This severe beating left Lu Yun completely unconscious on the ground. When he awoke, he found himself surrounded by complete darkness, collapsed in the woodshed.
His head ached terribly, he felt nauseous, and his ears rang incessantly. He thought to himself: “There are actually such barbaric people in this world! That Young Master Pei appears refined and scholarly, but in reality he’s no different from the ruffians on the street. When they beat people like this, do they not value human life at all?” A wave of righteous indignation surged through his heart, aggravating his injuries and causing him to faint again.
In his dreams, it seemed someone came to the room to check on him. He vaguely heard someone say: “Don’t let this matter spread, especially don’t let the master know about this incident.” It seemed to be Second Concubine’s voice.
Soon after, A’Fu came to deliver medicine and tend to Lu Yun’s wounds. Seeing Lu Yun’s entire body covered in bruises, A’Fu looked on with anger and said indignantly: “Ah Yun, you can only consider yourself unlucky to be beaten by such a young master. If you want to report to the authorities for revenge, that would be extremely difficult! Who told Second Concubine to be that surname Pei’s cousin aunt? Damn it!”
Lu Yun was startled and said: “No wonder they dared to be so violent – it turns out they were relying on Second Concubine’s influence.”
A’Fu suddenly whispered: “Ah Yun, the master usually likes you so much. If he knew about this matter, he wouldn’t necessarily protect Young Master Pei. If you tell the master about this, he would surely seek justice for you!”
Suddenly someone shouted: “A’Fu! What gossip are you spreading?” Following this, a slap came flying over. A’Fu cried out in pain – it was the steward who had arrived.
A’Fu said in a low voice: “Just my bad luck, and it’s none of my business…” The steward barked: “Still talking?” A’Fu was startled and quickly fled through the door.
The steward took out a red envelope and gave it to Lu Yun. Inside was a twenty tael silver note. The steward said with an apologetic smile: “Lu Yun, Second Concubine asked me to give you these twenty taels of silver, hoping you won’t take this matter to heart.”
Lu Yun sneered: “What if I do take it to heart?”
The steward said: “You’re an outsider from another province who was beaten nearly to death for no reason. By rights, you should harbor resentment. But let me advise you – if you offend Second Concubine, she will surely torment you to death. I’m afraid you wouldn’t last even ten days or half a month in this household!”
Lu Yun smiled slightly: “The steward was sent by Second Concubine to be a mediator, wasn’t he? What a thankless task.”
The steward’s face reddened: “It’s good that you understand. Second Concubine is even compensating you with silver now – what more do you have to complain about? Let it go! We servants have this kind of fate.”
Lu Yun looked at the steward’s shrewd face and sighed: “Steward, handling affairs for others like this must be quite painful for you too!”
The steward hadn’t expected Lu Yun to speak this way. A flash of melancholy crossed his face as he said: “Lu Yun, I can see you’re also a clever person. Young Master Pei is the future son-in-law riding the dragon into the Gu household – you understand, right? Even if the master favors you and is willing to stand up for you, why make him strain relations with his son-in-law over such matters?”
Lu Yun understood completely and sighed: “Don’t worry, I won’t put the master in a difficult position.” He then returned the twenty tael note to the steward, saying: “Return this money to Second Concubine and tell her Lu Yun appreciates her sentiment.”
The steward knew Lu Yun’s wages were extremely meager. Seeing him actually refuse the money, he thought: “This person truly is different – no wonder the master likes him so much.”
The steward pondered for a while and said: “Very well! Then I’ll return this money. You rest for a while – I’ll have someone help with the work in the study.” In his heart, however, he had already decided to pocket these twenty taels.
Watching the steward’s slightly hunched retreating figure, Lu Yun suddenly felt he was quite pitiful too. Aren’t all servants like this? Lu Yun suddenly thought: “Am I to spend my entire life dependent on Uncle Gu’s household like this? To be a servant who suffers beatings and mockery behind his back?”
As he wallowed in grief and indignation, he suddenly thought of Gu Siyuan’s kind and benevolent smile. Lu Yun was overcome with sorrow. It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to give up Gu Siyuan’s promise to promote him, nor was it that he couldn’t bear to leave his days in Yangzhou. What he couldn’t bear to lose was that feeling of familial affection – the warmth that he, orphaned of both parents, had never experienced before. But those malicious words from outsiders, Second Concubine’s calculating cold laughter – none of these were things he could endure. He decided that when Gu Siyuan returned, he would bid him farewell. Thinking of Gu Siyuan’s kind treatment of him, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply…
This vicious beating kept him bedridden for over ten days before he could move about. When relieving himself, he noticed blood in his urine and thought darkly: “That Pei bastard is truly vicious! I have no deep enmity with him, yet he beat me like this!” Remembering what Lai Xi had said that day: “You don’t know how terribly people are talking outside – they all say you’re Master Gu’s catamite!” Lu Yun’s heart ached, and he couldn’t help but spit up a mouthful of blood.
