Early the next morning, Chen Tie got up and made breakfast as usual. The brother and sister ate in silence.
"Little Xi, I have to go out today. I might be back late, so eat first if you get hungry."
"Mm-hmm, don't worry, big brother. I can make dinner myself," Chenxi said proudly.
"Good. My Little Xi really does know a lot."
Chen Tie affectionately rubbed Chenxi's little head.
Today, he had deliberately put on a short training outfit, tucked the small cloth pouch inside his clothes, then covered it with a relatively loose robe.
"Wait for me at home. Don't go out before I get back."
"All right, big brother." Little Xi nodded solemnly. She felt that her brother was a little different today.
The sound of the door being bolted came from behind him. Chen Tie drew a deep breath and carefully left the alley.
Thugs were everywhere at the alley's entrances, their eyes roving as though searching for suitable targets.
Chen Tie avoided them and soon disappeared into the vast crowds on the street.
In this world, those at the bottom could not afford to reveal even a trace of wealth. Their lives might be in danger the very next moment.
He crossed the street and passed over two bridges. Impoverished farmers selling vegetables from stalls were everywhere. Their greens looked poor, some even a little wilted.
Since their prices were lower than those at the vegetable market, quite a few people stopped to haggle.
Occasionally, horse-drawn carriages passed by, their curtains made of silk. Now and then, laughter drifted out, as though from another world.
Chen Tie caught a fleeting glimpse of the young masters and ladies inside. Their bearing was extraordinary.
Looking back down at his own ragged hemp clothes, he could not help feeling ashamed of his shabbiness.
Chen Tie finally stopped before the entrance to a large courtyard. Two stone tigers stood at the gate, one still and one poised in motion, both imposing.
Four large characters were written on the signboard: Fierce Tiger Martial Hall.
Few pedestrians passed nearby. The rhythmic sounds of punches and kicks cutting through the air came from within the courtyard.
Chen Tie took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the gate three times.
Knock, knock, knock!
Before long, the dark red gate opened a crack.
A burly figure appeared behind it.
"Who goes there?"
"I've come to take a master and learn martial arts," Chen Tie said.
The gate opened a little wider, revealing an honest-looking man with a square face.
"Have you brought the full fifty taels of silver?"
"Yes."
"Follow me."
Chen Tie stepped through the gate and followed the square-faced man around the screen wall.
More than twenty men were throwing punches nonstop in the outer courtyard. Most were powerfully built.
This matched the rumors he had heard. The Fierce Tiger Martial Hall lived up to its name, with most of its disciples burly and muscular.
Chen Tie privately guessed that its hall master must have an even more impressive build.
Yet after entering the inner courtyard, he saw a skeletal, white-haired old man barely 1.6 meters tall in the main hall, feeding a bird out of sheer boredom.
Chen Tie muttered inwardly, Could this old man actually be the hall master?
"Where's the money?" the old man asked without turning around.
"Hall Master Mo, it's all here." Chen Tie took the little cloth pouch from inside his clothes and offered it up. The square-faced man beside him accepted it and gave a slight nod.
"Since you have enough money, you may study martial arts at my hall for three months. All three meals a day are included during that time. Whether you succeed will depend on your own fortune."
"Where do you live?" Mo Hong still did not look up.
"Hall Master, I live in a little alley off Yellow Earth Street."
There were many little alleys along the street, most without names. They were largely home to displaced people at the bottom of society.
"Then your status is that of a displaced person. That area is closer to the White Crane Martial Arts Hall. Why come here?" Mo Hong asked in surprise.
"The Fierce Tiger Martial Hall has an excellent reputation, so I walked a little farther to study here," Chen Tie said calmly.
"Good!" Hearing this, Mo Hong turned around and could not help smiling.
"Do you have any other questions?"
This was merely a courtesy. Newly arrived disciples generally did not ask anything.
"May I ask, hall master, why is this place called the Fierce Tiger Boxing Hall?"
Mo Hong raised his head slightly and set down the birdcage in his hand.
"Boxing arts named after animals generally fall into two categories. One imitates the animal's form and movements. The other borrows its name, capturing its spirit or symbolism, though the moves themselves may not have anything to do with the animal."
"But taking only one of the two does not qualify as a superior art. Our Fierce Tiger Martial Hall combines both. You'll gradually come to appreciate this."
Mo Hong waved a hand, signaling for him to withdraw.
"You need only remember: when you punch, keep a fierce tiger in your heart."
After some conversation, he learned that the square-faced man was named Shen Yan and was the outer courtyard's second senior brother.
"In the outer courtyard, we all address the hall master as Elder Mo. If you manage to enter the inner courtyard, you can change that to Master Mo..."
Shen Yan explained the martial hall's circumstances to Chen Tie in an unending stream.
He led Chen Tie to the storeroom to collect two sets of clothes: a short outfit for training and a martial hall robe to wear outside.
Both sets had a fierce tiger's head embroidered on the right breast.
When the two returned to the outer courtyard, Elder Mo had already been waiting beneath a tree for quite some time.
He, too, had changed into a short training outfit. There was a sharpness about his brow, a striking contrast to the leisurely old man from earlier.
"Before practicing martial arts, you must understand what martial arts are," Elder Mo asked solemnly. "What are martial arts in your mind?"
Chen Tie raised his brows. I know this routine.
He had heard a little about this in his previous life, so he immediately assumed a profound air and said,
"Martial arts are techniques for killing!"
Smack!
At some point, a willow switch had appeared in Mo Hong's hand. He lashed Chen Tie across the calf.
Chen Tie cried out in pain.
