Chapter 114: The Sacred Object
Chapter 114: The Sacred Object
February 1st marked the first day of the new semester at the Wu Yi Academy. Early in the morning, the dormitory staff had already gathered some students, including Chen Chuan, outside.
He waved a form in his hand and addressed the students before him, "I've reviewed your records, and last year, most of you only attended a small number of public and invited lectures. This was your choice, and I can't fault you for it.
However, today, a teacher from the Makah exchange program will be giving an invited lecture. Go and show your support, and consider it as your invited and public lectures for this year."
The students, upon hearing this, immediately agreed.
The dormitory staff reminded them, "Don't underestimate this Makah teacher. While they may not be as skilled in combat as us, they have their unique strengths in certain areas. To earn our respect, they will share knowledge that is kept secret within their country. It's beneficial to learn from them."
Hearing this, the students became genuinely interested, no longer treating it as a mere formality.
As the time for the invited lecture approached, Chen Chuan and the other students left the dormitory building and headed towards the designated teaching hall for exchange students.
The hall was just a five-minute walk from the dormitory. When Chen Chuan and the others entered, they saw the Makah teacher already seated.
The teacher was around forty years old, a typical Makah with a hooked nose and a high forehead. He wore a simple training suit, showcasing well-defined muscles and tanned skin. A string of beads adorned his neck, and a headpiece with white feathers was tied at the back of his head.
After greeting the teacher, the students sat on the cushions placed on the floor, with Chen Chuan choosing a spot near the front.
When the time was right, the Makah teacher stood up and spoke in fluent Dashun Mandarin, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is 'Duoma,' which means 'teacher' in Makah. We Makah people use the language of Dashun Republic everywhere, so it has become a title and a form of respect. You can call me Teacher Duoma, although it may sound a bit odd."
The teacher's words put the students at ease, creating a relaxed atmosphere and bridging the gap between them.
"I'm delighted to teach a class for Wu Yi Academy students. We Makah have a population of just over a million, and there's only one combat academy in our country. Our combat skills may not be as advanced as yours, but we have unique techniques.
In our Makah understanding, all things originate from nature, which is omnipresent and capable of various transformations. The highest spiritual concept of the Makah is to master oneself and merge with nature.
We believe that everyone is a slave to their body, so we must liberate ourselves and become the true masters of our bodies. Now, let me demonstrate how to coordinate your body. I'll start with a relatively simple movement."
He spread his arms wide, extending them to the sides, with his thumbs and little fingers extended, forming a six with his hands, especially with his little fingers raised high and noticeable.
Some students mimicked the movement, though they knew it couldn't be that simple, expecting more to come.
Indeed, Teacher Duoma smiled and maintained the pose while slowly sitting down. Then, using his agile toes, he deftly removed his socks and formed a six with his toes. He kept this pose while slowly raising and lowering his middle toe with ease.
"Students who are interested can try it," he said.
Some students attempted the feat, managing to remove their socks with their feet, but when they tried to form the six with their toes, their faces contorted.
What kind of bizarre class is this? Chen Chuan pondered, aware that his transformed organs had penetrated every minute part of his body. Even without demonstrating, he knew he could easily accomplish this.
Those without these transformed organs or with insufficient muscle and tendon training would find it challenging. The Makah technique seemed designed to enhance control over the body's minute parts.
Teacher Duoma continued, "What I've demonstrated is just the foundation of Makah meridianology. In this class, I'll give you an overview of its learning process and mastery methods.
Don't underestimate it. With long-term practice, you can improve your self-mastery and perception of the external environment. Applied to combat, you'll become more attuned to subtle movements and changes. Sitting here, I can sense each of your breaths, heartbeats, body temperatures, and even the flow of your blood."
He invited interested students to attend his lectures regularly, promising to teach them this unique Makah technique over the next semester.
Meanwhile, in a ninth-floor dormitory of the First-Class Students' building, a young Makah man peered out through a gap in the curtains.
He had sharp features, with high eyebrows and a small earring on one ear. His hair was styled with a headband-like accessory, and his physique was robust, indicating expertise in combat.
The door behind him, left ajar, opened, and another Makah student entered, saying, "Nali, we got a message from Meili."
Nali, without turning, replied, "Okay."
The student sat on the sofa and complained, "In Dashun, the male and female dormitories are separate, so we can't gather together."
Seeing Nali's silence, he asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The people here," Nali replied.
"What's so interesting about them? They look just like us. You can find them everywhere."
Nali said, "And the land here."
"The Makah student froze for a moment, then lay down on the sofa, gazing upwards. 'There's nothing to see here. This place doesn't belong to us anymore. Not since our people gave up our ancestral land.'
Narli spoke up, "Shani, have you seen any of our people in the school?"
Shani replied, "Don't mention it. They've long forgotten their Makah roots. What tribe are you talking about? They're no different from the people of Dashun now."
