Chapter 21

Sealing and Closing, Cross Hands, Finish!

In less than five minutes, Chen Xiaoli drew circles with her hands, finally completing the set of boxing techniques. She slowly retracted her stance, and the withered grass and leaves that had been swirling around her body lost their connection to the qi, settling on the ground like dust.

"Phew!"

A long breath escaped Chen Xiaoli's mouth, shooting out like an arrow.

After calming her breath, Chen Xiaoli opened her eyes and turned to walk towards Chen Dasheng, who was already staring at her in a daze, his mouth agape and unable to speak.

At the spot where Chen Xiaoli had just stood, a Tai Chi Yin-Yang fish pattern made of withered branches and leaves remained, though not complete, it was vivid and incredibly magical.

"Big Sister, what was that?" Chen Dasheng's eyes were filled with surprise. A set of boxing techniques could create such a grand scene, something he could never achieve.

Chen Xiaoli waved her hand and led Chen Dasheng into the house. After sitting down, her first words were, "Do you remember Uncle Third?"

"Uncle Third? Of course, he's the blind man in our village!" Chen Dasheng nodded quickly.

Chen Dasheng's hometown was in a remote mountainous area in western Sichuan, called Chenjiagou. When he was young, there was a blind old Taoist in the village who specialized in funeral services. Chen Dasheng didn't know his name, but according to the local seniority, both he and Chen Xiaoli had to call him Uncle Third. Chen Xiaoli's feudal superstitions and various tricks were all learned from the blind Uncle Third, which Chen Dasheng still remembered.

"Brat, don't talk about Uncle Third like that!" Chen Xiaoli patted Chen Dasheng's head, showing her great respect for Uncle Third. "Even though Uncle Third is blind, his heart is brighter than anyone else's!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Dasheng hurriedly nodded and admitted his mistake, then changed the subject, "Big Sister, what happened to Uncle Third?"

Chen Xiaoli took a deep breath and organized her thoughts, "Uncle Third's name is Chen Yunhe, and he is the inheritor of the Chen family's internal Tai Chi. The boxing techniques I just performed are the Chen family's internal boxing, Tai Chi Gong."

"Chen family's internal boxing?" Chen Dasheng was stunned and then asked, "Big Sister, are you saying that Uncle Third is not a charlatan but a martial arts expert?"

Chen Xiaoli glared at Chen Dasheng and said sternly, "Even if Uncle Third is a charlatan, he is a charlatan with real skills!"

"Uh!" Chen Dasheng laughed dryly, knowing that his quick mouth had offended Chen Xiaoli again.

Chen Xiaoli said, "You were young back then and didn't know anything. I only discovered that Uncle Third was a hidden expert when I accidentally saw him practicing boxing. After that, I often went to help Uncle Third. Seeing our difficult situation, he was worried that we would be bullied and took me as his disciple, passing on all his knowledge to me!"

"So that's how it is!" After hearing Chen Xiaoli's story, Chen Dasheng nodded in understanding, "So, we owe Uncle Third a great deal of gratitude!"

Chen Xiaoli nodded, "Yes, if it weren't for Uncle Third, we might not have survived to this day."

"We should find a time to go back and thank Uncle Third properly!" Chen Dasheng said.

Chen Xiaoli shook her head and sighed, "Uncle Third passed away three months ago!"

"Passed away? I thought he was quite healthy!" Chen Dasheng was very surprised.

Chen Xiaoli glared at Chen Dasheng, "You haven't been back for so long, you probably don't remember anyone in the village anymore, do you?"

Chen Dasheng shook his head. Indeed, after leaving for school, he rarely went back. The place was remote, and his only relative was in Rongcheng, so there was nothing to miss. The only thing he had to return for was the annual memorial days for his parents and Qingming Festival. Now, it was difficult for Chen Dasheng to recall who was still in Chenjiagou.

"Uncle Third was a master of internal boxing. Although he was over eighty, if it weren't for his long-standing injuries, he could have lived for another twenty or thirty years easily!" Chen Xiaoli's face was filled with regret.

"Long-standing injuries?" Chen Dasheng looked at Chen Xiaoli with confusion, eager to get to the bottom of it.

Chen Xiaoli shook her head, avoiding Chen Dasheng's question, and said, "Now, let's talk about you. The boxing techniques you just performed are very similar to my Chen family Tai Chi Gong, but there's a slight difference. Tell me honestly, where did you learn them?"

"I don't know!" Chen Dasheng shook his head vigorously, "When I woke up yesterday afternoon, I thought I'd stretch my muscles in the courtyard. Then I started practicing the Tai Chi taught at school, and those moves just came out naturally, and that's how it happened..."

Chen Xiaoli looked at Chen Dasheng with doubt, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course, I'm telling the truth! You're my big sister, how could I lie to you!" Chen Dasheng's voice rose a notch.

