Martial Arts Secured

After having the Green Wolf Gang fetch brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, Xiang Yang untied Jia Kui, then helped him over to sit beside the round table. He was not at all worried that Jia Kui might suddenly rise up against him. Thinking about it, with both his foot bones shattered, he was like a bird with broken wings—there was no way he could leap about.

Thus, Jia Kui picked up the brush and wrote down the mental formulas for the Tiger Subduing Fist Style and the breathing technique, while Xiang Yang observed from behind, nodding from time to time in inward admiration.

The illustrations were clear, their lines simple and concise. Though they were somewhat lacking as artworks to admire, they were more than sufficient for studying the moves. Not to mention Jia Kui's handwriting, which was good enough to put Xiang Yang to shame.

"I never expected Master Jia to be skilled not only at painting, but also at calligraphy. Truly admirable, truly admirable."

Xiang Yang praised him aloud, but Jia Kui did not take it to heart. Then, remembering that he was now a prisoner, he let out a sigh and said wistfully, "When I first entered the school, I could not recognize a single character. My master taught me by hand to read and write, to understand the meridians and acupoints, the body's circulatory paths.

"You must understand that the path of martial arts is by no means simply tempering one's fists and feet or forging one's strength. Often, without learning and knowledge, even if someone handed you a manual of divine arts, you would find it difficult to cultivate it.

"I once heard my master mention that the accomplished martial monks of White Jade Temple spent their mornings meditating on Zen, their afternoons practicing martial arts and cultivating their bodies, and their evenings chanting sutras to calm their hearts. Round and round they went, day after day, year after year, until they achieved unity of Zen and martial arts. Not only were their martial arts profound, their Buddhist cultivation was no less than that of many scholarly monks."

These words were not insights Jia Kui himself could possess; they were what Qian Changming had learned at White Jade Temple. Still, they gave Xiang Yang something to ponder.

"Take this Tiger Subduing Fist Style, for instance. Although it has no specific method for condensing internal energy, when executing its moves, one must still hold to the intent of its mental formula. Every strike and every stance possesses its own unique state of mind. A crude brute could never master it."

Having said that, Jia Kui ignored Xiang Yang and continued writing out the moves and mental formulas of the Tiger Subduing Fist Style. He filled forty-three pages in a sweeping flow; bound together, they would make a complete fist manual.

Next, Jia Kui wrote out the Basic Breathing Technique he had learned from Qian Fu. Besides the mental formula for circulating the breath, there was also a diagram of the body seated upright, marking its acupoints and meridians. Though it contained only the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian, and only the three acupoints Zhongfu, Yunmen, and Tianfu, it was enough to encompass the essence of the entire breathing technique.

"Internal cultivation methods are treasured scriptures that we martial artists pursue tirelessly. Strictly speaking, this Basic Breathing Technique does not yet count as an internal cultivation method, but it can allow one to initially sense internal breath. If one is naturally intelligent and exceptionally perceptive, one may even cultivate a trace of internal force. Unfortunately, I am too old, and my aptitude is insufficient."

Having handed over everything he had learned in his life to Xiang Yang, Jia Kui's face carried an indescribable melancholy and sorrow.

Xiang Yang took the pages and flipped through them one by one, giving them only a cursory glance as he formed a rough understanding in his mind.

Beneath every illustrated move of the Tiger Subduing Fist Style were several lines of mental formulas describing the exertion of force and the required state of mind. Xiang Yang understood them clearly, and they were not difficult to grasp. However, based on his experience cultivating the Iron Crotch Technique, there should have been a method for internal training and taking medicine missing.

When he reached the Basic Breathing Technique, Xiang Yang paid even closer attention. Though it was only two pages long, with one page being a diagram of the human body seated cross-legged, he spent several times longer studying it than he had the Tiger Subduing Fist Style.

"What is the next line after 'Lightly close the lips and teeth, let the breath flow slow and even'?"

Xiang Yang was reading with his head lowered when he suddenly asked, startling Jia Kui, whose face was solemn and gave no hint of the changes in his heart. Jia Kui hurriedly replied, "Three short, two long, gather them at Tianfu."

