America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

Shuangxi asked, puzzled.

He sized up Li Qun and Peter, and without waiting for Li Qun to give him an answer, Shuangxi already had the answer in his heart.

“Peter runs to keep fit, so don’t think Peter is physically weak,” Liqun said to Shuangxi.

“It’s break time now, but I’m going to teach you two breathing techniques,” Li Qun said.

"Breathing rhythm is very important; breathing is a particularly important part of kung fu."

"At first you need to practice deliberately. Once your body remembers the new breathing habits, it will be much easier to practice kung fu."

Shuangxi swallowed nervously. After Liqun taught her the breathing method, Shuangxi worried that she wouldn't be able to breathe properly.

“Peter, you did a great job.”

Li Qun encouraged him, saying that Peter would learn it in no time.

"However, everyone's physical condition is different. You need to find a breathing rhythm that suits you and not blindly follow what is taught."

Li Qun glanced at Shuangxi, whose breathing was clearly audible through his nose. Shuangxi hadn't memorized the breathing technique Li Qun had taught him. Li Qun would need to teach Shuangxi several more times before he would remember it.

"Have you rested enough? Let's do a rehearsal."

Li Qun looked at Peter, who picked up the long stick and began to demonstrate it.

Shuangxi watched Peter nervously; during the ten-odd minutes of rest, he had forgotten some of the stick fighting techniques.

After Peter finished practicing, Li Qun personally corrected some minor issues in Peter's moves.

Next up was Shuangxi, who nervously demonstrated his stick fighting skills.

Shuangxi learned half of it, forgot half of it, and then Liqun taught him the other half.

Li Qun then led two people in practicing staff techniques for another hour, concluding today's kung fu lesson.

"After memorizing the staff techniques, our next training goal is to practice them with our hands empty," Li Qun said.

"Huh?" Peter found this strange.

If you don't need a stick in the first place, why not practice with your hands empty from the start?

“That’s how it looks,” Li Qun said, demonstrating to the two of them.

In Li Qun's demonstration, the moves without the stick were replaced with fist and palm moves. Although the stick could not be seen, its presence could be vaguely felt.

"The tangible becomes the intangible."

Peter repeated what Li Qun had said and began to think about it.

Peter Parker got the hang of it.

He felt he could use kung fu moves to launch spider silk, which would have unexpected effects when fighting people.

“Liqun, could you perform that for us?” Peter said.

"that?"

"Cousin, I want to see it too."

"Want to see how I climb over the two-meter-high barbed wire fence on Dad's rooftop?" Li Qun asked.

"Yes, yes!" Peter and Shuangxi both nodded.

"Ok."

"It's very difficult for you to bypass the Great Firewall now, don't try."

Li Qun rushed to the corner of the barbed wire fence, kicked the fence a couple of times, and sat down on the top of the fence.

The movements were light, swift, and decisive.

Li Qun jumped down from the barbed wire fence, which was only two meters high and not difficult at all.

In fact, Li Qun could also jump directly, and jumping two meters high would not be difficult for him, but that would not look like a normal human being.

Peter and Shuangxi applauded Liqun.

Peter memorized Li Qun's wall-climbing technique and planned to try it out in a side alley on his way home.

Peter could easily jump two meters high, even though it was only two meters high, and he felt that Li Qun's wall-climbing skills could effectively mask his extraordinary physical abilities.

……

On his first day of learning kung fu, Peter leisurely left Chinatown. He had walked there, and he was walking back.

As Peter passed through a deserted alley, he felt that this place was perfect.

Peter walked into the alley; his goal was to get to the rooftop.

Peter recalled Li Qun's movements of kicking the wall left and right, and began the process of getting onto the rooftop.

Instead of climbing the wall with his hands and feet like a spider, Peter deftly pushed off the wall from side to side like a kung fu master who had practiced for more than ten years. In no time, Peter reached the enclosed rooftop of a building on one side of the alley.

When Peter kicked the wall, he felt his feet being pulled against it.

“Pay attention to your breathing rhythm,” Peter told himself.

Peter leaps across rooftops, using his webs to move, flying from one building to another, quickly traversing the rooftops of buildings.

In today's stick fighting lesson, Peter transformed the stick-waving motion into a web-shooting motion. The transitions between stick fighting moves became the transitions between Peter's web-shooting sequences.

