Chapter Four: First Encounter with Zilan

The next morning, Li Jiu arrived early to introduce Li Chongyuan to his fellow disciples. The Mingxin Cave lineage was notably sparse, with only six disciples. Besides the eldest brother Li Jiu, there were the second brother Chen Xing, third brother Ugo, fourth brother Wang Meng, fifth brother Zhao Ya, and sixth sister Zi Lan. What struck Li Chongyuan as odd was that third brother Ugo was a foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes, while sixth sister Zi Lan was the daughter of their master, Zi Wuzhuo.

Senior brother Li Jiu explained that in the vicinity of Tianshan, various peoples lived intermingled, and it was not uncommon for foreigners, admiring the martial arts of the Central Plains, to join the Tianshan Sect. As for sixth sister Zi Lan, though their master was a Taoist, the Taoists of Tianshan only embraced Daoist thought without being bound by its rules, so there was no prohibition against meat or marriage—having a daughter was perfectly acceptable.

Looking around at everyone, Li Chongyuan couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, where is our master's wife? Why isn't she here?" Li Jiu's face changed at once, and he said sternly, "From now on, never mention our master's wife to anyone on Tianshan. We do not have a master's wife." The Mingxin Cave lineage was rather loose and free; after teaching the core techniques, the master left each disciple to practice on their own, unconcerned with their schedule or progress. Every six months there was an evaluation, after which the master would decide whether to teach new techniques or have them continue with the old ones. Since Li Chongyuan had just joined, the responsibility for teaching him fell on senior brother Li Jiu.

And so, Li Chongyuan's training began—with carrying blocks of ice.

All the water used in Mingxin Cave was brought from a clear pond ten miles down the mountain. The path was steep and the water would easily spill, so they always filled water skins and froze them into blocks of ice before carrying them up. Ten trips a day were required, and on each trip, they had to practice their Hunyuan technique as they walked. The difficulty could easily be imagined.

Though this chore appeared to be mere drudgery, it was of great benefit to martial training. The blocks of ice were bone-chilling and incredibly heavy. The moment one activated the Hunyuan technique, the body would instinctively draw in the vital breath of heaven and earth, protecting the meridians from the cold. The greater the external pressure, the faster the internal energy would circulate, and thus, the more rapidly one's skill would grow. Over the years, the meridians—especially the usually impassable Ren and Du channels—would gradually be forced open. Often, after three or five years of diligent Hunyuan practice, a single unintentional surge of energy would see them cleared in one stroke. Martial artists from the Central Plains often rumored that the Tianshan Sect possessed miraculous elixirs to stimulate inner power, but in truth, there were no such medicines—only a greater willingness to endure hardship. Even the leaders of the various cave dwellings would sometimes carry ice themselves to consolidate their skills and seek new breakthroughs.

Though Li Chongyuan was frail, his will was unyielding. After asking for directions, he picked up a water skin and headed down the mountain.

The hardships he suffered along the way need not be detailed. By the time he finished his ten trips, it was already nightfall. He hurriedly ate some leftover rice in the dining hall and collapsed into bed, falling asleep immediately.

Thus he persisted for half a year. His constitution grew ever stronger. Where once he could only carry a small block of ice and would take until midnight to complete his ten trips, now he could shoulder a massive three-hundred-pound block, run nimbly up the mountain with his Hunyuan technique, and finish all ten trips in just two hours. No longer did he fall straight into bed afterward, but instead strolled about the peak at leisure. Occasionally, he would wonder what Ma Beifang and Huang Shan were doing—surely, they must be carrying ice as well. And indeed, he was not wrong. Ma Beifang, being exceptionally talented, had already far surpassed him, and even Huang Shan, though she could not carry as much weight, had begun to outpace him in speed.

Time passed swiftly, and soon the day of evaluation arrived. In daily life, everyone practiced separately and rarely met on the snowy peaks, so it was a rare occasion to gather together. Master Zi Wuzhuo cast his gaze over his disciples and beckoned Li Chongyuan forward.

When Li Chongyuan stood before him, Zi Wuzhuo raised his palm and slowly pushed it toward Li Chongyuan’s chest. The movement was so unhurried that even one untrained in martial arts could have dodged it. Li Chongyuan, though ignorant of techniques, understood that this was a test of his skills and dared not evade. He mimicked the motion, pressing his palm against his master's. At the instant their palms touched, a surge of force like mountains and seas crashed forth, and Li Chongyuan felt as if his internal organs were all displaced, a wave of nausea and dizziness overwhelming him. Staggering back several steps, he managed to steady himself and drew a breath, immediately activating his Hunyuan technique to counterattack. Yet his effort was as feeble as an insect against a cart when it met his master's power. As darkness threatened to overtake him, the overwhelming force suddenly vanished. Li Chongyuan, his energy spent, slumped to the ground, his complexion ashen and his breath ragged.

His senior brothers and sister looked at him with concern.

Zi Wuzhuo spoke calmly, "Not outstanding, but you have passed the first stage; your foundation is sound. Li Jiu, tomorrow you may teach him the second stage. That will do, seventh disciple, you may step back. Your skills are not ready to benefit from watching your brothers’ demonstrations." Li Chongyuan hastily rose, bowed, and withdrew. The next morning, Li Jiu came to find him, a fresh bruise on his face—no doubt the result of his own ordeal at the evaluation—though he said nothing, and Li Chongyuan tactfully ignored it.

