**One evening in early December, the weather suddenly turned chilly. Overnight, the north wind howled, and snowflakes began to fall gently from the sky. By dawn, a thick layer of snow had already covered the ground.**
Wang Chao was awakened by the light of snow outside the window and thought it was already dawn. But when he checked the clock on his bedside table, he realized it was just after five, an hour earlier than his usual wake-up time.
However, Wang Chao had never been one to linger in bed. He dressed quietly, took ten minutes to wash up, and as he heard the sounds of his parents getting dressed in the next room, he stepped outside.
Wang Chao was a sophomore in high school in City C, sixteen years old. His height was average, his looks unremarkable, and his academic performance was moderate. His family situation was humble; both parents had long since been laid off, and their combined monthly income did not exceed two thousand yuan.
These circumstances had molded Wang Chao into a quiet and introverted young man.
Behind Wang Chao's home was a park near a river, dense with trees and somewhat secluded and eerie. There was a small path through it that led to his school.
Wang Chao preferred walking quietly on his own and disliked the busy main roads. Every day, he would walk along this path to school and back.
The park was quiet, with no one else around, except for a few sparrows hopping on the snow-laden branches, chirping occasionally and shaking clusters of snow down to the ground, adding a bit of liveliness to the scene.
But as Wang Chao slowly walked past a dense pine grove, he noticed movement among the trees.
"Someone out here so early?" Wang Chao wondered, straining to get a better look.
It turned out the person in the grove was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a white tracksuit and sneakers, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, practicing her punches slowly as though performing Tai Chi.
But after watching for a moment, Wang Chao noticed something unusual.
The woman's eyes were fully concentrated on her moving fingers. She would slowly extend her hand, gather her fingers precisely, then swiftly pull her hand back.
This slow extension and quick withdrawal reminded Wang Chao of catching fish as a child—reaching his hand into the water without alarming the fish, and then suddenly scooping one up when close enough.
Wang Chao also noticed that while punching, she moved in circles, her feet sliding carefully as though walking through muddy water.
Though her movements weren't particularly graceful, her entire body would vibrate with each punch, exerting energy in every part, giving Wang Chao a feeling of powerful rhythm.
He became deeply absorbed in watching her, unaware of how much time had passed. Suddenly, the woman stopped, raised her hands to her brow, then lowered them slowly to her abdomen, lightly tapped her left foot, and let out a long breath.
Wang Chao watched as a stream of white vapor shot out from her mouth like an arrow.
"She can exhale like that?" Wang Chao was amazed and tried exhaling as forcefully as he could. But all he managed was a small puff of mist that quickly dispersed in the cold air.
As he continued trying to blow out stronger breaths, the woman approached, smiled faintly, nodded in acknowledgment, and then walked out of the grove in the opposite direction.
Throughout the day at school, Wang Chao couldn't focus on his lessons, with his mind repeatedly returning to the image of the woman's breath that morning. The more he thought about it, the more magical it seemed.
He deeply regretted not approaching her to speak.
The next morning, determined to wake up even earlier, Wang Chao went to the grove again and found the woman there once more.
This time, he got closer, watching from just outside the grove.
Despite his presence, the woman remained focused, completing her routine, ending once again with that powerful breath. A long, thin line of white mist streamed out, like an arrow piercing the air.
Afterward, she acknowledged Wang Chao with a kind nod and smile, much like the day before, and quietly left.
For several days, this became routine. Wang Chao would wake early, run to the park grove, and watch her practice, only to see her leave precisely at six each morning.
Finally, after a week, Wang Chao felt familiar enough to approach her. Just as she was about to leave, he gathered his courage: "Excuse me, miss, what kind of martial art are you practicing?"
The woman smiled, "This is called 'national martial arts.'"
"National martial arts..." Wang Chao, who had read a lot of martial arts novels, only knew fantastical techniques like the "Nine Yin White Bone Claw," "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms," and "Toad Style," which he knew were fictional. But he had never heard of national martial arts.
After a week of watching, though, he felt her movements were far more captivating than any external fighting style he'd seen, like karate, taekwondo, or Muay Thai.
"What is national martial arts?" Wang Chao asked.
She smiled, "It's a martial art that's meant to defeat an enemy, not to entertain."
Wang Chao was even more intrigued. "Can you teach me?"
She looked him over carefully and nodded, "You've watched for a week—there's a bit of perseverance in you. What's your name?"
"My name is Wang Chao. I'm sixteen, a high school sophomore. What should I call you?"
