In the woodshed behind the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, Lin sat on the edge of a bed made from an old door. Her fingers absentmindedly rubbed the hem of her apron, which had been patched over and over.
Chen Jianghe brought her a bowl of warm water. "Mother, have some water."
Lin took the bowl but didn't drink. She merely held it in her hands, her gaze somewhat vacant. "Jianghe, am I completely useless? I went all that way and not only failed to get us any help, but..."
His voice was steady, with not a trace of resentment. "That's just how the world is. The distinction between legitimate and illegitimate, between high and low status, matters more than life. We won't beg, and we won't count on anyone. I have arms and legs, and I can train in martial arts. From now on, we'll earn everything ourselves."
"But your father gave his life..." Lin's eyes reddened again.
Chen Jianghe took his mother's hand. "We just need to remember what happened to Father. Better to count on these fists of mine than on the Chen Family."
Lin looked up at her son. The calm in the young man's eyes gradually eased the pent-up sorrow in her heart.
At last, she nodded and tightly squeezed his hand in return. "Mother believes in you."
Chen Jianghe stood up. "You should get some rest. I'll go practice my forms a little longer."
"It's so late, and you're still going to train?"
"I can't sleep." Chen Jianghe smiled. "Once I've trained myself tired, I'll naturally fall asleep."
From that day on, Chen Jianghe trained even harder.
Each day, before dawn broke, he was already standing in the courtyard, practicing his stance.
After breakfast at the hour of the Dragon, he would begin practicing the Five Elements Fist over and over—Splitting, Crushing, Drilling, Cannon, and Crossing.
In the afternoon, he alternated between stance training and fist forms until dusk settled.
At night, after seeing his mother to bed, he would sit beneath the dim oil lamp in the corridor and carefully go over the day's training in his mind, pondering the changes in the flow of strength.
Day after day passed, and before long, two months had gone by.
One afternoon, the autumn sun shone brightly.
Chen Jianghe stood in the courtyard and slowly breathed in and out three times. Then he sank his waist and hips and began with Splitting Fist.
This punch was completely different from before.
As his fist cut through the air, a sharp "whoosh" suddenly rang out, like tearing silk or the crack of a whip. The bones and sinews throughout his body shook together, making a fine, continuous series of crackles, like spring ice breaking apart or old bamboo sending up new shoots.
Before the momentum of the punch had faded, his next move had already begun.
Crushing Fist shot straight forward like an arrow, Drilling Fist spun like a gimlet, Cannon Fist burst forth with a thunderous blast, and Crossing Fist swept through the army.
The five forms flowed together in one seamless sequence. Each punch was accompanied by the ringing of bones and sinews; each turn of the forms tore a brief, sharp sound from the air.
When he finally withdrew the last form, Crossing Fist, Chen Jianghe slowly exhaled a long stream of white breath and settled into a still stance.
Bright Strength. He had achieved it.
[Destiny: Heaven Rewards Diligence; You Will Reap What You Sow] [Current Skill: Three-Body Stance (Minor Accomplishment)] [Progress: 65%] [Current Skill: Five Elements Fist (Minor Accomplishment)] [Progress: 1%] [Effect: None]
"Well, I'll be!"
A cry of astonishment rang out from the corridor.
Chen Jianghe turned his head. Su Derong was leaning against a pillar; Chen Jianghe had no idea when he had arrived. The folding fan in his hand had stopped midair, and the usual carefree smile had vanished from his face, replaced by undisguised astonishment.
He strode over, staring at Chen Jianghe in shock.
"Bones and sinews ringing as one, the wind of your fists tearing silk..." Su Derong murmured. He looked up at Chen Jianghe. "You... you really made it?"
Chen Jianghe was still a little dazed. "Senior Brother, is this... Bright Strength?"
"What else could it be?!" Su Derong let go of his fan and took two steps back, looking Chen Jianghe up and down as if seeing him for the first time. "The ringing of bones and sinews means your unified strength has fully connected; the wind of your fists tearing silk means your strength is manifesting outwardly. With both signs present, you've truly reached Bright Strength!"
He suddenly slapped his thigh. "Just over half a year! From starting out to Bright Strength, it took you only a little over half a year! Jianghe, are you actually a genius?!"
Chen Jianghe was flustered by his praise. "You're flattering me, Senior Brother. I've only trained hard every day..."
