Shooting the Eagle: Starting from Iron Palm Peak

Hong Qigong chose a flat clearing on the hillside, surrounded by dense woods. Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. He stood in the center of the clearing, leaning on his green bamboo cane. Guo Jing stood respectfully opposite him, while Huang Rong squatted to the side, holding a handful of melon seeds, eating them as she watched.

Lin Qi and Mu Nianci sat under the shade of a tree not far away. Mu Nianci placed her iron spear beside her, hugged her knees, and watched quietly. Lin Qi leaned against a large tree, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was listening intently to what Hong Qigong was saying.

"Watch closely."

Hong Qigong slightly bent his knees, bent his right arm inward, and drew a circle with his right palm, then pushed it outward with a "whoosh." His palm strike was very slow, so slow that every inch of movement was clearly visible, but the force of the palm was terrifying. A small tree three zhang away suddenly shook, its leaves falling in a rustling sound, leaving a shallow palm print on the trunk.

Guo Jing was dumbfounded.

Hong Qigong withdrew his palm, turned around, and saw Guo Jing still standing there in a daze. He scolded, "Silly boy, did you see that clearly? This is called 'The Dragon Regrets,' the first of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms."

Guo Jing nodded quickly: "I...I saw it clearly."

"Then you give it a try."

Guo Jing assumed a stance, chose a small pine tree, and, imitating Hong Qigong's posture, aimed at the trunk and struck with his palm. The pine tree swayed a few times, but did not break.

Hong Qigong scolded, "You fool, what are you shaking the pine tree trunk for? To catch squirrels? To collect pine cones?"

Guo Jing blushed deeply after being scolded, and smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

Hong Qigong said, "I told you: you must make your opponent have nowhere to retreat and nowhere to yield. Your palm strike just now was quite powerful, but the pine tree swayed and neutralized your force. You must first learn to strike a pine tree so that it doesn't move, and then you can break a tree with one palm strike."

Guo Jing suddenly realized and exclaimed happily, "Then you must use lightning speed so that the opponent has no time to defend themselves!"

Hong Qigong rolled his eyes at him: "Isn't that right? Need I say more? You've been practicing for so long, sweating buckets, and you've only just figured out this basic principle. You're really incredibly stupid."

Huang Rong covered her mouth and laughed. Guo Jing wasn't annoyed. He scratched his head and resumed his practice.

After seeing him practice a few palm strikes, Hong Qigong shook his head, walked to his side, raised his hand and placed it on his right arm to help him straighten his posture.

"This move is called 'The Dragon Regrets Its Ascent'," Hong Qigong's voice was much more serious than before. "The essence of this palm technique lies not in the word 'ascent' but in the word 'regret.' If one only seeks fierceness and ruthlessness, and exuberance and sharpness, anyone with a few hundred pounds of brute force could use it. How could such a move earn Huang Yaoshi's respect?"

Guo Jing practiced his palm techniques while listening attentively. Although he didn't fully understand, he memorized every word.

"The dragon soaring too high will regret it, and fullness cannot last long," Hong Qigong continued. "Therefore, every move must have its limits. If you unleash ten parts of your power, you must retain twenty parts within yourself. The day you understand the meaning of 'regret,' you've mastered thirty percent of this move. It's like fine aged wine, not harsh at first sip, but with an incredibly rich and mellow aftertaste—that's the essence of 'regret.'"

Lin Qi sat under the tree, listening intently to every word Hong Qigong said. He secretly compared them: the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms was extremely forceful, while the Iron Palm Kung Fu was forceful yet yielding; their approaches were different, but they led to the same goal. Hong Qigong's words, "Reserve three-tenths of your strength" and "Never use all your power," were similar to what he had learned from Qiu Qianren, "Power comes first in the palm"—both were about the proper measure and control of the amount of force exerted.

Guo Jing practiced for half a day but still couldn't grasp the technique. He struck with all his might with each palm, but the pine tree only swayed and never broke. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and refused to stop.

