Master of Chinese Martial Arts: I Can Steal the Skills of a Grandmaster from the Republic of China E

Chapter 44 Hidden Flowers Beneath the Leaves

Before dawn, Zhou Xing, carrying the letter, slipped out of the back door of Yuelai Inn.

The street was shrouded in a layer of bluish-gray, the fried cake stall had just lit its fire, and the wonton stand was steaming. He walked close to the wall, his steps quick and light, his shadow so faint as to be invisible.

When he arrived at the Gong family's residence, the black lacquered gate was still closed. He knocked on the door knocker three times lightly and once heavily.

The old servant who opened the door recognized him, announced his arrival, and led him through the hall and courtyard. The courtyard was still shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning, and the blue brick floor was damp.

Gong Baotian was already sitting in the back room, wearing a dark blue cloth jacket, making tea.

"Master Gong, Miss Gong," Zhou Xing said, clasping his hands in greeting.

Gong Baotian raised his eyes: "Sit."

He then said to the old servant, "Serve the tea."

Zhou Xing didn't sit down; he took out the letter from his pocket and handed it over with both hands.

Gong Baotian took it, opened it, and looked at it in the morning light streaming through the window.

The rustling of the paper made the room quieter, with only the chirping of sparrows outside in the yard.

Gong Baotian read very slowly. After reading it once, he read it again from the beginning. After reading it a second time, he gently placed the letter on the table, pressing it down with his fingers, and said nothing.

A thin wisp of white steam rose from the spout of the teapot.

After a long while, Gong Baotian spoke, his voice deep and heavy:

"Guo Shoucheng...is gone?"

"Yes."

"To die at the hands of one's own people?"

"Yes."

Gong Baotian picked up his teacup, but didn't drink from it, then put it down. The bottom of the cup touched the table with a soft "ding".

"Okay," he said, uttering a single word.

Zhou Xing looked up. Gong Baotian's face was expressionless, but his eyes were like two deep wells, the water frozen solid.

"I've read the letter."

Gong Baotian said slowly, "I understand what Master Ye means. At the meeting, the Gong family will be in charge. We will say what needs to be said and uphold justice as required."

Just then, Gong Ruomei came out from behind. She wore a dark green shirt, black cloth shoes, and her hair was neatly tied up.

Gong Baotian looked at Gong Er:

"Ruomei, take Zhou Xing on a trip to the plum blossom stakes. Ip Man said in his letter that this child is just one step away from mastering the hidden strength."

Gong Er replied, "Yes, Father."

Gong Baotian then said to her:

"In this world, demons run rampant and foreigners are tyrannical. We Chinese can no longer rely on that little bit of wealth as our life savings."

Before developing Ming Jin (manifested strength), one must be pure, laying a foundation; once one enters An Jin (hidden strength), one must learn from many sources and see the world. Zhou Xing is a promising talent; he deserves guidance, so there's no need to hold back.

He waved his hand: "Go ahead."

Gong Er nodded: "I understand."

Zhou Xing bowed and followed Gong Er out of the inner hall.

Passing through the corridor and courtyard, we arrived at a secluded little garden at the back.

An old plum tree stands in the corner, its branches gnarled and twisted. A few fallen petals lie on the ground, glistening with dew.

There were more than a dozen wooden stakes standing in the middle, of varying heights and arranged in a staggered manner, with the tops of the stakes only the size of a bowl.

It is a plum blossom stake.

"You've improved again compared to the day before yesterday."

Gong Ruomei cut to the chase, “But your strength is still too tightly ‘hidden’ and can’t be released. Wing Chun emphasizes short, sharp strikes, and right now you’re like a boiling pot, the air is suffocating but you can’t let it out.”

Zhou Xing did not deny it: "Last night I was practicing martial arts in the courtyard, fishing for the moon, and I almost touched the edge, but someone disturbed me."

"Fishing for a toad under the moon?"

Gong Ruomei raised an eyebrow slightly. She walked to the stakes and reached out to wipe away the dew from the top of one of the stakes.

