Peaceful Intermission
Chapter 73: Road of Martial Arts
A large carriage traveled along the dirt-paved road, pulled by two built stallions, which honestly they were getting paid to do that. Although steam engines were used in transportation methods, they were not so widespread as to discard more mundane ways of travel. Inside this moderately sized carriage, five individuals sat, well, you could count six if you included a certain full blooded saiyan inside a seal.
As this carriage went along at a brisk pace, a certain girl popped through the window, looking over the landscape.
"When do we get there?" Kira Heartstrings, asked anxiously.
"Soon, should be just over the horizon," A more developed voice, that of the old diamond dog, Master Wushu, said.
"Nee-chan, let me see!" A young boy, Ken popped himself above his sister to look.
"Hey! You two should be careful!" Another female voice, Sinai, the tiny green filly, exclaimed.
"Why?" Ken asked.
The last, Copper Will, said, "Because you're going to fall out the window-"
"Whaaaah!" Ken and Kira yelled in unison as they felt their bodies nearly tip over the window edge and fall on the ground, only to pull themselves back into the carriage at the last instant.
"I wonder if the house is going to be a small little thing..." Chris Dell, the Twins' father, said within the Seal.
'It might be a tiny house...' Ken thought.
'Like... Um... Master Roshi's house?' Kira replied through their telepathic link.
'Exactly! Master Wushu does sound a lot like Master Roshi!' Ken stated.
'Cool! Maybe we will learn lots of things! Like... A One-Handed Kamehameha Wave version two!' Kira said.
'Why would it be version two?' Ken questioned.
'I don't know, it just sounds cool!'
'Sounds completely unnecessary...'
'That's the point!'
"Whoa!" Ken suddenly exclaimed as he pointed out the window, gathering Kira, Copper, and Sinai's attention.
"It's huge! As big as Capsule Corp!" The twin's father commented.
The carriage went over the hill, just ahead, a large plot of land with a massive mansion stood tall and proud. The mansion itself was brightly colored, but also that it had a running river going in front of it that was connected between the two points by a stone bridge. Further inspection revealed that on one side of the river were multiple struck up wooden poles, with other unidentifiable equipment lain out on the field next to it.
"Here," Wushu began, "Is where I will train you."
"It's big isn't it?" Sinai said to the two hybrid twins and Copper Will.
"I say, you could fit half of Ponyville in this amount of land!" Copper yelled in shock.
"That's a lot!" Kira said, before sitting back down and looking to Wushu, "Master Wushu, does this mean we can go all out here without worrying about stuff?"
"Not near the mansion," Wushu answered, "But I have a few dedicated areas that even those with destructive abilities can practice."
"Great!" Kira said with a fist pumped into the air, "It's been a while since I've had a serious match with Ken!"
"It has been a while..." Ken trailed off as he tried to recall the last time they had a match, which was ages ago.
Wushu laughed, "Good to see you are eager, but before we begin I need to test your capabilities for myself. So when we arrive, put your luggage at the front door and the maid will take care of it for you."
"You have a maid!?" Ken, Kira, and Copper shouted.
"She's really kind," Sinai said.
"As for Miss Heartstrings," Wushu began, "She will join us in a week from now."
The minotaur child nodded, "Wonder how this will go..."
Master Wushu looked down at the four children, all who were eager to learn. His eyes trailed from one side to the other, a pony, a minotaur, and two humans, as he discovered from their adoptive parent. Of course, he was well aware that there were probably more to know, some secret haven't been told or explained to him. He doubted that such power could come from one species alone, after all, were not the most powerful beings to exist all hybrids of some kind?
The female human girl, Kira, raised her hand. How cute, it was like a classroom. But he was familiar with this, as he had many students back in his younger days.
"Sensei," Kira began.
"Master Wushu, you will address me as that," He interrupted. "Though I am aware you call your school teacher that, I am of a different profession and would be respectively said as such," Wushu said, he didn't mean it in offense, but instilling respect was a core point.
"Oh..." Kira trailed off, "Master Wushu, are we gonna train on those poles?" She questioned, finger pointed towards the rows of poles that stood upright.
"No, we won't be training with balance yet, first I'll train your minds. My teachings require a more trained mental state than what you can manage just yet," Wushu answered.
Ken blinked, "Eh?"
Kira's face contorted into a confused expression, before she replied, "You mean like meditation?"
"Sounds boring," Copper Will commented. "Why don't you start off with what Kira said earlier? Seems a lot more interesting than just sitting around thinking about stuff."
A walking stick came out of nowhere and whacked Copper right on the head.
"A typical response from one who never has done it before," Wushu said.
"I heard that unicorns can get better at magic through meditation," Sinai stated.
"That is because," Wushu began, "Unicorns can clear their minds faster with training in that way, allowing them to process spells better."
Ken raised a hand, "Nee-chan and I already do meditate though, so can we skip it?"
"When was the last time you did so?" Wushu questioned.
Ken opened his mouth to respond but closed it soon after.
Kira scratched her nose, "Hehe, it's been forever," She said.
"Good, then we can get started..." Wushu trailed off, taking on a cross-legged position. "Ken, Kira, you will sit in the same position as me. Copper, you will take this position..." He shifted, taking a method clearly suited to ease the legs for the minotaur's particular biology. "Now, Sinai, you will take this one..." He changed position once again, taking a form clearly meant for a pony, before altering back to the first one.
The children followed suit.
"To begin, I want all of you to close your eyes..."
His eyes closed, nothing but darkness could be seen by them. But he was not worried, for through this he could still see, see in a different way.
"Steady your breathing, find a rhythm most comfortable for you..." He continued. "In and out, do not focus on your breathing, do not focus on yourself... I want you to use your sense of touch, of feeling, to experience the breeze the travels along the field... Feel as it blows, gentle, yet unpredictable..."
He can see it, the field around him, the air currents that travel, the children's' forms as they sat and tried their best to follow his teachings. They would not fully understand this lesson on their first go, try as they might, this was not something that could be rushed. They would not yet see as he sees.
"Now, switch your attention to your sense of smell, notice the sensation of fresh grass fills your perception. Through it, take heed of the other scents that are around us, the citrus aroma coming from the orchard of oranges not too far from here."
He knew that they were having trouble keeping up, Copper had fallen when trying to touch the breeze, Sinai fell when trying to catch the scent. Ken and Kira, the two twin siblings, were having difficulties themselves. This was most likely different from whatever method they had used beforehand.
"Arrive at the sense of sound, hear the blades of grass whistle in the breeze, the breathing of your friends or family near you, the sound of my voice that vibrates towards and through you..." He trailed off, but he knew that the twins were now defeated, they could no longer keep up.
He opened his eyes, "We end." He spoke, looking at the four children were remained silent as they stared down at the green-hued ground. They were stunned, not at Wushu, not at themselves, but rather the serene sensations they experienced. They have much to learn.
Much to learn indeed.