video;

[yeshou]

[ Wen Kexing looks thoughtfully through the projection cast by the coin, as if he's trying to see the people on the other side of the network. He can't yet, but he's judging anyway. ]

Who is a leader here?

[ That's not very helpful. He considers and tries again. ]

It looks like a lot of the people brought here belong to groups or sects of some kind. Isn't that weird?

Anyway, the most important question is which of you is the strongest?

[ He folds his arms across his chest. ]

We're all from different places, so how can we tell?

Comments

[prophylactic]

[Answer his dang question... Now, what on earth is that girl telling people about him, good god--]

I've never even met a master. But yeah, I can fight. If martial arts is what you do, then the way I fight's not gonna be as fancy, or anything. And my axe is at home.

[.....uh,] The axe ain't for people.

[yeshou]

[He's leaning forward, clearly very invested in this new information.]

Then I want to see how you fight! Even if you don't have a teacher, that doesn't mean you can't be strong. It just means we can't judge before we see you fight.

[There's a pause.]

Then what's the axe for?

[What else would he have the axe for?]

[prophylactic]

No.

[Will he elaborate on that no... evidently not. Anyway,]

The axe is for- [deep inner sigh, because he feels like a dipshit every time he says this, but,] -monsters.

[yeshou]

[Rejection has never once touched Wen Kexing in his life. He grins at being shut down, clearly amused, and doesn't argue.

But then raises a brow at the next part.]

Monsters? What do you mean by monsters?

[prophylactic]

What do you think? Monsters are monsters.

[yeshou]

...You mean like people?

[Monsters are monsters? That doesn't tell him anything!]

[prophylactic]

What did I just say? [it's not for people--!!!!] Like— creatures.

[yeshou]

What kind of creatures?

[He needs more details!! If it's a combat axe, he wants to know what Shinji is used to!]

So you just don't fight people at all? Are you sure you're not a monk?

[prophylactic]

If I fight some guy, it'll be with my hands. I don't cut people up.

[Please... he's not an axe murderer... And he doesn't know how to nor does he want to explain what Shadows are, so he goes with:]

Creatures like— lions.

[technically not a lie]

[yeshou]

So you kill lions? Because they kill people?

[ Okay, that does make some sense. He's not sure he really buys it, but it does at least sound right. ]

Are they common where you live?

[prophylactic]

[Surely this won't come back to haunt him later as an increasingly ridiculous lie.]

....Yeah, they're dangerous. Dunno about "common," but sorta... Hn. Close enough.

[yeshou]

[Okay, so he hunts man-eating animals. That makes perfect sense!]

What if a human attacks you? Some men are more vicious than tigers. You won't fight then?

Even if I came for your life, you wouldn't fight for yourself?

[What a weirdo. He's totally a monk.]

[prophylactic]

[It's not technically untrue... Shadows are just not animals, specifically, precisely. This will be fine.]

I told you, not with my axe. I'll knock you out if I gotta, but I already turned you down, so don't get any ideas.

[yeshou]

Tch, if I were a man-eater, would I accept your refusal? You don't invite dangers like that. They do whatever they want.

[He is then king of venom, after all. He would know.]

You're too good-hearted. But I guess that makes sense.

[prophylactic]

[...

........]

Why does that make sense. I'm not.

[yeshou]

If you're a monk living out in the wilderness hunting wild beasts, of course you'd be too kind-hearted.

[Logic! And selective hearing.]

[prophylactic]

[dude!!!]

I'm still definitely not a monk... And I'm from the city.

[yeshou]

So you're a city monk?

[Okay, this time he clearly grins.]

[prophylactic]

[dude!!!]

A city monk?— I'm... a student. Not at a monk school.

[yeshou]

[He's getting information at least. Not that it really makes sense, but he's learning.

Mostly, this guy seems fine.]

What sort of school trains its students with axes? Shouldn't you learn with proper weapons?

[prophylactic]

Well, nobody taught me to use an axe.

[He absolutely, one hundred percent Does Not Use It Correctly, although he's made an effort to learn how to do it right and then just not done that. One-handed wielding for two-handed weapons...]

What's wrong with it? I'm not into swords.

[yeshou]

You belong to a school but it didn't teach you how to use weapons, you have no master, but you have an axe.

What a strange student.

[He kind of likes the sound of this mess.]

[prophylactic]

It's just a regular school... We don't learn to fight at all. That much I had to pick up by myself, on the streets.

[...]

The rest is true, though.

[yeshou]

A school that doesn't teach fighting?

[He actually thinks about this a bit longer. Mostly because he's not Zhou Zishu and still feels uncomfortable about being accepted under him... but on the other hand, Wen Kexing, second student of Qin Huaizhang, is something that has stuck with him.]

Will you show me?

[prophylactic]

What, school stuff? 'Cause I'm still not gonna fight you.

[For a guy who is actually quite handy in a fight and can swing a battle-axe with one hand, he invests absolutely nothing into Strength and Getting Stronger. What kind of monk is that...]