"You can call me Tang Zichen," she said, still smiling.
Wang Chao noticed her smooth, flawless skin, resembling polished jade.
"You're not in good shape, you've never trained before, and your waist, legs, and feet are weak. If you want to learn, let's start with standing in a horse stance."
"Horse stance?" Wang Chao sighed. "I already know that!"
"Oh?" Tang Zichen gestured, "Then show me."
Wang Chao quickly got into position, legs bent, arms stretched out, and stood steady.
"Is this correct?"
Tang Zichen only smiled, watching silently.
Before long, Wang Chao's knees began to ache, followed by his legs trembling, his waist tiring, and sweat forming on his forehead.
Unable to hold it, Wang Chao stood up, rubbing his sore knees. "Like this?"
Tang Zichen shook her head, "Standing still like that will only injure your muscles. The horse stance, or 'Ma Bu,' is meant to be like riding a horse. You need to show the qualities of a horse."
"Like riding a horse?"
"You've seen people riding a galloping horse, haven't you? As they rise and fall, they're balanced. The horse stance is rooted in the experience of riding—your body must mimic that rhythm, not place all the weight on your knees."
"Now watch me."
Tang Zichen demonstrated the stance with a slight rise and fall, like rippling water.
"Now, you try it."
Wang Chao imitated her, but struggled to get it right, his movements clumsy and his balance unstable.
"Stand with your weight on your toes," Tang Zichen instructed. "Grip the ground like a chicken claw, then lift the knees, straighten the thighs, tighten your waist, and press your stomach inward. That's your upward force."
With her guidance, Wang Chao's time in the stance extended from five to twenty minutes.
"Do you feel like you're on a boat, about to get seasick?" Tang Zichen asked.
He nodded quickly.
"That's a sign you're doing it right. That seasick feeling is because your head isn't in the correct position. Follow me."
Tang Zichen led him to a nearby river, up a steep embankment. By the time they reached the top, Wang Chao's legs were aching, but the view was breathtaking.
"See this view?"
Wang Chao gazed out at the vast river and the snowy banks, feeling his fatigue dissipate.
"When your view is open, your mind relaxes, and fatigue melts away. This is what it means to 'open your view,' just like on a galloping horse. Same goes for seasickness—look to the horizon, and it eases."
"Applying this to the horse stance, you'll balance the rise and fall with an open mind."
Understanding these concepts, Wang Chao felt as though a door had opened before him.
Tang Zichen turned to him. "Practice for two weeks, then come back here so I can check your progress." She turned and left, leaving him with new insights that would shape his journey ahead.
Feeling that Tang Zichen's words were very useful, Wang Chao practiced standing in a horse stance every morning and evening, his toes digging into the ground, rising and falling, while his gaze looked out as if climbing to a high vantage point. Indeed, he could only stand for a little over ten minutes before, but after squatting for a day or two, he was able to hold it for thirty minutes without effort.
Moreover, Wang Chao felt that his toes, calves, and waist were becoming increasingly agile. After standing in the stance each evening, he slept very soundly, almost through until dawn.
By the fifth or sixth day, Wang Chao continued to squat regularly every morning and evening, and during classes, he often lifted his hips, sitting slightly off his chair, moving his body in waves as he wrote. Fortunately, Wang Chao's grades were average, and he sat towards the back of the classroom. His movements were subtle enough that the teacher didn't notice him.
Especially since Wang Chao was taciturn and introverted, having spent more than a year in high school, he could hardly recall most of his classmates' names and didn't have any close friends. However, this gave him peace, allowing him to live in his own world.
After ten days of practicing this wave-like movement, Wang Chao found that he could maintain a quasi-squat for a full class of forty-five minutes. During the ten-minute break between classes, he would rest, and as soon as class resumed, he would start the wave-like squat again. By the end of the day, including morning and evening self-study, the time he spent squatting reached ten hours.
In the last few days, Wang Chao seemed to be addicted, even walking with the habit of lifting his toes, digging with his fingers, and moving his body in a wave-like manner step by step. This posture was quite strange, often drawing attention from other students, but Wang Chao remained unfazed.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Wang Chao felt that his legs and waist were full of energy. At the school, he approached a flagpole that was level with his neck without needing to run, effortlessly leaping up to it.
On the day he was to meet Tang Zichen, Wang Chao woke up early, hurried to the park before dawn, and found Tang Zichen already waiting there, dressed in her white sportswear and looking amiable.
Seeing Wang Chao running over, Tang Zichen's eyes seemed to brighten.
