Superior Reflexes?

As she stepped out of the mansion, bright sunlight hit Fei's face, causing her to feel warmth unknown to her previously. The beautiful azure sky stretched endlessly into the horizon, and nearby trees waved gently in the summer wind. She filled her lungs with fresh air.

She hadn't realized how nice it was to step outside, being cooped up in the mansion for the past two days, only perceiving the rest of the world from windows. Fei closed her eyes to savor the moment. This differed completely from the sunset she observed the first day she arrived at the mansion.

When she opened her eyes and looked around, Fei spotted an old East Asian man dressed in traditional clothes sitting at a stone table under a tree. He seemed to be drinking tea.

Fei walked over in her white cotton shirt and wide-leg pants that were prepared for her this morning. "Sir."

The old man glanced at her and tersely nodded. "Come, sit down."

Fei unreservedly complied and sat on a stone seat opposite to the man.

"Softness and performance of techniques in a relaxed manner is fundamental to Wing Chun." He poured a cup of tea from a porcelain teapot and passed it Fei. "Drink this first, then I will give you a demonstration."

Fei took the cup and steadily finished it in one gulp. She couldn't wait to learn the martial art. It would mean that she could protect her master.

The man waited for Fei to finish, before standing up and walking to a space in front of the stone table.

Without another word, he began performing a series of different stances and techniques.

Biu Sao, Bong Sao, Fak Sao… Fei silently recited as she watched. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. All the forms and movements that the old man used were things that she had already seen and memorized from the archives!

As if sensing her thoughts, the man slowed to a stop, and asked her with a smile, "Do you want to practice combat with me using Wing Chun?"

Fei's eyes widened. But then after a moment, she nodded; she was curious. What would it be like to fight with a master of a martial art?

Fei wasn't sure what the outcome would be.

She knew that she would be superior in both speed and strength when compared with the average person; it was a fact she had concluded after observing her the people around her and events she witnessed so far in the Rochester mansion, including the incident with Felicia.

She stood up and faced him.

"You can attack first." The old man didn't feel offended at the girl's disrespectfulness and instead began smiling even wider. He beckoned her with his finger. He had been told that this girl was special, and he wanted to see just how special she is.

Fei nodded and immediately rushed forward, relying on her instincts and her memory of Wing Chun movement to make an attack. She punched at the old man's side with the greatest strength she could muster.

As for why she used that movement, Fei had organized the different techniques in her mind and chose the one she thought was the most fatal.

However, the old man simply stood there, unfazed by her attack; he didn't even dodge, only quietly enduring it! He then performed a series of lightning-fast movements that both destabilized Fei and struck her squarely.

At the end of the movements, his fingers stopped an inch away from her neck, signaling the end of the mock battle.

Fei's mismatched eyes widened, and she stared intensely at the old man who defeated her in less than five moves.

Didn't she have superior reflexes?

How is it that even though she could recognize and think of countermoves using her brain, she could not control her body to move in the way she wanted?

By this time, the man had retracted his arm and stood reservedly; he no longer had a smile on his face.

He cautioned Fei solemnly, "You might have perfect memory, but that does not mean you can master anything in the world with a single glance. You might have superior reflexes, but that does not mean you can easily beat a man with inferior reflexes but also holds decades more experience in the field than you do."

"Everyone can improve. Remember that." The old man sat down at the stone table again, pouring himself another cup of tea.

"The reason Rochester told me to teach you Wing Chun is not to teach you the moves; that is something you should already know. I am here to guide you on how to utilize those movements."

Fei pondered over his words and found that perhaps she really was too hasty. She waited for the old man's further instructions.

However, after saying his piece, the old man never spoke again that day. He seemed to full-heartedly focus on savoring his tea.

Fei thought long and hard on what she should do next. After a few minutes, she finally decided.

She closed her eyes and pretended that the old man was in front of her and would attack her using the same moves that he did earlier to defeat her.

Fei focused on her instincts and thought about the best moves she could make using Wing Chun and performed them with a speed that pushed her to her limits, trying her best to dodge the imaginary hand movements.

Since the old man said that he was here to teach her the correct movements to use at certain times, then she would analyze his moves and generate the best countermovement. She also needed to understand why she couldn't dodge those moves previously.

Fei did the actions over and over again, eventually dodging the attack using a speed that surpassed her limits. There was sweat dripping down her forehead, and her mouth curved upwards.

But her furrowed eyebrows did not relax.

The moves that defeated her were not about skill. It was about the way the master ordered those moves. Individually, they may not do much to her, but when put together, they made it so that it was very difficult to dodge.

And although she was able to avoid those moves using speed, she didn't dodge them using Wing Chun.

Fei felt a lingering gaze on her.

Opening her eyes, she realized it was the Wing Chun master, who was looking at her with a hint of a smile, as if seeing through her thoughts.