Minglun Martial Arts Academy had decent training facilities available for rent, similar to a gym.
After dinner and an hour of rest in the dorm, Su Jie and Josh headed to an empty ring for training.
It was Su Jie’s first time in the ring, and he felt nervous. Josh reassured him, “Don’t worry, this is just training. You’re wearing three layers of protective gear—it’s completely safe.”
Su Jie was fully covered in protective equipment, including a helmet, chest armor, and padding for his legs. The layers of foam and leather absorbed most impacts. The triple-layered armor made him resemble a wrapped dumpling or mummy.
Fortunately, the gear was lightweight and didn’t hinder movement, allowing him to jump and run easily.
“So, I just dodge your attacks?” Su Jie asked.
“Exactly!” Josh replied in English, their usual mode of communication. “This simulates a street fight. In real street fights, people don’t engage directly; they move unpredictably, making it hard to land a hit. It often turns into a game of chase, completely different from the ring. Now imagine I’m a dangerous thug attacking you.”
“Got it!” Su Jie nodded.
Bam!
Before Su Jie could react, a punch landed on his helmet.
“Ow!” His vision blurred, and he lost his balance, stumbling to the ground. Without the three layers of protective gear, he would have been knocked out cold.
He couldn’t even see how Josh had moved. His brain and eyes failed to keep up.
“Is this what fighting an expert feels like? Just like that despicable person…” The thought reignited Su Jie’s courage, and he scrambled back to his feet.
“Alright.” Josh initially wanted to help Su Jie up but was surprised when Su Jie climbed to his feet on his own.
“Can you keep going?” Josh asked.
“Bring it on.” Su Jie carefully observed Josh’s movements this time.
Josh suddenly threw a punch, prompting Su Jie to dodge to the side. However, he didn’t anticipate it being a feint—the real attack came with a spinning kick that landed squarely on Su Jie’s chest, sending him flying.
Su Jie fell to the ground again.
The three-layer protective gear proved its worth. This time, Su Jie only felt a dull ache in his chest. After taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he resumed studying Josh’s movements.
Again and again, Su Jie was knocked down and got back up. After over ten rounds, he gained some insight: as long as he didn’t think about counterattacking and focused on keeping his distance from Josh while running around the arena, the chances of getting hit decreased significantly.
“If this were a street fight in a larger area, I could run far enough to make it hard for my opponent to catch me. But in the ring, the space is limited, so I have to prepare for being cornered,” Su Jie mused, gradually summarizing his experiences.
For Josh, Su Jie was like a living punching bag that could dodge, which was much more effective than practicing against an immobile target.
The combination of punches and kicks was exhilarating.
As time passed, both of them got into the groove of their training.
Every five minutes, they rested briefly and continued their sparring for two hours. Su Jie lost count of how many punches and kicks he endured. However, he felt he had gained a lot; his fear of being attacked was gradually diminishing. Unlike at the start, his mind no longer went blank.
“Hah!”
Josh threw another straight punch aimed at Su Jie’s head.
The punch wasn’t heavy, as Josh was now slacking a bit after such a long session. It was more playful than serious.
Finally, Su Jie felt confident enough to block the punch.
A flash of inspiration struck him, reminding him of the posture he used while hoeing and digging soil.
Imagining he was holding a hoe, he instinctively raised his hands, bent his waist, crouched slightly, and blocked Josh’s punch. He then stepped forward and mimicked a digging motion.
Smack!
The motion landed squarely on Josh’s chest.
Startled, Josh instinctively retreated and countered with a kick, launching Su Jie into the air. Su Jie flew five steps away and landed hard on the ring.
Although Josh had been hit, he wasn’t hurt because Su Jie’s attack lacked penetrating power.
“I actually hit you!” Su Jie exclaimed as he climbed back up, unharmed thanks to the protective gear. Excitedly, he said, “So this hoeing move can be used like this. I finally understand! Coach Gu Yang told us how to earn money, but figuring out how to spend it is up to us.”
“Not bad, not bad.” Josh nodded approvingly and decided to stop for the day. “Let’s go back to the dorm and get some sleep.”
After showering and doing their laundry, the two lay in bed at a reasonable hour—just nine o’clock. However, Su Jie was already exhausted. He collapsed into bed without even jotting down his reflections in his journal and soon fell asleep.
His snores echoed loudly.
He slept soundly until six in the morning and woke up feeling refreshed.
Josh had already risen and was outside on the field practicing slow, deliberate moves that looked like the Tai Chi often performed by elderly people in parks.