"Your realization last night was that your inner breath interacted with heaven and earth, and you sought the word 'stillness' and the word 'harmony'."

But the wonder of hidden strength lies not only in stillness and harmony, but also in its ability to "conceal" and "release."

With that, she lightly landed on a tall post with a light touch of her toes. The hem of her dark green shirt fluttered like a leaf.

"Come up," she said.

Zhou Xing followed the instructions and went up the stake.

The pile surface is narrow, only allowing half a foot to pass at a time, requiring constant adjustment of the center of gravity.

"Watch closely."

As soon as she finished speaking, she moved.

With a gentle sway of his dark green shirt, he glided down the stake as fast as a shadow.

Zhou Xing focused his mind, fully activating his listening skills, and caught the signs of her shoulder movement and waist rotation—she was about to kick!

He knew she was going to kick, and even predicted the direction.

Just as he was about to block, Gong Ruomei's skirt swayed, and her foot, like a venomous snake, emerged from the middle, her toes pointing towards his lower abdomen!

Zhou Xing quickly lowered his waist and abdomen, pressing down with both arms to intercept.

But then, in mid-air, the leg twisted strangely, the toes pointing upwards, lightly touching his chin.

With a quick touch of her toes, Gong Ruomei stood firmly on the stake, as if she had never moved, with only her skirt swaying slightly.

"Did you see it clearly?" she asked.

As the fragrant breeze departed, Zhou Xing was startled.

He couldn't see where the kick came from or how it changed direction; he couldn't even detect a trace of its force.

"This is the 'Hidden Flower Under the Leaves' technique from the sixty-fourth member of the Gong family."

Gong Ruomei slowly said, "The leaves are for concealment, the flowers are for the killing move. It's all about 'concealment'—concealing the intention, concealing the strength, concealing the form. The strength is contained within, not revealed until the very last moment. Once revealed, it's like thunder."

She paused, looking at Zhou Xing: "Your problem right now is that you're hiding it too much. You're thinking too much. You're keeping all your energy inside, fighting with yourself. That won't work."

A practitioner of martial arts must be pure in order to achieve "mastery." Only with mastery can one conceal their intentions and unleash their power at will.

Zhou Xing remained silent. He knew Gong Ruomei was right.

"Again," Gong Ruomei said.

This time, her offensive was even more intense.

The man darted back and forth on the stakes, his dark green shirt serving as a dazzling illusion.

Her feet peeked out from under her skirt, sometimes skimming the water like a dragonfly, sometimes sweeping across like an iron whip. The "flower hidden under the leaves" move took on endless variations under her feet.

Zhou Xing listened intently, focusing his mind on the situation, and dodged and weaved between the stakes. But even though he clearly aimed correctly, his blocks always missed.

That foot always manages to change direction at the last second, sneaking in from an unbelievable angle.

He fell victim to the trap time and again.

Although they avoided the vital points, the space on the piles was narrow, and every dodge was fraught with danger.

Zhou Xing's breathing grew heavier, but his mind gradually relaxed. The charity, Liu Yishou, the symposium, the police station—all the trivial matters that had been on his mind day and night—vanished from his thoughts.

All that remained in my eyes were those elusive toes and the gap between 'hiding' and 'striking'.

The thin mist had not yet dissipated, and the morning light was faint.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the sound of clothes rustling in the wind and the soft tapping of toes on wooden stakes.

A plum blossom petal was lifted by the wind, swaying gently, and drifted between the two of them.

Gong Ruomei was about to sweep her foot away.

Zhou Xing instinctively tried to stop, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the petal, which hovered for a moment at Gong Ruomei's toes!

Just that moment of stillness.

The tension that had been building in Zhou Xing's heart suddenly eased.

As the force dissipated slightly, the petals trembled gently and drifted down halfway;

The force was concentrated, as if held up by an invisible hand, suspended without falling!

Zhou Xingfu brought him spiritual enlightenment.

