Chapter Fourteen: Whetstone

  Bosina's words stirred up a stormy wave in my heart, war, what a distant word, yet it seems to be getting closer and closer to us.

  "I support you in setting up a tofu house, so that you can separate from the cooking class and have free time to receive training after completing your work." Bu Shanna gave our "grand plan" two thumbs up, but raised some opinions: "However, wanting to make a stone mill by yourself is simply childish. Now that piece of stone that was smashed into the military camp, you touch it, and there's no doubt that you're telling others that you're related to the raid on the camp. And neither of you two are suitable for being stonemasons, lacking the necessary technology and tools. It would take at least half a year to make a stone mill that can barely be used, by which time you may have already gone to the battlefield."

  "Tofu house needs the tools, I'll help you guys get them," said Bu Shanna with a wave of her hand, making the decision for us: "At most one week's time, I can help you guys prepare what you need. Now your main task is to increase your own strength as quickly as possible. You are all cooks in the army, and usually don't receive military training. You don't want to be able to only cook and carry pots on the battlefield, do you?"

  Chang Sun Ting raised a finger behind my back, meaning "You're awesome, you can even handle a woman like this and make her yours!" I smiled wryly and shook my head repeatedly. After spending the night in Bu Shanna's dormitory, plus the "evidence" on her neck, we were afraid that even if we jumped into the Yellow River, we couldn't wash it clean.

  "I was ordered to lead the special anti-terrorism squad soldiers to Urumqi a week later, to prevent terrorists who have infiltrated the country from creating chaos. So don't expect me to guide you, you can only supervise and practice among yourselves. When I return, I will carefully check your progress. If you meet my requirements..." Here, Bu Shanna's eyes flashed with a mischievous glint, and she smiled: "Before participating in the battle, I will apply to our superiors to have you join the logistics department of our anti-terrorism squad, where you can drink fresh soy milk every day, which is good for beauty and skin care."

  I stared at Zhang Sun Ting, and he stared back at me. No one was there to guide us personally, so we supervised each other's learning and practiced in secret. What's the difference between that and being a hermit? Bu Shan Na dropped a phrase "it's up to people" and left with a flourish, leaving Zhang Sun Ting and I facing each other silently. With our abilities, fighting those little hoodlums was a piece of cake, but intimidating ordinary soldiers was also not very impressive. However, when it came to fighting Bu Shan Na, a true warrior, in a life-or-death battle, whether armed or unarmed, the two of us combined couldn't even compare to her playing around. Once a small-scale regional conflict broke out on the border with India, special operations would certainly become a crucial branch. Who could guarantee that we would only encounter new recruits?

  "Don't worry," Zhang Sun Ting said, stroking his chin fiercely. "In the absence of Master Bu, I'll teach you the art of Harmony Qi myself. I don't believe that with our two brothers' intelligence and talent, we can't turn Harmony Qi into a deadly combat technique for the battlefield!"

  Hapkido is a martial art that uses stillness to control movement, defending and then counterattacking. With just a bit of modification, it can be very effective in close combat with a knife. I looked at Chang Sun Toh with respectful eyes and asked, "With your conditions and natural talent, you must have already reached black belt level several times?"

  "Black belt?" Long Sun Ting looked at me with disdain and said, "In this day and age, everything is counterfeit and fake. Selling fake certificates and auctioning off academic titles are all the rage. What's the point of having a real black belt? As long as you can defeat your enemy with one move, on the battlefield, do you care if the person who killed you was a beginner white belt or an expert black belt?"

  Chang Sun Ting was indeed a master, young and already free from the mundane standards of the martial arts world. I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe towards him. As he met my gaze, Chang Sun Ting proudly waved his hand and shouted: "From today on, we will intensify our physical training for four hours every day, and practice Aikido for two hours. Go find me a stick that's two feet long, and if you don't listen or train seriously as my student, I'll use it to heavily spank your butt!"

  I nodded vigorously, wanting to learn real kung fu from him; what's a little beating?

  After lunch, Zhangting handed me a large basin of dirty dishes and rice bowls, saying: "Respecting teachers is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, you should know what to do. I'll go back to the dormitory to rest for a while, and from now on, all my work will be done by you. Don't forget to wipe the stove clean and fill up the water tank, then come to the dormitory to find me."

  I reluctantly nodded. As long as I can learn practical skills, washing dishes, wiping the stove, fetching water, sweeping the floor, and cleaning the kitchen are all done by me alone, what's the big deal?

  I spent a whole hour and a half bustling in the kitchen before dragging my slightly sore waist back to the dorm.

  After reviewing my work performance, Zhang Sun Ting was very satisfied. "Not bad, really not bad. Since you've worked hard and respected your elders, today I'll teach you a sure-kill technique... 'Drawing the Sword to Cut Water'!"

  He pulled me to the training ground and found an empty space, Zhang Sun Ting let out a low breath, his two hands slowly rose, with his movement, a strange and unparalleled feeling surged in my heart, as if he raised not two hands but two huge shields. When he placed his two hands on his chest in a fighting stance, his whole body seemed to have no weaknesses at all. Zhang Sun Ting gazed at me and said in a low voice: "Use your fists to hit my face."