Su Jie hurriedly brushed his teeth and washed his face before heading to the field. He asked Josh, “What are you practicing? Tai Chi? Does it even work?”
Tai Chi was popular and had produced many “masters” in society, but these so-called masters were often beaten by professional fighters—or even ordinary people—until they were bruised and humiliated. To Su Jie, it seemed no better than square dancing.
“It is Tai Chi,” Josh replied, nodding. “It’s very useful. It trains your flow, balance, and stability. It also helps transition between moves. When I first started learning martial arts, my movements were stiff. My coach taught me this Tai Chi routine and had me practice it every morning. After a year, my skills improved significantly. I could control the strength of my punches—straight punches, hooks, uppercuts—more freely. It’s truly incredible. The most fascinating things about your Chinese martial arts are its ‘jin’ (power) and ‘qi’ (energy). What exactly is ‘jin’? That’s why I’m here to learn. As for ‘qi’, that’s much deeper—like Qi Gong, monks, and daoists. It’s amazing.”
“Really?” Su Jie remained skeptical. Although he wanted to learn, he restrained himself. Having just gained some insights into his hoeing-and-digging technique yesterday, he decided to focus on refining it rather than spreading himself too thin.
Josh practiced for a while longer and then stopped, looking relaxed and content.
“I wonder what today’s training will be? More hoeing and digging?” Su Jie muttered, still reflecting on how he had managed to hit Josh the day before. Without a hoe, he practiced shadow movements, pretending to hold one. Raising it, swinging it down—after a while, his muscles felt warmed up.
Su Jie became fixated on this move.
He practiced it obsessively, deciding to master it no matter what. Over and over, he repeated the motion until he was utterly exhausted, even dreaming about it in his sleep. The satisfaction of landing that hit on Josh fueled his determination. If his strength were sufficient, Josh might have been knocked down yesterday.
At 6:30, the assembly whistle blew.
“Time for breakfast. Get your gear ready. Today’s training is more farm work,” Coach Gu Yang said, his usual aloof demeanor unchanged. He rarely engaged in small talk and never spoke more than necessary.
Taking a deep breath, Su Jie prepared for the third day of training.
Su Jie’s journal entries reflected his mental state:
July 3rd: More farm work all day. Combining yesterday’s sparring experience, I finally grasped the basics of this move and practiced more diligently. I asked Coach Gu Yang about the finer points of hoeing and digging. While he didn’t teach us fighting techniques, he explained how to hoe more efficiently and dig deeper. I think these are training techniques. Still, I’m utterly exhausted. On another note, the muscle-relief oil provided by the academy works wonders; without it, I wouldn’t have lasted. At dinner, Josh treated me again—he’s really wealthy but never talks about his family. Afterward, I resumed being his punching bag. I’m improving slightly but still taking plenty of hits. Josh’s punch-kick combos are faster now. Among the students, a girl named Zhang Manman seems particularly tough. She’s from abroad and knows Wing Chun. Interesting, but not my concern.
July 4th: Another day of farm work. My hoeing and digging techniques are much smoother now. I’m not as tired as I was in the first three days and have adapted to the rhythm. The intense sun has tanned me, though. Josh treated me to dinner again, and I continued being his punching bag. I took fewer hits today, and Josh even praised my progress. He shared a lot of fighting techniques and strategies, but it’s too much to process all at once.
July 5th: More farm work. Five days of digging and hoeing. We’ve helped elderly farmers in rural areas with a lot of chores. It feels good to be doing something meaningful while training. I noticed some muscle definition in my forearms and core. The hoe feels lighter now. Coach Gu Yang taught us about combining breathing with movement, grounding our strength through our feet. At dinner, Josh remarked on my progress, though I’m still no match for him. Without protective gear, I doubt I’d last a minute.
July 6th: Another day of farm work. I feel like a seasoned farmer, wearing a straw hat and digging in the fields. I’ve mastered the hoeing move, at least the basics. At dinner, Josh seemed impatient to improve his martial arts, which was surprising given his existing skills. Back to being his punching bag in the evening—I focused solely on dodging and avoided most hits.
July 7th: After a full day of farm work, Coach Gu Yang finally said we won’t need to hoe and dig tomorrow. He called it a seven-day foundation-building exercise. I do feel much stronger and have gained a lot—though Josh’s generous meals likely helped, too. Sparring with Josh in the evening, he noted my significant improvement. Still, without protective gear, I wouldn’t last against him.
Su Jie’s seven days of training were straightforward but challenging. His journal revealed his evolving mindset: though repetitive and tedious, the training brought him into a meditative state. He found himself fully immersed in the act of digging, gradually building both strength and focus.
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