"I didn't expect you to achieve such results in just half a month. Your walking posture has become quite mesmerizing," she said.
Wang Chao could only grin foolishly and ask, "What will you teach me today, Sister Zichen?"
"Well, you're a pragmatic person. No matter what you learn, you must immerse yourself in it to see results. It seems you qualify to learn my national martial arts," Tang Zichen remarked, gazing at Wang Chao as if she had discovered a precious piece of uncut jade.
"Come, let's talk first." Tang Zichen sat down on a stone bench. "Do you know what national martial arts are?"
Wang Chao shook his head.
"In the late Qing Dynasty, revolutionary figures led by Sun Yat-sen frequently attempted to assassinate high-ranking officials of the Qing dynasty, even princes, often relying on the support of martial artists. Later, after the establishment of the Republic of China and during the Japanese invasion, Sun Yat-sen and Feng Yuxiang vigorously promoted martial arts. The government established the Central National Martial Arts Institute, unifying various martial arts such as Xing Yi, Tai Chi, Bagua, Tongbei, Mantis, Bajiquan, Chuo Jiao, Hongquan, Tie Xian, Pi Gua, and wrestling, collectively referred to as national martial arts."
"Strong country, strong people." Wang Chao savored these four words, feeling a stir of historical reflection in his heart.
"During that era, many talents emerged. Now, over a hundred years later, they have become scarce." As Tang Zichen spoke, her enthusiasm seemed to fade.
"Come on, today I'll teach you a practical move."
Tang Zichen instructed Wang Chao to grab her shoulder from behind.
Wang Chao saw Tang Zichen facing away from him and immediately reached for her shoulder. Tang Zichen swiftly turned, her elbow jabbing forward like a spear, aimed at Wang Chao's chest.
This was a demonstration, and Tang Zichen moved slowly enough for Wang Chao to react. Instinctively, he pushed his hands forward to block her elbow. Little did he know that as soon as he made contact, Tang Zichen's forearm snapped down like a whip, her palm flicking toward his groin.
This was quick and sudden, and Wang Chao had not yet processed it when her hand had already reached his sensitive area.
Wang Chao was taken aback, feeling a chill rise from his tailbone to the back of his head, goosebumps covering his body.
"Turn, elbow strike, and flick to the groin." Tang Zichen controlled her strength well, her palm touching and then retracting without making contact with his pants.
Wang Chao's face turned strange, and he mumbled, "Sister Zichen, what is this move called?"
Tang Zichen smiled brightly. "This move is called 'Flicking the Groin' in Bagua, 'Turning and Collapsing Punch' in Xing Yi, and 'Side-Body Punch' in Tai Chi."
As she spoke, Tang Zichen explained the key points of the move.
"Martial arts evolved from long-range spear techniques. This move may seem simple—just a turn and a flick of the arm—but it actually requires two layers of force: the elbow strike should thrust like a spear, and when the opponent blocks, the arm should naturally drop and strike the groin."
"Ancient generals used spears on the battlefield, thrusting forward. When the enemy blocked, the spearhead would rebound, knocking the opponent's weapon aside. Because of the spear's elasticity, when you execute this move, you need to embody the essence of wielding a spear."
"Watch me demonstrate how to apply force!"
Tang Zichen demonstrated again, her elbow striking and her forearm snapping down, creating a crisp sound like a whip cracking in the air.
"The final flick to the groin must have that sharp sound to consider it perfected; this is also the explosive force of the Tongbei style."
"Okay, practice this move well. In three days, I'll teach you something else," Tang Zichen said before walking away.
For the next three days, Wang Chao diligently practiced the "Flicking the Groin" move. However, no matter how he tried, he couldn't replicate the whip-like sound that Tang Zichen produced.
On the third day, Wang Chao voiced his confusion to Tang Zichen.
Upon hearing this, Tang Zichen burst into laughter. "You silly boy, just starting out and already wanting to achieve that sound? That's quite unrealistic. Martial arts have three levels of force: Mingjin (Visible Force), Anjin (Hidden Force), and Huajin (Transforming Force). The pinnacle of Mingjin is that crackling sound; achieving that means you're already a martial arts master. With your current physical condition, you're far from ready. You've merely taken the first step on a long journey."
"Silly boy, let's not dwell on that. Today I'll teach you another move."
Tang Zichen demonstrated a sudden squat, grabbing the groin with her left hand while her right hand reached back behind her hips, pressing her palm against the ground.
