The Way of Restraint

Chapter 158: Severing the Six Thieves

Su Jie didn’t know what his sister had encountered abroad, but he was still reassured. His father, Su Shilin, had said everything was alright, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

Although he didn’t know what his father did before, his skill with hidden weapons—reflecting his toothpick back—was enough to kill without leaving a trace.

Moreover, his father had extensive connections; even Song Longhua, the chairman of Zhonglong, gave him face.

Song Longhua was a major entrepreneur, known for his meticulousness, integrity, and reclusive lifestyle, focusing on running his business honestly. For such a person to give him face, his status and position must be exceptional.

Although he didn’t understand the intricacies of the situation, Su Jie knew there were certain things he couldn’t interfere with right now.

He focused wholeheartedly on his plan: studying, acquiring knowledge, strengthening his physique, cultivating his mind, and developing his network. Once wealth and power were combined, he would surely transform.

Back in the dorm that evening, Wang Shun was reading, Tan Dashi was working out with dumbbells and using a roller to work his abs, while Lin Tang was still reviewing financial information like stocks and futures. He read at lightning speed, the data flowing like a waterfall, leaving Su Jie unable to keep up, but Lin Tang was thoroughly engrossed.

“Su Jie, if you’re interested, I can help you with some investments,” Lin Tang said, noticing Su Jie lying on the bed, seemingly asleep but not quite.

“You’re into stocks and futures? These things are too risky. I’ve seen news reports; even the best traders can go bankrupt in one mistake.” Su Jie was a pragmatic person. He knew Lin Tang was a skilled trader, but he still wanted to observe first. Besides, even after careful observation, he needed to be cautious about investing.

These things are unpredictable, like the workings of fate. Even the whole world experiences financial crises. Human power is truly powerless in the face of such overwhelming forces; it’s best to play it safe.

Although Su Jie didn’t have much money right now, only a little over two million, it was all money he had saved up little by little.

“That’s true, you have your concerns. You’re not familiar with this stuff, so I can’t guarantee anything,” Lin Tang nodded, then went back to looking at his data.

Su Jie immediately went to sleep.

The dormitory wasn’t quiet, and the surroundings were quite close. Some freshmen were chatting noisily, making it quite lively. Most people wouldn’t be able to sleep, but Su Jie didn’t care.

Here, he could better hone his ability to calm his mind.

Even if it was incredibly noisy, he could still enter his own world, completely ignoring everything outside.

A thought suddenly struck him, and he remembered a well-known scripture: “No eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind.”

He began to try to make himself deaf.

After a while, the surrounding sounds gradually disappeared.

Just now, he had heard them but hadn’t paid them any attention. Now, his hearing was severed, as if he had become deaf. No matter how loud the noise outside, it was all a silent scene to him.

Suddenly, he found being deaf quite interesting; the inability to hear external sounds brought an intense sense of tranquility.

Then, he tried to sever all his sensory perceptions.

The sensations of his mouth, eyes, nose, and skin.

He felt like a plant or a piece of wood.

Only his “thought” remained a mystery.

In other words, Su Jie could manipulate his thoughts and sever his sensory organs, but he couldn’t completely sever his core “thought.”

He could not achieve “no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or thought”—he could only achieve “no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, or body.”

Even plants have life; thought is life. How could he sever it?

He had finally grasped the true threshold of the “living dead” realm: severing that “thought” would allow him to enter. Previously, while he could enter a state of “neither thought nor non-thought,” it was only while asleep. Now, he felt he could enter it while exercising.

Recently, he’d reduced his physical exercise, focusing instead on mental contemplation and deep reflection.

Every moment, he analyzed the changes in his thoughts and personality, summarizing his gains and losses.

Thoughts control emotions, emotions control nerves, nerves control the brain, and the brain controls the body.

He was tracing the origins of this life process.

Gradually, he seemed to be unraveling something.

This was a change in psychological qualities, unlike martial arts or combat, which ordinary people couldn’t learn; it required enlightenment.

Su Jie’s current mental cultivation was no different from that of ancient, truly accomplished Zen monks and Taoist masters, and perhaps even surpassed them.

This was precisely the kind of master Odell was searching for.

Su Jie understood that in the current fighting world, some top fighters, even those who could dominate the ring, lacked mental fortitude. Before a major battle, they would experience anxiety, insomnia, and hadn’t even reached the first level of “detailed thought.”

Their strength lay in their rigorous training from a young age, their adherence to various training systems, and their single-minded dedication to treating it as a profession.

Su Jie’s current level was likely national-level, potentially allowing him to contend with Liu Long, currently ranked number one.

Liu Long had been training since he was a few years old, possessing a much stronger foundation than Su Jie.

Su Jie’s ability to catch up stemmed from reaching the state of “neither thought nor non-thought” while under the “black room” of Uncle Mang.