  I didn't dare to slack off, let out a wolf howl, and suddenly made a dash with the fastest speed of a forward thrust step. At the same time, my right hand drew a straight trajectory in the air and struck heavily.

  "Bang!" A dull thud, my fist went through Chang Sun-ting's arms without any obstruction and hit his nose straight on. Chang Sun-ting let out a muffled hum and was punched by me to retreat several steps back.

  I stared blankly at Zhangsun Ting's nosebleed and after a long while, I said: "Old Big Brother, is this your harmonious way?"

  "Idiot!" Zhang Sun Ting furiously shouted: "I'm teaching you this rookie how to combine internal energy, of course I have to use slow motion to break down every detail, and after practicing each one until it's smooth, then add power and speed. But from the start, your fists are flying so fast, do you think you have a camera's eyes or a CPU brain that can remember my movements?!"

  He spoke as if he really had some reason, I scratched my hair, after setting up a defensive posture in Changsuntian, slowly punching out my right fist. Changsuntian swung his left palm to chop at my right elbow, calling out: "Look carefully, this palm of mine has already chopped into the numb tendon of your elbow, which will make your right arm lose power due to numbness. At this time, your arm is basically straightened, and my left hand transforms from a palm to a finger to grasp your right elbow. You can't punch out an attack with any threat anymore, then I just need to take advantage of the opportunity to step forward...

  My right hand rotated rapidly around my wrist, and after retracting my elbow slightly to gain a distance of almost an inch, I shook it violently. The fist shot out like a piston, striking forward fiercely. Faced with this unexpected attack, Changsuntian let out a blood-curdling scream that shocked the entire scene, and was knocked back several steps. A face that could deceive girls into giving up their lives quickly became red and swollen in large patches.

  I quickly stepped forward to support Zhang Sun Ting, repeatedly apologizing: "Sorry, sorry! I'm a fan of Bruce Lee's movies and have practiced his inch-force punch technique. I thought you wouldn't be able to exert much power with your right elbow locked in place, so I just wanted to try it out for fun, but I didn't expect to actually hit you."

  Chang Sun Ting rubbed his swollen right cheek and said angrily: "Good, good, really great... Let's continue!"

  I don't know if he was saying that the inch-force fist is good or that this punch I threw is good.

  "Alright, let's continue from where we left off!" Chang Sun Ting's strength increased significantly, and he tightly grasped my right arm, shouting: "My left hand transforms into a claw, gripping your right elbow, making it impossible for you to launch a threatening attack. Then, I just need to take advantage of the opportunity to step forward, and I'll lock up your shoulder ligaments. With just a bit more strength, I can make you lose all your bodily strength..."

  I suddenly turned around, and between my body and the right arm locked by Changsuntian, a 45-degree arc was actually twisted out. Under Changsuntian's stunned gaze, I punched him in the face again.

  "When I was young, I once broke my right arm and had two steel nails inserted to fix the elbow bone. After removal, I underwent three months of electromagnetic wave therapy in the hospital to avoid affecting normal physiological function. Every time after the skeleton softened, I would use force to stretch the tendons, so the activity range of my right elbow is far higher than that of a normal person."

  "Heavens!" Zhang Sun Ting finally couldn't help but let out a mournful cry: "What kind of monster am I teaching internal energy to, you still have what kind of variant abilities and parts, all tell me clearly!"

  Looking at Changsun Tingqing's purple face, I also found that I had indeed done something excessive. Apologetically, I said: "Sorry, I should have made it clear to you first, there's nothing else."

  "Alright, so you remember that move I just taught you, 'drawing the sword to cut off the water'? Now let's put it into practice. Only through actual combat can you truly understand the essence of harmonizing with your opponent and using stillness to control movement!"

  Looking at Zhangsun Ting's eager face, I hastily called out: "Wait, wait a minute, I still have questions..."

  What a joke! He only demonstrated it to me three times, and each time I was unexpectedly attacked and disrupted the formation. Moreover, he didn't even teach me how to place my hands or stand with my legs in Aikido combat style, let alone how to understand the truth of using stillness to control movement through actual combat!

  "Cut the crap, let's get down to business!"

  Chang Sun Ting let out a loud roar, which made my ears ring. His iron fist pierced through my unguarded arms and heavily smashed into my nose. I also started bleeding profusely from the nose just like him.

  "Too slow! Your hands are open so wide, are you preparing to block my attack or hug me? This pervert-like defensive stance is only suitable for fighting beautiful women like Instructor Bu! Raise your hands a bit higher, yes, left hand in front of your chest and right hand under your chin. Keep your eyes fixed on my arms, only by anticipating the enemy's move can you intercept my attack first!"

  It makes sense, as long as I stare at his arms, I won't believe my motor nerves are worse than his! With a smile, I followed Zhang Sun Ting's guidance to get into the fighting stance, and saw that his arms didn't move, shouting: "Left kick!"