Chapter 1: The Entanglement of Love and Hate, Haicheng's Solitude
Li Huqiu's pride and arrogance were in stark contrast to his humble appearance. He could remain calm and composed in front of Song Yujia, a notorious underworld boss who made the city tremble with just one kick, yet he would never put on airs when dealing with small-time crooks from the lower rungs of society. However, beneath his down-to-earth exterior, everyone could sense the pride and arrogance that ran deep within him. He was the only lone wolf among the thieves in Harbin who refused to join any gang or faction. Everyone knew he was different from other thieves because he had kung fu skills, because he was more disciplined, and because he was stronger.
Chivalrous bones are proud of fragrance, iron gallbladders cast legends. Those who have forged legendary lives must have legendary qualities.
Li Huqiu had always been confident, no matter how humble and introverted he seemed. Before meeting Dong Zhaofeng, he had never been ridiculed by anyone. His kung fu skills had always been a source of pride for him. So, no matter how much respect he had for Dong Zhaofeng, this remark made his face flush with anger, without needing to say more, even Little Swallow could see from his stubborn and indignant expression that he was not convinced.
Dong Zhaofeng smiled and looked at him: "What's wrong, you're not convinced?" Li Huqiu didn't deny it, nodded and asked back: "Do you understand martial arts?"
Dong Zhaofeng shook his head and said: "I don't dare say I understand, but if we really compare moves, I'm definitely better than you. Your kung fu isn't even as good as a three-legged cat."
Li Huqiu's eyebrows stood up, and he immediately proposed to let Dong Zhaofeng show off his skills. If you can make me convinced, I will immediately worship you as my master. If not, you have to apologize to me!
Dong Zhaofeng had the intention of showing off his skills, and just as he was about to do so, he nodded in agreement, rolled up his sleeves, and walked calmly to the wooden dummy. He raised one hand high, focused his energy, and suddenly jumped onto the dummy's shoulders with incredible agility. After lightly tapping the top of the dummy's head with his palm, he jumped down and came before Li Huqiu, smiling and asking, "Did you see that clearly?" Li Huqiu, not convinced, retorted, "See what clearly? See how you jumped onto the wooden dummy like a monkey?"
Dong Zhaofeng burst out laughing and said: "You go push that wooden man a bit."
Li Huqiu pushed the wooden man with a suspicious look, and something incredible happened. The wooden man actually fell down as soon as he touched it, and the feeling in his hand was extremely soft, as if there was no wood inside, only layers of cowhide. The entire interior of the wooden man had been shattered by Dong Zhaofeng's palm! Li Huqiu turned to look at Dong Zhaofeng, his eyes filled with frenzy.
This is the real kung fu. As the boxing song goes, "A punch can penetrate three inches, and its power can pass through seven points, piercing gold and splitting stone!" The power can penetrate the wooden dummy's head and shatter it completely from the inside out. In Li Huqiu's past understanding, such kung fu was just a legend that humans could not achieve.
"You're amazing! This move is too powerful, I admit defeat!" After saying that, he was about to kneel down and kowtow to become a disciple.
Dong Zhaofeng stopped him with one hand and said, "You like to learn, I can teach you, but let's forget about the master-apprentice relationship. There is a big gap between our identities, I am actually an official's son. If I take you as my apprentice, one day when I need to catch you myself, it would be awkward. You have been treating me well for so many days, I will teach you some fist and footwork skills, we are even, let's just become friends who forget about age, isn't that more pleasant?"
Li Huqiu said, "As the saying goes, 'Rather give up a few taels of gold than pass on half a point of skill.' True skills are hard to come by, even if one is willing to spend hundreds of thousands or millions. I've learned your skills without becoming your disciple, and it's been weighing on my mind. How about this: once I've mastered the skills, you can ask me to do three things for you, no matter how difficult they may be, and I'll see them through to the end!" Dong Zhaofeng didn't take his words seriously and nodded in agreement.
