Chapter 54: The Weak Draw Swords Against The Weaker
This time Zhou Qing demonstrated even slower, and he demonstrated every footwork combined with every palm technique once, eight steps and eight palms, that is sixty-four palms.
Chen Wujun’s attention was mostly on Zhou Qing’s back, observing the muscles on Zhou Qing’s back exerting force.
It wasn’t until Zhou Qing finished demonstrating that Chen Wujun said: “Master, your back looks like a dragon!”
“When exerting force, the spine bounces and springs, the muscles ripple in waves, layer upon layer transmitting strength, just like dragon scales opening and closing!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qing immediately laughed.
“Well said, this way of exerting force is called Dragon Strength.”
“You’ve learned that the body has five bows, but there are also two body strengths: one is the spine bouncing and springing, the other is the waist and hips twisting, together called the strength of dragon and tiger.”
“The so-called three returns and nine turns is just one strike. No matter how much you’ve practiced, it all comes down to this one exertion of force. This is the secret of kung fu!”
“The spine is both the body bow and the great dragon. The most important part is here, and the hardest to train is also here. Exerting force from the spine is easiest at the lower end of the spine, the tailbone ‘whipping’ force, but with this exertion, the upper end of the spine, the cervical spine, receives huge impact force. The more you do it, the dizzier your head gets. If you don’t train your kung fu well, you’ll give yourself a concussion first.”
“So the correct way is to exert force from the thoracic spine, drawing the bow at the thoracic spine. The old boxing scriptures say ’emit from through the chest’, which is exactly this.”
Chen Wujun listened with great interest. Senior Brother Li had explained how to exert force many times, but far from as straightforward and easy to understand as the master.
He had twisted his body strength into one piece, trained into a complete strength, but compared to Zhou Qing’s spine bouncing and springing on his back, with muscles transmitting layer by layer like waves, it was still much inferior.
Moreover, there were many places where he had only half understood before: he knew how to train, but not why to train that way.
At this point, hearing Zhou Qing’s explanation, he immediately understood.
“The previous few stakes have already laid the foundation for you. You can slowly figure out this Dragon Strength during practice.”
“And this Swimming Dragon Palm has only eight steps in total. The body movement is walk, pierce, twist, turn; it’s really just a ‘drill’. Drill wherever there’s an opening: if someone punches at you, drill under his armpit, into his chest, to his side, behind him…”
“You come hit me!”
Hearing this, Chen Wujun didn’t hold back either. He twisted his body into a bow and stepped forward to strike.
However, as soon as Chen Wujun raised his hand, his vision blurred, and Zhou Qing lifted his arm with one hand, drilled under his armpit, and smoothly counter-struck with a backhand slap to Chen Wujun’s waist point.
“This is drilling. I just pressed you with a press palm. If it were someone of similar strength to you, a pierce palm to your waist would ruin your kidney!” Zhou Qing said from behind Chen Wujun.
Chen Wujun thought if an enemy drilled behind him like this and poked his waist, his hair stood on end.
“And these palm techniques are pierce palm, chop palm, lift palm, press palm, pick palm, swing palm, bounce and spring palm, and stir palm…”
“Combining footwork, movement technique, and palm technique creates extremely many variations…”
“You first practice on flat ground, and once familiar, practice on the stakes! Once steady on the stakes, hang up the sandbag and practice.”
…
Chen Wujun learned the eight footworks and eight palm techniques of Swimming Dragon Palm quite quickly.
After all, the foundation was laid long ago; he just needed to pay attention to some key points.
In just one afternoon, Chen Wujun memorized this set of palm techniques.
“The movements of Swimming Dragon Palm cover eight directions, so it can’t be practiced on the rooftop guard wall. Fortunately, there are wooden stakes.”
Chen Wujun walked back while pondering the footwork of Swimming Dragon Palm, and recalling seeing Sha Jiu make her move that day, he vaguely understood something.
As soon as a person moves, there’s an opening; wherever there’s an opening, drill through.
As soon as the opponent reaches out, you’re already behind him.
If your reaction is a bit slow, you’re slapped dead.
Just like that master among Wen Long’s subordinates, who was awe-inspiring amid the crowd, but when he met Sha Jiu, she lifted his chin with one palm, his neck stretched a section longer, and he died on the spot.
In the next few days, Chen Wujun practiced Swimming Dragon Palm in the martial arts school every day. To an outsider, it looked like he was just circling around on the ground.
And in the filthy, dilapidated Walled City, large patches of red also appeared. This lawless chaotic place gradually filled with the cheerful festive atmosphere of the New Year.
In the air, besides the rotten stench, there was also the homely atmosphere of preserved meat and burning incense.
All of this revealed a twisted vitality.
