The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 6

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 5

第十一式打躬击鼓

接上式，右脚落地，起身向右转90度，右脚向左脚收半步，距离与肩同宽，成下蹲势。 两手抬至头侧后方，掌心按压两耳，周身放松，中、食、无名指稍屈，轻轻叩击枕骨处，两手交替进行，各叩击七次，谓之”鸣天豉”。 鸣豉后双手抱后脑，缓缓向前弯腰，头垂于裆间至最大程度，膝挺直，如打躬状。 鸣天豉时身体先向左转90度，再向右转180度，再向左转90度。 弯腰垂头时牙关咬紧，作细微自然呼吸。 重复做三遍。

11^th Stance: Bowing Down and Beating the Heavenly Drum

Continue from the last stance. Put the right foot down to the ground and stand back up. Turn 90 degrees to the right to return to facing front. Move right foot half step toward the left foot so they are at shoulder width and then squat. Raise both hands above your head and then lower them behind the head until your palms cover your ears. Relax the whole body. Slightly bend the index fingers, the middle fingers, and the ring fingers and gently tap the occipital bone with alternating hands. Tap seven times with each hand. This is called “Beating the Heavenly Drum.” After beating the drum hold the back of the head with both hands and slowly bent forward until your head cannot go any lower between your crotches. Keep the knees straight as if you are bowing down. When beating the heavenly drum, turn your body 90 degrees to the left first, next turn 180 degrees to the right and then turn 90 degrees to the left. Clench your teeth while bending forward and take small breathes naturally. Repeat three times.

第十二势：掉尾势

两腿开立，双手仰掌由胸前徐徐上举至头顶，目视掌而移，身立正直，勿挺胸凸腹；十指交叉，旋腕反掌上托，掌以向上，仰身，腰向后弯，目上视；然后上体前 屈，双臂下垂，推掌至地，昂首瞪目。呼气时，屈体下弯，脚跟稍微离地；吸气时，上身立起，脚跟着地；如此反复21次。收功：直立，两臂左右侧举，屈伸7 次。

12^th Stance: Swinging the Tail

Stand with legs spread open. Slowly raise your hands past your chest and above your head, palms facing upward. Fix your stare on your palms as they move. Keep your body upright and don’t pull back shoulders or hold out your bosom. With ten fingers crossed, rotate your wrists and then lift upward with palms facing up. Extend the upper body and bend your waist backward while looking up. Then bend your body forward with both arms stretching out on the side and touch the ground. Lift your head and open your eyes wide. When exhaling, bend forward and at the same time lift the back heels off the ground slightly. When inhaling, return upper body back to standing position and land the back heels back to the ground. Repeat 21 times. To finish the exercise, stand in upright position and raise your arms from the side. Bend and extend the arms 7 times.

Again, please see how our friendly Mr. Bruce Wen demonstrate these two stances and explain things in English. Remember, Mr. Wen's version might be slightly different from the version I translated.

This concludes the entire Twelve Stances of the Yi-Jin-Jing. The following video shows a different flavor of the Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing demonstrated by a Shaolin monk in one smooth continuous form.

Video of the Day:

A National Geography documentary on the subject of Shaolin Kung Fu.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 5

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 4

第九式青龙探爪

接上式，左脚回收于右脚内侧，成立正姿势。 左臂屈肘收回于左腰间。 同时右肘微屈，吸气，上体向左扭腰转体，右手向体前探爪抓去，并吐气发出“嘘”声，此时要求腰腹放松。 右手回收，向左46度方向做第二次探爪，再收回向左90度方向做第三次探爪。 然后，头带动躯干沿逆时针方向转动一小周，右手随之书一小圆（上图）。 两眼随右爪瞭望，如寻食状。 每次探爪均发出“嘘”声。 探爪时右臂一伸一缩，身体随之转后。 然后右手收回腰间，左手以同样动作向右探爪（下图）。

9^th Stance: Green Dragon Waving Its Claws

Continue from the last stance. Retract left foot back next to the right foot in an Attention position (like in military drills). Bend the left elbow and retract left arm next to the left side of the waist. Meanwhile, bend the right elbow slightly, inhale, turn the upper torso to the left, reach forward with the right hand in a dragon claw, exhale and make a “Shu” sound. Remember to relax the waist and abdomen for this stance. Retract the right hand back and then reach out the second time 46 degrees to the left with a dragon claw. Retract again and then reach out a third time 90 degrees to the left. Next, let the head lead the torso and make a small circular movement counterclockwise. Then make a circular movement with the right hand (see upper figure). Glance following the left claw hand as if hunting for preys. Make the “Shu” sound each time when reaching out with the claw hand. Extend and retract the right arm when executing the dragon claw. Turn your body afterwards. Then retract right hand back to the waist side and reach out with the left hand in dragon claw to the right (see lower figure).

