Data-Driven Daoist

In Chapter Author's Notes: I did a rewrite of chapters 10 and 11, then fixed up chapter 12, so everything made sense. Sorry if the story feels off for people who read the last versions.

The monkey turned to the second boy and bashed him on the forearms with the staff. He went flying, too.

The sound of bones breaking echoed like snapping twigs. Duan Xiaolong waved his hands, and two balls of mist appeared. They were grey, with neon green and red leaking from inside like the aurora. He threw the balls, and the mist permeated the two mangled boys with a whoosh.

Their splattered blood rolled back into their bodies, and the snapped limbs twisted into place. Still bruised, but now looking human, at least.

The blue monkey chirped, scratching its furry head. It pointed at the two comatose kids, then at the gathered crowd.

“Squeak!”

The recruits took a collective step back.

“Little Pillar, you have the brains of a lion.” Duan Xiaolong guffawed. “Mice need both reward and punishment.”

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