The Seven Wonders of the World (REMASTERED)

4. Curses with Consequences

“Let's begin,” said Wei, and without warning, he lunged towards Ailun, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks.
Ailun dodged and blocked the blows as best he could, but Wei's attacks were fast and precise, forcing him on the defensive. Zhou's voice was shouting in his ear, “You have to get the offensive! Attack him, you fool!”
Ailun barely had time to react, but he managed to sidestep the punch at the last second. He countered with a jab of his own, aiming for Wei's stomach.
Wei dodged the punch with ease, and countered with another quick punch towards Ailun's face.
Zhou chuckled in his mind, “Not bad, boy! But you can do better than that!”
Wei continued to press his attack, launching a series of quick and precise punches towards Ailun. Despite his best efforts to dodge and parry, Ailun found himself slowly being pushed back by Wei's onslaught.
Zhou's voice in his head was getting eager with excitement. “Uh oh, boy! The genius Wei has the upper hand! You're getting pushed back!”
Ailun gritted his teeth, feeling a mix of frustration and determination rise within him. He knew he had to do something to turn the tide of the fight. But every time he tried to counter, Wei would predict his moves and counter with a move of his own, causing Ailun to stumble backwards again.
Zhou continued to taunt him, “Come on, boy! You're getting your butt kicked! You call yourself a fighter?!”
Ailun's mind was racing, trying to find a way out of the predicament he was in. The pressure was mounting, and Zhou's constant barrage of insults didn’t help either. He tried to focus, trying to think of a way to turn the tide of the fight. But it seemed like every move he made was countered by Wei with ease.
As Ailun eventually dropped to the floor, Wei stood above him, as Wei looked down at him with pity.
“Maybe I was wrong,” said Wei, “you're lazy and your coordination is all over the place, yet you seem to have potential within you, perhaps I miscalculated. Do you still want to fight?”
Ailun looked around, as he was still on the floor, but a moment later, he sprang up, taking Wei by surprise as he backhanded him in the face.
Wei fell down, as a slap had been marked on his face, he then got back up by doing a kip-up, as he brushed his hands together and looked at Ailun with a smirk.
Zhou's voice was full of excitement and surprise in Ailun's mind. “Now that's what I'm talking about, boy! You got some fire in you after all!”
Wei touched his face, feeling the sting from Ailun's backhand. His smirk faded, replaced by a look of determination. “I see you still have some fight left in you,” he said. “But it will take more than that to beat me.”
And with a smirk, Wei kicked Ailun's arm away, before throwing another kick to Ailun's stomach, and then following it up with a punch to the face.
Ailun stumbled back, his face red with pain and anger. Zhou's voice was still going on in his mind, “Keep fighting, boy! You can't let him win!”
Ailun gritted his teeth, and lunged forward, throwing a furious punch towards Wei's chest. But Wei dodged it with ease, before throwing a punch back towards Ailun's face.
Wei continued to rain blows upon Ailun, each punch and kick landing with pinpoint accuracy and speed. Ailun tried his best to fight back, but it was as if Wei had his number, anticipating his every move and countering it effortlessly.
Zhou's voice was a mix of excitement and frustration in his mind. “Come on, boy! You're getting your butt kicked again!”
As Ailun stumbled back, Wei threw one final hook kick at Ailun, as Ailun fell to the ground.
A few inspectors ran into the room, hearing the commotion from moments before, as one of them created a barrier made out of pure energy. “Art of Zhuanxing! Wall of Protection!”
The inspectors watched in shocked silence at the display before them. They had never expected such a violent fight between the boys. Zhou's voice in his mind was practically wailing at this point, “Way to go, boy... you're getting your ass kicked, again...”
One of the inspectors grabbed Wei by his collar. “Causing fights still? How lost are you, boy?” and with that, Wei was dragged away.
The other inspector approached Ailun, who was laying on the ground, struggling to catch his breath. “Are you alright?” the inspector asked, “That was quite a beating he gave you.”
Ailun nodded weakly, still dazed from the fight. “I’m fine,” he muttered, “just winded, that’s all.”
The inspector chuckled. “I’d say more than ‘winded’. That was quite a fight. But I have to say, you showed a lot of courage, especially since you took on a prodigy like Wei.”
Ailun's eyebrows raised at the unexpected compliment. “You think so?” he asked, sitting up painfully. “I thought I got my ass kicked for sure.”
The inspector chuckled again. “Well, you did get your ass kicked technically, but you put up a good fight. Most people would have tapped out by the third punch. But you kept going, even when you were on the ground. Takes a lotta heart, boy.”
Ailun felt a sense of pride well up within him at the inspector’s words. But right as he was about to respond, Zhou’s voice was back in his mind, “Don’t let it get to your head, boy. Don’t think you’re some amazing fighter just because you got some praise for getting your butt kicked.”
Ailun rolled his eyes, he had nearly forgotten about Zhou’s presence in his mind. “Shut up,” he muttered under his breath.
Zhou chuckled in his mind. “Yeah yeah, I get it, you don’t like me, yadda yadda. But you can’t ignore me, boy. I’m a part of you.”
Ailun gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated. He wanted to yell back at Zhou, but he knew better than to make a scene in front of the inspector.
The inspector, who had obviously overheard the muttered “shut up”, raised an eyebrow at Ailun. “Who are you talking to?”
Ailun felt a pang of nervousness as he realized he’d been caught talking to himself, well, to Zhou at least. He tried to play it cool. “Oh, uh, nobody. Just talking to myself.”
The inspector gave him a shrewd look. “You sure about that?” he asked, looking at him carefully. “Because it sounded like you were talking to someone else.”
Ailun tried to keep his expression neutral, while simultaneously wishing the ground would swallow him up. “I wasn’t,” he insisted, “I was just muttering to myself, you know, like when you're thinking out loud?”
The inspector studied him for a moment longer, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him. After a few tense moments, he finally shrugged, “If you say so. Just don’t go making a habit of talking to yourself, or people might think you’re a little crazy. Now come, we need to get you to the infirmary.”
Ailun nodded, grateful to be off the hook for now. He stood up, taking a step forward, before wobbling on his feet. The beating he’d taken from Wei had really taken it out on him.