Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

On the eve of Lunar New Year's Eve, the tranquility of Eagle Cliff was broken by hurried footsteps. Cang Zhenye appeared at the end of the path, carrying a heavy satchel on his shoulder, containing freshly ground tofu, a piece of glistening cured meat, several strings of sausages made by Su Yumei herself, and a small bag of precious white rice—the most respectable New Year's gift that Xiqiao Village could offer.

Pushing open the wooden gate, the old man was taken aback by the sight before him. Tianci wasn't lying on the couch as he had expected, but standing steadily in the courtyard with his back to the door! The morning light was faint, the chill penetrating to the bone. The young man wore only a thin garment, his hands gripping a cane. Though his right leg was still slightly bent, it could now support his body firmly. He faced a waterfall cascading down the cliff face, eyes closed, concentrating intently. His inhale was long and deep, like a breeze echoing in a deep valley; his exhale was soft and gentle, like snow falling on bamboo tips. This was the breathing technique of the "Hibernating Dragon's Breathing Technique." Cold mist condensed into white ribbons before his mouth and nose, then quietly dissipated, as if a layer of imperceptible warmth enveloped his body.

"Father!" Tianci stopped his practice upon hearing the voice and turned to look. His face no longer showed signs of illness, but rather radiated a clarity as if washed by a mountain spring. He took a step, still relying on his cane, but his movements were already fluid, far from the disheveled state he had when he left the hospital. What startled Cang Zhenye even more was his son's eyes—the flames that had once burned with anxiety and resentment had subsided, turning into a deep pool of tranquility, with only two more tenacious and stubborn sparks hidden at the bottom of the pool.

"Mr. Chen, this...this..." Cang Zhenye was both surprised and delighted, and was speechless for a moment. He could only bow deeply to Chen Jiren, who came out after hearing the voice.

Chen Jiren stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Brother Cang, there's no need to be surprised. Tianci's rapid recovery is due to two reasons. First, he has a good foundation and can calm his mind, which is the basis for practicing internal martial arts. Second, he possesses innate talent, making him more sensitive to the flow of qi and blood and changes in qi than ordinary people. Ordinary people practice this 'Hibernating Dragon Technique' for a hundred days before they can even begin to grasp its basics. However, his injury has focused his mind, which has actually brought out this talent, like a seed sprouting after a long drought. With the help of acupuncture, medicine, and massage, his recovery is naturally faster than expected."

Cang Zhenye only vaguely understood, but he clearly grasped the phrases "innate talent" and "rapid recovery." The worry on his face vanished instantly, and he said gratefully, "It's all thanks to your divine medical skills and excellent teaching, sir! This child's current state is entirely due to your kindness!"

Chen Jiren waved his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. I have a master-disciple relationship with him. Now he can begin to cultivate qi, and his injured leg can provide some support. He should have no problem going down the mountain and returning home with the help of crutches."

"Father," Tianci approached, leaning on his cane, and said, "I...I won't...go back. I...I'll stay with Master."

"I support your good intentions!" Cang Zhenye nodded. His son had grown up and had his own ideas; he couldn't stop him from showing filial piety to his mentor.

"Nonsense!" Chen Jiren said in a deep voice, "With parents alive and siblings home, how can you linger away? Learning a skill takes time and cannot be accomplished in just a few days. The end of the year is a time for family reunion, a fundamental human obligation that should not be neglected. Pack your things and go home with your father. You can come back after the fifth day of the new year!"

Tianci felt a warmth in his heart, understanding that his master was fulfilling his filial piety. He no longer insisted and solemnly replied, "Yes, Master."

On the way home, Tianci refused his father's offer to carry him, insisting on walking with crutches. The mountain path was rugged, and he walked slowly, but each step was firm and steady. Cang Zhenye followed behind, watching his son's thin figure trudge forward, watching him occasionally stop, gazing intently at an old tree with gnarled branches or a jagged rock, his fingertips unconsciously tracing patterns on his cane, as if sensing something. On the old man's rough face, the wrinkles seemed to be smoothed out by a complex yet comforting emotion. There was something in his son that he couldn't understand, like the mountain mist, serene yet powerful.

