Chapter 694

"Come on. Don’t just sit there. Eat."

Lily’s mind was already racing, but Evenson paid none of that any attention. He tore a drumstick from the roast chicken, shook the blackened fragments of bone from the meat, and dug in with considerable enthusiasm.

Watching him chew through the chicken reminded Lily of an old story about her ancestor, William Grant.

People said William had been eccentric enough to eat chicken without spitting out the bones.

The obvious question was whether he’d simply had teeth hard enough to grind the bones down himself...

Or whether he’d practiced his famous technique while eating, using his control of force to shatter the bones into powder before swallowing.

Lily wasn’t about to test the theory herself.

The chicken’s bones hadn’t merely broken. They had turned black.

That was enough to destroy her appetite.

Claire didn’t touch it either. She knew exactly what Evenson’s magic was capable of. There was no telling what kind of nutritional nightmare eating anything he’d handled might create.

Evenson continued eating as he spoke.

"I’ve heard plenty of stories about your ancestor’s No Second Strike. I know at least some of the legends."

"There are generally two versions."

He took another bite.

"The first says William Grant’s fists were so powerful that when he struck someone, the force traveled straight through the body and shattered the internal organs. A single blow could kill instantly."

Lily nodded.

She’d spent years studying every story she could find about No Second Strike. That version was certainly one of the more common accounts.

"But there was another version."

Evenson pointed the chicken bone toward her.

"They say your ancestor could kill someone even if he struck an arm or a leg. A place that shouldn’t be immediately fatal."

"From the outside, the victim would look completely normal. No obvious injury. They would simply collapse dead."

He paused.

"That version sounds more convincing to me."

Lily’s attention sharpened.

"Because it suggests the real technique wasn’t brute force at all. It was perfect control."

He set the bone down.

"The strike entered the body without damaging the skin or exterior tissue. Instead, the force was directed inward and used to disrupt the nervous system or alter the heart’s rhythm, causing immediate unconsciousness and death."

He smiled.

"In other words, it didn’t matter where he hit."

"Exactly."

Lily nodded deeply.

She’d always believed the second version was the true explanation.

Evenson had already devoured most of the chicken.

"So whether the first legend is true or the second one is, the real problem is the same."

He wiped his mouth.

"How do you get force inside the target without wasting it on the outside?"

"That must be the biggest obstacle keeping you from mastering No Second Strike."

Lily sighed.

"Exactly."

"The first version is easier, at least in theory."

She clenched her fist.

"I can’t do it."

"With my current strength, I can punch someone hard enough to damage their organs. I could severely injure or kill someone without much trouble."

"But destroying the organs while leaving the skin completely untouched?"

She shook her head.

"That is beyond me."

Evenson silently agreed.

This had nothing to do with raw strength.

Lily couldn’t do it.

Neither could the Hulk.

The Hulk could turn a person into a crater with one punch, sure. But asking him to liquefy the organs while leaving the skin pristine would be less a test of strength than an insult to physics.

"I’ve spent years seeking out masters and experts."

Lily looked frustrated.

"I even visited an old man whose family used to serve as imperial palace guards. One of their specialties was administering the old court punishment known as the cain."

"Apparently, there were three levels."

"One was basically ceremonial. You pretended to hit them, they pretended to suffer, and everyone went home happy."

"The second meant you actually hit them."

"And the third..."

She grimaced.

"You hit them with the intention of killing them."

"Supposedly, that method could leave the skin looking unharmed while the bones shattered and the blood vessels ruptured internally. The victim would die from the internal damage."

"But once I actually asked him about it, I learned there was a catch."

Lily raised a finger.

"It took at least fifteen strikes."

She slammed her palm onto the table.

"And it wasn’t even true that the victim came away without visible injuries. Afterward, they’d still be battered and bleeding."

She threw up her hands.

"So what’s the point?"

"I need No Second Strike, not No Fifteen Strikes!"

She grabbed another glass and emptied it.

"If even the easier version is that difficult, the second method is basically supernatural. I haven’t even figured out where to begin."

Claire picked up the bottle and topped off Lily’s glass.

"So that’s why you want to travel to the mainland?"

"Exactly."

Lily rolled her head slightly.

"Hong Kong is too small. Staying here forever would be like living in a well and thinking the sky ends at the opening."

She waved vaguely toward the world beyond the windows.

"The mainland is different. It’s enormous. There are countless martial schools, hidden masters, old traditions, people who keep their abilities buried beneath ordinary lives."

"My ancestor traveled across the mainland too."

She took another drink.

"I figured if I spent enough time looking, maybe I’d eventually find someone who could teach me something useful."

Her eyes drifted toward Evenson.

"But..."

She dragged her chair closer to him, her gaze hazy from the alcohol.

"Today I seem to have found something even better."

"Brother, how did you do that trick earlier?"

Lily was still thinking about the roast chicken.

Evenson had pointed at it from across the table and somehow destroyed every bone inside without damaging the flesh.

To Lily, that was exactly the kind of control she’d been searching for.

It was the perfect demonstration of force entering the body while leaving the surface untouched.

If she could learn that principle, perhaps No Second Strike would finally be within reach.

At the very least, she should be able to master the easier version.

The more difficult method, the one involving direct control over the heart and nervous system, could come later.

One step at a time.

