Teacher Woo widened his eyes in surprise. He never had expected for a child as carefree as ReZhui to ask him such a question. Taking a long glance at ReZhui, he saw ReZhui’s clenched fist and slightly timid sitting posture. A more reserved expression that is holding on to eyes that blaze with determination. It was quite the unique combination. Stroking the fine combed hairs of his beard, Teacher Woo responded seriously, not wanting to tease the young kid for his goals that were somewhat predictable upon further assumption.
‘He values those around him. He wants the power to protect them. To make them happy. I applaud the morals of this kid, thus you will receive my utmost assistance,’ Teacher Woo thought to himself.
“Firstly, ReZhui. Let me ask you a question?”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“What are your overall thoughts on merchantry? Tell me in the finest detail about what you, a fledgling into the world of trade…Wait, no. An embryo that’s yet to hatch, would know about that particular field?”
ReZhui paused for several minutes before giving an answer.
“Well…all I know about merchantry is based on what I saw in my father’s small food stall and ShiYan’s village, as well as advice told by ShiYan herself.”
“Go on then. Tell me your thoughts and observations.”
“Alright…Let me give a specific scenario. Bai village is rarely active at night because it would be too dark to see anything and we only have a limited amount of torches and candles. We use them only on special occasions like on my father’s feast celebration or when night attacks on the farm animals occur by wolves. So, we do not need extra candles and the limited supply is already more than enough. If we had to urinate or walk to other houses at night, the village is so small that I nearly memorized the entire map of Bai village by now. Therefore, we do not need candles as much. We are satisfied. But, in ShiYan’s village, the scale of that village is at least 3 times as large as Bai village. I couldn’t even memorize the route I took to her place. Moreover, the entire village. Moving at night without light would be extremely difficult. Due to this, ShiYan and the villagers would have no choice but to regularly hang large street candle lights on every street for convenience of travel. They would need a large amount of candles. They would need to pay more men and buy more materials to make those extra candles. Since merchants sell goods, they can come to the village and make money by selling the candles the village needs. To transport the large number of candles, large horse carts are needed, which is what I saw regularly on the main road to ShiYan’s village. The more merchants stay there, the village would need more pubs for them to live in during their stay. This earns money for the pub owners and the restaurants that make their food because there would be more mouths to feed. The money from the village, given to the merchants is returned back to the village by buying food the villagers offered to them. And, that cycle repeats over and over when the candles bought run out of material to burn.”
“...”
“That’s my amateur analysis of some of the businesses that occur in ShiYan’s village. What do you think, Teacher Woo?”
“That’s…Splendid work! It’s especially noteworthy since you essentially described a scenario of a fundamental principle of trade. It’s the reason people buy and sell goods.”
“Thank you Teacher, so what is the reason?”
“Scarcity.”
“Scarcity?”
“It is the state of being in short supply.”
“...”
“Earlier, you talked about the huge amount of candles used to light up the village streets. The need for such large quantities is called demand.”
“Demand…”
“After the village bought and used up all the candles, since these do not stay lit forever, they have to buy again from merchants. Their supply is low and they need to increase the quantity again. That’s called resupplying. Hence the term, Supply and Demand”
“Supply and Demand…”
ReZhui said those words repeatedly, digesting Teacher Woo’s explanation. He was proud of himself that he got the gist of the idea but to put it into words, Teacher Woo was able to sum up all that thought ReZhui had at the carriage into less than 5 words.
‘Supply and Demand. Scarcity’
ReZhui was amazed at the knowledge Teacher Woo had and gathered the eagerness to carry forward with his teachings. On the other hand, Teacher Woo waited patiently for the young boy to arrange his thoughts before continuing on. The two of them were in sync in thought as they carried on.
“Let’s start with the idea of scarcity based on textbook definitions…Actually, that’s not suitable for a person like you. I will try a different approach. Do you know what an auction is, ReZhui?”
“It is a place where people that will pay the most will get the item that everyone wants. So, how does that have to do with-”
“Now imagine that but on a wider scale and involves a non-changing price at a lower value.”
