Chapter Twenty-Three: Meng Xiaoli Practices Internal Arts While Dozing

Upon hearing the cold, sobering words of Elder Dugu, Meng Xiaoli furrowed her brows and retorted, "If all the martial arts in the world were meant only for the gifted, then it is the student who is brilliant—what is there for the master to be so smug about?"

Elder Dugu’s brows arched unevenly, and he asked with incredulity, "You are digging a massive pit for me here. If I fail to teach you well, does that mean I am incompetent?"

"Exactly!" Meng Xiaoli nodded with ironclad resolve. "You wouldn't even be fit to be a teacher."

"Alright then," Elder Dugu stood up and waved his hands repeatedly. "I am unfit to be a teacher, and I cannot teach a student like you. Do not take me as your master. I have said before that I have never taken on an apprentice; I am utterly incapable of teaching. I’m admitting it now so that you won't come looking for compensation later."

Meng Xiaoli jumped up, wearing a bright smile as she tugged at Elder Dugu, offering an apology: "I was only joking, Master. You don't have to take it so seriously. You aren't usually such a stern person, so why be so earnest today?"

Elder Dugu shook her off and urged, "A young lady would be better off finding a good husband to marry rather than living this life of uncertainty."

Meng Xiaoli’s face darkened immediately. "If I could find one, do you think I would be running around suffering like this, clinging to life by a thread? You yourself have never married, Master."

Elder Dugu walked away, retorting, "That is because I could never find anyone to my liking."

Meng Xiaoli chased after him, seizing the opportunity to tease, "Perhaps it is because you were merely wishful thinking and nobody had an eye for you."

Elder Dugu turned back, pinched the scruff of her neck, and pushed her forward, chiding, "Little girl, stop playing word games with me. Be careful, or you will follow in my footsteps—old and with no one to rely on. You’ll become a lonely old crone who has to crawl to the clinic by herself when she falls ill."

With her neck held fast, Meng Xiaoli could not break free. She rolled her eyes, spun around to slip under Elder Dugu's arm, and escaped his grasp. Just as she was about to bolt, she was grabbed by the back of her collar and hauled right back. She could only scratch her head and offer a dry laugh.

The two found an old mountain shack, tidied it up a bit, and retired to their respective rooms to sleep.

The next morning, before dawn had broken, Meng Xiaoli was jolted awake by a thunderous pounding on her door. She opened it, dazed, to find Elder Dugu fully dressed and ready, his eyes wide and brimming with energy. Meng Xiaoli rubbed her eyes and asked, "What is it?"

Elder Dugu replied in a deep voice, "The rooster has crowed."

"It can crow all it wants; what does that have to do with me?"

"Have you never heard of 'rising at the crow of the rooster to practice'? If you want to learn martial arts from me, you must seize every moment. If you can't even handle getting out of bed, we might as well both go back to sleep!"

With that, he turned to leave. Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli was instantly wide awake. She hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and pleaded, "Fine, I’ll get up! I’ll get up, won't that suffice?"

***

At the crack of dawn, Elder Dugu took Meng Xiaoli to a clearing in the mountains. Meng Xiaoli sat cross-legged on a piece of bluestone with her eyes closed, meditating. Elder Dugu paced nearby, reciting, "Your internal energy is too weak. From today on, you must cultivate it diligently every morning and before bed. During the day, you will practice speed, endurance, and technique. Every sect has a different way of teaching internal arts. The 'Heaven-Man Unity Method' I have developed must be fused with my 'Dugu Nine-Character Strategy' to complement each other. Internal energy and technique are equally important; the Method builds the energy, and the Strategy hones the form.

"First, we must open the Ren and Du meridians to clear the flow of breath and blood. With every inhalation and exhalation, you must distinguish the clear from the turbid. Inhale the clear, exhale the turbid. Let the clear energy sink into the Dantian to condense the root of your power, nourishing your five viscera. Only when your organs are nurtured can they generate different strengths of energy..."

Elder Dugu finished his long explanation in one breath and leaned in to see how she was doing. To his surprise, Meng Xiaoli’s head was tilted, and she had drifted into a hazy sleep. Helplessly, he pushed her awake. Meng Xiaoli gasped, jolted back to reality, and quickly straightened her posture. Elder Dugu mimicked her tone, mocking, "Who was it yesterday who told me with such conviction, 'I have no choice, I must work harder'?" He leaned over and asked, "What's wrong? Who were those words meant for? Oh, so it turns out you were talking about me? How much harder must I, the master, work?"

Meng Xiaoli laughed sheepishly, "No, no, it's just that you wake up so early, and I haven't adjusted yet. But don't worry, I will definitely wake up earlier than you tomorrow."

However, the next morning, Meng Xiaoli was dragged up the mountain by Elder Dugu once again. By the third day, she simply brought a steel awl and decisively handed it to Elder Dugu, saying earnestly, "If I fall asleep again, please, feel free to prick me."

Not even an hour had passed before Meng Xiaoli drifted off again. Elder Dugu sighed, picked up the awl, flipped it to the handle, and tapped her head with it. Meng Xiaoli woke with a start. Elder Dugu tossed the awl back to her, sighing, "Now I know why your foundation in martial arts is so poor."