Pushing open the creaking courtyard gate, a warm current of aromas mixed with the smell of food, firewood, and long-lost family affection rushed towards me.

"Tianci!" A loud, bell-like shout rang out. Cang Lifeng's tall and robust figure rushed over, his large, fan-like hand slamming heavily on Tianci's shoulder, making him feel a jolt.

It had been over a year since I'd last seen him. His skin was dark and rough, with fine lines etched by the elements. His eyes were still sharp, but a hint of weariness lingered deep within them. Now, those eyes were brimming with the excitement and concern of a long-awaited reunion.

"Big brother!" Tianci choked up, his eyes instantly welling up with tears.

At this moment, the other family members also rushed over. Cang Xiangyang had become much stronger, and his honest face was full of smiles. He patted Tianci and laughed, "Good lad, you've gotten quite robust."

Cang Xiaohua also staggered up, leaning on her crutches, and gently touched Tianci's injured right leg, her voice choked with emotion: "Little brother, is your leg feeling better?"

Tianci held his third sister's trembling hands tightly and comforted her, "Don't worry, third sister, my leg is much better, it's nothing serious."

Su Yumei stood at the kitchen door, lifting her apron to wipe her eyes repeatedly, her lips trembling.

Tianci sat by the stove, his hand reaching into his inner pocket, feeling for the amulet. The wood grain pressed against his fingertips; the crack was still there. He remembered that evening when she had given it to him. Was she home now? Would that man still beat her during the New Year? He clutched the amulet tightly, pressing it against his heart.

"Tianci, come, sit here!" His older brother's voice brought him back to reality. He responded and tucked the amulet back into his clothes, pressing it against his chest.

On New Year's Eve, the simple earthen house was bathed in the glow of the stove fire, creating an unprecedentedly warm atmosphere for the family reunion dinner. For the first time ever, several meat dishes appeared on the table.

After a few cups of homemade rice wine, the atmosphere became even more lively. Cang Lifeng became the absolute protagonist, slamming his hand on the table and recounting his adventures in the southern city.

"...That heartless boss, surnamed Jia, relied on his measly money to keep a few vicious dogs. With the year-end approaching, he planned to run away with the wages." Cang Lifeng's eyes blazed with anger, but his voice carried a suppressed ruthlessness. "We, dozens of brothers, blocked the workers' shed, and he just locked the gate and released two wolfhounds. Those beasts, standing taller than a man, bared their teeth and pounced. One of us, Lao Geng, couldn't dodge in time, and a large chunk of flesh was torn from his calf, blood gushing out!" He gulped down a mouthful of wine, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. Xiaohua let out a soft "Ah," and the chopsticks in her hand fell onto the table.

Sitting in the corner, Cang Xiangyang took a large gulp of wine, saying nothing. What could he say? As a witness, he could do nothing but be angry and remain silent.

Tianci's heart tightened upon hearing this, as if he could smell the blood. He instinctively placed his hand on his still-healing knee, a chill mixed with the pain of shared suffering shooting up his spine.

"And then?" Xiaohua asked nervously.

"And then?" Cang Lifeng smirked, a cold smile playing on his lips. "I grabbed a piece of rebar as thick as a bowl. The beast lunged at me, but I didn't dodge or flinch. When it got close, I twisted my waist, and the steel bar pierced its ribs at an angle. The beast let out a howl and collapsed. Another one tried to attack, but I glared at it like a knife, then brandished the bloodstained steel bar in my hand, tucked its tail between its legs, and whimpered as it retreated. The guy surnamed Jia cowered behind the second-floor window, his face as white as paper."

