Gathering Yin to Replenish Yang

"Sword-Finger Standing Practice," Mr. Cai replied candidly. He had also picked up on my curiosity and added, "My master's surname is Wu. He gives free classes at a neighborhood center on the Purple Line, every afternoon at six thirty."

Everyone who succeeded had something that set them apart.

Dealing with someone perceptive made things so much easier. Without even having to ask, I had learned everything I wanted to know.

Mr. Cai seemed very interested in qigong too. He invited me over for a cup of tea so we could sit down and talk at leisure.

"Sure. Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Cai." I also wanted to take this opportunity to see whether the feng shui layout of his home had any direct connection to his joint pain.

I went around the low courtyard wall and walked over to Mr. Cai's house.

There was a small gazebo in his courtyard, and we sat there drinking tea. The flowers and plants swaying in the sunlight were a pleasure to look at.

I knew Mr. Cai had chosen this spot out of consideration for me.

It was summer all year round in Singapore, with an average temperature of around thirty degrees Celsius. Whether on buses, in subway stations, in shopping malls, or at home, indoor spaces were all air-conditioned.

I had just finished practicing, and my qi and blood were circulating rapidly. It was not a good idea to step straight into an air-conditioned environment.

His thoughtful attention to such a small detail warmed my heart.

Mr. Cai was socially adept and knew how to find a topic of conversation. He asked me, "You were practicing Sunlight Gathering Practice just now, weren't you?"

He had opened with a subject I knew well.

"Yes. Have you studied this area quite a bit too, Mr. Cai?"

"I wouldn't call it studying. It's just that after I took up qigong six months ago, I discovered that turning qi into a sword, like you see in films and television, was actually real. That got me interested in China's remarkable culture, so I learned a little more about it." Mr. Cai spoke slowly, his voice slightly low. "I had only practiced for three to five days before I could produce a sensation of qi with my sword fingers."

Three to five days? That fast! I was secretly astonished. There really were many accomplished masters in this world, hidden in plain sight among ordinary people. (Only later did I learn that even three to five days was an overestimate. With Master Wu's practice, most people needed only a few hours to learn how to project external qi.)

As Mr. Cai brewed tea for me, he said, "If you have time, sir, it would be wonderful if you could come along and keep me company the next time I go to practice."

I was the one who wanted to go and see it for myself, yet Mr. Cai had deliberately framed it as asking me to keep him company. He had already given me a graceful way to accept.

I readily accepted his kindness. "Thank you in advance, Mr. Cai. Just call me Sanhe. 'Sir' is far too formal."

Until then, I had never found an opportunity to introduce myself.

"Mr. Sanhe," Mr. Cai said with a smile.

I smiled too and did not insist.

"There's something about gathering yang qi that puzzles me. I'd like to ask your advice, sir," Mr. Cai said politely.

I gestured with my hand. "I'll tell you everything I know."

"As far as I know, Sunlight Gathering Practice is used to replenish yang qi and upright qi. But films and television often mention techniques for gathering yin to replenish yang. So which is it-gathering yang to replenish yang, or gathering yin to replenish yang?" Mr. Cai spoke slowly and evenly, with a manner that put me at ease.

It was a thoughtful question, and my regard for Mr. Cai rose another notch.

"What people usually call gathering yin to replenish yang is merely a pretext used by those with improper intentions to satisfy their shameful sexual indulgence.

The most famous person in history to believe in yin-gathering techniques and practice them without restraint was Emperor Jiajing," I said. "He repeatedly ordered large numbers of girls aged eleven and older to be selected from among the common people and brought into the palace, hoping to attain immortality. In the end, not only did his excessive indulgence deplete his body, but those women also came close to strangling him to death. It became known as the Renyin Palace Coup."

Mr. Cai nodded, listening intently.

It was rare to meet someone I could talk to so easily. Thinking that perhaps we could delve a little deeper, I ventured, "Setting aside cases where it's used as an excuse for sexual indulgence, gathering yin to replenish yang and gathering yang to replenish yang are actually the same thing."