第十式卧虎捕食

接上式，左臂回收于腹前，右脚向右跨一步，同时向右转体90度，上体顺势前倾，两掌手心向右前方下扑，如卧虎捕食。 此时两掌落地，成右弓步，昂首环视（上图）。 然后以双手手指支撑全身重量，左腿屈膝成90度，左脚抬离地面，脚心朝上﹔两臂一伸一屈，身体上下起伏。 做三至五次。 而后两手离地，手心翻向上，体向左后转180度，两手掌再翻向下，再做卧虎捕食动作，唯方向相反（下图）。

10^th Stance: Crouching Tiger Hunting for Prey

Continue from the last stance. Retract the left arm back to the stomach. Take a step to the right with the right foot and at the same time turn 90 degrees to the right. Lean the upper body forward following the natural flow of the movement and pounce forward with both palms facing down like how a crouching tiger pounces on its prey. Both palms should reach the ground while the legs are in a right front stance. Raise your head and look around (see upper figure). Next use fingers from both hands to support your entire body weight. Bend the left knee to 90 degrees and lift the left foot off the ground and turn the bottom of the foot upward. One arm should be in extended position while the other one is bent. Shift your body up and down for three to five times. Then raise both hands with palms facing upward and turn your body 180 degrees to the left. Turn the palms to face downward again and execute the crouching timer pouncing on prey move, only in opposite direction (see lower figure).

In the video below you can see our friendly Mr. Bruce Wen demonstrating these two stances and explain in English. Remember, Mr. Wen's version might be slightly different from the version I translated.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 6


Picture of the Day: 

Although my 6-year old daughter Adeline has never learned the Tendon-Altering Sutra, although she is only a white belt, she certainly knows how to throw a beautiful kick!

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 4

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 3

第七式九鬼拔马刀

接上式，两臂分开成侧平举，手心向上。 然后右臂屈肘，右手至头后，腰略弯，头略左摆，食指中指第一关节夹住左耳垂，食指微提，中指微下压，并轻轻向右牵拉。 同时左肘弯曲，左手背贴背部上移于两肩胛之间，尽力上抬，手指向上，并向左转体；微屈膝，低头看右脚背。 而后身体慢慢恢复原势， ​​头左转向后看（左图）。 定式后约静立半分钟。 反方向再仿一次（右图）。

7^th Stance: Nine Ghosts Drawing the Saber

Continue from the last stance. Open your arms and move to the side at should height with the palms facing up. Then bend the right arm and reach your right hand behind your head. Bend your waist slightly and lean your head to the left slightly. Use the first joint of the index finger and the middle finger to grip the left earlobe. Lift gently with the index finger while pushing down gently with the middle finger and pull gently to the right. At the same time bend the left elbow and place the back of your left hand upward so it is between the two shoulders. Raise your left hand as high as possible. Point the fingers upward and turn your body left. Bend knees slightly and look down at the top of the right foot. Then slowly return body to the original position. Turn your head to the left and look behind your shoulder (see left figure). After completing the stance stand still for about half a minute. Then perform and stance in opposite direction once (see right figure).

第八式三盘落地

接上式，左脚向左跨一步，两脚尖外撇。 两臂侧平举，掌心向下。 而后两腿弯曲成骑马蹲裆势，同时两掌下按，与膝齐平。 然后两臂外旋，两手翻为仰掌，两腿同时缓缓伸直站立，两臂随之慢慢上抬成侧平举。 下按时呼气，意念两掌心，如按浮木﹔上抬时吸气，仿佛两掌心放有重物。 反覆做三至五次。

8^th Stance: Three Bases Dropping to the Ground

Continue from the last stance. Take a step left with the left foot and point the feet outward. Hold your arms out flat at the side of the body at shoulder height with palms facing down. Then squat down into a horse stance and pushing downward with both palms at the same time until they are at knee height. Then rotate both arms outward and turn both palms to face up. Slowly straighten both legs to stand up at the same time and naturally raise both arms so they are flat at the side of the body. Exhale when pushing down and set your mind on the center of the two palms as if you were pushing down floating logs in water. Inhale when raising the palms as if there were heavy objects inside the two palms. Repeat three to five times.

Again our friendly Mr. Bruce Wen happily demonstrates the two stances for you and explains what each  stance is good for. If he is right, then it is recommended that you perform these two stances at a location where a convenient restroom is nearby. Remember, Mr. Wen's version might be slightly different from the version I translated.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 5


Picture of the Day:

 I wanted to check out Google's new 3D trip planner so I searched for driving directions from Orem, UT to China. It's really interesting that Google Map suggested "Kayak across the Pacific Ocean", and it only estimated 14 days and 5 hours for this feat! I figured that I might have a slight chance of accomplishing that if I can fully master the 12 stances of Tendon-Altering Sutra! LOL!

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 3

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 2

第五式倒拽九牛尾

接上式，左手由上经左侧至左胯外侧，掌心向上，手指内屈，右手由背后伸至肩高时屈肘，变成虚握拳，上体与左腿成一条斜线，与地面约成45度。 右脚向右跨一步，同时向右转体90度成右弓步势，右膝关节弯曲，膝盖不超过脚尖，外形动作似用力拉车状。 呼吸自然，意念两手心。 然后身体左转，左脚向前上一步，左手伸向前，右手伸向后，动作相同，方向相反（右图）。

5^th Stance: Pulling Nine Bulls by Their Tails

Continue from the last stance. Move left hand downward past the left side of your body until it reaches the outside of the left hip. Turn palm facing upward and bent the fingers inward slightly. Raise the right hand up from behind your back until the arm is at shoulder height, then bend the elbow and transform palm into a hallow fist. The upper body and the left leg should now be inclined to form a 45 degree angle with the ground. Move right foot one step to the right and at the same time turn your body right 90 degrees and from a front stance toward the right. Bend the right knee but the knee should not exceed the toes of the right foot. The posture resembles pulling hard on a wagon. Maintain natural breathing and focus your mind on the two palms. Then turn your body left and take a step forward with your left foot. Reach the left hand forward and extend the right hand back. The movements are the same just to the opposite direction (see right figure).

