Chapter 4: The Enemy Is The Self, The Obstacle Is The Mind
Chen Chuan put the stone back and shut the box before going to the dial phone in the living room and grabbing the speaker. “This is the Nian residence,” he said.
A familiar voice came through the speaker. “Hello, Chen Chuan? What are you doing? Don’t just stay at home. Want to hang out with us?”
The speaker was Ding Jiao, his deskmate in high school. It was really noisy on the other end, so Ding Jiao was probably calling from a street phone.
“Where are you?” Chen Chuan asked.
“Where else? The same old place, duh. Titan and Melonbread are with me too. What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you around.”
“You guys have fun. I’m busy with something, so I can’t go,” Chen Chuan declined.
“Oh, are you looking for a job? Seriously, if you’re in trouble, don’t just keep it to yourself. If I can help, I’ll help. Putting everything aside, I can easily get you a job in my family’s factory.”
Chen Chuan laughed and said, “If I need your help, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
He did not share that he had passed the entrance examination for Martial Valor University. While Ding Jiao was loyal to a fault, he was also a blabbermouth. If he learned about it, all of their former classmates would know about it within a day. Many people would then come to congratulate Chen Chuan and try to build ties with him, but he had no time nor energy for it. He needed to prepare for the follow-up entrance examination.
“Alright, by the way...” Suddenly, Ding Jiao raised his voice. “Did you know that Mr. Third Place got into Black Orchid? Everyone knows about it by now! Damn it! How is he so damn lucky?! His scores weren’t even as good as yours!”
Chen Chuan was quite surprised. “Black Orchid?”
“What else? That guy is so smug now!” he said with jealousy oozing out of his voice.
Chen Chuan hummed.
Black Orchid Co. was short for Black Orchid Highlands Corporation. Its headquarters were in Central City, while its branch in Yangzhi City was an important part of its structure. On the surface, its core business was makeup, but the corporation had long since established its presence in all facets of Yangzhi City and the counties and towns in the region. The corporation and its subsidiary companies produced and sold most of the daily necessities the citizens used.
Based on what Nian Fuli said behind closed doors, half of the City Advisory Board took bribes from Black Orchid Co., while the other half helped Black Orchid Co. count its money. A few chiefs of civil affairs even had to toe the line with Black Orchid Co.
The corporation even had its own independent security force and a private training facility. If Han Shu—Mr. Third Place—really went there, this was no small feat. His family had clearly pulled some strings. If Chen Chuan remembered correctly, the Han family worked for the Water Management Department.
After some more talking, Ding Jiao said loudly, “By the way, don’t forget about the graduation gathering at the end of next month.”
Chen Chuan replied, “I won’t.”
“Alright. Bye then. Hercules and the rest are telling me to hurry up.”
Chen Chuan hung up and returned to his room. His thoughts were on the preparation for the follow-up entrance examination. He had three more months if he started counting from this month—June. But that was all the time he had. He was far from having the luxury to relax.
Also, just why was the original Chen Chuan killed? He could not figure out the reason for it. Even though the old house was located in the suburbs, far away from the urban area, Chen Chuan decided to reduce his outings to the bare minimum.
He took out a map of Yangzhi City and spread it out on the table, then took out a notebook titled “Martial Arts Records.” He scanned through the pages and circled a few places with a pencil.
The day passed, and it was soon time for dinner. Nian Fuli and his family came back, and the house became lively again. When everyone sat down at the dining table, Nian Fuli asked, “Did you go out to find a job or a place to study?”
“I did,” Chen Chuan replied.
Nian Fuli hummed and asked, “How did it go?”
It was just a throwaway question. Since it was just the first day, Chen Chuan was unlikely to have received any offers.
“I went to Martial Valor University.”
“Martial Valor University?” Nian Fuli looked at him in surprise. “Why did you go there?”
“I was just about to tell both of you that I passed the entrance examination and will move into the university once the new semester begins,” Chen Chuan said with a smile.
“You got in?”
Nian Fuli was flabbergasted. He sized Chen Chuan up with wide eyes, as if this was the first time he got to really know his nephew.