Hiding... does not mean dead hiding.

It is like a toad lying in the water, swallowing and spitting freely.

It is like a string bearing weight, its curvature determined by the heart.

When hidden, the flower remains concealed; when it blooms, the flower is revealed!

The tension and relaxation, the contraction and release, are all contained within the opening and closing of the pores!

Gong Ruomei's foot has arrived. It remains as unpredictable as ever.

Zhou Xing lowered his waist and hips, shifting his center of gravity slightly on the stake, and his figure suddenly "slid" an inch away.

Just that one inch, and that sure-hit kick grazed past the hem of my clothes.

Almost simultaneously, his right hand, which was hanging by his side, moved.

With his five fingers slightly clenched, as if plucking a flower or digging into water, he lightly brushed against Gong Ruomei's ankle as she pulled her leg back.

It can be withdrawn at a moment's notice.

Gong Ruomei gracefully stepped back and landed on the stake. She looked at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before she smiled.

Zhou Xing stood still, without moving.

He felt a sudden lightness in his body, like a blocked river channel being cleared.

The spine stretches like a python, its joints unfurling, the fascia trembling in unison. The force of the toad-fishing technique flows freely, endlessly.

At this moment, every pore on my body suddenly "woke up".

With a thought, a cluster of pores on his right palm quietly opened, and a concentrated, needle-like force silently emanated from it.

The plum blossom petals, about to fall, shattered into powder and scattered by the wind with a gentle tremor.

The hidden strength has been achieved.

Zhou Xing stood alone at the pile head, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.

The breath was long and deep, condensing into a straight white line in the cool morning mist, shooting out more than three feet before slowly dissipating.

He leaped off the wooden stake, landing silently, and bowed respectfully to Gong Ershen with clasped hands.

"Thank you for your guidance, Miss Gong."

"It's your own destiny."

Gong Er also got down to the stake, a faint smile on her face. "You can't learn the form of a flower hidden under a leaf; that's a woman's skill hidden under her skirt."

But you understand the meaning of 'concealing' and 'releasing'. That's enough. When the power is practiced to a deep level, it transcends techniques and resides solely in the mind.

She paused, then said, "You've passed this hurdle; the road ahead is long."

Zhou Xing bowed deeply.

When I left the Gong family residence, the sun was already high in the sky.

Zhou Xing didn't return to Yuelai Inn, but went straight to an inconspicuous little teahouse in the old city.

Li Wenyong was already waiting at a table by the window on the second floor of the teahouse. He wasn't wearing a police uniform, but rather ordinary clothes.

He pushed over a thin, oil-paper package.

"I've found a place. The landlord is a distant relative of mine, and he's tight-lipped."

Li Wenyong said in a low voice, "I've taken a few of the 'old files' you wanted."

Zhou Xing nodded:

Thanks.

Li Wenyong hesitated for a moment, then finally said:

Be careful.

He got up, glanced around, and quietly left.

Zhou Xing sat down and opened the paper package. Inside was a key and several pages of copied case notes, the ink still fresh.

"British businessman Harris is suspected of smuggling tobacco, resulting in the ruin of three families and the loss of evidence..."

"French physician Dupont, under the guise of a church hospital, is suspected of conducting live experiments, resulting in the complete loss of the children's remains..."

"Father Gabriel, an Italian priest, forcibly occupied the cemetery in the west of the city and beat an old farmer who tried to stop him..."

Below each item are small, hastily written notes: common locations, guard status, and habits.

Each and every one of these incidents is a blood debt.

A few days later, Zhou Xing temporarily disappeared from the charity's sight, having already made his move.

This also gave Zhou Xing a few days to catch his breath.

Liu Yishou is a veteran of hidden strength; the waters of the charity organization are unfathomable. He needs to continue improving his skills.

Zhou Xing touched the ring that was Han Muxia's keepsake in his pocket.

[Han Muxia's Obsession (Gold): Slay the foreigners and promote our national martial arts!]

The hunt may begin.