Stance Training

"Don't look at me like that, I'm still eating," Miss Qin said, Liu Yuanzhou's gaze making her feel a little uneasy.

Miss Qin was eating her meal. On the kang table were a few Corn Breads, a pot of porridge, and a small dish of pickled vegetables. The Corn Breads were brought by Liu Yuanzhou from his home, and half a jar of pickled vegetables remained in Third Master's pickle jar. Liu Yuanzhou sat across the table, watching Miss Qin eat.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanzhou's face turned red. He jumped off the kang and said, "I'll go fetch water." With that, he fled out the door. Because Miss Qin had promised to teach him kung fu the next day, he had been in high spirits all night and hadn't slept well.

After carrying back a load of water, Miss Qin had finished eating. As Liu Yuanzhou was cleaning up the dishes, Miss Qin said, "I'll teach you kung fu later."

Liu Yuanzhou's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the bowl on the ground. He quickened his pace.

Miss Qin couldn't help but smile. Last night, she had taken the antidote, and the poison in her body had been mostly cleared. The reason it wasn't completely gone was that she had been poisoned for too long, and the poison had penetrated deep into her internal organs. The remaining poison could only be slowly removed bit by bit in the days to come, a gradual process. Fortunately, there were no major problems. Even the sequelae of taking the sect's secret medicine had slightly improved. This morning, she was able to get off the kang and walk normally, so she was in a good mood.

Liu Yuanzhou quickly cleaned up the dishes, not forgetting to boil water and brew a pot of tea, placing it on the kang table. He poured a cup of tea for Miss Qin and also filled one for himself, then sat down across from her at the table.

Miss Qin said, "Before learning kung fu, let me ask you, how much do you know about so-called martial arts, kung fu? Do you know about Manifested Force, Dark Force, and Transformed Force?"

Liu Yuanzhou didn't know any of this, so he answered truthfully, "I've heard of Martial Masters, but I haven't heard of Manifested Force, Dark Force, or Transformed Force."

Miss Qin nodded and said, "It's normal not to know. Generally, unless someone in the family practices martial arts, they won't know much." She added, "What counts as a Martial Master? Generally speaking, as long as one enters the Manifested Force realm in martial arts, they can be called a Martial Master."

"Martial Masters also have different levels. Most sects now divide them according to the 'Six Realms Two Stages'. The realms, from low to high, are Lower Stage Manifested Force, Dark Force, Transformed Force realms, and Upper Stage Qi Refining, Liquid Condensation, Embracing the Core realms. This is also known as the Six Martial Realms."

Hearing this, Liu Yuanzhou realized that Martial Masters had these intricacies and couldn't help but interject, "Does that mean the higher the realm, the more powerful the Martial Master?"

"Um, you can understand it that way," Miss Qin said after thinking for a moment. In fact, this involves two aspects. In terms of the Lower Stage, from the perspective of a Martial Master's strength, reaction, and other physical qualities, as well as their understanding and application of force, the higher the realm, the more powerful they are. However, in a specific battle between two Martial Masters, the factors that determine the outcome, besides the realm, also include the techniques they have learned. There's no need to go into detail about these.

Miss Qin continued, "Returning to the topic, when we talk about martial arts, that is, techniques, there are also fighting methods and training methods, of course, not absolutely, just with different focuses."

"What is a fighting method? Simply put, it's a technique used for fighting, like some kind of Fist Art, some kind of Sword Art, some kind of Saber Art, etc., which generally belong to fighting methods."

"What about training methods? They are techniques used to improve the martial arts realm. In the Lower Stage, they are various Stance Training Styles. The most widely spread in the martial world today are the Eight Stance Training Styles, namely Eight Directions Stance, Nine Merits Stance, Dragon Walking Stance, Three Body Stance, Mimicry Stance, Limitless Stance, and Yin Yang Stance. As for the Upper Stage, they are various Qi Refining Methods, but let's not mention them."

