Xia Huanao and Guagua Paopao ran out, drawing everyone's attention. The ninjas watched them disappear, bewildered. "What are they doing?"
"Maybe he lost his mind after being defeated by our Fengtou Ling," one ninja speculated.
"That's likely. Our Fengtou Ling is so powerful, and he still dared to challenge him..."
Meanwhile, Xia Huanao and Guagua Paopao found Mei, who was practicing the Six-Star Ninja Kill Array. "Mei, where's a waterfall?"
Mei paused her training. "Why are you looking for a waterfall?"
"To enjoy the scenery, of course! What else?" Xia Huanao replied, not daring to admit he wanted to special train. Mei, not suspecting his true motive, said, "If you're looking for a waterfall, head east from the village entrance. There..."
Xia Huanao only caught "head east" and dashed off, shouting, "Thank you, I'll go take a look!"
Watching his retreating back, Mei sighed, "I didn't finish speaking. There used to be a waterfall there, but the water's gone."
Xia Huanao, oblivious, charged towards the supposed waterfall. He was inspired by countless stories where protagonists trained under waterfalls, emerging with greatly boosted combat power. Being in a ninja land, he couldn't pass up such an opportunity.
He arrived at the waterfall's location, brimming with excitement, only to find a dark, empty hole where the waterfall should have been. Xia Huanao froze. "They said it was a waterfall! Why is it like this now?"
The system explained, "It's not strange. The upstream must have run out of water. And Mei probably tried to warn you, but you didn't listen."
Xia Huanao peered into the hole. "How can I train here without a waterfall? Right, Guagua?"
Guagua didn't understand. The system, however, asked, "Do you *have* to train under a waterfall? What exactly are you trying to train?"
Xia Huanao thought for a moment. "My judgment! I need calm and steady judgment to break through the Six-Star Ninja Kill Array."
"What does that have to do with training under a waterfall?" the system retorted. "Can you really stay calm when it's noisy? I think you might be better off training inside this cave. The difficulty might even be lower."
Xia Huanao approached the gaping hole revealed by the dried-up waterfall. "Really? Then tell me, how did this Water Curtain Cave come to be?"
"You ask too many questions! Are you going in or not!" The system sounded impatient.
Xia Huanao's caution was piqued by the system's tone. "System, your tone makes it sound like you've set a trap in there!"
The system immediately went silent. "I won't say anymore. You decide for yourself."
Xia Huanao shone his phone into the cave, saw no "prehistoric beasts," and felt a little more at ease. "Let's go in, Guagua. We're going."
They took a few steps inside and Xia Huanao sat down. "Damn, it didn't look this dark from the outside. How did the visibility drop so fast? Fine, this is good enough."
He and Guagua sat facing each other. "Guagua, we'll train here. The goal is calmness, a mind like still water, understand?"
Despite aiming for a still mind, Xia Huanao's voice had been loud. In the narrow confines of the cave, the sound bounced around, becoming exceptionally loud.
The echoing sound made both their ears ring. Xia Huanao shook his head and lowered his voice. "Let's begin."
He closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. Guagua followed suit, and they sat in silence, feeling the profound quietness of the cave.
Although it was silent, with his eyes closed, Xia Huanao's hearing became incredibly acute, picking up subtle sounds.
Soon, he thought he heard the sound of water droplets hitting stone, shattering into fragments. Just as he was about to open his eyes, the system intervened: "Don't open your eyes! Don't move! Continue training!"
Xia Huanao flinched at the system's command, adjusted his breathing, and pushed the sound of water droplets out of his mind, striving for his elusive state of "still water."
...
"When did I fall asleep?"
At some unknown hour in Manying time, Xia Huanao woke up, rubbing his eyes. He had been diligently practicing his 'still mind' technique, but somehow, he had drifted off and found himself lying on the ground.
He looked at Guagua, wondering if his companion had also fallen asleep. Tentatively, Xia Huanao reached out to gently touch Guagua's head. Before he could, Guagua's eyes snapped open, and a Water Pulse shot out, hitting Xia Huanao directly in the stomach and sending him flying three to four meters.
Xia Huanao clutched his belly and cried out, "Guaguaaaaaa!"
The system covered its face. "I told you not to shout in the cave! Your 'Guagua' sounded completely off. Are your ears okay? Can you still hear?"
After his own voice subsided, Xia Huanao looked at Guagua. Guagua looked apologetic. He had been sitting there, almost reaching a state of 'still mind,' when he sensed someone trying to touch him and instinctively unleashed a Water Pulse.
Fortunately, Guagua had held back. A Double Pulse would have likely been fatal for Xia Huanao.
Xia Huanao got up and glanced outside. The sky had darkened. He decided it was time to head back for dinner with Guagua.
At the dinner table, Mei asked, "How was your training this afternoon? Did you gain anything?"
Xia Huanao glanced at his stomach and shook his head. He had slept through the afternoon in the cave. Forget 'still water,' he probably wouldn't have noticed if his heart had stopped beating. Guagua, however, looked at Xia Huanao and nodded. Xia Huanao blinked. "Huh? Guagua, did you really achieve it?"
"Guagua means... perhaps he achieved a part of it, Loto."
Hearing that Guagua had touched upon the concept's threshold, Xia Huanao was delighted. He finished his dinner in a few bites. "Guagua, you did great!"
He then turned to Mei. "Mei, how about you? Did your practice make progress?"
Mei's gaze flickered towards Feng, then she nodded. "Yes, some progress."
Xia Huanao didn't notice Mei's glance, but Feng observed it meaningfully.
After dinner, Xia Huanao and Guagua went for a walk. "Guagua," Xia Huanao asked, "Do you truly understand what I mean by 'still mind'?"
Guagua nodded. He stood on the path and closed his eyes. Xia Huanao felt a fleeting, strange shift in his surroundings, too brief to pinpoint. However, the system offered some encouragement: "Whether it's what you call 'still mind' or not, as long as Guagua trains this skill, it's an improvement to his combat power."
Xia Huanao agreed. "You're right. Anything trained is an improvement."
They continued walking. Xia Huanao pointed to a large tree near the village entrance. "Guagua, let's sit there for a while. We rarely have time like this."
Beneath the tree, they leaned against the trunk, feeling their heartbeats and breaths. Feng, who had come looking for Xia Huanao, saw them in their peculiar state and chose not to interrupt, observing from a distance.
A few minutes later, Xia Huanao blinked. "I keep feeling like something just happened. What is going on? Am I not feeling right today?"
"You're perfectly fine. When I looked over, it seemed as though you and Guagua had merged together."
Xia Huanao turned to see Feng approaching, with Mei, blushing, beside him. "Merged? I don't think that's a bad thing. But shouldn't you be busy with dojo matters? How do you have time to find me?"
"This afternoon, Mei caused you trouble."
Xia Huanao glanced at Mei. "Ah? Oh, I see. So you didn't have Feng's permission at all?"
Mei bowed to Xia Huanao. "I'm sorry, it was my fault. I've caused you trouble."
Xia Huanao looked at Feng. "No, I should be the one apologizing. Teaching based on my own speculation..."
Feng stopped him. "You don't need to apologize. This is Mei's fault. I've already punished her according to our family rules. I'm sorry she always causes you trouble."
After a brief exchange where they all tried to take responsibility, Feng and Mei, with a two-on-one advantage, "won." Xia Huanao, however, was more interested in "Family rules? What is your relationship with Mei?"
Feng looked at Mei with a mixture of exasperation and affection. "She's my useless little sister."
"I see. So, are you just here to apologize?"
Feng shook his head. "No, I have something I'd like to ask of you."