Martial Arts Master
Autor: Cuttlefish That Loves Diving© WebNovel
Capítulo 1: The Aspiring Youth Expresses No Anxiety
It was a hot autumn afternoon. The sun was still blazing at 3 o'clock, dressing the black exterior walls of a large gymnasium in gold.
Large black letters were glimmering above the front entrance of the gymnasium, stating its name:
"Songcheng University Martial Arts Club!"
Looking from afar at the letters and the youths full of vigor and vitality streaming inside the gymnasium, Lou Cheng felt the vibrancy but hesitated to join them. He swallowed a lump of saliva down his throat and seemed to be bothered by the feeling that one would experience when returning home, though sure enough martial arts and the club had never been his home.
He could not help but turn to look at his roommate, Cai Zongming, who was standing nearby, seeking some psychological comfort.
They met upon entering the university and soon became close friends, as birds of a feather. After the military training and course selection, they developed a friendship where they could comfortably exchange good-natured banters with each other.
Cai Zongming was over 1.8 meter in height and topped Lou Cheng by half a head. Lou Cheng had to admit that the tall and handsome Cai Zongming had the figure of some appealing heroes in Wuxia novels. Also, he was born in an affluent family and had good taste in clothing, adding points to his charm. His only problem would be his gift of the gab!
"Cheng, why are you so nervous?" Cai Zongming noticed Lou Cheng's abnormal emotions and asked, still keeping his hands in the pockets of his cream-colored slacks. "It's just an orientation of the Martial Arts Club, and many students, like Old Qiu, won’t come to the orientation of Martial Arts Club. He just signed up but didn’t show up, instead, he went for self-study. It is not an examination, so why are you so concerned?"
Lou Cheng thought about it and found himself in need of advice. He carefully selected his words and asked his friend, this time using his nickname:
"Casanova, do you remember the girl we met when we signed up?"
Claiming to have dated many girls, Cai Zongming was experienced and good at fabricating wild tales, which earned him the title "Casanova" among his roommates. Lou Cheng considered him a good consultant on love-related problems...
"Yes! How could I forget? Over one month here, I've only met two or three girls of her league. I would have accosted her, had I no true love!" Cai Zongming took a glance at Lou Cheng and smiled. "So what's the story? Having a crush on her? Longing to pursue her? You seemed like an honest and ponderous guy when I first met you. Cheng, I didn't expect this from you!"
Lou Cheng hurried to clear himself. "Actually, I've known her since high school. We were in adjoining classes and we would stand right next to each other during the setting-up exercise to music. Day after day... You know?"
"Sure! Wait, does she know you?" Cai Zongming could barely keep a straight face.
Lou Cheng shook at the mouth and glowered at Cai Zongming. Finally, he gave in and said in a low voice, "Not really…"
"I see... An unrequited love... Perfectly normal," Cai Zongming stopped teasing him. "No wonder you dragged me to join the Martial Arts Club. I thought you had somehow found out my hidden martial skills!"
"Bah! You are mere an Amateur Fifth Pin! What hidden martial skills are you talking about?" counterattacked Lou Cheng.
Until today, martial arts had run a long course of thousands of years. Neither a tale nor a myth, it carried on and on through decades of confrontation against science and technology until it had to change its tradition to integrate into the modern society. Even the ranking system of martial arts had adapted to this era. A special Ranking Event would be held by the Martial Arts Association to assess martial artists with the First Pin being the highest rank, and Ninth Pin the entry level. Below the entry level was nine amateur Pins for martial enthusiasts who were more than sufficient to defeat the common mass.
Cai Zongming tut-tutted. "Someone is not even of Amateur Ninth Pin. Comparing to you, I'm certainly a master, right? Let's fight, and I'll use only one hand."
"Get lost," Lou Cheng cut him up and slowly walked forward after a deep breath. "She was very popular in my high school. I knew she was a fan of martial arts but I didn't know she had also entered Songcheng University. I saw it as some kind of destiny and was thrilled. So I dragged you into this to have more contact with her."
"Good. Reasonable enough," Cai Zongming took a few steps and suddenly burst into laughter. "Look, Cheng! Isn't that your goddess?"