Miss Qin paused to catch her breath, picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and looked at Liu Yuanzhou, saying, "Boy, I have a Stance Training Style here called Limitless Stance, and a Fist Art called Plum Blossom Fist, both of which are genuine kung fu. However, as the saying goes, techniques are not lightly passed on. Although you have done me a favor, you can only choose one of these two techniques. So, which one do you want to learn?"

Liu Yuanzhou pondered for a long time and said, "I want to learn Limitless Stance." Stance Training Styles belong to training methods, and training methods can improve the martial arts realm. The higher the martial arts realm, the more powerful one becomes. The choice wasn't difficult.

Miss Qin nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll teach you Limitless Stance. Next, I'll tell you more about what Stance Training Styles are."

"The Martial Classic says: 'Practice martial arts without training stances, and all your efforts will be in vain in old age.' This 'training' refers to Stance Training Styles. Practicing Stance Training Styles can make the human body's blood vessels flow smoothly, the muscles and bones relax, the body be nourished, the meridians be unblocked, and the various organs become more coordinated, ultimately achieving a balance and unobstructed flow in the human body's small universe."

"Practicing Stance Training Styles is also called stance holding, which consists of holding the stance posture and breathing methods. Hehe, those techniques that only talk about stance posture and don't have breathing methods to cooperate with won't achieve much."

Miss Qin stopped here again, poured herself a cup of tea, picked up the cup, and slowly drank it.

Liu Yuanzhou nodded, seemingly understanding, as he heard this. He tried to remember everything Miss Qin said in his heart, waiting to slowly comprehend it in the future.

Miss Qin drank her tea and continued, "Having said so much earlier, you should have a general understanding of Stance Training Styles. Now, I'll teach you the practice method of Limitless Stance. I'll demonstrate it for you, so watch carefully." After saying that, she stood up and set up the posture of Limitless Stance on the kang, explaining the details of the movements meticulously.

After Miss Qin finished explaining, she didn't relax her stance but asked Liu Yuanzhou to stand in comparison.

Liu Yuanzhou stood in the same posture as Miss Qin. Miss Qin then relaxed her stance, casually picked up a stick from the kang, and tapped and poked Liu Yuanzhou's body here and there, correcting his improper movements.

"Alright, just maintain this posture now, stand for, um, the time it takes to burn a stick of incense." Miss Qin said as she sat down, picked up her tea, and slowly sipped it.

"Is it that simple?" Liu Yuanzhou thought to himself, quite unimpressed.

The result was that Liu Yuanzhou far overestimated himself. He hadn't even stood for the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense before he felt his waist and legs becoming increasingly sore, and his thighs were shaking non-stop like sifting chaff. At this moment, he heard three "pa pa pa" sounds, and Liu Yuanzhou immediately felt a burning and stinging pain in his lower back and legs. He "hissed" and gasped for breath.

"So this is all you've got and you want to learn Kung Fu? Stand properly." Miss Qin said, flicking the stick in her hand.

Liu Yuanzhou gritted his teeth, holding his breath, keeping his stance steady, not wanting to be looked down upon by Miss Qin. He didn't know how long he stood there, but Liu Yuanzhou felt as if his legs and arms were not his own, losing all sensation. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, blurring his vision. "Persist, persist," he repeated in his mind, encouraging himself.

"Alright, relax your stance." Miss Qin said suddenly.

Liu Yuanzhou felt like he had heard celestial music. The breath in his chest dissipated, and he collapsed to the ground, his legs and arms still maintaining their rigid posture.

At this moment, Miss Qin walked over and began tapping Liu Yuanzhou's body with the stick. Before long, sensation returned to Liu Yuanzhou's legs and arms. He felt lazy all over, his body extremely comfortable. He lay on the bed, not wanting to move at all.

Miss Qin sat down at the table, panting, and picked up her tea to drink, her hands trembling slightly. Clearly, this tapping had taken a toll on her as well.

After a while, Liu Yuanzhou sat up and said to Miss Qin with a grateful expression, "Thank you."

Miss Qin waved her hand and said, "How is it? Can you stand up?"

