As father and son talked, they arrived at the county yamen gates.
The constables' office and the prison lay in different directions, so the two parted at the gate.
Following his memories, Wu Shuangren made his way to the courtyard outside the constables' office.
He had barely entered the courtyard when a crowd gathered around him.
"Little Brother Wu is here!"
"Little Brother Wu, I heard you captured a bandit alive last night?"
"I never knew you were so formidable, Little Brother Wu."
"..."
Everyone chimed in at once.
Bo County had only fifteen official constables, but there were more than fifteen people in the courtyard. The rest were unpaid auxiliaries attached to the constables' office, bearing the name of constable but effectively working as "outsourced personnel."
Not only was Wu Shuangren an official constable, but his father was also the prison warden, and Liao Yu, the chief constable, treated him like his own son.
No one in the constables' office could match a background like that.
So everyone was usually polite to him. Even though he was the youngest, they all called him Little Brother Wu.
Everyone was surprised when Wu Shuangren took the initiative to chat with them.
In the past, Little Brother Wu had been aloof and rarely willing to give anyone the time of day.
Now that Wu Shuangren had taken the initiative to drop his airs, he soon mingled with everyone amid their flattery.
There was work to do at the constables' office every day, but it was mostly left to the unpaid auxiliaries, leaving the official constables with little to do.
Wu Shuangren spent the entire morning chatting with everyone.
He succeeded in finding out what he wanted to know-
Who was the most skilled martial artist in Bo County?
Since Wu Dongrong was unwilling to teach him martial arts, he could simply find someone else.
The name mentioned most often was Bai Jinhuan, the Mo Family's chief guard. Bai Jinhuan had once taken the military examinations and been ranked fourth grade, but had gotten no further than the provincial examination. The Mo Family had paid a hefty sum to bring Bai Jinhuan in to guard their estate.
Next was Xu Jing, Bo County's military commandant, who oversaw military affairs throughout the county and was Liao Yu's direct superior.
Commandant Xu was also said to be highly skilled, though no one had seen him fight in person.
One last person was mentioned: Mo Zhengshang, commander of Bo County's militia.
Two of the three belonged to the Mo Family, and Wu Shuangren had no connections that would let him persuade either of them to teach him martial arts.
Xu Jing was Liao Yu's direct superior and the fourth-ranking official in the county. He was even less likely to give Wu Shuangren martial instruction.
Wu Shuangren had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and ask about capable people he could actually approach.
In the end, he found two: Liao Yu, the chief constable, and Hou Huai, a veteran constable at the office.
Without hesitation, Wu Shuangren went straight to the latter.
Hou Huai was an unremarkable-looking older man with a weathered face. He sat alone in a corner of the courtyard, quietly lost in thought, taking no part in the conversation.
He was already forty-eight, the oldest person in the constables' office, and had served as a constable in Bo County for nearly twenty years.
When Wu Shuangren's predecessor first took the job, Liao Yu had mentioned Hou Huai to him, saying that he was the most capable constable in the office.
And while asking around just now, Wu Shuangren had keenly noticed that the other constables had a poor opinion of Hou Huai. Even though they acknowledged his considerable ability, they did not like him.
"Uncle Hou."
Wu Shuangren found Hou Huai and greeted him politely.
Hou Huai looked at Wu Shuangren in surprise and rose from the ground, forcing a smile. "Little Brother Wu, what can I do for you?"
Wu Shuangren had assumed the other constables disliked Hou Huai because he was difficult to get along with.
But now, he seemed rather easy to talk to?
"I ran into bandits last night and nearly lost my life, so I want to learn some martial arts. Would you be willing to teach me, Uncle Hou?"
Wu Shuangren got straight to the point.
Hou Huai's eyes widened. "Little Brother Wu, you want me to teach you martial arts?"
Wu Shuangren nodded. "I heard Chief Constable Liao mention that your skills are among the very best in the entire office, Uncle Hou."
Hou Huai glanced around instinctively and waved his hands repeatedly. "Chief Constable Liao was too kind. What skills could an old fellow like me have? If you want to learn martial arts, Little Brother Wu, you can ask Chief Constable Liao to teach you himself. His skills far surpass mine."
Wu Shuangren said, "You can never have too many skills. If you're willing to teach me, Uncle Hou, I'll pay you one string of cash a month in tuition."
One string of cash was a thousand copper coins, roughly equivalent to one tael of silver.
A dou of rice cost eight copper coins in Bo County. One string of cash could buy over a hundred dou of rice, enough to feed an adult man for more than a year.
The Wu Dynasty's county seats were divided into seven grades: chi, ji, wang, jin, upper, middle, and lower. Bo County had more than three thousand households and was a wang-grade county.
Yet even in such a large county, an official constable's annual wages came to only three strings of cash.
And after deductions at every level, they never received the full amount.
At one string of cash a month, the tuition Wu Shuangren was offering was truly no small sum.
To learn martial arts, he had no choice but to be generous.
Hou Huai's expression changed several times. In the end, he smiled and waved a hand. "Since you think so highly of me, Little Brother Wu, I'll teach you. There's no need to pay."
But Wu Shuangren said solemnly, "Your martial arts aren't worth so little, Uncle Hou. I must pay you. If you won't accept it, you must think I'm offering too little."
Having studied combat sports, Wu Shuangren understood all too well how great the difference was between free and paid instruction.