Even a master like William Grant had needed years of brutal training before mastering such a technique.

She could learn the simpler method first and work toward the rest afterward.

Evenson glanced at Claire.

She glanced back.

A faintly conspiratorial smile passed between them.

There it is.

That was exactly the question they’d been waiting for.

Evenson turned back to Lily.

"I’m a warlock."

Lily blinked.

Evenson immediately sighed.

"Don’t look at me like that. I don’t mean some lunatic mixing potions for a king’s bedroom."

"I’m a legitimate spellcaster."

Claire covered her mouth, but Evenson could still see the amusement in her eyes.

Apparently, introducing himself as a warlock in Chinese carried some unfortunate associations.

"My abilities aren’t really like Kamar-Taj’s magic."

"However..."

He leaned back.

"I happen to have several forms of magic that involve putting energy directly into the human body."

"For example, I can leave the skin untouched while reducing bones and organs to sludge."

"I can implant an energy seed and turn someone into a living bomb."

"I can even inject a spirit into the body and drain away its life force from the inside."

He shrugged.

"There are quite a few variations."

Lily stared at him.

Evenson smiled.

"And that technique you mentioned, the one that manipulates the nervous system and causes instant collapse?"

He took another drink.

"I can do that too."

"For me, it isn’t particularly difficult."

Lily’s eyes lit up.

This was far better than she’d expected.

Evenson didn’t merely know the easier method.

He knew the difficult one too.

But then her excitement faded.

"So..."

She looked down at her drink.

"It’s all magic."

Lily had spent her entire life refusing to think of herself as a sorcerer.

Yes, she was affiliated with Kamar-Taj.

Yes, she could use magical techniques.

But that wasn’t the path she wanted.

She considered herself a martial artist first and foremost.

She wanted to reach the summit through martial skill alone, without leaning on magic.

That distinction mattered to her.

Evenson seemed to understand.

"People say you can use one stone to sharpen another."

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Your ancestor’s martial skill was already unparalleled. So why did he remain an honorary elder at Kamar-Taj?"

"His willingness to fight demons and protect people was certainly part of it."

"But I suspect he also wanted to test his martial path against magic."

"You can’t keep yourself trapped inside the same little box forever."

He gestured toward Lily.

"Trying to preserve tradition by refusing everything outside it is just another way of standing still."

"If you want to improve, you have to be willing to learn."

"Science, magic, martial arts. They all lead toward the same thing in the end."

"Truth."

"I believe martial power and magic are simply different roads leading to the same destination."

Lily’s head was spinning from the alcohol.

She stared at him for several seconds, trying to process that.

Then she asked the most obvious question.

"If they lead to the same place..."

She frowned.

"...why haven’t you learned martial arts?"

Evenson’s eyebrow twitched.

Really?

You want to see it?

He could introduce her to his personal techniques, such as the Fel-Fueled Military Fist and Mana-Emptying Wipeout Palm.

He doubted she’d enjoy the demonstration.

Fortunately, Claire answered for him.

"He can’t handle the training."

She pointed at Evenson.

"Getting him out of bed for a morning run is already a personal tragedy. You expect him to go through martial-arts training?"

Lily blinked.

Slowly, the pieces began falling into place again.

Maybe Evenson was right.

If magic and martial arts could strengthen each other, there was no reason to reject useful knowledge simply because it came from another discipline.

Her ancestor had done exactly that.

Why should she be any different?

She lifted her head.

"Then..."

Her voice became quieter.

"Could you teach me that method?"

She hurried to clarify.

"I’m not asking you to teach me magic."

"I only want to learn how you control the force."

"If I understand how you direct it, I can use the same principle through my own martial strength."

To Lily, magic and physical force were simply different expressions of power.

If Evenson could accomplish it with magic, she believed she could eventually reproduce the effect with her fists.

Claire immediately kicked Evenson beneath the table.

She followed it with a pointed look.

Well?

What are you waiting for?

This is your chance.

Evenson looked at her calmly.

Not yet.

He folded his hands and pretended to consider the matter.

Lily watched him anxiously.

"Is there some difficulty?"

Her tone had already changed.

She was asking him for a favor now, and she was showing him the respect due to someone who possessed knowledge she desperately wanted.

"Not exactly."

Evenson sighed as though caught in a difficult position.

"If I were one of your senior brothers or sisters at Kamar-Taj, I’d have no problem teaching you."

"But I’m an outsider."

He paused.

"That said, for Claire’s sake, I suppose I should be willing to help."

Lily nodded repeatedly.

Then he added:

"But..."

Her heart sank.

"But what?"

Evenson smiled.

"You’re a senior figure in the martial world, Senior Sister Lily."

"You know as well as anyone that martial lineages have their own rules about passing down techniques."

Lily slapped a hand against her forehead.

Right.

She’d been drinking.

She’d forgotten something fundamental.

"I see."

She slowly stood.

"That was careless of me."

Then, before anyone could react, Lily lifted Evenson from his seat and put him in hers.

She moved the chair aside.

Then she dropped to her knees.

With the solemnity of someone making a lifelong commitment, Lily bowed three times.

She picked up a cup of wine from the table, held it respectfully in both hands, and raised it toward Evenson.

"From this day forward..."

She lowered her head.

"...I will call you my master."