Many youngsters tried their best to get into Martial Valor University every year, but all for naught. Wei Laohu, who had always been at odds with Nian Fuli, bragged for a whole year when his son got into Martial Valor University.
Nian Fuli was skeptical. “Did you cheat?”
Yu Wan was miffed and shoved at him. “You’re making it sound like Chan’er couldn’t possibly pass.”
Chen Chuan laughed. “How could I possibly cheat? I don’t have the money nor the connections for it. Why would the lecturers at Martial Valor University help me?”
“True.”
Nian Fuli observed him for a while more with an indescribably complicated expression, while Yu Wan looked melancholic but relieved.
After some time, Nian Fuli rapped at the table with his chopsticks. “Martial Valor University is indeed a path to a better future. Getting in is basically a ticket to wealth. But you still have to pass the follow-up entrance examination, don’t you?”
Chen Chuan nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s more like it.” Nian Fuli rapped the table again. “Let me tell you, you’re not yet finished. Even if you managed to get in, passing or failing the follow-up entrance examination makes a world of difference. I don’t know why Martial Valor University let you in, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically pass the follow-up exam as well.”
Yu Wan straightened up in her seat. “What should we do, honey?”
Nian Fuli gestured for her to calm down and asked Chen Chuan, “What have you been thinking of doing next?”
Chen Chuan considered it and said, “I’ve been planning to go to a martial art school to pick up some skills, but I don’t know which ones are more reliable, so I wanted to ask you about it.”
Nian Fuli leaned back into his chair and thought about it. “Don’t go to the martial art schools. Those places are melting pots of people, and the politics there run deep. They also require a lot of money, but you won’t necessarily pick up any real skills. You could even get into real trouble.”
Chen Chuan nodded and asked for advice. “What should I do then?”
Nian Fuli scratched his freshly-shaved head. “You have two months before the new semester starts, right?”
“Yes.”
There were actually three months before the official start of the new semester, but new students who took the entrance examinations had to report to the university a month ahead of time, so saying that he only had two months was not wrong.
“Chuan, I’ll get a tutor for you,” Nian Fuli said. “Learn from him and do your best to pass the follow-up exam. This man is no ordinary guy. If you can learn something from him, those skills will serve you well.”
“Will we need to pay him?” Yu Wan asked in concern.
“Don’t worry about it,” Nian Fuli said and turned to Chen Chuan. “Come with me after dinner.”
“Okay,” Chen Chuan replied.
Once they finished dinner, the two left the house on their bicycles. It took them about five minutes to reach the Constabulary of Sealed District, which was where Nian Fuli worked.
It was built as a fort during the Warring Era, but was later modified into a constabulary. The place was made entirely from steel and concrete, so it looked really sturdy. Even though the sun had not completely set, barricades already blocked the way in.
A constable wearing an armband walked over when he saw Nian Fuli and Chen Chuan. He asked, “Why have you come back, Captain Nian? You’re not on shift tonight.”
Nian Fuli threw a cigarette over and gestured at Chen Chuan with his chin. “This is my nephew. I brought him here to broaden his horizons.”
The constable sniffed the cigarette, then gave Chen Chuan a seemingly nonchalant look. But he asked nothing else and just made a gesture. Two other constables came forward to remove the barricade.
Nian Fuli thanked him and motioned for Chen Chuan to follow him. They pushed their bicycles inside.
After they went in, the constable cast a few glances at the street before he went back to his station.
This was the first time Chen Chuan had come to the Constabulary. He was quite curious about the place, but most of the walls only had a few holes in them, which gave them a tough but dull look. The building felt depressing, and there was nothing special about it, so he quickly lost interest.
They took a few turns and what felt like a huge detour before they arrived in front of a place that looked like a warehouse. The lights were on. Cushions covered the terrazzo floor, and various pieces of training equipment along with piled-up wooden boxes took up most of the area.
A dozen constables with toned arms and dressed in undershirts formed a circle. Some of them were squatting, while others were standing. At the center of the circle was an elegant, gentle-looking middle-aged man in formal wear. He seemed to be giving them a lesson.
“You can try standing on one leg first. Make sure not to move.”
The constables immediately stood on one leg. Some people started swaying from the get-go, while others stood firm right away. After a while, the swaying ones also managed to stand still.
