Chapter 1.2: Killing the Crop
Josh learned many fighting techniques: j.a.panese Judo, Thai Boxing, Israeli Krav Maga, Filipino Stick, Russian Sambo, and most of all, Bruce Lee"s fighting style. But Josh felt unnerved. He needed more—thought that he could improve his skill more and form it to something his own so he got on a plane first thing in the morning and flew to China.
It was also worth mentioning that Josh was dressed strangely—he had a shaved head and was dressed in a somewhat loose fitting monastic robe with a yellow silk belt tied around the waist. He looked like a monk who"d been converted for a long time.
"Thank you," Su Jie downed the bottled water and felt the parched dryness in his throat fade away. He felt more comfortable. Then, he asked Josh in fluent English, "Josh, why do you always dress as a monk?"
In school, Josh wasn"t a bad student. On the contrary, he ranked high on every exam; the "model student" in the eyes of the teachers and a "genius" from the viewpoint of a parent.
Over the past few days, not only has his Chinese improved, he"d also learned quite a bit of techniques.
Originally, Su Jie knew nothing in the way of martial arts. Only reason he came here to learn was due to the humiliation he suffered.
"Oh, that," Josh repeatedly nodded. "I wear the monk"s uniform and shave my head so I"m able to quickly enter a stage of cultivation. When I practice kung fu… if I"m wearing other clothings aside from this, I find myself not doing well, but when I wear these clothings, I find it easy to rid myself of worldly distractions."
"Do you think digging is a skill?" Su Jie cared not for the clothing and so changed the topic.
"Of course, it"s kung fu." Josh"s bald head reflected the sunlight dew. There were layers of sweat on top falling like a teardrop. It looked funny. He leaned over and mysteriously said, "This digging should be a unique training method. We have two training programs to practice our techniques. One is the smashing of tires with a large hammer and turning the tires over and over, the process a tiringly repeated cycle. Did you know this?"
"Of course," Su Jie nodded his head. "Many of the television networks witnessed and recorded the training of those fighters trained to smash and flip the tires with their iron hammer. It"s said that it trains a lot of muscles in the body."
"That"s right," Josh said, adjusting his posture. "The hammer hitting the tire trains the core muscle group and gives us the ability to twist and explode. Turning over the tire would allow us to train the body"s coordination and strengthen the muscles from the waist down. Look here, toiling the soils for two days straight, we"ve actually trained all parts of our body that we"d not normally be able to do. The tire is a constant thing and the Earth an unknown variable. When we hoe, we don"t know if there are hard rocks hidden under the bed soil so we can"t hoe using our old strength. The Earth is like your opponent. You never know what technique she will use and before you flip her over, you won"t know what"s inside her."
"Josh, you actually know so much." Su Jie lifted his brow, a shocking reaction. He never thought a foreigner would find a greater sense of philosophy simply from the hoe.
"Before I came here to study, I studied Chinese Kung Fu in great detail. Furthermore, I"ve learned a few things about Wing Chun," Josh lowered his voice like he was revealing a prophetical secret not known to man. Then, his hands moved like a snake. "Snake Fist! Crane Fist!"
"Josh, you"re a bit of a r.e.t.a.r.d. A chuuni!" Su Jie almost died from laughter, literally. When he laughed, his abdominal muscles ached and grimace formed on his lips.
All the muscles in his body ached over the past two days of hard work.
"What do you mean by that?" Josh asked puzzledly.
"It means you"re very handsome!" Su Jie tried his best to hold back the laughter.
"d.a.m.n!" Josh chuckled. "Do you think I"m stupid?"
"I wonder what kind of martial arts we"re learning. Coach Gu Yang won"t tell us." Su Jie wanted to get to the bottom of the truth. He had the thought to ask "till the very end. The same goes for his studies. He was best at thinking and tackling new things.
"Repeat the Amitabha, Zen, Qi Gong, or whatever. You"ll have to comprehend on your own." Josh leaned on his hoe, clasped his hands, and showed off like a good chuuni.
Su Jie smirked and gave him a middle finger.
"Form a group of two! Ma.s.sage each other to relax the tired muscles! Be sure to ma.s.sage the sore spots with lotion!" Coach Gu Yang called for the students to stop.
As if they"d been granted amnesty, the students, relieved, quickly put down their hoes and began ma.s.saging the soreness of their waists and back. Some lied on the ground and stretched their bodies whole.
Seconds after, they quickly formed a group.
Josh and Su Jie formed a group of two.
"Su Jie, I can see that your strength has left your body. I"ll go and ma.s.sage your back first. Wait until you recover your strength then you can ma.s.sage me." Josh motioned for Su Jie to lie down.
Josh took out the Ming Lun specialized lotion from his pocket and opened the lid. A pungent smell wafted the air and soon, a drop of lotion fell on his palms and Josh began ma.s.saging Su Jie"s waist, back, legs, shoulders, arms, stomachs, knees, and the soles of his feet. All the places ma.s.saged were the major sore acupoints.
Done like a professional: rub, knead, pinch, and press.
On the first day of cla.s.s on the first hour, this was what Coach Gu Yang taught the students. It was a simple and easy method that"d help relieve their tired body.