Since Lu Yun was injured, the steward didn’t dare make him work. Each day he just let him wander about idly. On this day, with nothing to do, Lu Yun walked onto the main street of Yangzhou. He bought a candied hawthorn stick and sat in a street corner eating it, watching the bustling pedestrians come and go. The warm sun shone down, making him feel pleasantly warm.
Lu Yun squinted his eyes and thought: “I don’t know how much longer such good days will last – I need to think about my future livelihood.” He saw several vendors carrying noodle stands, appearing quite carefree and happy. He mused: “Look how leisurely these people are – perhaps I should learn to sell noodles in the future, to avoid suffering the disdain of these snobbish households.”
As he was thinking, he suddenly saw several shop assistants running toward the street corner, shouting loudly: “You damn old man, eating without paying – you really deserve a beating!”
Lu Yun was startled to see an old beggar cowering in the corner, surrounded and beaten by three or four burly shop assistants. Seeing the old beggar’s pitiful state and thinking of his own circumstances, Lu Yun felt a surge of indignation. He rushed forward and shouted: “What are you doing! Beating an old man like this!”
One assistant said: “This old man ate our food then ran away – it’s absolutely outrageous! If we don’t beat him up, how can we maintain order in the future!”
Lu Yun said sternly: “How old is this man? Can he withstand such abuse from you? Even if he stole your food, that doesn’t warrant death!”
The assistant shouted: “What are you babbling about!” He then pushed Lu Yun, who grunted and dodged aside. Another assistant blocked his path, laughing: “You young fellow have quite a sharp tongue and seem rather chivalrous. How about you let us beat you up instead? Once we’ve vented our anger, we’ll spare this old man.” Everyone laughed raucously: “Good idea!” and rushed toward Lu Yun.
Seeing their fierce approach, Lu Yun tried to dodge, but being injured and unsteady on his feet, he immediately fell to the ground. Everyone laughed heartily, then grabbed him up, ready to start hitting.
Just as the assistants were about to throw punches, suddenly one slipped and fell, apparently stepping on something. Another exclaimed “Hey!” and glared at Lu Yun angrily: “What trick are you playing?”
Lu Yun was puzzled, not knowing what these people were up to. The assistant roared and swung his bowl-sized fist toward Lu Yun. Just as the punch was about to land, the assistant suddenly slipped and fell backward.
Everyone looked down and saw a discarded banana peel lying on the ground. They cursed angrily: “Damn it, who was eating bananas here and threw the peel around carelessly?”
The old beggar cowering in the corner looked pitiful, but he suddenly chuckled and said: “So sorry, I ate that banana and caused you to get bruised faces.”
One assistant flew into a rage and shouted: “So it was you, you rotten old man, playing tricks!” He roared and threw a punch. The old beggar scratched his head and lightly flicked his finger – the banana peel suddenly flew up and landed right in the man’s mouth.
The assistant was shocked, feeling the rotten, foul-smelling peel made him want to vomit. In a fit of rage, he forcefully threw the peel away, shouting: “Old bastard!” As he swung his fist, his hand slipped again – somehow the banana peel had flown back into his hand. The assistant stood stunned for a long time, staring at the banana peel in his hand, not knowing what to make of it. Lu Yun, sharp-eyed, had already noticed the old beggar’s trick – he held a thin, barely visible thread in his hand, with the other end connected to the banana.
The assistant screamed and flung away the peel, rushing forward, but the peel seemed to come alive, whooshing back to slap him hard across the face before diving toward his mouth.
Smelling the stench of the rotten banana, the assistant couldn’t help but scream: “Get away! Get away!”
The more he opened his mouth, the more the banana peel tried to burrow into it. The assistant hastily pulled it out and threw it away forcefully, but the banana peel seemed quite attached to him – no sooner was it thrown than it flew right back, determined to make its home in his mouth.
The assistant screamed continuously, dodging everywhere. The banana peel seemed truly alive, leaping through the air and wrestling with him relentlessly. The assistant gasped for breath, driven to desperation by the banana peel, his face swollen from the beating. The other assistants were terrified and cried out: “There’s a ghost! It’s a ghost banana!” They immediately shouted and fled backward.
The banana peel seemed to spot other prey. Before they could get far, it flew toward the group of assistants, diving wildly at everyone’s mouths. The assistants were scared witless, everyone tightly closing their lips and refusing to open them, but they were still beaten black and blue by the banana peel, each receiving over a hundred slaps. They were truly in a sorry state.
