Black Dragon, Black Cat

by Brian Edwards

  The girl heated the tea on the small iron stove that was already hot with the glow of burning embers, and then poured the tea into the two tiny cups. These she handed to Master Jai-tien and Mother Lu-chin, who sat for a long time sipping their tea and speaking no words, while the girl sat cross-legged on the floor, praying for the dull ceremony to end.

  After an hour, the teacups were handed back to the girl, who set them on the small table where she had found them. Jai-tien then stood up and walked to the door, where he turned and bowed to his mother. He picked up his stick and hobbled slowly out of the house. The girl followed him, puzzled about the complete lack of communication between her master and his mother. Jai-tien slid the paper door shut silently behind them, and then began the long walk back down the hill.

  The girl continued to think about the silence between her master and his mother on the long march. At last curiosity got the better of her. “Master Jai-tien,” she asked, “why did you and your mother not say anything to each other this evening? Are you not on good terms with her? If so, then why did you come?”

  The old man simply shook his head and continued walking. The girl fell in silently behind him, and they slowly made their way down the hill.

  The next day, and the day after, and the day after that, followed the same routine as the first one. Each day began with meditation, the sweeping of the floor, the milking of the cow, and the feeding of the chickens and black cat. Each day ended at the house of Lu-chin, where the girl would serve the tea and then sit on the floor while Master Jai-tien and his mother sat side by side, saying nothing. Many of the chores that she performed each day seemed pointless, with the only objective being to keep her busy and tired. After several weeks of this, the girl became increasingly impatient. One evening, on the walk back down the path from the tiny house on the hill, the girl’s impatience began to get the better of her.

  “Master,” she began, “when will you begin to teach me the art of kung fu?"

  The old man stopped on the path and leaned on his walking stick. “Girl, we have already begun your training.”

  “But Master, I have done nothing but chores since I came to you. When does the real training begin?”

  Jai-tien turned without a word and resumed walking down the path as the sun finished its journey and the sky turned dark. The girl hesitated a moment, then followed him back to his house. Once inside, Jai-tien sat down in his chair, and called to the girl. “Come, Girl, stand here in front of me.”

  She did as she was bade, and cast her eyes down to the floor.

  “Look at me,” Jai-tien said. “Why do you always stare at the ground? Have I grown that ugly?”

  “No, Master,” the girl replied, raising her eyes to meet his.

  “There, that is a good start! From this point forward, always look at me when I speak to you.”

  The girl nodded that she understood.

  “Girl, there are eight virtues of our style of kung fu. Most styles have only seven. These seven I can teach you. The eighth you must discover for yourself, and it is by far the hardest to master. The first of these is patience. You lack this virtue, and your training in the techniques and movements of kung fu cannot begin until you master this. The rest of the virtues you can develop later after your martial training begins.”

  With this, Jai-tien stood up and went to his bedroom to sleep. The girl stood in front of his empty chair for several minutes, thinking about the words of her master. Then she lay down on her straw mattress and fell quickly to sleep.

  Black Cat is born

  From that night onward, the girl was the essence of patience, at least on the outside. No longer did she question her master about the training, or complain about the daily chores. Each evening, she would climb up the hill with the old man and sit in the house of his mother without saying a word. For many days this continued, until it seemed as if a whole year had elapsed. The winter came, and the girl would pull her straw mattress up to the iron stove at night. The old black cat would hobble over to lie next to her for warmth. The winter departed, and still the girl remained silent, although her desire to begin training grew stronger each day. A fresh spring brought new promise in the air.

  One crisp morning, she awoke at sunrise to find Jai-tien sitting in his chair. “Come stand here in front of me, Girl,” he directed her.

  The girl dutifully did as he had requested.

  “Today I have an additional chore for you.”

  The girl said nothing and remained expressionless, but let out a heavy sigh within her mind. What else could possibly fit into the busy daily routine?

  “Tomorrow your martial training will begin. Today, you must go down to the village and trade our fattest chicken for a new tunic and pantaloons with a long belt, which you will wear while you train. Finish all of your morning chores before you go.”

  The girl’s eyes opened wide in amazement. Could it be! Was this finally the glorious day that she had waited for her entire lifetime?

  “Oh, Master,” she almost cried, “thank you most humbly. I will not fail you. I will be the most faithful and attentive student in the history of kung fu!”

  With great excitement in her heart, she swept the floor, served the breakfast, and then ran out the door to complete her chores as quickly as possible. She raced to the barn and milked the cow, then she fed the chickens and cleaned their coop. Her heart was jubilant as she worked, and her excitement was bubbling over to the point where she could think of little else than of the training to come. She washed their clothing and wiped down the paper door that led into the house. After these tasks were completed, she grabbed the fattest chicken and ran the long distance to the village at the bottom of the valley with a wildly racing heart.

