The first rays of sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting a golden glow over the mountain range. Li Wei stood at the entrance of his wooden shelter, inhaling the crisp mountain air. This remote spot, nestled far from the hustle and bustle of town, had become his training ground. The cool breeze brushed his face, bringing with it the scent of pine and earth. It was a peaceful life—if you ignored the occasional tiger prowling about.
Li Wei had decided to make the Tiger boxing manual better. It was a low class 2nd rate technique and he wanted to add some to make it at least a top tier 2nd rate for his descendants. Also, this was one of 3 more realistic ways to become a first rate martial artist. Although, he doubted that he would become one in this life. It was incredibly hard specially in remote place like this province. But he could be stronger and stronger was better. He didn't need to go for work as he had been promoted inspector. So, here he was.
As usual, his day began before dawn. He stretched his limbs, feeling the stiffness from last night's training ease away. He stepped into the clearing nearby, where rustling leaves beneath his feet were the only noise. There, surrounded by towering pines, he practiced the tiger boxing manual. His muscles strained as he crouched into the stance of a tiger ready to pounce, feeling the tension build in his legs.
"Observe the tiger, fight the tiger, become the tigers," he muttered under his breath, half-serious.
The thing was, actual tigers roamed these parts, and Li Wei wasn't exactly interested in making friends. No, he preferred to watch them from a distance, like some sort of big cat stalker—minus the part where he tried to pet them. Fighting the tigers, now that was different. He could learn a lot from their raw power and fluid movements. So, every now and then, when a tiger got too close for comfort, he took it as an opportunity to spar.
"Not today, tiger," he said coolly as one particularly large specimen eyed him from a distance. "I'm busy perfecting my Tiger Boxing Manual."
Every few weeks, Li Wei descended from his mountain retreat and returned home, where life was progressing at a leisurely pace. The village was growing—thanks, in part, to his subtle influence and casual leadership. As he strolled through the streets, his presence commanded respect without him needing to say a word. The villagers, now well-versed in the art of survival, greeted him with a mixture of awe and fear. He had, after all, fought off more than a few local threats—human and animal alike.
His wives were waiting for him, each one managing some aspect of village life while he was away. They served him dutifully, making sure everything was in place before he left again. When he returned from the mountains, they made sure he was well-fed, his ball sack was empty and, in their own way, hinted that maybe it was time to stick around a little more often.
But Li Wei? He wasn't ready to stay home just yet.
"Is everything under control?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Yes, husband," his wives replied in unison, like a well-rehearsed chorus.
"Good. I'll be back in a few days. Don't let the village burn down."
Back in the mountains, life was a different beast. Literally. Li Wei had become something of an expert in reading tiger behavior. He'd watch them from a distance, studying their movements, then incorporate what he'd learned into his training. One day, while observing from a rocky outcrop, he spotted a tiger moving with an elegance he hadn't seen before. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if there was something new he could adapt into his technique.
"Look at that form... Who needs a martial arts manual when I've got you," he quipped to the tiger, which of course, ignored him entirely.
During one encounter, a tiger lunged at him, and without breaking a sweat, Li Wei sidestepped the massive beast's swipe.
"Not bad," he muttered, coolly dodging another blow. "But you've got to be quicker than that if you want to catch me."
The two engaged in what could only be described as a sparring match. The tiger, serious and focused, was out for blood. Li Wei, on the other hand, was simply refining his technique. After a few rounds of this wild "training session," he smirked, leaving the tiger to lick its wounds as he walked away, nonchalant as ever.
It wasn't just the tigers that were changing Li Wei's techniques; he was also working on refining the Tiger Boxing Manual. The more he fought with the tigers, the more he noticed their efficiency, their fluidity.
"I should name this new pose after myself," he joked one day, while executing a particularly complex series of strikes and dodges.
He practiced the twelfth pose, with renewed energy. Every movement felt sharp, precise, like he had absorbed the essence of the wild beasts. But his cool, laid-back demeanor remained intact. Even when he encountered a black tiger, a spirit animal, *cough-cough*, Li Wei didn't flinch.
"So, you're the famous black tiger spirit," he mused as the creature approached, its dark fur rippling with power.
They fought, but in the end, Li Wei prevailed, dispatching the tiger without much fuss. He examined the beast afterward, hoping to find the legendary energy core. "Nope, just a regular old mutant," he said, somewhat disappointed.
The tiger's bones would made for an excellent medicinal soup—one that had boost his training fourfold.
He couldn't complain too much.
Li Wei's time in the jungle wasn't without its moments of humor, though. One particularly lazy afternoon, as he lounged by a stream, the young tiger he often sparred with made an appearance. The tiger approached him slowly, watching as Li Wei practiced his moves.
"If you're going to stand there, you might as well learn something," he called out to the tiger, who stared back at him blankly.
To his surprise, the tiger actually tried to mimic his movements. "That's... not half bad," Li Wei admitted, laughing as the tiger awkwardly imitated one of his stances.
Their playful exchanges became a regular part of his routine, the tiger darting around him like some overgrown house cat. Li Wei found himself chuckling at the ridiculousness of it all. "Who needs human sparring partners when you've got a tiger that thinks it's Bruce Lee?"
By the time Li Wei reached the sixth month of his mountain training, he had become more connected to the wild than ever before. He moved through the forest with ease, his body stronger, his mind sharper. The young tiger was now a constant companion, lounging nearby while Li Wei practiced his techniques. Together, they had developed a sort of camaraderie—one built on mutual respect, even if one of them didn't speak.
Despite the peaceful solitude of the mountains, Li Wei's thoughts occasionally drifted back to the village and his wives. Life was good, whether in the jungle or at home, but for now, he was content to let the tigers teach him a thing or two.