Koji Fights The World - Chapter 21 Eastern Style Vs. Western Style Of Swordplay

When a servant knocked on Koji’s door, he was ready to leave immediately. He waited patiently in the hall for Zelea to join him. Then the couple followed the servant and entered the banquet hall.

After a pleasant morning greeting to the rest of the Royal Family, Koji and Zelea took their seats at the table. Koji looked at the tray in front of him and saw that today’s breakfast consisted of rice congee and a half-dozen beef balls.

“It’s good to change the topping now and then,” King Aphraphus said aloud.

Koji nodded and started eating. He took a bite of the beef ball and discovered that it was moist and chewy, unlike the frozen meatballs from back home.

“Are you going to the library this morning?” the king inquired between sips of his porridge.

“Yes, I am,” Koji elevated his head and replied. “I need to finish reading the book and meet with Prince Heretrios in the afternoon.”

The prince smiled. Heretrios worried that his brother-in-law would forget their afternoon appointment. The prince was anxious to test Koji’s comprehension in saber defense.

“Take it easy on him, Heretrios,” the king said.

The prince grinned but kept silent. After all, he couldn’t make any such promise.

Koji quickly finished his meal and bowed respectfully to the king and queen before leaving the table.

Zelea quickly followed him out of the banquet hall.

The couple held hands as they slowly navigated through the forecourt to the exit and reached the library in the next building; this was a shortcut.

The guards saluted and allowed the newlyweds entry into the Royal Library. Senior Mao gave the guards explicit instruction to be respectful to the princess and her husband. They were shocked by this order because the monk held very few library visitors in his eye. Somehow, Zelea and Koji gained the respect of Senior Mao; this, in turn, made the guards treat the young couple with greater respect.

“Ah, welcome back!” the monk said when he accosted the two inside the library. In his arms was a new writing pad and The Art of Saber Defense. Acting as a host, Senior Mao led the couple into the Reading Room. Although this room was only a quarter occupied by visitors, the monk chose the same small table the couple used yesterday. Senior Mao placed the writing pad and the book on the table and bowed respectfully to them before leaving.

Koji took his seat and flipped the book to the middle section where he stopped reading yesterday. He became absorbed in the book and soon lost track of time. The latter portion of this work was devoted to a comparison of the Eastern-style and Western-style of swordplay. In the author’s opinion, the Western-style utilized quick, powerful sword strokes to break through the defender’s guard. The sword fight should be short and decisively overwhelming in favor of one side over the other. The Eastern-style, on the other hand, emphasized deceptive appearance and fluid movement. The saber was regarded as one limb out of four to utilize in a comprehensive attack and defense.

The author favored the Eastern-style of swordplay, and he offered numerous diagrams of moves and countermoves. Koji copied each picture carefully into his writing pad. As he drew, Koji gained insight into these forms and burned them into his mind. He began to overlay the Sticky Hands of Wing Chung over these forms and combine them in his mind. His heart danced with excitement; Koji couldn’t wait to try out these moves!

Suddenly, Koji felt the presence of Senior Mao and looked up.

The monk had a faint smile on his face as he said, “The king has summoned you to the banquet hall for lunch.” The librarian peered at the writing pad. He nodded in approval at the drawings because those forms were the heart of saber defense! Senior secretly admired Koji for understanding their importance and taking the time to copy them.

“Thank you, Senior Mao,” Koji closed the book and cupped his hands to the monk with a nod.

“Shall I reserve the book for you?” the librarian offered.

“Yes, please,” Koji replied with a nod. “It’s a fascinating book,” he praised.

Senior Mao smiled broadly. “Let’s not keep the king waiting,” he chided them mildly. He led the two VIPs out of the library and waved his hand as Zelea and Koji followed the servant girl back to the banquet hall.

When the young couple entered the chamber, they were surprised to see Prince Heretrios joining the family for lunch.

“Did you finish reading the book?” the prince inquired out of curiosity.

Koji shook his head as he sat down.

“How come? Did you have trouble with some of the concepts discussed by the author?” the king chipped in.

Koji shook his head again. He flipped the pages of his writing pad to the first diagram he copied from the second-half of the book. He placed his notepad on the table.

Father and son drew closer to take a look. They were astounded by the details of the diagram, along with side notes of additional moves beyond the defensive posture. Base on the writing, it seemed that the reader had achieved some degree of enlightenment in saber defense!

Both men desperately wanted to see Koji’s current menu report, but it was considered taboo to do so since Koji was becoming their rival.

King Aphraphus carefully slid the writing pad back to Koji, who pulled it off the table and placed the item under his chair. He sighed inwardly. The king wanted to watch the Koji’s afternoon practice session under Heretrios’ tutelage. But alas, Apraphus already had a prior appointment with an ambassador from the Eastern Kingdom of Sinys. The king couldn’t cancel it without making the foreign official lose face.

The servants soon arrived carrying trays of food. Today’s menu consisted of steamed carp with ginger and soy sauce, plus a serving of bok choy and a bowl of white rice on the side.

“Where’s the meat?” King Aphraphus grumbled in disappointment. At the width of his hand, his fish was relatively tiny. The king knew that the food wouldn’t sate his appetite.

“I asked the chef to make fish for lunch, dear,” Queen Herecia informed her husband.

The condemned man sighed. If she ordered fish for lunch, then he couldn’t yell at the chef.

Koji picked up his chopsticks and carefully picked the flesh off the bone. The reason why he disliked eating fish was that the bones often became stuck in his throat. But carp was a fish he could eat without trouble. Koji took a bite and became delighted with the fresh taste of his fish.

“Koji is eating his fish just fine. Stop stalling, dear,” the queen chided her husband politely.

The king frowned. He didn’t want to set a bad example for the younger generation. “Oh, fine!” he huffed and started eating. However, he couldn’t finish before Koji and Heretrios.

The two drank their tea and nodded in unison. “We’re going to the courtyard,” Prince Heretrios announced. Zelea, Heretrios, and Koji bowed politely and left the table.

When they entered the hallway, Koji raised his hand. “I need to retrieve the saber from my room and drop off my writing pad. I’ll meet you in the front courtyard,” he said.

The prince looked him in the eye. “Don’t run away,” Heretrios said and chuckled. He left the couple and marched toward the courtyard.

Zelea and Koji traded looks before the princess spoke up first. “You should carry your saber with you,” she said.

Koji shrugged helplessly. “I’m not used to it. Besides, my martial arts specialize in barehand fighting,” he reasoned.

His wife frowned at his answer because Zelea worried that Koji didn’t take the dangers of being a Prince Consort seriously. “Can you deflect a saber barehanded?” she replied and snorted. “Also, jealous admirers of big sis will look for opportunities to kill you and break your upcoming marriage to her,” Zelea reminded him. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction of the bedrooms.

Koji sighed helplessly. He rarely spoke to the tempestuous tyrant known as Third Princess Daethix, and he tried hard to ignore the fact that she desired to bond him. Even if the inhabitants of Nephosia had no problem with Koji marrying both princesses, he wasn’t thrilled with this situation. True, Koji found Zelea and Daethix extremely attractive, and he felt blessed to marry Zelea. But managing relations with two women with strong personalities would be challenging. There will be times when the two sisters disagreed, and they will force him to side with one over the other. God help him.

Koji allowed the headstrong Zelea to drag him away.