 

第六式出爪亮翅

接上式，右腿用力蹬地，向前上一步，落于左脚内侧，成立正姿势。 两臂均回收于腰间，拳心朝上。 然后两拳变掌，同时向前推掌，掌心向前，指尖与肩斋平。 向前推掌要重如推山。 推掌时意想推窗望月，返回时五指微张，慢慢收向两胁，意想海水返潮。 反覆七次。

6^th Stance: White Crane Spreading Wings and Extending Claws

Continue from the last stance. Firmly push the ground with the right leg and then take a step forward so the right foot lands next to the inside of your left foot and you are standing straight (the Attention position in military drills). Retract both arms back next to your waist still holding fists with the palm side facing upward. Then open the fists and shift hands into the palm form. At the same time push your palms forward. The centers of your palms should be facing forward, and the finger tips should be at shoulder height. Push palms forward as though you were pushing a giant mountain. Imagine that you are pushing windows open so you can appreciate the beauty of the moon when pushing palms forward. When retracting the arms, slightly separate the fingers and slowly retract arms back to the sides of your waist. Imagine the tidal waves retracting to the ocean. Repeat seven times.

Now let's see how Mr. Bruce Wen does it and explains it. Remember, it might be slightly different from the version I translated.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 4


Video of the Day:

I also do this intense abs workout twice a day! It's a good one!

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 2

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 1

第三式掌托天门

接上式，身体不动，两臂由两侧同时缓缓上举，举至正上方时与肩同宽，此时屈肘翻掌，手心向上，掌指相对，双臂成U字形状，并尽力上托，同时尽力提踵，并咬牙叩齿，舌抵上颚，咽津液下送丹田。 接看两脚跟外开，两臂缓缓下落至侧平举。 下落时由小指到拇指依次弯曲握拳，两脚跟随之下落，手足还原。 两臂由平举向上举时吸气，至托掌时略闭气或自然呼吸。 定式后约静停半分钟。

3^rd Stance: Palm Lifting the Heavenly Gate

Continue from the last stance.  While keeping the body static, slowly raise arms from the side until they are at shoulder width. Now bend the elbows and turn your palms so your palms are facing upward and the tips of your hands are pointing at each other. The two arms should be in a U-shape. Push hands upward with strength and at the same time raise your heels off the ground. Grit your teeth and push the palate with your tongue. Swallow saliva down to the Dan-Tian (lower abdomen) region. Then turn your heels outward and slowly lower your arms to the side until they form a straight line with your shoulders. While lowering the arms, bend your fingers inward in order, pinky first and thumb last, and lower your heels back to the ground. Inhale while changing your arm position from flat on your sides to a lifting position. Once reaching the lifting position hold your breath shortly or breathe naturally. After the stance is completed, hold the position for half a minute.

 

第四式摘星换斗

接上式，左臂由上经左下侧划弧，落于背后，手心向下，并尽力下按。 右掌心翻向内下，臂上举，掌心向下﹔同时脖子向右扭转90度，头上仰，目视右掌。 转颈时右脚跟提起内转与左脚成丁字步。 身体重心在左脚（左图）。 定式后静停约半分钟，仿三五次深呼吸。 然后右手下落，左手上举，向左做摘星换斗（右图）。

4^th Stance: Picking Off Stars and Change the Big Dipper

Continue from the last stance. Move left arm downward in a circular motion until it is behind your back with palm facing down and push palm down with strength. Turn the right palm downward and raises the right arm with palm facing down; at the same time turn your head 90 degrees to the right. Lift your head slightly to stare at your right palm. While turning your head, lift the right heel and rotate it so it makes up a T-step with your left foot. Keep your body weight on the left foot (see left figure). Hold the position for about half a minute and take 3-5 deep breaths. Then lower your right hand and raise your left hand to perform the stance on the other side (see right figure).

Again, here's a video of Mr. Bruce Wen demonstrating the two above-translated moves with English explanations. Note it is slightly different. I'll show a few other videos that match the translation better at the end of the series, but those videos won't have English dubbing or subtitles.

Watch out for the remaining stances translated in my future blog posts.



The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 3

 

Video of the Day:

No, I don't do Tendon-Altering Sutra, although I am thinking about doing it. I do this intense chest workout twice a day instead.

The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 1

Yi-Jin-Jing (Tendon-Altering Sutra), or 易筋经 in Chinese, is a famous Kung Fu from the Shaolin Temple School of Martial Arts. It is probably one of the most famous ancient Kung Fu manuscripts thanks to Mr. Jin Yong (Louis Cha), who used the  Kung Fu manuscript in the story plots in two of his well-received Wuxia (Martial Heroes) novels: Smiling Proud Wanderer, and Demi-Gods and Semi Devils. It is considered one of the two top Kung Fu skills of Shaolin alongside the Xi-Sui-Jing (Marrow-Cleansing Sutra).

Both the Tendon-Altering Sutra and the Marrow-Cleansing Sutra were said to be granted to the Shaolin Temple by Bodhidharma (达摩), the monk from ancient India and the founder of the Zen school of Buddhism in China. The two manuscripts supposedly contained breathing and meditation techniques that can turn a normal person into a top-notch Grandmaster of martial arts.

