Interlude

After Yu Gang pointed out his missteps and improper execution, Chen Chuan reflected on his shortcomings as well. Even though he had won, it had been a very narrow, lucky victory. He had started with a clear plan in mind—how to attack, strike, and defend—all thoroughly mapped out. Yet once it came to actual execution, things went entirely differently. Not to mention various other issues like distorted form and poorly timed openings. Though his palm strike had connected with Lu Ke in the end, it was merely seizing a chance that happened to present itself on the fly. If Lu Ke had pulled his head down while springing upward, Chen Chuan might never have landed such a clean blow, and he could very well have been the one to lose. He had gained a tremendous amount from this live sparring match. It made him realize that no matter how well or skillfully techniques were practiced in drills, one might not be able to pull them off in a real fight, where circumstances were far more complex than training could ever replicate. At that moment, Lu Ke complained, "Master, you didn't let me use takedowns or joint locks. My hands were tied. I only remembered I couldn't use half my moves right after I started doing them. I'm just not used to it..." Yu Gang said in a deep voice, "Every place has its own rules. Right now, I'm setting the rules for you. But when you go somewhere else, other people will set them. If you don't follow them, do you think you'll have any room to argue? You'll only be sidelined and weeded out. If you're not used to it, find a way to adapt." Resentment stirred in Lu Ke's heart, though it was mostly directed at Chen Chuan. He had always obeyed Yu Gang, so he bowed his head and said, "Yes, Master. I was wrong." Yu Gang said, "Both of you, take a quick break. Use the relaxation methods I taught you. We'll continue shortly." Chen Chuan stepped to the side. Without sitting down, he picked up his cup and took a few sips of water. Guided by his breathing technique, his depleted stamina quickly recovered. At the same time, he pondered how to approach the next round and how Lu Ke might respond. This kind of anticipation and analysis went beyond mere physical combat. When two combatants were roughly equal in strength, it became far more a battle of wits. Five minutes passed quickly, and the two began their second round. Chen Chuan did not turn defensive just because he had won a round; he maintained an aggressive posture. Lu Ke, having learned from the previous match, blended feints with real strikes more frequently. Yet still wary of Chen Chuan's hits, he remained generally on the conservative side. In the end, neither could get the better of the other, so Yu Gang ruled that neither scored a point. Stepping back after this round, Chen Chuan figured Lu Ke was saving his decisive push for the third match, which meant the real test lay ahead. Far from being discouraged, he found himself genuinely looking forward to it. Yu Gang stood quietly to the side, silently observing the performance and reactions of both men. Five minutes later, they stepped back into the center of the ring for today's final round. Lu Ke charged in right from the start. By now, he had grown accustomed to the rules, and in this final round, he had no reason to conserve his energy. He could press the attack at all costs. Furthermore, if he failed to knock Chen Chuan down here, he would lose the match, so he was no longer so hesitant about Chen Chuan's strikes. His foundation had always surpassed Chen Chuan's; the moment he let loose, he immediately suppressed him. Facing Lu Ke's sharp strikes, swift footwork, and near-relentless assault, Chen Chuan—without relying on his Second Self—could only defend passively, finding it difficult to mount an effective counterattack. Yet thanks to his breathing technique, his stamina and ability to absorb blows were enough to weather the fast-paced barrage. He gradually adapted, never giving up on searching for an opening, and periodically returned a threatening blow that forced Lu Ke's combinations to break off. Right up to the finish, Lu Ke never managed to land a decisive blow on him. At the end of the third round, Yu Gang awarded Lu Ke one point due to his clear upper hand. That made Chen Chuan the overall winner across the three rounds, meaning the chore of cleaning up everything today still fell to Lu Ke. Stepping off the mat, Chen Chuan suddenly felt famished, knowing the breathing technique had driven up his energy expenditure. He walked to the side, sat down, and ate three tubes of nutritional paste in a row, finally regaining some spirit and strength. Lacking Chen Chuan's recovery rate, Lu Ke panted lightly, drenched in sweat. As he drank water, he pounded and massaged different parts of his body to relieve the tightness and bruising from the fight. Yu Gang told the two, "Today was only day one. From now on, you'll be sparring every day. I'll gradually increase the number of rounds, so adapt as quickly as you can." Lu