Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

On the bus back to Ji County, the two brothers remained silent the entire way. Cang Lifeng watched the scenery rushing past the window, his heart pounding like the journey itself. The gates of the Nancheng Sports School closed behind them, shutting down the path he had envisioned for his younger brother.

Tianci remained silent, resting his head against the cold glass window. He didn't cry, but the light that had ignited in his overly calm eyes because of the training hall had been completely extinguished.

After a long silence, he finally raised his head and stammered to his older brother sitting beside him, "Brother...am I...really...really useless?"

Cang Lifeng turned to look at his younger brother's dull, lifeless eyes, and a sudden pang of pain shot through his heart. At that moment, the humiliation, despair, and uncertainty of the past few days intertwined with the look in his brother's eyes, crashing against his soul. He suddenly remembered a senior classmate who had graduated from the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Institute and briefly studied at the Nancheng Martial Arts School—his name was Zhou Zhenhua, and who seemed to be working at the Jixian Sports School now… This thought was like a glimmer of light in the darkness.

He pressed down hard on Tianci's thin shoulders, saying each word clearly, "No, Tianci, I've been thinking the wrong way. In this world, ruthlessness alone isn't enough, nor is simply being able to take a beating. It's not just you; I need to find a different path, a different way of life." He paused, his gaze drifting towards Ji County. "Let's go back to Ji County first, and I'll find you a way out. If Nancheng can't accommodate you, there will always be a place that can!"

Back in Ji County, Cang Lifeng brought Tianci to meet Zhou Zhenhua.

Zhou Zhenhua is a few years older than Cang Lifeng. After graduating from the sports academy, he was transferred to the Jixian Sports School. He was planning to form a martial arts team. In his years at the grassroots level, he had seen too many people with outstanding physical conditions who couldn't endure hardship, and too many talented people who were ultimately buried because they had no one to guide them. He knew that under conditions of limited resources, a "ruthless heart" that was not afraid of difficulties and a "tenacity" that trained to the death were often more valuable than a perfect "framework".

When Cang Lifeng found him, he listened carefully to Cang Lifeng's account, especially the reasons for the rejection from Nancheng Sports School. Instead of being disappointed, his eyes lit up with a burning light.

"Oh? Zhang Jingsong from Nancheng said his physical condition has limitations?" Zhou Zhenhua stood up with interest, circled Tianci twice, pinched his strong but not broad shoulders and arms, and then made him do a few quick kicks and jumps.

"Come on, kid, do that set of punches you just did at the sports school again!" Zhou Zhenhua pointed to the open space in the center of the living room and said in a loud voice.

Tianci was filled with immense grief and resentment. The cold water of Nancheng could not extinguish the fire in his bones. He took a deep breath, let out a low roar, and transformed all his humiliation and despair into power, unleashing a powerful set of long punches with astonishing force, the wind whistling through the air.

Zhou Zhenhua nodded repeatedly, his eyes gleaming even brighter. He then pointed to a worn canvas punching bag in the corner: "Go ahead, hit it thirty times with all your might, as fast as you can."

Without a word, Tianci rushed to the sandbag and unleashed a barrage of punches. "Bang bang bang bang!" A series of heavy, muffled thuds echoed as his small body unleashed astonishing power. After thirty punches, the sandbag swayed violently, Tianci's chest heaved, his arm muscles twitched, and sweat streamed down his forehead, yet he still glared fiercely at the sandbag as if it were an enemy he had to conquer.

"Good, well done!" Zhou Zhenhua praised. "Lifeng, Coach Zhang has a keen eye; he sees the pinnacle of competitive martial arts. But we're working at the grassroots level, promoting it widely, so we look at something different. This isn't the national team; it's giving those kids who are blocked by the 'ceiling' a chance to reach for the sky. Your brother's physique is a bit thin, but look at his eyes, his fierce determination, the solidity of his fundamentals—this is the kind of 'soldier' ​​I need!"

He turned to Tianci, his gaze intense: "Tianci, Nancheng didn't want you, that's because they have no taste. I want you! I need a player like you who can endure hardship and is willing to work incredibly hard! We won't compete with them on who's taller or more handsome, we'll compete on who trains harder and fights more fiercely. As long as you do those things, you can still win the championship and still make a name for yourself. So, are you willing to train with me?"

These words were like a lamp lit in the darkness! Tianci suddenly raised his head, and a flame of hope rekindled in his dim eyes. He looked at his older brother, then at the enthusiastic Zhou Zhenhua, nodded vigorously, and stammered, "I...I'm willing, thank...thank you, Coach Zhou!"

Seeing the renewed light in his younger brother's eyes, and then looking at his forthright and capable senior brother, Cang Lifeng finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. He gripped Zhou Zhenhua's hand tightly: "Senior brother, I'm entrusting Tianci to you."

With his younger brother Tianci's future settled, Cang Lifeng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He led his brother along the dirt road back to Xiqiao Village, the setting sun casting long shadows of the two brothers.

Looking at his younger brother beside him, whose steps were slightly lighter because of the renewed hope, Cang Lifeng's mood became increasingly heavy.

The next morning, Cang Lifeng quietly packed his simple belongings—an old canvas bag containing only a few changes of clothes and a few well-worn martial arts books.

The whole family got up early to see him off. Cang Lifeng scanned the faces of his loved ones one by one, finally fixing his gaze on Tianci.

He beckoned to Tianci: "Tianci, come here."

Tianci obediently came to his older brother's side, looked up at him, his eyes full of affection and reluctance.