Realizing he was almost home, Peter swung down from the roof of the building. As he landed, he couldn't help but do a "white crane spreads its wings" motion. There was no tremor felt in Queens.

Peter straightened his somewhat disheveled clothes and hair and hurried towards his neighborhood.

"effort……"

Peter's mind was filled with "kung fu".

That summer, the fight scenes from the kung fu movies they watched together kept replaying in Peter's mind.

Growth, revenge, chivalry, resistance against injustice, stopping war with force... Kung Fu movies always revolve around these themes, and Peter's heart is also stirred by them.

Chapter 145 Discusses Martial Virtue

"Kung Fu is for improving health, not for fighting."

“Showing off one’s skills and being overly competitive is absolutely unacceptable.”

The old man walked past Peter and Shuangxi with his hands behind his back.

Now that we've started teaching Peter and Shuangxi martial arts, we should give them a clear concept of "martial arts" and tell them what "martial virtue" is.

"The most powerful skill is not to defeat your opponent physically, but to defeat them mentally."

"Talking too much will stifle your thinking. As for how to defeat your opponent mentally, you will have to figure that out for yourselves in the future."

"An opponent is not only someone you have a conflict with, but also yourself. Overcoming your inner self is the key to breaking through your limitations."

"Martial arts is also a philosophy."

My father's "martial arts theory lectures" are always a free-flowing affair, sometimes even leaving him speechless.

"That's fine then."

"Liqun, today I'm teaching Tai Chi. Remember to teach slowly."

"Okay, Dad."

The old man went downstairs and, as usual, gave up the rooftop for the three of them to practice.

Peter and Shuangxi have been practicing martial arts for six days, and there are still more than ten days until the start of school.

Li Qun and Peter agreed to practice martial arts together on the weekend after their school starts.

Whether you practice on school days, whether you get up early to practice or practice at home in the evening after school, it all depends on your self-discipline.

Physical exercise is the fastest and most obvious way to change one's temperament. Peter and Shuangxi practiced with Liqun for more than two hours every day, and their energy and spirit improved significantly.

Peter's change was the most significant, and Peter himself noticed the change in his temperament.

Walking down the street, Peter even attracted attention.

“Tai Chi, Li Qun, I’ve mastered it, and you even taught me,” Peter said to Li Qun.

“Peter, I’m going to teach you Dad’s version, not the general version,” Li Qun explained.

"Is there any difference between the two?"

"You'll understand once you learn the movements from me."

"First, we need to assume a horse stance..."

Peter could clearly see from the first movement that the general version of Tai Chi was different from his father's Chen-style Tai Chi. Li Qun's two legs were spread out in a horse stance that was parallel to the ground, and Li Qun squatted very deep.

"Ah!!" Shuangxi's face changed, and he had a premonition that his two legs would no longer belong to him.

“Come on! We’ve been practicing at a leisurely pace for six days now, and this is just the beginning of increasing the difficulty,” Li Qun said.

My father's Chen-style Tai Chi movements are slow, but each movement and posture is extremely effective in exercising all parts of the body's muscles; the slower the movement, the more grueling it becomes.

Shuangxi learned a few moves from Liqun, then his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

“Today I must teach you,” Li Qun said.

“Liqun, I’ve seen you perform this Tai Chi before; it’s very difficult.” Judging from Peter’s expression, he seemed quite relaxed.

"This set of Tai Chi can be used in actual combat."

"As long as the other party is not armed, you can escape safely."

"For example, in actual combat, this move involves first stepping on the opponent's toes, then raising your knee to strike their groin."

Li Qun demonstrated on the wooden dummy, which made a "clang" sound, and Peter and Shuangxi felt phantom pain in their lower bodies.

"Pay attention to your breathing..."

Peter and Shuangxi followed Liqun step by step, and after practicing countless times, they memorized their father's Tai Chi moves completely.

After more than two hours of practice today, Peter took a shower at his father's place to wash away the sweat.

Kung Fu training was very beneficial for Peter, as it allowed him to learn techniques for generating power and better control his body's strength.

A few nights ago, while Uncle Ben and Aunt May were fast asleep, Peter sneaked into the garage to test his super spider strength, easily lifting a two-ton 1973 Oldsmobile Classic.

Peter felt that he could exert even greater strength if needed.