Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

It was the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the evening.

On the snow-covered slope behind Xiqiao Village, Cang Tianci stood alone in the sunset, gazing at the distant mountains bathed in golden light. The Hidden Dragon Technique flowed naturally within his body, and the light of his Heart Lamp burned steadily in his sea of ​​consciousness.

The bloodshed of last night's gunshots and the weight of this morning's family secrets—these intensely conflicting emotions settled and merged deep within his dantian, transforming into a more solid foundation for his path of seeking enlightenment.

He understood that his "path" did not lie in becoming a hero, but in seeing through all the weight and shadows of the world and still holding onto the light of his heart, illuminating the path he had chosen step by step.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Cang Tianci didn't turn around; he knew it was his elder brother.

Cang Lifeng walked to his younger brother's side and stood beside him, looking in the same direction.

"Tianci, are you scared about what happened last night?" Cang Lifeng asked.

"I was scared. My hands still tremble a little when I think about it now," Tianci said honestly. "But I didn't think that much at the time. It was Grandpa's thing, something Great-Grandpa risked his life for. I couldn't watch it be taken away."

Cang Lifeng looked at his younger brother's calm profile, a complex light flashing in his eyes—pride, heartache, and deep relief.

"You've grown up. You've grown up faster than your older brother imagined."

The two brothers remained silent for a moment. Cang Tianci looked towards Eagle Cliff and suddenly said, "Brother, I want to go to Eagle Cliff tomorrow morning."

Cang Lifeng was slightly taken aback.

"Although my master taught me for a short time, he gave me the strength to be reborn and the ability to make a living. I've encountered so many things since I came back, and I want to show my master that his disciple has not let him down." Tianci's voice was calm, but it carried a certainty beyond his years.

Cang Lifeng was touched by his younger brother's words.

Yes, Master Chen Jiren's kindness to the Cang family goes far beyond this. Not only was it a gift from heaven, but also the father's serious illness, Xiaohua's leg ailment, and even the life he himself had saved at the bank... The fate of two generations of the Cang family was completely changed because of that old man on the cliff.

Every time the night is still and quiet, the gunshot wound below his left scapula throbs with pain—it is the extraordinary perception brought about by the self-circulation of the Hidden Dragon Breathing Technique that allowed him to seize the deadly opportunity at the bank in the nick of time. His body was slightly off-center in the impossible situation, and the bullet ultimately only pierced through his scapula instead of his heart.

This life-saving grace, along with the many other kindnesses shown to him in treating his father, curing Xiaohua, and enlightening Tianci, surged into his heart in layers.

"You're right." Cang Lifeng nodded emphatically. "It's time to pay our respects to our master. Tomorrow morning, we'll go together—me, you, and Xiangyang. We'll prepare generous gifts, and the three of us brothers will go up the mountain together."

---

It was the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, early morning.

After the snow cleared, the crisp air was refreshing. Canglifeng, along with Xiangyang and Tianci, prepared carefully chosen New Year's gifts and once again trudged through the snow-covered cliffs toward Eagle Cliff, which seemed to transcend the mortal world.

Pushing open that familiar wooden door, Chen Jiren was sitting cross-legged in front of the clay stove, the earthenware pot on the stove making a "bubbling" sound, and the rising steam blurred his thin face.

Seeing the three brothers arrive together, he nodded slightly, his gaze first falling on Cang Lifeng: "You're back. The murderous aura around you has subsided, and the righteousness between your brows is even stronger. This ordeal is both a tribulation and a blessing for you. Very good."

Cang Lifeng was startled, thinking, "My master never leaves the house, how could he know about what happened in Nancheng?" But he didn't have time to think about it and quickly bowed, saying, "I will never forget your teachings, sir. I survived this ordeal entirely thanks to the Hidden Dragon Technique you taught me. Today, I have brought my brothers here to express my gratitude for your life-saving grace and the teachings you imparted."

Chen Jiren smiled and gestured for the three to sit on the prayer mats by the stove. He added charcoal to the stove and Tianci poured tea. The old man's gaze slowly swept over the three young and resolute faces, and finally, his warm and profound gaze, like an eternal pool, lingered quietly and for a long time on Cang Tianci's face.