On the fourth day, due to excessive stress, Meng Xiaoli tossed and turned for the first half of the night. Just as she finally fell into a deep sleep, she heard the roosters crowing. With swollen eyes, she followed Elder Dugu up the mountain, crying out, "Master, if I fall asleep again today, you won't give up on me, will you?"

Elder Dugu stroked his beard and said calmly, "I won't. I'm not exactly busy, am I?"

The words left Meng Xiaoli stunned. She didn't know whether to let her tears fall or hold them back. She sniffled, wiped her eyes, sat on the bluestone, took a deep breath, and began to practice.

As she meditated, Elder Dugu paced behind her. "Internal energy has nine levels to reach the pinnacle. You are only at the third. Ordinary martial artists in the pugilistic world reach at least the fifth or sixth level just to have a foothold, while those at the seventh or eighth levels are heads of sects. Those who reach the ninth level are few and far between. I know of one in the Songlin Sect, one in Wudang, and another who is willing to serve the Emperor, sacrificing his freedom to become a secret agent, protecting the Emperor's safety day and night."

Meng Xiaoli couldn't help but sigh, "It seems even masters fear going hungry!"

Elder Dugu glanced at her and chided, "Back in my day, I finished the first three levels of the internal cultivation method in just a few days. What have you been doing for these past ten years?" Seeing that she didn't dare to answer, he continued, "The further you go, the harder it is to progress. Sometimes you might be stuck for years. This is when it is easiest to lose heart, and many give up."

"And what level are you at, Master?" Meng Xiaoli asked curiously.

Elder Dugu stroked his beard and said, "Each level is divided into early, middle, and late stages. I had no famous master to guide me, and my own research meant I was years behind others. I reached the late stage of the eighth level, but I have spent many years unable to break through to the ninth."

Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli felt that given her own lack of talent, she might be old and gray before seeing any results. She then heard Elder Dugu explain, "The first level is called 'Cognition,' the second 'Absorption,' and you are currently at the third, 'Conquest.' This is the stage where you can easily grasp the power of all things and the energy of heaven, earth, sun, and moon, leading to rapid progress. The fourth level, 'Restlessness,' is where external energy and your own energy interfere and repel each other. The fifth, 'Quest,' begins with stabilizing the control and use of your energy, while the middle and late stages involve seeking breakthroughs and constant growth. The sixth and seventh levels, 'Submergence' and 'Stillness,' are where you settle, mix, and master your internal power with ease—this is the realm of true experts. The eighth level, 'Inquiry,' is the pinnacle of internal power, and the ninth is a further breakthrough. I have completed the eighth level, but after all these years, I have not grasped the ninth; I have been stuck in contemplation and exploration."

Two hours later, Meng Xiaoli finished her practice, feeling as if her soul had been shaken. Elder Dugu took her to the market. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the cries of vendors, and the flow of traffic, they walked side by side. Elder Dugu said in a low voice, "After cultivating internal energy, you must practice technique. The first of the 'Dugu Nine-Character Strategy' is 'Observe' and 'Listen.' Since they must be used in unison, they are combined into one. To 'Observe-Listen' is to look in six directions and listen to all eight, seeing through all information and spotting the opponent's flaws. Your ears must listen for the wind. Especially in a fight, you must never focus on just one side. You must split your attention; in a battle against one or many, your ears are your most capable assistants. You must detect hidden weapons, the direction of attacks, and the approximate distance, and immediately respond. A single moment of negligence can be fatal."

Hearing this, Meng Xiaoli remembered the black-market inn outside the pass, where she had nearly been killed by poisoned needles from the Desert Poison Bee, saved only by the Cold-Faced Scholar Wu Yuqiu's intervention.

Elder Dugu continued, "Now, tell me, in this surging crowd, how many people do you think are agents of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion?"

"Agents of the Wind and Cloud Pavilion?" Meng Xiaoli was stunned. "How would I know who they are?"

Elder Dugu stood still, surveying his surroundings. With one hand behind his back and the other stroking his beard, he said, "Those with internal energy who dress like commoners are either agents or assassins. Assassins usually have at least seventh-level energy, while the Pavilion's agents only need enough for self-defense, putting them around the fourth level. The fourth level is the stage of 'Restlessness,' which cannot be hidden and is easily detected by a master." He gestured with his eyes. "The bun seller on the left, the charcoal merchant on the right, the couple ahead, the woman buying vegetables behind—there are many more on this street. They live normal lives, perhaps for ten years, all for the sake of obtaining a single piece of information. That is the terror of the madman Ji Shuishi; his eyes and ears are everywhere."

Meng Xiaoli asked, "But if he has so many agents, wouldn't there be too many flaws? Is he not afraid of people coming to the Wind and Cloud Pavilion to cause trouble?"

Elder Dugu continued walking, answering, "These low-level agents receive only singular, isolated tasks. They themselves don't even know the big picture. Even if you capture them, it is useless. Furthermore, the Wind and Cloud Pavilion never harms anyone. It is like a mirror—if you are frightened by what you see, it is only yourself you are seeing. Even if someone comes to buy information about you, your enemy is the one who bought the information, and you yourself must rely on the Pavilion to gain news. Therefore, no one dares to touch the Wind and Cloud Pavilion."