Jiangbei, Cuiyuan New Village.
The buildings here are densely packed, and most of them are quite old.
There is a small sports field in the central area, which, although small in size, wins with its lush greenery.
A group of kids play chase in the sand, kicking a soccer ball around.
Several elderly people bask in the sun, contentedly pulling the bow across their erhus.
Surrounded by reinforced concrete, having a space for leisure and respite seems exceedingly precious.
In another corner, some people are practicing Tai Chi routines.
"Ah Cheng, when you perform ’Wild Horse Splitting,’ you must lift your knee and sink your hips, taking care with the spacing of your steps."
"The ’Single Pushing Hand’ is one of the mother forms of Tai Chi Boxing, aiming to neutralize the opponent’s strength. You need to feel the changes in the body’s center of gravity when rotating..."
"This ’Flash Arm’ move is very good, but you must also pay attention to how it flexibly combines with the subsequent ’Carry and Hammer’..."
Fang Cheng’s expression is serene as he raises his hand and swings his palm, lifting his knee and stepping forward, performing the Tai Chi Boxing moves with skill.
Wu Datong stands to the side watching, and when he spots any areas that need correction, he stops the practice to give guidance.
Once the set of twenty-four movements of the Ma’s Tai Chi is done.
Wu Datong finally sums up:
"The essence of Tai Chi Boxing is to keep the mind calm and the body relaxed, to let the mind lead the body, to move holistically, and to sink the breath into the dantian."
"The method to follow when practicing is to train the principle rather than the force, to focus on the foundation over the form, and to train the body rather than the moves."
"Ah Cheng, don’t exert yourself too much when you start practicing and don’t be too fixated on the moves themselves. Once you truly grasp this point, you are considered to have entered the door."
Fang Cheng nods lightly upon hearing this, understanding it in his heart.
What Wu Datong is teaching, at its core, is the pursuit of mastering the Tai Chi method of using softness to overcome hardness.
In truth, all martial arts routines are .
Through continuous practice of fixed moves and deep contemplation of the underlying philosophies, until they are integrated and can be used effortlessly in real combat.
That is the true technique!
"As for what comes after you’ve entered the door, your focus should be on practicing in conjunction with the Breathing Technique, to seek the unity of mind and energy, and to capture that thread of innate life force, which Professor Wu refers to as Life Energy..."
Fang Cheng picks up a bottle of mineral water for a sip, listening attentively to the instruction.
Because Tianxin Village is a bit far from Old Factory Street.
Usually, it is Wu Datong who substitutes to teach some basic skills and guide practice.
His family has a small sports field behind the house, with a pleasant environment, suitable for practicing.
"Ah Cheng, Old Wu, you guys finally finished!"
As the two of them talk, a rugged, solid voice suddenly interrupts.
"Is it now possible to have a match with me, and exchange some Boxing skills?"
Ma Donghe, who had been squatting on the side out of boredom, now stands up and strides over.
Fang Cheng looks at him somewhat speechlessly:
"How are you supposed to box looking like that, do you want me to gain the reputation of beating up a disabled person?"
Ma Donghe laughs heartily:
"No worries, my body is very sturdy, you can rest assured and strike."
His injured right arm has had the cast removed, and following doctor’s orders, he’s wearing a splint as rehabilitation protection, which has made his movements a lot more agile.
Fang Cheng still shakes his head, not interested in bullying someone who’s half-disabled.
He indicates that once his body has fully recovered, he would be willing to spar at any time.
Ever since their encounter at the gathering, Ma Donghe seems quite interested in Fang Cheng, often searching for him to hang out without any particular reason.
It must be said, this fellow as robust as a bear shows somewhat superhuman signs in his physical condition, with a rate of recovery far exceeding that of a normal person.
"Why don’t you two play Tai Chi Pushing Hands, see who topples whom first?"
This time, Wu Datong chimes in.
Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng immediately becomes somewhat interested.
Pushing Hands is a unique sparring form of Tai Chi Boxing.