In that gaze, there was relief, scrutiny, and resolve, and even a faint trace of lingering affection and relief that seemed to have traversed endless time, intertwining into a complex emotion that God could not fully comprehend, yet which made his heart clench suddenly.

This gaze filled Tianci with suspicion. Did his master know something? Tianci suddenly remembered that before the events at the foot of the mountain, he had dreamt many times of his master standing in the void, looking at him compassionately and saying, "The energy below the mountain is turbulent, and the turbid air is surging. Disciple must be careful!" At the time, he had only thought it was because he missed his master too much and hadn't thought much of it. Could it be that his master was warning him in his dreams? This was too miraculous. He couldn't believe it.

While Cang Tianci was still filled with doubt and surprise, Chen Jiren spoke again: "You have come at the right time today. This meeting will be the last karmic connection between you and me, master and disciple, in this mortal world."

Cang Tianci's hand holding the kettle suddenly froze, and the hot water almost splashed out. He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment, as if he had heard a thunderclap from nowhere.

Chen Jiren looked at him, his eyes clear as autumn water. He said slowly, "Foolish child, why be alarmed? My earthly ties are severed. In two months, I will pass away peacefully."

"Passed away peacefully...ascended to the Pure Land?" The three brothers exclaimed almost simultaneously.

Tianci vaguely sensed a great sense of foreboding, but he couldn't immediately grasp its full meaning. He could only anxiously ask, "Master, what do you mean by this?"

"It means exactly what it says. It means that my journey in this world is coming to an end, and I will have to leave. After this, I will no longer be able to teach you, nor will we ever meet again."

This crystal-clear explanation, like a cold chisel, not only instantly shattered all of Tianci's wishful thinking and ignorance, but also shocked Cang Lifeng and Cang Xiangyang. They opened their mouths, only to find that in the face of this life-or-death declaration, any words seemed pale and powerless.

The color drained from Tianci's face instantly. He crawled forward on his knees, gripping his master's robe sleeves tightly with both hands, and hissed, "Master, you...you can't leave! Your disciple...your disciple hasn't mastered the skills yet, your disciple still wants to serve you until the end. Aren't you a divine healer? You can definitely heal yourself! What medicine do you need? Tell me, and even if it's to the ends of the earth, your disciple will go and find it for you!"

"Nonsense," Chen Jiren interrupted softly. "My passing is not a calamity, but a sign of accomplishment. Like plants that endure the cold and heat, eventually flourishing and withering; like stars that revolve in the heavens, eventually returning to nothingness. This is the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, and also a sign of the completion of spiritual practice. You should rejoice, why grieve?"

Looking at Tianci's innocent face and the way he was trying so hard to suppress his grief, he thought, "He's still just a child. How can I expect him to understand that state of perfect goodness and perfection? I've been too attached to appearances."

Thinking of this, his tone softened: "Our master-disciple bond ends this month. This month is the last time I can give you. As for that final journey..." He shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the thatched hut and landing on the boundless snow-capped cliffs and clouds, "That is a path that can only be walked alone. There is no need to see me off, nor to worry about me."

"Remember," his voice was like an inscription, imprinted on Tianci's heart, "transform what I have taught you into your actions, and illuminate the human world you wish to protect. This is the best way to remember our encounter. If you cling to this final companionship in this physical form, you are attached to appearances, betraying the 'Tao,' and underestimating you."

With a slight flick of his sleeve, Chen Jiren gently pressed Tianci back onto the prayer mat.

"All things in this world, where there is gathering, there is also scattering. What we seek in the Way is to see through this gathering and scattering, birth and death, and to attain great freedom and great peace." He was silent for a moment, as if savoring the weight of these words, and then slowly said again: "Today, I want to tell you about my origins. Not for any other reason than to let you know where my Way originates and where it flows to."

---

He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming distant, his voice low and clear, as if unveiling a dusty ancient painting.

"I come from the Chenjitang family in Jiangnan, a family of doctors whose medical skills have been passed down through generations. During the War of Resistance against Japan, I worked in a field hospital in the rear, where I witnessed life and death and saved the wounded. Perhaps it was fate or destiny, but in the ruins of the Shanghai battlefield, I rescued an orphan. Seeing his intelligence, I felt pity for him, named him Nian'en, took him home, taught him everything I knew, and treated him as my own son."

