Teaching a Fist Art

After returning from Yoruichi's place, Ye Yang resumed his training. Early the next morning, he came to Yoruichi's door and called, "Wake up, big sis!"

Yoruichi's voice came from inside. "I know, little bro. Let me sleep five more minutes."

Ye Yang kicked the door open. "If you don't get up, I won't hold back. I'll use the old method." At the mention of the so-called old method, Yoruichi got up at once. "Don't, don't! I'll get up, okay?"

Yoruichi hurried out of bed and went with Ye Yang to the back courtyard to practice. Yoruichi practiced Hakuda, while Ye Yang continued practicing his Tai Chi. Before long, Yoruichi stopped practicing—she was watching Ye Yang.

"Hey, little bro, what kind of Hakuda are you practicing? Why does it look so soft and limp? Can you really fight an enemy with that?" Yoruichi asked, deeply skeptical.

"What? You think this fist art can't be used against an enemy? How about we spar, then?" Ye Yang smiled.

"Sure, but you can't use anything except this so-called fist art of yours, okay?" "No problem."

Yoruichi was delighted. In her eyes, Ye Yang's fist art was fine as a warm-up, but it would be completely useless in a real fight. She thought she had finally found a chance to teach her little brother a lesson, unaware that Ye Yang already knew what he was doing.

After taking his stance, Ye Yang said, "Big sis, come at me. This fist art emphasizes defending instead of attacking and striking after the opponent to gain the upper hand, so come at me with everything you've got."

Yoruichi didn't hold back. She threw a straight punch, but Ye Yang simply caught it with his palm and used Tai Chi's force-dissipating method to neutralize its power. Then he turned his palm into a grab, seized her arm, and flung her in the direction of her own force, sending her flying dozens of meters.

Yoruichi scrambled to her feet and stared at Ye Yang in utter astonishment. She had never imagined that such a soft, limp fist art could have this kind of power. Her straight punch had felt like it had struck cotton, an extremely frustrating sensation. "Again," she said, following up with a side kick. Seeing her attack, Ye Yang first executed a textbook block, then repeated his earlier move and grabbed her leg. This time, however, he didn't throw her. He first pulled her off balance, then switched from a grab to a push and shoved her away. But he wasn't finished. Ye Yang leaped forward, grabbed Yoruichi as she flew backward, and slammed her into the ground. "How is it? Pretty good fist art, right?"

Yoruichi lay on the ground and said indignantly, "What kind of lousy fist art is that? Every blow I threw felt like it hit cotton, and then some strange force pulled me off balance, and the next thing I knew, I was knocked down. Hey, little bro, what fist art is that? How do you know such a strange fist art?"

"This fist art is called Tai Chi Chuan. It emphasizes using stillness to overcome movement, softness to overcome hardness, avoiding strength to strike weakness, and borrowing force to issue force. Following the other person keeps you fluid; acting on your own makes you stiff. 'Move before the other has moved' and 'strike later but arrive first.' Draw the opponent in, making them lose balance and miss, or disperse and redirect their force, then exploit the opening and strike back with full force. Its main combat process is to 'draw in, neutralize, and issue force as one.' In combat, you use listening energy to sense the magnitude and direction of the opponent's incoming force, 'follow its momentum and change its path,' neutralize it, and then borrow force to issue force." Ye Yang explained the essence of Tai Chi Chuan to Yoruichi in detail. "Well? Want to learn it? I can teach you if you do. This fist art is also well suited to making up for girls' innate lack of strength, and it can help you work on your figure, too."

Yoruichi was taken aback. She hadn't expected Ye Yang to suggest that. After considering it briefly, she said, "No, thanks. I still don't really like that kind of fighting style. It feels soft and limp. I prefer something more direct."

Ye Yang thought for a moment. "Then I'll teach you another fist art. I'm sure you'll like it."

"What fist art? Is it powerful?"

"Of course. Once mastered, it's no less powerful than Tai Chi Chuan. It's even better at attacking!"

"Really? What's it called?"

"Half-Step Crushing Fist!"

"Half-Step Crushing Fist? What does that mean?"

"Ahem." Ye Yang cleared his throat. "The 'half-step' in Half-Step Crushing Fist means that the front foot takes one step forward and the back foot follows, but the back foot must not pass the front foot. Compared with a normal walking step, where the back foot passes the front, it's a half-step. Crushing Fist is launched from the chest and abdomen in the body's middle section. Its form is short, its force fierce, like an arrow piercing the heart, like mountains crumbling and the earth splitting. Hence the name 'Crushing Fist.'"

Yoruichi put on an astonished expression. "Wow, that sounds powerful. But can you explain it a little more clearly? I can't understand any of that."

Uh... indeed, there probably weren't many people in this world who could understand what Ye Yang had said. "Simply put, all the footwork uses half-steps. One foot steps out and the other follows by half a step. When punching, you don't extend your fist all the way, but only halfway, pursuing explosive power. You release the force in a single instant, but in that instant anyone has to avoid its edge. Otherwise, at best they'll be sent flying; at worst, their spirit body will disperse and they won't have long to live."