From that day on, Li Huqiu began to systematically learn Baguazhang with Dong Zhaofeng. With the guidance of a famous master, Li Huqiu realized that he had been practicing Baguazhang incorrectly in the past. After teaching Li Huqiu kung fu, Dong Zhaofeng found that Li's comprehension and perseverance were even better than he had imagined.
Li Huqiu studied Kung Fu, with a very good foundation. He had been practicing since he was young, training his muscles and bones, cultivating his internal energy and eyesight, and mastering various techniques and forms. However, what he lacked was a deeper theoretical understanding of martial arts. Many of the techniques he practiced were shallow, like cooking a dish with all the right ingredients but without the proper seasoning, so that it lacked flavor.
Dong Zhaofeng passed on his kung fu skills before giving him a crash course in the theoretical foundations of kung fu. He mentioned several levels of attainment in kung fu, first and foremost being the foundation of stances. When the stance is correct, the body will not easily be injured, and only then can one's kung fu skills be refined. When the stance, body, shape, energy, and intent are all united as one, a person has achieved true mastery of their kung fu. This level of skill is known as "ming jin" (clear strength). Most people who have mastered kung fu spend their entire lives at this level. If one can take their ming jin to the next level, they will enter the realm of "an jin" (hidden strength). At this point, a person's physical power increases greatly, and they can move energy and blood, strengthen tendons and bones, and combine intent and shape, as well as power and energy. Their kung fu skills can cause injury to others without leaving any visible trace. Although practitioners at this level are not extremely rare, they are still very difficult to find.
Dong Zhaofeng stopped talking after that. Li Huqiu asked him, "What's the next level?" Dong Zhaofeng shook his head and said, "You wouldn't understand even if I told you about the next level, because such a realm is rarely seen in the martial arts world. It has already surpassed the ordinary person's level. You have touched the threshold of dark energy with great effort, but whether you can break through to the next level depends on your innate talent and opportunity. Your talent isn't exceptional." Li Huqiu was not convinced and asked, "Didn't you say I had a high aptitude?" Dong Zhaofeng smiled and said, "Your aptitude is indeed high, but that doesn't mean your talent is also high. To achieve great success in martial arts, it takes 50% innate talent, 20% opportunity, 20% effort, and only 10% is due to aptitude. Having a high aptitude but lacking physical ability means you have the heart but not the strength."
"What methods are there to strengthen one's physique and increase their physical talent?" Li Huqiu asked. Dong Zhaofeng stroked his beard, nodded, and said: "There is! Medicinal wine, medicinal baths, arduous and exceptional training that tempers the body, long-term challenges that push the body to its limits. However, this process is extremely painful and dangerous. You're just a small thief, you don't need to cultivate such deep skills, do you?" As he spoke, Dong Zhaofeng's eyes gleamed with spirit as he gazed at Li Huqiu. Li Huqiu's face showed not a hint of hesitation, indicating his willingness to try his best. Dong Zhaofeng was secretly pleased in his heart - if one didn't have the bold and fearless courage to fight against heaven itself, even someone with extremely high talent would never be able to reach the pinnacle of martial arts! Li Huqiu's talent was above average, but what was most valuable was this unyielding spirit, this courage to risk everything.
Dong Zhaofeng's kung fu is profound and immeasurable, with a solid foundation in martial arts theory. What's even more rare is that he is also well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine. The medicinal bath prescriptions he formulates are specifically designed to target internal injuries, muscle strains, and have the miraculous effect of relieving pain, calming the mind, and invigorating the blood. His personally brewed tiger bone wine is an excellent formula for strengthening tendons and bones. Practicing kung fu is a costly endeavor. Just the monthly expenses for medicinal wine and baths amount to thousands, not to mention other auxiliary equipment that's a bottomless pit of expenditure. Li Huqiu spared no expense, using up all his savings, as long as Dong Zhaofeng deemed it necessary, he would definitely buy it back.
Time flies, and half a year has passed. Li Huqiu is now a 16-year-old youth. Due to his practice of martial arts and medicinal baths, his body has developed more maturely than that of his peers. His foundation in martial arts has also become increasingly solid. During this period, he systematically followed Dong Zhaofeng to learn the authentic Bagua Palm Road.