Of course Mr. Jin Yong had greatly exaggerated the power of the Tendon-Altering Sutra in his storytelling, but the manuscript was not a mere fabrication of the author and really existed. You can actually download the manuscript from the Internet. Following the exercises described in the manuscript can certainly improve one's well-being. The only problem is that the manuscript is in Chinese. So a fan of my SPW translation asked me if I could translate the manuscript into English. I thought it would be fun for all my readers to get a real sense of what the Tendon-Altering Sutra is all about, so here you go!

Note that there are many different variations  of the Tendon-Altering Sutra, each slightly different from one another. I just picked one of them to translate, and the videos might show slightly different movements. I picked this set of video because the guy in the video actually explains everything in English. Besides, he is just a funny guy! Enjoy!

易筋经十二式

The Twelve-Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (aka Tendon-Altering Sutra)

预备式

预备式身体正直站立，脚尖外撇，两脚与肩同宽。 周身放松，澄心敛神。 两臂自然下垂，紧贴两大腿外侧，下颔微收，两眼半睁半闭。 做三次深呼吸。

Preparation Stance

Stand upright, slightly point toes outward, and keep feet shoulder width. Relax your entire body, clear your heart, and keep your mind focused. Let arms hang naturally and keep them close to the outside of your thighs. Tighten your chin slightly. Keep your eyes half closed half open. Take three deep breaths.

 

第一式韦驮献杵

身体正直，两脚跟靠拢，两脚尖外撇，成小八字形。 两臂向前缓缓举起，手心相对，与肩同宽。 举至肩平屈肘成90度角，立掌，同时吸气。 而后缓慢合掌于胸前，同时呼气臆想四肢之气调入胸中，定式后静停一分钟。

1^st Stance: Skanda[1] Presenting the Vajra Pestle

Stand in an upright position, keep two heels close, and slightly point toes outward like the Chinese character eight. Keep arms shoulder width, slowly raise arms forward, palms facing each other. Raise arms until they are at shoulder height, fold forearms inward so each elbow is at a 90-degree angle. Bent palms backwards while breathing in. Then slowly put palms together in a prayer position in front of your chest. Breathe out at the same time and imagine that you are directing inner energy flows from your limbs into your chest. Hold the position for one minute.

第二式横担降魔杵

接上式，身体不动，两臂缓缓下落，并逐渐分手。 两手落到丹田时稍停片刻，再下落时分向两侧，经大腿外侧向上成俯掌侧平举，两脚跟提起。 手臂下落时要意沉丹田，平举时气随手行入掌心。 呼吸自然，心平气和。 定式后静停一分钟。

2^nd Stance: Shoulders Carrying the Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle

Continue from the last stance, slowly lower two arms without moving the body and gradually move arms outward. Stop briefly when your two hands reach the Dan-Tian (lower abdomen) region. Then lower your hands while moving them outward and let your hands move past the outer side of your thighs before bringing your arms upwards on the sides with palms facing down. Raise your arms until they are even with shoulder height. Raise your heels to stand on your toes. When lowering your arms, you must submerge you mind into the Dan-Tian region. When raising your arms on the side, direct the energy flow from each arm into the center of your palm. Breathe naturally and maintain a peaceful and calm mind. Hold the position for one minute.

---

[1] Skanda is a Bodhisattva in Buddhism scriptures.

The video below shows you how the above-translated stances are executed, demonstrated by Mr. Bruce Wen, a Shaolin monk (I couldn't verify that). It's one of the many videos on the Internet demonstrating the stances of the Tendon-Altering Sutra. It's actually slightly different from the version I translated, but this is the only one with detailed explanations in English.

Watch out for the remaining stances translated in my future blog posts.


The Twelve Stances of Yi-Jin-Jing (The Tendon-Altering Sutra) Part 2


Video of the Day:

I Googled Mr. Bruce Wen and found this very interesting video below, in which he demonstrated how to get rid of your useless yellow page phone book and spare metal bars. (Disclaim: Don't try this at home or anywhere else!) Enjoy!

Smiling Proud Wanderer: Chapter 21 (7)

Today is a wonderful day, because I finally finished the draft of my dissertation proposal! To celebrate this monumental moment, I am posting the last installment of Chapter 21. Enjoy!

Read the first 20 chapters here!

 Linghu Chong was in a rush to finally get out of the dungeon. He didn’t pay any more attention to Mr. Black-White. Sticking his head out from the square-shaped opening and also extending his arms out, he pushed gently on the iron door. His body shot out swiftly and he landed on the ground without a stagger. He felt a great amount of inner energy depositing inside his Dan-Tian region once again, which made him quite uncomfortable. He had no idea that the inner energy streams were actually absorbed from Mr. Black-White, and only concluded that the energy streams from Peach Valley’s Six Fairies and Monk No-Commandment had returned to Dan Tian because he hadn’t practiced his energy cultivation techniques for a while. He decided to not worry too much about that and focus on how to get out of the dark dungeon as soon as possible, so he picked up the oil lamp Mr. Black-White had left outside and began following the tunnel out.