The onlooking pedestrians, seeing the banana peel actually attacking the inn’s assistants, were stunned by such a strange occurrence.
After displaying its might for a while, the banana peel seemed somewhat tired and finally lay quietly on the ground as if resting. One assistant, slightly braver than the rest, saw the banana peel no longer moving and walked over from a distance. He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the peel. The stone hit the peel, but it remained motionless.
The man breathed a sigh of relief and shouted loudly: “Damn its ancestors! Everyone don’t be afraid – this ghost banana is dead!” He raised his foot and stomped hard on the peel, shouting: “Damn you! What kind of demon or ghost!”
Suddenly the peel moved, rising up like a poisonous snake in warning. The man cried out: “Damn, here it comes again!”
The banana peel seemed extremely angry. It flew up and slapped the man across the face. The man was terrified and screamed: “Help!” He rolled and crawled away. The others fled even faster, wishing their parents had given them two extra legs. In the blink of an eye, they had all disappeared.
Seeing everyone flee, Lu Yun couldn’t help but laugh heartily. He walked toward the old beggar and bowed with cupped hands: “Elder’s magic tricks are truly remarkable – this junior has been greatly enlightened.”
The old beggar smiled slightly: “You’re a good child, quite chivalrous!” He slowly stood up.
Lu Yun was immediately shocked. Though the old beggar was aged, his frame was extraordinarily tall – a full head taller than ordinary people. His eyes radiated a brilliant light, clearly indicating he was no ordinary person.
Lu Yun stood stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly: “So the elder is so tall, and your magic tricks are so skillful. This junior overestimated himself wanting to help, making the elder laugh at me.” He turned to leave.
Suddenly the old beggar called out: “Wait!”
Lu Yun stopped and turned around asking: “Does the elder have any other instructions?”
The old beggar then recited: “Drinking and eating lack spring water – how can plain water sustain life?”
Without thinking carefully, Lu Yun immediately responded: “Grinding stone and hemp powder, divided rice can suffice for hunger.”
As soon as he spoke these words, he immediately realized that Pei Ya had once mentioned that a famous old beggar, relying on a strange couplet, had forcefully entered over ten academies in Jiangnan. This must be that person.
Hearing this, the old beggar was overjoyed and laughed: “Heh heh! It really is you!”
Lu Yun laughed heartily and bowed: “This humble one stumbled upon the answer and inadvertently matched elder’s first line. If there are any inadequacies, please correct me, elder.”
The old beggar smiled: “Your match is excellent – both well-structured and rhythmic. I like it very much.” He then beckoned to Lu Yun, signaling him to come over.
Lu Yun was curious and walked forward two steps. The old beggar stared at him and smiled: “You’re injured, aren’t you?”
Lu Yun was stunned: “You… how do you know?”
The old beggar said: “Your steps are unsteady – I can tell at a glance.”
Lu Yun sighed and shook his head without speaking.
The old beggar asked: “Young brother, tell me – who beat you?”
Lu Yun smiled bitterly: “There’s nothing worth saying. Consider it being bitten by a mad dog.”
The old beggar smiled slightly: “You’re quite philosophical about it, but aren’t you afraid those people will come looking for more trouble?”
Lu Yun’s eyes reddened as he thought of Gu Siyuan. He shook his head and said desolately: “That’s not a concern. I’ll be leaving Yangzhou soon – even if those people want to find trouble with me, it won’t be so easy.”
The old beggar chuckled: “Young brother, you underestimate the world’s dangers. There are so many troublemakers everywhere. Weren’t those ruffians and scoundrels just now equally vicious? When you encounter them in the future, will you still just submit to their bullying?”
Hearing these words, Lu Yun seemed to be in a daze. He suddenly felt that throughout his life, he had accomplished nothing. Neither scholarly nor martial, poor and destitute, bullied by others – truly like a homeless dog.
Lu Yun’s whole body trembled as he said in a shaking voice: “Elder speaks truly. When I encounter these scoundrels and ruffians in the future, I’ll certainly be looked down upon and bullied by them. Is… is this my fate…”
Thinking of the shameless ruffian Niu’er, Young Master Pei’s arrogance, Second Concubine’s calculating nature… suddenly countless vicious faces swayed and bobbed before his eyes. Lu Yun’s eyes reddened, and he suddenly looked up and screamed wildly like a madman.
The passersby nearby, seeing this behavior, couldn’t help but panic and exclaim: “What’s wrong? Has he gone mad!”
The old beggar’s face showed compassion. He gently grasped Lu Yun’s hands, and a stream of warm, pure internal energy flowed over, immediately suppressing his surging blood and qi.
