The Way of Restraint

Chapter 50: When the Rooster Crowed, the World Turned White

“The long night seemed endless, enveloped in pitch darkness; demons and malevolent spirits roamed, wreaking havoc across Ch!na, as all living beings lamented and the people suffered greatly.

Then, in an instant, with the crowing of a rooster, the sun rose in the east, sweeping aside the drifting clouds, and the whole world was bathed in brilliant light, filling hearts with joy and inspiration.”

While practicing the move “Hoe Strike,” Su Jie initially sensed a mysterious aura in his mind—the surrounding darkness felt so oppressive it nearly suffocated him. Yet, he transformed himself into a rooster, ruffling his feathers in the gloom, raising his unyielding head, and with a long, piercing cry that seemed to cleave the very heavens and earth, tore through the darkness to welcome the light, bringing daylight to the world.

With that single crow, the entire world was illuminated.

Bang!

As he stomped down, even the concrete beneath his foot appeared to crack.

This version of “Hoe Strike” was entirely different; while the form remained unchanged, its spirit had been completely transformed. If the earlier version of the move had carried a ruthless ferocity and an explosive quality, now it exuded only grand, indomitable valor.

Because darkness will eventually vanish, and light will surely come.

“That’s it, that’s it,” Su Jie exclaimed, his whole body trembling with excitement after finishing the move. It wasn’t a loss of control, but rather the joy akin to the sentiment of “hearing the Way in the morning, one could die content by evening.”

At long last, the elusive “spirit” he had pursued so desperately was found. In that moment, it felt as though he had truly claimed something for himself. Had he not witnessed the posture of soldiers guarding the national flag, he would never have grasped this level of understanding.

“This must be the internal energy method,” Su Jie mused as he repeated the practice. Although his stance was the same, the move “Hoe Strike” no longer carried that aura of hopeless lament—or the satisfaction of harvest and cultivation familiar to Gu Yang—but instead resonated with the invigorating energy of a rooster’s crow heralding the arrival of light.

To him, the map of his motherland was like a rooster, its rivers and mountains forever enshrined in his heart. Every time he practiced, an indescribable surge of energy bubbled up within him.

‘This is real Ch!nese martial arts,’ Su Jie thought. He lost all sense of time as he trained relentlessly from noon until nightfall—even as twilight began to glow, he continued. This session’s intensity was several times his usual practice, yet he felt no fatigue, no weariness, not even hunger or thirst.

“Time to head home,” Su Jie decided, feeling a soothing comfort throughout his body.

“Hey, young man, wait up!” an elderly man called out. “I see you’ve been practicing that move for three hours straight, over and over. What kind of martial art is that?”

The old man, dressed in a white training outfit and carrying a teapot, even sported a badge emblazoned with “Hunyuan Tai Chi,” indicating he was a member of the Tai Chi Association.

“Hello, Uncle,” Su Jie greeted politely. “This move was taught to me by a martial arts school instructor—I’ve only been practicing it for two months. It’s called Hoe Strike.”

“Hoe Strike?” the old man exclaimed, evidently unacquainted with the move. “I see you’re very diligent, but learning martial arts requires instruction from a true master. If you’re interested, you can come to our Hunyuan Tai Chi Martial Arts Hall—our teacher is a bona fide heir to authentic Tai Chi. Without proper guidance, practicing incorrectly can injure your muscles and bones. The hall is just to the left of the park. See that tall building over there with the plaque?”

Sure enough, Su Jie looked in that direction and noticed a large plaque in a corner not far from the park—a detail he’d never paid attention to before.

“Alright, thank you, Uncle,” Su Jie replied, knowing the old man meant well. He smiled, nodded, and walked away.

Noticing Su Jie’s somewhat perfunctory response, the old man shook his head. He then went to his usual training area, where he practiced Tai Chi with deliberate, graceful movements, accompanied by classical music, quickly immersing himself in the flow of his practice.

His Tai Chi was unhurried yet perfectly controlled, exuding a poised and extraordinary demeanor that made Su Jie regard him with newfound respect.

‘This must surely come from masterful instruction. Looks like I should check out the Hunyuan Tai Chi Martial Arts Hall sometime,’ Su Jie thought. He had even studied Odell’s joint exercise—a routine that, at the Typhon Training Camp, blended Tai Chi with various disciplines of kinesiology and sports medicine, and which also contained elements of pure Tai Chi martial arts. Thanks to that experience, he could instantly discern whether a set of Tai Chi techniques was genuine.

Of course, excelling in Tai Chi forms is far different from being able to actually fight. Combat requires relentless real-world sparring, hundreds or even thousands of failures and bloodied lessons before mastering the techniques, whereas perfecting a martial arts routine only demands endless repetition.

Mastering a martial arts form is merely the foundation for combat, much like learning and memorizing formulas is just the beginning before an exam.

When he got home, neither his father nor his mother had returned, and his elder sister was also away—it was just Su Jie. He simply took a shower, washed his clothes, and then went to his room to review his textbooks.

Chinese, mathematics, English, physics, chemistry, biology… He flipped through each textbook, with one knowledge point after another flashing through his mind. Although he hadn’t studied at all during the two-month summer break, Su Jie felt that his knowledge hadn’t faded at all—in fact, it had grown even deeper.

He also reviewed many exam papers; even those once obscure topics now yielded effortlessly to his understanding, and his mind felt more agile than ever.

Snap!

He closed the exam paper, and an unprecedented surge of confidence welled up inside him.