At this moment, although his tone was calm, Tianci keenly observed that his master's fingertips, which were twisting the prayer beads, paused for a very slight moment, and a deep pain seemed to flash across the depths of his usually calm eyes.

This subtle change made Tianci's heart clench. He suddenly realized that what his master was about to uncover might be a scar that had never truly healed.

"But what I brought back was not someone to carry on the torch, but a venomous snake that intended to devour its master. On a stormy night in 1949, I went out to treat patients, and when I returned... I saw... my wife and children lying in a pool of blood."

He paused for a moment, and the thatched hut was so quiet that the faint crackling of the charcoal fire could be heard, as if mourning the tragedy.

"I suppressed my grief and examined it carefully. Just as I was trying to close my wife's eyes, which she could not close in death, I found her hands clenched tightly. I struggled to pry open her stiff fingers and found a dark resin button. The craftsmanship of the button was definitely not found in the Central Plains. The button gave off a very faint smell of the wound medicine that Nian'en usually prepared."

Almost the instant I recognized the scent, my ears twitched, and I heard several faint whooshing sounds amidst the wind and rain outside. I jerked to the side, and several black shuriken pierced the pillar behind me with a 'thud.' Several dark figures entered through the window like ghosts. Their figures, footwork, and even the rhythm of their breathing made me instantly realize that these were Japanese ninjas. Relying on my keen sense of qi through the 'Dragon's Lair Technique,' I fought them in my familiar home. Although I eventually repelled the enemies, I was also severely injured.

"After escaping danger, I combined the button with the ninja attack and carefully recalled Nian'en's daily words and deeds. A terrible conclusion emerged - Chen Nian'en is no ordinary orphan. He is likely a spy carefully arranged by the enemy country, who infiltrated my side with the intention of stealing the essence of my Chen family's medicine and ultimately severing my lineage."

"Later, after several old friends who worked in special departments risked their lives to investigate, my suspicions were confirmed. By then, he had changed his name and become the director of a provincial hospital. However, I did not go to see him. To me, from the moment he committed his crimes, he was already a 'dead man.' To see him again, to say another word, would be a defilement for me. My revenge was not about letting him know my hatred, but about letting his sins get the end he deserved."

"I delivered all the evidence, along with the details of the organization behind him, to the relevant personnel through reliable channels. Soon after, he was exposed and disgraced in the ensuing internal strife, eventually dying in prison. The organization behind him also suffered heavy losses as a result. All of this is simply a matter of karma, a consequence of one's own actions. I merely made this chain of cause and effect more clearly and quickly manifest to the world."

He looked at Cang Tianci, his gaze as deep as the starry sky: "Tianci, I'm telling you this not so that you may bear my hatred or continue my resentment. Rather, it's so that you may understand that medicine, martial arts, and indeed all the 'techniques' in the world are double-edged swords. The essence lies not in the skill's superiority or inferiority, but in the righteousness or wickedness of the wielder's heart. The path you will walk in the future is not only about strengthening yourself and protecting your family, but also about seeing clearly the deeply rooted 'ailments' in the hearts and minds of this world. Your 'quest to the Way' is not only about the principles of Heaven, but also about the complex 'principles' of human nature and the world."

"Because of this old case, my heart was clouded, and I felt that my foundation in the Way was flawed. So I exiled myself and wandered for half my life until I found this cliff. The danger, the cold, and the loneliness of this place are just like my state of mind at that time. Every winter I face the wall here, which is both a self-reflection and a way to protect a spark of undying light in the darkest hour, waiting for someone who can truly inherit my 'Way'."

His gaze finally locked onto Tianci, and he said earnestly:

"You are simple and honest, and you have remained steadfast in your beliefs despite hardships. You possess an indomitable spirit and a persistent thirst for knowledge. This is exactly the kind of character I seek in my path. Your presence in my life is not accidental, but inevitable."

Master's words shook Tianci to his core. The mysteries of the past suddenly cleared up—his master's years of perseverance were not to punish himself, but to find a worthy successor. He himself was the answer he had finally found.

"Master..." Tianci's voice choked with emotion as he prostrated himself on the ground once more. This time, it was no longer pure sorrow, but rather a deeper understanding and acceptance of this heavy entrustment.