With his heart thumping, Lou Cheng looked ahead following the direction Cai Zongming was pointing. Outside the main entrance of the Martial Arts Club gym there was a set of stairs with nine steps, on which he saw a girl in red and white traditional Han costume standing. Her small face was delicate and beautiful with exquisite features—a classic beauty from the south of the Yangtze River. She was Yan Zheke, the perfect girl Lou Cheng had constantly been thinking about. Her mother was from the south of the Yangtze River.
Lou Cheng was stunned. It was the first time he saw Yan Zheke in a Han costume. How gorgeous!
"How come she is working for the Martial Arts Club as a ceremonial usherette?" asked Lou Cheng with a confused look after he recovered from the shock.
She was also a freshman and the orientation was to take place today!
Cai Zongming laughed. "Simple. A girl of her league must have been contacted in advance by those senior members. Even if they can't win her heart, they can at least use her to promote the Martial Arts Club! Not like you, loser!"
"Aren't you the same…" Lou Cheng struck back.
"Well, actually, I'm not. I'm an Amateur-Fifth-Pin master, a future backbone for the Martial Arts Club…" Next, Cai seemed disturbed by some thought, "They should have contacted me in advance as well. An Amateur Fifth Pin is quite rare in Songcheng University Martial Arts Club. This year's freshmen are of this high quality? Besides that legendary Lin Que, would there be many of Amateur Third or Fourth Pin?"
While listening to Cai Zongming, Lou Cheng stared calmly at Yan Zheke standing on the steps like a star in the spotlight, outstanding and gorgeous, attracting all the attention. Many were probably ashamed of their appearance in front of her.
"Well, back to business. Cheng, here is a chance for you," Cai stopped talking to himself.
Lou Cheng turned and looked at him with dazed eyes. "What chance?"
"A chance to accost her! A chance to draw her attention." Cai Zongming heartily sympathized with this low-EQ pal.
"Accost her..." Looking at Yan Zheke from afar, Lou Cheng stammered, "Me?"
He had never accosted anyone before and was never thinking about it. Would it be a good idea?
Cai Zongming shook his head and tut-tutted, "Though it mainly depends on your appearance and eloquence, you will never succeed if you don't dare to give it a try. On most occasions, girls may condemn cowards. Don't you adore her? What kind of adoration is it if you don't even dare to pursue? Besides, you are very likely to succeed according to my analysis. She might not even consider it as accosting."
"Why?" Lou Cheng became interested.
"Has the crush reduced your IQ? You two were schoolmates from the same city. What a perfect start! Being in this strange land, far away from acquaintances, she will certainly regard you as her first choice when it comes to boys," Cai began to give an eloquent speech. "Imagine a young girl who has gone so far away from home for further education. Surrounded by strangers, how insecure she must be feeling now. Anyone with some common ground would be ideal for her to make friends with. As the saying goes, when two fellow townsmen meet each other, tears run down from four eyes. Not to mention you were once in the same grade of the same school! There are too many things for you guys to talk about, and the gap between you two is narrow.
"Just pretend to run into her and recognize her by chance. There is a ninety percent probability that you will get her QQ number or mobile number. Well, don't go too deep with her on your first encounter. Get her QQ number and retreat."
Lou Cheng carefully listened with a pounding heart. He was very tempted, as what Casanova just said made perfect sense.
However, he soon sank into another hesitation. "But a man average as me doesn't deserve her. I don't know if I can provide her the life she wants. Err... I'd better not…"
That was what would be called as diffidence.
Cai Zongming was shocked for quite a while.
"Cheng, isn't that too much at this moment? You don't even know each other yet, and you are already thinking about your married life with her? Your imagination impresses me…"
Giving Lou Cheng no chance to ponder further, Cai continued to persuade him. "Cheng, your intention to show responsibility and self-knowledge is good, but don't be a coward like this. We are in our first year in a pretty damn good university doing an okay major. Four years of hard study should easily get us a decent job after graduation. Don't you have this confidence? Or you are just going to be a quitter? Improve yourself and push yourself for her. Making yourself a better man for the one you love is true responsibility. Otherwise, your love for her will only move yourself. What counts is conscientiousness!"
