Chapter 15: Sha Jiu
As soon as Chen Wujun got onto the rooftop, his kung fu progressed rapidly.
After all, practicing martial arts on the guard wall requires focusing all one’s mind and concentrating all one’s intent; every practice session is a walk between life and death.
One step life, one step death.
In such a situation, how could progress be slow?
A week later, when Chen Wujun was punching practice at the martial arts school, his aura was completely different.
His gaze focused, every movement with the spine naturally accumulating power to bounce and spring like a bow, force penetrating section by section from the heel straight to the elbow tip and knee top.
Senior Brother Li held a teacup on the side, the tea untouched for a long time.
“Lower body steady as a mountain, during punching practice muscles relaxed, skeleton expanded, fascia bouncing… just like a spring, this punching practice has achieved some steady penetrating quality…”
“How long has it been since he started practicing?”
Senior Brother Li thought about how long it took him to reach this level back then.
He suddenly felt a sense of boredom.
After finishing punching practice in the afternoon, by evening, seeing that Senior Brother Li had nothing to say, Chen Wujun changed his clothes.
“Senior Brother, I’m heading back!”
“Go on, go on!” Senior Brother Li waved his hand casually, still feeling somewhat bored.
After this period of punching practice, Chen Wujun’s vital energy was abundant, his eyes bright.
His entire temperament had greatly changed, with a soaring momentum.
Plus these days, besides going back to dentistry for lunch every day, he also ordered an extra beef meal, with ample nutrition, and his muscles increasingly solid.
Previously during standing meditation it was fine, but now with momentum increasingly soaring, muscles increasingly solid, and having practiced punching and knees for so long, progress was lightning fast, confidence growing stronger, yet no opportunity to test his fists and feet.
He now wanted to kick a dog even when walking past one.
Leaving the martial arts school, just as he exited the alley, a man in his early twenties, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, tall and sturdy, blocked his path ahead.
The other had a buzz cut, full of vigor, his muscles stretching the T-shirt as if it might tear at any moment.
Chen Wujun shifted his body to let the other pass first, but the other didn’t move.
Chen Wujun immediately knew the other was coming for him.
While sizing up the other, he raised his guard, eyes scanning the surroundings, while calculating in his mind: “Someone from Bing Ye? The killing for money thing exposed?”
Seeing no one blocking behind, this relaxed him a bit; he could turn and run back to the martial arts school anytime.
“Little brother, no need to be nervous, someone wants to see you!” The other saw Chen Wujun’s guard and smiled.
“Who wants to see me?” Chen Wujun’s expression unchanged, he asked.
“Sister Sha Jiu! You’ve probably heard of her.” The other didn’t play coy and said directly.
“One of He Tu’s Four Heavenly Kings?” Chen Wujun was genuinely surprised this time.
What did Sha Jiu want with him? Was she behind that loan shark group? Wasn’t it Bing Ye?
That ten thousand bounty was a large sum for ordinary people, but wouldn’t move someone like her.
“Not bad business! Come with me!” The other smiled at Chen Wujun, turned, and led the way, not worried at all that Chen Wujun wouldn’t follow.
Chen Wujun looked at his back, hesitated repeatedly, but still followed.
Mainly because he didn’t sense any malice from the other.
The other led Chen Wujun into Long Jin Road, through the surging crowd, to a shop with red curtains hanging.
“Come in!”
Chen Wujun raised an eyebrow; this kind of shop with red curtains was a strip club, no brand, but everyone in the Walled City knew.
He’d long been curious, just never had the chance.
This time he could see what it looked like inside.
Entering the shop, he saw a large hall inside, with a T-stage straight ahead, a steel pipe upright on it, surrounded by a circle of chairs.
In the middle of the hall were five or six tables, each with a steel pipe, and against the wall a sofa area, where a short-haired woman in a white shirt sat on one sofa.
“Sister Sha Jiu, brought the guy!” The man said as he reached the sofa.
Sha Jiu turned to glance at Chen Wujun following behind, smiled, and gestured to the opposite sofa: “Sit!”
With that smile, Chen Wujun knew why she was called Sha Jiu.
It was the first time he’d seen teeth like a shark’s.
A mouth full of sharp pointed teeth.
When Sha Jiu wasn’t smiling, she looked delicate with a heroic air, but one smile revealed evil and ferocity.
Chen Wujun sat opposite Sha Jiu, though somewhat reserved.
After all, it was his first time handling such a situation, and opposite was a famous big shot in the Walled City.
A real big shot.
“What do you drink?”
“Soda!”
“Get him a bottle of soda.” Sha Jiu beckoned to the man not far away, then crossed her legs and said:
“Not bad, in two months’ time, kung fu has taken shape, commendable. But no need to be so reserved; technically, you should call me senior sister!”
Sha Jiu’s voice was somewhat low and husky, not fast-paced, but full of strength.
Chen Wujun immediately recognized it as the voice from downstairs during standing meditation that day.
But what shocked him more were Sha Jiu’s words.
“Senior Sister?”
“What, Li Yaozu never mentioned this senior sister of his?” Sha Jiu said with a grin.
Li Yaozu was Senior Brother Li’s name.
Without waiting for his answer, she continued: “Now you know.”
“Senior Sister!” Chen Wujun greeted obediently; now half his heart was at ease.
From Sha Jiu’s demeanor, she didn’t seem to be looking for trouble with him.
