Huashan sat wide-eyed as Shu Pi of the Infinite unrolled enormous scrolls, each covered in tiny symbols and looping equations. The visiting teacher wore his hair in a high bun, held by a single chopstick, and his thin mustache twitched as he spoke.
“Now, imagine a polygon inscribed within a circle,” Shu Pi said, tapping the diagram. “Each of the polygon’s corners touches the circle, and the center point of the shape aligns with the circle’s own center. If we take the radius and-”
“What?!” Bukruk barked from the back of the hall. “What language is this?! My head hurts!”
Shu Pi frowned slightly. “Let’s imagine this circle as the sun,” he said, adjusting his tone. “And as we move around the sun-”
“Move around?!” Bukruk threw up his hands. “The sun sinks into the sea every evening! How can we move around it?”
Shu Pi blinked. “The sun does not sink into the sea.”
“But it does!” Bukruk insisted. “It sets in the west, and boils the water!”
Huashan tried to help. “No, Bukruk. It hides behind the wall, and its heat drives the mantid out.”
Yun rolled her eyes so hard she almost fell out of her chair.
Shu Pi stared blankly at the group. “…None of that is scientifically accurate,” he said at last. “Perhaps we should begin with something more basic… like additions.”
After the lecture, Huashan approached Shu Pi with a respectful bow. “Master Shu Pi, I was hoping you could help me with something.”
The mathematician raised an eyebrow, looking amused despite his earlier ordeal. “Certainly. If I am able, I would be glad to help.”
Huashan reached into his sash and held out the cloud gem he had won from Barrelbelly. “I’m trying to learn cloud surfing. I was told this gem is part of it.”
Shu Pi’s eyes lit up. He reached into his sleeve and produced a nearly identical gem. “You have one too? Marvelous!”
“So how do we use them to surf on clouds?” Huashan asked, practically bouncing on his toes.
Shu Pi stroked his long beard thoughtfully. “The gems channel energy into a disc. With the proper construction, the disc levitates and glides through the air. Very elegant, really.”
Huashan’s eyes widened. “That’s incredible! Do you have one of these discs?”
Shu Pi sighed. “Unfortunately, no. The construction techniques were lost centuries ago. But your gem is intriguing. Perhaps… you’d consider selling it to me? For research purposes, of course.”
Huashan’s grip tightened protectively around his gem. “Actually, I was about to ask the same of you.” He grinned suddenly. “But maybe there’s another way. How about a friendly duel? First to land three clean strikes wins the other’s gem.”
Shu Pi’s eyebrows rose, but he gave a knowing smile and bowed. “An interesting proposition. Very well, agreed.”
The courtyard filled with students as word of the match spread. Bukruk and Yun elbowed their way to the front of the crowd.
“Teach him not to torture us with math!” Bukruk hollered, waving his fist.
Huashan stood tall, placing his fist into his open palm and bowing. Shu Pi returned the gesture with calm dignity. They took their stances: Huashan’s hands raised near his head, tight and ready, while Shu Pi’s arms flowed outward, fingers delicately pinched.
Some sort of Crane style, Huashan realized, studying his opponent’s graceful form.
They circled. Huashan struck first with a probing front kick. Shu Pi sidestepped with fluid grace and flicked out a probing strike that barely missed Huashan’s snout. Huashan pressed forward with a flurry of straight punches, then followed with a low kick that caught Shu Pi’s thigh. The first point was his.
The crowd cheered. Shu Pi stepped back and reset his stance, smiling. “Very good. But remember, it’s all about angles.”
He suddenly shifted, stepping off the center line and spinning on his heel. His jumping kick struck Huashan square in the chest, sending him stumbling backward. Huashan kept his footing, but the crowd gasped. One point each.
The pace quickened. Huashan threw feints and light jabs, trying to read Shu Pi’s flowing movements. The older monk danced around him like silk in the wind, slipping past Huashan’s guard to snap his pinched fingers just shy of his opponent’s eye, close enough to claim the point.
Huashan exhaled slowly, centering himself. Breathe in the chi…
He circled again, then suddenly stepped opposite to Shu Pi’s last movement and spun low, his backfist catching the scholar cleanly in the ribs. Two points each.
Then Huashan unfastened his wrist and ankle weights. They hit the courtyard stones with heavy thunks.
Shu Pi raised a curious eyebrow.
“Finish him, Huashan!” Yun shouted from the crowd, unable to hide her excitement.
Huashan grinned and cracked his knuckles. He surged forward, suddenly light on his feet, his strikes faster and sharper. But Shu Pi flowed through the angles like water, slipping aside with elegant precision. A pinched hand darted toward Huashan’s snout… and missed by a whisker.
Huashan spun with the momentum and snapped his leg out in a perfect arc, catching Shu Pi square in the ribs.
The students erupted in cheers. Huashan bowed deeply, breathing hard and grinning. Shu Pi returned the bow, gracious and smiling despite his defeat.
“Very impressive,” he said, offering his cloud gem without hesitation. “That final combination was beautifully executed.”
Huashan accepted the gem, his heart soaring as he held both mysterious stones. He still had no idea how to actually surf a cloud, but he was one step closer to unraveling the mystery. And after today’s victory, that felt like enough.