Ling brought Shisui back to her home. As usual, she arranged for a Shadow Clone to cook while she and another Shadow Clone trained.
Watching Ling continue her hand seal and taijutsu training even after returning home, he couldn't help but admire this diligent girl even more.
"Even though Ling lost her parents, she still works hard to cultivate and live her life well. I also need to work hard to gain more recognition and change the Uchiha Clan."
Shisui secretly made up his mind and began practicing Uchiha style taijutsu in the yard.
"Ling, how about we have a taijutsu spar? That way, we can discover our shortcomings."
Although Shisui often sparred with clan members who trained with him, he could never fully enjoy it because no one his age in the Uchiha could match him.
"Alright, thank you, Shisui, you're such a good person."
Ling casually handed out a 'good person' card, shattering time and space, and disrupting eternity.
For some reason, Shisui suddenly felt a piercing chill, as if he had been cursed.
The two came to an open space in the yard and formed the hand seal of confrontation.
Since it was a taijutsu spar, neither of them threw Shuriken nor unleashed Ninjutsu.
"Watch out! I'm coming."
Shisui first warned Ling, fearing she might be at a loss during her first taijutsu practice.
"Okay, come on!"
Ling directly bent one leg slightly, like a spring, and shot out, delivering a leaping front kick. The fierce gust of wind, even before Ling got close, already made Shisui feel a stinging sensation on his face, and his expression became extremely solemn.
Ling's kick actually didn't use full strength, only about thirty percent, yet it had such an effect, showing how terrifying Ling's strength was.
Shisui moved his body, sidestepping the kick, and swung out a whip kick towards Ling's head. Facing this attack, Ling suddenly lowered her body into a sweeping leg, trying to trip Shisui.
However, Shisui was rich in combat experience; his previous whip kick was just a probing attack, and he had already prepared a follow-up move.
He directly twisted his waist and body, jumped up on his left leg, lowered his right leg, and spun his body the moment it landed, then lashed out his left leg like a whip, striking towards Ling's head.
Ling's expression was indifferent, her eyes only seeing the flaw in this attack. She instantly raised her sweeping leg higher from behind, hooking her knee directly around Shisui's knee, and pressing down fiercely.
Shisui felt the immense force, his expression drastically changed, and he couldn't help but kneel on one knee to bear the pulling force, while simultaneously throwing a punch backward towards the back of Ling's head.
Unfortunately, before he could punch, Ling's left foot gave up the hook, directly extending and kicking out, directly hitting Shisui's shoulder.
Shisui was directly sent flying, rolling a few times on the ground before stopping, then he got up to face Ling's attack.
Ling's straight punch had already reached Shisui's face. Shisui could only block with one hand and prepare to use a joint lock with the other.
A hint of a smile appeared on Ling's cold face. She directly used the force from Shisui's arm to deliver a lightning-fast flying knee strike.
If this strike connected, it would be enough to break all of Shisui's ribs, and even cause the broken ribs to pierce his heart or lungs.
Shisui's face showed helplessness as he released Ling's arm, grabbed Ling's heel with his left hand, and pressed down on Ling's knee with his right hand, quickly stepping back to neutralize the knee strike while also grabbing Ling's ankle.
Shisui suddenly threw Ling away, wanting to break her balance. Ling stabilized herself in the air and immediately launched another attack upon landing. Her speed was extremely fast, and each attack carried a fierce gust of wind, making it difficult for Shisui to parry.
Shisui kept retreating, trying to create distance from Ling, while also looking for an opportunity to counterattack. His eyes were calm, and the corners of his mouth slightly curved upward, as if he was planning something.
Suddenly, Shisui stopped, pressing down on Ling's next knee strike, and his hands clapped together, pushing forward, striking Ling's lower jaw with both palms.
This strike was enough to dislocate the cervical spine and sever the nerves in the spinal cord. This move in Xingyi Quan is called 'Old Ape Hanging Seal'.
A hint of surprise flashed in Ling's eyes. She quickly tilted her head back to dodge the strike, and performed a backflip to create distance while also kicking her toes towards Shisui's chin.
However, the preliminary movement of this technique was too large, and Shisui easily detected it.
He tilted his head back slightly, easily dodging the attack. Immediately after, taking advantage of Ling having just landed, his body shot forward like a gust of wind, mercilessly delivering a whip kick.
Ling had already anticipated it; she blocked with one hand, and her right leg also delivered a whip kick, but compared to Shisui's whip kick, it was much more powerful and difficult to parry.
Although Shisui blocked the whip kick, he was still sent flying four or five meters. Just as he stabilized his posture, Ling's leaping front kick had already arrived.
In this critical moment, Shisui raised both hands to block the strike, but this caused his arms to turn purple and blue, and he continued to retreat several steps to dissipate the enormous kinetic energy.
"Shisui, are you alright? I'm sorry, it's all because I'm too strong."
Ling quickly stopped her attack, her cold and resolute face softening, and her lips moved a few times as she spoke with great apology.
"Haha, it's okay. How can there be no injuries in a spar? Besides, didn't I ask for the spar?"
Shisui endured the stinging pain in his arm, and even though cold sweat seeped from his forehead, he still smiled indifferently.
"No need to comfort me. It's all my fault for not knowing my limits. Let me apply some medicine for you!"
Looking at Ling's dim eyes and self-reproachful expression, Shisui couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He blamed himself for being too weak to even block Ling's attacks, which made Ling feel so guilty.
This was a test for Ling, to see if she could get a stable source of emotional supply.
The 'green tea' Ling was exploiting Shisui's kind mentality and that slight guilt in his heart, which was simple but very effective.
Although Uchiha Shisui was precocious, he had not yet joined Root to witness the ugliness of various human natures, nor had he experienced the death of teammates that led to the awakening of the Sharingan. He still carried some of the naivety and innocence of his age.
Seeing Ling in this state, Shisui, who was good at considering others, felt his small guilt infinitely magnified in his heart.
Actually, it wasn't his fault at all, but what discerning ability did a five-year-old Shisui have?
"Um, Ling, it's not your fault, it's just because I was careless."
This was a lie; what Shisui really wanted to say was that it was all his fault for being too weak.
In Shisui's eyes, full of guilt, the girl who had slowly walked under the eaves turned her head, a hint of relieved smile on her face.
Her dark hair floated gently in the wind, directly breaking free from the restraint of the red hair tie, dancing slowly in the air. A few strands of hair covered half of the girl's face, making her normally cold expression instantly appear delicate.
At this moment, Shisui seemed to forget the stinging pain in his arm and the guilt in his heart, gazing intently as the girl gently tucked the unruly strands of hair behind her ear, revealing her exquisite and lovely face.
"What's wrong?" Ling's question brought Shisui back to his senses, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "N-nothing, it's just that my arm doesn't hurt as much anymore."
Ling looked at the lying Shisui with amusement, but didn't expose him. As a former man, she naturally knew what actions were most attractive to males.