“Teacher, I do not…”
“You mentioned the word ‘wants’, didn’t you?”
“Yes I did.”
“Are there unlimited goods in this world?”
“No…”
“Therefore, there are limited goods but a larger number of people who want them. Are you still following?”
“Yes.”
“That is the idea of scarcity.”
“So merchants will sell goods that people want. Merchants sell candles and torches to the village in exchange for money.”
“Let us use another example. After the merchants finish their business in the village, they will feel hungry.”
“That is a want. A demand.”
“Continue.”
“The restaurants and farmers will supply them with food and drink.”
“However, there are fancy restaurants and mediocre restaurants. Those that want to dine in at the fancy restaurants have to pay more because that food is much more uncommon. The value increases.”
“So that is where the auction idea comes in…”
“It is a principle of business. The more scarce the good is, the higher the value it is. The higher value means a higher price since it would be much harder for people to get that specific item. It has more worth basically. Example, shark fin.”
“Oh…”
“So in conclusion, a business, run by a merchant, is a practice that judges a good by its scarcity and sells it accordingly. The type and size of business also depends on what you are selling, what prices are you setting and the people who you are selling to. But, that is a different topic for another day. Take note though, the same type of goods like tables can be sold at different prices. However, I will explain the reasons later on. We will tackle this one by one.”
“Thank you very much, Teacher Woo.”
“So, you want to be a merchant, ReZhui?”
“For now, all I want is security. By being a merchant, I may achieve this goal! That’s why.”
“Hmm…Interesting. I fully understand and sympathize with your objectives, young ReZhui. For that reason, I will support your decision to learn this craft. I will talk to your father to have extra classes daily from Monday to Friday. My excuse…You will be my next apprentice. So work hard for your dream, ReZhui. Of course, since it is an apprenticeship, there will be no additional charges. My investment is in you.”
“Investment?”
“You will learn that later as well. For now, we can start with the regular syllabus that you missed. You are not tired yet, are you?”
“No Teacher!”
“That’s my apprentice.”
The session lasted for 3 hours, an hour longer than expected but it didn’t matter to ReZhui. All he felt was gratitude for the extra effort spent on him. He felt more confident by the end of it.
As ReZhui already packed his things and exited the classroom, Teacher Woo called for him one last time for today.
“Remember ReZhui, in the world you will enter into one day, only money is power.”
ReZhui did not question his teacher’s advice and kept it in his mind. The sun set a thick orange as ReZhui made his way back home.
---
Saturday came. ReZhui woke up like usual and completed his homework after eating his mother’s cooking for breakfast. It consisted of steamed rice, bok choy and red braised pork belly - one of her specialties. His twin brothers were out in the field, playing with the neighborhood kids. They were currently doing a game of tag and both brothers were the taggers. They caught several by now and only 5 remained. The youngest brother slept soundly near the fire in his cradle. ReZhui’s mother was out by the stream, cleaning the clothes. On the other hand, his father was on the hillside, attending to his terraced paddy field.
Wearing the toughest clothes he could find, ReZhui setted out to the top of the mountain where MianJu resided. It was a one hour journey to the very top where he was greeted again by the scenic view of the river basin over the cliffside. Further inland to the cliff was a large plateau of bushes, grass patches and random growth of flowers among chopped tree stumps. MianJu sat on the largest one at the center in a meditation posture. ReZhui observed him as he walked closer to MianJu. His legs were folded on top one over the other, letting the sole of the feet face towards the sky. His hands were placed at the center of the leg intersection, on top one another with their palms facing upwards as well. There was no wind unlike the previous times ReZhui came to this place. Despite this, he felt an indescribable feeling that was as if his heart was going to stop and his legs to give in. The sensation that a heavy weight was placed on top of his back was intensifying. Suddenly, a strong gale of freezing cold wind blasted out of the body of MianJu, sending ReZhui flying back for a couple of seconds before landing several meters away. The pressure ReZhui felt started to dissipate as he slowly got up.