"Plenty of people train hard!" Su Derong cut him off, his eyes flashing. "Does He Shouzhuo not work hard? How many years has he been at the hall, and he's only at Bright Strength now! You've only been here half a year! Half a year!"
He suddenly turned and sprinted toward the back courtyard. After two steps, he looked back and pointed at Chen Jianghe. "Wait here! Don't move! I'm going to get Master!"
"Senior Brother, there's no need..."
"Wait!"
Before Su Derong had finished speaking, he had already swept toward the back courtyard like a gust of wind.
Chen Jianghe stood where he was, a feeling beyond words welling up in his heart.
In the back courtyard, beneath the old locust tree,
Li Chengyue was sprawled in a bamboo recliner, happily sipping wine and eating a dish of salted edamame.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows across his face. The warmth made him drowsy.
"Master! Master!"
Su Derong's voice arrived before he did. His shout was loud and urgent, startling Li Chengyue so badly that his hand shook. Half a mouthful of wine caught in his throat, and he coughed until his face turned red.
"You little bastard!" Li Chengyue finally managed to catch his breath. He snatched up the empty wine bowl beside him and hurled it at Su Derong. "Why are you howling like someone's dead?! Can't you see I'm drinking?!"
Su Derong dodged the bowl flying toward him. It struck the blue-brick ground with a sharp clatter, scattering shards everywhere.
He rushed to the recliner, still unable to suppress his excitement. "Master! Something huge has happened! A wonderful thing!"
Li Chengyue narrowed his drunken eyes and shot him a sidelong glance. "What wonderful thing could happen to you? Have you got your eye on some new courtesan at a brothel? Or did you win a few taels of silver at the gambling house?"
"No! It's Jianghe! Our junior brother—" Su Derong broke off mid-sentence.
Because Li Chengyue had already snatched up the old cane leaning against his recliner.
"You come barging in and disturb my peace. You deserve a beating!" Before the words had left his mouth, the cane whistled down in a flurry of blows.
"Ow! Master, don't hit me! I really have something important to say... Ow! That hurts!"
Su Derong clutched his head and ran for his life. But the back courtyard was small, and he couldn't dodge in time. The cane landed solidly across his back and legs several times. It looked old, but each strike burned like fire.
Li Chengyue chased him around and struck him seven or eight times before finally stopping to catch his breath. He pointed the cane at Su Derong and cursed, "Speak! What is it? If you dare string me along, I'll beat you so badly you won't get out of bed for three months!"
Su Derong rubbed his aching arm, grimacing. Most of his earlier excitement had been beaten out of him.
With a miserable expression, he said, "Master, you hit way too hard! I'm your own disciple, after all. Once I've mastered the transformation of strength, I'll have to see who's stronger between us!"
"See who's stronger?" Li Chengyue laughed angrily and raised his cane again. "With your habit of fishing for three days and drying your nets for two, you think you can master the transformation of strength? I think your hide's just itching for another beating!"
"No, no! I'll tell you what happened!" Su Derong hurriedly backed away two steps, raising his hands in surrender. He spoke quickly. "It's Jianghe! Our junior brother... he's broken through to Bright Strength!"
"Pfft—!"
The mouthful of wine Li Chengyue had just taken in sprayed right out.
He abruptly sat upright in the recliner. His usually bleary eyes blazed with light as he stared at Su Derong. "Say that again?!"
Seeing his master so utterly shaken, more than he had ever seen before, Su Derong's grievance immediately vanished, replaced by the smug feeling that he'd known this would happen. He cleared his throat and enunciated every word. "Mas-ter, our jun-ior broth-er, Chen Jiang-he, has bro-ken through to Bright Strength. I just saw it with my own eyes: bones and sinews ringing together, his fists tearing through the air. There's no mistake!"
Li Chengyue was silent for three breaths.
The next moment, he sprang to his feet. He hadn't even put on his shoes properly and shuffled off in his slippers. "Take me to see!"
"Yes, sir!" Su Derong instinctively gave his fan a flourish and struck a dashing pose.
Li Chengyue immediately turned and kicked him in the rear. "What are you dawdling for? Lead the way!"
The kick sent Su Derong stumbling. He rubbed his backside, fuming but not daring to protest, and could only lead the way with a mournful expression.