Breaking Limits in Martial Arts: Grinding Your Way to Becoming a Martial Saint in a Chaotic Era

Xu Qing did not go straight home after killing the person.

He went around to the river bend downstream from the dock, dipped the fish-killing knife into the water, and swung it back and forth to wash away the blood on the blade.

He then reached into the river to scrub his hands, carefully cleaning the blood and mud from under his fingernails.

His outer garment was splattered with blood, so he took it off, washed it clean in the river, wrung it out, and rolled it around his wrist.

After washing, he squatted by the river and went over the whole thing. He didn't do it until it was completely dark, he didn't encounter anyone on the road, and the three people in the house died cleanly and neatly, without attracting any outsiders.

The weapon was a fish-killing knife from a household; every family in Blackwater Bay had one, and they were everywhere.

There are no markings on the blade; once wiped clean, it's just an ordinary knife.

The blood on my clothes has been washed away. My outer garment is still wet, but it should be almost dry by tomorrow morning.

What was the motive for the murder?

Which fisherman in Blackwater Bay hasn't been bullied by Liu San and his gang?

There were no flaws.

No one would doubt him.

He stood up, tucked the knife back into his waistband, and turned to look in the direction of Liu Santu's house.

He recalled Liu San's dying words: "Your second uncle, your second aunt, your sister! None of them will escape."

That's not a threat, that's a fact.

As long as Liu San lives, Second Uncle will never have a peaceful life. Today he'll rob you of your money, tomorrow he'll kick you, and the day after tomorrow? The day after that? How many times can Second Uncle's body withstand that?

He has no regrets.

If he had to do it again, he would do the same thing.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, tightened the wet clothes around her wrist, and turned to walk towards home.

......

Xu Qing put the fish-killing knife back in its place and went into the house in the dark.

I took off my outer garment and lay down on the bed.

The blanket was a little damp and had a musty smell, but he felt at ease.

With his eyes closed, Liu San's distorted face flashed briefly in the darkness before disappearing again.

He turned over and fell asleep in no time.

I slept without any dreams.

"Ah Qing, get up and eat." Before dawn, Second Aunt's voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the crisp sound of a spatula hitting a wok.

Xu Qing opened her eyes, sat up, and stretched. She felt completely relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

He went outside and saw his second uncle sitting on a small stool by the kitchen door, drinking porridge from a bowl. His complexion was much better than yesterday; although still sallow, his eyes had brightened, he wasn't coughing as much, and his breathing was more even.

"Second Uncle, are you feeling better?" Xu Qing smiled.

Xu Erniu raised his head and smiled. His voice was still a little weak, but much stronger than yesterday: "I took the medicine and slept all night. My chest doesn't hurt as much anymore. I reckon I'll be fine after a couple more days of rest."

Auntie chimed in, "When he got up this morning, your second uncle said he wanted to try walking, so I helped him out. He didn't need a cane; he walked out by himself!"

Her voice carried a rare lightness, as if a stone had been lifted from the ground.

Breakfast was a thick, porridge-like consistency, and my second aunt also boiled an egg.

The egg rolled around on the edge of the bowl, and Auntie peeled it. It was white and tender, and she put it into Xu Qing's bowl.

Xu Qing stopped her and put the egg into Xiu'er's bowl.

The little girl was slurping down her porridge when she suddenly saw an egg fall into her bowl. She looked up, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "Brother, aren't you going to eat?"

"I eat meat every day at the martial arts school, I don't care for this." Xu Qing gently pinched her little nose. "You eat it, it'll help you grow taller."

Xiuer exclaimed "Hey!" and took small bites of the egg, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster.

After finishing the meal, Xu Qing helped her second aunt clear away the dishes and stood in the yard for a while.

My second uncle leaned back in the chair in the main room, squinting, as if he were dozing off, or as if he was thinking about something.

Xu Qing walked over and squatted down in front of him.

"Second Uncle," he called out.

Xu Erniu opened his eyes and looked at him.

"The doctor said that even after taking the medicine, you'll need to rest for another seven or eight days. You should wait until your injury is completely healed before going fishing." Xu Qing's voice wasn't loud, but it was very serious. "Otherwise, if it gets worse, the money will have been wasted."

Xu Erniu opened his mouth, wanting to say that the family couldn't stop earning money, that the three of them needed to eat and drink, that Xu Qing needed money to practice martial arts, and that money was needed everywhere. But looking into Xu Qing's eyes, those words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them.

Xu Qing took out three taels of silver from his pocket and stuffed it into Xu Erniu's hand.

Xu Erniu looked down and was stunned.

The silver felt heavy in my palm, its silvery light dazzling.