Lu Yun immediately came to his senses and said frantically: “I’m sorry, I lost my composure…”
The old beggar smiled slightly and gently stroked his cheek, saying: “Good child, you’re just temporarily frustrated. Don’t lose heart.”
Though these were just a few light words, they struck right at Lu Yun’s heart. He felt deeply moved, and tears couldn’t help but flow down. The old beggar said: “Come with me! I’ll take you to a good place.” He pulled Lu Yun and lightly leaped away.
Lu Yun felt his movement was strange and couldn’t keep up at first, but suddenly felt a warm energy flowing from the hand through his meridians into his body. With this warm energy, Lu Yun surprisingly gained great strength and could keep up with his pace.
Lu Yun was inwardly shocked and thought: “This is the genuine internal energy of the mysterious orthodox school. Who exactly is this old man? Could he be a heavenly messenger come to enlighten me?” In his excitement, he saw the old beggar continuously leaping forward. Soon the two had reached the outskirts of the city.
The old beggar led Lu Yun to a secluded grove. It was now late afternoon, with slanted sunlight creating a peaceful atmosphere everywhere. Lu Yun looked at the old beggar, not knowing what he intended.
The old beggar smiled: “Young man, you’ve practiced some internal energy, haven’t you? I can see you’ve learned the Wudang method, but your practice techniques are somewhat incorrect.”
Lu Yun asked in surprise: “How do you know?”
The old beggar chuckled: “Wudang mental cultivation emphasizes qi over strength, specializing in using softness to overcome hardness. Who in the martial world doesn’t know this?”
Seeing this old beggar knew everything, Lu Yun asked: “Elder, who exactly are you?”
The old beggar laughed heartily: “If I told you, I’m afraid you’d turn around and leave, never wanting to deal with me again. This old man wants to make friends with you, so it’s better not to say.”
Lu Yun pondered for a moment but couldn’t figure out the old man’s background, so he remained silent.
The old beggar said: “I imagine you were originally a scholar, but now you’ve fallen to this state – you’ve really suffered.”
Lu Yun was shocked and exclaimed: “You… how do you know?”
The old beggar smiled: “Don’t ask so many questions. Since you solved my couplet, your literary talent is quite impressive. Now let me test your martial arts skills. Come here and try hitting me with three punches.”
Lu Yun shook his head: “I have no grudge against you, old sir. Why should I hit you?”
The old beggar smiled: “Just hit me. I won’t move my feet or raise my hands – I’ll just stand here and let you hit me. If you can land even one punch out of these three, I’ll teach you a set of boxing techniques.”
Lu Yun chuckled: “You want to dodge my punches without moving your feet or raising your hands?”
The old beggar smiled: “Exactly so.”
Lu Yun laughed and shook his head: “That won’t do. If I injured you, elder, how could I face myself?”
Seeing Lu Yun still wouldn’t make a move, the old beggar deliberately provoked him by laughing: “Don’t tell me you’re really a weakling with only a woman’s strength?”
Lu Yun flew into a rage and shouted: “What did you say!” He suddenly threw a punch toward the old beggar’s abdomen.
Just as the fist was about to make contact, the old beggar smiled slightly. Without moving his feet, he simply turned his body slightly to the side. Lu Yun’s punch immediately missed, and using too much force, he fell to the ground.
Seeing him dodge without lifting his shoulders or moving his feet, yet still managing to make him fall, Lu Yun was amazed: “What kind of skill is this? How could you make me fall?”
The old beggar smiled: “I didn’t make you fall – you made yourself fall.”
Lu Yun caught the deeper meaning in his words and murmured: “You didn’t make me fall – I made myself fall?” After pondering for a while, he suddenly understood the principle behind it. He nodded: “Elder’s instruction is correct. I used too much force just now and didn’t know how to reserve strength, which is why I fell.”
The old beggar smiled: “Come! Based on your understanding, throw another punch.”
Lu Yun stepped forward and bowed: “Thank you for elder’s guidance.” This time he was prepared. He slowly threw a punch toward the old beggar’s abdomen. Having learned his lesson, Lu Yun was now wiser. Fearing the old beggar would dodge again, he waited until his fist was only inches from the old beggar’s body before adding force to strike out.
When he saw this punch had already reached the old beggar’s abdomen, Lu Yun thought: “You looked down on me so much, but wasn’t I able to hit you easily after all?”
Suddenly he saw the old beggar smile slightly, then suck in his abdomen – instantly his belly retracted several inches inward. At this moment Lu Yun’s arm was already fully extended, but he was still a finger’s width short.
The old beggar smiled: “Be careful!” He released his abdomen, and suddenly a burst of force collided with the arm. Lu Yun’s joints were rigid at this moment – struck by this strange force, he screamed in pain as his joint immediately dislocated and his body fell backward.
