Fist Technique

Liu Yuanzhou came out of Third Master's house, walking on the road home, his heart feeling empty. Although he knew very well that he and Miss Qin were not people of the same world after all, and that she would eventually leave this place, he felt extremely lost when the day of parting really arrived.

His feelings for Miss Qin were complex. At first, it was fear, then awe, then gratitude, and finally, closeness, treating her as a friend, a true friend.

Liu Yuanzhou returned home. Zhang Shi saw him listless and absent-minded, and asked him what was wrong, whether his Disease had relapsed. Liu Yuanzhou felt a little irritable and replied that he was just a little tired. He went straight into the kiln and slammed the door shut. He didn't want to talk now, just wanted to be alone.

Liu Yuanzhou lay on the kang for a while, then suddenly jumped up. He suddenly thought that Miss Qin was leaving tomorrow, and he should give her a gift as a memento.

He opened the lid of a small wooden box on the kang and rummaged through it. Wooden knives, wooden swords, spinning tops, books without covers, and odds and ends were taken out one by one. Suddenly, a stone at the bottom of the box caught his attention.

Liu Yuanzhou picked up the stone and stroked it in his hand. The surface of the stone was as smooth as a mirror, and its shape and size were similar to an egg. It was pure white, with a few red and purple lines mixed in the middle, making it exceptionally beautiful. He had picked up this stone when he was playing in the river as a child. The villagers called this kind of stone Ox Tendon Stone. Because this one was very special, he had collected it.

This is it, Liu Yuanzhou thought with joy. He put the stone in his arms, thinking of giving it to Miss Qin tomorrow. Suddenly, he thought of something again, took out the stone and looked at it again, and had another idea in his mind. He rummaged through the box for a long iron nail, and then slowly carved on the stone. Before long, a small character "Continent" (Zhou) appeared on the stone.

The next morning, the sky was still dark when Liu Yuanzhou got out of bed in the dark, quietly left the house, and rushed to Third Master's house. Miss Qin was already dressed neatly.

Liu Yuanzhou asked, "Have you packed everything?"

Miss Qin said, "There's nothing to pack." After a moment of contemplation, she added, "I thought about it again last night. Let me teach you another set of fighting skills, otherwise, having only the realm without the art of killing and fighting will ultimately be a disadvantage in a fight."

When Liu Yuanzhou heard that Miss Qin was going to teach him boxing, he would have been extremely excited before, but now he couldn't be happy. He said calmly, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Miss Qin glanced at Liu Yuanzhou and continued, "This boxing method is called Plum Blossom Fist. I'll tell you the formula of the boxing method first. Listen carefully."

Liu Yuanzhou forced himself to cheer up and listened to her carefully.

Plum Blossom Fist has a total of eight moves, each with eight lines of formula, totaling sixty-four lines and six hundred words. Whether it was because of the Enter Samadhi or something else, Liu Yuanzhou found that his memory had become much better. Miss Qin only recited the sixty-four lines of formula twice, and he remembered seventy to eighty percent of them. After reciting it twice more, he remembered it all, word for word.

Miss Qin nodded, a look of satisfaction on her face. Then she began to teach Liu Yuanzhou the specific routines and moves of Plum Blossom Fist.

Unconsciously, the sky outside the window was already bright. Liu Yuanzhou had learned the fourth move of Plum Blossom Fist. At this time, both of them felt hungry and thirsty, so Miss Qin said that she would teach the rest after breakfast.

Liu Yuanzhou went to light the fire and cook. Breakfast was also very simple. He heated up the Beef and steamed buns that Miss Qin didn't know where she got them from, cooked a pot of Millet Porridge, and cut a plate of Pickled Vegetables. The two ate breakfast hastily, and Miss Qin continued to teach Liu Yuanzhou boxing.

For a whole morning, the two of them stayed in the kiln teaching boxing, without taking a step out of the door.

After noon, Liu Yuanzhou had learned all of the Plum Blossom Fist.

