Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

The next morning.

When Chen Hongwu pushed open the door, Chen Hongxiu was already waiting in the courtyard.

She wore a blue floral blouse with the cuffs tied tight and the trouser legs bound. Her hair was tied in a tight bun at the back of her head, revealing a clean-cut face.

She stood in the middle of the bluestone slab, her back straight, unsure of what to do with her hands, sometimes clenching them in front of her, sometimes putting them behind her back.

"Big Brother." Her eyes lit up when she saw Chen Hongwu come out.

Chen Hongwu glanced at her and walked to the center of the courtyard.

"Stand still."

Chen Hongxiu quickly put her feet together.

"The first step in learning boxing is to master the horse stance." Chen Hongwu stood beside her. "The horse stance is the foundation of all boxing techniques. No matter what kind of boxing you practice in the future, you can't bypass this step. If you can't maintain a stable horse stance, your power can't come from your feet. No matter how fancy your upper body training is, it's just a castle in the air, and you'll collapse at the slightest touch."

Chen Hongxiu nodded vigorously.

"Watch me do it once."

Chen Hongwu walked up to her, his feet shoulder-width apart. His toes were slightly turned inward, his knees bent, and he sat down, his center of gravity seemingly sinking into the ground.

His upper body remained completely still, his spine straight, like an iron spike piercing from his tailbone all the way to the top of his head.

His shoulders were relaxed, his elbows dropped, and his palms rested against his waist. Viewed from the side, his body formed a stable triangle.

"Did you see clearly?" Chen Hongwu put the stake back.

"I see clearly!" Chen Hongxiu answered crisply, then imitated him, spreading her legs and squatting down.

"That's not right." Chen Hongwu walked behind her and pressed down on her shoulders. "Loosen your shoulders. If you shrug your shoulders, the energy will just float on top and won't go down."

Chen Hongxiu quickly lowered her shoulders.

"Knees." Chen Hongwu touched the back of her knee with his toe. "Your knees should point in the same direction as your toes. If your knees buckle inwards, you'll damage your meniscus over time."

Chen Hongxiu turned her knees outwards.

"That's enough." Chen Hongwu kicked her heel again. "Her knees and toes are in a straight line, no more, no less. Her toes grip the ground like a tree taking root."

Chen Hongxiu bit her lip and dug her toes into the ground inside her shoe.

"Hips." Chen Hongwu walked around to the front, squatted down, and pointed at her hip bone with his finger. "Your hips should be down, not sticking your butt out. The way you are now, your hips aren't down, and your butt is sticking out. That's called 'sticking your butt out like a horse,' and you won't last more than half a cup of tea."

Chen Hongxiu blushed and quickly pulled her buttocks back in.

"It feels like your head is being lifted up, as if a rope is pulling you up from the top of your head."

"Chin slightly tucked in."

"Keep your eyes level, don't look down at your feet. If you look down, you'll catch your breath in your chest."

As Chen Hongwu spoke, he helped her adjust her posture.

Shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles—he corrected each joint one by one. Chen Hongxiu's body was like a piece of newly unearthed porcelain, being properly positioned bit by bit.

The sun climbed up from the edge of the eaves, and its rays fell on the bluestone slabs in the courtyard.

Chen Hongxiu's legs started to tremble.

Her legs trembled from her thighs to her ankles, like a sieve. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto her collar.

"Big...Big Brother..." she asked in a strained voice, "How long do we have to stand here?"

"You've been standing there for less than two minutes."

Chen Hongxiu's face fell immediately.

"You can't even handle this?" Chen Hongwu stood in front of her, his tone indifferent. "Didn't you say you could endure hardship?"

Chen Hongxiu gritted her teeth and stopped talking.

"Grip the ground with your toes and support yourself with your knees. There should be a taut tendon on the inside of your thigh, like a string. If this string isn't taut, no matter how long you stand, it's pointless."

Chen Hongwu walked around behind her and gently patted her lower back.

"The lower back should be full and not sunken. If the waist sags, the weight of the upper body will be on the knees, and the knees will be ruined sooner or later."

He placed his palm on her lower back and pushed her forward slightly. Chen Hongxiu felt a warmth in her lower back, and her collapsed lumbar vertebrae were pushed out. Her entire upper body seemed to have suddenly found a support point, and the pressure on her legs was reduced by more than half.

"You felt it?"

"I can feel it!" Chen Hongxiu's eyes lit up.

"Remember this position! From now on, when practicing standing meditation, the Mingmen point should always be full."

Chen Hongwu withdrew his hand, letting her keep it herself.

Chen Hongxiu gritted her teeth, her legs trembling more and more violently.

The tendon on the inside of my thigh was taut and painful, my knees started to ache, and the muscles in my calves felt like they were being twisted.

Her breathing gradually became rapid, her chest heaved, and beads of sweat dripped down her face.

But she didn't get up.