The old beggar smiled: “Sorry about that, I’ll put it back for you right away.” His technique was extremely skillful. Using both hands to support Lu Yun’s arm, he gently pushed – Lu Yun cried out “Ah!” and the dislocation was already reset.
Seeing the old beggar’s martial arts were extraordinarily high and that he truly couldn’t hit him, but being naturally competitive, Lu Yun now only wanted to win a move or two – not out of greed for the boxing technique he would teach. He thought: “I was already doubly careful just now and didn’t dare use my full strength, yet he could still injure me. What’s the principle behind this?” He buried his head in thought: “This old beggar can easily dodge my punches and kicks, and it seems he still has strength to spare. Yet I exhausted all my strength but couldn’t dodge that Pei Shengqing’s attacks. There… there must be some reason for this.”
Seeing him holding his head in deep thought, the old beggar didn’t disturb him, just watched with a smile.
Lu Yun pondered carefully, recalling Pei Shengqing’s punching technique from that day: “That day when Pei Shengqing swung his left hand like that, it was actually fake. Hmm, even his right punch was fake – his real attack was with his feet. But how could I know which of his moves were feints and which were real?”
Just then, his mind suddenly awakened as he understood the principle: “Ah! So that’s it – the key lies in the word ‘deception.’ The way of martial arts involves constant feints and reality, just like military strategy. Though I was extremely careful, this old man was able to deceive me, making me mistakenly believe this punch could hit him. As long as I was confident of hitting, I would use real force in my hand – this gave him the opportunity to exploit.”
Seeing joy on his face, the old beggar smiled: “How is it? Do you have any insights?”
Lu Yun looked up to the sky and laughed: “Military strategy is the way of deception – thus when capable, appear incapable; when ready, appear unready; attack where they are unprepared, appear where they do not expect. This is how military strategists achieve victory.” Though his understanding of martial arts wasn’t detailed, he had always been well-versed in military texts and familiar with strategic principles, so he had this realization.
The old beggar was overjoyed: “Excellent! In just a moment you’ve gained such understanding – remarkable, remarkable!”
Lu Yun said: “Elder, be careful – here comes my third punch.” He assumed a horse stance and thought: “This old man’s martial arts are extraordinarily high. If I use ordinary techniques, he’ll easily see through them. What should I do?” His gaze fell on the old beggar’s chest as he thought: “I’ll pretend to attack him with my left fist, but actually kick with my right foot to catch him off guard.”
Lu Yun’s left fist moved slightly as he gathered strength in his right foot, about to make his move, but he saw the old beggar had already looked toward his right foot. Lu Yun’s heart trembled, knowing the old beggar had seen through him. He pondered: “How did he see through it? My foot didn’t move even half a step! Let me try again.” He then gathered real strength in his right fist, about to swing out – this punch was no longer a feint. Sure enough, the old beggar’s gaze swept over and looked toward his right fist.
Lu Yun’s mind stirred – he realized this old man could detect the flow of his muscles. He chuckled and shook his head: “Elder is truly formidable. It seems I definitely can’t hit you – no point in wasting effort.”
The old beggar’s face showed disappointment: “I thought you had quite good patience – how did you give up so quickly?”
Lu Yun sighed lightly and lowered his head. Seeing the old beggar slowly turn his head away, Lu Yun suddenly launched all four limbs, attacking the old beggar in a sneak attack. The old beggar laughed heartily: “Truly the way of military deception – young brother, you’re quite devious!” He lowered his body, but his shoulder was already aimed at Lu Yun’s chest. If Lu Yun moved one step closer, his chest would definitely collide with that shoulder, and with such tremendous force, his ribs would surely break.
Just when it seemed Lu Yun had to withdraw and admit defeat, he suddenly tripped on something and was actually tripped by a stone on the ground. His center of gravity became unstable and his body pitched forward. The old beggar hadn’t expected such a turn of events and couldn’t help but be stunned. At this moment, Lu Yun’s fist followed the momentum downward and actually struck the old beggar’s abdomen. The old beggar was startled, his internal energy surged out, immediately sending Lu Yun flying.
The old beggar shook his head: “Young brother’s luck is really good – if that stone hadn’t appeared on the ground, your punch would have missed again.”
Though Lu Yun had fallen to the ground, he laughed continuously: “Elder, ah elder! Military strategy has five elements: first is the Way, second is Heaven, third is Earth, fourth is Command, and fifth is Method. In terms of the Way, Heaven, Command, and Method, elder surpasses me a hundredfold in every aspect, but relying on the advantage of terrain, I still managed to succeed by chance!”
The old beggar was shocked: “Was that stone also part of your calculations?”
Lu Yun smiled slightly: “When facing an expert like elder, how could I not use my full strength?”