He looked up, his eyes wide: "Ah Qing, where...where did this come from?"

"It was given to me by my martial arts master," Xu Qing smiled. "My training progressed quickly, and my master was pleased, so he rewarded me."

Xu Qing spoke so naturally, as if it were true.

"The martial arts school is paying you back?" Auntie peeked out from the kitchen, holding a rag in her hand, her face full of disbelief.

"Here you go." Xu Qing nodded. "My master said that the martial arts school will cover all my meat and medicine for training, so my family won't have to spend a single penny. This money is an extra reward for me to help with household expenses."

"But Master told me to keep the money a secret, otherwise if my fellow students at the martial arts school find out, they'll say Master is biased." Xu Qing looked at his second uncle and aunt and said seriously, "Uncle, Aunt, you can't tell anyone about this."

The two nodded emphatically, and without Xu Qing's instruction, they dared not speak.

These days, you can't flaunt your wealth; so many eyes are watching.

Xu Qing paused, looked into Xu Erniu's eyes, and said, word by word, "Second Uncle, you don't need to work so hard anymore. I'll take care of things from now on."

Xu Erniu's hands began to tremble.

He lowered his head and stared at the three taels of silver in his palm for a long time.

When I looked up again, my eyes were red.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat, preventing him from uttering a single word.

My second aunt also turned her back, covered her face with her apron, and her shoulders were trembling.

"Good, good..." Xu Erniu wiped his eyes with his sleeve, finally managing to squeeze out two words, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows, "Aqing has made something of herself... made something of herself..."

Xu Qing stood up, feeling a mix of sadness and warmth in her heart.

He looked up at the sky. It was broad daylight; time to head back to the martial arts school.

"Uncle, Aunt, I'm leaving now. I'll come back to see you next time I have a day off."

"Oh, oh." Second Aunt quickly wiped her eyes and packed a few grain cakes for him from the kitchen. "Eat these on the way, don't go hungry."

Xiu'er ran over, hugged his leg, and looked up at him with her little face, saying, "Brother, when will you come back?"

"Soon." Xu Qing patted her head. "Be good, stay home and behave."

Xiuer nodded vigorously.

Xu Qing walked out of the courtyard gate and looked back once.

Uncle stood there waving at him, Aunt's eyes were red, and Xiu'er grinned at him.

The sun peeked out, and its rays shone warmly on the courtyard.

He turned around and strode towards the county town.

By the time we arrived at the martial arts school, the sun was already high in the sky.

On the training ground, the fellow disciples from the outer academy gathered together.

Master Zhao Yan is teaching stance training.

Xu Qing silently approached and stood at the back of the crowd.

"...If you practice martial arts but don't practice internal strength, you'll end up with nothing in your old age. 'Internal strength' refers to stance training."

Zhao Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

He walked to the center of the training ground, stood with his feet neither too far apart nor too far apart, and without exerting any force, he was like an old pine tree, rooted in the ground, not moving an inch.

"Standing exercises toughen the muscles and bones, and refine the qi and blood. If the muscles and bones are not toughened, one cannot form a proper stance. If the qi and blood are not refined, one cannot generate power."

"When you're practicing standing meditation, if you feel sore legs, back pain, or trembling all over, that's not suffering. It's your muscles and bones stretching and your blood and qi flowing. If you can endure it, you'll improve your skills. If you can't, you've wasted your time practicing."

He put down the stake and stood with his hands behind his back.

"There are three stages in martial arts training: Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (transformative strength). These three stages correspond to the minor, major, and perfect levels of stance training. Without proper stance training, strength cannot be developed. Once stance training is mastered, strength will naturally follow."

"After you've mastered the basics and your stance is stable, you should start to sense the flow of Qi and blood. When you're practicing standing meditation, do you feel warmth in your lower abdomen, swelling in your fingers, or something crawling on your back?"

The disciples nodded repeatedly.

"That is Qi and blood." His voice deepened. "Qi and blood are not something ethereal or intangible; they flow through your meridians and move through your flesh and blood."

"When practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), focus your mind on the Dantian (lower abdomen) and breathe into your abdomen. Your Qi and blood will gradually gather. At first, it's scattered; you might feel a heat here or a throbbing there, and you can't quite grasp it. But after standing for a while, you can feel it flowing through your body like water."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Being able to sense the Qi and blood is only the beginning of stance training. Being able to control the Qi and blood, making it gather or disperse at will, is considered a minor achievement. At that point, with abundant Qi and blood and strong muscles and bones, a punch will no longer be brute force, but manifest strength."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's heart stirred slightly.

He recalled the heat surging through his body when he practiced standing meditation; that was his Qi and blood.