That was why he insisted on paying!
Hou Huai was somewhat moved. He looked at Wu Shuangren in surprise.
Was the person who had said all that really the same Little Brother Wu who used to be unwilling to give anyone the time of day?
"All right, I'll do my utmost to teach you!"
Hou Huai cupped his hands to Wu Shuangren, a solemn expression appearing on his face for the first time.
Wu Shuangren smiled and returned the salute.
He had finally found a "coach."
"But there are a few things I should say beforehand."
Hou Huai said seriously, "It's best to start practicing martial arts in childhood. You've already missed the best age, Little Brother Wu. You can't practice my Internal Skill, so I can only teach you saber techniques."
6 Internal Skill
"Uncle Hou, what is an Internal Skill?"
Wu Shuangren caught the key term.
Hou Huai took a step back and raised his right hand, palm facing Wu Shuangren. "Punch me with all your strength. Remember, all your strength."
Without hesitation, Wu Shuangren assumed a boxing stance. He drove off the ground with his right foot, twisted his waist and hips, and extended his back.
Force "flowed" through his shoulder, elbow, and wrist in turn, reaching the end of his limb. He brought all his strength together and drove a straight punch into Hou Huai's palm.
Smack!
Hou Huai was somewhat surprised. Wu Shuangren's punch had been much stronger than he had expected.
"Did you use all your strength?"
Hou Huai asked.
On his honor as a champion, Wu Shuangren nodded confidently. "Just about."
The way he had generated force in that punch was called integrated force in traditional martial arts and the kinetic chain in modern combat sports.
This body had not undergone long-term training in generating force. Even though his technique had been sound, he had not managed to execute it perfectly.
But even if he had not drawn on the strength of his whole body, he had used at least eighty percent.
Hou Huai lowered his hand. "Little Brother Wu, if all your strength amounts to ten, that punch used no more than three."
"How is that possible?"
Wu Shuangren instinctively objected.
Hou Huai smiled. "Actually, you generated force quite well with that punch, Little Brother Wu, but you only used your external form, not your internal 'force.'"
"Is that internal force an Internal Skill?"
"It's part of an Internal Skill."
Hou Huai explained patiently, "A person's strength can be divided into three kinds. Besides the strength that comes from the external body, there's the power of Qi and blood and Mental Power.
"The three treasures of the human body are essence, Qi, and spirit. When essence and Qi unite, they form the power of Qi and blood.
"Mental Power, the last of the three, sounds profoundly mysterious, but think about it, Little Brother Wu. With the same motion, would a punch thrown when you're calm have the same force as one thrown when you're extremely excited or angry?"
Wu Shuangren fell into thought. Wasn't that just adrenaline and the like?
Did this so-called Mental Power mean being able to control one's own hormone secretion and give oneself a stimulant?
The Internal Skills of this world sounded rather "scientific."
Hou Huai continued, "Essence unites with Qi, and Qi unites with spirit. Combined with the strength of the external body, they form an entirely new way of generating force and gradually transform the human body. That's an Internal Skill."
Wu Shuangren more or less understood-
An Internal Skill combined three kinds of strength into one: the strength of muscles, sinews, and bones, the power of Qi and blood, and Mental Power.
"Then why can't I learn your Internal Skill?"
Wu Shuangren asked.
Hou Huai said, "You have to start practicing an Internal Skill before your body is fully grown. At that time, your body hasn't taken its final form; it's like a blank sheet of paper. Only then can you slowly change your body, Qi and blood, and Mental Power to form an entirely new way of generating force. If you wait until adulthood to learn, it's very difficult to change your body."
"..."
Wu Shuangren fell silent.
Unwilling to give up, he asked, "Aren't there any Internal Skills for adults to learn?"
Hou Huai said, "Of course there are. In fact, that's the kind most martial artists practice. But such Internal Skills have a hidden danger: practice them long enough and they'll harm your body! Besides, the limit of what you can achieve with them isn't very high."
So that was another reason Wu Dongrong had refused to teach him martial arts.
After reaching adulthood, the body had already taken its final form and was difficult to "reshape." Even if one practiced an Internal Skill, the limit would not be high, and it was easy to harm the body.
Wu Shuangren felt great regret.
It seemed he would never master peerless martial arts. Fortunately, he still had his traits.
"Then please teach me saber techniques, Uncle Hou."
Wu Shuangren cupped his hands to Hou Huai.
Hou Huai said, "There are too many people here. Let's go to the rear courtyard."
Wu Shuangren then followed him to the rear courtyard of the constables' office.
It was a place where all sorts of odds and ends were stored. The two of them set to work clearing a space.
"You've practiced unarmed fighting before, haven't you, Little Brother Wu?"
Hou Huai asked.
Wu Shuangren nodded.
Hou Huai said, "You already have some foundation and know how to generate force, so we don't need to start with the basics. I'll teach you how to use a saber in actual combat."
As he spoke, he found two wooden sabers among the clutter nearby and handed one to Wu Shuangren.
"First, attack me with all your strength. Don't worry about hurting me."
"All right."
Wu Shuangren didn't hold back. Gripping the saber in one hand, he stepped forward and chopped down.
Hou Huai turned sideways to dodge. Wu Shuangren immediately twisted his wrist, turned his waist, and swung his arm, changing the chop into a horizontal sweep.