Originally, he knew that no matter how he feinted, the old beggar would see through him, so he simply gambled by letting the stone on the ground trip him – this way it wasn’t deliberate acting, and indeed he successfully fooled the old beggar.
The old beggar laughed heartily: “Good! Good! The younger generation is to be feared! The younger generation is to be feared!”
Lu Yun got up and said modestly: “I was extremely lucky – in terms of real martial arts, elder could have killed me ten thousand times over.”
The old beggar chuckled and shook his head: “As they say, a bet is a bet. According to our agreement, I’ll now teach you a set of boxing techniques. I only hope you’ll study it carefully with dedication.” Seeing it was getting late, he said: “Time is getting late. For now, I’ll first teach you a set of mental cultivation formulas. Memorize them firmly – if we have the chance to meet again in the future, I’ll naturally test you.”
Hearing him agree so readily, Lu Yun couldn’t help but realize: “Actually, he intended to teach me skills from the very beginning – the earlier boxing match was just an excuse.”
He coughed and said: “Elder, you and I have never met before – why are you treating me with such kindness?”
The old beggar shook his head: “Consider it fate – you don’t need to ask so many questions.”
Hearing him speak this way, it seemed as if he knew Lu Yun, but Lu Yun had never known this old man – what connection could there be between them? For a moment, he couldn’t figure it out.
The old man paid no more attention to Lu Yun and said directly: “Listen carefully. This boxing technique is called ‘Unparalleled Consecutive Punches.’ It relies on eight characters: ‘strength follows qi flow, intention precedes qi.’ As long as you can master these eight-character essentials, the boxing technique will become clear and present no more difficulties.”
Lu Yun murmured: “‘Strength follows qi flow, intention precedes qi’… what… what does this mean…”
The old beggar explained: “Unparalleled Consecutive Punches emphasizes boxing intention first, qi second, while the techniques themselves are actually least important.”
Lu Yun said in a trembling voice: “You… you mean intention comes first, then internal energy, then techniques?”
The old beggar smiled slightly: “You understand immediately – it’s a pity I’m bound by sect rules, otherwise I should really take you as a disciple.”
Lu Yun suddenly understood, his eyes immediately brightening as if he had entered a completely new world. He thought: “When I usually practice qi cultivation, I always only focused on circulating qi and never knew the principle of ‘intention precedes qi’ – no wonder my internal energy never reached mastery. But that day when I was overwhelmed with grief and anger, I accidentally aligned with the principle of ‘intention precedes qi,’ and my internal energy could flow freely.”
Seeing him both surprised and delighted, the old beggar asked curiously: “What’s wrong? Do you have some insight?”
Lu Yun didn’t answer. Following the principle of “intention precedes qi,” he immediately concentrated and visualized his right arm’s meridians. But after practicing for a while, nothing happened. Seeing him circulating qi, the old beggar immediately said: “Focus intention but don’t force it – let it be like existence and non-existence, continuing and discontinuing. Make intention flow like water, then qi can surge naturally…”
Lu Yun exclaimed “Ah!” and thought: “‘Focus intention but don’t force it’ – exactly this phrase!” He thought further: “I’ve always treated internal energy as something external to my body. Every time I focus intention, it’s forced. Actually, this internal energy is just like my hands and feet – why don’t I let it flow naturally?”
He smiled slightly and immediately focused his mind, treating the internal energy in his body like his hands and feet. He closed his eyes and continuously visualized his right arm, imagining the arm contained the divine strength of a thousand pounds – one punch could shake mountains and move peaks. After a short while, he indeed felt internal energy surge out, his right arm slowly warming up. Lu Yun was delighted, but momentarily distracted, his visualization immediately dispersed and the warm feeling faded. He nodded, now knowing the secret within. With this insight, he finally crossed the most difficult barrier in martial arts.
The old beggar said: “Do you truly understand? Should I explain more?”
Lu Yun shook his head and circulated qi according to the method – qi followed intention, internal energy surged up. He exhaled forcefully and then swung out a palm – only hearing a “whoosh” sound, the force was incredibly powerful.
The old beggar’s eyes widened in shock, saying in a trembling voice: “This… where did you get this skill?”
Lu Yun looked up to the sky and laughed, throwing punches and extending palms. The warm energy in his body seemed inexhaustible. The old beggar could see this was a self-created mental cultivation method and couldn’t help but praise: “You figured this out yourself, didn’t you? Good lad, you really have it in you!”
Lu Yun practiced punches and kicks for a while, feeling smooth and satisfying in every way. Delighted, he thought: “Having mastered such skills, from now on I can travel the world without fearing anyone’s bullying!” He had been bullied by Niu’er in Shandong provincial capital, tortured by officers in prison, and even after coming to Yangzhou couldn’t escape beatings from young masters. All of this was because he had no power to protect himself. But now, with these martial arts skills, the future would be vast as the ocean and sky, with no more constraints.
