"Where there is no way, there is a way. What is infinite, is finite. Such is the way of the martial artist. Such is the way of Ch'i."
It was a cold and rainy day. Drenched laborers gathered in front of the dojo with hammers and crowbars in hand, discussing how to remove the two inscribed plaques embedded deep inside the doorpost. The boss wanted everything taken away except the brick walls and the people. The plaques were not part of the walls, but they were so deeply embedded inside the stone doorposts that the workers were at their wits' end. Qi was standing under the eaves, watching all this.
"My grandfather punched it in with the power of Ch'i. Your tools are no good." Finally, she pushed aside the workers and stood in front of the doorposts, barely concealing her displeasure. She bent her knees lightly, raised her palm, and struck the pillars one after the other. The plaques flew out from inside the stonework before anybody even realized what happened."Not bad, girl!" Words of praise came from the watching workers.
"Much good it does, if it can't keep the dojo open..." someone whispered. Jealousy, or something else? Qi did not know, Qi did not care. In the rain, she turned around and walked into her house. There was nothing left in the empty house, not even a stool to sit down on, but it was still her home, where she was born, where she grew up, where she learned everything she knew about the martial arts.The Dragon Kingdom is the home of martial arts, and Qi's family, the Sungming clan, was one of its most illustrious practitioners - once upon a time. But the family had long been in decline, dwindling in numbers and skill. Qi is the last of her line.
Perhaps the bloodline wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, for Qi showed incredible talent for martial arts from a young age. Her father was once a respectable martial artist himself, but injury and illness had robbed him of his prowess, and he trained Qi relentlessly, desperate to preserve the family's legacy in its sole remaining heir. Qi's mother left, angry at her husband's treatment of their daughter, and so did the few students the dojo had, after it became clear that their master had become a shadow of his former self. At last only father and daughter were left in an empty dojo, and Qi's father placed all his hopes on her. Qi did not fail him, becoming a martial artist who need not be ashamed in the proud company of her ancestors. But it came at a price - her father spent all the money he had, making sure that Qi had the best nourishment possible and never wanted for medicine when she was injured, leaving none for the treatment of his own illness.
When her father fell ill, Qi took over as master of the Dojo. But she did not heed her father's commands to find students and restore the glory of the dojo, but pawned the dojo's deed to buy medicine for her father. Furious at this, her father refused to speak to her for days; Qi said nothing, continuing to take care of her father as she had, diligently keeping up with her training in between. "Silly girl, wasting time and money on a dying old man!"
"Yes, yes. Now open your mouth and drink your medicine." Qi simply held up the spoon until her father relented and drank up.
"Yuck, this bitter crap...it's not gonna do me any good, you know that. Why won't you just let me die, for Dragon's sake?"
"For as long as I can remember I've been training with you. For twelve long years we have been master and student, more than we have been father and daughter. I want to make up for lost time now that I'm in charge. I don't know how much time you have left, so I want to make the most of it."
"Silly, silly girl...I'm sorry, Qi, I'm so sorry..." Tears ran down her father's cheeks." There's nothing to be sorry about. You taught me the techniques of our ancestors, all that I need to survive in the world. Don't say anything - just rest. I won't let my skills get rusty, and I won't let the dojo go under."
"Look at you, just like your silly old man when he was young." Qi's father laughed. The more he laughed, the more Qi's heart ached.
It rained the day her father died too. He lay on his bed, little more than skin and bones, too weak to even cough, but with his last strength he grasped Qi's hand with his own and whispered to her, "Bring glory back to the family...let Sungming's name be known far and wide..."
With reddened eyes Qi nodded, holding back tears. She was a warrior now, and a warrior never lies. Her father could die in peace.
Funeral arrangements were only half done when the creditors came to claim the dojo. Qi went out into the middle of the training hall and crushed the floor tiles beneath her feet with one casual step. The collectors left.But money owed was money owed, and Qi's pride did not allow her to default on it by force. All she wanted was to keep the house, and the name of Sungming Dojo.
"Take everything you care to and set whatever price you see fit. When my name is made and the dojo is back on its feet, I'll pay back the rest - with interest."
The manager of the pawnshop saw that Qi had talent and put in a good word with the owner, who agreed to give her a three-year extension. Qi had averted the crisis at hand, and she knew what she should do next. Qi's stomach rumbled. A warrior needs to eat, and she had not eaten for days.
"First things first. Got to find something to eat." She patted her stomach lightly and kicked open her room door. "Then I go and find that Lu Bu and see who's the better fighter!"
This was the path that her ancestor Sungming had walked - a man of humble beginnings, who made his name with his iron fists. But his descendants could not follow in his footsteps, and the family dojo went into decline.
But Qi is the greatest martial artist to come from her line since the great Sungming himself. And she is ready to challenge the mighty heroes of the world.
