Fanatic!

Chapter 10 You Can Only Rely on Yourself

"Although Wolf Fist isn't very pretty, it's very practical, and what Senior Brother Li teaches is all useful. I don't know why there are so few people at the martial arts school."

"Even if you have average talent, as long as you persevere, you can at least protect yourself after you learn something."

Chen Wujun was still thinking about this question as he limped and grimaced as he left the martial arts school.

There were traces of blood seeping through the knees of the pants, staining them red.

"How did you get that on your leg?" Chen Hanliang asked as he approached to check.

"It's from practicing martial arts! It'll get better naturally in a few days!" Chen Wujun dodged slightly.

In the afternoon, he helped out at the dental clinic for a while; it was a foreigner from the working-class neighborhood who came to get his teeth checked.

Dental prices in the Walled City are only one-third or even one-quarter of those in other places, so many people from other places come to see a dentist, and even sailors come to the Walled City specifically for dental care.

After the guests left, he stood to one side, hands on the wall, knees up, trying to feel the power.

Chen Hanliang, Chen's father, watched him concentrate on practicing martial arts with a complicated expression, and hesitated several times before speaking.

"Is there anything you want to say?" Chen Wujun noticed his father's expression and asked.

He suspected it was related to his older brother or loan sharks.

After a long pause, Chen Hanliang sighed and said, "You know the family's situation. That spendthrift son borrowed a large sum of money at exorbitant interest rates. I'm planning to borrow some money to pay it off, but the borrowed money will also accrue interest..."

"So I can't go to the martial arts gym next month?" Chen Wujun immediately understood.

Chen Hanliang paused for a moment before saying, "The martial arts school is there, it can't be moved. Go back in six months."

“Given the current situation at home, we all need to work together to overcome this difficult time. I’d like to find you a job that pays 1500 a month, and you can give 1000 to your family. That way, we can pay off our debts sooner.”

As a father, Chen Hanliang was also very upset when he said these words.

"I understand!" Chen Wujun said expressionlessly.

"Sigh, you're the most sensible, second son. I'm sorry to have wronged you!" Chen Hanliang sighed, feeling even more distressed when he saw Chen Wujun agree so easily.

“I’ll find my own job, and I’ll give my family 1000 yuan every month,” Chen Wujun added.

Chen Hanliang didn't say much. As a father, he was in an awkward position and naturally didn't want to interfere with Chen Wujun.

He planned to let Chen Wujun give it a try, and if that didn't work out, he would help him find another job.

Chen Wujun turned around and began to occupy the Golden Rooster Stake.

Although she appeared calm on the surface, she was anything but calm inside.

If his boss were to appear in front of him now, he would definitely cripple Chen Wuhong.

After standing on the Golden Rooster Post for another hour, Chen Wujun picked up his bag and left the dental clinic, thinking to himself as he walked.

"Indeed, no one can be relied on; one can only rely on oneself."

"But this is fine!"

Chen Wujun felt that earning 1000 yuan a month was not difficult.

Making money isn't as difficult as many people think.

If you're bold enough, you can make money anywhere.

Not long after leaving the dental clinic, he found a stairwell, changed the clothes in his bag, put on a hat, and took out a short knife and tucked it into his waistband.

He then took out two fist-sized pockets from his bag and stuffed them into his pockets, making his pockets look bulging.

The two bags contained lime powder, which is readily available everywhere; he had collected some from a nearby construction site.

He then stuffed the bag into a corner of an alley near his home and went to stake out the alley where the loan sharks operated.

However, after an afternoon of this, I didn't get anything out of it.

The other party tries to collect the money every day, but not every day, and he doesn't care about small amounts.

After all, there's only one chance.

……

After returning home and having dinner, he went to his room and rolled up his trouser legs, only to be met with a sudden gasp.

The knee area was covered in blood and flesh.

He endured it for a day, and now that the bleeding has stopped, he applied the ointment.

This ointment was given to him by his senior brother Li. After applying it, he immediately felt much cooler, and the burning pain on his knees also lessened considerably.

Then he went up to the rooftop and saw a family hanging clothes out to dry with flashlights. He leaned over the railing and gazed at the distant lights, feeling the pleasant breeze on his face.

The sea breeze also dispersed the lingering stench of the walled city, making the air on the rooftop much fresher.

Standing here, Chen Wujun felt his heart expand.

After the people hanging clothes to dry left, he used his hands to push himself up onto the parapet.

First, he stood up straight, gripping the wall tightly with the toes of one foot, took a deep breath, and then slowly lifted the other leg.

He has already started to get used to standing in the stance here. Yesterday, he stood in the charging stance for half an hour at a time. He feels that he should be able to stand in the golden rooster stance now.

Almost as soon as he lifted it, his body began to sway slightly, which made his heart pound and cold sweat pour down his forehead.

Chen Wujun immediately put his other foot down, gripped the wall firmly with both feet, and stabilized his body.

Standing on a 30-centimeter-wide retaining wall at the edge of the rooftop is far more difficult than standing on flat ground, and standing on a golden rooster stake is far more difficult than standing on a charging stake.

