Chapter 10 Ancient Martial Arts

• Looking at how serious Lewis was, Suzy nodded her head. She knew she had to learn something to protect herself. “Since you’ve put it that way, I’ll try my best to learn it.” Suzy gave a gentle smile and came over to Lewis’ side.
• “When we start, I will grab both your arms and we’ll practice the moves together!” Lewis came behind her as he gently held onto both of her arms.
• If it was not because of his serious face, Suzy would’ve thought that he wanted to take advantage of her. “Okay. How should I do it?” Suzy asked after she took in a deep breath.
• “You’re considered my first disciple! So, if you want to learn the Henderson-style Tai Chi, first of all, you should calm your heart and breathe slowly. Then, feel the natural surroundings around you—both the skies and the earth. Please don’t think it’s confusing or difficult to achieve; it’s fairly easy to do so. Now, relax. Think of yourself as part of nature, and feel the breeze of the wind, the gentleness of the water, the scorching hot feeling, the…”
• Suzy gradually closed her eyes. With Lewis guiding her, she felt as though she was flying like a bird in the sky. She felt free while she flew across the vast skies. Suzy was unsure how much time had passed by. By the time she opened her eyes, the sun in the sky was already above her head.
• On the other hand, Lewis sat cross-legged beside her. “Not bad for a first-timer. You managed to meditate for a long time on your first try. It seems like you’re a martial arts genius!” He smiled at Suzy who had already opened her eyes.
• “I’m sorry, ‘meditate’?” she asked doubtfully.
• “That’s right. What I taught you just now was the inner strength cultivation method which is unique to the Henderson-style Tai Chi Meridians! Everything in this universe is derived from Yin and Yang, and Tai Chi is the definition of both Yin and Yang! The cultivation method I’ve taught you comes from the Tai Chi Heart Sutra. For those who cultivate based on the Tai Chi Heart Sutra, the elements that they feel during their first cultivation will be transformed into their own element. This is the true secret of the Henderson-style Tai Chi Heart Sutra! Just by looking at your stance, I feel that you are of the wind element! The wind is your element. The inner force that you cultivate, which is also your inner strength, will carry elements of the wind! Graceful, yet sharp! These are your characteristics! However, since you just started in ancient martial arts, not only do you not have the internal force, you don’t have the external strength either. Hence, if you want to cultivate your internal force, you will have to work harder! In this strange place, if you want to survive or find a way out, you will at least have to cultivate your inner force. This means you need to reach the point of internal strength!” Lewis smiled as he explained all of these to Suzy.
• “Internal force; internal strength? Internal skill? What the heck is that? Are you doing a story-telling session about Wuxia novels?” Suzy furrowed her eyebrows as she interrupted him.
• “Don’t you know better than me? Don’t you feel that your body has become more agile and aware as compared to last time?” he smiled as he asked her.
• “Oh?” Suzy looked at him doubtfully while furrowing her eyebrows. She did not want to believe his words at all! However, it was also difficult for her to deny that her body did not feel as heavy as before; her body felt more alert.
• “Since you’ve already started practicing ancient martial arts, then I should explain the different rankings in it. Ancient martial arts, created by the ancient people, was one of the most effective ways of killing people. However, due to the issuance of several prohibition orders, the ancient martial arts were at serious risk of no longer being practiced. In modern days, only a few of the real ancient martial arts have been passed down. Most of the ancient martial arts masters have scaled down to performing it but have little to no actual combat skills!” Lewis said.
• “Most importantly, today’s society is being governed by laws. Unlike the ancient times where a single disagreement would lead to fights. Since the places in which the ancient martial arts could be used have been reduced to a few in the current society, naturally, the number of people practicing it has gone down too! Even within the Henderson-style Tai Chi, there’s only one in a million who truly practices killing techniques, and I’m one of them!
• “Therefore, even if we managed to return, it is better that you don’t expose your ancient martial art skills. It’s not because we can’t, it’s because you’ll become the laughing stock! What you’re learning now is for killing, not for performing. If by any chance you used it, the other party might get hurt or die. As a result, you will be punished by the law and it’s not worth it at all! According to the rankings in ancient martial arts, it can be categorized into the average martial artists like you, inner strength martial artists, outer strength martial artists, grandmasters, and many more. For outer strength, you attract the elements in the air to give you a boost when you attack. This boost, even though mediocre, exists! As for inner strength, it is the inner force generated from your own body! The emergence of this strength will greatly enhance your existing strength, including your speed, attack, and much more. This could also slow down the aging of your cells, which helps with one’s beautification! Grandmasters can release their external forces and make corresponding attacks! As for the ranks above grandmasters, I’m unsure about them. However, I’m guessing that those ranks do exist!” Lewis explained light-heartedly.
• “Which rank are you in right now?” Suzy looked at him suspiciously and asked.
• “I returned to the ancestral shrine when I was twelve years old to learn Tai Chi. I have been practicing for over fourteen years now. After fighting with a few of those Nightsnares, I was able to tap onto the threshold of my inner strength! I believe not long from now, I will be able to achieve the real growth of my inner strength, making me a master of inner strength!” Lewis smiled as he said this.
• He practiced for fourteen years before reaching that rank! No wonder Lewis was able to kill a Nightsnare previously at the beach! Wait, how did he know that monster was a Nightsnare?
• “Nightsnare is what people call that black monster. I heard someone mention it yesterday!” he explained.
• “Oh right, Lewis. The monster you killed yesterday is still there. That could be our food; we must go back and retrieve it!” Suzy said as she snapped back to reality.
• “Are you only reacting now? When I came back last night, the Nightsnare was already gone. I suspect it was taken by someone else! Originally, I had planned to go back and have a look this morning. However, I delayed it since I was teaching you martial arts!” Lewis said while he shook his head.
• “Then what are you waiting for? Let’s go!” Suzy replied as she prepared to walk in the direction they had taken yesterday.
• “Alright. Let’s go!” Lewis nodded his head and followed behind her.
• After an hour’s journey, Lewis and Suzy arrived at the place where the Nightsnare was killed yesterday. However, there were no traces of the monster being dragged on the ground. This meant that it was either lifted or carried away!
• Lewis looked around and noticed that none of the footprints belonged to both of them. “Suzy, if we chased in this direction, it’s very likely that we’ll be killed by the other party. You’ll even wish that you were dead! Do you still want to chase after them?” he said as he pointed toward another direction.
• Looking at Suzy’s delicate face, he really did not want to continue chasing after them. If they came across other people or the native people, he was afraid that by then, they would only be able to wish that they were dead. Suzy, I’m afraid y’know…