“Steady your horse stance1The horse stance is a common posture in Asian martial arts. It is called mǎbù (马步) in Chinese, adjust your breathing, focus your mind, guard your dantian2dantian is Chinese concept which translated as the center of energi (qi) in other words the core, feel your own qi and blood…”
Xu Yan assumed a horse stance, guided by Li Xuan, adjusting his breathing and sensing his qi and blood.
As Li Xuan pointed and spoke, he said, “The essence of my teaching lies in the word ‘enlightenment’ and the word ‘intention’. It’s not about the form; you must calm your mind, forget the distinction between self and other, deeply contemplate, and seek the ‘intention’ within…”
Since it was all made up, and there were no actual techniques to teach, he couldn’t possibly teach Xu Yan common gymnastics, right? That would be too lowbrow.
So, he could only have Xu Yan assume a horse stance and let him sense his qi and blood on his own.
Whether he could sense it or not depended on his aptitude.
It wasn’t a problem with the techniques that were taught by the Master.
“Whether you can sense your qi and blood depends on your enlightenment, on whether you can grasp the ‘intention’ within. Once you sense your qi and blood, try to manipulate it, use it to refine your skin, and enter the skin refinement stage…”
Li Xuan earnestly instructed Xu Yan in his training.
“This is the foundation of martial arts, it’s all about this. The master leads the way, but the practice is personal. Train diligently, contemplate deeply, and rest when you’re tired. Balance between rest and effort is crucial; don’t rush it.”
“The more impatient you are, the harder it is to sense your qi and blood. Understand?”
Xu Yan respectfully replied, “Yes, Master, I understand.”
Li Xuan nodded and said, “Good, practice diligently!”
With his hands behind his back, Li Xuan left, feeling quite pleased as he collected Xu Yan’s gift of apprenticeship.
“The Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom is a valuable medicinal herb. I’ll try its effects by stewing it with some chicken.” Li Xuan thought as he took out a small knife, carefully sliced a piece of the Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom, caught a chicken in the coop, slaughtered it, and then started a fire to stew them together.
“My disciple is here to train, and providing him with meals is necessary. He brought such a generous gift; it would be too heartless not to feed him.” Li Xuan murmured to himself.
While cooking, he took a glance at Xu Yan, who was still in a horse stance but swaying and about to collapse from exhaustion.
After a while, Xu Yan couldn’t hold on any longer and began to rest. This was his third break.
“It’s fine to deceive him temporarily. It’s not that I want to deceive you; you came to me willingly.” Li Xuan shook his head, not bothering to interfere. For a while, he wouldn’t be found out.
Moreover, Xu Yan’s presence had given Li Xuan a chance to leave the small village. Perhaps he could safely traverse the treacherous Devil Forest.
He had already planned his escape route. Once he left the village, he would head to the Wu Kingdom.
Far away from the Qi Kingdom, far away from Donghe County. Even if Xu Yan discovered that he was deceived, he wouldn’t be able to use his influence against him.
…
Xu Yan assumed the horse stance once again, trying to sense his qi and blood.
“Qi and blood, within me, circulating throughout my body. How do I sense and manipulate them? Master said it’s about enlightenment and intent, not the form…” Xu Yan continued trying to sense his qi and blood. However, apart from feeling his legs aching from holding the horse stance, he couldn’t sense any qi and blood.
“Don’t be discouraged. It’s only been a short time. Persistence will surely yield results!” Xu Yan encouraged himself, determined to continue trying to sense his qi and blood.
The chicken soup was ready. Li Xuan checked on Xu Yan, who was still in the horse stance, and decided not to disturb him. He began to eat.
“The Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom, a rare medicinal herb. It’s said to cure all illnesses, darken one’s hair from gray to black, and extend life by twenty years… I wonder if that’s an exaggeration.” Li Xuan thought to himself.
After eating, he felt remarkably energized, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“There’s a bit left; I’ll give it to Xu Yan.” Li Xuan muttered to himself, then got up and approached Xu Yan.
“How’s it going?” Xu Yan folded his horse stance and looked somewhat disappointed. “Master, I still haven’t sensed my qi and blood.”
“It’s okay; the path of martial arts emphasizes perseverance and strong will.” Li Xuan comforted him.
In his heart, he laughed: “Of course, he won’t sense his qi and blood. I made it all up. If he did sense his qi and blood, that would be truly extraordinary.”
“You have one year to achieve this. If you’re hungry now, go eat.” Li Xuan added.
“Thank you, Master!” Xu Yan replied gratefully.
“This is chicken soup stewed with the Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom, eat it, it’s considered a good nourishing medicinal meal.”
“Yes, Master!”
Xu Yan’s heart was touched, the Nine-Leaf Yuan Mushroom was his gift of apprenticeship to his master, but his master had stewed it into soup for him. His Master clearly didn’t really care about the gift of apprenticeship at all, just as Master said, their meeting was fated!
While eating, Xu Yan asked, “Master, how long does it usually take to sense one’s qi and blood and enter the beginner stage of training?”
“Well, it varies from person to person.”
“Master, how long did the fastest beginner take?”
Li Xuan rolled his eyes inwardly. According to the fictitious training method he had created, it would be impossible for anyone to enter the beginner stage in their lifetime.
“If I set the beginner’s standards too low, he might become suspicious if he doesn’t achieve anything. I must set the standards very high.” Li Xuan thought, then said, “Ancient geniuses could complete the skin refinement stage in five days, the bone refinement stage in ten days, the organ refinement stage in fifteen days, and then their muscles and bones would resonate like thunder, their qi and blood would surge like a raging river, and they would successfully enter the beginner stage.”
“Altogether, about a month.”
Xu Yan’s eyes widened, shocked. Completing the skin refinement stage in five days? Entering the beginner stage in a month? Is this what his master considered a genius?
“Can I really complete the skin refinement stage in five days? Today, I can’t even sense my qi and blood. Completing the skin refinement stage in five days is probably impossible for me. Maybe my aptitude isn’t good enough?” Xu Yan suddenly felt anxious.
Li Xuan had been observing Xu Yan’s expression all along. Seeing the anxiety was a good sign, he said, “Of course, those were ancient geniuses, one in a million. You don’t need to rush. As long as you can enter the beginner stage within a year, in my eyes, you’ll have passed.”
“So, in your eyes, entering the beginner stage in a year is considered passing!” Xu Yan firmly replied, “Master, rest assured, I will definitely pass within a year and will not let you down!”
Li Xuan patted his shoulder, feeling satisfied, and said, “With your determination, I’m glad I made an exception to accept you as my disciple.”
Xu Yan was deeply moved. At the same time, he felt an even stronger sense of motivation. After quickly finishing his meal, he stood up and said, “Master, I’m going to continue my training!”
“I’ll work hard and will not let your efforts go to waste!”
Xu Yan was resolute, and he quickly left to continue his horse stance and try to sense his qi and blood.
“This foolish kid!” Li Xuan shook his head and sighed. He didn’t want to deceive people, but there was no turning back now.
The night finally came.
Before going to bed, Li Xuan went outside and checked on Xu Yan, who was still practicing his horse stance diligently.
Feeling a bit reluctant and worried that he might overexert himself, Li Xuan said, “Balancing rest and effort is essential in training. Pushing yourself too hard may harm your foundation. When it’s time to rest, you should rest!”
“Master, I understand!” Xu Yan replied respectfully.
Li Xuan shook his head and closed the door, returning to his room to sleep.
(End of Chapter 3)
~ The Made Up Martial Artist returns for another chapter ~
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