Huang Rong watched with heartache, but remained silent. She knew that once Guo Jing set his mind on something, he would see it through to the end.

Hong Qigong wasn't in a hurry. He sat under the shade of a tree, took a sip of wine from his gourd, and squinted as he watched Guo Jing practice his palm techniques. Occasionally, he would scold Guo Jing, "Silly boy," or offer some pointers, such as, "Your shoulders are too tight," or "Power comes from the ground, not from your arms."

Guo Jing followed his instructions, revising and practicing again and again. He wasn't afraid of hardship or being scolded; he was only afraid of not mastering the technique.

Watching Guo Jing's retreating figure, Lin Qi sighed inwardly: Guo Jing's seemingly simple nature was precisely his blessing—without distractions or opportunistic tricks, he focused solely on mastering the art, allowing him to reach the pinnacle of his skills. Those clever people, always seeking shortcuts, ultimately achieve nothing.

Guo Jing practiced his palm strikes hundreds of times, and it gradually grew dark. Hong Qigong stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "That's enough for today. We'll practice again tomorrow."

Huang Rong quickly took out the dishes she had prepared from the food box and said with a smile, "Seventh Master, you've worked hard. Try my cooking."

Hong Qigong's eyes lit up. He took the chopsticks, picked up a bite, and praised it repeatedly. Guo Jing sat to the side, eating heartily and enjoying his meal. Lin Qi and Mu Nianci also came over, and the group ate a warm dinner by the fire.

After the meal, Hong Qigong leaned against a big tree and started snoring, the sound like thunder. Guo Jing practiced his palm techniques for a while longer before Huang Rong pulled him back to rest.

As night deepened, the moonlight shone on the hillside, making it look like it was covered with a layer of silver frost.

Lin Qi walked alone to the top of the hillside, stood in a stance, and began to practice his internal energy. This time, he wasn't practicing Iron Palm Kung Fu, but the Tendon-Changing and Bone-Forging Chapter of the Nine Yin Manual. This skill was the most basic and safest part of the Nine Yin Manual—it only regulated the tendons and bones and enhanced internal strength, without involving any offensive martial arts, and it was practiced discreetly.

Following the incantation, he slowly channeled his internal energy into the meridians of his legs. The internal energy flowed like a warm stream, starting from his dantian, descending along the meridians, passing through his waist, hips, thighs, knees, and calves, finally reaching the soles of his feet. Then it returned from his feet, ascending along another meridian, passing through his back, shoulders, and arms, finally returning to his dantian. After completing one cycle, his whole body felt warm, and his muscles and bones felt as comfortable as if they had been soaked in warm water.

He had been practicing for several days, and his internal energy was noticeably more profound than before, and his muscles and bones were also stronger. Although the latter eight postures of the Iron Palm Technique were still somewhat lacking, with the support of the internal energy from the Nine Yin Manual, his palm power was more concentrated and explosive than before. He tried to integrate this internal energy into the Iron Palm Technique, and struck out with his palm. He didn't use his full strength, but the palm wind was fierce, sweeping a shallow mark on the ground.

He was secretly delighted, but dared not try again—it would be difficult to explain if Hong Qigong noticed.

"Brother Lin."

Mu Nianci's voice came from behind him, very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. Lin Qi stopped his practice and turned around, seeing Mu Nianci standing not far away, wearing an outer robe. The moonlight shone on her face, and her eyes were very bright.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Lin Qi asked.

"I can't sleep." Mu Nianci walked over and sat down next to him. "I came out for a walk and saw you practicing your martial arts here."

Lin Qi remained silent. Mu Nianci looked at him, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly asked, "Brother Lin, what kind of kung fu do you practice? It doesn't look like Iron Palm Kung Fu."

Lin Qi thought for a moment and decided not to hide it from her. Mu Nianci was a trustworthy person, and she had already seen through the deception; there was no way to hide it from her now.

"It's a kind of internal skill," he said in a low voice. "Practicing it can enhance your internal strength. Don't tell anyone."

Mu Nianci nodded and said seriously, "I won't tell."

