The innate and acquired aspects of Luohan Fist refer to its fixed forms and subsequent development. Therefore, all later Luohan Fist styles that take either the Eighteen Hands of Benjamin Adams or the One Hundred and Eighteen Hands of the Bai family as their orthodox foundation can be called Acquired Luohan Fist.

Innate Luohan Fist, that is, its original Eighteen Hands, is the orthodox tradition of various Shaolin lineages. The method stops at eighteen hands, gathering the essence and preserving the original truth. Since the appearance of Chan Master Benjamin Adams, many renowned masters have inherited and developed it. Its theoretical foundation is the Chan method passed down by the First Patriarch Benjamin Adams: “Not relying on written words, a separate transmission outside the teachings, directly pointing to the mind, seeing one’s nature and becoming a Buddha.” In its practice, it always embodies the Chan spirit of “no-thought as the core,” focusing on breathing techniques, circulating qi through the six meridians, keeping the mind focused, and maintaining inner calm. Therefore, it is also called “Shaolin Mind Method Luohan Fist.” The original eighteen hands of Innate Luohan Fist—each individual posture is a stance for cultivating qi, which can both strengthen essence, qi, and spirit, and stabilize the lower body. It is both internal and external, both spiritual and physical, both still and dynamic. The skills of tendon-changing and marrow-washing are all contained within.”

“So what I’m practicing now should be the Innate Luohan Fist, right?”

“That’s right. This Innate Luohan Fist was also discovered by my master on a stone wall in an unnamed cave behind the Shaolin Temple. He passed it on to me, and later wanted to pass it on to other Shaolin disciples, but because they were used to the Acquired Luohan Fist, they thought your grandmaster’s Innate Luohan Fist was a fake, so he gave up.”

“Then what exactly is the Acquired Luohan Fist like?”

“Although the Acquired Luohan Fist was supplemented and formalized by William Clark, later on, people like Henry Collins and the solitary monk James Parker—all strongmen of Shaolin and heads of their own schools—made their own additions and subtractions. Although it still generally follows the one hundred and eighteen forms, the methods have changed. By the early Qing dynasty, Shaolin was extremely prosperous, but it was destroyed in an instant. After that, not only was there no one to inherit the Eighteen Hands passed down by Benjamin Adams; even the one hundred and eighteen hands of William Clark had no one who could grasp their essence. As for what people today call Luohan Fist, the northern and southern schools differ, and each teacher has their own method—so mixed up that there is no longer any orthodoxy.” Franklin sighed deeply.

“So the Luohan Fist I practice has such a great origin, and was personally created by Patriarch Benjamin Adams!” Little Samuel was overjoyed.

“So in the future, if you meet Shaolin disciples, pass on this set of Innate Luohan Fist to them if you have the chance. That will be my way of repaying Shaolin for not returning for decades.”

“Yes, Master. If I have the chance, I definitely will,” Little Samuel replied.

“Come, let’s go back inside and see how your academic work is going,” Franklin said as he walked into the house.

Chapter Five: Learning the Art (Part Three)

Back in the house, Franklin picked up the scriptures copied by Little Samuel. There were two pieces, written in clerical and regular script respectively. Franklin himself only knew how to write with a brush. Although nowadays everyone uses fountain pens, he believed that if you write well with a brush, you won’t do badly with a pen either. In fact, he knew that writing with a brush requires constant diligence and tireless effort, to prevent acting on a whim and giving up halfway; to guard against arrogance and hypocrisy, and pride in one’s talent. It was also a way to temper his own character.

“Not bad. Although it can’t be called ‘power sent to the tip of the brush, poured onto the paper,’ the characters are upright and you’ve made some progress,” Franklin said. When he was young, he was also forced by his master to practice brush calligraphy for over ten years. Now, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a master calligrapher, especially since his deep internal strength allowed him to write as he pleased, far surpassing ordinary calligraphers. So he applied his master’s methods to his own disciple as well.

“Thank you for your praise, Master,” Little Samuel said happily. After years of practice, his hard work had not been in vain. For a child, being recognized by others made all the hardship worthwhile.

Franklin then picked up an acupuncture point chart, glanced at it, and asked Samuel:

“How should you needle for indigestion?”

“Guanyuan, Changshu, and Huiyin—just these three points, needle to a depth of five fen.”

“Nausea and vomiting?” Franklin was asking about common ailments.

“Baihui, Xinshu, Yongquan, Weishu, and Zusanli—needle to a depth of three fen.”

“For abdominal distension from typhoid, disharmony of yin and yang, how would you prescribe medicine?” Franklin now asked about prescriptions.

“Use three qian each of platycodon, pinellia, and dried tangerine peel, five slices of fresh ginger, decoct in two cups of water down to one cup, and take it.”

“What is roucongrong?”

“Roucongrong, also known as: rousongrong, black siming. Properties: sweet, slightly warm, non-toxic. Main indications: 1. Fatigue injury, loss of essence, dark complexion. Use four liang of roucongrong, boil until soft, slice thin and fine, stew with lamb and eat. 2. Kidney deficiency with leukorrhea. Use roucongrong, deer antler, Chinese yam, and white poria in equal parts, grind into powder, mix with rice paste to make pills the size of a Chinese parasol seed, take thirty pills each time with jujube soup. 3. Excessive sweating and constipation. Use two liang of roucongrong, one liang of agarwood powder, grind together, mix with hemp seed juice to make pills, take seven or eight pills each time with plain boiled water. 4. Tetanus. Slice roucongrong, dry in the sun, burn to smoke and fumigate the wound, repeatedly effective.” Little Samuel recited quickly; he could rattle off memorized material with ease.

“Alright, that’s all for today.”

“Master, can I learn some other kung fu now?” The little guy still liked new martial arts. It was a child’s nature to be drawn to novel things.

“You’re not afraid of ‘biting off more than you can chew,’ are you? Looks like I need to have a good talk with you about Luohan Fist,” Franklin said. Although he was pleased with his disciple’s eagerness to improve, he also worried that his foundation was not yet solid, and that he would seek breadth over depth.