And he hadn’t expected they had this connection; Sha Jiu, one of He Tu’s Four Heavenly Kings, actually from the martial arts school, yet no one had ever mentioned it, not even Senior Brother Li.
He recalled Lin Zetao saying: Other martial arts schools had to pay protection to He Tu and Li Dong, but theirs didn’t.
With senior sister being one of He Tu’s Four Heavenly Kings, naturally the martial arts school didn’t need to pay Li Dong.
And to cultivate a Four Heavenly King, the martial arts school owner’s strength must be even greater.
“I’ve long heard senior sister’s name, just didn’t expect… how did senior sister know about me?” Chen Wujun asked with some curiosity.
Technically he wasn’t qualified to call Sha Jiu senior sister yet; he was just a student, hadn’t even met the martial arts school owner.
But since Sha Jiu said to call her senior sister, he naturally climbed the ladder.
At the same time, he was curious how Sha Jiu knew about him; did Senior Brother Li tell her?
“I saw you practicing kung fu on the rooftop using the stealing heavenly secrets method; you really are extremely bold!” Sha Jiu said directly.
“Stealing heavenly secrets?”
“It’s when you’re doing standing meditation and punching practice on the guard wall, with a bottomless abyss underfoot; one wrong step and you’re shattered to pieces! Tempering between life and death like that pushes mind and intent to the peak, so kung fu naturally progresses rapidly. That’s why it’s called stealing heavenly secrets.” Sha Jiu explained flatly.
“So that’s what stealing heavenly secrets is called…” Chen Wujun realized; the method he’d thought of, others had long since figured out.
But thinking about it, not surprising; he’d only been practicing martial arts a few days to think of it, how could all those past kung fu masters not have.
“Did someone teach you, or did you think of it yourself?” Sha Jiu asked.
“I thought of it myself…” Chen Wujun said.
Sha Jiu looked at Chen Wujun, slapped her thigh, and laughed loudly: “I guessed as much.”
“Others doing stealing heavenly secrets go from shallow to deep, only after kung fu reaches a certain level! And they start at low heights; who starts directly on the rooftop like you!”
Chen Wujun didn’t know these things; hearing Sha Jiu now, he felt his courage was indeed too great.
“Didn’t fall to your death, count yourself lucky! But you really are extremely bold, daring to think and act! Good seedling!”
“Want to come work for me?” Sha Jiu got straight to the point.
“Just because I was practicing punching practice on the rooftop?” Chen Wujun asked in return; of course he’d be willing to join He Tu, that was his goal anyway.
But it came too suddenly, making it feel somewhat unreal.
“Practicing on the rooftop for seven weeks without falling to death! Great courage, kung fu improving fast too! I think you’re talent!”
“These days, what’s most important? Talent!”
Chen Wujun now realized Sha Jiu had long known he was practicing punching practice on the rooftop, who knows how many times she’d watched.
Yet he’d never noticed her.
“Practicing punching practice, why so desperate on the rooftop?” Sha Jiu asked seriously.
“Want to make a name for myself!” Chen Wujun didn’t hide this.
“There you go!” Sha Jiu slapped her thigh and laughed.
“But just practicing won’t make a name; you gotta be able to fight. How to fight? Practice on people, use people as stakes! That’s human head stake! You got no money no influence, where to find people to be your human head stakes?”
“And practicing martial arts needs lots of resources, need money to buy! No money, then rob, seize!”
“What resources?” Chen Wujun didn’t know about this.
“Magnetic field crystals!” Sha Jiu said word by word.
“New technique needs them, we practicing old technique need them too! New technique old technique, in the end same destination different paths!”
“You haven’t met the old guy yet? You’ll know after meeting him! He’ll tell you too, to go further, gotta fight, rob, seize!”
While listening to Sha Jiu, Chen Wujun’s mind raced; all this was unknown to him.
Human head stake, first time hearing the term, felt very apt.
Practicing martial arts naturally requires fighting people, otherwise just bitter practice, even a lifetime and you’re just showy form.
But practicing old technique needs magnetic field crystals? What are magnetic field crystals?
The old guy senior sister mentioned, the martial arts school owner?
Fight… rob… seize… these words alone showed how brutal this path would be.
After hearing this, Chen Wujun only felt eager to try.
But he knew clearly, relying on himself alone wouldn’t work; even if he could fight, just a small fry unless he could take down everyone.
Must have influence.
“I’m definitely willing to work for senior sister.” Amidst his racing thoughts, Chen Wujun spoke, then changed tone: “Just don’t know what I can do to help senior sister?”
“I got so many underlings, each with their uses! So much business, can’t watch it all myself?”
“As for you, your kung fu still needs practice. But I quite favor you!” Sha Jiu laughed.
“What about the martial arts school side?”
“No conflict, days go to martial arts school, nights come to me to learn doing things! Like I just said, after you meet the old guy, he’ll tell you to fight, seize, rob!”
“Come over evenings to learn from me, 8000 a month now! As for later, depends on your ability!”
8000 wasn’t low; Chen Hanliang’s dentistry only 5000 to 6000 a month.
And that with his own shop, no rent, otherwise income even lower.
In the Walled City, factory workers only 2000 a month, women workers 1800.
Chen Wujun leaned back on the sofa: “Senior sister, you offering directly, what more to say? I’ll learn hard!”
“Hahaha, good! Let’s grab a meal together later.” Sha Jiu laughed heartily.
“I’ll call home, let them know.” Chen Wujun said.
