A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

"Innate talent is one aspect," Master Jueyuan said. "On the other hand—your grandfather's genes are in you. Bloodline is sometimes more effective than martial arts training."

He stood up and walked behind Chen Che.

"Next, I will use my internal energy to guide the flow of qi for you. Remember the path the qi takes, and practice it every day from now on."

A hand pressed against Chen Che's back. The hand was thin, but the palm was burning hot, like a scorching stone.

A surge of heat flowed into his back and slowly descended along his spine. Chen Che closed his eyes, focusing intently on feeling every path the heat traveled—it was like a stream, meandering through his body, causing a slight swelling wherever it passed, as if being stretched open by something.

The heat flow reached the dantian and stopped.

"Remember this location," Master Jueyuan's voice came from behind. "This is the root of all your internal energy. From now on, with every breath, you must guide your energy here."

Then, the heat started moving again. This time it split into two streams: one went up, along both sides of the spine to the back of the head; the other went down, through the thighs, knees, and calves, all the way to the soles of the feet.

"What's this called?" Chen Che asked.

"Small Heavenly Circuit." Master Jueyuan withdrew his palm. "The first step of the Yi Jin Jing is to open the Ren and Du meridians, allowing internal energy to circulate within the body. You've only gone through it once with me; you're still far from truly 'opening' it. For the next three months, all you need to do every day is this—guide the Qi, circulate the Qi, and return it to its origin. Six hours a day, without interruption."

Six hours. Twelve hours.

Chen Che gritted his teeth: "Okay."

Master Jueyuan looked at him with an indescribable look in his eyes—it seemed like relief, but also like some deeper worry.

"That's all for today," he said. "We'll start formal training tomorrow. When you get back, take a hot bath to neutralize the effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill you took today. You'll have a fever tonight, don't be afraid, that's the medicine helping to open up your meridians. Drink plenty of hot water, and you'll get through it."

Chen Che stood up, his knees feeling a little weak. He steadied himself by holding onto the stone platform, when suddenly he remembered something.

"Master Jueyuan, you just said... this process is very difficult. Did my grandfather endure it back then?"

Master Jueyuan was about to turn and leave when he heard these words and paused.

He didn't turn around.

"We made it through," he said softly, "but..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but turned and slipped into a crack in the rock wall, leaving Chen Che alone in the valley.

Chen Che stood there blankly for a while, then looked up at the sliver of sky above. It was already broad daylight, and sunlight streamed in through the crack, casting a thin golden line on the bluestone platform.

He took a deep breath, bent down to pick up the handwritten copy from the stone platform, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

When he stepped out of the crevice, he saw Master Jueyuan standing under a pine tree not far away, with his back to him, seemingly lost in thought.

"Master Jueyuan," Chen Che walked over, "I have another question."

"ask."

"You said yesterday that my grandfather came to Shaolin and learned the Yi Jin Jing. So why didn't he continue?"

Master Jueyuan remained silent for a long time. The frost on the pine branches melted in the sunlight, falling drop by drop onto the withered leaves on the ground with a soft, rustling sound.

"We'll talk about this after you've mastered the technique," he finally said.

He turned around and walked towards the temple. Chen Che noticed that he was walking with a slight limp in his left leg, unsure whether it was an old injury or something he had recently suffered.

Back in his meditation room, Chen Che boiled a kettle of water, borrowed a wooden tub from a young monk, and soaked in the bath for most of the hour. He kept adding hot water as it cooled, repeating this process several times. After soaking, he felt incredibly light, as if something deep within his bones had been softened by the bath.

That night, I did indeed develop a fever.

It wasn't the kind of heat you get from a regular fever; it was a heat that seemed to seep into your very bones. He felt like he was being roasted over a fire, his blankets soaked through and then drying, then soaking again. He gritted his teeth and didn't cry out, just kept drinking pot after pot of cold water.

The fever subsided by daybreak.

Chen Che sat up in bed, feeling full of energy, as if he had a new body. He tried to move his fingers, and his joints made a slight cracking sound, but the sound was different from before—it used to be a stiff, crisp sound, but now it was a lively, clear sound.

He pushed open the door; the morning mist had not yet dissipated. Master Jueyuan was already standing in the courtyard.

"Do you have a fever?"

"It's been sent."

"Did you make it through?"

"We made it through."

Master Jueyuan nodded without saying anything, then turned and walked towards the back mountain. Chen Che followed, his steps much lighter than yesterday.

The valley remained unchanged, a thin layer of frost covering the bluestone platform. Master Jueyuan sat down beside the platform and gestured for Chen Che to sit opposite him.

"Today," he said, "I will teach you the first movement of the Yi Jin Jing—Wei Tuo Offering the Pestle."

He sat upright on the futon, his body ramrod straight, like a pine tree firmly rooted to the ground, even though one of his hands was still draped with a cloth strap.

"The Yi Jin Jing has twelve forms, each corresponding to a meridian. You don't need to learn them all, but the first four are the foundation and must be practiced diligently. The first form trains the Lung Meridian of Hand-Taiyin, which governs respiration. The second form trains the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming, which governs the pathways of Qi and blood. The third form..."

He continued speaking, his voice unhurried and gentle, like a mountain stream flowing continuously. Chen Che listened attentively, memorizing every word.

"Now, follow my instructions."

Master Jueyuan slowly raised his uninjured hand, palm up, and stopped it in front of his chest.

Chen Che did as instructed.

"Inhale."

He inhaled.

"Imagine the energy rising from the soles of your feet, running along your legs, waist, and back, all the way to the palms of your hands."

He tried to imagine it, but apart from feeling a slight soreness in his arm, he couldn't feel anything.

"No rush," Master Jueyuan said. "On the first day, it's enough to have the form. The intention and the energy can be coordinated later."

In the days that followed, Chen Che felt like he was living a second life.

Every day before dawn, he would get up and follow Master Jueyuan to the back valley to practice. In the morning, he would practice the first four forms of the Yi Jin Jing, over and over again, until every movement was etched into his bones. In the afternoon, he would go to the Sutra Repository to look through the manuscripts left by eminent monks of Shaolin throughout the ages, filling in the gaps in his knowledge of martial arts theories he had never encountered before—meridians, acupoints, and the circulation of qi and blood. These things were completely unfamiliar to him, but he had been sitting at his desk for more than ten years, and his forte was studying books.

Back in his meditation room that evening, he sat cross-legged and practiced the breathing techniques taught to him by Master Jueyuan. He would sit for several hours at a time, gradually improving from his initial legs going numb after sitting for only fifteen minutes to being able to sit still for an hour at a time.

On the seventh day, he felt "qi" for the first time while practicing.

It was a feeling that was hard to describe—not hot, not cold, but a sense of "fullness." It was like a riverbed that had been dry for a long time, finally having water flowing in. The energy started from the dantian, slowly moving up the spine, and got stuck at the shoulder blades, as if something was blocking the way.

He went to find Master Jueyuan.