A constable asked, “What’s so hard about this, Mr. Wen?”
Mr. Wen smiled. “Try closing your eyes, then.”
The constables closed their eyes. This time, most of them swayed violently, and they started cursing up a storm. Only one young constable managed to stand still.
“Not bad, Rooster Comb!”
“Who could have guessed that you’d be able to stand still?”
“You really look like a rooster standing on one leg!”
The constables praised the young man.
Rooster Comb, the young constable, still had his eyes shut as he said smugly, “I played this game all the time when I was a kid, along with the headbutting game. I can stay like this for fifteen minutes. Mr. Wen, what else have you got for me? Let me have a go at it!”
Mr. Wen smiled and said, “Not bad, constable Ji. Stand on a box and try again.”
“That’s easy. Just you watch!”
Rooster Comb excitedly climbed on the box.
“Holy crap!”
He only managed to stand on it for a short while before he started swaying and had to jump off.
In disbelief, he checked the box. All he had done was move from flat ground to a flat box. It was not as if the standing area had become smaller or he had gotten very high up, but when he shut his eyes, he felt anxious, and he just could not stand still.
“Hang on. I didn’t get a firm footing just now.”
Rooster Comb could not accept defeat and tried again, but his performance this time was even worse. He started swaying the moment he shut his eyes and had to jump down.
“It’s so weird! Mr. Wen, what’s going on?” he asked in puzzlement.
Mr. Wen answered with a smile, “Because your brain is telling you that you’re standing on an unstable surface and wants you to stop.”
He pointed at his head. “This is your brain fighting against you, just like how some people want to jump when they’re at a high place. It’s the same thing. In essence, your brain wants you to stay away from danger. But we can make our bodies and minds coordinate with certain training.
“When the martial artists of old trained, they chose to do it on cliffs to conquer the obstacles in their minds. We don’t have to go to such extreme lengths anymore. We can simply train on the edges of elevated platforms and get used to it slowly.
“We actually need to conquer various obstacles in our daily lives. For example, people instinctively shut their eyes when they see a punch coming their way. But, honestly, punches are nothing. What if an enemy is coming at you with a weapon? Even if you shut your eyes for only a moment, you may very well end up dead. As constables, unless you have an even better sensory organ to replace your eyes, you have to make sure that you’re observing your target at all times.”
Someone instinctively asked, “A better sensory organ?”
Mr. Wen just smiled and said nothing else.
When Chen Chuan heard this, something stirred in his mind. What if he had his second self observe his enemy for him? Would he be a better sensory organ?
His second self generally hovered within a few meters and was part of him. If Chen Chuan could use him as his eyes, not only would he be able to see behind his back, he might even be able to look from high above and observe his opponent from multiple angles...
While his imagination was running wild, Nian Fuli went forward and greeted Mr. Wen. Then, he motioned for Chen Chuan to come forward and patted his shoulder while saying loudly, “My nephew just got into Martial Valor University.”
“Martial Valor University?”
“That’s amazing! Captain Nian, your nephew must make you proud!”
“Remember to treat us, Captain Nian!”
All the constables came forward to congratulate Nian Fuli. If anyone wanted to become successful in their time and age, they had to either get into an institute of higher learning or get into one of the many campuses of Martial Valor University in the republic. Setting everything else aside, many of those who graduated from Martial Valor University went to serve as security consultants for government officials working at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Some lucky ones even went to Central City and reached even greater heights.
Nian Fuli felt proud about it and said, “Mr. Wen, my nephew has never practiced martial arts before and just messed around with various fighting styles. Heaven knows how he passed the entrance examination. I couldn’t just let him do whatever he wanted for the follow-up entrance examination, so I was thinking about asking you to give him some pointers. Could you do that?”
Mr. Wen observed Chen Chuan and fell into contemplative silence before saying, “Let’s talk over there, Captain Nian.”
The other constables were sensible and spread out when they heard this.
Chen Chuan and Nian Fuli went to a spacious corner, and Mr. Wen said earnestly, “I have to be frank, Captain Nian, but I don’t want to waste your nephew’s time.”
Nian Fuli was stunned. “What do you mean?”