Nian Fuli leaned back, thought for a moment, and said, "Stay away from the Boxing Clubs. Those places are full of shady characters. The scene there is a rabbit hole; you'll spend a lot of money without necessarily learning anything real, and you're likely to get dragged into some trouble."
Chen Chuan nodded and asked sincerely, "Then what should I do, Uncle?"
Nian Fuli rubbed his bristly scalp. "You've got about two months until school starts, right?"
"Yes, Uncle," Chen Chuan said. In truth, the official start of the semester was three months away, but new students had to report a month early, so two months wasn't wrong.
Nian Fuli said, "Xiaochuan, I'll find someone for you. You go and study with them for a while. Try to pass the next test. This person is the real deal. If you can learn a thing or two from them, you'll benefit for life."
Yu Wan asked with concern, "Will there be tuition fees?"
"Don't you worry about that," Nian Fuli said. He then turned to Chen Chuan. "Xiaochuan, come with me after dinner."
"Okay," Chen Chuan replied.
After dinner, the two of them wheeled their bicycles out the door. A five-minute ride brought them to the Baofeng District Patrol Bureau, where Nian Fuli worked.
The place had originally been a fortress built during the war, later converted into the Patrol Bureau. Constructed entirely of reinforced concrete, it looked particularly imposing from the outside. The sky hadn't completely darkened yet, but the road leading to the entrance was already blocked by a barricade.
Seeing Nian Fuli and the boy, a Patrol Officer wearing an armband strolled out from behind the barricade. "Well now, what brings you back, Nian? You're not on duty tonight."
Nian Fuli flicked a cigarette over to him and jerked his chin toward Chen Chuan. "This is my nephew. Brought him over to see the sights."
The Patrol Officer held the cigarette under his nose and took a whiff. He glanced over Chen Chuan with a casual air, asked no more questions, and waved his hand. Two other Patrol Officers came forward to move the barricade.
Nian Fuli said a quick thanks, motioned for Chen Chuan to follow, and wheeled his bike inside.
After the two had gone in, the Patrol Officer with the armband scanned the street outside a few more times before slowly turning back.
This was Chen Chuan's first time at the Patrol Bureau, and he was curious at first. But most of the buildings here only had a few small apertures on the outside. They looked solid and dreary, creating an oppressive atmosphere. There was really nothing to see, so he quickly lost interest.
The two of them twisted and turned, as if walking in a large circle, finally arriving at a place that looked like a warehouse. It was brightly lit, with soft mats laid over the terrazzo floor. Piles of exercise equipment and stacks of wooden crates were arranged around the perimeter.
A dozen or so Patrol Officers had taken off their uniform jackets, wearing only their undershirts, revealing muscular arms. They were squatting or standing in a circle around a refined, mild-mannered middle-aged man in a formal, front-buttoned jacket, who appeared to be explaining something.
"Gentlemen, you can start by trying to stand on one leg. Hold the position without moving."
The Patrol Officers immediately stood on one leg. Some started wobbling right away, while others held the pose for a good while. But even the ones who wobbled managed to find their balance after a few tries.
One Patrol Officer asked, "Mr. Wen, what's so hard about this?"
Mr. Wen smiled. "Now, please close your eyes."
The Patrol Officers did as he said and closed their eyes. This time, most of them started to wobble violently the moment they did, letting out a stream of curses. However, one young Patrol Officer remained standing perfectly still.
"Chicken Comb is impressive!"
"Look at that form. Rock solid. Never would've guessed."
"Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg! Perfect form!"
With comments flying from all sides, the young Patrol Officer closed his eyes and said proudly, "I used to play games like this all the time as a kid. We'd have pushing contests, too. I can stand here without moving for a full fifteen minutes. What's next, Mr. Wen? Bring it on!"
Mr. Wen chuckled. "Very good, Inspector Ji. This time, try standing on one of the crates and doing the same thing."
"How hard can that be? Watch me!"
The young Patrol Officer eagerly scrambled onto a crate, and then...
"What the-!"
He'd only been standing for a moment before he started shaking uncontrollably and had to jump down.
He looked back at the crate, finding it incredible. He had just moved from the flat ground to the crate; the surface area wasn't any smaller, and the crate wasn't even that high. But the moment he closed his eyes, a sense of panic washed over him, and he couldn't keep his balance at all.
"Wait, I just wasn't ready."
Still not convinced, the young Patrol Officer got back up and tried again. This time was even worse than the last; he started wobbling the instant he closed his eyes. He jumped down again and asked, bewildered, "That's so weird. Mr. Wen, what's going on?"
Mr. Wen smiled. "Because your brain is telling you that you're in an unstable environment, and it's trying to make you stop."
He pointed to his head. "This is your brain fighting with you. For example, some people feel an impulse to jump when standing in a high place. It's the same principle. Essentially, your brain wants you to get away from the danger. However, with certain training, we can learn to coordinate our bodies properly.
"In the old days, martial artists would train on the edge of cliffs to overcome their mental barriers. We don't need to be so extreme now. We can train on the edge of a high platform and gradually adapt.
"In fact, there are many things we need to overcome in our daily lives. For example, you instinctively close your eyes when you see a fist coming at you. A fist is one thing, but if it's a weapon, that single blink could cost you your life. As Patrol Officers, you must be able to keep your eyes on the target at all times, unless you have a better sense to substitute for your sight."
Someone instinctively asked, "A better sense?"
Mr. Wen just smiled and didn't elaborate.
Hearing this, Chen Chuan's heart skipped a beat. 'If I used my Second Self to see for me, would that count as a better sense?'
'The Second Self exists within a few meters of my body and is fundamentally one with me. If it could replace my normal sight, I could not only see from behind, but maybe from above, observing an opponent from every possible angle...'
As he was thinking, Nian Fuli had already stepped forward to greet the instructor. "Mr. Wen." He then gestured for Chen Chuan to come forward, clapped him on the shoulder, and announced in a louder voice, "My nephew. He just tested into Wuda."
"Wuda? You mean Wuyi Academy?"
"Whoa, that's incredible! Your nephew really made you proud, Nian!"
"Nian, you've gotta treat us!"
The dozen or so Patrol Officers all chimed in excitedly. These days, if you wanted to make a name for yourself, you either got into a top university or you got into Wuda. To say nothing of the fact that many Wuda graduates ended up as security consultants for officials in the Civil Affairs Hall. If you got lucky and were sent to Central City, your future was made.
Nian Fuli was beaming with pride. He continued, "Mr. Wen, my nephew here has never had any formal martial arts training. He just messed around on his own, and somehow he passed the entrance exam. I was thinking he can't just wing it for the next round of tests, so I was hoping to ask you for some pointers. What do you think, Mr. Wen? Would that be possible?"
Mr. Wen looked at Chen Chuan, pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's do this, Captain Nian. We can talk over there." The Patrol Officers were quick to take a hint; upon hearing this, they all dispersed.
Chen Chuan and Nian Fuli followed Mr. Wen to a spacious corner. In a sincere tone, Mr. Wen said, "Captain Nian, if I may be frank, I don't want to hold your nephew back."
Nian Fuli was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
...
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