Chapter 18 On Martial Arts

Smack!

Wang Anfeng's right fist was intercepted, and at the same time, a fair hand swiftly lifted and positioned itself at his neck, forcing him to calm down and gently exhale, saying,

"I lost."

"You and I agreed it was merely an exchange of fist techniques, there needn't be talk of winning or losing."

The young man opposite him also stopped his moves, standing there with a smile as he watched him. At this moment, Wang Anfeng was dripping with sweat, his inner qi depleted, yet the young man still looked flawless and composed, with a hint of carefree elegance not often found in his peers beneath Great Liang Mount. Having already taken a liking to him, and agreeing with the conduct he had displayed earlier in the tea shop and just now, Wang Anfeng did not hide his thoughts and said with a smile,

"A win is a win, a loss is a loss, it's just one bout. The future wins and losses between us remain unknown."

The young man paused briefly, then seeing Wang Anfeng's clear and serene eyes filled with sincerity, he laughed aloud, saying,

"Very well, very well, that's the right attitude. Master once annotated the 'Taoist Script' saying, 'The heart is still as stationary water, the will as firm as a boulder, hence it is said that as the Heavens move vigorously, a gentleman should continually strengthen himself.' I found you quite intriguing at first, and now it seems, indeed, you are far more interesting than others."

Wang Anfeng shook his head and said, "I am no gentleman."

The young man laughed and replied, "But you're not a villain either."

Wang Anfeng fell silent, his face showing a hint of hesitation. The young man, perceptive and astute, guessed his thoughts and laughed, "My young friend, are you perhaps wondering why I was able to break through your techniques during our bout just now?"

Wang Anfeng was startled for a moment, and, having his thoughts read, openly nodded and said, "Indeed... my master said that this fist technique had been refined to perfection, and you too had once called it 'Unbreakable Martial Arts,' so I am somewhat puzzled..."

The young man listened to his question with a smile and suddenly felt a teaching impulse rise within him. Instead of answering, he asked,

"Do you have an answer in mind?"

Wang Anfeng thought for a moment and replied, "I think it might be my own issue."

"How so?"

"When I have fought with others in the past, my mind would go blank, and my moves were solely reliant on the instincts from prior practice—utterly rigid like logs and stones. I never feel threatened when striking a log, so to those with martial skills, wouldn't my techniques appear just as wooden?"

The young man's eyes brightened upon hearing this, he assessed Wang Anfeng from head to toe, clapped his hands and sighed,

"Insightful, a good thought."

"However, logs and stones won't move, much less think like this."

Seeing a hint of teasing on the corners of his mouth, Wang Anfeng was not annoyed but simply said,

"Perhaps they do move, just very slowly, too slow for humans to perceive."

The young man looked puzzled and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Wang Anfeng scratched his head and smiled, "It's just my own silly thoughts. Haven't you heard 'seas dry and rocks decay, and lands arise from mountains'? When rocks decay, they moulder and die, and isn't the arising of land just like residents relocating? Are these historical records something that one or two generations can witness?"

The young man was at a loss for words. He considered himself clever, but now, faced with Wang Anfeng's statement, he couldn't outtalk him and simply shifted the topic back to martial arts with a smile, "Indeed interesting, just as interesting as the ideas you just expressed."

"I have an uncle who shares a similar opinion. There may exist 'Unbreakable Martial Arts' in the world, but there are no unbreakable people, no unbreakable moves. Every move, as long as it is executed by mortals, inevitably has flaws. Similarly, every master also inevitably has weaknesses. The question is, whether you can grasp this flaw and deliver a fatal blow!"

Wang Anfeng's eyes sparkled upon hearing this, and he asked subconsciously,

"Then how can one grasp a flaw?"

The young man looked at him, and though Wang Anfeng's question delved deeply into the essence of martial arts—a realm beyond many, he should have refused and severely reprimanded him. However, he appreciated this plainly dressed yet occasionally astonishing young man. He candidly and succinctly said, "Water."

"Water?"

The young man nodded and explained, "Haven't you heard the 'Taoist Script' say, 'Of all the things in the world, nothing is softer than water, yet nothing can surpass it in conquering the hard and strong'? The 'Military Path' also says, 'Military tactics are like water; water flowing avoids the high and rushes to the low, military tactics avoid the solid and strike the void. Water adapts its flow according to the terrain; military tactics adapt their victory according to the enemy. Thus, the tactics of war are as changeable as water's form.' According to my uncle, if one can manage to act with utmost softness while undertaking tough actions, using water's nature to avoid the solid and strike the void, one would be on the path to mastery in martial arts."

Wang Anfeng felt as if he had realized something, but when he tried to ponder deeply, he felt nothing. He stared at the rushing river in front of him, stooped to pick up a stone, and casually threw it, creating several ripples on the water, lost deeply in thought. Suddenly, he felt a burning gaze on him, slightly turned his head, and saw the young man staring at him with large glistening eyes.

"That thing just now… what was it?"

"What thing?"

Wang Anfeng was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what the young man meant, and exclaimed, "Skipping stones… haven't you ever played it?"

"Mmm, no, no."

While the young man verbally agreed, he kept shaking his head. The calm and refined demeanor during sparring, the casual elegance when discussing martial arts, and the open-hearted way he dealt with people had all vanished, leaving only a carefree, childlike expression. He continued to stare blankly at Wang Anfeng, who chuckled, only now realizing that the boy was about his age. Otherwise, his composure did not seem like that of a teenager around thirteen or fourteen years old. Wang then picked up two flat stones from the ground and handed one to the boy, smiling, "You've never even played in puddles? Didn't you grow up on a mountaintop? Here, let me teach you. For skipping stones, you need a flat stone like this, barely touching the water as you throw it at an angle, like this."

While talking, he casually threw the stone, which tapped the water five or six times before leaping to the other bank. The young man next to him showed excitement, threw his arm forcefully, and the stone entered the water at an angle with a loud 'plop', creating a large splash. Wang Anfeng nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it back, and said,

"You need to use finesse. Watch this..."

Plop!

"No, no, like this... Here, throw it at an angle..."

Plop!

"Haha... why don't you try again?"

Plop!

Again came the sound of something heavy hitting the water. Watching the young man's widening eyes and somewhat frustrated expression, Wang Anfeng, who had been suppressing his laughter, finally burst out laughing. The young man gritted his teeth and threw another stone, which fared even worse than before. He turned his head and glared at the laughing Wang Anfeng. Though clearly annoyed, he couldn't help but join in the laughter.