Ke gulped down some water and said, "Master, Young Master Chen might not be cut out for all this grunt work anyway. How about I just keep doing it from now on? No need to keep score." Chen Chuan said, "You're too kind, Brother Lu. A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. With the breathing technique, chores won't tire me out anyway." Lu Ke shut his mouth at once and sullenly drank his water. In the days that followed, under Yu Gang's arrangements, live sparring became the core of their daily routine. After every bout, Yu Gang analyzed what happened, showing both of them where their flaws lay, how to correct them, and what the proper execution should have been. During this time, Yu Gang began teaching Chen Chuan the application of more complex Greater Sanshou techniques, including elbow strikes, knee strikes, grips, joint locks, throws, and submissions. As progress was made, the restrictions in their sparring were gradually lifted. This also worked in Lu Ke's favor, as he was more familiar with such techniques, which increased his odds of winning. Chen Chuan did not shrink from the difficulty; rather, he welcomed these bouts. They allowed him to master various techniques faster in actual combat and accumulate more experience. Lu Ke was actually the ideal opponent: not overwhelmingly powerful, yet offering a target within reach. As a result, Chen Chuan could feel his own strength growing almost daily—an experience that was frankly wonderful. More importantly, the duration he could maintain overlap with his Second Self slowly increased during this period as well. His only regret was that Yu Gang limited them to three bouts a day—one each in the morning, afternoon, and evening. In truth, Chen Chuan felt that given his and Lu Ke's stamina, they could easily handle several more. He had even suggested as much to Yu Gang, but received no response. That was until one day, after a bout ended, he noticed Lu Ke's breathing suddenly turn ragged. Lu Ke had slipped off into a corner by himself, seemingly swallowing something down. Chen Chuan had a faint inkling of what was happening, and never brought up increasing the bouts again. Combat training demanded heavy exertion and therefore required sufficient nutrition to match. Chen Chuan took his daily meals at Yu Gang's as well. Aside from the nutritional paste, one fixed meal each day was a serving of black meat pumpkin rice. In Yu Gang's experience, the damage inflicted by breathing techniques ran deeply hidden and could linger with a fighter for a lifetime. It had to be repaired as much as possible while one was young, and eating this dish continuously for two months could only achieve a partial recovery; even so, certain damaged areas could never be fully mended. Such was the harsh reality—the price of taking a shortcut. After all, commoner fighters possessed limited money and resources; the only thing they had to spend was their own bodies. Chen Chuan could hardly explain the matter of the Second Self, but he had no objection to eating it. Daily training inevitably caused muscle and tissue wear, and this medicinal food helped patch him up, freeing the Second Self to fully absorb the physical burden caused by the breathing technique. Normally, eating the exact same meal day in and day out for dozens of days would easily sicken anyone of it. Yet Chen Chuan ate with relish every single time—a feat for which Lu Ke showed genuine admiration. Amid this relentless training, time slipped by unnoticed until the end of June. Just after that morning's bout concluded, Yu Gang called Chen Chuan aside and said, "One thing to remind you: it's time to pay again." Chen Chuan nodded. He had initially paid fifty dollars, added another fifty Jianzhi dollars in the middle of the month, and now another payment was due. Yet this was money well spent, and nearly all of it went right back into him. In reality, Yu Gang had charged very little; considering the constant supply of nutritional paste, daily meals, equipment, venue, and a dedicated sparring partner, the actual investment went far beyond that sum. He said, "I'll bring it over to you tomorrow, sir." Yu Gang was about to say something when a flurry of noisy footsteps drifted in from outside, bringing their conversation to an abrupt halt. Chen Chuan looked out toward the entrance. The only ways in and out of this place were two long alleys in front and back. In the month and more he had been coming here, practically no one else had ever visited. Now, that calm appeared to have been broken by new arrivals. Lu Ke glanced at Yu Gang, and at his nod, immediately set down his water bottle and gear before hurrying outside. A moment later, voices drifted back—Lu Ke speaking with the visitors, though their tone seemed quite polite. Soon, Lu Ke came running back in. "Master, it's Tie—" Yu Gang cut him off. "I know." He stood up and said to Chen Chuan, "Keep training. I'll go take care of things." With that, he strode outside, and Lu Ke quickly followed behind.