The aim is to train combat skills and engage in martial arts discussion without injuring each other’s bodies.
Ma Donghe has been healing for over half a month, and his bones are nearly rusting.
Upon hearing this proposal, he naturally agreed immediately, thinking it would be good to have a chance to stretch his limbs a bit.
Considering his right arm had not yet fully healed, Fang Cheng decided to engage in Single Pushing Hand with him.
The two stood firmly in place, each raising their left hand and placing them together.
As Wu Datong shouted "Begin," their gazes suddenly intensified.
Ma Donghe made a quick move, pushing his wrist forward, pressing down on Fang Cheng’s arm and attacking towards the head.
Fang Cheng, following the pressing force, slightly tilted his body to the side.
While neutralizing the attack, he tried to lead Ma Donghe down by stroking his arm, hoping to take him down with the momentum.
Ma Donghe, however, reacted quickly and immediately leaned in clingy as a plaster.
The imposing pressure from his massive figure almost forced Fang Cheng to take a step back.
Ma Donghe had been practicing Tai Chi Boxing since he was a child, and though he couldn’t be considered an expert, his mastery over various basic techniques was quite skilled.
Fang Cheng twisted his waist and sank his hips to firmly stabilize himself.
At this moment, he could have easily used more strength to forcefully topple his opponent with a sideways push of the arm.
But such tactics would be considered unfair, clearly inferior.
Pushing Hands is a purely technical sport.
It seeks to use technique to change the opponent’s point of attack, creating a favorable position for oneself and overcoming the opponent with minimal effort.
If one only relies on brute force, then there is no need to learn any martial arts techniques.
Fang Cheng’s eyes became calm as he entered a state of Concentration.
All the noise around him—the laughter of children, the piercing sound of the erhu—began to fade away.
There was only the strong, bear-like fellow standing before him.
Fang Cheng watched unwaveringly, silently feeling the strength transmitted from his arm.
This force waxed and waned, constantly changing direction.
As if drawing irregular circles.
The Tai Chi Eight Skills—Ward Off, Rollback, Press, Push, Pluck, Split, Elbow, and Shoulder.
Ward Off like a wall, Rollback as leading a bull, invite in and follow to let it fall into emptiness; connect, stick, follow, and do not lose or resist.
Fang Cheng’s mind was like a carousel of slides, flashing through Wu Datong’s various force-issuing techniques.
Gradually, he completely integrated these techniques into his Pushing Hands.
Then, the opponent in front of him seemed to disappear.
Fang Cheng was entirely immersed in this wonderful state of feeling, resolving, and emitting strength.
His left hand was before him, continuously drawing one circle after another, large and small.
These circles, colliding and blending with the oncoming circles, like ripples on water...
Fang Cheng’s pupils contracted, catching a fleeting gap in the circles.
Immediately, his arm trembled and pressed, following through to enlarge the gap.
Even to the point of completely engulfing the opponent’s circle with his own.
A deep exclamation sounded, as a bear-like huge figure tumbled out.
Fang Cheng also snapped out of his Concentration state and looked sharply over.
He saw Ma Donghe staggering, bracing his hand against the ground, and turning back in shock:
"What kind of bizarre move was that? It looked like wrestling, it doesn’t belong to the Tai Chi Eight Skills, right?"
"Sorry, the pose you just made was too tempting, I couldn’t help but use this move."
Fang Cheng revealed a slight smile and steadied his stance once more.
No one specified that Tai Chi Boxing must be performed in a certain way to be authentic; as long as it followed the basic philosophy of "connect, neutralize, and issue" it would suffice.
Real combat always emphasizes using the formless to defeat the formed, surpassing the enemy’s expectations.
Naturally, if Tai Chi Boxing were employed in actual combat, it couldn’t possibly be confined solely to the Tai Chi Eight Skills.
At this moment, the panel shimmered with light, and a notification message appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations, you have preliminarily comprehended the philosophy of boxing, successfully mastering a combat Skill]
[Unlocked Skill: Tai Chi Boxing lv0 (0/100)]