In the back courtyard of Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, the old locust tree cast a slanted shadow across the moss-speckled brick ground.
Li Chengyue lay on a bamboo lounge chair, a wine gourd resting on his belly as he hummed a little tune off and on.
"Master." Su Derong's voice rang out at the courtyard gate, unusually stripped of its lazy drawl.
Li Chengyue didn't even lift an eyelid. "Speak."
"That kid Chen Jianghe has succeeded at 'changing his strength.'" Su Derong came in and stopped beside the chair. "I just felt his muscles and bones. He's only been at it two months, and he's really made it."
The wine gourd Li Chengyue had raised to his lips paused.
After a long moment, he slowly sat up and set the gourd on the low stool beside him. A glimmer of clarity flashed in his eyes, usually clouded with drunkenness.
"Go get him."
"Yes." Su Derong answered and turned to leave.
"Wait." Li Chengyue stopped him. "I'll change my clothes."
Su Derong halted and looked back. The old man had already risen from the lounge chair and was heading slowly toward his room with his hands clasped behind his back.
Before long, Chen Jianghe followed Su Derong through the front courtyard and into the back.
He froze as soon as he stepped inside.
Li Chengyue had changed into a dark blue cotton-linen robe. Even his salt-and-pepper hair, usually a disheveled mess, was neatly tied behind his head with a wooden hairpin.
He stood beneath the locust tree with his hands clasped behind his back, his spine straight. Much of the slovenly air of a man steeped in wine all day had fallen away.
Now his expression was composed, and he truly carried the solemn bearing of a martial arts hall master.
"Master." Chen Jianghe stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Li Chengyue gave a quiet "Mm," his gaze settling on him. "Derong says you've succeeded at 'changing your strength.'"
Chen Jianghe bowed and cupped his fists. "I was fortunate enough to grasp the basics. I wouldn't dare say I've mastered it."
"Fortunate?" Li Chengyue's mouth twitched. "You can't cross this threshold in two months on 'good fortune' alone. Show me the Three Body Stance."
Chen Jianghe lowered his waist and settled his hips, assuming the stance. His hands were clearly positioned in front and behind, his gaze fixed on the fingertips of his forward hand. His body seemed relaxed but not quite, his intent concealed and not yet revealed.
Li Chengyue pressed or tapped several key points at his waist, shoulder blades, and elbow crook, sometimes lightly, sometimes with more force.
Chen Jianghe's stance was steady as a boulder. Only when Li Chengyue's fingertips touched a point where muscle and bone met did that spot naturally "open" a fraction, quietly neutralizing the incoming force.
Li Chengyue withdrew his hand, his face expressionless. "Your stance is steady enough, and your strength flows through. Your qi and blood are thin, but at least you've laid a foundation."
He stepped back and sat on a stone stool, pointing at the open ground before him. "That's enough."
Chen Jianghe slowly relaxed his stance and stood quietly to one side.
Su Derong sidled over with a grin. "Master, that outfit of yours... It's been years since I've seen you so smartly dressed."
Li Chengyue glanced at him. "Passing on the art and teaching the skills is serious business. Unlike certain people who spend all day idling about and practice their kung fu in brothels and teahouses."
Su Derong wasn't offended. He only grinned wider. "You're right, Master. But my skills are enough, aren't they? If trouble comes, I won't bring shame on our Xingyi Fist."
"Hmph, get lost." Li Chengyue waved him away, too lazy to entertain him. "Go do whatever you're supposed to. Stop standing around and getting in my way."
Su Derong shrugged, winked at Chen Jianghe, and sauntered out, waving his fan.
Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.
Li Chengyue's gaze returned to Chen Jianghe's face, and he spoke slowly. "Now that you've succeeded at 'changing your strength,' from today on, you're an entry-level disciple of my Xingyi Martial Arts Hall. Since you've joined the school, I should pass on the boxing arts to you."
Chen Jianghe replied respectfully, "Please instruct me, Master."
Li Chengyue's voice was even, but every word rang solidly. "Most people think external martial arts are fierce and domineering, breaking bones and snapping tendons when they land a blow. But our Xingyi Fist is an internal martial art. We train the whole-body strength of sinews and bones, seeking to keep force from showing at the tip and the body from breaking its form."
He paused slightly and looked at Chen Jianghe. "What does it mean to 'keep force from showing at the tip'? It means exerting force without revealing an edge or giving a warning. And what does it mean for the 'body not to break its form'? It means the stance remains intact, with strength contained and unrevealed. When the strike lands, that strength doesn't stop at the flesh and skin. It drives straight into the five viscera and six bowels."
Chen Jianghe listened, his heart gripped with awe.
Li Chengyue continued, "Now that you've grasped the Three Body Stance, stance work is your foundation. You must never neglect it, not for a single day. Today, I'll teach you the Five Elements Fist of Xingyi Fist: Splitting, Crushing, Drilling, Cannon, and Crossing, corresponding to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth."