Despite the trembling, the posture remained intact.

Chen Hongwu watched from the side and nodded secretly.

This girl's natural talent isn't great, but she has a stubborn streak. In martial arts, it's not the lack of natural talent that's scary, it's the lack of that stubbornness.

When Li Luoneng was 37 years old, he was already very strong and his muscles and bones were hardened. But with his fierce determination, he managed to become "Divine Fist Li".

If they can hold on, they're worth teaching.

"That's fine," Chen Hongwu said.

Chen Hongxiu let out a long breath and sat down heavily on the ground, her legs still trembling. She reached out to rub her knees, but Chen Hongwu pressed her down.

"Don't rub your joints right after standing in a stance."

Chen Hongxiu was stunned for a moment, then removed her hand.

"The horse stance is a posture that trains the tendons, bones, and qi, not just the muscles. Your legs are shaking now because the tendons haven't been stretched yet and the bones haven't been able to support the weight. Once the tendons and bones are stretched and the qi has settled, you won't shake even after standing for half an hour."

Chen Hongxiu looked up and listened attentively.

"Stance: head held high, feet firmly planted, knees not extending past the toes, lower back supported, chest slightly concave, back straight, shoulders relaxed, elbows drooping, tongue touching the upper palate, eyes looking straight ahead. Remember these twelve key points?"

Chen Hongxiu counted on her fingers and silently recited it once, then nodded vigorously: "I've got it!"

"Once you've memorized it, practice it on your own. I'll check back in two weeks and see if you've made any progress."

"Is half a month enough?" Chen Hongxiu blinked.

"What can you achieve in half a month?" Chen Hongwu glanced at her. "Half a month is just to get your stance right. To truly master the horse stance, don't even think about it without three years of practice."

Chen Hongxiu took a deep breath, got up from the ground, patted the dirt off her buttocks, and repositioned herself.

He lowered his legs, knees slightly bent, and sat down. His shoulders relaxed, his back straightened, and his gaze was fixed straight ahead, making him feel like a nail driven into a bluestone slab.

This time, the posture was smoother than before.

She was still trembling, but she didn't make a sound, biting her lip and stubbornly holding on.

Chen Hongwu stood under the eaves, watching her back, without saying a word.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

"Is Brother Chen there?"

Ip Man's voice came through.

Chen Hongwu walked over and opened the courtyard gate. "Brother Ye."

Today, Ip Man wore a moon-white long robe, with the cuffs rolled up halfway, revealing a section of his wrist. He had a smile on his face and was carrying a box of mooncakes in his hand.

Ip Man stepped into the courtyard and immediately saw Chen Hongxiu sitting on the ground. The little girl was covered in sweat, and her legs were still trembling.

"Your younger sister?"

"Yes."

"Not bad." Ip Man nodded. "Just starting to practice?"

"Today is the first day."

"It's not easy to stand like this on the first day." Ip Man withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Hongwu. "I've come to your door today because I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"Brother Ye, please speak."

"Mid-Autumn Festival banquet." Ip Man took out a gold-embossed invitation from his sleeve and handed it over. "Tonight, it will be held in the lobby of the Foshan Chamber of Commerce. The guests are all celebrities from Foshan and martial arts masters from various martial arts schools. Master Wong Fei-hung will also be there."

Chen Hongwu took the invitation and glanced at it.

"I don't know how many people have asked me to invite you out these past few days," Ip Man said with a wry smile. "Some wanted to treat you to a meal, some wanted to become your disciples, and some even wanted you to register at their martial arts schools. I know your personality; you don't like these mundane matters, so I turned them all down for you."

Chen Hongwu remained silent.

"However, the essence of martial arts lies in the balance of tension and relaxation." Ip Man looked at him earnestly. "You spend all your time holed up in the courtyard practicing diligently. You should go out occasionally and exchange ideas with fellow practitioners."

Chen Hongwu closed the invitation and glanced at him.

Ip Man added, "Master Wong Fei-hung is getting old and rarely shows himself. Perhaps we'll run into him tonight and exchange a few blows."

"Okay." Chen Hongwu nodded. "I accept the invitation."

Ip Man breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Alright. I've also sent invitations to your father and your second brother. Come together tonight. The banquet will begin at 5 PM in the main hall of the Chamber of Commerce."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ip Man took his leave.

Chen Hongwu closed the door, turned around, and found Chen Hongxiu peeking at him from her horse stance.

Her legs were still trembling, and beads of sweat rolled down her face, but her eyes shone like a mouse that had stolen oil.

"Stand still," Chen Hongwu said.

Chen Hongxiu quickly straightened her face and looked straight ahead.

Chen Hongwu glanced at her, tucked the invitation into his pocket, and turned to walk towards the other end of the courtyard. After a few steps, he stopped and said something without turning back.

"Stand for half an hour before stopping."

Chen Hongxiu's smile froze on her face.