Lou Cheng was amazed by Cai's words.
Cai Zongming waved his fist and jumped to another topic. "Nothing is set yet. It remains unknown whether you can win her heart or not. Your chance is pretty small... Err... Come on! Cheng, no regret. We try and try. The aspiring youth express no anxiety!"
Cai's speech turned Lou Cheng into an aggressive young man. His blood was boiling as he tried to suppress all the hesitation and concerns. Lou heavily nodded.
"I'll have a try!"
"Yes! Youth knows no failure!"
Looking at Yan Zheke's beautiful figure in red and white, Lou Cheng plucked up courage and was about to approach.
All of a sudden, Cai Zongming held him back.
"What's the matter?" Lou Cheng could feel his blood boiling.
Cai Zongming grinned. "Cheng, calm down. Your face is red like a monkey bum. She would be able to tell your attempt easily. Buy yourself a bottle of ice water to cool down first."
"Wow, Casanova, you are so experienced," Lou Cheng felt the heat on his face and almost stammered.
How exciting and frightening!
A good idea flashed across his mind. He took the opposite direction, ran away from the grand venue for a hundred meters and returned. By the time he passed Cai Zongming on his way back, he could barely catch his breath.
"You..." Cai Zongming was lost for a second before he got the point. He gave a thumbs-up, "Smart!"
A red face from running should be enough to cover his blush.
While Lou Cheng's heart was racing, his pace slowed down out of timidity. Soon, he picked up his pace and moved away from Cai. He clenched his hands and talked to himself, "Umm, at least I'll give it a try!"
He kept motivating himself while running toward the gymnasium and the beautiful figure in red and white.
Looking at his back, Cai Zongming hurriedly said, "Keep it short. You just met each other. Don't make it awkward. Leave a good impression for the future."
Lou Cheng waved to acknowledge his understanding and kept his pace up to get it done in one vigorous effort.
"This is youth..." A man with gray hair in his 70s or 80s was watching Lou Cheng from under a street tree by the pavement and got a bit sentimental. "I was once a young man just like him…"
Everyone has their youth!
Capítulo 2: Everything Is Difficult at the Start
The front entrance was not that far away. Soon enough, Lou Cheng reached the gym and walked up the nine steps. His heart was pounding fast and he felt his face burning. It was hard to tell whether the panting and flush were from the long run or the upcoming accosting.
Rehearsing all the possibilities, Lou Cheng panted and clinched his hands to cheer himself up.
"What's there to fear? Man up!"
As different plots mingled in his mind for a few seconds, Lou Cheng slowed down and took frequent glances at the elegant Yan Zheke in that red and white Han costume, pretending she was just another person he was running by. Right before he brushed past her, he paused and asked in surprise, "You... Did you study in Xiushan No.1 Middle School?"
Yan Zheke stood there in amazement for a moment, as if she didn't hear him, but soon recovered and wiped the frown off. "Yeah. You are?"
Lou Cheng's heart was pounding hard but he managed to put on a smile under his heavy breath, "I was in class four. Every morning, I used to stand right next to you during the martial arts gymnastics. I mean, a few rows behind you... He-heh. Didn't know you were also here in Songcheng University."
Yan Zheke saw the light. Although she couldn't remember Lou Cheng, she lowered her guard and put on a smile along with two dimples. "I thought I was the only one from our high school here."
Keeping Cai Zongming's instruction in mind, Lou Cheng resisted the urge to scratch his head and replied humbly, "I kept it low and was thus not familiar with students from other classes."
The smiling Yan Zheke became even more attractive. Lou Cheng could hardly move his eyes away from her.
Yan Zheke kept smiling without reluctance, showing her unfeigned joy, "What's your name? Maybe I have heard about you before? Your classmate Cheng Tao and his buddies attended our class."
Her voice was soft and gentle, without any shyness, as if she was born with this tone.
"Cheng Tao? He used to borrow my homework every day. I'm Lou Cheng, a nobody. I bet you don't know me," after a good funny line, Lou Cheng yielded to his impulse and continued, "But I know you, Miss Yan Zheke, one of the most popular girls in our grade... Actually, in the entire school. A girl smart and friendly as you are expected to go to the capital or Huahai for university. Who would have guessed you were here in Songcheng."