All the gates in the tunnel were left unlocked. He figured that Mr. Black-White must have decided to lock them on his way out. This made his escape so much easier. As he stepped through the many solid gates one after another, the many days of life in the dark underground prison suddenly felt as though they had occurred in a different lifetime. Strangely, his resentment toward Mr. Huang-Zhong and the bunch also seemed to have significantly lessened. All he could think of was the sweet smell of freedom, and everything else in the world no longer mattered to him.

At the end of the tunnel, he followed the steps upward until he was directly under an iron plate. He listened carefully but didn’t hear anything from the outside. This underground imprisonment experience had taught him to be more careful and cautious, so he didn’t rush out immediately, and instead, waited a good while underneath the iron plate and made sure there was no sound from the outside. By then he felt certain that Mr. Hung-Zhong was indeed not in his bedroom. Lifting up the iron plate gently, he climbed up and then leapt out from the hole in the bed. After carefully returning the iron plate to its original position and pulling the bamboo bedding sheet to cover it up, he treaded softly on tiptoe toward the door way. Then all of a sudden, someone spoke behind him in a gloomy voice.

“Second brother, what are you doing?”

Startled, Linghu Chong turned around and then saw Mr. Huang-Zhong, Mr. Bald-Brush and Mr. Paint completely surrounding him, each wielding his weapon in hand. He didn’t know that the entrance was equipped with secret trapping devices, and his breaking out had triggered the alarm and attracted Mr. Huang-Zhong and the others. Because he had a black mask on and was also wearing Mr. Black-White’s robe, no one had recognized his true identity.

Greatly frightened, Linghu Chong could only stutter, “I…I….”

“I what?” Mr. Huang-Zhong demanded in an icy-cold voice. “I had a feeling that you were up to something. You went down the dungeon and asked Ren Woxing to teach you the Evil Art of Essence Absorbing, didn’t you? Humph! Do you still remember what vow you pledged all those years ago?”

Linghu Chong found himself quite muddle-headed, not able to decide on whether to reveal his true identity or to keep pretending as Mr. Black-White. After a short hesitation, he drew the long sword by his waist and thrust it toward Mr. Bald-Brush.

“Good second brother! You really want to fight us?” Mr. Bald-Brush bellowed as he raised his brush to ward off the sword.

Linghu Chong’s sword thrust was only a fake. Seeing Mr. Bald-Brush’s attempt to block his attack, he quickly turned around and dashed out of the room. Mr. Huang-Zhong and the rest immediately chased after him. Running with all his might, Linghu Chong reached the front hall in no time.

“Second brother! Second brother! Where are you going?” Mr. Huang-Zhong shouted from behind.

Linghu Chong didn’t answer and kept on running full speed. He suddenly spotted a man standing in the middle of the front gate right in his path.

“Second Master, please stop!” the man uttered.

Since Linghu Chong was in such a hurry, he failed to slow down and ran right into the man. The collision sent the man flying in the air and landed almost thirty feet outside of the gate.

Linghu Chong threw a quick side glance and then recognized the man. It was “Straight Line Lightning Sword” Ding Jian, who, at this very moment, lay straight and stiff on the ground. His body position indeed resembled part of his nickname “Straight Line;” however, it had no relation whatsoever with the other part “Lightning Sword.”

Linghu Chong dashed along a small road nonstop. Mr. Huang-Zhong and the others stopped at the gate of the manor and gave up the chase. Only Mr. Paint continued shouting out loud.

“Second brother! Second brother! Come back! We brothers can always talk things through….”

Linghu Chong intentionally picked desolated small roads to follow and eventually arrived at an uninhabited wilderness, a place obviously quite a distance away from the city of Hangzhou. Although he had been running continuously at his top speed, when he stopped, he wasn’t tired at all and wasn’t even out of breath. It seemed as though his stamina was even better than the time before he got injured.

He took off the cloth mask and then heard the sound of gurgling water. Feeling very thirsty, he traced the sound and soon found a small creek. He squatted down and then leaned forward so he could scoop some water to his mouth when he suddenly saw a man’s face in the reflection of the creek water. The face was covered in filth, and with the disheveled hair it looked very odd and ugly. Linghu Chong was briefly startled, and then he could help but grin. Anyone who got locked up for several months and never bathed would look this filthy. He all of a sudden felt his body itching all over. He quickly removed his robe and jumped into the creek for a good deep cleansing, thinking, “the filth on my body must have weighed more than thirty catties.”

After he had thoroughly cleaned himself and also had a stomachful of clear water, he tied his long hair on top of his head. Checking in the water reflection, he found the familiar face again, a face that had no resemblance to that swollen face of the Feng Er-Zhong. As he was putting the robe back on, he felt some discomfort and blockage between his chest and stomach, so he sat down and meditated for a while using the newly learned inner energy cultivation techniques. Soon he could feel that the inner energy streams inside his Dan-Tian had been successfully dispersed into his unique channel and eight passages. The Dan-Tian region was once again like a bamboo that was empty inside or a valley that was always void. His entire body seemed to be vigorous and he also felt a soothing feeling of carefree beyond words. He didn’t realize that he had mastered one of the best martial arts in the entire world. The seven streams of inner energy from the Peach Valley’s Six Fairies and Monk No-Commandment, together with the inner energy streams infused into him by Great Master Fang-Sheng when he was treated at the Shaolin Temple, had all been transformed into his own. And when he gripped onto Mr. Black-White’s wrist, he had also absorbed into his Dan-Tian the entire load of inner energy Mr. Black-White had cultivated for his entire life. Once he dispersed those into his unique channel and eight passages, he had gained the inner strength of another superior master. Naturally he would feel utterly vigorous.