He took a deep breath, his tone hardening: "Scaring the dogs away won't do any good. I had the brothers block up both the front and back doors of the work shed, grabbed a big sledgehammer, pointed it upstairs, and yelled: 'You, surnamed Jia, if you don't hand over your wages today, the brothers will smash down this iron gate, and we'll settle things according to the rules of the underworld. Let's see if your gate is harder, or if the lives of these dozens of desperate men are tougher!'" In the end, the boss obediently paid the money and even compensated Old Geng for his medical expenses.

The story didn't end there. He then told the story of another man named "Tiezhu," who fell from a scaffold more than ten stories high because his safety rope suddenly broke due to its age. He survived, but lost all feeling in one leg below the knee. The doctor said the nerves were severed and couldn't be reattached.

"That contractor's surname is Qian, a smiling tiger. At first, he pretended to offer some fruit, but later he avoided us. Tie Zhu's wife knelt at the project office for three days with her baby, who was less than a year old, crying until her voice was hoarse, but Qian wouldn't even show his face." Cang Lifeng's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a deep sense of powerlessness. "In the end, I took a few brothers who couldn't stand it anymore, found out where Qian frequented, and 'invited' him to the riverbank for a 'heart-to-heart' in the middle of the night. The river wind was strong, and the waves were crashing. That coward, before we could say anything, trembling, agreed to everything... But what's that little bit of compensation? Tie Zhu is only in his early thirties, and he'll have to drag a crippled leg for the rest of his life..." Tianci's hand on his knee tightened unconsciously.

He sighed heavily, took a large gulp of wine, and his gaze swept over his silent family members at the table, finally settling on Xiaohua's slightly trembling cane and Tianci's hand pressing on his knee. His voice was heavy: "Looking at these brothers, looking at Lao Geng's scar, Tiezhu's empty trouser leg... I just think, we country folk, once we leave the land and come to the city, all we have left is our brute strength. But in some people's eyes, this strength is no different from that of livestock! Used up, then discarded when sick or disabled! With fists? Can fists force out money, can they force back Lao Geng's flesh? Can they straighten Tiezhu's leg? Can they create a world where the poor, when injured or disabled, have a place to reason and a way to seek justice?"

The cheerful atmosphere in the room suddenly froze. The crackling fire reflected on everyone's somber faces. Xiaohua's tears slid silently down her cheeks as she gripped her cane tightly, as if the pain of the iron rod had pierced through a great distance and struck her.

Xiang Yang lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly. Su Yumei turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly. Cang Zhenye puffed on his pipe, smoke swirling around his deeply lined, sorrowful face. Tianci felt a chill creep from his feet throughout his body. The bloody realities his elder brother spoke of were more ruthless than any underhanded trick in the ring, more cold and merciless than the power of the Zhao family. His hands, resting on his knees, unconsciously tightened around his trousers. The tranquil pool in his heart, temporarily calmed by the "Dragon-Hibernating Technique," was now thrown in by a boulder, stirring up a raging storm. Anger, helplessness, sorrow, and a deep doubt about his own path—how much weight did his relentless training and pursuit of "protection" truly carry in the face of this massive, systemic crushing force? How could Master Chen's "insight" and "control" be applied to this boundless suffering?

Cang Lifeng glanced around at his family, abruptly slammed down his wine glass, and said sharply, "Don't be discouraged, let me finish!" A burning light rekindled in his eyes. "This world is tough, there are many crooked ways, but just cowering in hatred won't help. We need to recognize this, and we also need to learn to leverage resources and use our brains." He waved his hand, as if splitting open the fog before his eyes. "As long as you have real skills, a fearless spirit, and some vision and courage, you won't have to worry about not being able to earn a decent living, and you won't have to worry about not being able to forge a path!" He patted his sturdy chest. "I, Cang Lifeng, have suffered so many losses and seen so much blood, but I haven't lived for nothing! Now I've built up some reputation and figured out some connections. I can lead a group of trustworthy brothers to take on some reliable small projects, not only to support myself, but also to ensure that the brothers who follow me can bring home money at the end of the year. I'm also gradually paying off the debts my family owes."