Cang Lifeng crouched down, his large, calloused hand gently stroking Tianci's head. He said earnestly, "I'm leaving. I'm going south. Those are big cities, with more opportunities. I don't have any great skills, nor can I pave a golden road for you. We can't reach the threshold of the South City Sports School; that's just a matter of lacking the necessary strength. But the Ji County Sports School is a path given to us by Senior Brother Zhou, and it's something you earned yourself, with these two hands of yours." His gaze shifted to Tianci's small, delicate hands, and his voice suddenly rose, "Tianci, remember what I said today. Practicing martial arts isn't about showing off, nor is it about defeating someone like Wang Yaowu or Liu Tietou. Why can Liu Tietou walk around so arrogantly? Why can Wang Zhenkun control everything? It's not that their fists are much harder than mine, it's what's behind them!"

He suddenly stood up, looked up at his relatives, and stared intently:

"I finally understood at the temple fair. Why could Liu Tietou act so arrogantly? Why could Wang Zhenkun control everything? It wasn't because their fists were much stronger than mine, it was because of what was standing behind them!"

Cang Lifeng's voice carried a hint of desolation, but even more so a cold sternness born of awakening. He looked down at Tianci once more:

"So, Tianci, at the Jixian Sports School, you not only need to train your fists, but also your mind, your eyes, and your brain. See clearly the 'principles' that govern this world, and see clearly what those 'weights' that weigh people down and bend their bones are made of."

Tianci tilted his head back, trying hard to listen. His older brother's words were somewhat profound, and he couldn't fully understand them, but the words "weight" and "bone bending down" instantly reminded him of Wang Zhenkun's gloomy face, Liu Tietou's ferocious smile, and those tightly closed doors. His small body trembled slightly.

Cang Lifeng's words were firm and resolute as he continued, "Senior Brother Zhou wants results, gold medals. Those are your stepping stones. But I want you to remember, gold medals are for others to see. The 'gold brick' you need to forge in your own heart is 'understanding,' is 'skill'! The ultimate goal of martial arts isn't to fight, but to seek the truth! To question Heaven, to question Earth, to question the ways of the world and the hearts of men! To find out whether the blood and tears shed by generations of our Cang family were due to bad luck, or whether there are twisted and evil doctrines hidden in this world?"

Tianci pursed his lips tightly, his eyes burning. He remembered his mother's tears under the oil lamp, and his father's hunched back. "Why?" These two words, like a sharp thorn, had only vaguely pierced his heart before, but now his elder brother had pressed them in hard, making the pain clear.

He took a deep breath, pouring all the pent-up emotions and expectations into his final words:

"Tianci, you're not as quick-witted as me, and your mouth isn't as sharp, but I know you have a fierce streak inside you, a stubbornness that knows no bounds. Don't just use that streak on relentless practice; use it on asking questions. If you don't understand, then practice! Practicing boxing trains your muscles and skin, practicing questioning trains your heart. When your heart hardens, your eyes sharpen, and you see through the weight of those weights, when you see through the tricks of those big shots, then you'll truly stand tall, and only then will you be worthy of your parents' blood and tears, and worthy of the sweat you've shed!"

Cang Lifeng patted Tianci's shoulder heavily one last time:

"I'm leaving. You'll have to forge your own path. Jixian Sports School is a melting pot; whether you become a dragon or a worm depends on you. Remember my words: practicing boxing is the technique, but understanding the Way is the foundation. Ask your heart, not your boxing; when your heart is clear, your boxing will be genuine. Only when you understand the 'principles' of this world, and see through the weights that weigh down people, will you be someone special, and only then will you have lived up to the life your parents gave you, and the cry you uttered when God threw you at the bottom of Wild Boar Gully!"

Having said that, Cang Lifeng said no more, picked up his canvas bag, turned and strode towards the village path. His figure stood tall and straight like a pine tree in the sunlight, carrying the resolute determination to face danger alone, and quickly blended into the brilliant light.

Cang Tianci stood frozen under the locust tree in the courtyard. His elder brother's words, like a hammer blow forged in fire, each word carrying a scorching mark, crashed into his chaotic consciousness, stirring up a storm of emotions!

"Seek the truth...see the heart, not the fist...see through the 'principles' of the world...see through the weight of those scales..."

These words, like torches suddenly lit in the darkness, carrying the metallic scent of iron, instantly illuminated his heart, which was filled with narrow-minded thoughts such as "stutterer," "weak frame," and "revenge." He realized that standing tall was not just about knocking down an opponent with one's fists; he realized that the path of martial arts had such a vast and profound end.

A surge of scalding heat suddenly welled up from the deepest part of his heart, instantly dispelling his confusion, inferiority, and the last vestiges of resentment. He clenched his fist tightly, and although the action aggravated his unhealed wound, bringing a sharp sting, he paid no heed.

The pain is real.

The path is clear.

My heart was ignited.

He raised his head and looked towards the end where his elder brother had disappeared. In his eyes, the naivety, confusion, and violence that belonged to a young man were quietly fading away in an unprecedented, calm and deep flame, settling down and turning into two points of persistent burning in the dark night—the lamps of the heart.

The locust leaves rustled in the morning breeze, as if echoing the silent yet thunderous vow in the boy's heart. On this vast and uncertain path of seeking truth, at this moment, in this courtyard of Xiqiao Village, soaked in blood and tears, in the heart of a boy with clenched fists, the first faint but inextinguishable lamp was officially lit.