Martial Arts Realm

Friday.

The forecast called for cloudy skies turning overcast, with possible showers.

Training Hall No. 2, on the soft-matted floor.

A group of young trainees in white martial arts uniforms were doing warm-up drills such as leg stretches and rolls.

Having just finished one session as a Jiu-Jitsu sparring partner, Fang Cheng simply stood to the side to rest and watch.

He also took the opportunity to sit in on the class and learn the related techniques.

Today had originally been his rotating leave day.

But since he had already taken leave on Tuesday, he needed to make up the time he had missed "due to illness."

After finishing their Warm-up Exercise, the trainees began practicing Kumite.

So-called "Kumite" was a grappling-and-striking sparring exercise that simulated actual combat.

Fang Cheng did not know much about this fighting style, but he was quite interested in it.

Many of its techniques—such as Throwing Techniques, Projection Techniques, Locking Techniques, Strangling Techniques, and Ground Techniques—were also found in Karate.

Historically, Karate had absorbed techniques from many different schools.

Put nicely, it was all-encompassing. Put bluntly, it was a hodgepodge.

Perhaps because of this, Fang Cheng had yet to unlock the corresponding skills during the past few days of sparring with Majima Goro.

So he simply shifted his focus toward other fighting styles that were more specialized and distinctive.

Such as Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai...

Shouts rang out across the training floor.

The coach continually reminded the trainees of the key points of each movement, correcting and instructing them on their Basic Skills.

Fang Cheng watched without blinking, silently committing the relevant points to memory.

When he had trained with that Jiu-Jitsu fighter before, he had basically just put on protective gear, taken up his stance, and played the role of the defender.

Letting the other man use various grips and unleash all kinds of Throwing Techniques, Projection Techniques, Locking Techniques, and Ground Techniques.

Even with a solid stance, Fang Cheng was often thrown off balance and nearly sent flying.

Fortunately, thanks to the strength in his lower body built through long-term Squats, he had forcibly withstood several rounds of throwing and projection techniques.

Seeing this, the Jiu-Jitsu fighter began focusing more on Locking Techniques and Ground Techniques.

For a time, he gave Fang Cheng quite a bit of trouble.

But with his reaction speed, Fang Cheng could still counter each move as it came and barely deal with it.

In the end, the Jiu-Jitsu fighter became so worked up that he actually used a Sacrifice Technique.

Using the strength of his thigh and the momentum of a midair spin, he dragged Fang Cheng down to the ground, where he was strongest, and went for a choke.

When Fang Cheng got caught by the move, if he had not promptly used his palm to block the thigh cinched around his neck, he would likely have suffocated.

But the strength of a hand could not ultimately match that of a thigh.

In the end, the employer, dragging a slightly bruised leg, triumphantly declared victory in the sparring session.

Many Jiu-Jitsu moves were exceptionally vicious and ruthless, carrying deadly danger at the slightest misstep.

As the name implied, a "Sacrifice Technique" was an all-or-nothing fighting style, risking oneself to defeat the enemy.

The moves generally used various falling techniques and borrowed the opponent's own strength, neutralizing their attacks while throwing them down and choking them.

It was a seemingly unsophisticated yet extremely ingenious combat technique.

Through the previous few real fights, Fang Cheng had come to understand the usefulness of Joint Lock and Wrestling Technique combination techniques.

If he wanted to keep studying in depth, Jiu-Jitsu was a good choice.

If he could master this martial art, he could not only unlock new slots on the Skill Bar, but also make up for some weaknesses in his Close-Quarters Combat techniques.

The streets on a rainy night.

Only the occasional scattered pedestrian carrying an umbrella passed by.

The sign lightbox of the "Martial Friend" Audio-Visual Store still flickered amid the unbroken drizzle.

But half the lights inside had been turned off, making the place seem somewhat dim.

At this hour, in this weather, practically no customers would come through the door.

Wu Datong sat behind the counter, in front of an old-fashioned seventeen-inch TV.

He stared unblinkingly at the flickering fluorescent screen, one hand clutching a roll of paper and the other clenched into a fist.

His sallow face had flushed somewhat red, and his breathing was slightly hurried.

Creak—

Just then, the glass door was suddenly pushed open, followed by a voice.

"Boss!"

"Ah!"

Wu Datong shuddered in fright, hurriedly switched off the TV, and looked up.

A tall, thin young man stood in the doorway, folding up his umbrella before turning to look over.

"I'm returning the discs, and I'd also like to rent some instructional documentaries about jujutsu."

The customer who had come knocking late at night was Fang Cheng, who had rushed over straight after work.

Wu Datong first hurriedly tidied up the counter before chuckling and nodding.

"Yes, yes. I'll get them for you right away."

This time, his attitude was unexpectedly more warm and attentive than usual.

Not long after.

Dragging his slightly lame left leg, Wu Datong searched through the audiovisual shelves on the left and found an old, worn disc.

Turning back, he said, "Here, this is The Way of Jujutsu Life and Death."

"Demonstrated personally by renowned masters, it mainly covers jujutsu techniques for killing and sparing lives, forbidden moves from various schools and sects, and insights into body training. You can hardly find it anywhere on the market besides my place."

"Still, some of the moves inside are dangerous. It's only suitable for people with a certain foundation in martial arts."

"Thank you."

Fang Cheng took the disc, then pulled out the two discs he had rented last time from his bag and returned them.

Seeing this, Wu Datong could not help muttering, "You rushed here in such heavy rain. Renting them for one more day wouldn't even cost much..."

As he spoke, he looked at Fang Cheng's utterly earnest eyes and seemed to recall something.

So he added a few words of advice.

"Jujutsu isn't anything unusual. Traditional martial arts have the same fighting philosophy: borrowing force to strike force, drawing an attack in and letting it miss. Jujutsu is simply more extreme about it."

"To reach a profound level in this kind of kung fu, it's best not to rely too heavily on the strength of your physical body. The most important thing is to feel with your heart—feel the cycle of life and death, understand the changes of the universe and all living things..."

Speaking of this, Wu Datong paused and scratched his head.

"Hey, am I making it sound too mystical?"

But Fang Cheng listened with complete focus and promptly replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Wu. I think I understand a little now."

"Good, good. As long as you understand."

Wu Datong said with a chuckle.

Then he suddenly noticed a strand of hair resting on the five-yuan note Fang Cheng had handed over.

He could not help asking, "A Cheng, have you been losing a lot of hair recently?"

"Uh, I think so. Why?"

"You need to be careful."

With a serious expression, Wu Datong lectured him, "Young people need to know moderation. Don't rely on being healthy and eat all sorts of unclean things, and definitely don't take drugs just to work out. Most importantly, quit the hand work."

Fang Cheng did not argue. He merely blinked.

He looked toward the pink disc cover visible inside the half-open drawer beneath the counter.

Wu Datong followed his gaze and immediately blushed deeply.

"What? I'm over fifty, I've never married, so what's wrong with relaxing once in a while?"

Fang Cheng nodded to show that he understood.

Wu Datong was even more mortified, completely losing the imposing bearing of an expert he had displayed just moments ago.

After putting the disc into his bag and picking up the umbrella by the door, Fang Cheng was about to push open the glass door and leave.

But another question came from behind him.

"A Cheng, since you like practicing martial arts so much, do you want to find some like-minded martial arts friends to spar with and improve together?"

Fang Cheng was startled when he heard this, and turned back to look at Wu Datong.

He had probably... heard similar words for the second time already.