He leapt up, drew the long sword by his waist, and leisurely thrust it toward the hanging branch of a green willow by the side of the creek, whisking his wrist gently as he thrust out. The blade whistled as it cut through the thin air and then swiftly returned to the sheath before he landed smoothly on his left foot. Lifting his head, he watched as five leaves slowly drifted down in the air. The long sword cleared its sheath for a second time and made an arcing slash, catching all five leaves on the side of the blade. He picked up one of the willow leaves from the side of the blade with his left hand as a mixed feeling quickly submerged his heart. It was a mixture of joy and disbelief. He stood silently by the creek, and all of a sudden, found deep grieve in his heart.

“The superior Kung Fu I have right now would not have been possible from Master and Master-Wife’s teaching. But I would rather everything was the way it was as before, when my inner strength and my sword art were equally futile, when I could live a carefree life inside the Huashan School, spending time with little apprentice sister from morning till dusk, instead of wandering the martial world alone like a loitering ghost.”

His martial arts skills had reached the most superior level, but at the mean time, he had never felt so lonely and desolate in his entire life. All his life he’d enjoyed lively crowds, bosom friends, and tasty wines. In the past several months since he was locked away in the underground dungeon, he had no choice but to be alone. Now that his body had finally break free, but his mind was just as lonely. Standing next to the gurgling creek all by himself, the feeling of joy graduated waned away. The cold moon casted his lonely shadow on the ground as the gentle breeze brushed his body, filling his heart with boundless despair.

     

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Picture of the Day:

The beautiful West Lake in the city of Hangzhou, China. Remember, the Plum Manor resides along the bank of the lake, and the dungeon prison is somewhere underneath the lake.

Smiling Proud Wanderer: Chapter 21 (6)

Read the first 20 chapters here!

Mr. Black-White was astounded!  “You…You…,” his voice trembled.

At the time when Linghu Chong was handing the wooden tray out, the idea of grabbing Mr. Black-White’s wrist hadn’t crossed his mind. However, when he saw Mr. Black-White’s palms moved under the dim light of the oil lamp, ready to receive the wooden tray from him, an insuppressible urge all of a sudden overwhelmed his heart. It was all because of this person’s sly and calculated tricks that resulted in his many days of imprisonment. If he could break Mr. Black-White’s wrist, it would be a great way to vent some of his angle and hatred. Besides, this out of the blue seize of his wrist would definitely give him a good fright. For such a treacherous man, such a fright was the least punishment he could think of. He wasn’t even sure if it was the feeling of revenge or his childlike mischievous nature that led to the fake fall, which tricked Mr. Black-White into reaching his hands in, which in turn made the grabbing successful.

Mr. Black-White had always been vigilant, but this attack came so sudden and abrupt without any prior signs of warning. By the time he sensed something was not right, his wrist had already fallen into Linghu Chong’s grip. The grip was so strong that, to him, Linghu Chong’s fingers almost felt like an iron claw and clasped firmly onto the Inner-Pass and Outer-Pass acupoints in this wrist.

Without thinking, Mr. Black-White reflectively rotated his right wrist and executed an anti-grappling stance. A loud clank echoed when three toes of his right foot suddenly broke, and he cried out loud in painful groans.

How did Mr. Black-White end up breaking his toes on his left foot when his right wrist was been held? How strange? Turned out that Mr. Black-White always had great fear of the “revered mister.” As soon as his wrist fell into the grip, he desperately feared for his life, and in a rush, used a move named “Flood Dragon Rising above the Deep Pool.” This move worked particularly well when one’s wrist fell into the enemy’s grip by quickly pulling the arm inward while swiftly and unexpectedly kicking outward with one’s left foot. Such a powerful and fierce kick would land squarely on the enemy’s chest. The enemy would usually end up spitting blood from severe internal injuries. If the enemy were also a skilled Kung Fu master, he would have easily chosen to let go of his wrist in avoidance. Otherwise, he would have no way of dodging the kick right to the chest. Unfortunately, in the moment of extreme distress, eager to break free, Mr. Black-White completely forgot about the thick iron door right between him and his opponent. He had executed the move “Flood Dragon Rising above the Deep Pool” perfectly, and the kick had also been very accurate, powerful and fierce. Sadly, he kicked right into the iron door and the only positive effect was a loud echoing bang.

Only when Linghu Chong heard the loud bang did he realize how lucky he had been. If it weren’t because of the protection provided by the iron door, there was no way he could have escaped Mr. Black-White’s extremely formidable kick. He couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter.

“Kick again! If you kick as hard as the first time, I might just let you go,” he said sarcastically.

Mr. Black-White suddenly felt his inner energy gushing out continuously through the Inner-Pass and the Outer-Pass acupoints on his right wrist, and could not but remember the one thing he feared the most his entire life. Instantly, he was scared out of his wits! He tried his best to slow down the inner energy loss and at the same time begged in sorrow.

“Revered…revered mister, I beg…you….”

As soon as he spoke, his inner energy gushed out in even larger waves. He had no choice but to stop speaking. But the inner energy just kept flowing out of him rapidly.

