Chapter 1183: Chapter 96 Saving Lives_2
Xuan Yue curiously asked, "Big brother, what is this? How do you use a blade without a handle?" She leaned in close to Ah Dai, continuously examining the seemingly non-threatening edge.
Ah Dai smiled faintly, looking at the familiar knife, a sense of nostalgia for the past surged in his heart. He had taken the small knife with him from the City of Nino, and it was now collected at Owen’s house. After Owen died, Ah Dai was greatly disturbed and did not take his very meaningful small knife with him. Later, he thought of it and missed it very much. With a flick of his finger, the small knife was naturally clasped between his right hand’s index and middle fingers, blade pointing downwards, and from the back of his hand, one couldn’t even tell Ah Dai was holding anything. "Brother, watch this." Ah Dai lifted his right hand lightly, waving it through the air, his fingers trembling slightly, and Xuan Yue clearly saw a stream of light flowing along with the quivering of Ah Dai’s fingers, drifting back and forth within his fingers, weaving into a radiant spectacle in the air. Xuan Yue didn’t feel Ah Dai using his power, knowing that the stream of light was not the result of fighting spirit but because the small knife was spinning too fast to produce it. She couldn’t help but admire, "Big Brother, your fingers are really nimble! Worthy of someone who practices martial arts."
Ah Dai felt the cool metal between his fingers. Although he hadn’t practiced with the finger blade for a long time, because he often needed to control the ever-changing energy, the strength in his finger and wrist control was very strong. Even without using the life-force fighting spirit, he could freely manipulate the blade at his fingertips, which felt much more comfortable than the tense sensation he used to have in Nino Small Town.
The light suddenly retreated, and Ah Dai opened his palm, revealing the blade once again in his palm, unharmed by the rapid movements.
"Big brother, it’s great that you who practice martial arts! Even such a small knife, you control with ease. I can’t do that; if I tried it once, I’m afraid I’d cut all over my fingers."
Ah Dai shook his head, gazing at the small knife in his hand, "Brother, you’re wrong, it’s not something that can be mastered from birth. Even a martial arts master needs to train for a long time to control such a handleless finger blade. Originally, It took me over a year to gradually master it, which is considered quite fast." He pointed to the young man on the bed, and with a bitter smile said, "I’m afraid his skills are not as good as mine." Ah Dai had a strong aptitude for learning the finger blade technique, and when he first learned this skill from Uncle Li, the speed of his mastery was so quick that it impressed even the sharp-tongued Uncle Li.
Xuan Yue asked in amazement, "Big brother, is this finger blade skill a profound martial art? Did it take you that long to learn?"
Ah Dai shook his head, "It’s not a profound martial art, but it’s difficult to learn. Speaking of which, it could also be considered a survival skill."
"A survival skill? Big brother, clarify a bit. I don’t quite understand." Xuan Yue had a vague feeling that this survival skill was very much related to Ah Dai’s long-standing inferiority complex. She looked towards the young man on the bed, and a flash of insight struck her, she exclaimed in surprise, "Big brother, are you saying, are you saying that this finger blade skill is..."
Ah Dai closed his eyes and nodded gently, "That’s right, this finger blade skill is indeed a unique survival skill of thieves. Back then, I relied on this technique to lead fish, to exchange for a few cold steamed buns to eat. Take a look at the underarm of your ritual robe." Saying that, he pointed to the white robe Xuan Yue was wearing.
Xuan Yue was filled with shock internally. A thief? Ah Dai used to be a thief? She looked down at her own clothing, and as her arm moved aside, a foot-long tear suddenly became visible. Because the summer season had started and the weather was getting warmer, Xuan Yue was only wearing a chest wrap underneath, so the slit in her robe exposed the white cloth wrapped around her, and Ah Dai couldn’t help but be stunned.
Xuan Yue’s face flushed red, and she hastily covered her ritual robe, chiding, "Big brother, what are you doing?"
Ah Dai looked at Xuan Yue’s reddened pretty face and muttered, "I... I just wanted to show you how a thief does it. If you had a money pouch tied around your waist, it would’ve been stolen by me just now."
Xuan Yue, still covering her ritual robe, looked at Ah Dai in amazement, "Big brother, didn’t you always learn martial arts from your uncle? How did you acquire such thieving skills?"
Ah Dai’s heart ached, "Learning martial arts from Uncle Owen was something I did after turning ten. Before that, I was a thief, a despised thief. Now you should understand why my reaction was so strong earlier. I have no memories from before I was six or seven years old. I’m an orphan. All I remember is back in the Province of Biluno, in Nino Small Town within the Empire of Tian Jing, where it was bitterly cold. Every day, I had to worry about my next meal. The only way to live was to pick food from the garbage thrown away by wealthy families until I met Uncle Li. He took me in, taught me the skills of a thief. In thieving, stealing is referred to as ’leading fish,’ and all I had to do every day was to steal money pouches for Uncle Li, who gave me a tattered cotton-padded coat and a few dry steamed buns as food every day. Do you know why I treasure Master Goris so much? It’s because he took me out of Nino Small Town, so I no longer had to live as a thief who couldn’t get enough to eat or clothes to wear. Master brought warmth to my life!" Ah Dai paused for a moment, reminiscing about the first time he met Goris, his eyes becoming moist, "I remember, Yue Yue once said that I felt inferior, and yes, I am. Anyone who went through a childhood like mine, I think, might feel the same. I’m just a thief! Compared to all of you, the favored children of heaven, I am so insignificant!"
