I guess we're criminals now

As the trio reached the sect gates and prepared to descend the steps to the base of the mountain, Master Gu halted suddenly. "You kids go down, I'll catch up with you later," he announced before vanishing into thin air with the swiftness of the wind.

Shen Wu let out a sigh and turned to Ling Ling, a question burning in his mind. "Yo, Ling, I felt the same kind of pressure from you as from Master," he began, seeking answers. "So, how'd you get that power?"

Ling Ling, with a carefree demeanor, clasped her hands behind her head and grinned. "Well, first of all, junior brother, what I showed wasn't 'power,' but a divine-grade technique," she explained cheerfully.

Shen Wu's confusion was evident as he tried to grasp the concept. "Divine-grade tech—" he started, but Ling Ling interrupted him with a playful admonishment. "Shut up, let me continue... Okay, now that you're listening, I'll explain from the very basics, since you have the brain capacity of a half-dead cow," she teased.

An indignant protest rose to Shen Wu's lips, but Ling Ling pressed on, undeterred. "A technique is what martial artists such as you and me, but mostly me, learn to manipulate our bodies," she elucidated, listing the various components. "That includes bones, tendons, ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, and internal organs."

Ling Ling paused for a moment, considering her next words carefully before continuing, "...but techniques don't just manipulate your body; rather, they can also manipulate any object in your possession and turn it into a weapon that can change the course of rivers, flip mountains, and reverse the heavens."

She glanced at Shen Wu, noting his perplexed expression, and couldn't help but think, "What an idiot," before proceeding, "...what that means is you can create an extension to your own body using an external object. Think of a sword; a martial artist will effectively want to feel the sword as if it were an extension of his arm."

Shen Wu, genuinely curious, posed a question, "But why? Wouldn't that just hurt? Like if you exchanged blows with someone and you blocked their attack with your sword, wouldn't you feel pain?"

Ling Ling was momentarily taken aback by the question but quickly composed herself. "Well, I never thought of that, but no, it doesn't hurt. Being one with your weapon just allows you to truly use all the power you possess efficiently. You'll understand once you reach this level."

Shen Wu listened intently as Ling Ling explained, "What about internal energy? I heard that pop up a few times ever since we started to be trained by Master Gu?"

Ling Ling, feeling a bit smug with her knowledge, replied, "Looks like my little junior brother hasn't been properly listening. So, your ever-so-gracious senior sister shall explain. Internal energy is everywhere, in all living beings, dead beings, and objects. Picture it as a hidden reservoir of power, flowing with the harmony of mind, body, and spirit. But to truly use internal energy, a person needs meridians, which act like blood vessels but for internal energy, and a dantian to store internal energy."

Shen Wu nodded thoughtfully. "I think I understand. But wouldn't it be easier to store internal energy in the whole body instead of in a dantian?"

As they descended the stone steps down the mountain, Ling Ling explained further, "That... no... surely it wouldn't work. The dantian acts as a lake. If it were to flood out, it would cause all sorts of harm to the body..." She looked at Shen Wu seriously and added, "Don't you ever dare try to store internal energy outside your dantian..." After a brief pause, she grinned mischievously and concluded, "...unless you want to go, POP."

Shen Wu chuckled nervously, realizing the gravity of what Ling Ling was saying about the dangers of mishandling internal energy. "Got it, senior sister. I'll stick to the dantian then."

Shen Wu then asked, "But how do I get internal energy?" Ling Ling, unsurprised by Shen Wu's lack of knowledge, answered, "You use techniques, which are called 'sutras'."

Just as Shen Wu was processing this information, he misplaced his foot and tumbled down several hundred steps, landing face-first into the muddy base of the mountain. As he pushed himself off the ground, he was met by a familiar figure wearing a black mask. Shen Wu thought to himself, "Mount Hua's Black Death."

Indeed, Mount Hua's Black Death was now standing just inches away from Shen Wu's muddy face. Shen Wu, slightly shocked, stepped back, but then cautiously asked, "We good, bro?"

Mount Hua's Black Death chuckled softly and replied, "We are not good, and you... truly pathetic... Hmm, perhaps I'll help you a little though." With those words, he swiftly pressed his thumb into multiple points across Shen Wu's body.

After the strange encounter, Shen Wu took a step back, observing his body, and remarked, "Nothing? I kinda expected something more." Shrugging it off, he turned to see Ling Ling walking down the stone stairs and waved to her.

But before he could completely dismiss the encounter, Mount Hua's Black Death's bone-chilling voice echoed behind him, "Hmm... how interesting. Perhaps I'll have a worthy opponent if you awaken..."

Shen Wu turned back, only to find that Mount Hua's Black Death had vanished. Perplexed, Shen Wu muttered to himself, "Well, that was weird."

As Ling Ling asked, "What's weird?" Shen Wu turned towards her, noticing how her silver hair gently swayed in the wind, contrasting with her tattered garments. He replied, "Do people in Murim just go around pushing their fingers into parts of your body?"

Ling Ling's expression turned blank as she muttered, "What?"

Shen Wu persisted, "...Like, is this a greeting or sexual harassment? Because I did NOT like that at all, especially from a dude."

Perplexed, Ling Ling asked, "What happened?"

Shen Wu proceeded to explain his encounter with Mount Hua's Black Death. Ling Ling listened intently, then said, "Well, it looks like he tried to open your meridians but realized he couldn't."

Shen Wu nodded, saying, "Ohh, what an idiot."

To which Ling Ling retorted, "You are the idiot."

Just as Shen Wu was about to respond, Master Gu fell from the sky with a resounding crash, creating a shockwave that nearly knocked Shen Wu off his feet. Dust swirled around them as Master Gu emerged, his crimson hair swaying, black eyes gleaming in the sunlight. An aura of death seemed to envelop him, as if death itself coiled around Master Gu.

Standing protectively in front of Shen Wu and Ling Ling, Master Gu apologized for the delay, casually mentioning that he had "just flattened a few peaks... and a few people while I was at it."

Concerned, Ling Ling asked, "Is the martial alliance just going to let you get away with this?"

Master Gu laughed, then replied, "Of course not, hence we need to run... now, preferably." With that, he grabbed both Shen Wu and Ling Ling, and they hurriedly fled from the War God Sect.

Shen Wu sighed, realizing the gravity of their situation, and remarked, "I guess we're criminals now."