Ever since Linghu Chong started practicing the Kung Fu techniques carved on the steel plate, his Dan-Tian region felt like a bamboo that was empty inside and a valley that was always void. At the moment when he felt some inner energy appearing in his Dan-Tian, he didn’t pay much attention to it. Instead, he noticed that Mr. Black-White’s wrist quivered continuously as though he had seen something terrifying. Since he had great grudges against Mr. Black-White, he decided to give him a good scare. So he yelled loudly.

“After I teach you the secret art, you have become an apprentice of mine. You have been caught deceiving your master. Shouldn’t I punish you for your crime?”

Mr. Black-White could feel that the inner energy inside him was rushing out even faster now. If he tried hard to hold his breath, the gushing could be temporarily stopped. But he simply had to breathe once a while, and in between the exhaling and inhaling, great amount of his inner energy would continue to flow out. At the moment he had completely forgotten about the pain from his injured toes. He only wished to be able to free his right hand out of the square-shaped opening. Even if he had to lose an arm or an leg, he would have no complaints. At that thought, he immediately reached for his sword by the waist. As soon as made the move, two large gaps seemed to have opened up at the Inner-Pass and Outer-Pass acupoints by his wrist, and all the inner energy from his entire body spurted out like river water bursting through dikes, and impossible to stop the flow ever again.

Mr. Black-White knew if this continued for another while, all his internal energy would be eventually sucked dry. Gritting his teeth, he finally managed to draw his sword out of its sheath. Raising the sword high, he wanted to swing the sword down to chop off his own arm, but this movement only caused even larger streams of inner energy surging out of him. A loud ring resonated in his ears and he fainted.

Linghu Chong had only planned to scare Mr. Black-White when he grabbed onto the man’s wrist. At most he was only going to twist and break Mr. Black-White’s wrist to vent his anger. He certainly did not expect Mr. Black-White to panic so much and faint as if having been scared out of his wits. Laughing out loud, Linghu Chong let go of the wrist, and as soon as he did that, Mr. Black-White’s torso collapsed and his right hand retracted backward from the square-shaped opening.

Suddenly, an idea shot up Linghu Chong’s mind and he quickly reached for the sliding hand. Luckily he was quick with his move and caught the palm in time.

“Why don’t I shackle him with the steel chains as a hostage, so I can coerce Mr. Huang-Zhong to let me go?” he thought.

He pulled Mr. Black-White’s wrist hard to get it closer. Unexpectedly, as he gave the strong pull, Mr. Black-White’s head actually came in also through the square-shaped opening, and then his entire body followed.

Linghu Chong did not see this coming. After a brief shock, he couldn’t help but scold himself for how stupid he was. The square opening was roughly a foot wide, big enough to a put a head though. And if one’s head can go through it, so can the body. If Mr. Black-White can be pulled in, why couldn’t he get out the same way? It would have been impossible for him to escape previously when his hands and feet were shackled in steel chains. But the shackle rings had been sawed through by someone secretly some time ago. Why didn’t he escape?

“After Mr. Paint secretly sawed through the shackles around my hands and feet, day after day, he must have hoped that I’d escape the prison following that old man who delivered my food. He must have been extremely anxious by now!” he thought to himself.

At the time when Linghu Chong had found out about the sawed-through shackle rings, he had been right in the middle of learning those inner energy cultivation techniques and had focused all his attention to the training. Also he had not memorized all the formulas on the steel plate, so subconsciously he didn’t really want to leave the prison cell. Therefore, the thought of running away by himself never even occurred to him.

Linghu Chong pondered for a second and then came to a decision. He hurriedly removed Mr. Black-White’s robe and his own and then swapped them. He even put Mr. Black-White’s black cloth mask over his own head, thinking, “Even if I bump into someone on my way out, they’ll think I am Mr. Black-White.”

Next, he hung Mr. Black-White’s sword by his own waist. With the sword right next to his hand, his spirit soured immensely. Then he cuffed Mr. Black-White’s hands and feet with the steel shackles and then pinched forcefully. The shackle rings were so tight that they even cut into flesh. 

The severe pain woke Mr. Black-White, and he groaned, “Revered…revered mister Ren…your…your Magical Art of Essence Absorbing….”

Linghu Chong had heard of the term “Magical Art of Essence Absorbing” before when he fought alongside Xiang Wentian in the remote wilderness. Someone in the crowd had shouted out this term. Now hearing the term again from Mr. Black-White, he couldn’t resist but ask, “What Magical Art of Essence Absorbing?”

“I…I…am…damn…damned…,” Mr. Black-White moaned.

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

The world's most dangerous hike! This is where Linghu Chong's Mount Huashan Sword School is located at. No wonder you need martial arts skills to survive here!

Smiling Proud Wanderer: Chapter 21 (5)

Read the first 20 chapters here!

Linghu Chong was lying in bed. He quickly turned around with his face toward the inside of the cell. Then he heard Mr. Black-White stopping outside of the prison door and spoke apologetically.

“Revered…revered mister Ren! I am truly very sorry for not having come sooner! In the past month, my eldest sworn-brother never set foot outside. Every day I anxiously awaited the opportunity to come and pay the revered mister my respect, but that opportunity only presented itself today. I hope the revered mister…the revered mister do not take any offense!”

Together with Mr. Black-White’s voice, a wonderful aroma of wine and roast chicken also came in through the square-shaped opening on the prison door. It had been many days since Linghu Chong last tasted any drop of wine. As soon the smell of the wine hit his nose, he could no longer hold his patience and quickly turned around.