Narli said, "Then we'll have to rely on ourselves this time. Go and gather everyone."
"Now?"
Narli nodded. "Now."
"Alright," Shani muttered, getting up and leaving the room.
When he returned, seven Makah students followed him. Fortunately, the dormitory room was spacious, so even with so many people, it didn't feel crowded. Everyone found a place to sit.
Narli drew the curtains on the floor-to-ceiling window, then turned to face everyone who had entered. "According to the messages exchanged between our country and Wu Yi, if we're unlucky, our identities will be exposed within five days at most. So, we must get the item as soon as possible."
According to the planned schedule, in two to three days, Teacher Duoma will take us to the Yangzhi City Foreign Affairs Bureau to have friendly exchanges with the foreign affairs officials who will come to meet us. At that time, we will bring out the big oak leaf that we have been keeping in Yangzhi City to show them. This is our only chance to retrieve it.
However, the danger of this task is also imaginable. Although the resistance forces here have agreed to cooperate with us, we will have to face the security forces of the Foreign Affairs Bureau, and we won't be allowed to carry weapons. It's a very difficult task. Are you all prepared to make sacrifices?"
"Narli, no need to say more," Shani said. "From the moment we set foot on this ancestral land, we have been called upon by our ancestral gods. We will definitely retrieve the sacred object of the Makah people."
The others also showed determination on their faces.
Narli looked at everyone in the room, and they all stared back at him with unwavering determination, not a single person looked away.
He spoke in a low voice, "Zu'a, Shani, and the rest of you, under the pretext of a sparring match, go and test the skills of the Wu Yi students on the lower floors over the next two days.
During the exchange ceremony, these students may accompany us. If something seems off, they will definitely try to stop us. We need to understand their abilities first so that we can have a targeted approach."
"Good!"
Everyone in the room agreed.
Narli nodded solemnly and asked everyone to leave. About two hours later, the door was knocked on again. He went to open it and welcomed Teacher Duoma inside.
"Teacher, is class over?" Narli asked.
Teacher Duoma opened the curtains and said, "The students from Dashun Republic are all very skilled. Although they are encountering Makah martial arts for the first time, I can sense that several of them have already grasped the basics."
Narli was surprised. "So fast?"
Teacher Duoma sighed, "After all, Dashun has a large population, and they can find many people naturally gifted. As for us Makah people, our population is too small, and our country can only afford to support us fighters by being frugal."
He turned around and said solemnly, "You must not sacrifice yourselves here. You have a greater future ahead of you. When we retrieve the oak leaf, I will try to hold back those present. Once you get the item, leave as soon as possible, even if it means leaving some of us behind."
Narli spoke with a heavy heart, "Will the resistance forces here really help us when the time comes?"
"Yes," Teacher Duoma replied, "because they want to associate us Makah people with them. Although they are using us, for the sake of the sacred object's return, we must do this. Moreover, we also have ways to make up for it."
Narli said, "I still don't understand. Since the oak leaf originally belonged to us, why can't we just ask Yangzhi City for it? We have such a good relationship..."
Teacher Duoma shook his head, "It's not the same. They only know it as a symbol now, so they don't care much. But if they knew it was our sacred object, they might not be willing to return it. After all, the world's response is getting stronger each year. We'd rather get the item first and then let the country explain."
After Chen Chuan finished his class, he returned to the dormitory. He found the course interesting, with many valuable insights. Perhaps he could attend it in his free time.
When he returned to the seventh floor, the dormitory staff called out to him, "Student Chen Chuan, your phone."
Chen Chuan hurried over, and the staff said, "Student Chen Chuan, you have so many phone calls that you can apply for a separate phone line."
Chen Chuan was surprised, "Really?"
The staff smiled, "You received the scholarship for the first half of the semester, so you have this right. But if you don't get it this semester, it will be revoked."
"Understood, thank you, Teacher."
Chen Chuan picked up the phone receiver, and on the other end, Ren Su's excited voice could be heard, "Mr. Chen, the Government Hall has just issued a commission. The previously dispatched personnel have located the main stronghold of the Flying Skull Sect, which is likely to be in an old village in the northwest of the Savage Mountains. The Government Hall is planning to surround and suppress this group of heretics before noon tomorrow.
Currently, they lack experts in handling the Flying Skull. Since we successfully dealt with it last time, the Government Hall is satisfied, so they have entrusted the task to our company again. I wonder if Mr. Chen is available to take on this commission?"
Chen Chuan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What time?"
Ren Su replied, "The encirclement and suppression operation is scheduled for before noon tomorrow. We may need to arrive at the Savage Mountains by tonight, so we only have this afternoon to prepare. We don't need to handle the peripheral matters; we just need to be responsible for eliminating the Flying Skull Demon at the end."
Chen Chuan considered it carefully. Out of caution, he felt it necessary to communicate with Cheng Zitong first. "Wait for my response."
...
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(End of Chapter)
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