"I am my Ch'i, my Ch'i with me."
It was a cold and rainy day. Drenched laborers gathered in front of the dojo with hammers and crowbars in hand, discussing how to remove the two inscribed plaques embedded deep inside the doorpost. The boss wanted everything taken away except the brick walls and the people. The plaques were not part of the walls, but they were so deeply embedded inside the stone doorposts that the workers were at their wits' end. Qi was standing under the eaves, watching all this.
"My grandfather punched it in with the power of Ch'i. Your tools are no good." Finally, she pushed aside the workers and stood in front of the doorposts, barely concealing her displeasure. She bent her knees lightly, raised her palm, and struck the pillars one after the other. The plaques flew out from inside the stonework before anybody even realized what happened."Not bad, girl!" Words of praise came from the watching workers.
"Much good it does, if it can't keep the dojo open..." someone whispered. Jealousy, or something else? Qi did not know, Qi did not care. In the rain, she turned around and walked into her house. There was nothing left in the empty house, not even a stool to sit down on, but it was still her home, where she was born, where she grew up, where she learned everything she knew about the martial arts.The Dragon Kingdom is the home of martial arts, and Qi's family, the Sungming clan, was one of its most illustrious practitioners - once upon a time. But the family had long been in decline, dwindling in numbers and skill. Qi is the last of her line.
Perhaps the bloodline wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, for Qi showed incredible talent for martial arts from a young age. Her father was once a respectable martial artist himself, but injury and illness had robbed him of his prowess, and he trained Qi relentlessly, desperate to preserve the family's legacy in its sole remaining heir. Qi's mother left, angry at her husband's treatment of their daughter, and so did the few students the dojo had, after it became clear that their master had become a shadow of his former self. At last only father and daughter were left in an empty dojo, and Qi's father placed all his hopes on her. Qi did not fail him, becoming a martial artist who need not be ashamed in the proud company of her ancestors. But it came at a price - her father spent all the money he had, making sure that Qi had the best nourishment possible and never wanted for medicine when she was injured, leaving none for the treatment of his own illness.
When her father fell ill, Qi took over as master of the Dojo. But she did not heed her father's commands to find students and restore the glory of the dojo, but pawned the dojo's deed to buy medicine for her father. Furious at this, her father refused to speak to her for days; Qi said nothing, continuing to take care of her father as she had, diligently keeping up with her training in between. "Silly girl, wasting time and money on a dying old man!"
"Yes, yes. Now open your mouth and drink your medicine." Qi simply held up the spoon until her father relented and drank up.
"Yuck, this bitter crap...it's not gonna do me any good, you know that. Why won't you just let me die, for Dragon's sake?"
"For as long as I can remember I've been training with you. For twelve long years we have been master and student, more than we have been father and daughter. I want to make up for lost time now that I'm in charge. I don't know how much time you have left, so I want to make the most of it."
"Silly, silly girl...I'm sorry, Qi, I'm so sorry..." Tears ran down her father's cheeks." There's nothing to be sorry about. You taught me the techniques of our ancestors, all that I need to survive in the world. Don't say anything - just rest. I won't let my skills get rusty, and I won't let the dojo go under."
"Look at you, just like your silly old man when he was young." Qi's father laughed. The more he laughed, the more Qi's heart ached.
It rained the day her father died too. He lay on his bed, little more than skin and bones, too weak to even cough, but with his last strength he grasped Qi's hand with his own and whispered to her, "Bring glory back to the family...let Sungming's name be known far and wide..."
With reddened eyes Qi nodded, holding back tears. She was a warrior now, and a warrior never lies. Her father could die in peace.
Funeral arrangements were only half done when the creditors came to claim the dojo. Qi went out into the middle of the training hall and crushed the floor tiles beneath her feet with one casual step. The collectors left.But money owed was money owed, and Qi's pride did not allow her to default on it by force. All she wanted was to keep the house, and the name of Sungming Dojo.
"Take everything you care to and set whatever price you see fit. When my name is made and the dojo is back on its feet, I'll pay back the rest - with interest."
The manager of the pawnshop saw that Qi had talent and put in a good word with the owner, who agreed to give her a three-year extension. Qi had averted the crisis at hand, and she knew what she should do next. Qi's stomach rumbled. A warrior needs to eat, and she had not eaten for days.
"First things first. Got to find something to eat." She patted her stomach lightly and kicked open her room door. "Then I go and find that Lu Bu and see who's the better fighter!"
This was the path that her ancestor Sungming had walked - a man of humble beginnings, who made his name with his iron fists. But his descendants could not follow in his footsteps, and the family dojo went into decline.
But Qi is the greatest martial artist to come from her line since the great Sungming himself. And she is ready to challenge the mighty heroes of the world.
"I am my Ch'i, my Ch'i with me."
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