  Late that afternoon, the girl returned from the village carrying a stiff white tunic and pantaloons, tied together in a bundle by a snow-white belt. Her excitement had only grown during her journey to town, but upon entering the house, she felt a gloomy presence within the room. In his chair in the middle of the room sat Master Jai-tien, with a distressed look on his face. The girl was startled to see his expression, since he had never before appeared less than cheerful. He did not look up when she entered the house, but only sat in his chair, slowly stroking the old black cat, which was curled up in his lap.

  The girl’s face contorted and a heavy gasp left her lips as she realized that, in her haste to go to town, she had forgotten to feed the black cat. How could she be so absent-minded? Her excitement immediately faded.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Jai-tien looked up from the cat and into the eyes of the girl. “Tell me, Girl, how was your trip to town?”

  “It was fine, Master,” she replied, casting her gaze to the floor.

  “Always look at me, Girl,” he said. “Was that not our understanding?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Good. So tell me, did you complete all of your chores before you left for town?”

  The girl began to shake. She thought momentarily about lying, but she could not bring herself to do so. She tried to fight back her tears. “No, Master Jai-tien,” she replied, remembering not to lower her eyes.

  “And what did you forget?”

  “I forgot to feed the cat, Master.”

  Jai-tien became silent, and looked back down at the cat. “Do you not realize the age and condition of this cat, Girl? She is very frail, and will die soon. She can hardly move herself from place to place. Many times, I must carry her outside so that she may relieve herself. She does not eat much, but that which she does is vital to her existence.”

  “I am sorry, Master,” the girl sobbed between her tears and gasps for breath. “It will never happen again. I swear it!”

  “Girl, the second virtue of kung fu is truthfulness. You have learned this lesson well. When faced with an opportunity and a motive for lying, you chose to tell the truth. The third virtue is courage. In choosing to tell the truth, you displayed this quality. I am happy that you have progressed this
far. However, the fourth virtue is respect. Everything in this world exists for a reason, and we must respect every element of it. From the stones in the river bottom, to the king of a great empire, everything deserves respect. When you failed to feed the cat, you displayed a lack of respect for one of the world’s elements. Failing to complete your other chores I could overlook, but failing to feed this fragile old creature, which depends upon you for its survival, is not something that can be easily forgiven. Your training will not begin tomorrow, but at a time when you can convince me that you have respect for the earth and all of its elements.”

  “Yes, Master,” the girl responded, choking back her tears and struggling to keep her gaze on the old man’s face.

  The old man stared out the still open door, and a fresh, strong breeze from the east entered the house. It whirled through the tiny room for a few moments, creating a flutter of paper and draperies, and gave the window sash a shake on its way out. Jai-tien raised an eyebrow.

  “The warm winds from the east have finally brought a revelation to me,” he said. “From this point forward, your name will be ‘Hei Mao’. This will always remind you of your failing, so that such a thing may never happen again. What do you think of your new name, Black Cat?”

  “It is a fine name,” the girl replied, not really caring what he had chosen to call her.

  The audience ended, and it was time to proceed to the house of Mother Lu-chin. Along the pathway up the hill, Hei Mao’s mind whirled in a state of mixed emotions. She was slowly becoming cognizant of the magnitude of her failing. Nevertheless, she wound up her courage and determined to proceed forward without tears or negative feelings. The the climb up the hillside seemed to last forever, and Jai-tien seemed to walk much less easily, and to rely on his walking stick heavily. He appeared every bit of his advanced years as he approached the summit.

  When they arrived at Lu-chin’s house, they found her seated in her chair as usual, but her expression was unlike any Hei Mao had ever seen before on the ancient woman’s face. It seemed as if she possessed a sadness that had not been evident before. Mao wondered if somehow the old woman could sense the events of the day. Once again, she became nervous, and her hands started to shake.

  Master Jai-tien took his seat silently, and Hei Mao went to prepare the tea service. It took all the will she could muster to avoid spilling the tea as she poured it into the tiny cups with her hands shaking uncontrollably. She managed this minor task, placed the cups on their saucers, and carried them over to the two elders. As she handed the cup and saucer to Mother Lu-chin, her shaky hand caused the teacup to teeter and fall off its saucer. Mao’s mind went blank with horror, but the old woman’s hand darted upward and snatched the cup as it fell off the saucer before a single drop could escape it. Mao was momentarily shocked by the quickness of the old woman’s reaction, but this amazement was instantly replaced by the vision of what might have occurred if the boiling hot water had splashed over Lu-chin. Twice this day she had failed, as she knew that her carelessness would also be viewed as a lack of due respect. Mao gasped at her near disaster, and without a word, sat down on the floor and crossed her legs. She spent the next hour trembling and trying to regain her composure.

  After Jai-tien and Mao had left the house and started down the long path homeward, the master said to her, “Black Cat, your lack of composure almost caused serious injury to my mother, but do not be overly concerned. Your failings today were not immeasurable, and you can overcome them with hard work. But it will take time to do so, and you must continue to prove yourself worthy before the practice of kung fu can begin. If and when you begin the martial aspect of training, you must be able to control your emotions, or you may not only allow injury to yourself, but may unjustly cause injury to another.”

