua Tuo stirred the soup pot while staring at his apprentice. For Zero to have such an understanding of the things wise men took centuries to discover, he was truly on a different level.

Zero’s wisdom wasn’t one that’s learnt by conventional methods. It was instinctual and Hua Tuo felt conflicted. he spent many years struggling through the muddy waters with no clear sight of the solution to his troubles. Even after attaining immortality, Hua Tuo constantly asked himself what the purpose of his existence was and what use was trying to save lives when the world was designed to be built on the cycle of souls.

Lunch was soon prepared and the four occupants enjoyed the somewhat lavish spread. They still had some leftovers from last night’s dinner that Hua Tuo transformed into a flavourful broth. Mitchnew was humbled by the simple but delicious traditional cuisine Hua Tuo prepared. While Zoe was a fantastic cook, Mitchnew hardly had the chance to enjoy something simpler. this reminded her of her humble beginnings when her hands were still clean from bloodstains.

Ruth was still studying the translated text from Bob and Hua Tuo’s notes. He kept eyeing Zero who burped loudly before apologising profusely for the rude mannerisms. The vampire was slightly peeved. For some reason, he didn’t understand how Zero, a creature who lived many years younger than him, was able to understand something so mentally profound. This was intelligence that superseded his ability to comprehend.

Unsatisfied, Ruth decided to test Zero a little more. "Zero, what does this phrase mean? "When the enemy looks left, slap him from the right. When the enemy looks right, slap him from the left. But when the enemy looks at you, smile and ask for his name." This is the translated text from Bob without Hua Tuo’s notes. how would you interpret it without the diagram?"

Zero made a face and chewed slowly as he thought about it. There were several ways to interpret it without a diagram. Ruth must be testing him to see if he could understand the strange martial art. If he was right, Sekkin told him that the marsupial demons were very small but aggressive creatures. They were not against using shameless techniques to win fights. Underhand and dirty tricks were their saving grace and with every enemy they slew, these demons learnt to be craftier. surely they won’t be polite about it if they were being targeted by someone. This has to be a trick.

"I’m not sure what the right way of interpreting this is but knowing how the marsupial demons think, I would guess that it is a team formation. If a marsupial demon was up against multiple enemies or have a team of allies to work with, they would use the diversion technique to reduce the numbers. Slapping the opposite sight where the enemy looks are straightforward enough. It’s common sense to attack blind spots. However, in the direct field of vision, the only blind spot to attack is from the back or from the top or bottom. Asking for someone’s name and smiling is a diversion technique to throw the enemy off guard. The ally can then attack from the blind spots not accessible to the one being targeted. Also, if the marsupial demon was alone, doing this can create an opening that they require to attack and immobilise the enemy. That’s how I would have done it if I were as small and weak as the marsupial demons."

Ruth compared Zero’s answers to Hua Tuo’s notes and was defeated. His student was a gifted philosopher and had a natural gift for martial arts. Why would Zero require him as a combat teacher now?

Mitchnew sensed the vampire’s distress and decided to take pity on the poor Roth survivor. She flung a fallen piece of bean at Zero with a powerful flick and Zero caught it clumsily in the hand that wasn’t occupied by the chopstick.

The dark elf smirked. "If that was a bomb or poison, you would have died," she told the brunet who blinked and simply ate the bean before sticking his tongue out.

The ex-assassin gave Ruth a meaningful side glance and almost immediately, Ruth felt better. That’s right. Zero might be way ahead of him in terms of philosophy and understanding martial arts but he was still lacking in the basics of fighting. The apprentice was simply too innocent! as the combat teacher, he had a duty to pound in common sense into Zero’s head.

Oblivious to the silent interaction between Mitchnew and Ruth, Hua Tuo jumped on the boat to ’quiz’ Zero one of the issues that plagued him for a long time now.

"Zero, how would you interpret this saying? "Life is like a candle in the wind. Like Mayflies, they work hard to dance and sing for only but a night before extinguishing without a trace like an elusive dream". What do you think of such a thing as an aspiring doctor?"

Zero blinked. This quote was slightly different from the ones he’d read in the book. Still, he gave it careful consideration. The saying was inferring to the fragile nature of life. It wasn’t easy for life to be created but at any point in time, it could be extinguished forever. Keeping something alive was harder than taking it away. Even if Zero could save someone once, an accident could easily rob that person of their opportunity to live for another day the very moment he left.

At first instance, Zero felt hopeless. What’s the point in saving someone today if they were destined to visit Enma tomorrow? But then Zero remembered the look of hope on Grandma Moppo’s face when he told her there was a chance for her to walk and run again. Nobody knew what would happen if it failed but Grandma Moppo had already resigned herself to not being able to ever walk again. Zero and Hua Tuo also knew that while they could cure Grandma Moppo’s bad knees now, there would be a high possibility that the condition may reoccur again in the future. Still, they went ahead with the operation.

Would Zero and Hua Tuo have decided not to do it after all? It was a huge waste of mana reserves to create new knees that were only going to go bad again in a few years. Thinking about it logically, there was no real point in doing what they did. Grandma Moppo might have been better off not going through the pain of losing her walking ability twice as well. However, this wasn’t Zero and Hua Tuo’s decision to make. It would make Grandma Moppo’s life a lot happier in that short moment that she could regain her ability to walk without aid. It was the same as mayflies who only lived for a night. While it would be less painful to not be born at all if they were only going to die after experiencing a single day-night cycle, Zero knew that if he were a mayfly, he would still choose to be born.

The thirst for life and the hunger of happiness is strong in all living things. As a doctor, who was he to deny such strong wills? For Zero, as long as his patient fought hard to live, he would do everything he could to ensure that they lived the one given life they had to the best that they possibly could.

Hua Tuo heard Zero answer and closed his eyes, nodding slowly. Indeed, his student had already surpassed him by a long way. He couldn’t keep Zero caged under his wing for much longer now. The apprentice was ready to fly.

All that was holding Zero back was Hua Tuo’s delay in teaching him the ancient arts of medicine. The Sage God knew that he couldn’t deny his heart any longer. He would impart everything he had including his legacy to Zero to continue his broken dreams. After Zero mastered the art of acupuncture and surgery, Hua Tuo was going back into seclusion to cultivate for a thousand years. Who knows what the world would be by then?

Finally, there was something Hua Tuo could look forward to.