Legacy of a Mad Scientist
i JOHN CARRICK “First, I'd like to know, do any of you have experience in the martial arts?" About half the hands went up. Ashley didn't raise her hand, despite two previous summers of similar courses; she did not count herself as experienced. "Now, how many of you have been hit, hard, in the face?" Sihing Shou asked. At first several hands went up, but some were timid, uncertain. "I mean really hit hard; bloody nose, fat lip, black eye. How many?" Only a few hands remained aloft. Shou pointed to one boy and asked, "Who hit you?" "My brother hits me all the time," he said, pointing at his brother, standing a few spaces away. Shou and several others laughed. Ashley noticed that the boy, however, was not laughing. She suspected he was very interested in how to put a stop his brother’s dominance. "And you?" Shou gestured to another boy. "My father," came the answer. Shou pointed again. "A kid in my class." "Has anyone here ever been hit while in the ring?" Shou asked. All the hands went down. "When you are in a fight, if you are ever in a fight, you must fight for your life. It will be at that moment when you are weak, tired, probably very hurt, that is when you must act to save your life. We will help you get to that place and teach you how to think while you're there." Instructor Shou walked along the front of the room. "Someone may come; an outlaw, the government, a king, they may take all of your possessions.
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