Dong Zhaofeng told him that the Bagua Palm has many functions, mainly emphasizing: three shapes and three postures; three emptiness and three combinations; three rounds and three tops; three wraps and three sensitivities. The three shapes are "walking like a dragon, moving like a monkey, changing like an eagle". The three postures are "stepping like wading in mud, arms like twisting ropes, turning like grinding". The three emptiness are: "the palm of the hand contains emptiness, the sole of the foot contains emptiness, the chest contains emptiness". The three combinations are: "the mind and breath combine, the breath and strength combine, the strength and mind combine". The three rounds are: "the back should be round, the two arms embracing round, the tiger's mouth opening round". The three tops are: "the tongue touches the palate, the head touches the sky, the palm touches the front". The three wraps are: "the breath should wrap, the shoulders should wrap, the two elbows should wrap". The three sensitivities are: "the heart should be sensitive, the eyes should be sensitive, the palms should be sensitive".
By word and example, Dong Zhaofeng unreservedly imparted to Li Huqiu all that he could pass on. With a famous teacher's guidance, combined with theoretical practice, medicinal assistance, and extraordinary effort, in just half a year, Li Huqiu had mastered the Dark Energy skill.
It's another good spring, when the river surface in Northeast China opens up. One morning, Dong Zhaofeng bid farewell to Li Huqiu. Before leaving, he told Li Huqiu that he had not completely retired yet and still had two apprentices to teach in Beijing, as well as some work to hand over for the last time. This time, he came out not only to relax but also to find the notes left by his ancestors. Li Huqiu then knew the real reason why Master Dong found him. He hastily handed over the small wooden box he got from Chu Lie, along with everything inside, without missing a single item, to Dong Zhaofeng.
Dong Zhaofeng opened the wooden box and took out the dragon jade pendant, saying: "This thing is a family heirloom passed down from my ancestors, obtained from the Sui Wang Fu during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. It's an old object that flowed out of the palace, although it's worth some money, but it's not something extremely meaningful. You and I are both friends and masters, if your skills have a great achievement in the future, who knows, we might meet again, at that time this thing will be proof, you take this thing, my disciples will see it and know your identity, and can avoid many misunderstandings."
Dong Zhaofeng drifted away, leaving Li Huqiu to continue his arduous training. During the period of studying with Master Dong, Li Huqiu never gave up on his past training content for a single day. Even if he had to face the limits of human endurance every day, he didn't dare to relax himself in the slightest. He deeply knew that everything he possessed today was obtained through his solid skills. His future path is still long, and he has to take care of Little Swallow growing up, having his own world. To stand firm in this world without being humiliated or oppressed, one cannot leave behind solid skills.
Master Dong didn't look down on him because of his profession, but instead told him that even thieves have remarkable figures. Thieves also have their own code of conduct, and during the Republic of China era, there was a heroic thief named Li San, who was known for helping those in need and worrying about the country and its people. His martial arts skills may not have been the highest, but his chivalrous spirit made countless others with superior skills feel ashamed.
Li Huqiu's legendary life is closely related to many figures, especially Dong Dashi. He pointed out the direction of Li Huqiu's growth during his critical period and broadened his horizons with his extensive knowledge, making him understand the greatness of this country beyond Harbin.
To be a heroic thief who benefits the country and its people, and to leave footprints all over China are currently Li Huqiu's two goals he is striving to achieve.
When the grass and trees on the wall of the courtyard became lush, Li Huqiu's kung fu suddenly stopped making progress. After his initial frustration, he finally figured out the reason. He had reached the bottleneck that Master Dong said required great perseverance and opportunity to break through, which could make a person rise to the top overnight. With the help of medicine and extreme training, his innate limitations had been lifted. But wanting to cross this threshold, five parts of innate talent were no longer enough. From then on, hard work was no longer the main way to improve kung fu, experience and opportunity were the key.