"Alright, no need to shout so loud, I know you wouldn't lie to me!" Chen Xiaoli glared at Chen Dasheng and asked curiously, "Have you encountered any unusual people these past two days?"

"Unusual people?"

Chen Dasheng was stunned, not quite understanding what she meant.

Chen Xiaoli explained, "I once heard Uncle Third say that when internal boxing reaches a very high level, it can enlighten others, transferring one's cultivation to another. In ancient times, many senior experts nearing the end of their lives used this method to pass on their legacy. I suspect you might have encountered such a situation!"

"Uh!" Chen Dasheng was taken aback, almost revealing the truth about the ancient giant spirit clan's legacy. He swallowed his words at the last moment, as the idea of an ancient giant spirit clan was too unbelievable.

"Think carefully, have you encountered anyone like that?" Chen Xiaoli's eyes were filled with urgency, as she believed that the person who enlightened Chen Dasheng must be a Tai Chi Gong master, possibly even related to Chen Yunhe.

Chen Dasheng's blank expression disappointed Chen Xiaoli, but she firmly believed that a master must have passed on his skills to Chen Dasheng, even if he didn't realize it.

"Big Sister, have you been relying on the martial arts Uncle Third taught you to thrive in Rongcheng these past three years?" After a while, Chen Dasheng asked.

Chen Xiaoli, hearing Chen Dasheng's question, set aside her doubts, stood up, and walked to the bed. In Chen Dasheng's puzzled gaze, she pulled out a dusty red wooden box from under the bed.

Chen Dasheng recognized the box; it was the one Chen Xiaoli brought from their hometown, said to be their mother's dowry.

Opening the box, it was filled with various items. Chen Xiaoli rummaged through it for a while and pulled out a brand new, bright red certificate.

"What is it, a marriage certificate?" Chen Dasheng saw the golden national emblem on the certificate and was taken aback.

Chen Xiaoli threw the certificate in front of Chen Dasheng, "Take a look yourself!"

Chen Dasheng picked up the certificate, which was about the size of a cigarette box, resembling a party member's card, but with only a golden national emblem on the cover.

"Fifth-level Postnatal Martial Artist?"

Opening the certificate, large black characters appeared before Chen Dasheng. He was stunned and read carefully, seeing Chen Xiaoli's name and photo, with a large steel stamp: China National Martial Artist Appraisal Center.

"Big Sister, what does this mean? What is a Postnatal Martial Artist?" Chen Dasheng looked up at Chen Xiaoli, his eyes full of confusion.

"A realm in the cultivation of internal martial arts!" Chen Xiaoli answered succinctly.

"Uh, Big Sister, explain to me what internal martial arts are, and what are the realms? Is a Fifth-level Postnatal Martial Artist very powerful?" Chen Dasheng felt overwhelmed with questions, as the events of the past two days had completely颠覆ed his previous worldview.

Chen Xiaoli said, "External cultivation focuses on the body, while internal cultivation focuses on qi. Internal martial arts are techniques that can cultivate internal strength!"

"Internal strength? Is that the same as the internal power in TV shows?" Chen Dasheng asked.

"Something like that!" Chen Xiaoli nodded slightly, "According to Daoist theory, the cultivation realms in martial arts can be roughly divided into four stages: refining essence into qi, refining qi into spirit, refining spirit into void, and refining void into the Dao. Refining essence into qi is the entry-level realm for martial artists. Most cultivators in China today are at this stage. After reaching the realm of refining qi into spirit, one becomes a Postnatal Martial Artist. I am currently at this stage, and there are no more than a hundred people in China at this level!"

At the end of her explanation, Chen Xiaoli's face showed a hint of pride. Chen Dasheng was also amazed. With a population of over a billion in China, there were fewer than a hundred people at the Martial Artist level, a ratio that was almost as rare as pandas.

"What about the higher realms?" Chen Dasheng was emotionally stirred, finding it hard to believe that his sister had become an expert without him knowing.

Chen Xiaoli said, "After refining qi into spirit, one reaches the realm of refining spirit into void, the realm of a Pre-natal Master. Uncle Third was once at this level. There are even fewer people at this stage, and to my knowledge, there are only four left in China after Uncle Third's passing."

"What about the realm of refining void into the Dao?" Chen Dasheng couldn't help but ask.

"None!" Chen Xiaoli shook her head, "China hasn't had such a person for several hundred years. I'm just a half-trained practitioner, so I don't know much. If Uncle Third were still alive, he might know more."

Chen Dasheng sat on the stool, speechless for a long time. The blind Uncle Third, whom he had always considered a charlatan, was actually a Pre-natal Master at the realm of refining spirit into void, one of China's top martial artists. This information was simply too explosive.