Yoruichi looked disdainful. "Is it really as powerful as you say?"

Ye Yang chuckled. "Want to try it? Let's have another fight. I'll use Half-Step Crushing Fist against you."

Seeing Ye Yang's confident expression, Yoruichi couldn't help feeling apprehensive. Every time he looked like that, he defeated her. Still, she was willing to try it to test his so-called Half-Step Crushing Fist. "Sure." With that, she charged again, throwing another side kick. Ye Yang blocked it easily, then stepped forward with his left foot and drove his right elbow toward her. Yoruichi had no choice but to retreat. But instead of pursuing her with a long stride as he had before, Ye Yang followed with a half-step of his right foot and threw a straight punch with his left, forcing her back another step. Then he took another half-step and unleashed his right fist, its power already gathered, like a flood dragon bursting from the sea. Ye Yang had already forced Yoruichi off balance, and his sudden straight punch sent her flying more than several zhang.

"Cough, cough." Although Yoruichi had taken emergency measures, Ye Yang's crushing force had still shaken her. She had crossed her arms in front of her chest, thinking she could block the blow, but when his fist actually struck, it felt like she had collided with a thousand-pound boulder. The sheer force had sent her flying.

"What happened? How can you hit so hard?" Yoruichi asked.

"Of course. Half-Step Crushing Fist focuses on explosive power. In that instant, the force can reach three to five times your own strength. At the highest level, you can even unleash ten times your own strength!"

Yoruichi exclaimed, "Isn't that equivalent to the power of a Zanpakuto's Bankai?"

"If you master it to the utmost, there probably won't be much difference." Ye Yang was quite confident in Chinese martial arts.

"Mm, this kind of fighting style suits my personality better. But little bro, how do you know so many strange things?"

Ye Yang was stumped. "Uh... it's a secret. Don't worry about it so much. Just tell me, big sis: do you want to learn it or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Of course I do," Yoruichi said hurriedly.

"Then let's start with Half-Step Crushing Fist's footwork. Crushing Fist's footwork is all in the sliding step and the push off. When the front foot advances, it's like an iron ox plowing a field. It must go straight down the middle without veering, seizing the opponent's centerline. When the back foot pushes off, it must be swift and fierce, like an arrow leaving the bowstring. The instant your intent moves and your body jolts, you advance, without the slightest hesitation. The key is to be ruthless."

First, he had Yoruichi assume the Crushing Fist stance: left foot and left fist forward, right foot behind, right fist beside her right ribs, with the web between her thumb and forefinger facing right. Then Ye Yang told her, "Step out with your left foot and immediately follow with your right. At the same time, twist your right fist inward and punch forward, with the web between your thumb and forefinger facing up."

Yoruichi did as instructed, and Ye Yang continued, "Pull your left fist back as the two fists cross, with the web between your thumb and forefinger facing left, and place it beside your left ribs. In this way, one foot slides and the other pushes off, always with the left foot in front and the right foot behind. One fist goes out as the other comes in, without pause, like a continuous stream of arrows."

At first, Yoruichi wasn't used to the footwork. But her talent exceeded that of ordinary people, and in just an hour she was already growing accustomed to it. This saddened Ye Yang greatly, though he also had to admire how talented she was.

"All right, big sis, you've basically learned the routine of this fist art. Next, you need to master its force. Crushing Fist's force is a movement of yin and yang circulating together within the body. Besides crushing force, it also requires pressing, enveloping, pouncing, shaking, and stepping force, among others. A single force is often required to contain eight combined forces: propping, twisting, grinding, turning, pushing, fierceness, following, and penetration. So this fist art is a classic example of 'easy to learn the movements, hard to find the force.' The greatest characteristic of Crushing Fist's force is its crushing force. It is the fiercest, most ferocious, most ruthless force, stored before it is released, relaxed before it tightens, and unleashed suddenly when you are just over an inch from your opponent."

Yoruichi's face fell at once. "Huh? It's that complicated?"

"Mastering this art isn't so easy. How can you do it without putting in some hard work? In any case, I'll teach you everything I can. Whether you succeed is up to you." Ye Yang wore a serious expression.

After hearing him out, Yoruichi looked at Ye Yang with a seriousness she had never shown before. "Of course. I'll definitely succeed." Then she added in a voice only she could hear, "Because I want to share your burden, too. You always like to shoulder everything yourself. I need the strength to share those burdens with you."

Ye Yang was striving desperately to grow stronger because he wanted to protect this home, his dear father and mother, and his big sister, as well as survive in this cruel world. Yoruichi was striving desperately to grow stronger because she wanted to share her little brother's burdens. She only wanted Ye Yang to be a little happier.

And so, the siblings each set a goal and swore in their hearts that they would keep growing stronger. They knew that only by growing stronger could they achieve their goals, and only by growing stronger could they protect the little dreams in their hearts...