The two sat on the kang, drinking tea and resting. Miss Qin talked about some precautions for practicing boxing, and finally said, "I've taught you the boxing method, so practice more in the future. There is no shortcut to practicing boxing, only more practice, more thinking, and more fighting."

"More practice and more thinking go without saying, more fighting means more sparring with people, more actual combat. Only with enough actual combat experience can the boxing method enter the Minor Accomplishment realm."

"I told you before that fighting boxing methods are generally divided into three realms: Entry Level, Minor Accomplishment, and Major Accomplishment."

"Entry Level is to be proficient in the boxing method, turning every move into a body instinct. It can generally be achieved with three to five months of hard practice, which is not very difficult."

"Minor Accomplishment is to be able to flexibly use various moves of the boxing method, and to be able to use the boxing method moves in specific fights. This is more difficult and requires a certain amount of comprehension. Generally, Martial Master can do this as long as they are willing to practice hard."

"As for Major Accomplishment, it emphasizes no moves over having moves. It is necessary to jump out of the shackles of the original boxing method moves and find another way. To achieve this, in addition to decades of hard practice, the most important thing is each person's comprehension and aptitude. This is the most difficult. Among ten Martial Master, there may not be one who can practice a set of boxing methods to the Major Accomplishment realm."

Liu Yuanzhou listened, nodding secretly, and carefully memorized all of this.

Miss Qin said, "Okay, that's all I'll say. Drink this cup of tea as a farewell, and let's say goodbye." Saying that, she picked up the tea.

Liu Yuanzhou picked up the tea, touched it with hers, and silently drank it in one gulp. Putting down the teacup, he took out the stone from his arms and placed it in his palm, lowered his eyes, and said, "Miss Qin, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. You are leaving, and I have nothing to give you, so I will give you this stone."

After a pause, he added, "I picked this up in the river when I was a child. I have kept it until now. I only hope that when you return home, when you are bored, when you see this stone, you can remember that once, in a very far place, there was a kid you once taught kung fu to, and his name was Liu Yuanzhou."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but feel a little choked up. This parting might be forever. One would be in Qin Province, the other going to Lingnan, separated by more than just ten thousand miles?

Miss Qin grabbed the Ox Tendon Stone, put it in her arms, and sighed, her heart also filled with sadness. But after all, she was experienced and mature, and she also had many responsibilities on her shoulders, so she forced herself to cheer up, smiled at Liu Yuanzhou, and said, "Alright, we'll meet again if fate allows."

Miss Qin slung her bag over her shoulder and put on her fur-lined sheepskin hat. The two of them walked out of the kiln.

The sky was overcast, and the north wind was like a knife.

Liu Yuanzhou said, "Let me take you to Crouching Tiger Slope."

Miss Qin tightened her cotton robe and shook her head with a smile, "No need, I already know the way. Farewell, take care." With that, she turned and left without looking back.

"Miss Qin, can you tell me your name?" Liu Yuanzhou shouted.

"Lingnan Mingyou Sect, Qin Zitong." Miss Qin's voice came from the wind, and she had already walked far away.

Liu Yuanzhou really wanted to chase after her and see her off a little further, but he finally restrained himself.

That afternoon, Liu Yuanzhou was in Third Master's courtyard, practicing the Plum Blossom Fist over and over again, until he was exhausted. Only then did he sit down on the stone pier, not even wanting to move a finger.

After practicing the fist all afternoon, the gloom in his heart dissipated a lot. Seeing that it was getting late, he got up, locked the door, and walked towards home. When he returned home, his parents had already eaten dinner.

Zhang Shi said angrily, "You've only just recovered from your Disease, and you're running around like a madman. You disappear all day long, not even coming back for dinner. I might as well let you starve to death." As she said this, she opened the pot lid and brought out the rice that had been warming in the pot, "Come and eat quickly."

Liu Yuanzhou felt a warmth in his heart, and his eyes became a little moist. He picked up the bowl and ate silently.

Perhaps everyone in this world will abandon you and leave you, but only your parents will not.