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Fu rubbed his bald head, lost in thought. He slapped his right thigh. “I will teach you the No Shadow Kick. If you practice it for ten years, it might make you famous.”
“Ten years!” Ma exclaimed.
“Yes, ten years,” Fu said, serious. “Maybe a little more, maybe a little less.”
Ma's mouth dropped. “I can't wait that long to fight! Teach me something that doesn't take so long.”
“All good things take time.”
“Well…” Ma said, “then teach me many things so that I can practice all of them for a long time.”
“That won't work,” Fu replied. “Besides, I have a feeling I won't be here much longer. There's only time to teach you one thing. But that's okay. We had a saying at Cangzhen—I fear the one kick you've practiced ten thousand times, not the ten thousand kicks you ve practiced only once.”
“Come on,” Ma said. “You've got to teach me more than just one kick.”
Fu shook his head. “I can't. Ying and his men will be here soon. But perhaps if you find some friends, I can show each of them one different thing, and later you can teach each other your one thing. Then everyone will learn quite a lot. Right?”
“I guess you're right,” Ma said. He kicked the dirt. “But you have to teach me my thing first! Then I'll go get some of my friends.”
“As you wish,” Fu said. “We will begin with the proper stance; it is the foundation for most things. It's called the Horse Stance because it is powerful. Just like a horse. Just like you.”
Ma smiled.
“Watch this,” Fu said. “Then copy me.”
Fu stood and hunched over inside the cage. He spread his feet shoulder-width apart and squatted way down. When his thighs were parallel to the ground, he straightened his back all the way up and lifted his head so that his neck was in line with his spine. His head didn't hit the top of the cage—which was a relief—but the scratch across his backside began to burn a little. Fu had forgotten all about the scratch, as well as the gaping hole in his clothing. At least when he squatted this far down, no one could see into the hole.
In front of the cage, Ma stood and did his best to copy Fu. Fu noticed that Ma could keep either his back straight or his thighs parallel to the ground. He couldn't do both at the same time without falling over. Ma looked frustrated.
“Don't worry about it,” Fu said. “It will take you months to be flexible enough to do it as low as me. Just try to remember how I look, and you'll get there one day. Now, see my hands? Their position is important, too. Copy me. Make a fist with each hand by curling your fingers tightly into your palm. Next, bend your thumb and wrap it over your curled fingers just in front of the big knuckle on your pointer finger. Got it? Now, bend your right arm up ninety degrees and tilt your fist over in front of your face to protect it. Great. Next, put your left arm straight down between your legs and bend your elbow slightly. Use that fist to protect your groin. Most people fight with both hands up in front of their face—until they get kicked in the groin a few times.”
Ma giggled. Fu did not. Ma stopped giggling.
“From this position, you should be grounded,” Fu said. “Solid as an oak. Your feet should feel rooted to the earth. Immovable. Let all the earth's positive chi— positive energy—flow into your body through the soles of your feet, washing your body clean as it travels through your system and out your fists. You should do this at least one hour straight, every single day, for at least one year.”
“Do what?” Ma asked. “Just stand here in this position?”
“Yes,” Fu said. “This is your foundation. Without a solid foundation, everything will topple over—just as you did when you first tried it. Trust me. But we don't have one year to wait before I teach you more, so I'll go ahead and show you the kick. This is called the No Shadow Kick because it is so fast, it leaves no shadow. Watch.”
Fu's body swayed slightly and his robe fluttered. Neither leg seemed to move, but Ma's unruly hair flew back as a whoosh of air rushed over his head. Ma looked around, then looked back at Fu, amazed.
“You felt that breeze, didn't you?” Fu asked.
“Yes, but… how did you … ?”
“That is the No Shadow Kick. It is very powerful.”
“It is magic,” Ma said.
“No, it's not magic,” Fu replied. “Only hard work. Very hard work. The kick is actually very simple. I just did it really, really fast and strong. Watch again.”
This time, Fu did it slowly. It looked so simple. With his fists locked in position, all he did was shift his weight onto his left leg and bring his right knee up high. With his right foot bent nearly ninety degrees, Fu snapped his leg forward, extending it until it was straight out in front of him, parallel to the ground. His foot was now nearly perpendicular to the ground, and his toes were flexed backward so that any impact would be made with the ball of his foot. Fu repeated the movements slowly in reverse and ended by returning his foot to its original position in the Horse Stance.
