Chapter 11: The Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands

Li Yanchu sought out Fang Qinglan, hoping to ask her about how to purchase martial arts manuals in Wei City.

Fang Qinglan responded coldly, “Why don’t you ask my sister? She runs an inn, maybe she has some connections.”

Li Yanchu was taken aback for a moment. “You were the first person I thought of, so I came to ask you.”

A fleeting smile flashed in Fang Qinglan’s eyes, though she quickly hid it. “Didn’t you already learn the Six Yang Saber Art? Why are you suddenly asking about martial arts manuals?”

Li Yanchu sighed, “Wei City hasn’t exactly been peaceful lately. I want to pick up a few more techniques for self-defense, so that I can protect myself.”

Fang Qinglan nodded in agreement.

Li Yanchu continued, “But martial arts manuals aren’t something common folk have access to. I had no other option, so I thought I’d ask you. You’re highly skilled and beautiful too, you’re a rare swordswoman in the

jianghu

. If even you don’t have any leads, then there’s no point asking anyone else. I’m willing to pay a hefty sum if I can find a good manual.”

A faint, charming smile tugged at the corners of Fang Qinglan’s lips. “No need to spend money. I have one.”

Li Yanchu immediately waved his hand. “That won’t do. I may not be from the martial world, but I know that sect techniques mustn’t be passed on lightly. I wouldn’t put you in that position.”

Fang Qinglan’s expression softened, and she replied gently, “It’s not a sect technique. I have a manual that follows a firm, yang-based path. It should suit you quite well.”

Li Yanchu’s eyes lit up, his face full of delight. “Really?”

“Of course. Come with me.” Fang Qinglan turned and headed back toward the inn. Her personal belongings were all packed away in a bundle kept at the inn.

Li Yanchu followed her back, and when they left again, he had an extra thread-bound booklet tucked in his arms. On the cover were six bold characters:

The Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands

.[1]

Just one glance revealed it to be the work of a true martial artist from the

jianghu

. it carried a chilling aura of bloodshed and killing intent.

According to Fang Qinglan, this martial art was developed by a great martial master from the northern regions. It contained the essence of fists, kicks, palm strikes, and grappling techniques.

More importantly, it was a form of body-hardening training and hard

qigong

, designed to greatly strengthen one’s qi and blood, and fortify the muscles and bones.

The manual included advanced techniques such as

Void-Splitting Palm

,

Crane Control Hand

, and

Heart-Snatcher Fist

. It could be considered the pinnacle among third-rate martial arts.

Li Yanchu beamed with joy. This manual would go a long way in compensating for his current lack of hand-to-hand combat skills.

***

Back at the inn, Li Yanchu immediately began eagerly started practising the newly acquired martial art. According to the text, each of the Thirty-Six Hands contained intricate variations and secret methods for tempering the body.

The training followed a specific sequence—skin, muscles, tendons, and bones—and with each completed set of techniques, the practitioner could undergo a blood replacement.

However, the difficulty of cultivating this art was extremely high. For ordinary people, even mastering the first six forms would take ten years of arduous effort. The most vital element of the human body was qi and blood, and this aggressive and dominating style demanded a great deal of it. Many risked internal damage or even crippling injury due to qi and blood deficiency.

After about fifteen minutes, a look of delight appeared in Li Yanchu’s eyes as they widened in surprise. “I’ve already mastered the first six forms?!”

He had quickly achieved what would take a normal practitioner ten years of hard training. The result startled him at first, but he soon realized why.

The Six Yang Saber Art he had already cultivated also focused on enhancing qi, blood, and physical strength, so he had an exceptional foundation to begin with.

“Isn’t this kind of like when Zhang Wuji learned the

Heaven and Earth Great Shift

[2]?” Li Yanchu thought to himself.

For a martial artist like him, with a powerful and vigorous qi-blood constitution, this type of hard qigong training was an ideal fit.

The two martial arts shared overlapping principles. After mastering the Six Yang Saber Art, his physical strength had become ferocious, like a tiger or wolf.

Now that he had added the

Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands

to his repertoire, Li Yanchu’s strength was brutal and overwhelming, enough to shatter stone and split slabs.

Whoosh!

He threw a punch, and the air howled like the wind as it tore forward. His muscles and bones cracked with a thunderous rumble, like lightning splitting the sky; his tendons and bones roared in unison, like the thunderous cries of tigers and leopards; and finally, his qi and blood surged violently within him.

