Future Pet Shop

"Xiaoliu?" Mr. Liu Sheng froze for a moment before realizing that Xiaoliu was the monkey squatting next to Shen Yibin. His face immediately flushed red with anger. "Mr. Shen, you can disparage my Swordsmanship, but you cannot insult the pride of a Swordsman!" ’I humbly came to you for guidance, yet you want a monkey to face me? You’re looking down on me too much, aren’t you?’

’What’s with the huge reaction?’ To Shen Yibin, Swordsmanship was just a hobby. He was nothing like Mr. Liu Sheng, who saw the Sword Way as more important than his own life. How could he have understood Mr. Liu Sheng’s perspective? Seeing him so furious, Shen Yibin was a little baffled. ’He sure gets worked up easily, doesn’t he?’

"Mr. Bin, Uncle Liu Sheng considers Swordsmanship more important than life itself. What you just said was really inappropriate," Sakai Kaori quickly came over to explain. After placating Shen Yibin, she turned to persuade Mr. Liu Sheng, "Uncle Liu Sheng, Bin was on a plane all day, and he just drank so much. That’s why he said what he did. Please don’t misunderstand. Let’s wait until tomorrow when Bin is well-rested, then you two can have your exchange!"

Mr. Liu Sheng fell silent, but he still looked puffed up with anger, staring daggers at Shen Yibin. After a moment, he shifted his gaze to Xiaoliu. He was also a little puzzled. ’Bin has always been a reliable person. Why would he say something like that today?’

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" When he glared at Shen Yibin, Shen Yibin didn’t really care. But when he glared at Xiaoliu, Xiaoliu was not happy. Especially when it saw the bamboo sword at Mr. Liu Sheng’s waist, the little guy immediately bared its teeth and glared right back.

’What? This monkey can sense my hostility?’ Out of a Swordsman’s instinct, Mr. Liu Sheng sensed the change in Xiaoliu’s mood. He subconsciously put a hand on the bamboo sword at his waist, because the spot Xiaoliu’s gaze had just swept over was one of his vital points. ’This monkey really does seem to be something else, doesn’t it?’ Mr. Liu Sheng was instantly on alert.

"I’m telling the truth. I even learned my Swordsmanship from Xiaoliu," Shen Yibin said with an innocent shrug. ’I’m letting the one who’s better than me step up. What more could you be dissatisfied with?’

"Are you telling the truth?" Mr. Liu Sheng was starting to believe Shen Yibin. ’If not, why would that monkey’s gaze happen to sweep over my vital points? Wait! Its gaze has shifted again, from my ribs to my side. I just changed my kneeling position to cover the weak spot on my ribs, but I didn’t expect to expose my side instead, and it caught it.’

"I saw you have a Sword Dojo in this house earlier, right? If you don’t believe me, why don’t we have Mr. Liu Sheng and Xiaoliu face each other in the dojo and see for yourself!" ’I used to be the only one getting completely crushed by Xiaoliu. It’s about time someone else got a taste of it!’ Shen Yibin thought darkly.

"Uncle Liu Sheng, what do you think?" Sakai Kaori had now also noticed the strange change in Mr. Liu Sheng. ’Why did his expression suddenly become so serious?’

"Hai! Since Mr. Shen is serious, then I too would like to test my skills." At this point, Mr. Liu Sheng no longer dared to treat Shen Yibin’s words as a joke. He sat up straight, gave Xiaoliu a deep bow, and said, "Please grant me your guidance!" With that, he stood up and strode toward the Sword Dojo. Shen Yibin followed, bringing Sun Qian, Hah’Er, and Xiaoliu along.

"Sakai, go help Xiaoliu... uh, Sir, pick out a bamboo sword!" Once they reached the Sword Dojo, Mr. Liu Sheng sat down again to cultivate his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, signaling for Sakai Kaori to find a suitable bamboo sword for Xiaoliu.

"But, we only have the bamboo swords we normally use for practice here, Mr. Xiaoliu..." Sakai Kaori brought over a pile of bamboo swords, only to find they were all models for adults. Xiaoliu was so small and slender that a child-sized model would probably be more suitable, but they didn’t have any spares on hand. "I’ll call to have one delivered. Everyone, please have some tea and rest for a bit!" Saying this, Sakai Kaori was about to make a call.

"It’s so late, let’s not trouble anyone, shall we?" Shen Yibin felt bad about inconveniencing others. Besides, a small issue like this shouldn’t be a problem for Xiaoliu. He stepped forward, picked out the thinnest bamboo sword, and handed it to Xiaoliu. "See if you can use this." ’You’re just going to crush Mr. Liu Sheng, right? Just make do with this one.’

"Mr. Shen, a Swordsmanship duel is a very serious matter. Whether a bamboo sword is a good fit has a huge impact on a person’s performance. We should still wait!" ’Hey, can you please not treat such a serious matter like it’s a child’s game!’

"No need, this will be fine. Mr. Liu Sheng, please be careful in a moment. Xiaoliu is much stronger than I am." ’A bamboo sword only affects performance when the two opponents are evenly matched. With a gap this large, there’s no need to worry about it.’

Seeing Shen Yibin insist, Mr. Liu Sheng became a little annoyed as well. He stood up, entered the center of the dojo, and gave Xiaoliu a deep bow, bamboo sword in hand. "I am Liu Sheng, successor to the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu..." Mr. Liu Sheng announced his school and name to his opponent as was tradition. This time, however, he probably wasn’t going to hear his opponent’s school and name in return.

"SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu lazily dragged its bamboo sword to the center of the dojo. It let out a couple of squeaks as a response, then listlessly lifted the bamboo sword and tapped it on the tatami mat, as if to signal that it was ready!

"OOH! OOH!" This wasn’t the first Swordsmanship match Hah’Er had watched, and it immediately started clapping to cheer Xiaoliu on. Egg once again betrayed the Kaori Family and joined Hah’Er in rooting for Xiaoliu.

"Tang Bamboo!" Just like last time, Mr. Liu Sheng chose a fierce overhead slash as his opening move. As he struck, he deliberately held back some of his strength so he could pull back the attack and avoid injuring Xiaoliu. After all, it was a guest of the Kaori Family, and it wouldn’t do for it to get hurt.

Xiaoliu gave a lazy yawn, paying no mind to the bamboo sword whistling toward it. With a casual movement, it sidestepped the slash. As it turned, it leisurely raised its bamboo sword, the tip aimed precisely at Mr. Liu Sheng’s wrist. Even though Mr. Liu Sheng had held back, it was too late to pull back his strike. His wrist ran right into the tip of the sword, and his own bamboo sword fell to the ground with a CLATTER.

’What?! Uncle Liu Sheng was disarmed before he could even complete a single move?’ Sakai Kaori, who had just been worrying about Xiaoliu, was left completely dumbfounded by the scene before her. ’Even when Shen Yibin fought him last time, it wasn’t this easy, was it?’

In the center of the dojo, Mr. Liu Sheng’s mind was a complete blank. The last time he faced Shen Yibin, he could at least barely follow the trajectory of his opponent’s moves. But this time, he had absolutely no idea how he had been defeated.

He looked at Egg, who was squawking wildly on the side, then back at Xiaoliu, who was yawning while leaning on its bamboo sword. A strange feeling welled up inside him. ’Could it be that Xiaoliu, like Lord Egg, is also a divine being?’