Xiang Yang nodded, then selected another passage and had Jia Kui recite the preceding line. Jia Kui's face went pale. After thinking for a while, he finally answered.

What followed was a series of questions and answers. Xiang Yang's tone grew colder and colder, his questions came faster and faster, and the time he gave Jia Kui to respond became shorter and shorter. Before long, Jia Kui was drenched in sweat, his mouth dry and tongue parched, while fear and sorrow showed in his eyes.

Bang! Xiang Yang slapped the pages containing the Basic Breathing Technique's mental formula onto the round table and gave a cold laugh. "I treated Master Jia with sincerity. Why did Master Jia alter the mental formulas and deceive me? Do you truly think Xiang's blade is not sharp?"

As he spoke, Xiang Yang drew his saber. The instant it left its sheath, he sliced a clean chunk from the round table at his side. Wood chips flew, and just as the severed piece struck the ground, he had already sheathed his saber.

In terms of speed, the slash was ordinary. Its precision and force alone were astonishing. Clearly, Xiang Yang had used it as a warning.

Sitting back down, Xiang Yang fixed his eyes on Jia Kui's arms. There was nothing so fantastical as divine light shooting forth from his gaze, yet Jia Kui still felt as though he were sitting on needles. His arms ached faintly, as if they had already been severed.

Jia Kui's lips moved, but for a long while no words came out. At last, like a deflated ball, he picked up his brush again beneath Xiang Yang's gaze and rewrote the mental formula. His handwriting was hasty and sloppy, revealing the turmoil in his heart.

Xiang Yang's face remained cold as he snorted inwardly. A fall into the pit, a gain in wit—after being deceived by the Little Knife Society, did they think he would still trust others so easily?

Especially Jia Kui. He had always enjoyed a great reputation in Anyuan. Now that Xiang Yang had captured him and stolen his martial arts, how could he possibly be so obedient?

Moreover, internal cultivation differed from external techniques and moves. A single wrong step in practice could kill someone. Though this Basic Breathing Technique was not that dangerous, an altered mental formula could still waste a great deal of Xiang Yang's time and effort.

After Jia Kui handed over the rewritten breathing technique, Xiang Yang gave him an expressionless glance before examining it. Just as before, he questioned him about fragmented passages and tested him for a long while before confirming that the breathing technique in his hands was likely genuine.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you had done this from the start? I originally had some respect for you, but after this little scene, I am truly wondering whether I should let you go."

Xiang Yang stacked the pages of the Tiger Subduing Fist Style and the breathing technique together, tapped their edges against the tabletop to straighten them, then tucked them into his robes. Seeing Jia Kui gaze at him eagerly, he spoke coldly.

Now that he had learned what he wanted to know and pried out the martial arts he wished to learn, Jia Kui was no longer useful. Xiang Yang was considering whether to silence him forever. Jia Kui's identity, in particular, was truly troublesome to handle.

"Qian Fu is still an honorary martial instructor of the yamen and has connections in both the underworld and the official circles of Anyuan. If this is exposed, he may abandon the pawn to save the chariot and deny everything to the death. I may not be able to do anything to him.

"And if I escort this man to the yamen, Qian Fu will certainly guard against me from now on, perhaps even develop the intent to kill me. Once matters shift from the shadows into the open, killing him will become far more difficult. I cannot do that."

The further Xiang Yang thought, the more killing intent filled him. Jia Kui felt as though he had fallen into an icy abyss. Having roamed the martial world for so many years, he was far too familiar with that look.

What troubled Xiang Yang now was that so many people outside had seen Jia Kui, while quite a few captured members of the Little Knife Society also knew of Jia Kui's involvement. This was not easy to handle.

"Kill them all? The Little Knife Society members are one thing, but the Green Wolf Gang has helped me quite a bit. I cannot bring myself to do it. Besides, Young Master Lan and the others have seen the Green Wolf Gang members as well."

Xiang Yang believed he had a bottom line in how he conducted himself. He had not yet reached the point where he could raise his blade and slaughter people without regard for whether they were friend or foe.

After a long while, Xiang Yang's eyes gradually brightened. He walked over to Jia Kui, tied him up again, and stuffed a rag into his mouth to keep him from talking nonsense.