Talent and Baleful Qi

Hua Shanrong went on his own way, while Chen Ying retraced his route back to the little building.

This time, of course, he noticed a crow circling overhead, following him all the way.

This was probably the thing "protecting" him.

This trip had shown Chen Ying some of the things hidden beneath this city.

Su Xiong's rise, the strange Ghost Market, and the agreement proposed by that Ghost Appraiser.

These things were important, yet also unimportant.

Chen Ying needed to find himself a goal.

The compass in Sha Wei's hands meant nothing to him. The Ghost Appraiser wanted it, but Chen Ying had no need for the method he had spoken of.

After all, he still had the option of going through Teacher Wen.

And becoming a gangster and working his way up a triad was an even more absurd path.

However skilled he became, however ruthless his methods, he would only be another Su Xiong. Which of Hong Kong and Kowloon's underworld factions was not under the cops' control?

They might call themselves this boss or that leader, but in the end, did it not all depend on whether they had backing in the police force?

Money, women, power-even setting aside the fact that his desire for these things had now all but vanished, there was no need to become a gangster even if he wanted them.

How much money could he make by controlling a few gambling dens, taking a cut from a few unfortunate prostitutes, or even running drug dens?

That was no way to reckon the accounts.

His first priority was to heal his body, then begin studying this world's secret arts and techniques in greater depth, striving to find a way back.

This was the plan Chen Ying had set for himself.

The journey back was peaceful and uneventful.

Hong Kong-Kowloon City looked stable and prosperous, with no sign of any other dangers. All its treacherous undercurrents lay hidden in the city's shadows.

They might follow it like a shadow, but they did nothing to mar the splendor on the surface.

When he returned to the little building, Wu Jie had already prepared the food. Naturally, Chen Ying had no appetite for it. He simply asked A-Jie to find him a room on the fourth floor, where he continued practicing the martial arts Wen Ruzhi had taught him.

Without eating, drinking, sleeping, or resting, Chen Ying threw himself into mastering this style of Eight Trigram Palm.

At first, Wu Jie urged Chen Ying not to work so hard, but seeing his firm resolve, she could do nothing but go along with his wishes.

One day, two days, three days.

Every other day, he went to see Mr. Wen and ask about martial arts and matters of the martial world. Although Mr. Wen remained tight-lipped about the latter, he never held anything back when it came to martial principles.

After about two months, Chen Ying had become thoroughly proficient in this set of Eight Trigram Palm techniques. Not only had he mastered the unarmed routines, but he had also learned most of the spear techniques.

As for the dragon claw, ox tongue, upturned palm, downward palm, mud-wading step, and outward-turning and inward-hooking steps, he had even grasped a little of the true essence of Eight Trigram Palm's piercing, supporting, fanning, sinking, dodging, and circling techniques.

Once his martial arts reached the required standard, his body gradually began to respond.

First, his appetite returned. Although he still had little interest in food, he could at least drink some milk every day, and his various desires recovered slightly as well.

The other change was his body temperature. What he could feel directly was that his body was gradually warming from its former icy chill toward the temperature of an ordinary person.

In Wen Ruzhi's words, Chen Ying had a talent for martial arts and was a promising prospect.

"To reach the entry level in Eight Trigram Palm in two months, you have talent. But don't get conceited. Getting started is the easiest part. If someone still hasn't reached the entry level after half a year, either the teacher is at fault or there's something wrong with the student."

"It's all thanks to your teaching, Master."

"Your progress depends on your own efforts. Besides, I'm being paid."

"May I ask, Master, what does the pinnacle of these martial arts look like?"

"Martial arts? Few people take this path. But since you've asked, I'll say a little more."

Wen Ruzhi thought for a moment before speaking.

"Martial arts are divided into internal and external styles. Yet despite that division, they form a unified whole, and neither side can be neglected. Externally, you strengthen blood and qi; internally, you cultivate the mind and spirit. Blood and qi can repel evil, while the mind and spirit can illuminate the soul."

"At first, power arises from the fists and feet. As the saying goes, all force rises from the ground. Strengthen your blood and qi, build your muscles and sinews, and direct that force wherever you aim. That is Bright Strength."

"Channel that power into hidden places, sending a single force through the Twelve-Storey Tower and opening the meridians throughout the body, until it persists like an unbroken thread and never tires with use. That is covert force. In today's martial world, that is enough to be called an expert."

"For martial artists today, reaching covert force is already no small feat. Beyond that lies Transforming Strength. You must circulate covert force throughout your body, releasing and withdrawing it at will, even strengthening your internal organs and nourishing your marrow, until you return to the innate state. Experts of that caliber are exceedingly rare."

"Beyond that, you draw it inward and form an elixir. That means transcending the ordinary and entering the realm of sages. You could be called an earthly immortal."

At this point, Wen Ruzhi shook his head.

"Across the whole world, far too few people can reach that stage. The foreigners came with their guns. You might toil away until you develop covert force, enough to make you a fierce general in ancient times, breaking enemy formations and charging through battle after battle. But nowadays, they can simply fire a volley at you. If one gun can't kill you, they'll use hundreds. Still not convinced? They have cannons too. However much you train, it all amounts to an illusion."

"In today's world, practicing martial arts is merely a way to keep fit and healthy. If you really have the time, you'd be better off learning some occult arts. The foreigners have their own techniques too. This is no longer a world for martial arts."

"Forgive my presumption, Master, but what realm have your martial arts reached?"

"Me? I mastered Bright Strength in a year and developed covert force in five. After ten years of hard work, my power broke through successive barriers, and I glimpsed the mysteries of Transforming Strength. Though I've practiced every day these past few years, I've lost that drive, after all. This is as far as I've gotten."

"You truly are a grandmaster."

"Practice diligently. Once you master Bright Strength, I think your body should recover seventy or eighty percent. When you develop covert force, you should be able to recover completely."

Chen Ying thought for a moment, then said, "There's always been something inside me that I can't quite describe..."

"Baleful qi."

Wen Ruzhi did not seem concerned in the slightest.

"Experts who have made real progress in martial arts have it too. Some people are even born with it. When old books describe people as having 'innate divine strength' or 'astonishing physical power' from birth, this is actually what they mean."

"People can be born with it?"

"Of course. What is qi? The sun, moon, stars, and everything in heaven and earth are formed from the transformations and combinations of qi. Some people are born with unusual gifts, so there's nothing remarkable about them possessing a current of fierce, baleful qi. In the later stages of their training, martial arts experts may also inadvertently cultivate baleful qi within their bodies. None of that is a problem."

"But you should still be careful when using it. After all, the baleful qi inside you wasn't there from birth. You only acquired it after that ordeal."

"Be careful," Wen Ruzhi cautioned. "If anything feels wrong, you can always come and ask me. Your granny doesn't understand martial arts, so she doesn't know about these matters."

Chen Ying naturally agreed.

Wen Ruzhi had risen to the rank of incense master within the White Lotus Sect and was an expert who had made a name for himself in the martial world. There was also a connection between them, so he was naturally the best person to ask about these martial matters.

Having found his way into martial arts, Chen Ying could now see the path ahead. When he returned to the little building, however, Granny Chen, whom he had not seen in a long time, had appeared.

Granny Chen sat in the grand armchair in the center of the living room. Wu Jie stood meekly beside her, her face full of joy.

On the large table beside the armchair sat a plate, and on that plate lay a blood-soaked scalp.

"The person who secretly attacked you has been dealt with."

Granny Chen coughed.

"Go back to school tomorrow."