“I know you’ve memorized it… but you can’t make it a conditioned reflex yet! Let me ask you, when you’re fighting someone, can you stop and think? Will your opponent give you that time?! What I’m asking is that you eliminate the ‘thinking’ process! Only when you can do that will you be considered qualified!”
...
I spent another two days, almost day and night, with the wooden figure. I even kept it by my bedside when I slept. I even dreamed of watching a wooden figure covered in writing walking around me.
Moreover, even when I looked at the two of them during the day, my first thought when my gaze fell on them was to wonder: what is this part of their body? What are their weaknesses? What are their vital points? What will be the effect of striking them?
These past two days, my eyes have been like those of a bloodthirsty wolf!
Two days later, I finally passed the test.
"Now I can teach you something new."
By the way, I finally know the names of these two weirdos. The smiling man is nicknamed Old Cat. And the cold-blooded guy is called Old Kong.
This is clearly a flower name.
“There are many tools for killing.” After I passed the test, Old Cat’s expression showed more satisfaction. “Humans use all sorts of tools to kill. War is the best stage to demonstrate all of this. From cold weapons to firearms, it’s actually an improvement in human killing skills. Of course, if conditions allow, and you’re given enough guns, you can take down someone with a knife; if you’re given a knife, you can take down someone unarmed. But the problem is, situations are ever-changing. We can’t always have the right killing tools when we need them! And sometimes, in certain situations, some traditional killing tools simply can’t be carried on our person.”
I understand what Old Cat means. He means that in many places, you can't go in with a gun and a knife.
"For example, if the person you're trying to kill is in a place with strict security, it's impossible for you to approach them with a gun. In this situation, you need to quickly find the best tools and the most effective methods to kill your opponent!"
His tone was cold, utterly cold!
It was as if the word "murder" was to him the same as "eating" or "sleeping".
In the days that followed, Old Cat demonstrated countless different kinds of murder techniques to me! The variety was so vast that I was almost overwhelmed!
It's as if anything in his hands can quickly become a killing tool!
A rope, chopsticks, a book, a chair, a spoon, a toothbrush... even a toothpick can be deadly in his hands!
"You can't learn everything I'm teaching you in a short time. I can only teach you the general outline. As for the specifics, you'll have to figure them out on your own when you have the chance later. You can learn what I'm showing you first, but this kind of thing isn't about memorizing; it's about applying what you've learned! When you're in an unfamiliar situation and can immediately find at least three or five murder weapons from the various things around you, then you'll be considered qualified... barely qualified."
Then he looked at me and smiled, "My last piece of advice to you is this: anything can be turned into a killing machine. Remember that."
I know that's the end of what Old Cat taught me.
These days, I've gradually come to realize that he's definitely not someone special! Although he often has a smile on his face, that smile feels very cold!
His eyes were filled with indifference—indifference to life itself! Not just other people's lives, but his own!
"Old Cat... one last question," I couldn't help but ask, "How many people have you... killed?"
"..." He glanced at me and said coldly, "I don't remember."
The next morning, it wasn't Old Cat waking me up, it was Old Kong!
This is something that really bothers me.
Every morning I'm woken up by them! No matter how alert I am, they can quietly stand beside me and wake me up in a cold sweat.
No matter how well I prepare, they will always find a way to sneak up on me without me noticing!
Unless I stay up all night with my eyes open!
But after a while, I got used to it. To paraphrase Old Cat, I think it would take me at least a few more years to learn how to detect their stealthy approach.
Clearly, they are all highly skilled infiltration!
That morning, seeing that it was Old Kong, not Old Cat, who woke me up, I knew in my heart that Old Cat's course was over!
Old Kong was a man of few words. He always had a cold face and would often only utter a short sentence after a long time.
Fortunately, this wasn't the first time I'd dealt with someone with this kind of personality.
Back in China, I had already been toughened up by the toughness of wood.
That day, Old Kong led me to the back of the farm. I saw that the wooden figure I had been studying for the past two days had been placed far away, standing upright.
Then Old Kong came over carrying a travel bag, the same bag he had brought with him when he arrived.
Bang!
He threw the bag on the ground, then unzipped it, and I was immediately stunned!
gun!
Guns everywhere!
Long guns, short guns, large caliber, small caliber... a whole travel bag full of guns!
There's not much to say about learning to shoot. It's a very tedious process. Extremely tedious!
However, I at least learned one lesson.
There is a big difference between someone who knows how to use a gun and someone who doesn't!
Don't believe those people on TV who don't know how to use guns but can just pick one up and shoot someone... that's impossible!
First of all, guns all have recoil!
Secondly... those who haven't experienced it won't understand...
If you give a gun to someone who has never used one before and ask them to shoot a cow from five meters away... then let me tell you, at least half of them will miss!