From afar, he already looked like a seasoned martial grandmaster.

The Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands had been the signature technique of that great martial expert from the northern regions, especially lethal at close range. Back then, that northern master had only cultivated up to the eighteenth form, yet his physical strength was already monstrous, so much so that he was capable of killing a tiger with brute force and tearing a wild wolf apart barehanded.

If he was clad in heavy armor, he could charge the battlefield like a juggernaut. He was a fearsome warrior, through and through.

Fang Qinglan had come upon the manual by chance. Since her primary focus was swordsmanship and

qinggong

[3], and as a woman, such hard

qigong

training wasn’t quite suited to her physique. Moreover, the martial arts she already practiced were no weaker than the

Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands

. So, she had never taken the time to study it.

But after hearing Li Yanchu’s earnest and respectful words, she decided to give the manual to him. And this was only the first six forms!

In the

jianghu

, martial arts were classified as third-rate, second-rate, first-rate. And above them all, peerless divine arts.

Li Yanchu had now mastered a top-tier third-rate martial art, so his qi and blood had become thick and powerful, and flowed without end.

This surge in strength left him utterly fascinated. And so, he threw himself wholeheartedly into intense training.

***

The next day, Li Yanchu was in the midst of practicing the Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands in the rear courtyard of the inn, using moves like a tiger descending a mountain, or a bear rubbing against a tree[4]. Each punch and kick cracked through the air with sonic booms; the force behind them was astonishing.

Suddenly, someone could be heard shouting his name.

“Daoist Master Yanchu! Daoist Master Yanchu, something’s happened!” a young servant called out anxiously.

Li Yanchu glanced over and asked, “What is it?”

The servant grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the main hall. “Come with me, Daoist Master Yanchu. Zhang San is about to get beaten to death!”

The boy’s name was Feng Gui, and like Zhang San, he was one of the junior attendants at the Taiping Inn. Zhang San was a young lad, the same one Li Yanchu had told not to spread word about his stay, only for the entire inn to find out shortly after.

“What happened?” Li Yanchu asked as he followed.

As they hurried along, Feng Gui quickly explained what had taken place.

It turned out that over the past few days, two traveling merchants had taken up residence at the inn. They had a flock of goats and were staying in the rear courtyard.

Due to the citywide lockdown while fugitives were being hunted, the two merchants had no way of leaving. The goats, however, had caused a lot of complaints from other guests, as they were far too noisy.

Worse, the merchants often whipped the goats and never gave them water, leaving them out under the blazing sun all day. Even after being advised by other guests, the two men completely ignored the warnings and continued their behavior.

Zhang San came from a farming family and couldn’t stand to see the goats mistreated. Thus, he tried to secretly give them some water. But one of the merchants caught him in the act and flew into a rage, immediately resorting to violence.

Zhang San refused to back down, but the merchant apparently had some martial training and gave him a serious beating.

“Beating someone just for giving water to the goats... This is simply outrageous.” Li Yanchu frowned.

1. In Daoist terminology, 罡 (gāng) refers to high-altitude winds; in modern usage, it can also refer to strong, powerful winds. Sometimes also written as “刚风” (gāng fēng). It also sometimes refers to the handle of the Big Dipper, or mountain ridge. ☜

2. Zhang Wuji is the main character of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, a classic wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). He’s a martial arts prodigy who rises to become a powerful and respected figure in the martial world. 乾坤大挪移 (Qiánkūn Dà Nuó Yí), often translated as "Heaven and Earth Great Shift", is a legendary internal martial arts technique featured in the novel. It allows the practitioner to shift and redirect internal energy (qi), defend against powerful attacks, and even counter opponents' moves using their own force against them. ☜

3. Qinggong, also known as "lightness skill," is a technique in Chinese martial arts that involves moving with a sense of effortless lightness and agility. It's often associated with jumping, climbing, and navigating various terrains. The term "lightness" in Qinggong refers to not only physical agility but also a sense of lightness in one's movements, as if one is floating or moving without exerting much effort. ☜

4. In kung fu, the tiger represents the force of the hips, and the bear represents the strength of the shoulder blades. “Tiger descending a mountain”, or “a bear rubbing against a tree” refer to moves used in internal martial arts, 内家拳. ☜