And on the streets of the Walled City, it was even dirtier and messier than usual, with garbage everywhere.
Many people, after cleaning their houses, directly threw the garbage down the courtyard well. Every day, someone stood in the alley cursing at the upstairs.
“Ah Fei, on New Year’s Day, set up two tables at the gambling den. Business needs to be done, and meals need to be eaten. You arrange this… I’ll go then, around seven…”
Chen Wujun carefully picked his way through the garbage on the ground while on the telephone.
“Fuck!” After hanging up, Chen Wujun couldn’t help cursing.
…
At a teahouse outside the Walled City, Bing Ye toyed with a purple clay pixiu tea pet on the table and asked casually:
“Still haven’t found the person? Finding a gambler is harder than finding the killer.”
Hearing this, the henchman broke out in sweat.
“Bing Ye, we heard that Lan Du Hong offended someone, got his legs broken, and has been recuperating at home.”
“Oh? Recuperating at home? His legs will heal eventually, right?”
“Even if his legs are broken, you can still have people go to his house to find him. These gamblers, cooped up at home for so long, definitely can’t hold out.”
“Bing Ye, we’ve found two people close to him. We’ll go to his house when his family is out!” the henchman immediately said.
“Go! Move fast!” Bing Ye nodded slightly.
…
Time flew by to New Year.
In the morning, Chen Wujun finished pasting couplets at home, then went to the martial arts school to paste them.
Senior Brother Li wasn’t there; he was probably at the master’s place.
When he got home, he found an extra person.
Shufen.
Chen Wuqi was bouncing on the sofa watching cartoons.
The little girl, wearing somewhat old clothes, stood in the corner wanting to help with something, but her mom Huang Meizhen wouldn’t let her, so she stood there awkwardly, her two hands fidgeting with her hem.
“Bro!” Chen Wuqi called happily when he saw his second brother.
“Shufen, what happened to your hands?” Chen Wujun noticed many cracks on Shufen’s hands as soon as he entered.
Shufen glanced down at her hands, then hid them behind her back.
“That bitch surnamed Yu upstairs is no good. I said she’s always stingy, so how come she’s so generous this time, chipping in with everyone.”
“She makes Shufen work at her house every day, 20 bucks a month, treating this child like child labor!” Huang Meizhen came out of the kitchen angrily, took Shufen’s hand, saw the cuts all over it, and her eyes were full of distress:
“Don’t go work for her tomorrow, and don’t take her 20 bucks. We’ll cover the money at home.”
“Whatever she says, ignore her.”
“What’s still missing at home?” Chen Wujun asked.
“We’re out of liquor at home; go buy two bottles.” Huang Meizhen said casually.
Chen Wujun turned to go out and buy liquor, but went straight upstairs to one of the doors, saw the iron gate outside was closed.
He thought for a moment, then went downstairs, walking and calling on the phone.
“Ah Fei, get two bags of shit!”
“Brother Jun, who pissed you off? It’s New Year!” Ah Fei was puzzled; throwing shit at someone’s house on New Year’s, you’d need some deep grudge for that.
“Remember that gambler last time, the one who beat his wife to death, left with a daughter?”
Chen Wujun recounted the matter.
“How inhumane! Her parents are both dead, already miserable enough, and she bullies even such a little girl! I’ll get someone on it right away.” After hearing the story, Ah Fei immediately patted his chest and promised.
After hanging up, Chen Wujun put the matter aside and went to buy liquor as if nothing had happened.
Even at the very bottom of society, if there’s an opportunity, they will bully those weaker than them.
Ordinary neighbors in the Walled City were still warm-hearted, but there were quite a few like this.
He had known this for a long time.
At five in the afternoon, every household in the Walled City was cheerfully having their New Year’s dinner; even those usually the most exhausted were now relaxing to treat themselves.
The family upstairs from Chen Wujun’s: the man surnamed Wang, the woman surnamed Yu, with two kids at home.
The meal had just been served when there was a knock at the door.
The man puzzledly went over and opened the wooden door, seeing two unfamiliar young men outside the iron gate.
“Who are you looking for?”
“Are you surnamed Wang, and your wife surnamed Yu?” one youth asked.
Seeing the man nod, he said: “Then it’s right.”
Then the two took out two black, stinking plastic bags from the bag they were carrying. The man sensed something wrong and immediately tried to close the door.
But one henchman directly stuck his hand through the iron gate bars to block the door, while the other directly splashed the feces from the bag inside.
Instantly, a stench spread.
“What are you doing?” The man’s face turned green.
“Even bullying a child with no parents—I despise scum like you the most!”
“This time to teach you a lesson—happy New Year, eat shit!”
“Next time we’ll break your legs!”