It took me a month to learn how to shoot!
For the first week, Lao Kong only let me hold the gun blank, and didn't allow me to load bullets. He wanted me to practice the way I held the gun and aimed.
Only then did he allow me to practice live-fire shooting, and I trained for a month...
Old Kong always had a toothache expression on his face. I could clearly sense that he was dissatisfied with me.
Very dissatisfied!!
He's an inhumanly good shot! I saw him make a bet with Old Cat, and he threw a bunch of empty cans into the air in one go! More than a dozen cans, and he shot them all away one by one before they even hit the ground!
Marksmanship isn't something you can master in a short time. After a month, I've only become familiar with some firearms, and at the same time...
In Lao Kong's words, "At least you can use a gun, which is much better than ordinary people, but far inferior to professional soldiers. However, you won't suffer losses when fighting the police."
That's his assessment.
Eighth Master's men come once a week.
Fortunately, his regular visits brought us food, preventing us from eating only canned fish for over a month. He also brought bullets, because I expend a lot of energy practicing shooting!
Two months!
I lived with them on the farm for two months!
Two months later, this time Eighth Master's men didn't deliver any supplies. I understood; it was probably time to part ways!
Sure enough, Eighth Master's men arrived in two cars this time. I didn't recognize the driver of the other car, but he seemed to be one of Eighth Master's repair shop employees.
Old Kong and Old Cat broke up with me right there. They seemed to be taking a car to the pier to board a ship and leave Canada.
I overheard Old Cat and I casually saying something to each other, something like they were retiring and leaving Canada this time, and wouldn't be coming back.
They've done so much already, and now they've decided to wash their hands of it and find a quiet place to retire.
Before leaving, Old Cat patted my shoulder and then whispered something to me.
His tone was more serious than ever before!
"Xiao Wu, live well! Don't die too soon!"
His tone was very serious! He wasn't joking!
Then he pulled out a dagger and handed it to me. It was a military dagger, serrated, with a blood groove—very exquisite! I knew this dagger belonged to Old Kong; he liked to hold it and play with it whenever he had free time.
"This is from Old Kong. Don't let his cold demeanor fool you, he actually likes you a lot." Old Cat chuckled.
I was touched, but I forced a smile and said to him, "Then... what will you give me?"
Old Cat revealed a sly smile: "I... well, alright, how about this... isn't that the thing you've been asking us for? I promise you, if in the future, if the three of us can meet again, and if the three of us are still alive and well... I'll allow you to do that!"
My heart skipped a beat! I couldn't help but take a deep look at the old cat.
They got into the car and drove off quickly. They didn't look back or wave, but I stood there watching their car disappear into the distance until it was out of sight.
The thing Old Cat promised me was... actually, I've always asked them to let me call them Master!
These are... two very good old guys!
Part 1: In the Jianghu, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 139: The Pledge of Allegiance
Instead of driving me back to Vancouver, Eighth Master's men drove me west from the farm. I didn't ask anything; I was used to it anyway.
Whether it's Eighth Master or his men, they all seem to operate with a certain secrecy. They won't tell you the arrangements beforehand, but I know I'll find out when we get there.
We drove west for most of the day and finally arrived at a very small town. It was near the seaside, and the car drove all the way to a small pier on the edge of the town.
It was clear that this was a private yacht marina. Many yachts of various sizes were moored on both sides. The guards at the entrance stopped our car until one of Master Ba's men showed us a pass before letting us in.
This is a small harbor with three or four docks. I saw workers repairing yachts, while others were painting or maintaining them.
Eighth Master's men led me to the exit of a dock, where a large white yacht was moored. The ship had two decks, but the area where the ship's serial number should have been painted was empty. Two Asian men were carrying a large bucket of paint and painting some kind of pattern on the ship.
"Let's go up."
Eighth Master's men simply gave me a brief explanation.
As I boarded the ship and stepped into the cabin, I saw Eighth Master's slightly cold and stern face. His eyes were deep, as if he were pondering some difficult problem. However, upon seeing me enter, Eighth Master smiled slightly, then looked up at me, his expression unchanged, and his tone calm and gentle: "Chen Yang, you're back?"
"Um."
I put down my bag and stood in front of Eighth Master.
"Please sit down."
I noticed that there were several cups on the table in the cabin, each containing some leftover tea, and two of them were completely untouched. Clearly, Master Ba had had quite a few guests shortly before my arrival.
Eighth Master then casually fiddled with the tea set in front of him. It was a very high-end Kung Fu tea set. His movements were fluid and graceful as he washed the cups and brewed the tea. His expression was unreadable, like a calm, still pond. Finally, he gave me a small teacup.
I took it with both hands and took a sip.
"How is it?" He glanced at me.
"Hmm. Very good."
"You can taste the difference?"