Black Dragon, Black Cat

by Brian Edwards

  After a plain dinner of rice and vegetables, Jai-tien and Hei Mao cleaned the dishes and tidied up the house. With every slight movement, Mao thought that she could feel her entire body tremble with the effort. Even the most routine gesture could bring a flinch of sharp pain somewhere within her achy muscles. She was ready to collapse into bed.

  Then the old man pronounced, as usual, “Now it is time to go to visit Mother Lu-chin.”

  “Oh no!”, thought Mao, cringing at the thought of the long, difficult climb up the hill. “Master,” she pleaded, “do we have to go there tonight? I do not think that I can climb the hill.”

  “The body does what you will of it, Black Cat,” was all he said. With that, he picked up his stick at the paper door and wobbled outside, with Mao plodding along behind him.

  Mao was miserable walking up the long pathway to the top of the hill. She felt every tiny footstep as a major jolt of pain rushing through her legs. Over and over again she wondered why they had to do this every single night. Master Jai-tien and Mother Lu-chin never even spoke to each other. Surely it was not necessary to go there every night. Why was she going up the hill too? Could she not refuse to go and just stay at the house?

  Finally they arrived at the top of the hill. Master Jai-tien made a little scraping noise at the door, and they entered silently to find Lu-chin sitting in her usual place. She smiled slightly as they entered, and then her face again became expressionless.

  Mao went over to the corner to prepare the tea. She heated the kettle on the stove and poured it into the two tiny cups that were placed on the service tray. She carried the cups over to the two elders, and then sat gingerly on the floor with her legs crossed and quickly dozed off.

  Mao sensed a soft hand on her head, and slowly woke up. “The sun is beginning to set now, Black Cat,” said the master. “It is time to start back down the hill.”

  Mao rose groggily to her feet, and then wobbled off after Jai-tien without more than a glance back to Mother Lu-chin. As she plodded down the hill, she again began to wonder why they made the journey up the hill every night. She began to wonder yet again about the silence between her master and his mother. After building up her courage, she asked for a second time, “Please, Master, will you not tell me why you and Mother Lu-chin never speak to each other?”

  A sigh briefly escaped from Jai-tien’s lips. He hesitated only a moment, then said, “What need is there of words? Everything that is worthy of being spoken has already been said a long time ago.”

  This answer did not satisfy Hei Mao, but it was clearly the only one that she was going to get.

  Thus began the first day of many involving an excruciating regimen of exercises that were performed for five hours each afternoon, whether in the blazing sun or driving rain. There were still the morning chores to perform each day, but in the afternoon, there were no more meaningless tasks to keep her busy. Instead, they performed a regimen of strenuous exercises, which Jai-tien led. At the end of each day, they would make the long climb up the hill to the house of Mother Lu-chin for the evening tea ceremony, and then wind their way back down to retire to their beds.

  Winter came, and still the practice continued, even during the snowy, bone-chilling months of deep winter. The cold wind incessantly beat at her and the master, taking a small toll of energy with the escape of each steamy breath. Every night after the return from tea, Hei Mao would throw herself upon her straw mattress by the iron stove, and the black cat would curl up its ancient bones beside her on the pillow. During the coldest hours of the night, Mao would gently pull the old cat down under her blanket to keep it warm against her body. Each morning, she would awaken with a profound soreness in every muscle and joint in her body, and she would complain to herself that the old man was insane. The morning chores would beckon, the black cat would be fed, and then another grueling afternoon of exercises would follow.

  Finally, spring spread over the land, and the hillside turned green again. Frogs could be heard again in the green pond, and flowers burst into bloom in the fields. Still, the daily routine continued unabated. Each day brought a mixture of new and old exercises, but the spring carried with it more changes and surprises. Mao began to notice these changes. The first change she noticed was that the climb up the hill each evening was easier than it was in the past. She noticed that her stamina had increased while performing the annoying exercises. She could manage most of the exercises more easily, and without losing her breath and sweating heavily. She could balance in strange postures for long periods of time, and awake in the mornings without feeling the absolute soreness everywhere within her body. Each day, she felt stronger and attained more control of her body. She began to realize the wisdom behind the exercises they performed each day, and would approach them with a new, enlightened attitude. Hei Mao was not the only one who noticed these changes.

  One evening, as spring was starting to bow to summer, the pair made their way up the hill to the house of Lu-chin. The old man walked more smoothly than usual, and was less inclined to lean on his stick. Hei Mao noticed this, and realized that the exercises seemed to have helped her master’s physical condition as well as her own. The walk up the hill seemed shorter than usual, and there seemed to be a spring in the old man’s gait that aroused a feeling of excitement within her. She did not quite understand why she should feel this way.

  When they arrived at the house of Lu-chin, Master Jai-tien scratched at the door before pulling it open slowly. The pair entered the house to find Mother Lu-chin sitting in her chair as usual. As they entered, she looked up to greet them, and Mao could have sworn that the old woman’s smile was just a touch wider than normal, and that Lu-chin’s eyes rested peculiarly upon her for a slight moment longer than usual. Mao wondered if she were imagining things that were not really there.

