“It’s Tai Chi.” Scott Miller nodded. “This thing is really useful. It trains your fluidity, as well as your balance and stability, and the transitions between movements. When I first started practicing combat, my moves were very stiff, so my fighting coach taught me this set of Tai Chi, had me practice every morning. After a year of practice, my fighting skills improved a lot—straight punches, hooks, uppercuts, footwork—I could control the force at will. It’s really useful, almost magical. The most fascinating thing about your Chinese kung fu is the ‘jin’ and ‘qi’. What exactly is ‘jin’? That’s why I came to learn. As for ‘qi’, that’s too profound. Qigong! Warrior monks! Taoist priests! Such a magical country.”

“Really?” James Carter was still a bit skeptical. He wanted to learn, but held back. He had just gained some insights into hoeing and digging yesterday, and wanted to keep going, not bite off more than he could chew.

Scott Miller practiced for a while, then stopped, feeling completely relaxed.

“I wonder what today’s training will be? Is it still digging and turning the soil?”

James Carter was still pondering the two hits he landed on Scott Miller yesterday. Without a hoe in hand, he practiced shadow strikes, pretending he had a hoe—lifting it up, digging down. After a while, he loosened up his muscles and bones.

James Carter became fixated on this move.

He didn’t practice anything else, just this one move.

He made up his mind, practicing it over and over, until he felt sick, until he was practicing it even in his dreams. After tasting success yesterday, he was now full of confidence. If he had enough strength, Scott Miller might have been knocked down by him yesterday.

At 6:30, the assembly whistle sounded.

“Eat breakfast first, get your things ready. Today’s training is still farm work.” Coach William Clark always had that indifferent attitude, never chatting with anyone, never saying a word more than necessary.

James Carter took a deep breath. The third day of training had begun.

“July 3rd. Another whole day of farm work. Combining it with yesterday’s sparring, I finally figured out the basic use of this move. I trained even more attentively, and also asked Coach William Clark about the details of digging and hoeing. William Clark doesn’t teach us fighting techniques, but he does explain how to hoe more efficiently and dig deeper. I think these are training skills. Still, I was exhausted. By the way, the medicated oil the school gave us really works. Without it to loosen my muscles, I wouldn’t be able to keep going. In the evening, Scott Miller treated me to dinner again. He’s really rich, but he never talks about his family. After dinner, I continued being his punching bag. I did a bit better than yesterday, but still got beaten up. His punch and kick combos were even faster, and I could no longer catch him off guard like yesterday. There are a few girls in the training class who seem to be having a hard time, but they all stuck it out. One of them, named Olivia Bolton, seems to know kung fu. She works steadily and can endure hardship. She came back from abroad and apparently learned Wing Chun before. But that’s none of my business.”

“July 4th. Still farm work. My digging and hoeing skills are getting more and more proficient, not as exhausting as the first three days. I seem to have adapted to the rhythm, though the sun is strong and I’ve gotten a shade darker. In the evening, Scott Miller treated me to dinner again, and I continued being his punching bag. I reacted a bit faster today and took fewer hits than yesterday. Scott Miller also praised my progress. Scott Miller taught me a lot of combat techniques and concepts, as well as fighting tips, but I can’t digest it all at once.”

“July 5th. Farm work again. Five days in a row of digging and turning the soil. We helped a lot of left-behind elderly people in the countryside, and it felt good to do some good deeds while training. I noticed that my forearms and core are actually starting to show some muscle, and the hoe feels much lighter. Coach William Clark taught us some new things—how to coordinate breathing while digging, sinking your strength down to your feet to take root. In the evening, I ate with Scott Miller again and was his punching bag. I ran all over the place, and he had to really focus to land a hit on me.”

“July 6th. Still farm work. I feel like an old farmer now, wearing a straw hat and working the land. I can now skillfully control the basic use of the hoe move. Dinner with Scott Miller is getting better and better. It seems like Scott Miller is eager to master kung fu and is a bit impatient. He’s already a fighting expert, so why is he working so hard? In the evening, I was his punching bag again, and took even fewer hits. As long as I focused on dodging and running, without thinking about counterattacking, it was really hard for him to hit me.”

“July 7th. After a whole day of farm work, Coach William Clark finally said that we don’t have to come dig and turn the soil tomorrow. He said this was the seven-day foundation building. I do feel much stronger and have gained a lot. Of course, it also has to do with eating and drinking well with Scott Miller every day. In the evening, when I was Scott Miller’s punching bag, he clearly noticed my big improvement, but I’m still no match for him. Without protective gear, I probably wouldn’t last a minute.”

For seven days straight, James Carter’s training was very simple. His diary reflected his mindset. The daily training was certainly monotonous, but he was gradually getting into the groove, his mentality settling down, as if he was completely immersed in digging.

Chapter 4: Seven Days to Build a Foundation, Helping Others and Meeting the Coach

“James Carter, can you help me go to town and buy a phone? My phone is broken.”