Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

After a long silence, Chen Xuhua sighed, "Tianci, that's a good question! The ancients said, 'Practicing boxing without internal strength training is a waste of time in old age.' Modern competitive routines do indeed face this awkward situation. There are many rumors circulating—about national champions being beaten black and blue by thugs, or provincial team leaders being thrashed in night markets. Whether true or false, why do these rumors spread? Because everyone believes them. Believe what? Believe that those who practice routines can't fight. Why can't they fight? Because they don't teach fighting, they only teach performance; only by performing well can you win awards in competitions."

He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes melancholy, his voice low: "Fortunately, I've practiced Sun-style internal martial arts with my grandfather since I was a child. He often said that martial arts are 'both theory and practice.' The theory is internal strength, stances, and power pathways; the practice is fighting techniques and actual combat. If you only practice the theory and not the practice, it's just empty show; if you only practice the practice and not the theory, it's just brute force, and you won't last long. But the current competitive routines have also distorted the theory—they train the external form, not the internal strength; they train posture, not the principles. But what's the use of understanding these principles? We don't have the power to make the rules. We're just mayflies; how can mayflies shake a tree?"

"Why not?" Cang Tianci raised his head, looking intently at Chen Xuhua, and said, "If one person can't do it, then two will. You guard your grandfather's things, and I'll guard my master's things. Let's guard them first, and then pass them on. One day, they will reach the hands of someone who can change the rules."

He lowered his head, looked at his hands, and spoke in a deep, powerful voice.

"Perhaps that person is ourselves."

Chen Xuhua stared intently at Cang Tianci, his eyes gleaming with a burning light. His gaze was like that of a traveler who had been wandering alone in a vast desert for a long time, who suddenly saw a brightly lit post station in the distance.

He stood up, somewhat excitedly cupping his hands in greeting to Tianci, and said, "Tianci, thank you for your insight! I never imagined that you would have such knowledge and such a broad perspective at such a young age. It's a shame that I'm so many years older than you."

Cang Tianci quickly stood up and said somewhat shyly, "Coach Chen, I was just ignorant and talked nonsense. Please don't mind me."

"How could I mind?" Chen Xuhua said, holding Cang Tianci's hand. "I'm so happy to have met a student like you."

He paused, then said, "Come on, Tianci, come to my office. I'll show you something."

After saying that, he patted Tianci on the shoulder and walked out of the training hall first.

Upon arriving at his office, Chen Xuhua opened a drawer and took out a somewhat old book with several neat black characters written on it: "Sun Family Internal Martial Arts Manual".

Chen Xuhua handed the boxing manual to Cang Tianci, saying, "Tianci, this boxing manual was passed down to me by my grandfather. I'm lending it to you. You can take a look when you have time. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Furthermore, I will not make any requirements for your future competitive routine practice. You can practice according to your own needs," Chen Xuhua added.

"Thank you, Coach!" Cang Tianci accepted the boxing manual with both hands and bowed deeply to Chen Xuhua.

"You little rascal, still pulling this stunt?" Chen Xuhua waved his hand and said, "How about this, it's Saturday today, you don't need to rush to study. I'll go all the way and teach you some stance training in Sun-style boxing."

He pointed to the boxing manual in Cang Tianci's hand and said, "Open the boxing manual and turn to the chapter on Xingyi Quan."

Cang Tianci opened the boxing manual and turned to the first page of Xingyi Quan. It was a hand-drawn diagram of stance training, depicting a standing human figure, with densely packed key points marked in tiny characters next to it—"Lift the head of the arm with a light touch, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, tuck the chest and straighten the back, relax the waist and tuck the buttocks, and sink the Qi to the Dantian." Each word was followed by a small annotation, the handwriting neat and tidy, clearly showing that he had put in a lot of effort.

"This is the San Ti stance, the mother stance of Sun-style boxing," Chen Xuhua said, pointing to the illustration in the book. "Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Taijiquan all originate from it. Once you've mastered this stance, everything else will naturally fall into place."

He walked to the center of the field, stood with his feet together, and then stepped forward with his left foot, toes pointing forward, while his right heel stepped back, toes pointing outward at a 45-degree angle. He squatted slightly, his arms hanging naturally at his sides, his right hand resting on the inside of his left wrist, and slowly raised it to his chest.

"Look, the weight distribution is 30% in the front and 70% in the back. The front hand is no higher than the eyebrows, and the back hand is no higher than the chest. The five fingers are naturally spread apart, and the tiger's mouth is rounded."

He remained in that position, motionless.

"You give it a try."

Cang Tianci walked to his side, took a deep breath, stepped forward, squatted down, and raised his hand. His movements were quick, and he got into position in less than five seconds.

Chen Xuhua walked over, tapped his knee with his finger, and said, "A little heavier."

Cang Tianci squatted down a little.