In a situation where a fall would result in certain death, things that would normally be easy become as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Chen Wujun bent his knees slightly, gently patted his thighs with his palms to relax himself, and after a moment stood up straight again, took a deep breath and raised one leg.

He became oblivious to everything around him, focusing all his attention and energy on his body. Sweat streamed down his forehead.

In just a few minutes, it felt like years had passed. Just as he was about to climb down from the wall, his supporting leg gave way, and he fell to the side, causing his expression to change drastically.

In an instant, Chen Wujun gripped the wall tightly with both hands, his entire body falling outside the wall. He then struggled to climb back up, tumbling and falling onto the rooftop, where he lay panting heavily.

"I was so close, I almost fell." Chen Wujun was drenched in sweat, his heart pounding so hard he couldn't slow down.

After a long while, he finally got up, put his hands on the wall, looked down at the abyss below, and felt a little scared.

However, he quickly adjusted his mindset.

"If you're afraid of even this little bit of danger, what can you do? Be a stinking worm for the rest of your life?"

With this thought, he felt a surge of strength within him. After climbing the wall and stabilizing himself, he slowly raised his knee, focusing all his energy to the highest level and blocking out everything from the outside world.

A gust of wind blew by, constantly pushing Chen Wujun. This time, his body swayed slightly, but he immediately regained his balance.

After a long time, Chen Wujun felt his condition deteriorating, so he immediately jumped back onto the balcony.

Glancing at his digital watch, Chen Wujun realized he had lasted ten minutes, filling him with a sense of accomplishment.

Last time it only lasted five minutes, but this time it lasted ten minutes.

Given enough time, it will be as flat as the ground.

At 10 p.m., Chen Wujun returned to his room, looked at the Vivian Zhou poster on the wall for a while, and then climbed into bed to sleep.

……

The next morning, Chen Wujun got up at five o'clock, ate something quickly, and went to the martial arts school.

The martial arts gym opened very early today; it usually opens at 6:30, but today it opened at 5:00.

When Chen Wujun arrived, only Senior Brother Li was inside driving piles.

Seeing that Chen Wujun had arrived two hours early as he had instructed, Senior Brother Li nodded slightly.

What Chen Wujun valued most about him, besides talent, was his willingness to endure hardship.

His progress shows that he must have trained hard after returning.

Standing up as if facing a formidable enemy is a talent, but other advancements cannot be achieved without hard work.

While Chen Wujun was practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), he would wipe his sweat with a towel and stand next to Chen Wujun to watch.

"Huh?" Senior Brother Li raised an eyebrow.

Every day when I watch Chen Wujun practice standing meditation, I can feel that Chen Wujun's progress is very rapid.

However, besides the progress, he also felt that something was different about Chen Wujun.

He had been pondering this for a long time a few days ago, and today Chen Wujun's change was particularly significant, so he immediately understood what was different.

A spirit of unstoppable momentum.

Chen Wujun stood on the edge of the abyss every day, tempering himself between life and death. If he fell, he would be shattered to pieces. Therefore, over time he developed an indomitable and fearless spirit.

He just hadn't been able to tell because the feeling was weak before.

"How did this guy train?" Senior Brother Li asked, his eyes filled with surprise.

How could a sixteen-year-old boy, who had only been practicing boxing for less than twenty days, develop such an indomitable and fearless spirit?
He never imagined that Chen Wujun would figure out the secret to stealing the heavens on his own, and then be so audacious as to go directly to the rooftop.

Therefore, progress was extremely rapid.

"What a promising talent!" Senior Brother Li thought to himself.

After Chen Wujun switched from the charging stance to the golden rooster stance, he silently stepped forward and kicked the ankle of the foot that Chen Wujun was supporting.

However, although Chen Wujun swayed, he felt as if he were nailed to the ground.

"It actually stopped!" Senior Brother Li's eyes were full of surprise.

Although he didn't use much force, it was still quite a lot for an ordinary person.

Standing on one leg in the Golden Rooster Stance, it's especially difficult to withstand a sudden kick.

Strength, stability, balance, and focus in the toes, soles, and ankles are all essential.

Then, I sighed in my heart again:

"What a promising talent!"

Every time he saw Chen Wujun, he wanted to take him to see his master.

In the morning, when other people came to the martial arts gym, they heard a "thumping" sound coming from inside.

Pushing open the door, one sees Chen Wujun standing shirtless in front of the wooden stake, striking a pose resembling a golden rooster, before slamming his knee heavily onto the hemp rope outside the stake.

Then the other leg was used to stand in the stance, and the leg that was originally standing in the stance was struck.

As they continued alternating left and right, the rope became covered in a layer of blood.

The sixteen-year-old boy had sweat on his forehead and focused eyes. Even though he felt excruciating pain every time he raised his knee, most people would have given up long ago.

But he did not back down at all, and each time he used all his strength to slam his knees into the rope outside the wooden stake.

This scene surprised many people.

Even the jealousy in her eyes had lessened considerably. She then bowed to Senior Brother Li and hurriedly went to change her clothes.

Senior Brother Li stood not far from Chen Wujun, holding a thermos in one hand, and said:

"Only when you can break the hemp rope and dent the wooden stakes inside it will your knees be considered to have reached a minor level of mastery!"

(End of this chapter)