  The old man was thereafter silent, but as they passed the green pond, he began to speak again. “The fifth virtue of kung fu is determination. This you possess in abundance, but it is worthless without perseverance. Perseverance is measured with sweat. Tomorrow we shall begin your training anew, and I will measure your determination as well as your respect. You will have another chance to prove that your heart is as big as your desire. When we return to the house, I will take your new clothes and put them in the chest until the day comes on which I can be sure that you have learned the true value of the virtues of respect and determination.”

  Hei Mao lowered her head and plodded after the master as he hobbled down the hill with his stick.

  A renewal

  The next morning, Hei Mao awoke at sunrise to find the broom lying on the floor next to her sleeping mat. She let out a low, dejected sigh, and then silently picked up the broom and began sweeping the house. The morning meditation was followed by more chores, such as feeding the livestock, cleaning their stalls, gathering eggs, weeding the garden, and, of course, tending to the old black cat.

  After the usual lunch of a small bowl of plain rice, Mao steadied herself for the tedium of the afternoon chores, which had always seemed to her to be aimed at keeping her busy rather than achieving anything particularly useful. This day, however, Master Jai-tien had something else in mind.

  “Hei Mao,” he said after placing his bowl on the small table to the left of his chair, “although you have not yet demonstrated that you possess all of the necessary virtues of kung fu, we will begin to develop your physical stamina and mental strength for the difficult exertion that you will face, should you ever be invited to train with me. Follow me.”

  The old man led Mao out to the back of the storage shed, where four cups were placed, each filled with water. “Take these cups in your hands, and hold them out straight from the sides of your body.” He gave her two of the cups, and then picked up the other two himself. He extended his arms in opposite directions and held the two cups out even with his shoulders. Mao did the same, although she thought this request was completely pointless. The cups were so light that she found they offered no resistance at all.

  They maintained this posture for many minutes, and with each passing minute, the cups grew heavier and heavier. Although the old man’s hands remained unwavering, after many minutes, Mao’s began to shake and quiver, and some of the water began to splash around in the cup. She began to sweat, and her breathing began to grow labored. Her arms began to droop downward as each cup seemed to have as much weight as a cow.

  Mao glanced at Master Jai-tien, who pretended not to notice. He appeared to be completely at rest, with a peaceful expression on his face and his arms extended unwaveringly from his sides. There was no sweat or heavy breathing, and no trembling of his hands nor splashing of water. He looked as if he could hold the cups steady forever, with an ease that defied his advanced age.

  “You may put the cups down now, Hei Mao,” he said finally to her great relief. She set the cups on the ground, and then sat down beside them and rubbed her aching arms.

  Jai-tien took a small spoon out of his threadbare pants, dipped a spoonful of water out of each of the four cups, and then picked his two cups back up and again extended his arms. Mao looked at him with astonishment, and continued to sit on the ground rubbing her arms.

  “Are you giving up already, Hei Mao?” he asked. “Is your determination not so great as you thought it was?”

  Mao slowly raised herself from the ground, picked up her cups, and extended her arms from her sides. She began to sweat again, with trembling hands, and her breath again grew labored. Finally, she felt that she could stand no more.

  “Master, please,” she gasped between her panting breaths, “I can’t keep this up forever!”

  “You do not have to keep it up forever, Hei Mao, only as long as I do. I ask you to do nothing more than I do. Can you not persevere merely as long as a worn-out old man? The body will do what you will of it. Where is your determination now, Black Cat?”

  Mao did not set down her cups, but continued to suffer as she held them outstretched from her body. After another eternity, the master set down his cups, and she did
likewise. He took another spoonful of water out of each cup, and then they resumed their positions. This continued at length until the last spoonful of water had been removed from the cups.

  They did several more exercises that afternoon, each one more grueling and seemingly pointless to Mao than the one before. She was told to stand on one leg, with the other one bent so that her foot touched her knee on the straight leg. Jai-tien remained motionless like this for a long period of time, while Mao continuously rocked back and forth, often having to set both feet on the ground to steady herself. After another eternity passed, she was told to do the same thing on the other leg. She began to wonder how these ridiculous postures and movements could in any way be related to the movements and techniques of kung fu. This is not what the children in the monastery did each day. To her, it seemed as if an afternoon of pointless chores was merely to be replaced by an afternoon of even more pointless exercises.

  Finally, covered in sweat and desperate for relief from the exertion, she worked up her nerve to ask the old man, “Master, what possible purpose could there be for all of this nonsense? I do not remember any of the boys at the monastery doing any of these things. Why are we doing this?”

  “These are not random exercises chosen by my whimsy at a particular moment,” replied Jai-tien. “Each exercise we will perform has a specific intent, which is not simply to torture you. Each one helps to develop a special skill, both physical and mental, that you will need to master in order to become truly proficient at kung fu.”

  Mao could not understand this answer, as she could envision no good coming of this strenuous exertion. Nevertheless, she continued to try to follow the master’s lead until the old man declared that they were finished for the day. Then she threw herself on the ground, panting and aching, while Master Jai-tien hobbled off toward the house, looking again very much like the old man that he was.