  Master Jai-tien took his usual seat in the chair next to his mother, and Hei Mao walked over to the table to warm the tea service. As she brought the hot water from the stove, she noticed that there were three teacups sitting on the tray, rather than the usual two. She was startled by this strange sight, and wondered how the old woman could have mistakenly place three glasses upon the tray instead of two. Then she made a realization that stopped her pulse momentarily with shock and amazement. Was she being invited to take part in the tea ceremony? No, that could not be possible! But was it so?

  Black Cat turned to look at the two figures, sitting silently in their chairs with their backs to her. She wound up her courage, filled all three cups, and then carried the tray over to her two elders. She handed each one a cup, and then sat down on the floor with her legs crossed. She set down the tray, and slowly picked up the third cup, looking downward but watching Jai-tien and his mother through the tops of her eyes as she slowly raised the cup to her lips. When she realized that they were not going to object, her confidence rose, and she joined in the tea ceremony for the first time. Her thoughts grew light and she felt euphoric as she sat on the floor and drank her tea. She closed her eyes and felt the joy and peace that slowly permeated into her consciousness. She began to realize why this custom was so deeply cherished.

  After what seemed like only a few moments, Hei Mao noticed a rustle of activity, and opened her eyes. She realized that the time had passed so quickly without her notice, and that it was time to clean up the tea servings and walk back down the hill to the master’s little house. As they bowed to Mother Lu-chin just before exiting the house, Mao noticed again the slight, unusual smile on the old woman’s face and this time she was sure that she knew the meaning.

  Mao and Jai-tien silently began the long walk down the hill to their home, more quickly than usual. After some time, the old man slowed his pace, and began “My Maome,” which meant “kitten” in ancient Chinese, “over the past two years, you have demonstrated patience, truthfulness, and courage. You have proven also that you have sufficient determination and dedication to devote your life to the practice of the art of kung fu. You have developed the ability to exert
mental control over the physical actions of your body, rather than letting your physical limitations constrain the extent of your abilities. But foremost, you have shown through your silent actions that you have developed a sense of respect for the world around you. You have displayed deep respect for my mother every evening by silently serving us tea and then waiting for us to finish. You have displayed respect in many other ways, but most importantly, you have shown respect to the old black cat that you once disdained with your forgetfulness. I have noticed each morning on awaking that you have shared your warmth with the cat, and that you are most attentive to his daily needs. His health has improved greatly due to your care. Although he has little life remaining in this world, what remains to him will be better because of your respect for his well-being. You are finally ready to begin training in the martial aspects of kung fu. Tomorrow, we shall begin!”

  Mao felt her heart stop at the final words, and almost stumbled down the path. Finally, she was about to begin her journey into the profound art of kung fu! For the second time that night, she experienced the euphoria and joy that lifted her spirit. She felt renewed confidence that she was safely astride the path to her destiny. Without another word, the pair proceeded down the hill, both with an unusual spryness in their steps that had not been present for a long time.

  The awakening

  The next morning, Mao awoke to the sandy tongue of the old black cat, which was licking her cheek in its grateful manner. She rolled upright onto her mattress, and stretched her arms in the air with a gaping yawn. When she set her feet on the floor, she felt a strange object beneath them. She looked down at a bundle of cloth on the floor, and immediately recognized the new clothes she had brought from the village. Was it a full year ago? She did not know, and did not care. It did not matter now. Today was the day that life would begin anew, the day she had waited for desperately all of her life. She shrugged off her sleeping clothes, and dressed in a rush, donning for the first time the pristine pantaloons and tunic. Then with the reverence of a grand master in the most conservative monastery, she belted the white sash around her waist.

  The feeling was incredible; she felt the blood surge in her veins and sensed a great stirring of power within her soul. For a moment, she felt like bursting into tears, but she regained her composure and stepped out into the main room of the house where she knew that Master Jai-tien would be waiting. She approached the shrine corner, where the old man was seated on the floor in meditation. Jai-tien sensed her presence, and turned to face her.

  “You look very handsome this morning, Maome,” the old man said after he turned to see her. “Is today to be a special one?” He said this in a mock stern voice, which was merely his way of pretending to tease her.

  Mao started to blush and almost giggled, but caught herself just in time. Instead, she could not stop herself from smiling broadly and replied, “I am to begin my training today, Master.”

  “No, Maome, you are to continue your training today. You have been training for two years already.”

  “But I will begin to learn new things today. Is that not correct, my master?”

  “Yes, Hei Mao, I will begin to teach you new things today. We will begin a new phase of your training. But do not expect life to get easier; it will only get harder. What you have done so far will be as nothing compared to where we will travel. Are you prepared for this new journey, Hei Mao?”

  Yes, Master,” was all that Mao replied, looking directly into the old man’s eyes. “I am prepared for whatever trials lie on the path to my destiny.”

  Jai-tien chuckled to himself at the earnest statement and serious look in the young girl’s eyes, which belied her young age. “We shall see, Hei Mao,” he replied. “We shall indeed.” Then the smile faded from his lips. “The morning chores!” He clapped his hands. “Get to work!”

