Imparting Knowledge

In the backyard of the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, the shadow of an old locust tree stretched obliquely across the moss-speckled brick floor.

Li Chengyue lay on a bamboo chair with a wine gourd resting on his belly, humming a little tune in a disjointed, casual manner.

"Master." Su Derong's voice rang out at the courtyard entrance, uncharacteristically stripped of its usual lazy tone.

Li Chengyue didn't even lift his eyelids. "Speak."

"That kid, Chen Jianghe," Su Derong said as he walked in and stood by the lounge chair, "he's achieved 'Changing the Jin.' I just tested him myself; I can't believe he actually pulled it off in only two months."

The wine gourd Li Chengyue had been lifting to his lips paused in mid-air.

After a long moment, he slowly sat up and placed the gourd on a low stool beside him. A flash of clarity cut through his perpetually drunken, hazy eyes.

"Go, call him here."

"Yes." Su Derong acknowledged the order and turned to head out.

"Wait." Li Chengyue called him back. "I need to change my clothes."

Su Derong's footsteps faltered. He looked back to see the old man already risen from the chair, hands behind his back, strolling leisurely toward his own room.

Before long, Chen Jianghe followed Su Derong through the front courtyard and into the back.

The moment he stepped inside, he froze.

Li Chengyue had changed into a navy-blue cotton-linen robe, and even his usually disheveled, graying hair was neatly tied back with a wooden hairpin.

He stood under the locust tree with his hands behind his back, his waist and spine straight. The decadent air of someone perpetually soaked in alcohol had largely dissipated.

Looking at him now, with his calm expression and steady gaze, he truly possessed the solemn aura of a martial arts hall master.

"Master." Chen Jianghe stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Li Chengyue gave a grunt of acknowledgment, his gaze landing on him. "Derong says you've achieved 'Changing the Jin'."

Chen Jianghe bowed with cupped hands. "I was fortunate to enter the threshold; I dare not claim mastery."

"Fortunate?" Li Chengyue curled his lips. "You don't cross this hurdle in two months by relying on 'luck.' Stand in the Three-Body Stance and let me see."

Chen Jianghe sank his waist and dropped his hips, setting his posture. His hands were clearly positioned front and back, his gaze fixed on the tips of his forward fingers. His entire body seemed neither tense nor slack, his internal power contained but not revealed.

Li Chengyue's hands moved to key points—his waist, shoulder blades, and elbows—pressing or tapping with varying degrees of force.

Chen Jianghe's stance remained as steady as a rock. Only when Li Chengyue's fingertips touched a specific junction of muscle and bone did that spot naturally "expand" by a fraction, silently neutralizing the incoming force.

Li Chengyue withdrew his hands. His face remained expressionless as he said coolly, "The frame is steady enough, and the power flows through completely. Though your blood and qi are thin, the foundation is finally set."

He stepped back twice, sat on a stone stool, and gestured to the empty space in front of him. "You may withdraw."

Chen Jianghe slowly relaxed his posture and stood quietly to the side.

Su Derong leaned in with a grin. "Master, this outfit of yours... it's been years since I've seen you look this sharp."

Li Chengyue shot him a glance. "Passing on knowledge and teaching the craft is a serious matter. Unlike some people who spend their days idling about, wasting their training in brothels and taverns."

Su Derong wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed even more heartily. "Master is right to scold me. But isn't my skill sufficient? If I really run into trouble, I won't be bringing shame to our Xingyi Fist."

"Hmph, get lost." Li Chengyue couldn't be bothered with him and waved his hand. "Go do whatever it is you do; don't be an eyesore here."

Su Derong shrugged, winked at Chen Jianghe, and sauntered out while waving his fan.

Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.

Li Chengyue's gaze returned to Chen Jianghe's face as he spoke slowly, "Since you have achieved 'Changing the Jin,' from today on, you are an initiated disciple of my Xingyi Martial Arts Hall. Now that you have entered the gate, it is time to teach you the fist techniques."

Chen Jianghe said respectfully, "Please instruct me, Master."

Li Chengyue's tone was level, yet every word carried weight. "The world often assumes that external martial arts are rigid and overbearing, breaking bones and snapping tendons upon impact. But our Xingyi Fist is an internal art. We train the integrated power of the sinews and bones, seeking to ensure that force does not protrude from the tips and the form does not break the body."

He paused slightly, looking at Chen Jianghe. "What does it mean that 'force does not protrude from the tips'? It means that when you exert force, you reveal no sharp edge and show no sign. What does it mean that 'the form does not break the body'? It means the frame remains intact, with the power contained rather than exposed. When you strike a person, the force no longer lingers on the skin and flesh, but strikes directly into the internal organs."

Chen Jianghe listened, his heart trembling with awe.

Li Chengyue continued, "Since you have already mastered the Three-Body Stance, the stake-work is your foundation; you must never neglect it. Today, I will teach you the 'Five Elements Fist' of Xingyi—Splitting, Crushing, Drilling, Cannon, and Crossing—corresponding to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth."