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“You’re here already? That was pretty early.” MianJu commented, still sitting in the meditation posture.
“Brother MianJu, what was that?” asked ReZhui as he massaged his back from the impact.
“It’s called Cultivation. The practice of gathering Qi, maintaining it and training your control over Qi. It is the internal spiritual energy within your body and is a manifestation of a person’s soul.”
“Is this what I will be learning-”
“No. No, you won’t. Unless you are going to fight or join the Seven Swords of Light sects or any other major sect in general, you do not need to learn Cultivation. I am training you to be able to stand up against your regular bandit groups that may contain several individuals that have at least had 20 years of experience in their respective field of combat.”
“Where do I start then?”
“First, 3 sets of 20 pushups. Then, 3 sets of 40 sit ups. Finally, 3 sets of one minute planks. I expect you to ace this since you are a farmer’s son and you regularly hike up and down mountains. Didn’t you say a farmer’s stamina is their strongest point? Well, put that to good use for your pride as a son of one.”
“Understood, Brother MianJu.”
And as MianJu predicted, ReZhui succeeded in reaching the requirements. Unfortunately, the exercise caused him to be drained of at least half of his strength with some muscles slowly starting to sore.
Laying on the ground exhausted, ReZhui was covered in large volumes of sweat. His clothes were removed due to the added weight they carried and all he had on now is a light tunic layer and pants. His cloth shoes and mountain gloves were removed to better grip the grass during the plank sessions and all of that were placed neatly on a nearby tree stump.
As soon as he heard footsteps, ReZhui began to slowly stand up. He was handed water by MianJu who now wore a black tunic and single layer pants with no shoes on. On MianJu’s back were two wooden swords that were slightly longer than the entire arm length of MianJu. After ReZhui quenched his thirst, he was handed the wooden sword and was told to put on a necklace that had a dull rock on the end of it. .
“We are first using swords. It is the jack-of-all-trades for all weapons. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
The two of them moved several steps backwards, creating quite the distance between the two. MianJu brandished his sword forward, keeping the pommel aligned to his chest and holding the sword at a 30 degree angle from the horizontal in his right hand. The right leg was placed a step forward and the left leg was tucked back behind the front leg, nearly in line with each other. His left hand was placed behind his back, not used. Overall, ReZhui saw that that stance kept a narrow profile. He was certain there were no openings in MianJu’s stance.
“Alright ReZhui! Before we start, I would like to clarify some things before we start the training. Firstly, if there is the opportunity, then the first priority is to run. Martial arts is always the last option you should take. Use it when you really need it.”
“Understand.”
“Secondly, if you feel a similar pressure that I exerted earlier in an opponent, run away and do not fight back no matter what. They most likely would be a Cultivator of a Sect. In that case, touch that rock. It will protect you.”
ReZhui touched the rock on the necklace. It appeared to be just an ordinary rock but there was this tingling sensation whenever he touched it.
“Your parents may question where you got that. Just say that a friend gave it to you or something. It will work.”
“Understand.”
“Finally, I do not plan to teach you the skills I use in battle. It is too dangerous for a child like you and is not possible to learn either way unless you got the right environment like a cave full of Qi to start cultivating. The only thing you can pick up is called Aura.”
“What’s that?”
“Aura is similar to Qi but there is a key difference. Qi exists the same everywhere and in all living beings. On the contrary, aura is unique to one’s self. Aura can only be developed by the heightened enlightenment of the understanding of one’s emotions. This only forms after at least a decade of swordsmanship so don’t stress about it.”
“What specifically are they used for?”
“Aura is used as an extension of one’s attack like a sword. However, it can exist in a multitude of forms with the most common being waves, flames or streaks of lightning. Not only that, it could strengthen the muscles and coat the body in a physical layer that softens enemy blows. However, that upgrade isn’t permanent and only lasts until the aura dissipates.