In his great joy, he suddenly knelt forward and called out loudly: “Lu Yun’s insights today are entirely due to elder’s noble guidance and instruction. I will never forget elder’s great kindness for the rest of my life.” He kowtowed repeatedly.
The old beggar extended his hand to help Lu Yun up: “You’re so clever at learning martial arts that I don’t need to put much effort into guiding you. However, my ‘Unparalleled Consecutive Punches’ is quite remarkable – you should study it well. Using this as your foundation, your skills will definitely grow deeper with practice.”
Lu Yun now felt both admiration and gratitude toward this old beggar and quickly said: “Thank you for elder’s gracious instruction.”
The old beggar smiled: “Don’t thank me yet. My ‘Unparalleled Consecutive Punches’ is a martial art that emphasizes comprehension. It focuses on the practitioner’s mental state and killing intent, not on technique patterns and routines. When you practice to advanced levels in the future, it will all depend on your own understanding and creativity – no one can help you.”
Lu Yun asked curiously: “Elder says this boxing technique only emphasizes mental state and killing intent – what does this mean?”
The old beggar smiled: “This is like writing essays. In the past when you studied and practiced calligraphy, someone always had you copy model texts and practice famous calligraphy, but no matter how much you copied and practiced, you never escaped the scope of predecessors. To establish your own school and style would be impossible. If worldly martial arts are like eight-legged essays, my ‘Unparalleled Consecutive Punches’ is like a blank sheet of paper – it only teaches you basic martial principles and never restricts your techniques. Do you understand now?”
Lu Yun was overjoyed. He had always hated eight-legged essays most in his life, but being born in this era, he couldn’t escape the trends. In his leisure time when composing poetry, he often imagined himself living in the Tang or Song dynasties when his expression would surely be free and natural. Hearing now that this “Unparalleled Consecutive Punches” would never restrict his creativity made him even more excited and elated.
Seeing his anticipation, the old beggar just smiled: “The way of boxing emphasizes killing intent first, qi second, and techniques third. Victory is determined by mental wisdom, not by fists and feet. Therefore it is said: ‘Heaven and earth and all things are for my use’ – this is called ‘Heaven and Earth Unparalleled,’ hence the name.” He then recited the mental cultivation formula once.
The formula wasn’t very long – only about a thousand characters. Lu Yun listened all the way through, lowering his head to recite. When he heard subtle points, he couldn’t help but praise and gain insights; when he encountered doubts, he asked continuously.
The bright moon rose and slowly moved to mid-sky. Sometimes the old beggar would demonstrate personally, sometimes Lu Yun would practice and compare. In the blink of an eye, several hours had passed, but neither was aware of it. This Unparalleled Consecutive Punches didn’t have too many techniques – they were mostly principles teaching people how to evade and respond. When the enemy was mostly feint with little substance, one should “circle around slowly to plan against them”; when encountering an enemy with little feint but much substance, one should “advance straight through the center to deceive the enemy.” There were also tactics like “heavy head, light feet,” “left feint, right real,” “advance and retreat” – all offensive and defensive techniques.
The old beggar saw Lu Yun’s comprehension was extraordinarily high – where others would understand three from hearing one, he could deduce by analogy and create innovations, actually understanding ten from hearing one, knowing a hundred from hearing one. The old beggar couldn’t help but secretly admire him.
When practice reached its peak, Lu Yun suddenly thought of something and asked: “Elder, the boxing way involves constant feints and reality to deceive opponents, but what if the opponent’s fists and feet are ten times faster than mine? How should I face such an enemy?”
The old beggar smiled slightly: “To use the weak to strike the strong, to use few to bully many, only by foreseeing the future can one achieve victory.”
Lu Yun asked curiously: “Foreseeing the future? How can this be achieved?”
The old beggar smiled: “Foreseeing the future isn’t actually that difficult. For example, when you attacked me with three punches earlier, I relied on my experienced judgment to see at a glance how you would strike. Having prepared in advance, I could respond calmly. No matter how fast your strikes, how could you hit me?”
Lu Yun nodded, but then thinking of his limited martial arts skills, he frowned: “But my experience in jianghu is shallow – how can I see through enemy movements?”
The old beggar shook his head: “Why must you observe your opponent? You can make him strike according to your intentions!”
Lu Yun exclaimed: “Make the enemy strike according to my intentions? How is this possible?”
The old beggar smiled: “Lure them with momentum, drive them with profit – how could it not be possible?”
Lu Yun’s mind flashed like lightning as he suddenly understood: “That’s right! As long as I can deceive my opponent, even if his strikes are heavy and techniques fast, I can know him like the palm of my hand.”
