"Martial Manuals for Sale! Come take a look—Golden Rooster Fist, Turtle Fist, Tiger Fist, Cat Fist, Dog-Beating Fist!"
In the bustling marketplace, book vendors shouted loudly as they hawked all manner of fist manuals. In troubled times, hindsight was priceless—so business was naturally good.
"White Crane Fist! Praying Mantis Fist! Five Elements Fist! Five Elements Linked Fist! Eight-Form Fist—all revealed!"
"Confucian Fist! Daoist Fist! Water School Fist! Fire School Fist! Bird Style! Buddhist Fist!"
"Ape Form! Ground-Fighting Fist! Wild Goose Palm! Butterfly Palm! Crab Fist! Mandarin Duck Fist! Mantis Fist!"
Li Jian was strolling through the market with his friend Xie Song. They paused to take a look. One vendor, an elderly man, called out to them:
"Young sirs, I can tell you both have trained before. In times like these, it's best to have some martial skill for self-defense. As the saying goes: scriptures are easy to find, but a true master is hard to come by! Since fate has brought us together, take whatever manuals you like—two for just one tael and two mace!"
Li Jian replied skeptically, "Are these manuals any good? They look like flashy but useless tricks."
The vendor frowned. "Young hero, you mustn't say such things lightly! These techniques were created through real combat by masters of the past—highly practical! If you don't believe me, I'll demonstrate a few sets right here!"
With that, he rolled up his sleeves and began.
First came Crab Fist—his movements scuttled sideways, hands and feet working together like a crab, emphasizing lateral motion and pincer-like grips. Then came Praying Mantis Fist—swift, unpredictable strikes, attacking from front and side, chaining techniques together in rapid succession.
When he finished, the crowd burst into applause.
"Sir," the vendor said with a grin, "if my fists impressed you, do me the honor—pick any manuals you like. Two for just one tael and two mace!"
Li Jian and Xie Song exchanged helpless glances. Li Jian thought to himself, This is what I get for speaking too quickly… Now that he's performed and the crowd is cheering, how can we not buy something?
"Fine, two manuals," Li Jian said. "Crab Fist and Mantis Fist."
"Much obliged, young master!"
Seeing this, nearby vendors immediately raised their voices:
"Five Elements Fist—learn it on the spot!"
"Confucian Fist—don't miss it as you pass by!"
Soon, the marketplace—once a place of trade—turned into an impromptu training ground. In these chaotic times, even book vendors knew a few tricks.
✶ ✶ ✶
Back home, the two went straight to Xie Song's courtyard.
Li Jian took out the manuals and said, "Let's try these—Crab Fist and Mantis Fist. Who knows, they might come in handy someday. As the saying goes: sharpen your spear before battle—even if it doesn't shine, it will still gleam!"
Following the diagrams, they began to practice. The illustrations were not very detailed, so they carefully compared movements, afraid of learning incorrectly.
"Is Mantis Fist like this?" Xie Song asked, mimicking the hooked forelegs of a mantis—his index and middle fingers forming claws, practicing techniques of hooking, grabbing, and striking.
Li Jian nodded. "That seems right. We just need more practice to refine the sequence."
He himself studied the Crab Fist manual. "My turn—does the hand position look like this?" He mimicked a crab's sideways stance, lowering his center of gravity, hands forming pincers, power focused through fingers and palms.
They practiced together for an entire afternoon, gradually understanding the techniques.
Suddenly, Xie Song grinned. "I wonder—which is stronger? Your Crab Fist or my Mantis Fist?"
Li Jian replied without hesitation, "Why not test it?"
"Watch out!" Xie Song called, striking first with a hooking motion.
Li Jian sidestepped and countered with a pincer strike. The mantis attacked head-on; the crab dodged sideways, striking toward the back of the head. The mantis flipped and countered; the crab blocked with a pincer. Back and forth they went—mantis probing, crab seizing.
At times, the mantis struck cleanly; at others, the crab trapped its limbs. Yet both lacked sufficient inner strength to unleash the full power of their techniques.
Xie Song finally said, "These styles don't feel natural. Let's each use our own techniques and see who wins!"
Li Jian agreed. "Very well—let's give it our all!"
They separated. Xie Song suddenly struck forward with a palm aimed at Li Jian's chest. Li Jian met it head-on—smack! Their palms collided, both feeling a jolt. Their inner strength was evenly matched.
They continued exchanging blows.
Suddenly, Li Jian changed technique—"Swift as a Hare!" His footwork shifted rapidly, his body darting like a rabbit as his fist shot forward like lightning.
Xie Song blocked and dropped low, sweeping with his legs—three strikes from the left, three from the right. Li Jian reacted quickly, stepping into the Seven-Star stance and countering with Mantis Fist—"Iron Ox Plows the Field!"
Short, rapid strikes followed.
Xie Song dodged, deflected, and shifted into Five-Form Fist—his movements agile and powerful, embodying the tiger. Blows and counters flew in quick succession.
At last, Li Jian swept his leg in a decisive strike. Xie Song began to falter.
Li Jian followed with Five Elements Fist—Splitting Fist, like an axe descending, then left strike, then Drilling Fist, Cannon Fist, and Crushing Fist in rapid sequence.
Two heavy blows landed squarely on Xie Song's abdomen.
Xie Song staggered back.
"Forgive me, Brother Xie," Li Jian said.
But Xie Song only laughed. "Brother Li, your martial skill is impressive. Staying in the county office truly wastes your talent!"
Li Jian shook his head modestly. "There are countless masters in the world. I'm far from confident in my abilities."
Xie Song smiled. "If you never venture out, how will you know your true worth?"
Li Jian paused, then said, "Let's eat first. I'll think about it."
Deep down, he knew: beyond the heavens, there are always greater heavens; beyond men, greater men. His current skill was but a flicker of firefly light—hardly comparable to the brilliance of the full moon.