Li Chengyue walked to the open space in the courtyard, his body sinking slightly as he raised his hands into the Three-Body Stance.

"Watch closely." Li Chengyue's voice dropped. "The Five Elements Fist has ten thousand variations, but they never depart from their origin. The core of every movement lies in the Three-Body Stance. This is the stake-work, and it is the source of all power."

As he spoke, he stepped forward with his left foot. His right hand spiraled out from his waist, five fingers pressed together like the blade of an axe, chopping down from an oblique angle.

The movement was not fast, even appearing somewhat sluggish, yet Chen Jianghe felt his heart skip a beat.

Under that chop, a faint "hiss" sounded in the air, as if cloth were being sliced by an invisible blade.

Li Chengyue's arm sinews and bones expanded, his skin taut like a drum. The power was contained but not released, yet it already exerted a heavy, crushing pressure.

"This is the 'Splitting Fist,' belonging to Metal, capturing the essence of sharpness and breaking through the solid." Li Chengyue withdrew his stance and said slowly, "It begins with the Three-Body Stance. The power is born from the soles of the feet, passes through the waist and back, travels through the shoulders and elbows, and culminates at the fingertips. When you chop down, it is not the arm exerting force, but the entire body's sinews and bones acting like a great bow, 'shooting' the power out."

As he spoke, he demonstrated the Crushing, Drilling, Cannon, and Crossing fists one by one.

The Crushing Fist was like an arrow, sudden and direct; the Drilling Fist was like an awl, rotating and piercing; the Cannon Fist was like thunder, exploding with a roar; the Crossing Fist was like a beam, sweeping across a thousand troops.

Every punch was simple and unadorned, yet they interpreted the concept of "integrated power" to the fullest.

As the fist momentum rose and fell, it seemed as if wind and thunder were hidden behind his elbows, and mountains and rivers lay dormant within his spine.

After finishing the five forms, Li Chengyue withdrew his stance and stood still, his breathing long and steady.

Chen Jianghe watched, his heart surging with excitement.

This Five Elements Fist appeared simple, yet the internal changes in force were complex and subtle.

Especially when Li Chengyue performed it, that sense of "force contained within, held but not released" allowed him to vaguely touch upon the true threshold of Xingyi Fist.

"Did you memorize it all?" Li Chengyue asked.

Chen Jianghe took a deep breath. "This disciple is dull-witted and only remembered the general outline. I will need to practice diligently and contemplate it carefully in the future."

A flash of satisfaction crossed Li Chengyue's eyes, though he kept a straight face. "Remembering the outline is enough. Fist techniques are dead, but people are alive. Practicing moves a thousand times is not as good as understanding their principles. Go back and ponder it yourself; if there is anything you don't understand, you can ask your Third Senior Brother. Although he is lazy, his foundation in kung fu is still there."

Having said that, he stopped looking at Chen Jianghe and walked straight back to the inner room.

Not long after he emerged, he had changed out of his navy-blue long gown and back into that grease-stained gray cloth jacket. His hair was loose, and the wooden hairpin was nowhere to be seen.

He swayed over to the bamboo recliner, picked up his wine gourd for a swig, slumped back into the chair, and began cracking melon seeds with his eyes narrowed.

It was as if the solemn master of the Xingyi Martial Hall, who had just imparted his teachings with fists that held the power of wind and thunder, had been nothing more than an illusion.

Chen Jianghe dared not be negligent and stepped forward to bow again. "Thank you, Master, for your instruction."

Li Chengyue let out an "un" through his nose, acknowledging the gesture.

Chen Jianghe hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Master, this disciple... has one more request."

Li Chengyue didn't even lift his eyelids. "Speak."

Chen Jianghe took a deep breath, his voice earnest. "The world outside is too chaotic, with gang warfare and bandits running rampant. My only family is my elderly mother, who lives on a fishing boat in Loach Bay, living in fear day and night. This disciple is willing to train twice as hard at the martial hall and will not slacken in the slightest. I only beg for Master's mercy to allow my mother to come to the martial hall to do some chores—boiling water, cooking, washing, or cleaning, anything will do. She requires no wages, only a place to stay and a bite to eat."

After he finished speaking, he remained prostrate on the ground.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment, save for the rustling of wind through the locust tree leaves.

Li Chengyue's seed-cracking motion paused.

He slowly spat out two melon seed shells and remained silent for a long time.

Chen Jianghe's heart rose bit by bit, and just as he was about to give up, Li Chengyue mumbled, "The woodshed in the backyard is empty; clean it up yourself."

Chen Jianghe was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed, lifting his robes to kneel and thank him again.

"Alright, alright." Li Chengyue waved his hand impatiently. "Stop being so sentimental and get out of here; don't disturb my drinking."

Chen Jianghe bowed deeply. "This disciple will bring my mother over tomorrow and will certainly not cause Master any trouble."

He turned and exited the backyard, his footsteps light.

Under the locust tree, Li Chengyue took another swig of wine, squinting as he watched Chen Jianghe's departing back.

Afterward, he lay flat again, pulled his tattered straw hat over his face, and soon, light snoring could be heard.