More than a Dragon Warrior

[Tai Lung's POV]

I stood at the courtyard just outside the training hall with Shifu by my side as we watched the Furious Five train in the training ground.

The students were fighting each other and the way they moved and fought was very different from 10 months ago.

Their Kung Fu and their style had been soaked in my nature. It was the consequence of my training and teachings.

"They have certainly gotten stronger." Shifu said but then he smiled an unsure smile, "But I am questioning if it is good or not."

I scoffed and thought to myself, 'How can being stronger possibly not be good?' 

I watched as Viper wrapped herself around a dummy and completely broke it down piece by piece. She did this by wrapping herself around the limps and squeezing in such a way that she broke every joint of the dummy.

She could do more than just choke her opponents or control their limbs to make them hit themselves.

She was perfect for Jiu-Jitsu.

The body of animals had hundreds of joints, not just movable joints but the places where bones meet bones. 

I made sure Viper studied them, the joints and bone structure of different animals as I taught her how to dismantle her opponents that way. Snapping their joints until her enemies were at her mercy as she turned them into broken puppets.

I have also taught Manits how to turn himself into a living bullet. Now he bounced around at the speed of sound and used his entire body to pierce through his opponents.

His small body made him unable to exert much force in his attacks and most of the time, due to his small mass he could never strike with another person.

But I taught him to use that as an advantage. He was small and that meant a smaller target for his opponents. Plus, it reduces the surface area of his attacks and it gave him a devastating piercing nature to his attacks.

Monkey also learned to use his feet like hands. I taught him how to use grappling which was quite an unorthodox style of kung fu but it fit well with his body.

He now climbs on his opponent and tries to bring them down like a three. I strengthened his grip and made him utilize it. The simple act of grabbing was something rare amongst the masters in this world as only a few animals had hands.

But the improvement he made the most were in weapons. Monkey was always a weapon master so I taught him how to be a spear and a bo Staff. He was already quite proficient in it so it was not hard to show him some new tricks he could use.

Tigress also learned how to use her claws. That increased her threat level massively as having claws was like being perpetually armed.

Tigress had been someone who had to control her strength from birth. She was always too strong so when others trained to get stronger, she trained to be weaker and control her strength.

That naturally had a psychological effect and she had trouble using all of her strength, much less going beyond it. 

So the sparrings we had where she was actually the weaker one helped her improve by leaps and bound. 

Lastly, I had taught Crane many battle strategies and tricks he could use since he was the main brain of the team.

In a real fight, he would fly high in the sky and coordinate the attacks of his teammates while also coming up with plans and strategies.

So I made him study a lot of war and battle tactics.

"I don't see the problem." I said with a smug smile. I was proud of them and the improvements they made with my guidance.

"Don't you think it's a little ruthless? It's not like we are in war times for them to train such lethal techniques." Shifu said his thought while touching his beard.

"It's always better for them to learn than stay ignorant. You can teach them to hold back if you desire a more merciful style of combat." I said. 

"A sword in a sheath is always better than no sword."

"Of course." Shifu said and we continued watching them train for a while until he asked me another question.

"I heard you are leaving tomorrow."

I raised an eyebrow, "Tigress told you?"

"Yes." Shifu said and chuckled, "She told me not to tell you this but she was asking me if it was possible for me to make you stay for a few days longer or if I could order you to take her on your journeys, at least for a few days."

I shook my head with a smile, "So, are you going to ask me?"

"I agree with her. It was sudden, for you to leave tomorrow but I don't think I have the authority to tell you what to do and what not to do. You can decide on your own." Shifu said and our eyes turned to Tigress who was on the training ground.

"She had grown attached to you." Shifu said, "I am glad to see you two get along like brothers and sisters."

"For someone with the hardcore style, she is extremely soft inside," I said. 10 months was not a very long and I did not have much time to spend with them since I was busy with my own training.

The fact that she had grown so attached to me was a testament to her need for love and her emotional and soft nature. 

"Well, you are her brother."

I smiled, "Indeed."

Tigress was my adoptive sister and I have come to see her as such. She was still young and had a great future in Kung Fu so I couldn't help but grow close to her as well.

"Where will you be heading?"

"Gongmen city." I said, "I'll pay a visit to Master Thundering Rhino and check out the new Kung Fu Council that he made."

"Should I be worried?" Shifu asked. He was aware of the many new techniques I had created so he should know exactly what I was planning to do when travelling around.

It will be like my younger days when I travelled around China to challenge every famous fighter and master I could find. At one point, I even participated in wars and helped kingdoms fend off attackers.

"No. But expect some rumors." I said while looking at him with a knowing smile.

Shifu simply smiled back.

Right then, Po opened up the gate to the training ground with a giant bag on his back. With the sun being at the midpoint of the sky, I'd assume that was lunch.

"Guys!!" Po screamed, "Lunch is here!!"

"Alright!!" X4

"Lets Gooo!!" The Furious Five stopped their training and ran to Po.

They helped him settle down before they sat on the ground with multiple dishes and noodles. They started eating and praising Po for his hard work.

Po still holds the job of a water in his father's shop so until noon, he rarely joined the training. But even with that, his genius made him match Tigress when it came to fighting prowess.

I think even he doesn't realize his own strength and genius.

"Shall we join them?" Shifu asked and without even responding, I turned into a blur and in just a second, I was already near the students.

"Did you get mine?" I asked Po to which he quickly reached into his bag and took out a special lunch box.

"Of course." He said and gave it to me, "The Tai Lung special."

"Yum." I said and nudged at Monkey to move so I could sit with them.

I opened the lunch box and inside were noodles and a bunch of dishes which I requested. There was even an egg sandwich among them.

"Make sure to thank Mr Peng for me." I said and started digging into my food as I sat alongside my juniors.

Shifu also came down and took a bowl of noodles which he ate while standing beside us.

We had a small talk as I enjoyed the company of the people who were the closest I had to a family. There can never be a moment of silence with Po as he shows off how many dumplings he can fit in his mouth.

I enjoyed the last day I would be spending with them for a while.

It was peaceful and warm.

Moments like these are what makes a person rich.

After all, it is not the number of days in your life that you remember.

You remember moments like these.

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"Goodbye." I said one final time before I descended the steps of the Jade Palace.

I wore a travelling cloak and I had a small draw string bag where I put money and an official letter from the Jade Palace.

I also carried the Dragon Scroll inside because it meant a lot to me even if it was blank. It had affected a huge portion of my life so it held sentiment.

"Stay safe, son."

"Bye Tai Lung." Po said with a sniff, before he started crying for real and leaned on Tigress's shoulder.

"Goodbye master Tai Lung." Viper waved at me good-naturedly. We might have a bumpy start but we ended on a good note.

"Don't miss me too much, I am going beat all of you when I get back so you better train hard." I said with a wave.

All of the residents of the Jade Palace, including the servants had come to bid me farewell.

It was a nice gesture on their part.

After I went down the first three sets of stairs, I disappeared in a blur.

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It was the beginning of a new adventure for me.

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