After all, his identity was that of a fifteen-year-old boy. Would it not be far too jarring if he acted mature, composed, and deeply calculating?
Elder Mo scolded him with a smile.
"You little rascal, so young, yet already talking about killing at the drop of a hat."
"In my view, killing through martial arts is merely an outcome, not the ultimate purpose."
"What are martial arts? Ordinary martial men think of them as punches, kicks, and fighting with weapons. Those are merely the surface."
"The martial can end conflict, strengthen the body, and protect a region; the art is the great path of guiding your own Qi and blood, tempering the flesh, and even condensing force."
"The human body can possess limitless potential. Martial arts are the means of unearthing that source. Every move and stance serves not only to knock down your opponent, but also to hone your sinews and bones, temper your Qi and blood, and transform the strength of flesh and blood into force you can release and withdraw at will."
Chen Tie's eyes widened at this. He thought that this world's martial path might differ from his understanding.
Mo Hong paused, then said slowly, "In these troubled times, calling them killing techniques isn't unreasonable either. At the very least, you can protect yourself first."
"The first step in learning martial arts is stance training and circulating Qi, followed by tempering the sinews and bones. Both are meant to strengthen your blood Qi and improve your body's toughness. Without a capable body, everything comes to nothing!"
"I'll demonstrate once. Follow along."
Mo Hong removed his shoes and spread his feet wider than shoulder-width, his toes gripping the ground slightly like tiger claws digging into soil.
He bent his knees into a squat, keeping them behind his toes and sitting his hips slightly back, like a fierce tiger lowering its body.
He raised both arms in front of him, his palms loosely cupped and all five fingers spread and curled like tiger claws.
"This is the Fierce Tiger Stance Art. It imitates a fierce tiger lying in wait to pounce. It isn't about baring your fangs and brandishing your claws, but sinking your body and gathering force, guiding Qi and blood down into your dantian and channeling them into your legs, waist, and spine..."
"Follow along. Shen Yan, guide Chen Tie through the movements."
Chen Tie immediately imitated Mo Hong's movements. The moment he bent his knees into a squat, his thighs began trembling and his knees started to ache.
"That's wrong. Remember to draw in your abdomen and coordinate your breathing..."
Shen Yan kept correcting Chen Tie's movements.
Although he got the movements right, Chen Tie soon gave out. The Fierce Tiger Stance Art looked easy, but it was anything but simple.
"Elder Mo, the Fierce Tiger Stance Art nurtures Qi and blood. What happens once they reach their peak?"
Mo Hong continued explaining, "Then you must break through and enter the first stage of martial training: skin refining. Your skin becomes tough and resilient, able to withstand blows, and ordinary weapons will struggle to pierce your body's surface. Your Qi and blood increase greatly and give rise to force, taking your strength to a new level. Practicing the Fierce Tiger Stance Art to perfection allows you to break through three realms: skin refining, flesh refining, and bone forging."
"But peril and risk coexist. Every successful breakthrough naturally brings an increase in strength. If you fail, however, the Qi and blood you have accumulated will be severely depleted, your body and meridians will be injured, and your next breakthrough will become harder. Those who suffer serious injuries may even be unable to break through again."
Hearing this, Chen Tie immediately understood. The first hurdle during his three months of martial training was skin refining. If he failed, he would have to leave the martial hall.
"All right, don't think too far ahead. You need to advance step by step."
"As for strength training, Shen Yan, you can teach him."
With that, Mo Hong left without looking back.
"Junior brother, strength training is relatively simple. Just lift the weights over there according to your strength."
Following the direction of Shen Yan's finger, Chen Tie saw a large number of stone locks and massive logs neatly arranged by weight along one side of the courtyard.
Shen Yan demonstrated personally, planting his feet and lifting a stone lock or massive log in a steady rhythm coordinated with his breathing.
Chen Tie copied him and trained without stopping.
By noon, his arms and legs were already weak with exhaustion. Some people had begun gathering at the dining hall on one side of the courtyard.
Chen Tie approached and saw that everyone could collect two large griddle flatbreads to fill their stomachs.
Chen Tie collected his share and sat down to eat, only to suddenly catch a peculiar fragrance that seemed familiar.
Turning his head, he saw other disciples nearby taking out food they had brought and digging in.
"Martial training takes a lot out of you. Your body won't keep up if you rely solely on the martial hall's meals. Starting tomorrow, you'd best bring some food yourself."
Shen Yan also took out his own food. It was actually several pieces of dried meat.
He casually placed one of the pieces on Chen Tie's flatbread.
"Senior brother, I can't accept this!"
Shen Yan patted his shoulder and said, "It's nothing. Just treat me to a meal sometime."
"Thank you, senior brother!"
Chen Tie bit into the flatbread with dried meat. The chewy meat seemed like a heavenly delicacy, and some of his exhaustion immediately faded.
It seemed this body, too, had not tasted meat in a long time. Even his strength seemed to recover somewhat.
After resting briefly at noon, the outer courtyard disciples returned to continue training. Chen Tie looked around and found that most of those studying martial arts here were poor disciples.
They studied martial arts merely to find a livelihood in these troubled times and secure a place for themselves in the world.
Everyone was especially earnest. Chen Tie practiced over and over as well. His training clothes grew wet, dried, then grew wet again, until a layer of white crystals formed on their surface.
Toward evening, the mist-shrouded text in Chen Tie's mind changed.
[Fierce Tiger Stance Art: beginner (1/100)]
Chen Tie's expression changed. The stone lock in his hands suddenly fell to the ground, and he toppled backward, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
I finally fucking did it!