Liu Yuanzhou struggled to his feet and took two steps. Everything felt normal except for some soreness in his legs. He felt even more grateful to Miss Qin.

Miss Qin beckoned, "Sit down, I'll teach you the Limitless Stance breathing method."

Liu Yuanzhou quickly sat down, listening attentively.

"The breathing method is a combination of the length and speed of inhalation and exhalation. Each Stance Training has its own unique breathing method. The Limitless Stance breathing method is like this." As she spoke, Miss Qin explained the Limitless Stance breathing method in detail to Liu Yuanzhou.

The breathing method was not as simple as the stance, but extremely complex, with rapid changes and a strict order that could not be disrupted. One taught and the other learned, and it took Liu Yuanzhou almost half an hour to become proficient in this set of breathing methods.

"Cough, cough." A series of coughs sounded, and Liu Yuanzhou woke up from memorizing the breathing method. He looked up and saw Miss Qin covering her mouth, looking tired. Looking at the table, the pot of tea was already empty. He immediately realized that Miss Qin still had this illness, and he felt extremely guilty.

Liu Yuanzhou jumped off the bed and crawled to the window to look outside. The sky was past noon. He walked back to the bedside and said to Miss Qin, "Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."

Liu Yuanzhou went to the outer room and started a fire to cook. He had already discussed the method of cooking meat in detail with his mother, Zhang Shi, last night. When he came over in the morning, he had brought some seasonings from home, so he was now full of confidence.

About half an hour later, the meal was ready. Liu Yuanzhou wiped his hands and breathed a sigh of relief, sighing in his heart, "Knowing it is one thing, but actually doing it is another."

Liu Yuanzhou brought the food to the table, gave Miss Qin a bowl of porridge, and pointed to a dish, saying, "This is my potato stew with beef. Miss Qin, try it and see how it is."

Miss Qin saw a sticky mess in the pot. She picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, and felt that the taste was okay, not dry, and more than twice as good as yesterday's. She said, "It's okay, you eat too."

Liu Yuanzhou's heart was relieved. He was still afraid that Miss Qin would say it was unpalatable. He scooped a bowl of porridge for himself and started eating.

"Didn't you say potato stew with beef? Where are the potatoes? Did you pick them out and eat them?" Miss Qin asked, looking puzzled, but she was secretly laughing in her heart.

Liu Yuanzhou shook his head and quickly said, "No, no, it's because the potatoes were put in too early, and they're all stewed and mushy."

Miss Qin chuckled.

Liu Yuanzhou scratched his head and realized that Miss Qin was teasing him. He smiled awkwardly.

After the two finished eating, Miss Qin said, "I've taught you the Limitless Stance and the breathing method. You must practice diligently after you go back. If you have any questions during the practice, tell me in time. Although the Eight Stance Training Styles are the most basic and safest practice methods, martial arts itself is a process of breaking and establishing oneself, constantly honing oneself, and there is always a certain risk, so you must not be careless."

Liu Yuanzhou nodded to show that he understood.

"One cycle of the breathing method is one section. One section of the Limitless Stance breathing method takes about half an incense stick's time. For beginners, it is generally appropriate to stand three or four times a day, each time for about three sections. You must not be greedy for success and rush forward, hurting your body."

"Understood," Liu Yuanzhou said.

"Alright, that's all. You go back. You don't need to come over to cook dinner. There's still some left over from lunch. I can just heat it up myself."

Liu Yuanzhou said, "Okay, then I'll go back first. I'll still come and cook dinner for you. We agreed that I would take care of you until you get better."

Miss Qin shrugged and said, "Whatever you want."

Liu Yuanzhou walked out of Third Master's house. The sun was shining brightly outside, and he couldn't help but squint his eyes. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up into a smile, and then he hummed an unknown song and ran towards home.

PS: Regarding the length of time for "a cup of tea" and "a stick of incense," there are different opinions. The setting of this book is that "a cup of tea" is about ten minutes now, and "a stick of incense" is about five minutes now.