“Give me the wine and chicken!” he demanded.

“Sure! Sure! So the revered mister has agreed to teach me the secret formulas of the divine art?” Mr. Black-White asked.

“Bring me three catties[1] of wine and a whole chicken each time, and I’ll teach you four segments of the secret formulas. Once I’ve had three thousand catties of wine and one thousand whole chickens, you can probably get all the formulas by then.”

“I am afraid this arrangement might be too slow and cause unnecessary problems. How about I bring six catties of wine and two whole chickens each time so the revered mister can teach me eight segments of the secret formulas?” Mr. Black-White bargained.

“You are certainly greedy!” Linghu Chong said with a grin. “Fine! Come on! Give those to me!”

Mr. Black-White handed over a wooden tray through the square-shaped opening, upon which were a large kettle of wine and a fat roast chicken.

Linghu Chong thought, “I am sure you won’t kill me with poison before I teach you the secret formulas.” So he picked up the wine kettle and quickly gulped down mouthful of wine. The wine was not in any way spectacular, but in his mind it tasted so nice that even Mr. Paint’s Turfan Grape-Wine of four cycles of distillation and ferments was no match for it. Without any stop for breath, he quickly poured half kettle of wine down his throat, and then tore a chicken leg off and shoved it into his mouth. Not very long after, he had already emptied the wine kettle and picked the chicken clean. Giving a satisfied pat to his belly, he declared approvingly.

“Excellent wine! Excellent wine!”

Mr. Black-White let out a big smile. “Now that the revered mister has enjoyed the tasty chicken and great wine, will the revered mister start the teaching please?”

Linghu Chong noticed that Mr. Black-White no longer mentioned anything with regard to the proposed Master-Apprentice relationship and ceremony. “He probably thought I was too busy drinking wine and eating chicken, and I’d completely forgotten about it,” Linghu Chong thought. So he didn’t mention it either.

“Okay. Here are the four segments. You’d better remember them well. ‘Inside the unique channels and eight passages, there exist inner energy streams. Gather them in your Dan-Tian. Join them in your Dan-Zhong[2].’ Do you understand?”

The original text on the steel plate actually read, “Inner energy streams inside Dan-Tian, disperse them into four limbs. Inner strengths inside Dan-Zhong, dissolve them into the eight passages.” Linghu Chong actually deliberately reversed the meaning in his teaching. When Mr. Black-White heard these, he found them to be just as plain as any ordinary inner energy cultivation methods out there, so he quickly replied.

“I got these four segments. Will the revered mister please teach me the next four segments?”

Linghu Chong thought to himself, “After I made the changes, those four segments sounded quite ordinary. Naturally he wanted something more unique. I must find four peculiar segments to give him a good scare!” So he said, “Since today is the first day, I might as well teach you four more. Remember these: ‘Split Yang-Wei Passage with shock. Shut down Yin-Qiao Passage with clog. Once all Eight Passages are broken, the Divine Art will succeed.

Mr. Black-White was stupefied.

“If…if…one’s unique channel and eight passages are broken, how could he stay alive? These…these four segments are really beyond my understanding!”

“Do you expect just any ordinary person to understand such powerful divine art easily? If so, what would be so unique about it? Of course there are many profound and subtle theories in the divine art so no ordinary person could have understood them,” Linghu Chong said with a snort.

As Mr. Black-White listened on, he became more and more suspicious. The manner of speaking and the phrases the “revered mister” used seemed to be quite different from the Ren-named person he knew. In the first two meetings, Linghu Chong had only spoken very few words and also muffled his voice. This time, since Linghu Chong was quite high in spirit after he drank a good deal of wine, he spoke a lot more. Mr. Black-White was a very scrupulous man and these unusual signs quickly brought suspicion to his mind – the “revered mister” must be making up formulas to make fun of him.

“You said, ‘Once all Eight Passages are broken, the Divine Art will succeed.’ Are the unique channel and eight passages of the revered mister all really broken?” he demanded.

“That’s of course,” Linghu Chong acknowledged.

From the tone of Mr. Black-White’s voice, he could sense suspicion developing and building, and he dared not to speak too much. So he quickly concluded.

“That’s all. Comprehend well and you’ll understand.”

After these words, he set the wine kettle back down on the wooden tray and then handed the tray back through the square-shaped opening. Mr. Black-White reached forward to receive the tray, but all of a sudden, Linghu Chong let out a cry and then fell forward. A loud clank echoed as his forehead banged against the iron door.

“Why!” Mr. Black-White uttered. People in his caliber with extraordinary Kung Fu skills always had very quick reflexes. In no time he had reached his hands forward through the square-shaped opening and grabbed hold of the wooden tray, making sure the wine kettle would not fall and smash on the ground. At that split second, Linghu Chong turned his left hand swiftly and grabbed onto Mr. Black-White’s right wrist.

“Black-White! Do you know who I am?” He grinned.

---

[1] Catty is a unit of weight used in Southeast Asia, especially a Chinese measure equal to 500 grams (approximately 1.1 pounds).

[2] Dan-Zhong is an acupoint in the middle of one’s chest by the Solar Plexus.

Now support the translator Lanny by following my blog and leaving comments! :)

Video of the Day:

Enjoy these self-claimed Kung Fu Masters' performances. I hope you are not one of them. :)