The old beggar smiled: “Good comprehension. Exactly this principle.”
Lu Yun said happily: “Hearing your words is better than reading books for ten years. So martial arts and military strategy are completely connected.”
By this time Lu Yun had memorized the mental cultivation formulas. He pondered carefully, and when encountering difficult points, he would ask questions. This “Unparalleled Consecutive Punches” emphasized understanding most. The old beggar patiently explained. At first he found Lu Yun asked too many questions – truly more than he could answer. But later the old beggar was shocked to realize Lu Yun’s questions became increasingly profound, with some doubts being great difficult problems in martial arts throughout history that couldn’t be answered immediately, leaving him to frown and ponder deeply.
The two engaged in question and answer. Sometimes when the old beggar couldn’t think of answers, he would contemplate on his own. Lu Yun, drawing on his military strategy studies, also offered his own views and insights – it was no longer just the old beggar explaining alone.
After several more hours, it was already the chen period (7-9 AM) and daylight had long since broken. At this moment Lu Yun no longer asked questions, just closed his eyes in deep thought, recalling the essentials of the mental cultivation method the old man had taught. The old beggar looked at Lu Yun’s expression with great approval.
After another half hour, Lu Yun just lowered his head in contemplation. The old beggar knew he was concentrating on understanding and didn’t disturb him, just sat aside watching. Suddenly Lu Yun understood the key points – he laughed long and immediately stood up.
Seeing his face full of joy, the old beggar smiled: “Successful?”
Lu Yun laughed heartily: “To hear the Way in the morning, one can die in the evening content. Thanks to elder’s night of instruction, this junior will benefit for life. Please accept my bow.” He knelt down.
The old beggar extended his hand to help him up, smiling: “Good child, your comprehension is truly extraordinary. This night of teaching has benefited me greatly as well. With our research tonight, you will surely achieve extraordinary things in the future.” He patted Lu Yun’s head in approval, then smiled slightly, turned and walked away.
Seeing him about to leave, Lu Yun felt very reluctant and quickly chased after him, calling: “Elder! Are you leaving?”
The old beggar smiled: “Young friend, take good care of yourself. Heaven never cuts off all paths for people – even if you can’t take the imperial examinations again in the future, you can find a way to make a living through martial arts. Study hard and don’t disappoint my intention in teaching you.”
Lu Yun heard deep meaning in his words and was immediately stunned, thinking: “How does he know I can’t take imperial examinations again? Could it be he knows me?”
But in just this moment of hesitation, the old beggar had already gone far. Lu Yun shouted: “Elder! Elder!” In the early morning with light mist and fog all around, birds singing and flowers fragrant, the old beggar’s figure had disappeared.
Lu Yun returned disappointed, going back to the Gu residence. On the road, recalling all the mental cultivation methods the old beggar had taught, his heart was filled with boundless joy. Every new insight made him feel one more layer of gratitude toward the old beggar. He just didn’t know the old beggar’s background or why he had taught him martial arts. From the old beggar’s way of speaking, it seemed as if he knew Lu Yun.
Lu Yun thought: “This old gentleman’s background is unclear, yet he appeared when I was in desperate straits, seemingly sent by heaven to enlighten me and make me understand that heaven never cuts off all paths for people. I’ll call this internal energy cultivation ‘No Severance Mental Method’!”
After Lu Yun comprehended the mental method, his internal energy progressed amazingly fast. In just a few days, he felt his hand strength growing stronger and stronger. The gains from these few days seemed to exceed half a year’s total. He knew that continued hard practice would make his internal energy more refined daily. But recalling being viciously beaten by Pei Shengqing that day, he understood his fists and feet were still not skilled and he must practice hard from the beginning. Each day he found deserted places to practice the “Unparalleled Consecutive Punches” the old beggar had taught him. This boxing technique emphasized intention over moves, perfectly suiting Lu Yun’s nature. He spent all day throwing punches and extending palms with great pleasure, actually forgetting all the humiliations Second Concubine had given him.
On this day, Lu Yun was pondering martial arts mental cultivation in his room. Seeing it was getting late, he lit a candle. His thinking became intense and he couldn’t help gesturing with hands and feet. With a casual palm strike, suddenly the room went completely dark – the palm wind had actually extinguished the candle flame. Lu Yun was shocked and thought: “My casual palm strike has such great force!”
He lit the candle again. This time standing five feet away, he aimed at the candle flame and struck forcefully with his palm. Where the palm wind reached, the candle immediately went out, and even the window paper behind tore a crack. His heart was both shocked and delighted. He immediately researched the method of channeling strength in palm strikes to make the force even more powerful, even forgetting to eat.