Chen Jiren accepted the bow with composure, then solemnly said, "Time is running out, let's begin the final transmission today."

He turned his gaze to Cang Lifeng and Cang Xiangyang, and said gently, "You two are of pure and good character, and you are also destined to meet me. I will pass on these 'Thirteen Forms of Tai Chi' to you. This style of boxing is not about fighting and winning, but about harmonizing Yin and Yang, strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality, which will greatly benefit you in the future."

Having said that, he rose and slowly began his stance on the unswept snow in the courtyard. His movements, seemingly slow and fluid, contained boundless vitality and dynamic energy, like clouds drifting and cranes dancing among pines. He meticulously explained how to correlate his fist techniques with breathing, the flow of intention, and the "Hibernating Dragon Technique." The three brothers concentrated their minds, focusing intently on memorizing and comprehending the principles.

The morning passed quietly amidst the flurry of punches and kicks. In the afternoon, Chen Jiren gestured for Cang Lifeng to sit down, then suddenly reached out and placed his hand on Cang Lifeng's left wrist.

"Your gunshot wound may appear to have healed, but there are still minor misalignments and blockages in the muscles, bones, and meridians, causing poor blood circulation. If you don't treat it as soon as possible, it will definitely become a chronic condition as you get older and the weather becomes cold and damp."

Cang Lifeng's heart skipped a beat, and he said respectfully, "Sir, you are wise. Although the South City Hospital has dealt with it, it is indeed as you said, that I often feel a dull ache."

"It's alright." Chen Jiren took out a set of silver needles as fine as cow hair and gently heated them over the stove. "I'll remove this hidden danger for you today."

His movements were lightning fast, and a faint light seemed to flow from his fingertips as he inserted the needles. With each needle, Cang Lifeng felt a warm and mellow energy slowly seep along specific meridians, reaching the deepest part of the injury. Wherever that energy passed, the stagnation vanished, the soreness and swelling lessened, as if withered trees had been reborn in spring.

Even more remarkably, as the acupuncture deepened, Cang Lifeng felt the faint aura of the Hidden Dragon Technique within his body being activated, merging seamlessly with the energy flow infused by his master and circulating freely throughout his body. Just half an hour later, when Chen Jiren removed the needles, Cang Lifeng felt an unprecedented sense of relief in his left shoulder, and even the fatigue accumulated over the past few months due to anxiety and overwork was swept away.

"Thank you, sir!" Cang Lifeng stood up, bowed deeply, his eyes filled with shock and gratitude.

Chen Jiren smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the professional sutures on Cang Lifeng's shoulder injury, then over the lingering somberness in Tianci's brow, a result of the immense shock he had endured. He slowly spoke, "Judging from your brother's complexion, observing Tianci's state of mind, and considering the solemnity of the three of you arriving together at the year's end... Lifeng, your return this time is marked by a composed demeanor, as if tempered by fire. The treatment of your left shoulder injury is professional, unlike anything done in an ordinary hospital. Tianci's aura carries a faint hint of gunpowder, his mind still reeling from the shock. Last night, the atmosphere at the foot of the mountain was tense, and this morning Tianci's brow is furrowed with worry. Has a dramatic change occurred at home involving the inheritance of old possessions or past grievances?"

Upon hearing this, the three brothers' expressions changed simultaneously. Cang Lifeng's throat bobbed, his heart filled with turmoil: their master hadn't even descended the mountain, yet he could glean so much truth from these subtle details! He remembered his master's life-saving grace in passing on his skills, and the deep-seated hatred his master had just frankly revealed about his own blood feud. He no longer harbored any thoughts of concealment. Therefore, he straightened his clothes and recounted everything—the events of forty-eight years ago in Beiping, the secret of the copper coins, and the shocking events of the previous night—in detail.

Chen Jiren listened quietly, his deep gaze seemingly piercing through the years, finally turning into a long sigh: "Forty-eight years of guarding, two generations of forbearance, last night's gunshots... It wasn't easy, not easy at all." He looked at the three brothers, his tone becoming firm: "What should have been guarded has been guarded, what should have been passed down has been passed down, that is perfection. Heaven and earth have their own principles, cause and effect cycle, there is a way of its own. You have done very well."