Li Chengyue walked to an open spot in the courtyard, lowered his body slightly, and began in the Three Body Stance.
"Watch closely." His voice deepened. "The Five Elements Fist may change in countless ways, but its core never changes. Every move begins with the Three Body Stance. It's both stance work and the source of power."
As he spoke, his left foot stepped forward, and his right hand spiraled out from his waist, fingers pressed together like an axe blade as it chopped down from above at an angle.
The movement wasn't fast—in fact, it was somewhat ponderous—but Chen Jianghe's heart gave a start.
As the hand chopped down, a faint hiss cut through the air, as though invisible sharp blades had torn through cloth.
The sinews and bones in Li Chengyue's arm opened up, and his skin stretched taut as a drum. His strength was contained, not yet released, yet it pressed down on them with heavy force.
"This is Splitting Fist, which belongs to metal and takes its meaning from a sharp edge breaking through solid things." Li Chengyue relaxed out of the stance and spoke slowly. "It begins in the Three Body Stance. Strength rises from the soles of the feet, passes through the waist and back, travels through the shoulders and elbows, and reaches the fingertips. When you chop down, it isn't your arm doing the work. Your whole body's sinews and bones become one great bow, 'shooting' the force out."
As he spoke, he demonstrated the other four fists in turn: Crushing, Drilling, Cannon, and Crossing.
Crushing Fist was like an arrow, surging straight ahead in an instant; Drilling Fist was like an awl, spinning through; Cannon Fist was like thunder, exploding with a roar; Crossing Fist was like a beam, sweeping the army.
Each fist was simple, with no frills, yet together they brought the meaning of "whole-body strength" to life.
As the fists rose and fell, wind and thunder seemed to lurk behind his elbows, while mountains and rivers lay coiled in his spine.
After demonstrating all five forms, Li Chengyue relaxed his stance and stood still, his breathing long and even.
Chen Jianghe watched, his heart surging.
The Five Elements Fist looked simple, but the changes in its inner flow of strength were intricate and subtle.
Especially as Li Chengyue demonstrated, that state of "strength contained within, concealed and unreleased" let him faintly feel the true gateway to Xingyi Fist.
"Have you memorized it?" Li Chengyue asked.
Chen Jianghe drew a deep breath. "This disciple is slow-witted and only remembers the general outline. I'll need to practice diligently and reflect on it carefully."
A hint of satisfaction flashed through Li Chengyue's eyes, though he kept his face stern. "The general outline is enough. Fists are dead, people are alive. Practicing a move a thousand times is no match for understanding its principles. Go back and study it yourself. If anything's unclear, you can ask your Third Senior Brother. He may be lazy, but his kung fu foundation is still there."
After saying that, he didn't look at Chen Jianghe again. He simply walked back to the rear room.
When he came out again, he had changed out of the dark blue robe and put his stained gray jacket back on. His hair was loose again, and no one knew where he'd tossed the wooden hairpin.
He ambled over to the bamboo lounge chair, lifted the wine gourd for a drink, then sank back into the chair and squinted as he cracked sunflower seeds.
It was as if the solemn master who had just passed on his art, with fists that held wind and thunder, had been no more than an illusion.
Chen Jianghe didn't dare slack off. He stepped forward and bowed again. "Thank you for teaching me, Master."
Li Chengyue grunted through his nose in acknowledgment.
Chen Jianghe hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up. "Master, this disciple... has one more favor to ask."
Li Chengyue didn't even lift an eyelid. "Speak."
Chen Jianghe drew a deep breath, his voice earnest. "The world outside is too chaotic. Gangs fight, bandits run rampant. My only family is my elderly mother. She lives on a fishing boat in Loach Bay, constantly frightened day and night. I'm willing to train twice as hard at the martial arts hall and won't slack off in the slightest. I only ask that you show mercy and let my mother come to the hall to do some chores—boil water, cook, wash clothes, or clean. She won't need any wages. We only ask for a place to stay and a meal to eat."
After finishing, he remained prostrate on the ground.
Silence fell over the courtyard for a moment. The only sound was the wind rustling through the locust tree's leaves.
Li Chengyue's hands paused as he cracked sunflower seeds.
He slowly spat out two seed shells but said nothing for a long time.
Chen Jianghe's heart climbed higher and higher. Just when he was about to give up, Li Chengyue finally mumbled, "The woodshed in the back courtyard is empty. Fix it up yourselves."
Chen Jianghe froze, then was overjoyed. He gathered up his robe and was about to kneel in thanks again.
"That's enough, that's enough." Li Chengyue waved him away impatiently. "Don't make such a fuss. Get going. Don't keep me from my drink."
Chen Jianghe bowed deeply. "This disciple will bring my mother tomorrow. I promise not to trouble you, Master."
He turned and left the back courtyard, his steps light.
Beneath the locust tree, Li Chengyue took another swig of wine and watched Chen Jianghe's departing figure through narrowed eyes.
Then he lay back down, pulled his hole-riddled straw hat over his face, and soon began to snore softly.