THE REAL PROTEGE

Ling Li jolted in surprise. "You want to learn swordsmanship?"

"Yes!" Kim Kim said with conviction, her expression folding into a pout. "I found a book in Brother's office about sword techniques… but all the swords are too long for me! I can't even lift them!"

Ling Li chuckled, amused by the girl's puffed-up frustration. She stroked her silky black hair with gentle fingers.

"Alright then, I'll think of a way to forge a sword perfectly sized for you."

"Mom, you can't go back on your words," Kim Kim warned, eyes narrowing with theatrical sternness.

"Don't worry, I won't," Ling Li said, pressing a soft kiss to her daughter's temple. "A promise forged between warrior women can't be broken."

Kim Kim shifted, her solemn tone giving way to curiosity.

"Mom… I came here to ask you something."

Ling Li leaned in. "Oh, let me hear it then."

"How could you see the death aura around Aunt Pharsa? Why can't I see it?" Kim Kim asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

Ling Li blinked, taken aback by the depth of the question. She answered slowly, carefully measuring her words.

"Your cultivation is still in its earliest stage," she explained tenderly. "Once you reach a higher realm —and if you're blessed with the right spiritual attribute —you may be able to see it. But not everyone is gifted in that way."

"Ohhh," Kim Kim said, nodding with exaggerated seriousness. "That's why." A pause. "Can Dad see it?"

From across the bed, Four Eyes stirred, tilting his head from behind his book with a faint smirk. He had been pretending not to eavesdrop, but the intrigue got the better of him.

Ling Li smiled faintly.

"I think your father can see traces of it. His dark magic gives him that edge… but he needs to cultivate more if he wants to reach the clarity I have."

Kim Kim nodded again, clearly proud of her parents' mysterious talents. Then, with the same abrupt energy she arrived with, she wriggled off the bed.

"I'm going to find Chin Chin now!" she announced, already halfway to the door.

But just before disappearing, she turned and shouted:

"Mom! Can you make me a crystal sword? I want a crystal sword!"

Ling Li blinked. "A crystal sword?" she asked, amused.

"Yes! I heard it can kill ghosts! And especially witches!" Kim Kim said, her eyes gleaming like sunlight on polished jade.

"...."

Ling Li's lips twitched at the sheer theatricality.

Before she could answer, the door slammed behind Kim Kim's retreating form.

"Bye!" floated faintly from the hallway.

Four Eyes set his book down, brow furrowed.

"Are you truly giving her a sword? Isn't she too young?"

He was loyal to a fault when it came to their daughters —his hesitation thick with paternal fear. This kind imagines every bruise before it ever happens.

Ling Li laughed softly, warmth spreading from her chest.

"Don't forget, our daughters aren't ordinary. Look at her —she's already preparing to battle ghosts and witches before she even finishes her morning snack."

Four Eyes snorted, rolling his eyes affectionately. "You spoil our children too much."

Ling Li turned a page in her book. "She's a dragon. I'm just sharpening her scales."

In the southern courtyard, the twins were in full motion, giddy with anticipation. Mushu had crafted two slingshots from freshly polished tamarind wood — sturdy, smooth, and sized perfectly for their tiny hands. Chin Chin adjusted her grip like a seasoned marksman, her eyes narrowed in determination. At the same time, Kim Kim tugged her elastic band with a grin that promised mischief.

Without Mushu's knowledge, these slingshots will play an essential role in the Twins' cultivation journey. Of course, it's for the future.

"Aim for the hanging gourd, not my head!" Mushu called, laughing nervously as he backed away toward a safer distance.

The courtyard rang with the twins' laughter.

Chin Chin fired first — her pebble shot whizzed through the air and missed entirely, clinking against a stone lantern. Kim Kim tried next and hit the edge of the gourd, causing it to swing wildly.

"I hit it! Did you see?" she shouted triumphantly.

"Half-hit doesn't count!" Chin Chin argued. "Uncle Mushu, who won?"

Mushu scratched the back of his head, unwilling to take sides.

Before he could answer, the air shifted.

A breeze stirred without wind. The silk prayer flags strung overhead trembled, and birds quieted as a peaceful, commanding presence drifted into the courtyard.

A silver van pulled up by the side gate. From it stepped Shinsei, dressed in layered robes of muted saffron and twilight blue, his long prayer beads draped over one shoulder like a sash. His shaved head gleamed beneath the midday sun, and a tranquil smile softened the sharp edges of his ascetic features.

The twins froze mid-battle.

Chin Chin's slingshot dropped from her hand. Kim Kim blinked three times and clutched Mushu's sleeve.

"Is that… the monk?" she whispered in awe.

Shinsei stepped forward, each footfall graceful, as though he walked not on stone but through mist.

"Blessings upon your household," he said, bowing slightly.

Pharsa, Chatty, Ling Li, and Four Eyes appeared on the steps above, joined by Old Master Li and Madam Li. The adults bowed respectfully, but the twins couldn't help but laugh.

They rushed forward without hesitation.

"Hello!" Chin Chin cried. "Are you really a master monk?"

"Are you here to teach ghost fighting?" Kim Kim added excitedly, eyes sparkling.

Shinsei's smile widened as he crouched to their level, beads swaying like water.

"I fight ghosts with peace, little one. But if you wish to wield swords of truth and crystal slingshots of wisdom, I shall show you the way."

Kim Kim gasped. Chin Chin stared at him as if he were a living legend.

"He's cooler than Uncle Mushu," Chin Chin whispered.

Mushus "...."

"Hey!" Mushu exclaimed. "I made your slingshots!"

The adults laughed, tension dissolving like morning mist. Shinseirose, his gaze finding Ling Li's.

"Let us talk," he said solemnly. "Before the stars shift again."

Ling Li nodded, her hand brushing Kim Kim's shoulder as she passed.

Inside the ancestral meeting chamber, the light dimmed beneath carved eaves and red hanging lanterns. Incense smoke curled in the corners, stirred by a low breeze that didn't come from any open window. Shinsei sat in the main seat, facing Ling Li Four Eyes, Old Master Li, Madam Li, Mushu, Chatty, and Pharsa.

The others remained respectfully standing, their expressions heavy with anticipation.