This monkey is lighter on his feet than he'd thought, a level of skill behind his quick evasion and instant retaliation Shen is forced to acknowledge. Their blades meet with a satisfying clash of metal against metal, but instead of resisting the swing and entering a direct contest of strength he knows he would lose, Shen moves with it, converting the strike into a full spin around his own center. This lands his opponent a face full of tail, the long stiff feathers drawn together tightly enough to pelt him like a whip, yet individually flexible enough to simply part around his sword.

Directly behind the feathery assault, Shen's blade comes back around and attempts to strike at the back of his opponent's sword arm. If this is parried too, he'll disengage for a moment, leaping back a few paces on powerful legs, crouched low and inviting an attack. After his initial surprise, he finds himself not all that put out at the fact he wasn't immediately able to teach the monkey a lesson, a little excited himself to be faced with some real skill and speed. Otherwise it wouldn't be much of a test, after all. Subjugating him will be all the more satisfying for it.

He only snorts at the chatter, but the narrowing of his eyes belies no shortage of violent intent. "Recognizing your shortcomings is the first step to bettering yourself!"