In ancient times, this might be equivalent to the sudden enlightenment of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, who uttered the profound truth, “Bodhi is not a tree, nor is the bright mirror a stand.”

*****

“Did you notice? He seems to have stopped breathing.”

While Su Jie was asleep, the other three were still awake, with Tan Dashi being the first to notice.

All three looked over.

Sure enough, Su Jie was barely breathing or having a heartbeat while sleeping; he only moved occasionally.

“Don’t disturb him, he’s practicing his martial arts,” Lin Tang said. “He’s really skilled. With someone like him protecting our dorm, we’ll be able to walk around with our heads held high!”

“We can become Martial Arts masters too!” Wang Shun said. “Let’s learn from him and start sleeping too. No more staying up late, starting today.”

“It’s so noisy outside, how can I sleep?” Lin Tang frowned. “I have some neurasthenia.”

“You’re overusing your brain. Analyzing the stock market is mentally taxing. I sleep well, you need to exercise,” Tan Dashi laughed. “Except for the night before the college entrance exam, I sleep soundly all the time. I almost didn’t get into Q University because of insomnia during the exam, but luckily I passed.”

“Let’s go to sleep early, we have military training tomorrow, otherwise we won’t have the energy,” Wang Shun also lay down.

The four of them turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Even Lin Tang stopped looking at the international overnight futures market. 

*****

The next morning, Su Jie woke up first at 5:00 AM. 

University dormitories normally opened at 6:00 AM, but some students preparing for postgraduate entrance exams would get up early and ask the dormitory manager to open the doors earlier so they could study in the library or classrooms, so the dorms could open at 5:00 AM.

However, based on Su Jie’s past practice of getting up at 3:00 AM to exercise, the dormitory doors definitely wouldn’t be open.

“Boss, you’re up?” Everyone else was awake when Su Jie woke up, eagerly anticipating him teaching them Martial Arts.

The group quickly washed up and went to the sports field. There were already some people exercising there, mostly university teachers and physical education students.

“I’ll teach you stance training to find your root.” Su Jie was a good instructor; after all, he had taught many people in Daoist martial arts. Since learning the concept of “root” from the judo master Mu Qiang, he had carefully studied it, and based on his knowledge of feng shui and physiognomy, he felt it was indeed an important theory in martial arts.

“Root” is not just about balance in martial arts, but more importantly, about maintaining an upright posture and sinking one’s Qi to the Dantian (lower abdomen).

Su Jie clasped his hands together, having the group assume the “Hun Yuan Zhuang” (Primordial Stance).

This stance is simple: imagine holding a water vat, maintaining balance.

After they were in position, Su Jie observed them briefly and found that even Tan Dashi hadn’t found his “root.” His Qi and spirit were scattered; his movements lacked the fluidity of wind, lightning, thunder, and stillness of a mountain.

In traditional martial arts terms, Tan Dashi was an external practitioner, not yet having grasped the true essence of internal martial arts.

Su Jie first had them strengthen their foundation and cultivate their Qi through stance training, finding their “root.” Then, through form practice, they would maintain this “root” even in motion, like a large tree whose roots, deep in the earth, remain unshaken even in a strong wind.

Once the routines are mastered, the “root” can be maintained during movement, gradually strengthening it before engaging in sparring practice.

This is the traditional martial arts training method.

Su Jie realized that this was the only method suitable for teaching these dormitory members; other methods were inappropriate.

Teaching him the external training method from the start with O’Deli was definitely not suitable.

After standing in the stance for a while, Su Jie explained the basic points to the three and helped them adjust their posture.

“Don’t sway or lean. The most important thing is to maintain your spirit and energy, like a flagpole standing tall,” Su Jie said. “Root yourself downwards, like a pool of muddy water. After a long period of settling, the silt sinks to the bottom, and you become clear.”

Although Tan Dashi couldn’t grasp the concept, he still tried his best to stand. If he hadn’t witnessed Su Jie’s skill, he would have thought this was all a hoax.

“Hmm?” Su Jie noticed that in stance training, Wang Shun, the bright young man from the countryside, had the highest talent. He quickly entered a state of focus, and Lin Tang was not bad either. 

Under Su Jie’s adjustments, Lin Tang’s mindset and breathing began to sink downwards. Only Tan Dashi was still struggling to grasp the essence.

Logically, Tan Dashi’s strength should be enough to take on several Lin Tangs and Wang Shuns, but he just couldn’t get the stance right.

‘This is probably a habit from combat, something that’s hard to break after a while. Modern combat starts with a barrage of attacks, which is effective quickly. But over time, it’s hard to calm the mind.’ While teaching, Su Jie was also studying and reflecting, and he gradually understood the feeling Odell had described.