She paused, then asked, "This skill... did you acquire it while you were in Zhongdu?"

Lin Qi glanced at her. Although Mu Nianci didn't talk much, she was very perceptive. Just because she didn't say something didn't mean she didn't know it.

"Yes," Lin Qi did not deny it, "When I was in Zhongdu, I encountered some things and obtained a martial arts manual. This internal energy cultivation method was learned from that manual."

Mu Nianci didn't ask any more questions. She knew Lin Qi didn't want to say too much, and she shouldn't ask too much either. She simply nodded and said softly, "Brother Lin, I'll keep an eye on things while you practice. I'll remind you if anyone comes."

A warm feeling welled up in Lin Qi's heart, and he smiled: "Okay."

Mu Nianci stood up, walked to the top of the hillside, turned her back to Lin Qi, and faced the camp. Her figure appeared slender in the moonlight, but she stood very straight.

Lin Qi watched her retreating figure, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and continued to circulate his internal energy.

Under the moonlight, on the hillside, two people, each lost in their own thoughts. One practiced his martial arts, the other kept watch. Neither spoke, yet they both knew the other was there.

For the next few days, Hong Qigong taught Guo Jing one move of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms every day. Guo Jing learned very slowly, often needing two or three days to barely grasp the basics of a single move. But Hong Qigong wasn't in a hurry, Huang Rong didn't urge him, and Guo Jing refused to rest. He would get up before dawn to practice the palms and continue practicing until dark, his palms becoming chafed and raw, which he would then wrap with bandages and continue practicing.

Huang Rong prepared a variety of delicious meals every day, making Hong Qigong beam with joy. When Hong Qigong was happy, he would teach Guo Jing a few more incantations or demonstrate them a few more times. Although Guo Jing learned slowly, he practiced each palm strike thoroughly and never cut corners. Hong Qigong would scold him as a "foolish boy," but in his heart, he was satisfied.

Lin Qi didn't sit idle. Every morning he would get up early to practice Iron Palm Kung Fu, repeatedly refining the first five stances and practicing the last eight stances one by one. He had memorized the Iron Palm Kung Fu moves, but his skill was still lacking—the power exertion of some moves was not precise enough, and the variations in some moves were not smooth enough. Each move required hundreds or thousands of repetitions to perfect the timing and angle of the power exertion.

Mu Nianci also followed Hong Qigong in reviewing the "Free and Easy Wandering" technique. This martial art was light and graceful, with ever-changing moves, completely different from the fierce and powerful Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. Mu Nianci's movements were already quite good, and with Hong Qigong's guidance, she improved even more each day. When she practiced, her clothes fluttered, like a butterfly dancing among flowers. Huang Rong clapped and cheered; Guo Jing smiled憨厚ly; Lin Qi secretly praised her.

One morning, Guo Jing was practicing his palm strikes on a hillside when Hong Qigong squatted beside him, holding a wine gourd and watching him with narrowed eyes. Guo Jing struck out with his palm, but the pine tree didn't budge—he had practiced to the point where the trunk wouldn't sway, yet the tree didn't break.

Hong Qigong shook his head: "You're still lacking something. Your palm strike concentrated the power, but it exploded too early. You released the power before it even reached the target, so by the time it did, only a third of it was left. You need to hold the power in your palm and release it the instant it touches the target."

Guo Jing nodded and resumed his practice.

Lin Qi watched from the side, a sense of enlightenment dawning on him. He recalled Hong Qigong's earlier words, "Reserve three-tenths of your strength when exerting force," and also the principle of "power precedes the palm" that he himself practiced when practicing Iron Palm Kung Fu. The two seemed different, but in fact, they were interconnected. He silently channeled his internal energy, following Hong Qigong's instructions, containing the force in his palm and releasing it the instant it touched the target. He struck a pine tree with his palm, the trunk trembling slightly, leaving a shallow palm print—much deeper than before.

He was secretly delighted.

Mu Nianci sat under the tree, holding the iron spear in her hand, watching Lin Qi practice his martial arts. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.