Conversely, Qi is only used to permanently increase the performance of your body. You can only go so far with training the muscles by growing more muscle fibers. Qi enabled lean martial artists to go toe to toe in terms of pure strength with men that can lift entire horses and wagons but do not use Qi. However, the amount of Qi needed to advance to the next height of zenith performance exponentially increases each time and the probability of that change to be successful decreases as the stages increases. That is why expert control of Qi is important to greatly avoid a failed ‘accession’ as the Martial World calls it.”
“Understand. But Brother MianJu, what am I supposed to learn now since you won’t teach me your skills?”
“You will simply make your own.”
“Ehh?”
“Your objective is to hit me in the heart or neck. I will only deflect for now.”
“Understand…”
“I recommend that in this scenario, you try to end the fight quickly. It is called blitzing. So, develop your style as you try to hit me. I will guide you along the way. Begin.”
ReZhui raised his sword above his shoulder and started running straight towards MianJu. As he closed the distance, ReZhui made a downward strike, aiming for the chest. However, MianJu was faster and sidestepped to the left. His entire body weight was focused on his left foot as it hardened his contact with the ground, preparing a solid defense.
ReZhui followed in the direction MianJu went and made an upward strike to his chest. But, despite putting his all into this swing, MianJu’s sword block promptly halted the strike from reaching its target; MianJu had twisted his hand downwards with the point of the sword facing the ground to block it. Without delay, MianJu moved a step forward, forcing the two swords into a tight bind. He then twisted his hand upwards, making a constricted arc of his sword. ReZhui couldn’t process what was happening and unintentionally let his sword follow along with the bind. That was his first major mistake. At the speed that MianJu twisted his sword in the bind, he made a sudden vertical strike. The tip of his blade hit the thumb of ReZhui, making him lose his grip on the sword, therefore, disarming him. ReZhui’s blade fell to the ground with a loud thud.
ReZhui fell onto his knees as the adrenaline started to disappear. His breath was sporadic and deep. His right thumb had a slight red bruise on its joint and the end of his palm felt a hot sensation. His eyes were in a blur. His mind was still in the moment, repeating the sequence of actions all over and over again. ReZhui remained motionless. MianJu, on the other hand, walked to the nearest tree stump and assumed the meditation posture; he waited while ReZhui calmed his mind. The silence lasted for 5 minutes before ReZhui began to stand up again, picking up his sword. MianJu watched as ReZhui made an ordinary stance. His legs were spread out, one more forward than the other. His sword was gripped on both hands and brandished outward, the blade almost parallel to the ground.
“Not bad, but this is more defense oriented. Assume a running stance with the same arm position instead. That is more suited for attacking first,” MianJu instructed.
Without saying a word, ReZhui followed his advice. As he did so, ReZhui felt an intense heat in his calves and back muscles.
“What you are feeling is your muscles working at their maximum ability. They will store your ‘energy’ to charge forward faster and strike harder. Again!”
ReZhui focused his eyes and sprang forward.
‘It’s like what he said,’ ReZhui thought.
Raising his sword high again, he unleashed a downward diagonal strike to MianJu’s chest. Repeating the same steps, MianJu sidestepped to the right and assumed the same stance as before.
ReZhui continued the momentum of his downward strike and changed directions to strike upwards at a rising gradient. MianJu made the same downward block and the swords got locked into a bind. However, before MianJu could twist his wrist to tighten the bind, ReZhui charged forward and retracted his blade backwards, away from the bind and prevented his sword from entrapment.
ReZhui jumped on the spot and continued the momentum of the swings and forward charges into one assisted by gravity. He aimed to strike the pommel of his wooden sword at MianJu’s head as he closed most of the distance and was within arm's length of him. But…MianJu was aware of that.
Already putting most of his weight onto his left leg, MianJu easily twisted his body to the left, moving his head out of the strike's path. He had won.