  Mao breezed through the morning chores, performing them with a spirit of elation not present in many months. She kept in mind the black cat, and paid particular attention to its feeding, less she make the same mistake again that had doomed her last time. The chickens were also fed, the cow milked, the coop cleaned, and everything else, just like any other day. However, Mao never stopped smiling through all of the daily chores. At last they were finished, and it was time for lunch.

  After lunch, Master Jain-tien stood up and declared, “Hei Mao, now we shall begin your martial training! But first, we must perform an hour of exercises to continue our physical training. Each day, we will begin our training with an hour of exercises similar to those we have been performing for the past year. We must not neglect our physical training, or everything else we do will have been wasted.”

  Mao was not particularly thrilled with this, but she did not let it dampen her spirit. She was ready to hurdle any obstacle now that her real training was to begin.

  The hour of exercises passed excruciatingly slowly for Mao, but she kept her mind focused on the reward at the end. Finally, the last movement was performed, and she felt entirely fresh and ready to move on to the next phase of her training. “Where shall we begin, Master?”, she asked in an excited tone. “Will we begin to learn attacks and counters today? Will we practice any beautiful spinning kicks?”

  The old man chuckled. “No, Hei Mao,” he said, “we will start at the beginning and work up from there. Watch what I do, and try to copy it.”

  Jai-tien bent his legs slightly, set them at shoulder width, and stood with his arms extended downward in front of his body toward his waist, with his hands balled into fists. Mao mimicked his posture. Then he brought his left fist up to his waist, and his right fist to his left shoulder, and stepping backward with his right foot, he pulled his right fist back to his waist. At the same time, his left arm shot up perpendicularly to his body, with his left hand open and the thumb curled inside of his palm, which was facing outward. He held this position for several seconds, balancing most of his weight on his back leg.

  Mao tried to perform this movement, but was not very successful.

  “Good!”, said Jai-tien. “That is a marvelous start! Now we do it again.” He repeated the movement, this time with Mao performing it at the same time. She managed it slightly better the second time.

  “Now again!”, said the master, and again they repeated it. “And again!” They repeated it again. Each time, Mao improved slightly.

  This sequence went on for a long time. After many repetitions, Mao believed that she had mastered the movement. She was growing weary and bored with performing the same simple action over and over again. “Master,” she said, “why do we continue with this? I have mastered it. Let us move on!”

  The old man chuckled again. “Hei Mao, you have not even begun to master it. It is impossible to master anything in kung fu. There is always some way that everything can be improved. Now again!” They repeated the movement yet again.

  This sequence continued for at least another hour. Mao knew that they must have done at least a thousand repetitions. She was beginning to think that the exercises were actually preferable to this slow methodical torture that seemed to be entirely pointless. Why did she need to continue this movement? Certainly she had mastered it by now!

  After another ten minutes of this repetition, the master finally stopped and said, “There! That is enough practice on this today. Now let us do something different. Watch what I do, and try to copy it.”

  Jai-tien then performed exactly the same movement as before, but this time in the opposite fashion, stepping back with his left foot and blocking with his right arm.

  Hei Mao groaned. For another ninety minutes, they repeated this movement on the opposite side of the body. Mao’s mind was becoming numb with boredom, and disappointment at this new training was beginning to creep into her thoughts.

  Finally, Jai-tien ceased repeating this movement, and said, “That is enough practice of this movement for today. Now we will learn something completely different.”

  Mao was relieved. Finally, she would learn something int
eresting.

  “Watch what I do, and try to copy it,” said the master. With this, he again stood with his knees slightly bent and his arms extended downward in front of him. Stepping back with his right foot, he performed the same arm movements as in the previous technique, but this time finished with a closed fist that was turned inward toward his chest, rather than an open palm facing outward.

  Mao stared at the old man in disbelief. “What? Is that correct, Master? You said this would be completely different. It is almost exactly the same thing!”

  “No, Mao, it is completely different!”

  “But…it looks exactly the same except for the closed fist at the end.”

  “Yet it is entirely different, Hei Mao. The uses of the two techniques are completely separate, and confusing them could lead to danger. Now let us continue. Less talk, and more action!”

  With this, another ninety minutes was spent performing this new movement. Mao became increasingly bored and frustrated. Nevertheless, she persevered, continuing to perform endless repetitions of the same movement for what seemed like an eternity.

  After at least another thousand repetitions, the old man ceased and proceeded to exactly the same movement on the opposite side of the body. By this time, Mao knew it was coming, and had already resigned herself to the task. They continued repeating this movement for another ninety minutes.

  After about five hours of repeating these movements, the old man finally stopped and said, “That is enough for today. We have accomplished a great deal this afternoon, do you not agree, Hei Mao? What do you think of your kung fu training now?” Without waiting for an answer, he clasped his hands behind his back and began walking toward the house. “Come! Let us have a small supper and then proceed to Mother Lu-chin’s house for tea.”