The second stage of the Hunyuan technique was far more complex than the first. The first stage involved using external pressure and breathing to guide one’s inner energy to circulate on its own. The second required using intent to direct the energy through the meridians. From the second to the ninth stage, the training methods grew ever more intricate, with different meridians and even specific times of practice. The benefit was that, from the second stage onward, one’s acquired energy stabilized, allowing for the simultaneous practice of other martial arts without harming the innate vitality.

Thus, after teaching him the second stage, Li Jiu also instructed him in the Wind and Thunder Palm. This set, though seemingly simple with only twelve forms, divided each into a parent and child strike aligned with the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches, yielding sixty variations in total, infinitely complex. Hence its other name: "Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Wind and Thunder Palm." The longer one practiced, the deeper the understanding. The Wind and Thunder Palm had three realms: Rigid Wind and Thunder, Supple Wind and Thunder, and Transforming Wind and Thunder.

When first practiced, the moves would produce a sound like wind and thunder, clashing like metal spears—a sign of the Rigid Wind and Thunder. As one progressed, the clamor would fade, replaced by silent, ghostly speed—the Supple Wind and Thunder. At the highest level, the sound would appear or vanish at will; the moves would be hard when meeting softness, soft when meeting hardness, unpredictable as spirits and gods—this was the realm of Transforming Wind and Thunder.

Though the set did not contain many moves, the changes were deeply intricate. It took fifteen days before Li Chongyuan had committed both the technique and martial art to memory. Li Jiu, having finished his instruction, hurried off to pursue his own cultivation.

Each day, Li Chongyuan now alternated between practicing the Hunyuan technique while carrying ice down the mountain and diligently training in the Wind and Thunder Palm.

This time, however, the ice-carrying was different. Previously, he filled the water skin with water and froze it into a block. Now, he had to use his palm techniques to break chunks of ice from the cliff by the pond, pack them into the skin, then use Wind and Thunder Palm techniques—moving palms and fists like the wind—to smash the ice into shards and melt it into water, then refreeze it.

Each trip required thousands of strikes to turn the ice into water; his hands would be red, swollen, and aching to the bone. By the time he finished ten trips, it was always past midnight. He had often thought of giving up, but whenever he wavered, the loving faces of his parents would appear before his eyes, filling him with renewed courage to persevere.

As the months passed and his skills grew, he managed to finish the task earlier each day and had more time to practice on the mountain peak.

One evening, returning from the pond, he saw the setting sun hanging in a band of clouds, casting a golden and silver glow over the snowy peaks near and far. He couldn't help but exclaim in awe. Wandering to a clearing, he stretched a bit, then stood upright, feet together, hips tucked, chest drawn in, assuming the posture of the Wind and Thunder Palm.

He shouted, "Drums and gongs resound together!" Spinning around, he dropped into a horse stance, palms thrust forward, then cried, "Dark clouds cover the sky!" bringing one palm down onto the stone slab at his feet, scattering ice chips and stone fragments. His voice and hands never stopped, and he performed the Wind and Thunder Palm again and again. The wind seemed to howl in his ears, and with each repetition, his spirit soared. After scores of rounds, he finished with a final movement, drenched in sweat but feeling invigorated from head to toe. Unable to contain himself, he laughed and cried, "What a splendid Rigid Wind and Thunder!"

No sooner had he spoken than a playful laugh sounded behind him.

He turned to see a young woman standing there—it was sixth sister Zi Lan.

Zi Lan had just finished her own practice. Dressed in pink, her raven-black hair tied with a pale yellow scarf, she carried a long sword in hand. Her snow-white face was flushed with a healthy glow, made all the more radiant by the sunset. Though Li Chongyuan was only a youth and had yet to know romantic feelings, he couldn't help but feel a quiet joy at the sight.

He hurriedly paid his respects. Zi Lan laughed and tapped his forehead with a finger, teasing, "A little child boasting like an old melon-seller—proud of your own wares! Just a few rounds and you're sweating like a pig and panting like an ox. How can you call that Rigid Wind and Thunder? It has the form, but not the spirit." Her eyes shone with gentle amusement.

Though the master's daughter, Zi Lan was never spoiled. First, because Zi Wuzhuo was calm and never indulged her; second, because Zi Lan herself was kind and gentle by nature. Since Li Chongyuan's arrival, she had treated him like a younger brother.

This chance encounter found her amused by his earnest but clumsy form and obvious pride. She couldn't help but laugh aloud. Li Chongyuan protested, "Sister, you say my Wind and Thunder Palm has the form but not the spirit—why don't you show me how it's done?"

Zi Lan, taking no offense, smiled. "Little brother, come and see your sister’s Rigid Wind and Thunder." She set aside her sword and stepped forward.

After a brief moment of focus, her palms shot out together in the first move, "Drums and gongs resound together." Though the movement was the same, her aura was utterly different from Li Chongyuan’s. As she shifted from one move to the next, a powerful force seemed to ripple from her, her fists and feet slicing the air with a deep, resonant hum. As she continued, the energy only grew, soon producing a sharp, metallic whistle, like swords breaking through the sky, carrying the fierce presence of tigers and dragons. The violent energy swept the snow clear for dozens of paces around, turning it into a swirling shower of icy powder. The rush of wind pushed Li Chongyuan back several steps.

In the span of a breath, she had performed the Wind and Thunder Palm dozens of times, then abruptly stopped. Instantly, a profound silence fell upon the world, broken only by the faint sound of snowflakes settling to the earth.