ReZhui barely made the landing and slipped onto the ground. His knees scraped the rough soil and had red patches of scratches on them. As he turned to face upward, he saw the pointed tip of MianJu’s sword aimed at his forehead. ReZhui felt an urgency to run but remembered that this was part of the training and sunk it in. He stared into the black blindfold that MianJu wore. He wondered how a blind man could be more perceptive than one that still has his eyes. But…he recalled that MianJu was unique, an anomaly. Although he could not ask MianJu himself that, his presence and pressure already confirms it. Despite this…
‘I am thankful to have him as my martial arts master.’
ReZhui saw no emotion on MianJu’s face as he said a word.
“Again.”
---
For the next 6 hours, ReZhui was beaten black and blue all around. Between 2 continuous hours of sparing, there was a 1 hour resting period. However, that resting period involves meditation and several minutes for lunch which was rice, herbal chicken and soup, and egg.
“Isn’t this cultivating, Brother MianJu?” ReZhui asked as he munched on a bite of chicken.
“Meditation doesn’t always have to be about cultivating Qi. People use meditation to calm the mind and relax the muscles. It eases stress and is overall good for your well-being. You can even sleep in that position and feel more refreshed the next day compared to if you slept on a cotton bed.” replied MianJu as he drank his half-finished bowl of herbal soup.
“Oh ok.”
The sparring sessions really showed ReZhui just how far he is from even being capable of protecting someone. MianJu hasn’t changed from the same routine of moves and stances. Even so, ReZhui couldn’t break his defense or find a way to redirect his blade to get an opening. If he found one, MianJu was already 3 steps ahead to block it. ReZhui tried the same move set again and considered the way MianJu blocked the attack but he failed again. MianJu was capable of finding alternative steps for the same attack pattern.
‘Elder brother MianJu truly is a martial master’ ReZhui thought to himself as his hands dropped the wooden sword. The point of MianJu’s blade was pointed straight at ReZhui’s throat. If it was a real fight, he would have been killed instantly over thousands of times. Each fight barely lasted for 2 minutes.
“That’s enough for today. You can return home after you swallow these.”
MianJu sheathed his wooden sword and handed ReZhui two pills. On his palm was a dark red sphere pill that was emitting a purple aura and was the size of a clam pearl. The other was a sky blue cylindrical pill with white streaks similar to that of the clouds and was smaller than the red pill. Both looked mysterious but he trusted MianJu to take them. Swallowing the two pills with a cup of water, MianJu explained their functions.
“The red one contains stored qi to strengthen your body. It would be an insignificant amount to make the first accession but to a child like you, this added strength will help you greatly in the future. Fortunately, there is no need to meditate to control the Qi. The Qi in this will automatically do their own thing.
To put it simply, the blue pill will fasten your healing process. Your muscle aches will hurt less since without it, this would most likely get the attention of your parents if you started feeling sore all over.
Finally, remove your clothes so that I can apply this cream to hide your bruises.”
“Thank you for doing this much to keep my wishes, Brother MianJu.”
“I want to, so don’t worry about it.“
“Ahhhh! Ouchh!”
As the loud yells of pain sounded throughout the forests, the sun began its descent for the night, baked in a red dye.
---
Monday came for the supposed final extra class with Teacher Woo. As the students were dismissed, ReZhui headed for his office. Upon his arrival, ReZhui said his greetings and sat down with his notebooks and brush.
“You sure look busy ReZhui. Did anything happen over the weekend?”
“I went to exercise in the mountains. It was tiring to say the least.”
“I see…”
“Teacher?”
“Well, I already talked to your father about the apprenticeship. And, he instantly agreed. You should have seen the smile on his face. It sure was warm for my old heart.”
“Really? That’s amazing, Teacher Woo! No wonder the two of them looked so proud during dinner last night.”
“Therefore, I told him that you needed some training in the village down the mountain. I reasoned that it is for improving your skills and getting hands on work.”
“Wait so…”
“Yes, I sent a bird to Mr Xu to mentor you on how he runs his medicine shop. You will live at his place for the duration of one week for the following week. As expected, he gladly cooperated. Consider it your good work to have already impressed him when you walked ShiYan back home a few days back.”
“Understood and thank you, Teacher Woo!”