His gaze was fixed on Tianci's face, his eyes gleaming with a burning light: "Tianci, when I came back this time, I saw that you won the city's gold medal, that you excelled in your studies, and that you were even taken as a disciple by a master like Mr. Chen. It's like a window has been suddenly pushed open in a dark room, and everything has become bright. I've finally figured things out completely."

He leaned forward, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Having only brute strength and relying on violence to gain temporary prestige only makes you a leader who risks his life. Today you might manage to bully someone surnamed Jia, but tomorrow you might run into someone even tougher. You can save one or two, but you can't save hundreds or thousands. Our root cause is poverty and a lack of support, but we can't be generation after generation just laborers who are used and ignored when things go wrong. We have to develop our own support."

"Once we've filled the hole of debt our family has accumulated over the years, I'll save every penny, every single cent. I've figured it out—" His eyes burned with intensity, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, "I'm going to open our own martial arts school in the south of the city! Not one of those places that just teaches fancy moves and fools people. I'm going to teach real skills, the ability to make a living, and the principles of life! More importantly, I want to give those poor kids like ours, like Old Geng Tiezhu, who have nowhere else to go and are easily bullied, a place where they can learn skills, build confidence, and stand tall! I want those snobbish bastards to know that the bones of the poor, tempered by fire, are harder than their mountains of gold and silver! Our martial arts school will be their support, their path!"

"Open...a...martial...school?" Tianci trembled violently, jerking his head back. The deep, still waters in his eyes seemed to have been plunged into a red-hot iron, instantly boiling over. His elder brother's words, like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploded in his chaotic mind, illuminating and forging all the scattered fragments—the wounds on the arena, the blood in the dark alley, the silence in the thatched hut, Lin Wanqing's tearful eyes, Lao Geng's scars, Tiezhu's empty trouser leg, and the inextinguishable fire in his elder brother's eyes!

Protect! This thought had never struck his soul so clearly and powerfully. It wasn't just about protecting his parents, his siblings, and Wanqing; it was about protecting people like Lao Geng and Tiezhu, and countless others struggling at the bottom—his "own people"! Fists are weapons, but the path his elder brother pointed out was forging an arsenal, building fortifications, and igniting the torch of inheritance! Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; build a tower from grains of sand! Let the weak possess strength that is not weak, and let bones truly stand tall from the roots!

A surge of intense emotion swept over him, a mixture of strong identification, passionate longing, and a sudden, profound understanding. He realized that the path of "seeking the truth" was never confined to personal martial arts or secluded meditation. With his bloodied shoulders and insightful eyes, his elder brother had carved a thorny yet direct path to the Great Way—from the solitary pursuit of self-cultivation to the responsibility of helping others!

"Big Brother!" Tianci's voice was filled with unprecedented excitement as he stood up abruptly, his eyes burning with determination. "I...I'll help you. Once...once my leg is healed, and my kung fu is more solid, I...I'll go to a martial arts school!"

Looking into his younger brother's eyes, at the flame that shared his own origins yet shone with a clearer and more resolute intensity, and at his brother's slender yet upright figure, Cang Lifeng felt a surge of immense pride and a sense of camaraderie forged in shared battle. He affectionately patted Tianci's shoulder, his voice booming, "Good! That's my good brother! You have great skills, expert guidance, and the city's top-tier training. In the future, you will be the face of our martial arts school, its pillar! The position of deputy head instructor will be reserved for you! We brothers will work together: one will venture outwards, teaching people the courage to 'establish themselves in the world'; the other will cultivate inwards, teaching people the skills to 'protect themselves' and the wisdom to 'nurture their minds'! Let our martial arts school truly become a springboard and a reliable support for impoverished children to secure their livelihood and change their destiny!"

The brothers clasped hands tightly once more, while outside the window, the wind and snow howled.

However, they didn't know that the road was longer than they imagined.