Hearing such a direct yet natural compliment, Yan Zheke turned her head and chuckled, "Had I come here because of an unsatisfying result at the college entrance examination, you would have offended me."
"Damn it! What is wrong with me? Thankfully goodness Yan Zheke didn't fail the exam..." Lou Cheng thought to himself, quite terrified and anxious as he thought about that possibility. He had almost thrown a "beautiful" in his compliment as well, but luckily he found it too flippant for their first conversation.
"No wonder Casanova warned me not to talk too much... He knows this kind of stuff." Recalling Cai Zongming's advice, Lou Cheng hastened to add, "It would be news if a celebrity like you failed the exam. Err... The crowd is coming. I'd better get going. I shall leave you with your work."
"Got it," answered Yan Zheke.
Lou Cheng took a deep breath and tried to put up a casual tone, "What's your QQ number, by the way? A few more students from our school are also here. We can have a get-together."
He held his breath and his heart stood still. The last sentence was merely an excuse to cover up his true intention of having her QQ number!
Yan Zheke smiled and pointed at a red string around her neck without hesitation, "Can't keep my mobile in this suit. Take my QQ number and I'll add you soon. Don't forget to mention ‘Lou Cheng from class four, No. 1 Middle School.’ I don't accept requests from strangers. My QQ is XXXXXX."
"Got it," Lou Cheng was overjoyed and could barely remain calm. He repeated the number to himself and took out his mobile from the left pocket of his jeans. As soon as he logged in QQ and searched the number, a laugh broke out, "Dantai Cuihua?"
What a ridiculous name! The Yan Zheke online was the complete opposite from her real self...
Yan Zheke squinted to him a naughty smile, "Yeah, don't you find the name super approachable?" She added on after a pause, "Don't you know its provenance?"
"The one that ruined all those fancy, elegant compound surnames," Lou Cheng didn't know but it was not hard to guess.
Murong, Huangfu, Shangguan, Zhuge, Dantai… These special compound surnames with a beautiful given name would be perfect for characters in those romantic books or TV series. However, it could become hilarious given a boorish or patriotic add-on, such as Murong Jianjun, Huangfu Sufen, and Shangguan Weiguo.
Yan Zheke had joy in her eyes, "Yeah, isn't it interesting?"
"Very. Should I change my QQ name to Zhuge Ergou?" Lou Cheng enjoyed talking with Yan Zheke so much that he wished it could go on and on until a sudden cough came from behind him, as Cai Zongming approached.
Lou Cheng made great efforts to restrain himself and then he waved at Yan Zheke, "My friend is here. We have to go inside. See you."
"Bye," Yan Zheke waved back, which attracted quite some attention from others.
Lou Cheng turned around to join Cai Zongming, unable to mask his joy.
"Not bad! I thought you would stammer. You've got potential." As Cai Zongming walked through the entrance, noise and bustle reached them, to the point where he no longer needed to whisper.
The martial arts gymnasium was split into two connected sections, of which one was laid as a ring of the size of a basketball court, surrounded by stands of seats, and the other had the size of four to five basketball courts and had all kinds of sports apparatus for daily martial training. The latter was decorated as the venue for the orientation, which was busier than Lou Cheng had expected.
"Seriously," Lou Cheng laughed, "The Martial Arts Club really is a big family."
"Of course. The Martial Arts Competition is the world's most popular competition, and martial arts masters are the world's most popular stars. For sure the Martial Arts Club is the largest in every university."
Being the "best" writer is as meaningless as being the "second best" fighter¹. After decades of peace, more and more martial tournaments were taking place these days and the extreme excitement from these limit-redefining competitions could boost the audience's adrenaline level and arouse their heroism. It seemed those night prowlers were no longer an issue, and cowardice was cured for good. As this trend carried on, media and the show biz quickly caught up and official martial arts competitions came into existence.