"You've passed." Chen Xuhua pressed his palm against his lower back and lifted him up half an inch. "Here. Your knees shouldn't go past your toes, and your weight should be on your heels."

Cang Tianci adjusted his movements according to his strength. A heat began to rise from the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of his foot. His calves ached, his thighs trembled, and his waist and hips felt as if something was stretching them open.

"Don't hold your breath. Breathe naturally. When you inhale, focus your mind on your dantian; when you exhale, focus your mind on the soles of your feet," Chen Xuhua said, walking around to face him and pointing at his shoulders.

Cang Tianci closed his eyes, trying to shift his attention away from his sore thighs, and followed Chen Xuhua's instructions to direct his breathing downwards.

The first breath, nothing felt. The second breath, the breath reached his chest and then stopped. The third breath, he tried to relax his shoulders, and the breath went down half an inch.

"Don't rush. You practiced the horse stance before to stabilize yourself. The Three-Body Stance is different; it's about connection. The soles of your feet, knees, waist, hips, spine, and top of your head are all in one line. Only when your Qi flows along this line can your strength flow along this line."

Cang Tianci slowed his breathing even further. The warmth from the soles of his feet slowly traveled upwards, through his ankles, down his calves, and to his knees. His knees felt like they were being held in place by something, no longer buckling inwards. The warmth continued upwards, past his waist, over his back, and down to his shoulders. His shoulders relaxed, his arms sank, and his fingertips tingled.

He stood there for an unknown amount of time, and his legs began to tremble, from his thighs all the way down to his toes.

"It's good if you can stand for ten minutes the first time. You stood for fifteen minutes. That's enough," Chen Xuhua said with a smile.

Cang Tianci slowly straightened up, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead.

"When you practice standing meditation, do you feel anything?"

Cang Tianci thought for a moment and said, "My feet are burning, starting from the bottom up. My knees feel like they're being stretched open by something."

"Anything else?"

"...I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like there's a line running through my body, from the soles of my feet all the way to the top of my head."

Chen Xuhua looked at him, her gaze containing something that seemed both gratified and wistful.

"That's connectivity. Many people stand for a year and don't feel it, but you feel it in just one class."

Cang Tianci was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Really?"

"Of course it's true. I stood there for three months before I felt it too," Chen Xuhua exclaimed. "You got it on your first try, your comprehension is amazing..."

Cang Tianci lowered his head, thought for a moment, and said, "It might not be entirely due to comprehension. My master taught me a set of internal energy cultivation techniques called the Hidden Dragon Technique. There's also the Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi. When I was practicing standing meditation just now, I felt that it connected with what my master taught me."

"Oh, what kind of martial art is the Hidden Dragon Technique? Who did you learn it from? Tell me quickly," Chen Xuhua pressed.

So, Cang Tianci told Chen Xuhua about his master Chen Jiren's legendary life and his experience learning martial arts at Eagle Cliff.

After listening to Cang Tianci's story, Chen Xuhua's expression turned solemn, and he remained silent for a long time. After a while, he finally said, "Tianci, you are so fortunate to have received such a profound and accomplished master's teachings. No wonder you have such knowledge and martial arts skills."

He thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Tianci, could you pass on this Hidden Dragon Technique to me?"

After saying that, he smiled somewhat embarrassedly and added, "If it's inconvenient, just consider it as me saying it."

Cang Tianci hesitated for a moment, then said, "It is possible. However, when my master taught me this technique, he solemnly instructed me, 'This technique is suitable for those with a calm and tranquil mind. If one practices it without the guidance of a wise teacher, it will only cause harm. When I first learned it, my master used his own internal energy to guide and help me, which is how I entered the path. My internal energy is still shallow, and I cannot yet use it to guide others. I'm afraid…'"

Chen Xuhua was silent for a moment, then smiled. There was a hint of regret in that smile, but more so, understanding. "I understand." He patted Tianci on the shoulder. "It's just that my time hasn't come yet. When you've completed your cultivation, come and pass it on to me. Is that alright?"

"Of course." Cang Tianci breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Xuhua continued, "Tianci, your master taught you the Hidden Dragon Technique and the Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi, which laid a solid foundation for you. What you need to do now is to guide the Qi of the Hidden Dragon Technique into your stance. The two are not two different things, but one and the same."

Cang Tianci listened, looking down at his hands. He remembered the days on Eagle Cliff, and how his master taught him to stand in the Tai Chi stance. Back then, his master had said something similar—"Focus your mind on the dantian, let your qi sink to the soles of your feet."

"Coach Chen," he called out, looking up.

"Um?"

"thank you!"

Chen Xuhua laughed and said, "Aren't you being cheesy? Hurry up and go eat your dinner."

Cang Tianci smiled as well. He picked up the boxing manual, turned around, and walked out of the office.