“Let’s grab some food—I really miss those days at the martial arts school. At times like this, I should be dueling with Qiaosi, or taking part in a small sparring tournament, and then Uncle Mang giving me a massage.

After getting used to that kind of life, coming home now felt strangely out of place for Su Jie.

“Su Jie, come out now!” 

At that moment, both Su Shilin and Mom, Xu Ying, had returned. As soon as he stepped inside, Su Jie could feel his dad’s murderous aura!

He quickly ran out and saw Su Shilin standing by the sofa, while Xu Ying was sitting on it.

“You little brat, taking a leave from school—how presumptuous! You don’t know your place, and now you even have the nerve to lie.” Su Shilin fumed. “You sneaked off to the martial arts school to learn how to fight and brawl, to be some kind of hoodlum, and then you tricked us about going to an English summer camp. If I don’t beat you to death today, I won’t even carry the Su name anymore!”

“Dad, don’t get worked up,” Su Jie said with a smile, showing no fear. “I went to learn martial arts—why would that be considered fighting and brawling or being a hoodlum? Besides, those gangster movies are from your generation—I’ve never even seen them.”

“Come out now!” Su Shilin shouted, and in no time he was almost upon Su Jie, ready to grab him and give him a proper beating—the very way he used to discipline him when he was a child.

“Mom, didn’t we agree on this?” Su Jie protested, darting off to hide beside Xu Ying.

“This time, your mom won’t save you either.” Though Su Shilin said that, he paused for a moment, afraid that any tussling might accidentally bump into Xu Ying. “Xiao Ying, this kid’s still so young and already refuses to study. You mustn’t protect him this time.”

“Alright,” Xu Ying waved her hand dismissively. “Now that he’s older, it’s normal for him to have his own ideas. You two go downstairs and sort this out. And Su Shilin, what did I tell you on the way? Why didn’t you listen?”

“Little brat, come with me downstairs.” Xu Ying’s words worked; Su Shilin turned and left immediately.

Su Jie followed, and just as they reached the door, Su Shilin’s voice rang out, “Make sure your mom closes the door properly!”

The father and son arrived, one after the other, by the small flowerbed downstairs. Finally, Su Shilin couldn’t hold back his anger any longer: “You’re usually pretty good at your studies, so why on earth did you suddenly start learning how to fight like a hoodlum? I swear, if I don’t beat you to death today—”

“Wait a minute!” Su Jie interrupted. “Dad, let me say it again—it wasn’t for fighting and brawling; it was to learn Ch!nese martial arts! Martial arts!”

“Little brat, you’re still so young—what do you know about martial arts?” Su Shilin growled even louder. “Alright then, today we’re going to have a proper training session, just the two of us! If you beat me, you can do whatever you want from now on. If you can’t, then you’ll obediently study and get into university, and there will be no more talk about martial arts.”

“Dad, you’re not joking, are you?” Su Jie waved his hand frantically.

“What are you afraid of? Haven’t you learned martial arts?” Su Shilin shouted. “With that cowardly look, you’re no match for martial arts!”

“Dad, martial arts isn’t meant for fighting with you.” Su Jie, now completely calm and unruffled—showing none of the typical youthful anger—replied. If it were any other young person, they might have immediately started a fight with their dad. “Alright, Dad, let me demonstrate a set of punches. If my focus, energy, qi, bone, and spirit all come together in perfect unity, I hope you’ll change your opinion of me.”

“Hmm?” Su Shilin, noticing Su Jie’s demeanor, was momentarily stunned. His anger suddenly subsided. “You actually know about qi, bone, and spirit? Complete unity? Then show me what you’ve got! I wonder what you’ve been secretly learning these past two months?”

‘Sure enough, Dad must know something about martial arts,’ Su Jie thought, recalling that little detail he’d picked up at noon when he went out to listen.

Suddenly, Su Jie focused his mind, calmed his spirit, and fixed his sharp gaze straight ahead.

That aura forced Su Shilin to take two involuntary steps back—he could actually feel an enormous threat emanating from his son.

‘What on earth is going on? How does he have such an aura?’ Su Shilin couldn’t believe his eyes. He knew all too well what kind of kid his son was—how could he have changed so drastically in just two months?

“Hhaaa!”

Su Jie raised his hand and leapt forward, executing a flurry of swift, digging moves—then he halted! A finishing technique! The sound roared like thunder, mixed with the howling of blades and the surging might of martial prowess.

Cracks appeared in the concrete.

Su Shilin took another three steps back. He sensed that his son’s punch was unstoppable—so powerful it felt as if it could move mountains and fill seas, sweep away all demonic forces, and restore order to the heavens and earth.

‘Hoe Strike! Shaolin Heart-Intent Palm! Resent the Sky Without a Handle, Resent the Earth Without a Loop? No? That’s not the intended aura. But the posture is perfect—Chicken Leg, Dragon Body, Bear Arm, Tiger Covers Head, Eagle Snatch, Monkey Sky-Gazing, Thunder Sound—all seven methods are fully present. How on earth could you have mastered this kind of martial arts in just two months? Not even twenty years of grueling practice would compare.’

‘The Hoe Strike may look like a simple up-and-down chopping strike, but in every motion it carries the proud stance of a golden rooster standing alone, the graceful strength of a winding dragon, the immense might of a bear’s composed power, the fierce and roaring force of a tiger, the sharp, snatching demeanor of an eagle, the keen perceptiveness of a sky-watching monkey, and the unstoppable momentum of thunder striking down.

It’s only when all seven methods are perfected that it truly becomes martial art; missing even one makes it mere show.’

“Dad, how was that punch?” Su Jie asked after finishing his move.

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