Martial arts competitions could be simply classified into two groups: one was a derivative of the traditional conflicts among different martial factions, in which various martial sects, schools and clubs participated in a team event to fight for the honor of the greatest heir of Chinese martial arts; the other was held for individuals to compete for the championship.
The former had become a national craze known as the Professional Martial Arts Competition, which was comprised of four leagues, with the premier one containing 12 teams representing the highest martial arts level in China. For those 12 teams, the worst humiliation they could ever suffer was to rank bottom in their league, thus degrading to a lower one.
As for the latter, there were five national individual challenge tournaments, also known as Title Competitions. The champion of each of these tournaments would win the corresponding title and be acknowledged as one of the most capable martial artists in the country. For example, when someone won the championship of the Warrior Sage Event, he would hold the title Warrior Sage for the following year. So, a saying went "A title tops the Professional First Pin!"
Such tournaments could bring a pleasing commercial return for the leading forces and martial arts masters. Wealth came hand-in-hand with honor, popularity and far-reaching influence. Even universities were under the impact, bringing about the National University Martial Arts Competitions and flourishing the university martial arts clubs.
Cai Zongming straightened his back to show bearings of a hidden martial arts master and asked, "Have you got her QQ number?"
QQ number? Lou Cheng could not hide his joy, "Of course! Casanova, what should I do next?"
"What do you think? Find topics to chat with her, get closer to her, learn her hobbies and wait for an opportunity to ask her out. Finding topics shouldn't be hard, right?" Cai Zongming took a contemptuous glance at Lou Cheng and joked along. "Or give me her QQ number and I'll do it for you!"
"No way," Lou Cheng cut straight to the point, "So lucky to have advice from the experienced."
"Sure you are. I have dated lots of girls," Cai Zongming sounded very pleased with himself.
Playing on the downside all this time, Lou Cheng's mind clicked and murmured at Cai, "How old are you again?"
"Eighteen. So? Can't I have many girlfriends? I met my first love in Grade Three!" Cai Zongming didn't seem to like being doubted about his strong point.
"No. I mean... You've had so many girlfriends over the years, but none of your relationships lasted. It must be your fault…" Lou Cheng's eyes flashed all over Cai. He seemed to come to some realization.
Cai Zongming's face turned stiff as he complained, "Do you want to continue this conversation or not?"
Then he casually threw a brief explanation, "I've dated my pen friends. You know, easy come, easy go. A lack of contact for a short period was enough to kill the passion. Some of my dates transferred to another school. What could I do? And some were just not right... You know the song ‘it is easy to fall in love but hard to be together morning and night’. In short, I'm not a playboy and I've been behaving for a long time. Don't you call me a playboy or Casanova in front of my girlfriend! Actually, can't you give me a better nickname? Casanova is terrible. Stop calling me that, OK?"
"You got it, little Ming," Lou Cheng grinned.
Cai Zongming seemed to freeze and then heaved a sigh, "Casanova is fine."
"Yes, little Ming." Lou Cheng scored one and instantly cheered up.
There was always one thing to conquer another. Cai Zongming valued his current long-distance girlfriend in the same way Lou Cheng did for Yan Zheke.
Cai Zongming burst into laughter.
"Cheng, if we signed up for Crosstalk Club instead of the martial arts one, we would be famous for certain."
His voice was followed by a sudden turmoil outside the door.
"Lin Que is coming!"
"Lin Que!"
The crowd began to move toward the entrance.
Lou and Cai exchanged a glance with excitement, thrill and curiosity. They joined the mass toward the entrance.
Rumors had been spreading that a genius who had achieved the Professional Ninth Pin certificate at the age of 18 had joined the club at the entry level of professional martial arts, Lin Que had surpassed the majority of disciples of martial sects and students of martial arts schools.
A talent as him entered a university instead of any martial sect, school or club!
Among freshmen of the universities circle, Lin Que was not the only one who gained the Professional Ninth Pin. But for Song Cheng University, it was its first time to receive such a genius.
That genius was Lin Que!
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES
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¹Being the "best" writer is as meaningless as being the "second best" fighter: That's a Chinese saying. Since writers all have different styles and skills, there is usually no way to rank them, and thus the "best writer" would be a meaningless title.
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