"This matter, it’s a long story that stretches back through history," the great monk couldn’t help but sigh.
"During the Tang Dynasty, because the Thirteen Stick Monks made significant contributions by saving the Tang sovereign, Emperor Taizong specially decreed that Abbot Tanzong of the Northern Shaolin establish a new Shaolin Temple in the south, nad ’Southern Shaolin Temple.’
Not only did he transfer sutras to the temple, but Abbot Tanzong also moved a lot of martial arts materials to the Southern Shaolin Temple, including the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, Bone Transformation Scripture, and Boy Skill, three of the four great internal martial arts of Shaolin.
With the rich heritage of Northern Shaolin, Southern Shaolin also had quite a reputation in the south. Until the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, many people from the martial world sought to overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming. The court saw Chinese Martial Artists as a major threat,
regarding the Shaolin Temple as a thorn in their side. They dispatched troops to attack, leading to the famous event ’The Burning of the Southern Shaolin.’ At that ti, the five ancestors of Shaolin narrowly escaped the Qing soldiers’ pursuit, taking with them the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, Bone Transformation Scripture, and Boy Skill."
Wang Longhu, both curious and puzzled, scratched his head: "I’ve heard about the burning of Southern Shaolin, but that was two or three hundred years ago. How is it related to Dong County, this small island?"
"Without the protection of the Shaolin Temple, the five ancestors carrying Shaolin’s internal arts beca a coveted target for the southern martial world. Many martial artists wanted to witness the mysteries of Shaolin’s internal arts,
Internal arts are different from ordinary martial arts. If you haven’t seen it, it’s hard to understand. Let explain it to you like this: if you possess internal arts, you don’t need to practice Pile Skill for martial arts training. You understand how remarkable this is, right?" the great monk asked.
"So remarkable!" Wang Longhu finally showed a look of astonishnt.
The importance of Pile Skill is fundantal for any martial artist.
In ancient tis, when you apprenticed to a master to learn martial arts, it was common for them not to teach you any techniques until you had first practiced Pile Skill for three years.
Pile Skill is the foundation of martial arts. Without it, a martial artist’s techniques are like rootless duckweed—unstable at the base and easily defeated.
Now, hearing that internal arts could make a martial artist bypass Pile Skill entirely was a revelation that shattered Wang Longhu’s understanding of martial arts. It was simply unbelievable.
"Why practice martial arts? To strengthen the body. In ancient tis, the purpose of strengthening the body was to ensure you wouldn’t be killed by others, while you could kill others.
Therefore, martial artists must train for strength. With great strength, a single punch could kill soone. But Wang Longhu, you should know that the human body has its limits, as well as periods of peak and decline.
No matter how great your natural talent for martial arts, training your entire life won’t allow you to jump over ten ters high, leap over a hundred ters far, move faster than an airplane, or have a body that can withstand bullets. These are impossible for a human.
A human has limits. We martial artists are slightly stronger than the average person, but we can’t match those specifically trained for weightlifting or sprinting. Our strength lies in balance.
Moreover, when a person reaches a certain age, the body inevitably enters a period of decline, with a decrease in physical capabilities. At this point, further training is futile because your vital energy is exhausted. This is the aning of ’fear the strong youth.’
But Wang Longhu, did you know, it’s said that Master Dharma discovered a way to break the human body’s limits? This thod is hidden within the four internal arts he created, with the Marrow Cleansing Scripture and Bone Transformation Scripture being the most crucial.
The human form is sustained by bone, and bone’s source is marrow. Thus, ’Marrow Cleansing’ suggests that only by mastering martial arts to the marrow can one perhaps find the key to breaking the human body’s limits,
During the Republic era, as war raged across our land, Mr. Sun, the founder of the Nationalist party, proposed strengthening the nation through martial arts, attempting to use martial artists to fend off invaders, particularly targeting enemy leaders through assassination, creating chaos.
This infuriated the invaders, prompting them to quietly replicate the Qing court’s actions to eradicate the martial artists. The Shaolin abbot, who safeguarded the Marrow Cleansing Scripture, feared this internal art would fall into enemy hands,
Thus, he hid it within a Buddha statue, commanded a temple disciple to flee with it, hiding until the enemy was defeated, awaiting the Marrow Cleansing Scripture’s return to light.
At that ti, Southern Shaolin was rebuilt in Putian, Min Province, and many from Min Province sought refuge on offshore islands, unnoticed by invading forces and unchecked by Nationalist forces.
The Shaolin disciple with the Buddha statue followed the trend, boarding a fishing boat to a sea island, living in seclusion and hiding until today."
Listening to the extensive explanation from the great monk, Wang Longhu finally understood: "You an! The old monk I encountered is the Shaolin disciple who left Southern Shaolin with the concealed Buddha statue containing the Marrow Cleansing Scripture."
"I haven’t investigated it myself, but according to rumors, that seems to be the case. Master Yan Jie lived in seclusion in Dong County, attracting many martial artists coveting the Marrow Cleansing Scripture.
This included the Chao Gang from Guangdong and so martial artists who took refuge overseas during the anti-Japanese period. Our Wen City Martial Arts Association usually wouldn’t get involved in such matters.
But the higher-ups worried about Master Yan Jie carrying precious treasures, fearing sothing might happen soday, so they sent people from the Wen City Martial Arts Association to secretly protect Master Yan Jie in Dong County,
leading Master Yan Jie to mistakenly believe we were like the Chao Gang and those overseas martial artists, attempting to seize the Buddha statue. Over the years, he’s held considerable hostility towards us, making communication very difficult."
The great monk sighed, having clarified his identity and his relationship with the old monk,
allowing Wang Longhu to successfully comprehend the storyline within.
"I never would have imagined that the place where I grew up is hiding such a secret," Wang Longhu couldn’t help but exclaim.
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