"This groin grab while squatting is a lethal move in Tai Chi, a variation of the Flicking the Groin from Bagua, and is also known as 'Monkey Steals the Peach' in the Twelve Shapes of Xing Yi."
Wang Chao thought to himself, "The last two moves I've learned both involve grabbing the groin. What kind of sister is this?"
"Silly boy, pay attention. If you grab and the opponent retreats to protect their groin, you can immediately grab sand with your hand on the ground and throw it in their face. The great Tai Chi master Yang Luchan once defeated countless masters with his 'left hand squatting to grab a sparrow, right hand grabbing sand to throw in the face.'"
Wang Chao knew about Yang Luchan; he had watched a popular TV series a few years back starring Wu Jing, where the main character, Yang Yuqing, was based on the legendary figure from the late Qing Dynasty, Yang Luchan, the first master of Tai Chi.
"Grabbing a sparrow, throwing sand... what if there's no sand on the cement floor?" Wang Chao suddenly asked.
"Silly boy, when the monkey squats, its tail stands up to support it. If a person doesn't have a tail, this hand serves as the tail. The animal's tail helps maintain balance. When using this move, your hand must also support your body's balance. If you squat and miss the grab, and the opponent tries to kick you, your hand can push off the ground to escape."
"A monkey squats, using its tail for balance, and if it can't grab, it can still protect itself from kicks. This move is really underhanded," Wang Chao thought, feeling that his image of Tai Chi was shattered.
"Foolish boy, combat techniques are not for show, nor are they merely practice. Combat techniques emphasize the one-hit kill, targeting the vulnerable parts of the human body! In a fight for survival, who cares about being underhanded or not?"
Tang Zichen stood up. "Alright, today I will tell you that martial arts have three forms: one is combat technique, one is practice method, and the other is performance. Don't be fooled by those practicing Tai Chi slowly and gracefully; that's merely a performance, not even a true practice method. The real combat techniques of Tai Chi are rarely seen nowadays."
"Combat techniques, practice methods, and performances... there are so many distinctions?" Wang Chao felt that every time his sister spoke, she introduced him to a completely new realm.
"Tai Chi looks gentle, emphasizing using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds, but that's just the surface. The combat technique of Tai Chi is actually the most vigorous; you can find that vigorous energy in the character 'chui' (拳, meaning 'punch'). Look, in Tai Chi forms, there's 'Ban Lan Chui' and 'Pie Shen Chui.'"
Tang Zichen demonstrated two movements, swinging her entire arm with a sharp crack, as if the air was being exploded.
Wang Chao watched, his heart racing, thinking: What if that punch landed on someone?
"In ancient times, the generals wielding hammers were all fierce warriors. Take Li Yuanba, the greatest hero from The Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, who wielded two giant hammers to conquer the world. When the pioneers of Tai Chi created their forms, they naturally borrowed the might from novels, naming the most vigorous technique 'chui.'"
"Back in the day, the master of Bagua, Cheng Tinghua, said practicing Bagua is like pushing a mountain, and striking is like swinging a whip. The master of Xingyi, Shang Yunxiang, said practicing requires using energy without force, while striking requires force with less energy. This distinction highlights the difference between combat techniques and practice methods. The 'Liao Yin Palm' and 'Monkey Steals Peach' I taught you these past few days are combat techniques, skills for fighting, not for building stamina or increasing strength."
"What's the difference between force and energy?" Wang Chao asked.
"Force is inertia, a sudden explosion." Tang Zichen demonstrated again, swinging her arm with a sharp crack, "When using force, it must be fast, fierce, and sudden."
"Energy is the tensing of muscles, moving slowly." She demonstrated again, as if grinding or squeezing water from a sponge, "When using energy, it should be slow, heavy, and stable."
"Fast, fierce, sudden... slow, heavy, stable..." Wang Chao pondered these six words, grasping the difference between force and energy.
After Tang Zichen finished demonstrating, she sat down. "Now, practice 'Monkey Steals Peach' for three days. Once you've mastered it, I'll officially teach you something new."
Wang Chao nodded and secretly practiced for three days, finding a secluded spot at night to repeatedly practice the "Liao Yin Palm" and "Monkey Steals Peach."
Especially with "Monkey Steals Peach," the difficulty of the crouch was significant, and his leg muscles ached greatly. However, after standing in horse stance for half a month, Wang Chao's leg and waist muscles, as well as the strength and flexibility of his feet and toes, had greatly increased. After squatting thousands of times while practicing "Monkey Steals Peach," he finally reached an advanced level of proficiency.
Three days later, Wang Chao met Tang Zichen again in the park.