THE REAL PROTEGE

A ripple of realization passed through the room.

Chatty clenched his jaw, a flicker of guilt in his expression. Lily's fingers curled against the fabric of her sleeves, her throat tightening. Four Eyes exhaled slowly, his eyes drifting back to his best friend.

Ling Li pressed on, sharper now, more commanding.

"This accident should serve as a lesson to all of you," she stated, her gaze sweeping across her disciples. "You are being cultivated as warriors, not just in combat, but in resilience. Strength is not measured by mere physical prowess or reckless courage. True strength is found in how you rise after a fall, in how you face the unknown without crumbling, in how you carry yourselves even in the face of disaster."

She let that sink in, then continued.

"Quan Ye will recover — slowly, but he will. His body needs time, but his mind must remain sharp. He will continue to cultivate and soak in the medicinal herbs I will prepare for him. His path will not be easy, but neither is yours."

Lily, unable to hold back, finally spoke, her voice soft, uncertain. "Mom… when will he wake up? Will he… really be okay?"

Ling Li's gaze softened slightly but remained firm. "He will wake up tomorrow. His body needs rest, and the best thing we can do for him now is let him heal without interference." She gestured toward Goldie. "Goldie can stay by his side for now."

Ling Li turned back to the group, her expression hardening once more.

"I advise all of you to go home," she continued, her voice carrying force and authority. "Do not let this incident shake your minds nor weaken your spirits. This is a small mishap — nothing more."

She paused, assessing each of them before delivering the final blow.

"You are warriors. Act like it."

The words cut through the lingering tension like steel against stone.

Ren inhaled deeply, standing taller. Shun straightened, his posture solidifying with unspoken determination. Four Eyes clenched his fists slightly, nodding once in silent agreement. Even Lily, though still pained, tightened her grip on herself, forcing herself to endure.

Ling Li observed them all, satisfied.

Quan Ye would recover. And so would they.

The hum of the engine filled the quiet space inside the car as Rockie steered steadily through the dimly lit streets. The night had settled deep, yet the weight of the day's events lingered thickly in the air. Mushu sat in the front passenger seat, his gaze flicking between the rearview mirror and the road ahead, but he remained silent as if waiting for Ling Li to speak.

Ling Li exhaled softly, looking out the window.

"Hon, this is actually a very common thing for new racers," Ling Li murmured, her voice carrying the edge of knowing experience. "Their excitement, their adrenaline rush—it takes over the moment they feel like they've mastered just a fraction of the craft. They mistake eagerness for capability, and recklessness takes hold before wisdom does. They're itching to drive fast to the finish line, but in reality, they're itching for a beating."

Ling Li sighed, shaking her head, recalling the raw emotions from earlier.

Four Eyes listened, his thumb brushing against her knuckles as he held her hand tightly. He knew exactly what she meant because he had felt it — felt the pull, the challenge, the fleeting temptation to push the engine to its limits. But he had remembered her words.

He always did.

And for that, he was always grateful.

The moment he'd felt the impulse to press his foot harder on the gas, her voice echoed in his mind, word for word. Not just caution, but wisdom, experience, and foresight.

Ling Li understood the thrill, but she saw further than he ever could.

'I guess it's a man's instinct and ego to do such recklessness,' Four Eyes silently admitted, watching Ling Li as she thoughtfully gazed ahead.

Ling Li's voice carried through the quiet.

"When I sent Murphy to Germany, I made sure this wouldn't happen to him," she continued, her fingers absentmindedly tracing circles against Four Eyes' palm. "I knew his carefree, reckless character would get the best of him, so I gave strict instructions to the instructors to monitor his every move. I made sure there was no room for him to lose control."

She paused for a moment, the weight of responsibility settling deeper in her thoughts.

"But I didn't expect it to be Quan Ye in this kind of predicament," she admitted, her voice softer now. "And yet, just as we said earlier, this accident was a blessing in disguise. If the crash hadn't happened, we never would have discovered the aneurysms lurking in his brain. A ticking danger waiting to strike when no one would have seen it coming."

A moment of silence filled the car as her words sank in.

Mushu shifted slightly in his seat, rubbing his chin. "Fate has a cruel way of reminding us of things we refuse to see," he murmured.

Ling Li's fingers tightened around Four Eyes' hand.

As their Master, she felt the weight of every decision, the responsibility of their lives resting on her shoulders. She had spent years shaping them, cultivating their strength, guiding them toward the paths they were destined to take.

And yet — even with all her planning, all her foresight — there were moments like this.

Moments where fate intervened in ways no amount of preparation could predict.

Four Eyes sensed the slight shift in her grip and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You did everything right, and that's why Fatty will make it through this," he said, his voice low but firm. "We can never anticipate everything, but you — we all — are strong enough to adapt. That's what warriors do."

Ling Li exhaled quietly, a flicker of warmth crossing her expression.

He was right.

She straightened slightly in her seat, letting go of some of the burden she had carried since stepping into that operating room.

Her disciples would learn.

They would grow.

And they would rise stronger than ever.

Four Eyes sensed the weight lingering in the air — the quiet contemplation that sat heavy between them. Four Eyes didn't want to dwell on the accident any longer, so he shifted the conversation.